Martin slowly ran his hand over the letters.

Even after touching them like that, they did not disappear.

At least it didn’t seem to be a hallucination or dream.

I’m alive.

Repeating that one phrase to himself, he let out a long sigh.

Afterwards, he calmly read the contents of the letter.

Not knowing Karl was already dead, Yulia did not write the truth in the letter, as if trying to protect him.

Even though she was attacked by Karl, she didn’t write that, only saying she was attacked by a monster.

“…”

She’ll be shocked when she finds out he’s already dead.

Muttering that to himself, Martin slightly furrowed his brow.

Yulia cares for Karl enough to cover up a serious crime.

So if she learns that the Karl she cares for is already dead, Yulia will be deeply hurt.

But even so, he didn’t regret it.

Even if he could go back in time, Martin would again drive Karl to his death, or directly wield a weapon to kill him.

He had no intention of forgiving the one who took away the existence that first taught him the emotion of longing when he was growing weary of life’s emptiness.

At that moment, his gaze, which had been reading through the letter, suddenly paused at the last section.

−Anyway, don’t worry too much. I’ll be back soon.

−I recall and recall again the moments we shared together. So that those precious memories don’t wear away in the flow of time.

In a calm yet sincere style, Yulia was expressing her longing.

He could almost picture Yulia writing these words with her ears reddening in embarrassment.

With a faint smile, Martin carefully tucked the letter into his chest.

After that, he summoned Simon, his attendant.

“You called, Your Excellency?”

“Release this person, and tell all the knights to prepare to depart.”

“Pardon? Where do you intend to go? As far as I know, this wasn’t planned…”

To Simon, who asked with a puzzled face, Martin answered concisely, yet with utmost clarity.

“The Grand Temple.”

“…Suddenly to the Grand Temple?”

“Yes, she’ll be waiting there.”

Simon couldn’t understand Martin’s words at all.

But this one thing seemed certain.

Martin was happy right now.

More than when he awakened his ability, more than when he first subjugated a monster, he was happier now.

The name of the domain where a large number of refugees were generated due to the rift this time was ‘Kettrenburgh’.

It was a domain managed by Baron Kettrenburgh.

Currently in hiding to avoid Ernant’s eyes, I headed towards that domain, being careful not to reveal my identity as much as possible, and was able to arrive there faster than expected.

After arriving like that, I whispered softly to Frite as we crossed through the domain again to the Baron’s mansion.

“It’s worse than I thought. I can see why so many refugees flocked here.”

The Baron’s domain was already severely corroded.

Due to the poisonous air flowing from the rift, the farmlands had long since lost their function.

Occasionally, the roar of monsters could be heard from far away.

Frite, who was riding in the carriage with me, nodded while looking at the savage scenery beyond the carriage window.

“I didn’t think the corrosion would have progressed this much…”

“Didn’t Baron Kettrenburgh request support from the Grand Temple?”

“Not at all. Perhaps something happened to the Baron. Maybe he didn’t have the mind to take care of the domain.”

With heavy hearts, we soon arrived at the Baron’s residence, and learned that Frite’s guess was correct.

Baron Kettrenburgh was bedridden.

With his wife deceased and his only daughter too young, the servants were barely managing the mansion by pooling their efforts.

It was an old butler, who had served him for a long time, who greeted us on behalf of the Baron who couldn’t get up from his sickbed.

“As our master is currently unwell, I have come to receive Your Holiness in his stead. Please make yourself comfortable and bestow upon us the blessing of the deity.”

The old butler who came down to the reception room to greet us said this to Frite while bowing his head deeply.

I asked the butler simply.

“When did the corrosion start in earnest?”

“There were signs little by little from 3 years ago, but everyone thought it wasn’t a big deal. It became serious from 6 months ago.”

“6 months ago?”

“Yes, from then on, the progress of corrosion suddenly accelerated… We had no chance to deal with it. It was even more impossible to take measures as the master suddenly collapsed with an unknown illness.”

As I nodded my head listening to the butler’s words, Frite whispered to me.

“As a rift expert, what do you think of the current situation? Have you figured out anything?”

Hearing Frite’s question, I recalled several clues in my mind.

The corrosion that suddenly started progressing rapidly 6 months ago.

The monster’s cry that was faintly heard on the way across the domain.

And the Baron who suddenly started suffering from an unknown illness…

Combining each of these clues, I finally seemed to understand. How to resolve this situation.

I moistened my throat with the tea the butler personally served, then put down the teacup with a thud.

Then I spoke to Frite, who was waiting for my answer.

“I think I know how to close this rift.”

As soon as he heard my words, the butler opened his wrinkled eyes wide and asked.

“Is that true? You say you know how to close the rift?”

I nodded and answered.

“To be precise, I think I know how to close it as quickly as possible with minimal effort.”

Then, looking alternately at Frite and the butler, I continued.

“Usually, rifts close when the mana stone beyond the rift is destroyed. This rift will be the same. If we enter the rift and destroy the mana stone, it will close. But—”

“But?”

To Frite, who asked curiously, I explained in a calm voice.

“The rift that’s corroding this domain is a bit unique. So we need to destroy the mana stone in a slightly different way. Unlike ordinary rifts where we only need to focus on defeating one Queen, our enemy beyond this rift will be a ‘colony’.”

“A colony?”

Again, to Frite who expressed curiosity, I simply explained.

The hidden secret of this rift.

“What’s beyond that rift is mushrooms.”

The words I uttered brought silence between us.

The butler and Frite were staring at me with bewildered faces.

They seemed taken aback that I said something about mushrooms after building up the atmosphere so much.

I explained to them more specifically.

“Ah, of course, they’re not just mushrooms. They’re toxic mushroom monsters that howl with strange sounds, spread poisonous spores, and have an enormous number. They will be forming a colony.”

I then explained step by step what the basis for this thinking was.

“You said signs of corrosion were seen from 3 years ago and it suddenly worsened 6 months ago?”

The butler immediately responded to my question.

“Yes, from 6 months ago, the speed of corrosion suddenly accelerated, turning into this state.”

Convinced, I said to Frite.

“The time it took from starting 3 years ago to drastically worsening was 2 years and 6 months. The time it takes for those mushroom monsters I know to form a colony is exactly 2 years and 6 months. Once they form a sufficient colony, they start dispersing toxic spores into the air. Those toxic spores flow out of the rift and instantly corrode our world.”

Frite seemed to think for a moment after hearing my words, then asked.

“But isn’t it dangerous to identify the monster based on just that?”

“There are a few more reasons why I judged them to be toxic mushroom monsters. I heard it on the way to the mansion earlier. A very peculiar cry.”

On the way, I happened to hear a monster’s sound, and that sound was quite unique.

It was a sound like ‘gurgle-gurgle—’ as if exhaling underwater.

At first glance, it’s easy to mistake it for the cry of a strange bird, but having faced mushroom-type monsters in the past, I could recognize it.

“That cry was definitely the cry of a mushroom-type monster. To be precise, it’s more like a noise made when spreading spores rather than a cry. And one more thing.”

I looked at the butler and asked.

“You said earlier that the Baron collapsed for no reason, right? Does he enjoy truffles by any chance?”

Truffles are a type of mushroom that grows on oak roots, an expensive ingredient enjoyed by nobles.

At the question of whether the Baron enjoyed truffle dishes, the butler showed a startled expression.

“H-How did you know? That’s right. Come to think of it, he had a dish with truffles the day before he collapsed.”

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.