<Chapter 96>
#11. Love is a Hurricane (1)
When they had come here, Melty had no choice but to sit on Calix’s lap during travel, but now that Calix was injured, Melty insisted they should sit separately. Calix, who had been wearing a displeased expression, compromised by sitting next to him. Melty, who had asked why they needed to sit so close together when there was plenty of space inside the large carriage, eventually surrendered to his assertion.
After bidding farewell to Amelia and Braiante, Melty boarded the carriage and stared at the seed in his palm. Rolling the seed, which was only about the size of his pinky fingernail, back and forth in his hand, Melty looked at Calix with a serious expression.
“Is this really the cause?”
Doubt clouded Melty’s eyes. It was just a single seed. Although he hadn’t seen the entire drought-affected area himself, he could guess the situation from the piles of soil Calix had brought back.
“Since it was brought by someone we sent to the drought area, it must be. Besides, you were the one who noticed something similar had happened in the past, from the book, weren’t you?”
“…I did mention that I saw a similar situation in a book, but I don’t remember the exact contents.”
Pouting his lips, Melty put the seed he had been rolling around in his hand into an empty glass bottle and tightly sealed it. Calix, who received the glass bottle from Melty, gently shook it from side to side.
“Can a single plant really cause something like this?”
“There’s research suggesting this thing is responsible for creating deserts in the eastern and western regions. Its name is ‘Avartia,’ which means greed.”
Avartia was a plant with such tenacious vitality that it could thrive when planted anywhere. As a plant that appeared only in desert regions, it grew vigorously even in poor soil as long as there was a little water.
Unlike plants that could grow sufficiently with few nutrients, Avartia monopolized all the nutrients from the soil as it grew. When the soil became barren with no more nutrients left, it withered while spreading its seeds. Normally, when plants die, they become fertilizer for the soil, but Avartia couldn’t abandon its greed to devour the land even in death.
“This thing doesn’t just disappear when it withers. The fluid produced when it dies sticks to the soil, eventually turning it into soil that won’t absorb water, like the sample I brought last time.”
As time passed, the soil in that region eventually became desert-like, remaining dry no matter how much water was poured on it. Recalling the appearance of the soil Calix had brought, Melty put on a serious expression.
“This doesn’t happen just because one or two flowers bloom by chance. For land to be devastated on this scale, a large number of flowers must have bloomed.”
“…Do you think someone deliberately caused this, Calix-ssi?”
At Melty’s question, Calix nodded lightly. When they hadn’t known the cause, it was closer to being a troublesome situation, but thanks to Melty, they could easily find a clue. From the moment Calix heard from Melty that he’d seen related content among the books in the study, Calix quickly and swiftly sorted out the books Melty had read from those classified in the study. Since he had been keeping an eye on Melty every morning and evening, finding the books Melty had read wasn’t a difficult task.
And Amelia found the book containing the relevant information. For her, who had received a blessing in her eyes from the Beast God, such a task wasn’t particularly difficult. Upon discovering the cause, Braiante deployed people from their family to the drought-affected areas and finally found ‘Avartia’ that had not yet withered.
“If someone hadn’t deliberately transplanted it, there’s no way a plant that only grows in desert regions would grow in so many different areas.”
“If you’ve found the cause, haven’t you also found the solution?”
“The method isn’t difficult, but it’s challenging.”
What could possibly be not difficult yet challenging?
Melty’s brow furrowed at the perplexing answer. Letting out a chuckle, Calix decided to give a kind explanation before steam started coming out of Melty’s head.
“The reason the desert’s territory doesn’t expand further is because of the herbicide used in adjacent regions. That herbicide is fatal to plants that make the desert their main habitat, including Avartia.”
Such geographical characteristics were also why they were certain this situation was artificial. There was no way for a large number of seeds to move naturally to several regions far from the desert.
“Of course, it’s Padrian who sells it. The manufacturing isn’t difficult, but the ingredients aren’t common.”
“What’s the main ingredient?”
“Tonka.”
At Calix’s words, Melty’s shoulders gave a large twitch. Unlike Calix, who was knowledgeable about herbs, Melty only knew about commonly used ones. He had asked about the ingredients out of curiosity, but he thought he wouldn’t know what it was even if Calix told him. However, this time, the name of the herb—no, the poisonous herb—that flowed from his lips was familiar.
– I told you to tell me right now! Where did you get the Tonka from!!
Recalling the threatening face filled with madness, Melty’s body stiffened. Noticing his condition, Calix vigorously rubbed Melty’s hands, which had grown cold.
“T-that’s… a poisonous herb, right?”
“When mixed well with other herbs, it’s very effective as an herbicide. But due to its toxicity, it can’t be cultivated just anywhere.”
“So the amount that can be cultivated… is limited?”
Regaining his senses from the warmth transmitted through their clasped hands, Melty asked slowly. Calix nodded readily to his question.
‘I thought it was nonsense when he said they needed Tonka because of the drought…’
Bain Spangky, who had continuously requested a large supply of Tonka, had eventually even illegally entered the mansion and threatened Melty’s life. When he first requested an increase in Tonka quantity, they only knew that a poor harvest had occurred in some regions.
In other words, it meant that Bain Spangky already knew that the cause of the drought was ‘Avartia,’ and that the solution lay in ‘Tonka.’
‘Even if he got supplied with Tonka, he wouldn’t have known how to use it properly. But whatever, he must have been an accomplice.’
The possibility that Bain Spangky knew about information on a crop found only in ancient books in the Padrian study was slim. Making an herbicide from Tonka, which contained dangerous levels of toxicity, through appropriate mixing was a formula created by Calix.
If Bain Spangky truly knew the cause and solution of the drought occurring in his region, he should have demanded the herbicide itself, not the Tonka. Had Calix supplied Tonka in large quantities as he requested, they would have been swept up in an even more serious shortage than now. Praising himself for blocking the sale at the time, Calix continued with a smiling face.
“First, we need to prevent the situation from getting worse. For now, I’ve sent a document to each family with descriptions and ways to identify ‘Avartia,’ so although it’s not perfect, it should somewhat prevent the spread.”
At Calix’s explanation, Melty gaped blankly. He had thought Calix had been busy for a while, but he hadn’t expected him to have already taken action that far. Melty’s eyes sparkled and shone.
“Once they learn that herbicide using Tonka is the quick solution, many will demand it. When demand pours in from each family, it will inevitably become an overwhelming situation…”
Calix paused as he was about to continue speaking, noticing Melty’s meaningful gaze. With a small smile at the corner of his mouth, Calix raised his nose slightly and said with an arrogant expression.
“What? Suddenly fallen for me?”
“You were cool until just a moment ago.”
At Melty’s cool response, Calix let out a small laugh. The sparkle that had filled Melty’s eyes diminished somewhat.
“I’m not cool now?”
“A little less cool than before.”
“Hmm. I’m not much different from a moment ago, I wonder why?”
Calix leaned his head toward where Melty was, telling him to look more closely. After carefully examining his face, which had come close, from the corner of his eye, Melty finally burst into laughter.
“Stop teasing me.”
Calix, who had been entranced watching the brown eyes filled with laughter, the long eyelashes, and the reddish curved lips, cleared his throat loudly and sat up. Then he hurriedly moved to the opposite seat. Confused by Calix’s sudden movement, Melty looked at the empty seat beside him with a bewildered expression.
“…What’s wrong?”
“No, it just seemed a bit cramped. The journey is long, so it’s better to travel comfortably.”
Calix’s words, delivered with an awkward smile as if making an excuse, were rationally acceptable. Nevertheless, when he, who had been sticking close the whole time, suddenly moved his seat, disappointment seeped into Melty’s heart.
Seeing Melty’s gloomy appearance, Calix cleared his throat loudly and wrapped him with a blanket that had been preloaded in the carriage to keep him from getting cold. After confirming that Melty’s gaze was not on him, Calix brought over documents from the corner and covered his groin area with them. Belatedly, Melty looked at him with eyes that flickered as if hoping for something, but Calix desperately avoided his gaze.
It seemed like the atmosphere had been good until just a moment ago.
Even though it was simply Calix moving away for a brief moment, Melty felt inexplicably dejected. Melty surreptitiously moved his fingers wrapped in the blanket to touch the spot where Calix had been sitting until just before. The empty seat still retained his warmth, not yet fully cooled.
