Layla's
Footsteps 1
One
month since we returned from Liebel Village.
The
season is completely summer. Seeing the numerous research samples and souvenirs
we brought back, the Director and the others' eyes sparkled.
Tick, enthusiastic about deciding what
to investigate first, departed for Liebel Village the next day. Right
now, he is developing a more effective antidote with me using the medicinal
herbs he brought back himself.
In
parallel with that, I am also advancing the research on the samples we brought
back from Liebel Village.
「Ashren-sama, please look at this.」
The
location is a corner of the medicinal herb field inside the castle. I pointed
to wheat planted in rectangular planters.
「It's withering...?」
「Yes. It is withering.」
「Why are only these two planters
withering?」
There
are four planters. I combined the water and soil from Liebel Village,
and the water from the swollen river at the foot and the soil from the wheat
fields there, respectively, and grew wheat under the same conditions.
「To state the conclusion first, the
cause is the water.」
The
wheat grown in the planters combining the soil from Liebel Village with
the river water, and the soil from the wheat fields at the foot with the river
water, withered. In contrast, the planters using the water from Liebel
Village did not wither.
「However, if you trace the river at
the foot to its source, you arrive at the water source in Liebel Village.
Isn't it the same water?」
「Yes. Besides, if the water were
simply bad, the wheat fields would wither every year. That's why I thought
there must still be some other factor in the mass withering of wheat, so I
prepared this.」
I
guided Ashren-sama to a field I made a little distance away. It was a
five-meter square wheat field I had the gardener make.
「It is about this wheat field, but...」
I
pointed to the wheat field in front of us. It was clearly not a normal wheat
field.
「The wheat is withering as if
spreading from the bottom right, whereas the top left is lush and green. Did
you change the water you gave them?」
「Yes. I put the rocks collected in
the cave into well water, left it overnight, and poured that water on the wheat
in the bottom right. When I did, the wheat started withering as if spreading
from there.」
「Does that mean the cause lies in
that stratum? I see, when it rains heavily, water seeps down to that stratum.
And the seeped rainwater becomes a river while containing the harmful
substances included in the stratum, is that it.」
As
expected of Ashren-sama. He catches on quickly.
「By the way, did you have that
stratum investigated?」
The
stratum we stumbled upon in the cave was delivered to a stratigrapher by the Director's
hands.
「Yeah. I thought it was a rare one,
but it seems to be a stratum often seen near the summits of tall mountains.」
Wheat
is mainly grown on the flatlands spreading at the foot of mountains. If so, it
explains why the mass withering occurs even in places other than the foot of
the mountain range where Liebel Village is located.
It
was a coincidence, but it was raining when we climbed the mountain too. That is
why the river water we collected at the foot also contained poison.
「Ashren-sama, did the stratigrapher say
anything about the poison contained in that stratum?」
「He said it is not harmful to the
human body. Furthermore, since crops near the river other than wheat are unharmed,
perhaps the stratum contains a substance that is only harmful to wheat.」
However,
one question arises here. Unless a drought continues, they don't draw water
from the river to sprinkle on the wheat fields. If so, we have to explain how
the wheat absorbed the poison contained in the river. And the wheat field I
made to clarify that is this one.
「It is thought that the poison that
seeped out from the stratum was absorbed into the soil near the river as it
flowed down.」
「If that poison is easily absorbed by
the soil, it's a possibility.」
「Yes, to confirm that possibility, I
made this wheat field and poured the water containing the poison only in one
corner. After doing that for several days, even the wheat near the center where
I hadn't poured water started to wither.」
In
other words, the poison seeped into and spread through the soil, and the wheat
withered.
「'Several days' means that the wheat
withers when it absorbs a certain amount of poison, is that it.」
「I believe you are aware, Ashren-sama,
but whether it is medicine or poison, the reaction changes depending on how
much you ingest. Even medicine becomes poison if you take too much. The lake
water that an adult can drink a little of without issue will immediately cause
a stomachache if a child with a small body drinks it. In the same way, it seems
the wheat starts withering when it has contained a certain amount of poison.」
In
that case, it also explains why the time it rains and the time the mass
withering occurs are shifted. When it rains heavily in the summer, it seeps
down to the poisonous stratum and flows into the river. The poison permeates
the soil by the riverside, spreads, and it takes several months for the wheat
to absorb a certain amount of poison.
The
reaction was probably fast in the wheat field I made because I directly
sprinkled the water.
「Then let us report this to the Director
right away.」
Ashren-sama said so with a bit of
excitement and tried to take my hand and head to the laboratory. But I couldn't
move from that spot.
Because
there are still many things I have to verify.
The
pesticide I made in the Jilgista Kingdom crosses my mind.
Carter-sama concluded that the cause of
the mass withering of wheat was bacteria that increased due to humidity. I was
ordered to make a specific medicine effective against that bacteria, and the
completed pesticide itself was not a failure. It can reliably eliminate the
bacteria. But if the cause of the mass withering is not bacteria in the first
place, that pesticide has no effect.
「I am scared. The pesticide I made in
the Jilgista Kingdom had insufficient verification. Therefore, that
pesticide cannot prevent the mass withering. I do not want to repeat the same
thing, so I want to investigate more thoroughly.」
The
hand of Ashren-sama holding me slowly let go. Folding his arms with a
rarely seen sour expression, Ashren-sama let out a small breath,
"Phew," after a while.
「I understand what you are saying
very well, Layla. I, too, think that is how a researcher should be.
However, the situation has become such that we cannot say that.」
「Which means?」
「A massive catch of fish has started
in the southern sea.」
「...Um, that is something to be happy
about, isn't it?」
Fish.
Why fish here? If anything, Ashren-sama prefers meat. As I tilted my
head, not understanding the intent, Ashren-sama directed a look at me as
if it were unexpected.
「Layla, did you not know? In the summer,
when there is a good catch, it is bound to be followed by long rains.」
「Eh? Is there a causal relationship
between fish and rain?」
I
have never heard such a story. It's not that I am particularly well-versed in
things other than medicinal herbs, but no matter how I think about it, I cannot
imagine a connection between those two.
「It is a famous theory in the Kanista
Kingdom. According to oceanographers, the sea surface temperature is
apparently related. It is said that the damp air hits the mountain range and
creates rain clouds.」
「This is my first time hearing this.
Perhaps the Jilgista Kingdom doesn't fish south of the Kanista
Kingdom.」
It
seems it was something said among fishermen since the old days, and upon
investigation, they found it had a basis.
「Then, are you saying the mass
withering of wheat will occur this year as well?」
「Probably. That is why I think we
should report these results to the Director for now.」
What
should I do? If there is a possibility of mass withering this year too, do I
have no choice but to proceed like this? If the hypothesis is wrong, the wheat
will wither. But even if I prioritize verification, the wheat will wither.
In
that case, I look down at the wheat field at my feet.
Perhaps
we have no choice but to bet on these results.
「Layla, there is no need for you to
shoulder everything alone. The ones to make the judgment are the Director
and myself. You are not alone, Layla.」
When
I gasped and raised my face at those words, Ashren-sama was smiling
gently.
I
see, I have people I can consult with. I thought about talking it over well.
With the Director, Ashren-sama, and also Flora and Tick.
「Understood. I want to convey these
results to everyone and listen to their opinions.」
Ashren-sama nodded deeply at my answer.
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