Looking down on Wertzburg from above, three features stood out: its palaces, its university, and its vineyards.

Within the Bayern Kingdom, those interested in mathematics and astronomy went to the capital, Munich, where the universities developed from Guild schools were also concentrated. But for those majoring in poetry, art, and literature, one came to the University of Wertzburg. Its founding could be traced back to the end of the Old Empire Era, expanded from what was once a Monastery school.

The area was also a white wine region. Rorschach gazed out from the top-floor window of the Mage Tower, seeing the city’s edge lined with estates and fields planted with grapevines. Since the terrain wasn’t perfectly flat, Rorschach could see not only the scattered, multi-level buildings but also terraced fields developed along the mountainsides.

Bart produced a grape leaf with browning spots. "Here. A winery recently reported that their new grapevine shoots and leaves look a bit off after the spring budding. Now is the sprouting season, so the grape growers are on edge. They came to me hoping I could solve it with Magic."

’This falls under the Town Mage’s duties too?’ Rorschach looked shocked. "What does this have to do with you? Bart, you’re not a graduate of the Tower of Forest. You could have just refused."

Bart held the leaf with a look of despair. "I would have, under normal circumstances. But these cunning growers are insisting the vines are possessed by a Demon and are demanding I perform an exorcism... The Brewing Guild knows the overseer is coming to evaluate the Town Mage. If they file a complaint in the next few days, I’m done for!"

’Wow, these people are shameless!’ Rorschach was stunned by the growers’ audacity. But he’d never worked at the grassroots level of the Church. A Priest would have understood that bizarre incidents in a parish were endless. Someone goes mad? Demon possession. Someone’s sheep gets carried off by something? The work of a Demon. A bad harvest? A Demon must have passed through...

’My family is suffering, so it must be a Demon! My lord, you can’t just ignore this!’

If it were the Order Church, a Priest would bring out a cup of Holy Water from a dim little room. Whether you drank it or sprinkled it, it would always be somewhat effective at sending the troublemakers away. It works if you believe. If it doesn’t, the Lord is testing you. Amen, amen.

After the Church left, this same tactic was used on the Town Mage, much to Bart’s torment. He couldn’t produce a placebo called Holy Water (which might have actually worked in the Old Empire Era), and the members of the Brewing Guild weren’t easily fooled. To make matters worse, this guy was planning an indirect path to promotion and wanted to run in the trade representative election next year.

’If I don’t even handle things within my duties, my public support will collapse. How can I expect to get elected then? They’ll report me to the circuit overseer first chance they get!’

Rorschach took the grape leaf sample. A blue light flashed in his hand as motes of light flowed into the limp leaf, successfully reviving it and making it plump and emerald green again.

"I knew you could do it! Oh, great and wise Middle Level Mage Rorschach, I praise you!"

Rorschach spread the leaf open for Bart to see. "Don’t celebrate too soon. Look for yourself." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Only then did the anxious Town Mage see clearly. In the center of the revitalized leaf, the brown spots had multiplied and grown larger, and were even starting to turn black. Just as Rorschach had estimated, the cause was likely some kind of microorganism. The Su Sheng cast on the leaf had also accelerated the disease’s progression.

’In my past life, anyone who’d taken junior high chemistry would know about a certain blue pesticide. But in this world, no one has discovered it by accident yet. Of course, just knowing about it isn’t enough to solve the problem; there are many precautions to take.’

After a quick calculation in his head, Rorschach clapped Bart on the shoulder. "Come on. Take me to the site."

The one that had reported the issue to Lord Bart was the Citizen Welfare Winery. Sponsored by the Brewing Guild, it maintained a vineyard to support its operations.

"Lord Bart, you’re finally here. And this young man behind you is..." The nanny from the welfare home came out, wiping her large, rough hands on her apron.

The arrivals were Bart and a young man leaning on a cane.

"I am Mage Bart’s assistant, Rorschach, Nanny Abigail." Rorschach shook her hand; her knuckles were coarse and her palm was rough. "You have to see things with your own eyes to get a clear picture."

"Well said! A pity Lord Bart is always so busy..." The nanny led them down into the field, moving between the rows of grapevines.

"Look, more and more of them are like this now. The new shoots are mostly black." The nanny broke off a rotting young branch, and a clear, viscous sap oozed from the wound.

"Is this a symptom too?" Bart dabbed a bit of the sap, leaning in to observe and smell it. It was colorless and odorless.

Rorschach took the broken branch. "No, this is a normal phenomenon during spring budding. It’s the grapevines’ sap-flow season."

"Lord Bart has found himself a knowledgeable assistant!" The nanny nodded, then showed them other signs, mainly brown spots growing along the veins of the leaves.

"If it’s still like this by the autumn harvest, we’re ruined!"

"Nanny Abigail, I believe this is just some kind of disease..."

"Some kind of disease!" The stout, barrel-figured woman’s voice suddenly rose, startling Bart slightly. "Are you saying I’m making baseless claims, or that this is just a small problem to you? This is the livelihood of the entire welfare home! Please, follow me. Allow me to present you with evidence, my lord."

The nanny led the two of them into the cellar, past barrel after barrel of aged wine, until they reached a records room at the very end. She unlocked a large cast-iron lock and pulled a tattered bundle from amidst the dust.

"This is..."

"A record from four hundred and twenty years ago! See for yourself."

’This is a genuine antique...’ Cradling the nearly disintegrated parchment in his hands, Rorschach struggled to decipher the text, which was written in a floral, cursive script.

"Demon’s... Kiss."

It seemed a similar blight had broken out before and was genuinely cured by Holy Water. The administrator of the welfare home at the time had been a Priest, who left behind this record in cursive script.

The charlatan priest had named it "Demon’s Kiss" in his typical style. Any vine kissed by the demon would be cursed, and the fruit it bore would also be spotted.

Not only did the "kissed" plants have to be disposed of, but the afflicted soil also had to be sprayed with Holy Water for a complete Purification.

Rorschach became even more certain that the blight was caused by some kind of microorganism.

"Bart, I recall Wertzburg has dye workshops, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"We need slaked lime and azurite."

...

Bart carried a wooden bucket filled with azurite dissolved in a large amount of water. Rorschach preferred to call these beautiful, pure blue crystals "copper sulfate."

Rorschach, meanwhile, had the nanny help prepare a lime slurry, which he then directed her to mix into the copper sulfate solution.

"Oh my, what’s all that commotion!"

"It’s nothing, just hold steady and continue." That was Rorschach’s third hand stirring inside the bucket—far more effective than any rotor. He’d just found another new use for his Mage’s Hand.

The finished product was a beautiful, sky-blue emulsion. Rorschach carried the bucket with Bart over to the infected plants.

Rorschach used Communication Skill to direct the Lord Town Mage: ’You follow my instructions...’

The nanny saw Bart turn serious. He spoke to her grimly, "Nanny Abigail, my assistant and I will now perform the exorcism ritual. Please watch closely!"

Then Bart began to wave his arms and legs about, muttering incantations. The nanny couldn’t make out a single word he said, but she thought his performance looked incredibly professional.

"Let my assistant sprinkle the Alchemy Potion!" At his cue, Rorschach evenly poured the prepared Bordeaux Liquid on the grapevines surrounding the blighted plant, taking care not to use too much and harm them.

Normally, Bordeaux Liquid should be used as a preventative measure; plants that already had spots were beyond saving. But Rorschach... and Bart... knew Magic!

"Hah!" Bart’s eyes flew wide open. The nanny could feel the Mage casting his wondrous Magic.

A raging fire!

Under Bart’s performance—oh, no, his spectacular Casting—the vines that had been kissed by the Demon were met with their final judgment. Seeing the sudden, terrifying scene, the nanny nearly fainted.