"..."

"This lady was infected without any awareness?"

The office on the second floor of the hospital.

After listening to Ronald's account of Il's situation, Zepher, the head of the [Hesithon] school, was seriously contemplating the issue.

He was well aware of the capabilities of the three esteemed guests before him.

And understood that he absolutely must not provoke these guys into anger.

Therefore, when faced with their inquiry, Zepher pondered carefully for more than a minute, ensuring there were no omissions in the information he had, and then answered with a respectful tone:

"Mr. Ronald, to my knowledge, there has been absolutely no similar phenomenon around Carpen in recent years, even the disease samples preserved by our school could not have infected Miss Il in such a manner."

Zepher first expressed his assessment of the matter.

However, upon seeing Ronald's slight furrowed brow, regardless of whether Ronald was genuinely angry with him, he hurriedly added:

"Still, in my memory, this area might have experienced similar conditions a long time ago."

"But due to the long history, even the country of [Elrene] had yet to be established, so our school's documentation only slightly mentioned it when listing various contagious disasters."

Zepher felt a bit anxious about the information he could provide.

Because he knew his knowledge was really limited.

Yet for Ronald, this was a breakthrough from nothing, absolutely momentous!

So he immediately pursued the inquiry toward the hospital director before him:

"Mr. Zepher, can you provide more details about the information you know?"

Faced with Ronald's proactive questioning, Zepher immediately began recounting the information he knew:

"It was shortly after the Dark Age ended. In the area around the current [Elrene] territories, a type of infection with unknown origins was prevalent, with the main characteristics of patients resembling what Miss Il just described."

"However, the spread of the disease was fast and disappeared quickly, leaving no remaining traces on the bodies of personnel who suffered casualties. Therefore, within our school, we did not document that incident in any further detail."

"..."

— The Dark Age had just ended.

With such a condition laid before him, Ronald quickly formed a thought.

The timing of the epidemic Zepher mentioned perfectly aligned with the time the wizards of Barrier Mountain were sealed into the [Infinite Negative Domain] and this world had just concluded a magnificent war.

From numerous documented records, Ronald was certain it was an environment where the power of spells far surpassed today's era.

In contrast, the environment in which Il was now encountering issues.

It is precisely a time in this world where the number of casters is rapidly increasing, and the strength of spells is steadily rising.

This source-unknown infection.

Might be a mystical issue closely linked to this condition!

"..."

"Mr. Ronald, that's all the information I know."

Ronald bowed his head, contemplating the significance of this matter, while before him, the hospital director cautiously continued:

"May I ask — do you have any other questions?"

"Oh, no more!" Awakened from his thoughts by Zepher's words, Ronald immediately shook his head.

With the conversation reaching this point, he was already satisfied with the information obtained.

Thus, he promptly called Il and Costate by his side and bid farewell to the hospital director before him:

"Mr. Zepher, I'm sorry for disturbing you so late."

"The fleet from Gred will be docking at the port for a total of three days; if there's anything you need over the next two days, you can send someone to the ship to find me, and I won't refuse within my capability!"

"You're too kind!" Hearing Ronald's words, Zepher immediately displayed a surprised and honored expression, "Inquiring about such matters is just a small thing; your willingness to come to me for inquiry is clearly my honor."

Ronald had grown somewhat accustomed to the attitude of this [Hesithon] school's head, so after calmly accepting such gestures, he quickly bid the last farewell:

"It's quite late now; we should not continue disturbing here."

"Please take your leave—"

"..."

"Whew... finally gone."

Standing in the office on the second floor of the hospital, it was only long after Ronald and the others had left that Zepher breathed a sigh of relief.

Although his outward demeanor remained composed.

During this brief conversation, the caution in his heart had reached its peak.

Engaging with such immensely powerful legacy holders was truly like walking on thin ice, every word and action needed careful attention.

...

On the other side, Ronald and the others took advantage of the night to return to the port.

For the city of Carpen, Gred's three steamships were undoubtedly the highest-priority guests.

Therefore, even at this late hour.

There was a sufficient number of staff busy here and there to provide various assistance for the repairs of the three ships.

At this moment, the advantages of casters came into play again.

A hulking steamship like these naturally required sending to a specialized shipyard for repairs. But now, with various spells by casters solving issues, this original necessary condition was resolved.

Even when just floating at the dock ordinarily, as long as the corresponding materials were delivered, the casters responsible for repairs could find their way to fix the ships.

Such as the traces left behind during the previous sea battle.

Only with such efficient repairs could these be restored within a mere three-day timeframe.

"..."

"Ronald, you're back too!"

Watching the scene unfolding at the dock, the three seamlessly returned to the ship.

However, before they had the chance to pass across the deck, a somewhat surprised voice reached their ears.

Looking toward the direction the voice came from.

Ronald's expression lit up with joy.

The one who stopped them was none other than his friend from Bremenwich, the great investigator Swift!

This detective, from Bremenwich's fleet, was at this night moment seemingly enjoying the breeze on the deck, thus spotting Ronald and the others returning to the ship.

Swift shouted as he approached them:

"Returning so late, did you encounter something onshore?"

To an old friend who had acted together in the past, Ronald didn't conceal too much.

Therefore, he gestured to the still sullen-faced Il behind him:

"It's because this fellow encountered some issues."

"Il received an inexplicable infection earlier; I took her to the hospital specifically to consult the situation. According to the hospital director, this infection seems to be something extremely ancient, so much so that their school's records don't even have detailed documentation."

"Oh?" Hearing Ronald's response, Swift's expression changed.

"If that's the case, I have a recommended place for addressing this issue." As he spoke, Swift showed a mysterious smile, "Earlier today, while strolling in the city, I discovered Carpen's library, containing some rather precious materials and books."

"If it truly is an exceedingly old matter, perhaps we could find some results there."