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"I'm not certain, but… lower life forms are susceptible to a certain illness gotten from overexposure to Mana Ores and Mercury emissions. Since their body can't handle the radiation, they develop what is known as the M.M. Sickness." Heshu's voice was calm and sullen.

Ignoring the obviously dumb name, as well as the fact that he just called Elves lower life forms—sorry Asa—I was more concerned with the fact that I was completely oblivious to such lore.

Regardless, that was a matter for another time. The most important thing was for me to find a solution… and fast!

"What is the cure?" I asked, narrowing my gaze on Heshu, who seemed to know more than what he was letting on."

"After performing experiments on specimens, I heard we found the cure to this ailment. I have to say, though… the conditions are a bit absurd."

I felt nervous hearing Heshu say this. If a demon could express something like this, then just how absurd were we talking about?

"The medicinal properties that will completely isolate and exterminate the imbalance can be found in the undeveloped genes of the Dragon Race." He began.

'Eh? Undeveloped? Dragon Race? Don't tell me…' My eyes nearly popped wide open.

"You need the egg of a Dragon."

'... EH...?'

For a brief moment, I allowed silence to take full charge in the situation. Why? Because this was one hell of a surprise and I needed time to sort through my jumbled thoughts.

'The Egg of a Dragon? Why? Just... why?!'

"Dragons have a special biology that allows for the high concentration of Mana to be stabilized. This cooling function is achieved by a single organ in the Dragon's body called the Dragonheart—of course, this is different from the regular heart..."

I knew that much. After all, the biology of prominent beings like Dragons was well-explored in T.W.T.S.S. Both canon-wise and in the Fandom, the Dragons remained relevant to the story. But I never heard of this M&M sickness or whatever!

"The problem with the Dragonheart is that it has been configured to act as a cooling agent for the particular Dragon it belongs to. After developing with the Dragon, it absorbs the genes and is wired with the Draconic frequency. Even our best scientists, biologists, and Magic experts are yet to find a way to harness such power for the Demon Race." Heshu explained

'Well, not for long. During the Expansion, the Demons cracked the code, thus allowing constructs like Golems, or even lesser Demons to transcend their Mana Limits without overloading—or at least prolonging the effects of overkill abilities like Taboo Skills.'

Fortunately, we hadn't progressed to that point yet, but it was still a possibility.

"The best course of action is to gain access to Dragons before they develop. That way, the Dragonheart hasn't completely keyed into the frequency of the particular Dragon, and it'll be fluid enough to be compatible with anyone."

The more Heshu explained it, the more I understood. In theory, that could indeed work. However, there was something that still bothered me.

"But the undeveloped Dragon would still be in its fluid-like state. How would the Dragonheart have formed by then?"

"A-ah, I don't know the details. Kiko should know more since I learned all of this from her frequent bickering." Heshu bowed slightly, displaying a form of polite regret in his inability to help me further.

I noticed Adu's disgust from the corner of my eye, but I decided to focus more on the task at hand.

"I see..."

Unfortunately, Kiko and Pierrus were busy with the job I gave them, and we were running out of time. I could choose to rely on Heshu's words since Kiko said them, or would it be better to hear the whole story from Kiko herself?

'I'll try contacting her... just for good measure.'

In the meantime, the problem itself was yet to be resolved. I needed a Dragon Egg, but the oppression of the Elves was reaching a climax, and pushing them so far in their current condition could lead to an unsavory end.

Once again, I needed to make a decision.

"Give me some time to make my decision. In the meantime, you should take care of Dustinel and make his condition as stable as possible using Magic."

MY subordinates responded, and fortunately, they left me to myself. I sensed Asa staring at me for a few seconds longer than normal, but she also left soon after.

In no time, I was finally by myself.

"Fuck... this just got overly complicated."

*

*

*

Alright, perhaps it would be best for me to backtrack for a bit. That way, the whole thing I had to deal with would be open for all to see.

Upon returning from their respective scouting duties, my subordinates informed me of the activities that were going down in the Elf Sanctuary.

Hogun and Lucy, who had gone to the West, informed me of an industrial Mill where the Elves worked. According to them, the Elves called it Sector B, hinting a different location called Sector A.

Sector B was divided into nine parts—different areas of the Mill. The Elf workers were also divided into various groups. Some were lumberjacks, some were the heavy lifters, while the last group worked in the mill itself. The job was to cut down trees, carry them to the industrial site, and process them to wood.

From what they told me, the Elves rotated their duties, thus ensuring every Elf got a good taste of every single bit of hard labor. The major issue they noted was how emaciated the Elves were—an obvious sign of malnutrition or sickness.

Their faces being pale, and the various other things they noticed matched what I noticed among the Elves in the residential areas. I had to assume that it was a sickness that was going around—especially when Asa adamantly insisted that Elves didn't normally look like that.

Fortunately, it seemed they stull had breaks, and their sickness wasn't as dire as Dustinel's condition.

Unfortunately... Asa and Heshu's reports showed even more danger.

The place known as Sector A was a mine where Mana Ores, Special Ores, and Mercury were harvested. The Special Ores mostly contained Adamantite and Mythril. Those were strong minerals that boasted good Mana conductivity.

In essence, their uses were a lot.

'The deposits that were under Dulum seem far more valuable, but these kinds of stuff are a big deal too.'

Unfortunately, Mine jobs had the tendency of being dangerous—even on regular Earth. The risks of getting poisoned within a Mine due to exposure to certain elements considered harmful to the body.

And, just as Heshu told me not too long ago, the M.M. Sickness is caused by the overexposure to the very things they're mining.

'The Demons know of this sickness, so they must know of the consequences of letting Elves work like this...'

The fact that industrial Mines and Mills were successfully built in the Elf Sanctuary meant the Demons in question had the means to prevent overexposure to the M.M Sickness by simply insulating the working Elves.

Yet...

I could only think of one answer.

"They wanted the Elves to be poisoned?!"

The problem with a sickness that had the tendency to spread so far—as well as a very rare and limited cure—was that there would be many casualties. Were the Demons looking to kill the Elves? Was that their goal?

'No. That makes no sense. They would have killed them already...'

At this point, I had no idea what the intentions of my opponents were. I thought I came prepared, but I was so wrong. There were new developments that kept causing me to change my initial plans.

Still...

... There was no way I could ignore something as dire as this.

"I need to save the Elves. That means getting the cure, as well as stopping this oppression."

The safest, fastest way to achieve this was to split our forces once again. One group would go to get the Dragon Egg, while the second would face the Elf Chief. Once both teams were done with their missions, we would converge and face the Demon Forces responsible for all of this together.

'If we can't win, we'll retreat.'

Looking at things from this perspective, it was the most effective method I could think of. Perhaps it was simply because I was panicking, but I really saw no other way I could handle so many problems at once.

'Things are escalating quicker than I expected. Hopefully, this is the end of our problems...'

************

[The Elf Sanctuary]

"Damn that Dustinel... why hasn't he reported to me all day? Damn it... damn it..."

An overweight Elf was pacing around his vast and luxurious office. His chair and table stood majestically in a corner, but he was too restless to think of having his seat.

Even as sweat fell from his face and he panted, this obese person kept pacing around, his bloodshot eyes displaying panic.

One had to wonder... what would cause the Elf Chief to get so restless.

"The Supervisors... the Supervisors are coming!"