Martina, busy with gathering information about the miasma pools, explaining it to the officials in the Administrative Department, and preparing notifications to the various noble families, quickly wrapped up her morning duties.
After having lunch in the cafeteria, she headed straight to the conference room where the investigation team was meeting, rather than returning to the Administrative Department.
“I believe the conference room is the largest one on the third floor…”
As she made her way there, recalling the details from the letter, she found the door to the room wide open. Standing in front of it was none other than Cedric Lambert, the captain of the First Knights.
“Martina, we meet again,” Cedric greeted her warmly.
“Thank you for your assistance yesterday. Have you also been summoned to join the investigation team for the miasma pools, Sir Lambert?”
“Indeed. The team consists of a few researchers, knights, and, of course, you, who brought the vital information about the miasma pools. I’ve been appointed as the team leader, so I look forward to working with you.”
“I see. I’ll be in your care,” Martina responded, her lips curling into a relieved smile upon learning that Lambert, someone familiar with her abilities, would be leading the team.
“Shall we go inside? The researchers should be arriving shortly,” Lambert said.
The two entered the room and waited for a short while before four individuals filed in.
The first was an elderly man, tall with white hair and a matching beard. Though advanced in years, his posture was straight, and his movements were brisk and energetic.
He was followed by a middle-aged man with a gentle demeanor, a younger man with a slight hunch, and a woman whose sharp gaze made her age indiscernible.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” the elderly man said.
“Not at all. We just arrived as well. Did you all come here together?” Martina asked.
“No, we just happened to meet along the way,” the middle-aged man replied.
“I see. Well, let’s begin the meeting. His Majesty mentioned that there would be six of us, so it seems everyone is here,” Lambert remarked.
With that, everyone took a seat of their choice, and the inaugural meeting of the investigation team began.
“Let’s start with brief introductions. I’m Cedric Lambert, captain of the First Knights, and I’ve been assigned as the leader of this investigation team. Several knights will also accompany the investigation, so I hope to have your cooperation.”
“You’re the leader? Understood. I’m Odilon Laforet, a historian. I’m not fully informed of the situation yet, but if it involves examining ancient texts, I believe I can be of assistance,” said the elderly man with white hair.
The moment Odilon Laforet introduced himself, Martina’s body gave a slight jolt.
Odilon Laforet was a renowned historian whose name she had undoubtedly come across in books.
The Laforet family was an established marquis household, with a branch family holding the rank of viscount. Odilon, born as the second son of the marquis family, had earned the title of viscount through his achievements in historical research and had established the Laforet Viscountcy.
“It’s an honor to work with you, Lord Laforet,” Martina said respectfully.
I never imagined he’d be such an extraordinary figure. No wonder Sir Lambert treats him with such courtesy.
“Now, let’s move on to the person seated next to Lord Laforet—”
The introductions continued smoothly, and the remaining three researchers were experts in plants, geology, and monsters, respectively.
Odilon Laforet was chosen to lead the researchers, and all that remained was Martina’s introduction.
Perhaps having heard about Martina through the letter, the four researchers all looked at her with inquisitive, interested gazes.
“Lastly, Martina, please introduce yourself,” Lambert said.
“Certainly. My name is Martina. I work as an official in the Administrative Department, and I was appointed by His Majesty as a member of the investigation team after accompanying the team to the site where the miasma pools appeared and providing information about the black mist being linked to the miasma pools. I will do my best to be of help to all of you, so I look forward to working with you,” Martina said.
After hearing her introduction, it was Laforet who spoke first. His eyes and tone seemed to scrutinize Martina, and she swallowed nervously.
“Regarding this miasma pool, I received the letter and investigated it, but I couldn’t find any mention of it in the books in such a short time. How did you know about the miasma pools?”
Just as Martina was about to answer, the woman researching monsters spoke up first.
“I’ve been studying monsters for years, but I’ve never even heard of the term ‘miasma pool’.”
Next, the young man studying geology, who was hunched over, mumbled quickly while staring at the table.
“I… I travel around the world to study geology, but I’ve never seen anything like the black mist that spawns monsters… What kind of substance is this black mist made of? It was said to have been near the ground, but if it was created underground, I don’t know of any material in the earth that could produce mist like that. Perhaps a new substance has been created…”
“Hey, don’t go on too fast. You’re making Martina uncomfortable. Sorry about that,” the man studying plants interrupted with a gentle expression as he looked at Martina.
“Ah, I see… Thank you for the information,” Martina responded, slightly taken aback by the rapid-fire questions, but quickly regained her composure to explain her abilities.
She had read every book in the commoner’s library, scoured secondhand bookstores for rare books, and was also progressing through the royal palace library. And the contents of the books she read were never forgotten—she had an exceptional memory and could recall them completely.
When Laforet heard this explanation, he looked at Martina with a puzzled expression.
“So, you’ve memorized the contents of thousands, even tens of thousands of books, and found the term ‘miasma pool’ in a few books that seemed similar to this phenomenon, leading you to conclude that the black mist must be the miasma pool. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“It’s hard to believe, but… I can’t imagine you’d be lying here. Then, can you tell us which books mention the miasma pools?”
“Of course. As far as I know, there are four books that mention the miasma pools. Three of them are about the Dark Age, and one is a paper on demonology.”
Martina then proceeded to list the book titles, page numbers, and excerpts from the sections mentioning the miasma pools, all from memory, leaving the four researchers amazed by her extraordinary ability.
“…That’s an unbelievable memory.”
“I’m very grateful for it.”
“From what we’ve heard, it seems likely that the black mist is indeed the miasma pool. We need to investigate and figure out how to eliminate it, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” answered Lambert this time, taking out a stack of papers and handing them out one by one.
“This paper summarizes what we currently know about the miasma pools and the points we need to investigate.”
“Ah, indeed, these are things we need to know. According to Martina, the only way to eliminate the miasma pools at this stage, aside from summoning a special being like a saint, is through light-based magic users. However, we should thoroughly examine other methods.”
“Yes. Light-based magic users are few in number and difficult to gather, so it would be ideal to find another method. However, it seems His Majesty is also gathering light magic users under his command while we conduct our investigation, so if no other method is found, we will likely try light magic.”
The researchers, now fully understanding their role in the investigation, began to think about how to apply their expertise to the miasma pools.
“I’d like to investigate the types and sizes of the monsters created by the miasma pools, and how they differ from regular monsters.”
“I’ll examine if there’s any change in the ground where the miasma pools appear.”
“For me, it’s plants. I want to see if the miasma pools have any effect on plant life.”
“As a historian, I’d like to focus on books rather than the site itself.”
It was Lambert’s job to organize these ideas and decide on the next course of action.
“Understood. Then let’s head to the site first to investigate the current state of the miasma pool. We’ll bring back that information, and each of us will come up with a plan on how to eliminate it, which we can try in the next meeting.”
“I agree. I’d like to see it for myself, too.”
“I have no objections.”
With no dissent, the plan for the next steps was decided. The first field investigation would take place in three days in the morning, so everyone would prepare for it in the meantime.
“Let’s gather here again in three days.”
“Got it. I’ll prepare as much as I can by then.”
“Thank you.”
