"Water source contamination...?"
"Yes. Since all the wells in the city and the nearby rivers are polluted with miasma, there's no other possible cause."
The Empress Brigade's headquarters.
In the private conference room at the very back of the building, Alicia and I were listening to the details of the strange incident currently rocking the city.
The leader of the Empress Brigade, Empress Stacey, continues to rack her brains as the town's leader.
"The Walkley Mountains are a short distance north of the dungeon city of Sancrid. The vast underground caverns that spread out within them are the source of all the water in this area. It could be that a powerful undead monster wandered in and caused the decay, or it could be that the recent collapse of the dungeon has had a negative effect on the magical balance... Either way, the cause must be inside the Walkley Underground Cave."
Stacey then shows us a glass of contaminated water next to a glass of colorless, transparent water.
"Fortunately, if we have a Gift with purification skills, we can turn the polluted water into drinkable water, so we should be able to manage for a while. But it's impossible to supply this large city forever. There hasn't been much rain recently, so we need to resolve this as soon as possible. However, if there is unexpected miasma that contaminates the entire water source, the purification skills stationed in the city won't be enough. We'll need a Holy Knight who specializes in purification skills, or a Gift with comparable powers."
So I want to ask you straight out…" Stacey said, lowering her voice seriously.
" Do you happen to have any powerful purification skills?"
Stacey said, looking straight at Alicia.
Then I realized why they trusted us.
(Ah, I see. We've only been giving bits and pieces of information to Stacey and the others, who cannot reveal any secrets due to the
It was understandable why Stacey and the others were hopeful that Alicia might be able to use the powerful purification skills associated with the Holy Knights.
And the answer to that expectation is
"...Yeah, it works."
Alicia's rapid growth during the battle in the collapsed dungeon led to her acquiring a new skill.
Alicia held her hand over the contaminated water prepared by Stacey, as if to test its power. Instantly, the sacred magic was released, and the contaminated water instantly turned colorless and transparent.
Looking through the appraisal crystal, the message displayed was "Water: Highest Quality."
Stacey and Liza's eyes widened when they saw that.
"Whoa, this guy...?!"
"Amazing, with this power it would be able to exorcise even the roots of miasma that pollutes water sources...! I was prepared for the worst case scenario, to cooperate with the Lion King and secretly ask for the cooperation of the church or the imperial capital, but..."
"This is... such an amazing skill... I thought it was just a convenient skill that could instantly turn the nectar of love that overflows when Erio and I are making out into pure fresh water, so that the innkeeper could change the sheets without bothering her... It can also quickly get rid of odors..."
Alicia muttered as she looked down at her hands.
I don't know what you think about that, but... to be honest, I thought it was convenient for the same reason, so I can't really say anything... I mean, I really felt sorry for the poster girl who would turn red in the face and fidget seductively every time she cleaned our room...
Well, well, that's fine.
"Well then, as the head of the Empress Brigade, I will officially request that you purify the water source of the surrounding area, the Walkley Underground Cave. We have to keep an eye on the dungeon, and I'm sure you don't want your power to be seen, so I can't assist you in terms of military forces, but I will work with the Lion King Brigade and the guild and promise to pay you an appropriate reward."
"got it"
Even if no one asks, water pollution is a serious issue that cannot be overlooked.
Although there are many things we are concerned about, such as the church's movements, as people of noble birth, we cannot ignore the crisis facing the town. Alicia and I nodded without hesitation.
And then, looking at my eyes,
"Also... apart from the money, I'll give you plenty of other things as thanks."
Stacey and Liza suddenly lost their serious expressions and came over to me.
Huh?! What?!
"You've been contributing greatly to the city, from dealing with the collapse of the dungeon to helping with the reconstruction work. I'll do my best as the leader of the Empress Brigade, so prepare yourself...❤"
"Next time, I'll definitely leave you unable to stand...❤"
"...That's great, I'm looking forward to it. I'll come back and solve this problem as soon as possible."
"Wait, why is Alicia answering so enthusiastically?!"
By the way, Stacey-san and Liza-san! You've been busy with the recent reconstruction efforts, so aren't you trying to relieve your stress on me under the pretext of thanking me!?
Alicia casually answers Stacey and Liza, who are leaning on her.
Trembling at the thought of being drained dry by those three, I set out to investigate the water source.
"However...there is one problem."
After returning to the inn, Alicia and I continued preparing to investigate the water source while talking to ourselves.
This is because the source of the water, the Walkley Underground Cave, had a troublesome feature.
"Stacey and the others warned me about this... but it's a really vast and complicated structure."
Looking down is a map showing only a portion of the layout of the Walkley Underground Cave.
The Walkley Underground Caverns is a limestone cave that stretches inside the mountain range and is quite vast inside.
Moreover, unlike dungeons, no one actively explores them, so mapping has not progressed very far.
The monsters that appear aren't very strong so there's no need to worry about that, but finding the source of the contamination seems like it would be quite a challenge.
"It's scary to use a penis detector on a source that's contaminating the entire area… Sophia's sense of smell… will be useless inside the cave because the smell of the source of contamination will fill the air. Besides, I feel reluctant to drag Sophia out when she's still recovering from an illness and is being looked after by the Empress Brigade (though we ended up getting along well out of necessity)… Hmm, what should I do?"
If it takes too long, it will put a strain on the city.
At worst, I think the quickest thing to do would be to have Alicia use her
Even if I could take good care of her down there, I wasn't sure if Alicia's magic would last, and I wasn't sure if she would approve of me putting her down there in danger in the first place.
That's when I was racking my brains trying to think of a way to reach the source of the contamination efficiently.
Rustling...
"yeah?"
There was a noise in the corner of the room.
What came from the sound was a trash can filled with traces (a euphemism) of our friendship.
It seems to be moving in small increments...
I turned the trash can upside down to see what it was, and... it was like...
""picture""
Alicia, who had activated her presence detection after me, let out a gasp.
Because the thing that came out of the trash can was... a tiny little monster.
"...! ...!"
Shake, shake, shake, shake!
Perhaps they snuck in while we were heading towards the Empress Brigade.
The pitiful slime, trembling after being found by a human, looked up at me as if it had resigned itself to death.