Published: September 10, 2025
This is Satou. I don't dislike fiction based on pandemics, but like many panic-driven movies, I have no desire to experience it in real life. Peace is the best, after all.
â—‡
I headed toward the place where some bodies had yet to be cremated.
"Let me examine the bodies."
"No, no, you can’t touch my grandchild!"
"Come on, just let them rest in peace."
Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me have the bodies.
A soldier in charge of cremation asked if they could force the issue, but I thought that would be cruel. I decided to patiently wait for their consent.
—Right.
I used my arcane magic skill, "Through Eye," to peer inside the bodies.
White threads?
Countless white filaments, like fungal hyphae, were densely growing inside the organs.
What is this?
It seemed to be the cause of the patients’ deaths.
I desperately wanted to collect samples—so I tried searching the map for "strange disease" again.
"—Found it."
I left the crematorium and dashed into a nearby forest.
There, I found a deer whose internal organs had been eaten away.
A bear, disturbed from its meal, roared and charged at me, so I used its momentum to throw it across the forest.
The bear shook its head and stood up, seemingly about to attack again, so I unleashed my full intimidation skill to drive it off.
Just in case, I marked that bear too.
"Now then—"
I took the leftover intestines, cut them with a knife, and examined the cross-section.
Inside, the same dense white fungal filaments I had observed with magic were growing.
This disease seems to be transmitted by wild animals as well.
I stared at the filaments and read the AR-displayed description.
"...‘Strange fungal hyphae?’"
With a question mark? So it’s an uncertain name!
I thought the filaments would reveal the exact disease, but an unpleasant suspicion crossed my mind.
"Could this be a new type of disease that has never been seen before?!"
I collected samples into test tubes as I moved through the forest and stored them in my storage. Just in case, I also drew some blood.
I hadn’t expected fungal filaments to be growing inside the blood vessels as well.
"Could it be caused by eating this beast’s meat—no, that can’t be."
If the intestines were this bad, no one would eat it unless they were starving.
"—The question is, what is the actual cause?"
There must be spores or something that carries these filaments.
But further investigation would require expert knowledge.
I decided to consult Ms. Aze through the spatial magic skill "Telephone."
‘—A disease with fungal filaments growing inside the body?’
‘Yes, it is spreading in a country I know. Could you introduce me to someone who can advise on treatment?’
‘Then Muse in Bulinan is the most knowledgeable.’
‘I understand. Thank you.’
Since I wasn’t acquainted with Muse, I asked Kese, who I often talk to in research, to mediate, then had a dryad open a "Fairy Path" to deliver the samples.
â—‡
"I’ve never seen fungal filaments like this before."
Muse, dressed in protective gear that looked like something from a bio lab, picked up the filament samples with tweezers.
She implanted them into the backs of experimental maggots.
"—This is—"
The filaments quickly multiplied, and the maggots vomited bodily fluids and died.
The same happened with other lab animals; it was clear this was a parasitic life form that proliferated while siphoning nutrients from organs and blood vessels.
"Do you think you can make a cure?"
"First, I’ll try existing medicines one by one. We know it’s weak to fire, but you can’t use that inside living creatures."
There was a knock, and Kese was waving beyond the transparent wall.
‘It’s already noon. Let’s have curry together.’
"You always forget meals so easily—"
Muse smiled wryly as Kese brought orthodox curry that originated from Boruenan.
It even came with salad, so the nutrition was perfect.
There were many vegetables I hadn’t seen before, but they were crisp and delicious.
"Muse-sama, I’ve prepared samples of various remedies."
"Thank you for your efforts. I’ll handle delivery, so just leave them here."