Chapter 176


    I Summarized the Spread of the Disease and the Store in Question


    “During the same time that the store opened, an illness began to spread through the town of Ractos. And if I’m not wrong, it was the same time as it spread in this vige as well.”


    “Yes, that’s right.”


    To be precise, the store opened close to two month ago, and the illness started to spread about a little over a month ago.


    So they had guessed at the timing and started to buy all the medicine.


    “This malicious store used the spread of the disease, and bought all the stock from other stores so that they could be the only ce that sold them. Not only that, but all of their medicine was increased through diluting it.”


    “That is what we know based on Sebastian’s findings, isn’t it?”


    “Yes. But how they knew of the right timing… After all, if it didn’t spread, then not many people would buy from them, and they would not have made much of a profit.”


    “So even if they had control of the market…it would not mean much.”


    There was no point if the demand did not increase.


    After all, they paid the same prices as customers for the medicine, not the cost price.


    “And now we must talk about the ss sphere that Mr. Hannes is holding now.”


    “This…?”


    Mr. Hannes’s eyes went down the sphere.


    Phillip and the vigers also looked at it.


    “I don’t understand how it actually works, but… That sphere seems to be transmitting the disease. It is an object meant to spread it.”


    “What!”


    Upon hearing this, Mr. Hannes gasped and dropped the ss sphere.


    It fell to the ground and rolled towards the wine barrels before stopping.


    “I think it’s fine to touch it. Perhaps it is only effective for things like wine. I don’t think it has a direct effect on people. Otherwise, Leo wouldn’t have let me touch it.”


    “Wuff!”


    I said to reassure Mr. Hannes, and Leo nodded in agreement.


    And then Mr. Hannes sighed with relief.


    While there was no evidence yet, I did believe that it didn’t work like that… Otherwise, the merchant who brought it would have also be sick.


    That’s why it took some time for the illness to spread through the vige.


    “As for the wine that Leo smelled something bad in… I think they were affected by the sphere, and that’s how the illness spread. You be sick after drinking it…”


    “So…it’s the wine that we made that…”


    Mr. Hannes was shocked when he heard this.


    The other vigers were the same. They had worked so hard, and were proud of their vige’s wine. And now they had been told that it had yed a role in spreading a disease.


    “Obviously, the merchant who brought the sphere would be working with the people from the store.”


    “That’s why they knew when it would start spreading…”


    The wine was always sent to Ractos.


    If they knew it would spread like that, then they could take a risk, and buy all of the medicine in the town.


    There was no doubt in my mind that the grape merchant and the people from the store were working together.


    We already knew that the store was connected to the count, and the merchant with the sphere hade from the count’s territories.


    …But just how much this count was personally involved…I did not know…


    “So it was our wine… What have we done…”


    “You are not to me, Mr. Hannes. It was all because of the merchant who tricked you into cing the ss sphere there.”


    Mr. Hannes was terribly distressed when he understood that their wine had spread the disease.


    But it wasn’t the making of the wine that was wrong, but the person who tampered with it.


    So there was no need for him to feel that way… But I suppose he could not help it.


    “Phillip. Please put that sphere away safely, so that it does not touch anything else.”


    “Very well. But, what are you going to do? Won’t it be better to just destroy it?”


    “It will probably be used as evidence. So we cannot destroy it now. Well, it will be something that Sebastian can decide…”


    “Oh, he will be delighted to hear of this.”


    “Also, take this with you. Just in case.”


    “Ramogi. Very well.”


    “You must drink it if you feel the smallest sign of the illness.”


    “I understand.”


    “Also, don’t drink any of the wine without permission.”


    “Ahst night, I was so drunk already, and someone I befriended rmended it to me… But I don’t feel like drinking any more after hearing what you said, Mr. Takumi.”


    Considering how drunk Phillip had beenst night, it would not be strange for him to sneak into the wine storage house for a quick taste test.


    And abination of the cold floor and drinking the wine near the entrance had caused him to be sick in the morning.


    Even if one of the vigers had told him to do it, it was not good to drink so much. I would also have to be careful… Though, I hadn’t gotten drunk at all…


    “Still, most of it was thanks to Leo, for being able to tell the difference… And Phillip helped as well.”


    “I did? Of course, I agree with you about Leo, but…I didn’t do…”


    “It’s thanks to the fact that you fell drunkenly asleep in the storage house, that we found the ss sphere. That’s a big contribution, isn’t it? Though, you must be careful about your drinking.”


    “Ahahaha…yes, I will.”


    Phillip wrapped the ss sphere in a cloth as we talked.


    In fact, had Phillip not found the ss sphere, we might not have figured out the cause of the disease.


    It was then that the depressed-looking Mr. Hannes approached us.


    “…Mr. Takumi… What are we to do now? I never would have thought that our wine would cause such a thing…”


    “Mr. Hannes. …Hmm. Yes…”


    Even if I didn’t me them, it would be difficult for them to not me themselves.


    And so merely offering encouraging words was not enough.


    I would have to think of some way to prevent them from being too hard on themselves.