#he is responsible for the decrease in population actually.

Chapter 9 - Goodbye, Ursla

The head of the Magic Security Force and the Light Cane, Ryoh Grantz, arrived at the scene.

"GET LOST!!!" Wirth screamed at the Light Cane in his head.

Ryoh felt that there were people on the second floor so he immediately headed up and saw both Wirth and 008 standing in front of the door.

One look at Wirth's worried face made the Light Cane think something bad had occurred. And it was very unusual that the Desert Cane was nowhere to be seen.

He thought the worst and walked briskly toward Wirth. He felt his fellow Divine Visionary's aura behind the door, but Wirth is currently blocking it. He also felt another aura inside.

He tried to confirm with the younger Madl whether Orter was inside the room. 008 was the one who spoke up and confirmed, stating, "According to Wirth-sama, Orter-sama is tending to someone's wound at the moment." with a little emphasis on the "According to Wirth-sama" phrase.

Ryoh stared at poor Wirth who was not only looking worried but was also as red as a tomato. Ryoh thought it was very suspicious.

Wirth was AGAIN mentally berating his big stupid brother and hoped they'd shut their mouth and be done with whatever they were doing.

However, even the UNIVERSE abandoned him.

There were sounds of fabric (probably bed sheets) ruffling followed by the sound of a woman groaning (in pain) and a man's short, low one after.

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"Ngh. If you grip that hard, you'll leave bruises on my shoulders." (Orter)

"Sorry. I-it hurts, you know. And I already told you not to press it that way!" (The lady whose voice sounded like she was shrieking in pain.)

"Apologies. But can you grab something else instead of my shoulders? The pain in my shoulder is distracting. I would like to do this correctly."

"You insensitive idiot! It's easier for me this way."

"Also, can you lift your right leg a little? I can't see it this way."

"Mhmkay. Just be gentle. That one hurts like mad."

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With that, the men behind the door were all red in the face. They were all mentally asking each other WTF was happening inside.

Wirth, who was sure before that Orter wasn't doing anything "suspicious", was currently questioning his brother's innocence.

008 wants to believe that his superior was not doing anything dubious with the lady and was trying to convince himself that the conversation was very innocent, but his mind was telling him otherwise and was now calling Orter his SUSperior.

On the other hand, Ryoh, who has just arrived at the crime scene, seems to be enjoying the scenario and has placed himself glued to the door like a lizard on the wall, listening intently to the noises inside the room. He was pretty sure that conversation was that of a couple enjoying themselves.

He was proud of Orter and was mentally telling him to make sure she enjoyed it (spoiler: she didn't) and to not be so rough. But he would also like to give his fellow visionary a lecture about choosing the right time and place to do THE DEED.

Another soldier came to the house, but this time, he was looking for Ryoh. He grabbed both Wirth and 008 by their collar and told them to give the two inside the room some privacy and to wait on the first floor. So he dragged the two men with him to the lower floor.

The soldier reported the progress of the fire situation and the number of detainees they had captured to the Light Cane. Unfortunately, one of the culprits who was also one of the ex-officials managed to escape during the chaos and they are actively searching for him.

Wirth wasn't happy to hear that and suggested he'd look for guy himself since for sure the guy hadn't escaped that far. But Ryoh told him to leave it to the magic security personnel.

The soldier also told Ryoh that they hadn't seen the Desert Cane yet, which made Wirth and 008 go back to their tomato-like state.

Ryoh assured the officer that he would personally inform Orter about it and that the Desert Cane was in the middle of helping "increase the population." The soldier looked confused but had accepted that answer and dismissed himself.

After around ten minutes, the door on the second floor opened. Orter went straight to the first floor with the basin and an empty glass in hand. He still looked as stoic as he had always been.

He saw the three men on the first floor. Wirth immediately asked about the lady.

Orter answered in a very "Orter" way that she was fine and was currently CHANGING. (Bless this man's stupid butt)

That did not help his case. The three dudes went Pikachu face after that. Wirth was ready to pounce on his brother and commit murder. 008 was in disbelief. Ryoh, however, with his right hand on his chin, looked at the Desert Cane with pride.

There was a long pause after that. Wirth decided to break the silence by asking Orter in a loud voice to confirm that his big brother was definitely just tending to the lady so the others can hear it. He tried to telepathically (he doesn't have that power) to say "Yes" or else.

And Orter confirmed it. He noticed his younger brother sighed in relief. At least, the other two hopefully would scratch whatever they had in mind about Orter's previous activity and thrown it out of the window.

Wirth started berating his brother for being too stupid. He wanted to ask his brother about the state of the lady (her clothes, mostly) and was hoping that the older Madl let her cover herself with something while he was tending to her wounds. But he couldn't find the courage to ask it because of the presence of the other two in the room and their "already" funny ideas might get even funnier once they know Orter was left doing things with an almost-naked lady in a closed room.

Wirth ended up asking it in a not-so-clear, inaudible way (so the others would not hear, fat chance though) that even Orter was confused. "Hey! Did you....you know...covered her at least... after I left?" His face was red as a tomato.

Unfortunately, Orter went "huh?" on him.

"You! You know... she was... you know... in that state (half-naked state)..."

Ryoh's interest was piqued.

Orter thought for a moment before answering, "No, it would just slow me down. I don't mind at all. She doesn't mind either."

"You ass!" He couldn't believe how nonchalant his brother and the lady was. Both of them were not normal. Then Wirth suddenly thought that perhaps, his brother and the lady knew each other before this.

He would have berated his brother even more if not for the presence of the lady (fully-clothed, of course) walking down the stairs.

When Ryoh saw the lady, he nodded approvingly, "Orter knows how to choose his lady." He thought.

The five of them talked at the dinning table and 008 told the lady that she shouldn't stay in Ursla because the of the state the village was in at that moment. Also, with the report of an ex-official still on the run, there was a big chance he'll come to take her life. And that there may also be other people who wants to kill her.

She told 008 that she understood his point and to give her some time to think.

That morning, the entire magic police and security personnel in Ursla departed to the capital with the detainees.

Wirth, 008, and Ryoh were waiting for the other two at the entrance of the village.

008 recalled the conversation they had last night with the lady, hoping she would come with them.

Orter announced that she would be coming with them to the capital to discuss some things including what happened last night, the events in Ursla a few years back, and also the black dragon she defeated.

Orter showed up to the entrance together with the lady. She decided to leave Ursla.

Wirth said it would make him feel more at ease knowing she would be coming with them and assured her that they would keep her safe.

He then asked his brother about her accommodation while staying in the capital. 008 suggested that she could stay in one of the spare dorm room in the Bureau of Magic building. Wirth didn't like that and suggested they could let her stay in a villa near the building.

Orter nonchalantly told them that both him and the lady have talked about it that morning and decided she would stay in his place.

008 and Wirth nodded at first, but went "HUH!!!?" right after realizing what Orter was saying. They still have not forgotten the embarrassing event that occurred the other night even though the misunderstanding should have been cleared by now.

Wirth asked the lady if she was truly fine living in the same roof as "that guy" (his brother, lol). She told Wirth that it was perfectly fine and that she used to live with just her father after her mom died so she doesn't mind living with a man in a house.

Wirth screamed, "NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" in his head. How on earth was she so calm about the arrangement.

And then he had an epiphany all of a sudden. He concluded that his brother and the lady may have been lovers before but something happened and they split. That, for him, explains their nonchalant behavior during those two events (last night and the living together decision-morning talk, lol).

Ryoh was AGAIN looking so proud of Orter. He put his arm around Wirth's and told the young man that he should be proud of his brother for taking responsibility. A very manly guy, indeed.

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Last night, while Wirth was trying to protect his brother's image from prying people, Orter was busy placing a magic handkerchief on the lady's wounds, mostly on parts of her body that she couldn't see or reach. He tends to press the handkerchief way too hard on the wounds, so the lady is mostly groaning in pain. She was instructing him on how to do it properly, and sometimes flat out told him that she would just do it herself but he didn't listen to her. There were big bruises on her thighs and legs especially at the back. Orter made sure he had every single bruise healed by the magic handkerchief.

"Hmm... You're not good with your hands, aren't you?" implying his lack of control with his strength. (Unfortunately, Ryoh heard that part when he was super glued to the door and thought that Orter was doing whatever the "God's work" he was doing with his hand. But then the soldier came and the men went to the first floor afterward.)

Orter said that he was not used to tending people's wounds and that he was never injured (badly, just some scapes) before so he was not sure if the pressure he was putting into the wounds was okay. The lady just "hmmm.." at his answer.

She then told him that he looked very much like himself (stoic/nonchalant) even though he was in front of an almost-naked woman, touching her all over the place and that most men, just like his younger brother, would feel uncomfortable in this situation.

"I could say the same to you." Orter retorted. He added that women in this situation would normally try to cover themselves in embarrassment or would probably hit the man in front of them. But she seemed rather relaxed and comfortable.

She thought for a moment and told Orter that she actually saw him few years ago. Before she went away to find the source of the disease. This piqued Orter's interest.

He doesn't remember coming to the village before, not even the places near Ursla. It was his first time coming to the province. He remembered the lady mentioned during the Nihara a few nights ago that she had not been out of the village before that.

This time, he was the one thinking. Then he realized something. He stared at the lady and asked if she saw him in that "thing."

The lady looked back at him confused but realized what he meant by "that thing" and confirmed that she indeed saw him the first time in "that thing" and that she remembered it quite well because of his unusual eyes.

She then asked him how he knew about it. He admitted to having remembered seeing her in "that thing" while he was watching her dance at the square during the Nihara. He added that it was when he was in his first year in high school together with a friend.

She murmured that she hoped he had not seen anything weird in "that thing." However, Orter answered that his stupid friend did something stupid at that time and he ended up seeing something he was not supposed to see. Orter then apologized to her. She told him not to worry about it and that the same case happened to her at that time she first saw him.

Both of them became quiet after and thought, "No wonder he's/she's fine with this."

That morning, she went out to visit the graveyard one last time. The lady saw Orter at the site so she approached him. They talked about her decision and Orter just nodded like he was already expecting it. He then proposed that she should live with him since it would be pointless and a waste of money if they would make her live in an apartment nearby. Also, since both of them have seen "it", then there shouldn't be a problem, and it was bound to happen anyway. The lady agreed and told him she would still pay him back, in which he just shrugged and said to do as she pleases.

While she was praying to the graves, Orter saw the old lady from a few days back. She was a bit far from their spot. The old lady smiled and him and bowed, as if thanking him for fulfilling her wish. And just like that, she disappeared into thin air.

Orter had a feeling that there was something with the old lady on that day they met. But since he did not feel any negative aura from her, Orter let it slide. But he still wondered who she was and her relationship with the lady.

After saying goodbye, both the lady and Orter walked to the entrance of the village to meet with everyone.

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Extra:

Last night, when the lady went down after changing, he saw the men on the first floor.

Wirth asked her how she was doing, and she said she was fine and that thanks to Orter, most of her wounds were healed and no longer hurt.

Ryoh then stood up and bowed. He introduced himself and told her his purpose in coming to the village. She bowed curtly and thanked him for coming all the way from the capital.

The Light Cane asked her politely for her name. Realizing that she should have told him after introducing himself, she apologize profusely and told him that she was not used to introducing herself to others.

Orter and Wirth realized something at that moment. They have yet to learn her name because the stupid brothers forgot to ask her even after spending time with her. They just call her "You," "Her," "That lady," and "Hey" all the time. They looked dumbfounded because they forgot to ask the most basic of all questions.

008 looked at them judgingly. He got the chance to ask for her name during their cooking hangout. At that time, the lady asked him not to tell the others her name because she would like to wait till they asked for it, just like how 008 found out her name. He was under the impression that the other two already knew by now.

"My name is Nadiya. Nice to meet you, Mr. Grantz."

-end-

Previous

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That ends the Ursla Arc. It took me quite some time to write this into the tumble draft, but I'm happy with the outcome. I haven't finished writing the second arc (it'll probably have 9 chapters, too). I want to finish writing the first draft before typing it into the Tumblr draft, so it may take quite some time. That arc will have the answer to "that thing" but I guess you will have an idea about it if you have read the manga.

Also, her name means "hope" in both Arabic, Ukrainian, and Russian origin. I would like her name's meaning to have something to do with her main purpose/goal. Just like with Orter's "Order" and Wirth's "Worth". I would have wanted the name to sound similar to the words hope or change, but decided to stick with Nadiya.

Jalali is but one of many high-level Iranian functionaries who seemingly believe their own propaganda about their enemies. Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani once told Fox News that Israel supported the Islamic State, despite ISIS executing attacks against Israelis. His predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, suggested at the United Nations that 9/11 was an inside job perpetrated by the U.S. government.

It would be easy to dismiss Iran’s wartime failures as unique to the country’s dysfunctional authoritarian system. But that would be a mistake. Jalali and other top Iranian officials were unable to defeat Israel not just because their own intelligence capabilities didn’t match up, but because their adherence to regime-sanctioned fantasies made grasping Israel’s actual abilities impossible for them. As a result, once Israel decided, after October 7, that it could no longer tolerate the risks of constant aggression from Iran and its proxies, the regime’s defenses quickly folded. In this way, Iran’s predicament is a cautionary tale about what happens when loyalty to a ruling ideology—rather than capability—determines who runs a society, and when conspiracies, rather than reality, shape decision making.

Although the Iranian theocracy presents an acute case of this phenomenon, the early symptoms are beginning to manifest in democratic societies, including our own. Consider: Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a man who has cast doubt on decades of scientific research on the effectiveness of vaccines. He recently fired the entire membership of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and appointed several vaccine skeptics to the panel, which is now planning to review childhood vaccination standards. Kennedy attained his position as a reward for endorsing Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign.

Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, has suggested that the former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad did not use chemical weapons against his own people in 2017 and 2018, despite extensive documentation of the attacks, including by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the previous Trump administration. A former Democrat, she also attained her position after endorsing Trump. Thomas Fugate, a 22-year-old recent college graduate who worked on Trump’s 2024 campaign, is now the interim director of the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships at the Department of Homeland Security, despite having no apparent experience in counterterrorism. And that’s to say nothing of Congress, where people such as Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a conspiracy theorist who once speculated that the Rothschild banking dynasty was setting wildfires with a space laser, now sit on the powerful House Oversight Committee.

Politicians have long rewarded their allies with plum positions. But when allegiance replaces proficiency as the primary qualification for advancement, and conspiracism replaces competency, disaster looms. Flunkies guided by regime ideology lack the capacity to understand and solve national crises. Just look at Iran.

I feel for Laios. His whole ordeal reminds me of when I was dealing with appendicitis. Whenever it would flare up, the pain felt like I'd been stabbed in the gut. And it almost always flared up in the evening so I didn't get any sleep those nights. Whatever sleep I got was more akin to being rendered unconscious rather than actual rest.

And after it was over, I always looked like Laios does this chapter.

Wait! Has Marcille always been wearing a choker?

I can see your undies Senshi.

Marcille's taking a bit of interest in dungeon ecology now. She asked if the dungeon knows the rate adventurers kill monsters since the system stays balanced no matter how many people come in. Meanwhile, people ahve to keep going into it to keep the monsters from coming out.

This dungeon was sealed away for 1,000 years. This was a closed environment until recently, so adventurers are basically an invasive species here. But rather than adventurers decreasing monster populations, their presence probably increases monster populations.

If dungeons are made by magic, then part of that magic is probably meant to balance monster populations in response to outside forces. An adventuring team comes in and slaughters every monster it finds so the dungeon increases the reproductive and growth rates of the monsters impacted to rebalance things.

And if many adventuring parties do this, the dungeon would have to up these rates even more. But then if adventurers stop coming in, the dungeon will still be producing a high number of monsters because it expects the excess to be killed.

Speculation time: I'm still sticking to the whole thing about the mage trying to preserve the Golden Kingdom and/or resurrect Delgal. If dungeons are supposed to be closed environments, then the mage may have sealed off the kingdom against some external threat that was about to destroy it. Meanwhile he (someone informed me that the mage in chapter 12 is actually a guy and the translation used the wrong pronouns) was waiting for people to discover the dungeon and lure them in with a promise of becoming a king. Since souls stay bound in the dungeon, the mage might be harvesting the souls of adventurers who die in the dungeon for some ritual to resurrect Delgal.

Marcille's imaginary food chain includes the parasite Laios ate.

I thought it kind of peculiar this chapter didn't have a title page. But then it used the flashback transition as the title page instead.

Oh that's neat. Marcille's staff is hand-weaved using some vine/wood plant.

A court magician huh? Marcille's current life as an adventurer is far away from that lifestyle. I bet she was a court wizard at some point and then decided to drop everything to go on adventures when Falin asked her to.

Marcille has training in summon magic but has never used anything like it. She basically wants to do the equivalent of making lab-grown diamonds so people aren't dying to gather them.

Oh no! That poor dog!

Marcille used to be way taller than Falin. She still is a little taller if you look at the panel of Falin casting a ward on Falin in chapter 11.

Falin has her brother's tendency to approach things in highly unconventional ways and getting mixed results.

This is the first time I'm seeing Falin in a very casual scenario and oh my gosh she's just like Laios but even more carefree. I guess not having to worry about saving your sibling does that to you.

Even when she was little, Marcille had no stamina.

Falin did the exact same thing as Laios where she just casually eats something without concern about if it's safe.

Marcille was interested at a young age in making dungeons but she seems to have never learned a key lesson about creating a closed environment: Everything in the environment interacts with everything else and you cannot remove an "undesirable" part of the ecosystem without irreparably damaging the whole thing.

It's the exact same situation as in chapter where Senshi stopped Marcille from destroying all the man-eating plants because it would destroy the forest ecosystem.

Marcille did her hair while telling that story.

So how much of that story should we believe?

Personally, I think the slime encounter probably went far worse than Marcille's recounting would have you believe. In chapter 1, she reminisced that a slime was the first thing that ever killed her. So I think she probably got killed by that slime and Falin had to either drag her corpse back to get resurrected or she managed to bring someone there to resurrect Marcille.

Laios vouched that Falin said Marcille was an amazing person, but considering that Falin seemed to think Laios was great because he did a great dog impression, "amazing" might be very subjective here.

I'd also argue that Marcille was not nearly as tall as the flashback would make you think.

Laios was living in the same place in those two images of him getting letters (Notice the brick layout is exactly the same). He seems to have also hurt his left hand in the left image.