“Let’s go up together.”

Saying that, he swiftly swept my belly with his fingers.

Oops, a bit on the belly. Oh, right, there too.

His touch was a bit mischievous, but since I was in a freeloader’s position in his palm, I just decided to endure it.

Arriving at the top, Edrish gently put me down on the ground. I confirmed that the ground was sturdy and transformed back into a human.

It was a really comfortable piggyback.

For a while, I stupidly dropped my jaw at the sight in front of me.

“Wow.”
The water was flowing briskly through various aqueducts. The wind generated by the water playfully tousled my hair and lifted it as it pleased. It was a tremendous force.

However, as I observed the scene, a strong thought came to me that this was not the source of the spreading poison.

Edrish was right. The amount of groundwater was massive. If a deadly poison were to spread enough to cause immediate deaths, it would require pouring poison equivalent to a whole truck.

“It doesn’t seem to be here!”

I shouted loudly. The sound of water was so loud that if I didn’t, Edrish wouldn’t hear me right next to him. Edrish pulled me and whispered in my ear.

“Just in case, I’ll look around. Sit here and rest.”

I nodded and plopped down. Then I watched Edrish inspecting various places with the concealed carriage.

The concealed carriage did not react anywhere. It just splendidly served as a good dishwashing tool after being immersed in water dozens of times. Hmm, sparkling.

After examining everything, Edrish returned to my side. Sitting side by side, we turned to the outside rather than toward the waterway.

Except for the arched structure, there were no outer walls.

Thanks to that, Central, spread out far below, could be seen at a glance. Rows of tall and short houses, roads spreading like spider webs from the center. There were no people who were dying or in pain visible from here. It was beautiful.

Swoosh, the wind in the high sky passed through the sweaty hair. It was a bit eerie and very refreshing.

Where could the poison have spread from?

Looking down at the open forest, my inexplicable feeling of stuffiness seemed to be relieved a bit.

Maybe Edrish felt the same; he didn’t say a word for a while.

If it’s not water, then where is it? Where the heck is it? Even though it seems like I should know.

Everyone, young and old, can come into contact with it. Spreading rapidly. So…

It was the moment when the thoughts that had been taking shape and forming suddenly crystallized.

Boom!

The deafening sound echoed. Edrish instinctively pulled me behind him.

The air vibrated strongly, but the arch we stood on remained unchanged.

Then where did the explosion happen?

I opened my tightly closed eyes and looked around. I saw dark and thick smoke rising on the other side.

“That’s… the train station. The train station exploded.”

“It must be the work of Serbian.”

The explosion didn’t stop there.

Kwong! Thud! Thud!

Explosions continued from all directions along the railway.

“They’re planning to cut off the land route.”

Edrish’s voice sank heavily.

It seemed like they expected the Allied forces to gather in Central. I felt suffocated.

It was despair.

The cunning and wicked snake Suin seemed to know exactly what we would do, and it went ahead. Moreover, in terms of military strength and weapons, they were one step ahead.

Can we win this fight?

I wondered if, like in a novel, we would end up defeated and eventually be remembered as villains.
Then I shook my head. Such thoughts are not helpful at all right now. I will win no matter what. We will bring peace to Deroad. Everyone will be able to spend safe and happy days. Eat all the meat or fruit you want…

At that moment, something crossed my mind.

I jumped to my feet.

“It’s money. The money is poisoned.”

We quickly descended below for now. Sure enough, the knights reported that most of the trains and railways had been damaged due to explosions.

But now, dealing with the poison was more urgent than that. There was no time to waste. I grabbed Edrish’s hand. We had to go to the market.

“Listen. The symptoms occurred in an unspecified number of people. However, it was reported that even family members did not transmit the infection to each other. There was no place where patients gathered together.”

The words rushed out as fast as my anxious heart.

“People who engage in outdoor activities were the first to get sick. It was said that the poison was spread through the merchants, soon affecting an unspecified number of people. Those engaging in indoor activities also come into contact with money. Children and the elderly, too.”

Even if a patient appears, they probably wouldn’t dispose of the money they touched.

“So, do you think my words make sense?”

Arriving where the words were leading, I turned around in a flash. I looked at Edrish a bit nervously. Edrish lifted me up onto the horse without a word.

“Let’s go to the market.”

“Okay.”

I’m grateful that Edrish trusts me.

Edrish ordered the knights to follow and then quickly jumped up behind me. He took the reins and urged the horse forward.