My Fiancee Was the Villainess of This World

27 – The weight of the name Imperial

“According to what has been reported so far, Lunaris outbreaks are extremely limited.”

Like water veins or leylines, mana also accumulates in certain areas.

In such places, invisible mana hardens into solid crystals, and this crystal of mana is used as the main power source for magic tools.

In a zone where mana accumulates like this, the moment the full moon rises and mana fills up to the limit, a group of butterflies appears.

“This is data about mana stone mining sites across the empire.”

After saying that, Martin began writing information about the mana stone mining site on the map of the empire.

Although it is said to be a disease that occurs in extremely limited places….

“… Wouldn’t this be dangerous even if it was extremely limited?”

Yes, as Priscilla said.

The continent on which the Empire is situated is vast.

That’s why there are more than one mine that mines mana stones.

It’s extremely limited, but if it happens simultaneously, it’s a situation where you can’t figure out how to deal with it.

“Until now, on the night of the full moon, all households have been instructed to lock their doors and cover the gaps with cloth, right?”

I nodded at Priscilla’s question.

“But even this is not a surefire solution. There is nothing the visitor can do.”

Is an epidemic an epidemic for nothing?

It’s an epidemic because if someone gets it, it causes a chain of problems.

The phosphorus excretion from the wings of butterflies is powdery and invisible.

According to the confirmation of the Ministry of Health of the Empire, it takes about three days for the powder to lose its effectiveness.

Three days is enough time for a carrier to infect an entire village.

“It has been 10 years since the last outbreak of Lunaris. There will not be one or two villages that have already forgotten their vigilance.”

“Yes. I think the damage will be greater in relatively rural areas.”

The farther the island is located, the more its influence diminishes.

That’s why the empire accepted the existence of the vassals and chose a way to exert influence over the entire continent.

So, it means that an area with a clear claim to autonomy because it is far from the system, or an area with insensitivity to safety because it has no connection to infectious diseases is more dangerous.

“Early response is also a very important disease.”

In particular, the initial response is important for this Lunaris.

A patient with this disease coughs up a significant amount of blood from his mouth, and the moment he is treated by a priest without much thought, an irreversible situation arises.

Lunaris is an infectious disease that affects the mana inside the body, so the moment the priest touches it, the mana runs out of control.

It is said that those who are touched by the priest will vomit blood from their whole body and die painfully, screaming as if experiencing all the pain of human life.

There are very few stories about overcoming these symptoms and rising to the realm of magic, but it’s actually a story that’s close to a rumor, so those who do such crazy things are probably magic-mad madmen.

“… If there is an outbreak, Istria will be in danger.”

Since the Istria region is so unrelated to the plague, the priests dispatched there are relatively inexperienced compared to other regions.

It’s an act to help priests who don’t yet have actual combat experience gain experience.

However, if Lunaris develops, that consideration will act as a deadly poison.

Perhaps if the patient asked for help, he would panic and use magic and then kill the patient.

“Yes, I think so too.”

‘It’s difficult.’

All three infectious diseases have a fatality rate of close to 100% if they are not properly treated.

However, the problem was that the area and conditions of the outbreak were extremely limited.

‘It’s too limited to say that it’s a case where tens of thousands of people lost their lives.’

Obviously, in the game, there is a description that tens of thousands of people in the empire lost their lives to an infectious disease in the same year that the prime minister’s wife died.

However, even assuming the worst, these three diseases alone were a difficult number.

“It would be good to hear the opinion of an expert on this, Your Highness.”

After Martin said that, Priscilla, who had been writing something diligently until a moment ago, handed me a piece of paper.

These were the minutes of the meeting, which contained information that had been exchanged during this discussion.

Did you remember all the conversations in that brief moment and write them down exactly the same?

As expected, it was a great memory to be evaluated as a equipment.

“Yes, I guess.”

I took the two of them to the sanitation department and handed in the minutes of our conversation.

“Wait a minute, please!”

Money is something that can kill or save people, and also acts as a lubricant in awkward relationships.

Look.

Aren’t the snacks that come out one step more expensive than before?

‘Come to think of it, I forgot to drink tea.’

Everybody was so focused on the meeting called the game that they even forgot to drink tea.

It was only then that we realized that we were in the middle of tea time, and accepted tea and refreshments from the sanitation department with wry smiles.

As we waited so long, a man named Jackson, who had been visiting the library during tea time, approached us.

According to him, the manager was away due to an urgent call from the southern region.

“… Is it the seat line?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jackson looked admiring whenever he read the meeting minutes.

“It is a contagious disease with at least 100,000 deaths….”

The only information I know is that there are tens of thousands of victims.

So, based on that premise, a candidate group was set up, but it was a figure that could not be achieved with these three candidates.

“If you factor in the complications, it might be possible, Your Highness.”

“Complications?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jackson brought the data researched by the Ministry of Health and kindly explained it.

“These three diseases have very high transmission and fatality rates. But it’s an epidemic that has a way to deal with it. But complications are a different story. If you are a patient with extremely low physical strength due to an infectious disease—”

After that, Jackson shared some assumptions.

However, one thing was certain: even if complications were accompanied, it was the opinion that it would be difficult for tens of thousands of victims to come out with one of these three diseases.

It’s difficult with just one.

In other words—

“If you say that all three are affected, then it is possible.”

“That, that….”

Lunaris is an infectious disease that has the lowest risk of outbreak among infectious diseases.

However, assuming that all of them would develop this year, with less than half a year left, even Jackson made an inexpressible expression.

“It is possible, Your Highness.”

But it is possible.

That’s the important part.

“It has been done. That was a good view.”

… In fact, it’s the worst.

Coming to think of it, it was said that tens of thousands of people died from an ‘epidemic’, so it was a story that could not be concluded that the epidemic was one.

The problem was that the initial response was the most important disease, and the father, the supreme decision maker, vacated the throne.

“Everyone, take a rest. I have places to go Jackson, please follow me.”

“Yes, Your Highness! I will do it!”

“… Yes, Maximilian-sama.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I started walking toward the Treasury, accompanied only by Jackson.

‘This must be Heinrich’s law.’

Before a major disaster occurs, small incidents and symptoms related to it follow in a row.

Perhaps it is the shadow of the plague that my great-great-grandfather, His Majesty the Emperor, suffered, and all of these may be harbingers of major events.

Thinking of that made the corridors of the Imperial Palace feel longer than usual.

‘It’s different from games.’

In the game, I would have been still an idiot at this time, drinking alcohol and enjoying gambling and luxury.

It is a story that even if the father hurriedly puts down the turmoil in the south and returns, the initial response is bound to fail.

But now the story is different.

‘It’s okay. You’ve already experienced it.’

The best was one, the second best was two.

If my father takes care of Citra, I can aim for the second best even if I am not the best.

‘… Ha, funny.’

At least tens of thousands of lives depend on my choice.

When I thought so, my hands started to sweat to the point where I felt bad.

Isn’t it a very ugly appearance for living out loud until now?

You must never forget your dignity at any moment.

Shouldn’t we at least wipe off the sticky sweat from our hands before opening this heavy door?

Having judged that, I arrived at the door of the Treasury Department where the Prime Minister was and put my hand into his bosom.

As I tried to wipe my hands with the handkerchief I was holding, the scent of spring wafted from the handkerchief.

In the corner of that handkerchief was a small but beautiful freesia.

“Kuh, ha ha!”

Yeah, isn’t that funny?

Shouldn’t the man who vowed to block even the shadow of the end be frightened by something like an infectious disease?

I carefully put the handkerchief back into my bosom to keep it from sweating.

“Let’s go, Jackson.”

“… Yes, Your Highness!”

Accompanied by a slightly flustered Jackson, I opened the door to the Treasury Department and stepped inside.

Numerous eyes gathered around him, but all of a sudden, the tension and nervousness that wet his hands were gone.

“Will you call the chancellor? It is an urgent matter.”

It is a situation in which data and experts that provide sufficient evidence are accompanied.

No matter how stingy the Prime Minister is with money, there is no way that my sincerity will not be conveyed.

I decided to calmly wait for the chancellor.

“You have been visiting me often lately, Your Highness.”

The chancellor sat down as if he was weary, his eyes still looking tired.

I don’t know, but that pattern hair loss is probably caused by stress from frequent overtime work and lack of sleep.

‘Whoa.’

Looking at the Prime Minister’s hair, it seems that his heart is much lighter!

I passed the data to the Prime Minister with a calm expression.

“Is this data about an epidemic? Umm….”

The chancellor let out a small sigh and began to read her data, with an expression that she had brought another tired agenda.

The chancellor, who quickly skimmed through the contents, began to stare at the data with an increasingly serious expression.

“Your Highness, do you really think these contagious diseases will break out?”

“Yes, so I want to hasten the initial response.”

“A new drug effective for Violet may only be used with His Majesty’s approval.”

“It is an emergency. I’m thinking of opening a teleport gate leading to the south where His Majesty is.”

“… With all due respect, Your Highness does not have the right to do so.”

“No, I do exist.”

“What does that mean?”

The chancellor asked as he adjusted his glasses.

“I have been entrusted with all authority over the epidemic situation by Your Majesty. You can open the teleport gate if necessary. Isn’t that enough?”

This is absurd sophistry.

The only thing I was entrusted with was the epidemic in the county of Genoa.

Neither I nor the Prime Minister know that fact.

In other words, this is a clear violation of the order.

It was an agenda that even the crown prince could not pass over lightly.

Nevertheless, I am pushing that sophistry.

“… You are serious.”

As if my feelings had been conveyed to the chancellor, he finally sighed and nodded his head.

“But this will be difficult.”

With that said, the Prime Minister drew a line at the ‘Lunaris Flower’ part of the budget bill written on the last page.

“Lunaris flower is not only a medicinal material, but also considered a luxury item for the nobility because of its brilliant and beautiful appearance. It’s Violet’s new drug. If His Majesty permits it, we may be able to use it well enough, but Lunaris Flower’s budget is another matter. It’s such an outrageous amount to be prepared for any contingencies.”

The Chancellor is the highest decision-maker in the Ministry of Finance, but he said that the emperor’s seal is required to spend more than a certain amount of budget.

That was also a condition only in front of two or more top decision-makers from other departments.

… Yeah, it seemed like it.

Still, it doesn’t mean there are no gaps to escape.

“Can we understand that it means that we will not stop it from issuing an emergency order to summon all the nobles in the system?”

“Where are you going to get your money?”

“Don’t worry, the resources are sufficient.”

“If the credit is that amount, the royal seal—”

“I will sell all but 3 of the luxury items in the Viryongguan.”

“… Yes?”

Artists run their business with their eyes wide open to have their works enshrined in the mansions of nobles.

This is because works of art are not judged simply by their level of perfection, but their value varies greatly depending on who owned them.

For example, a picture frame hung in a commoner’s home and a picture frame hung in an imperial family room.

Even if both are the same work of art, they cannot be of the same value.

I’m virtually confirmed as the next emperor, and I’m selling all the artworks I own.

At that level, the financial resources for Lunaris could be adequately covered.

“Are you serious?”

“How dare I tell a nonsensical joke in front of anyone?”

No matter how foolish I may be, I’m not the kind of guy who has gone overboard to the point of joking in front of the guy who’s actually number 2 in the empire.

‘It’s a shame.’

They’re probably worth at least twice as much after I succeed to the throne safely.

I personally have attachments, and there are things that I put a lot of effort into collecting.

Among them, there are many things that cannot be obtained because the original author has already passed away.

But in the end, it’s a thing.

At least tens of thousands.

Considering the many more victims that would come from the chancellor, they were not worth much.

It’s embarrassing to even put it on the scale.

“… I will follow your will, Your Highness.”

Looking at the Prime Minister’s bare head as he said that and lowered his head, a bitter smile overflowed as he felt that the future of Biryonggwan lay there.

‘I’ll have to ask Priscilla to draw a picture.’

Thought so, I drank the tea the Prime Minister gave me.

The tea had already cooled down, but it had the most flavorful taste among all the teas I drank today.