episode_0185

Report from the Ministry of Intelligence.

“Hmm… My secret behavior has been exposed. I will have to refrain from going secretly from now on.”

Terah, a member of the imperial faction, said he had seen me outside a few times and had attempted to assassinate me, but he is currently being detained and punished by Theodora.

Actually, they were bragging about assassinating me, but even though I don’t have children, they went too far.

If you go around bragging that you need to assassinate me and then rumors spread, there would be nothing worse than that.

It’s natural.

After that, we review the reports that come up.

The report states that Savinelli’s inauguration as Minister of Justice has been confirmed and that the imperial faction has gained momentum as a result, and that the locust attack has disappeared and the locust attack has calmed down.

In addition, I read and processed various agenda items and gave orders…

“Huh?”

My left eye feels a little darker than usual.

what?

I rub my left eye and look again, but only the left side is a little blurry, so I close my right eye and look at the paper.

Blurred vision, as if you were looking at it by candlelight on a dark night.

I guess… I need to get medical attention.

Past life and present life.

I feel it is unusual because this is the first time I have experienced something like this in my two lives.

Damn it… my body needs to be intact.

Roman culture, the mainstream culture of the empire, has one unique culture.

There is a perception that if a person is physically disqualified… that is, if he or she has a major disability, he or she has incurred the wrath of God and must be kicked out.

Because the empire is so old, the culture that would only exist in an ancient country has been passed down to this day.

So, in the past, when emperors dealt with political opponents, they often punished the other person with permanent disability.

Making a person blind… or cutting off a limb.

Originally, it was a Nicaean culture with a longer history than the empire, but in the early days of the empire, many Nicaean cultures settled in admiration for the culture of Nicaea, which had a more splendid culture than the empire, and it is presumed that they settled there.

Anyway.

I must not let it be known that there is something wrong with my body.

Even now, the unstable political situation may collapse.

Demon worshipers may use harsh words to instigate me by claiming that my illness is God’s punishment.

“I guess I’ll have to get treatment from outside.”

I’ve been exchanging a lot of personal correspondence with the Pope recently.

I take out a piece of white paper from a drawer and write on it.

-Sreuk…

Write down the message that you would like to be secretly examined by the Pope and that this information must be kept strictly confidential, put it in an envelope, and seal the letter with melted red beeswax.

and…

-thud!

Carve my seal.

“Ugh!”

My back is sore.

I’ve been sitting for too long lately, so my hips and lower back are sore.

“I don’t think I sat like this even during the CSAT.”

When I worked at a company in my previous life. I only worked like this during the busy season.

I don’t think we’ve ever worked together like this every day.

“It’s better then.”

The big difference between work for a company and the government is… the weight of responsibility is different.

No matter how big a mistake I make at work, it will most likely be corrected, but it is difficult to correct in the affairs of the country.

In short, if I carry out a certain policy or project, someone else may suffer great harm.

If it is simply property damage, some compensation may be possible, but there may also be situations where someone dies or someone’s business that has been working diligently goes bankrupt and the entire family may be forced out onto the streets.

Of course, when doing national work, it is inevitable that someone will die or go bankrupt.

If it is right to look at the majority, not the minority, and bring long-term benefits, it must be done even if someone suffers a short-term loss.

That’s why I carefully review it several times while I’m working.

This is to check whether this work brings long-term benefits or is absolutely necessary for the development of the empire, and to find ways to reduce the casualties.

“Ha… I’m exhausted. Exhausted.”

I sigh and continue my work.

***

To my letter stating that I wanted to receive medical treatment within the Vatican, I received a reply sooner than I expected.

“No matter what… I can’t believe you came right away.”

I thought it would take a little while.

I sent the letter in the morning, but a short reply came back in the afternoon.

[ Come to the Holy See right now .]

Thanks to this, I stopped work and rode the carriage sent by the Vatican.

So, when we arrived at the Vatican…

I felt puzzled when I saw that they were heading towards a quiet place instead of the main gate of the cathedral, so I opened the window connected to the coachman and spoke.

“Aren’t you going to the main gate of the cathedral?”

Hearing my words, the driver says as he drives the carriage.

“This is an order to take His Highness the Archduke to the carriage shed.”

I felt a little uneasy about those words, but…

Well, the Pope has no reason to kill me.

With that in mind, I calmly wait for them to arrive at the carriage shed.

And when we arrived at the carriage warehouse…

“His Holiness the Pope?, Sister Senna?”

The Pope and Senna were waiting there first.

“Oh, welcome here, Grand Duke.”

As the Pope welcomes me with open arms, I hug him with an awkward expression.

what the…

“May God bless you.”

“May God bless you.”

-Tap!

I feel awkward seeing the Pope, who welcomes my visit by patting me on the back.

Since I heard that they are capturing a demon worshiper, they are very friendly compared to before.

He doesn’t show those thoughts and answers them with a smile.

“Holiness the Pope, why did you call me here?”

I said I definitely wanted to get a checkup, right? Why did you call me to the carriage shed?

When I think like that.

The Pope says with a smile.

“Grand Duke If there were rumors that you were sick, wouldn’t your political life be difficult in many ways? I called you here so you wouldn’t have to know that you’re sick.”

I nod my head at those words.

Actually, I could get a medical examination at the imperial palace, but I thought it would be inconvenient in many ways if I were to become permanently disabled, so I asked the Pope.

It is right to go to a doctor for diseases that require surgery or medication, but for simple examinations or trauma, even priests do not fall behind doctors.

“Now, come on, get on that carriage.”

Sena says as she opens the door of the rather large carriage that the Pope is pointing to.

“This is a carriage used to receive medical treatment for people important to the Holy See.”

As she said, it is packed with various medical equipment.

“Sister Sena is a high-level doctor who obtained her medical license from the academy.”

uh?

I am a little surprised to hear this news for the first time.

It’s surprising that he got his medical license at such a young age.

The doctors here are not as good as modern times, but it is difficult to become a doctor if you do not hear the sound of a genius.

Although this place belongs to the Middle Ages, medical research has been going on for thousands of years, so I know that infectious diseases, drugs, and treatment techniques themselves are not bad.

In fact, surgery is performed and the survival rate after surgery is quite good.

Unlike the Middle Ages or modern times on Earth, this is a place where there is a concept of disinfection.

Anyway, I didn’t know Sena was smart.

“You’re amazing at that age.”

When I say that Sena is amazing, Sena smiles and says.

“Your Highness is not much older than me, but you are ruling the empire well, right?”

I smile at those words.

“Now sit here and open your sore eyes wide.”

Sena speaks while holding a large magnifying glass in one hand and a small pen-like object in the other.

When I open my left eye wide as she says, a small light pours into my eye from the small pen.

“Even if it’s a little dazzling, just hold on for a moment.”

As she said, I endured the glare and waited for the examination to be completed.

How long has it been?

She also examines the right eye.

Eventually, Sena lets go of my eyelids and speaks with a dark expression.

“You are in very bad condition. If you don’t get surgery soon, you may lose your vision.”

I am shocked to hear the word blindness.

“So… isn’t it in bad condition?”

Recently, I have been experiencing frequent symptoms and rapid decline in vision and thought that if I was unlucky, I might go blind.

Senna nodded slightly at my words, and the Pope sighed.

“Would it be okay if I had surgery?”

Sena nods slightly at my words.

“But I don’t know what will happen, the eye is such a delicate organ… But if I leave it in this state, my left eye will go blind for 1-2 years at most… or maybe sooner than that. And now my right eye also has high intraocular pressure, so I need to have surgery at the same time.”

Sena’s words send goosebumps down my back.

“Right too…

“After surgery… will I be able to resume my daily life right away?”

If it’s simple and discreet, I’m willing to do it.

But different from my expectations…

“Probably… you will need to cover both eyes for one to two months.”

I speak with a little hope in her despairing words.

“Then can’t we do one page at a time?”

Sena shakes her head at my words.

“This surgery requires the injection of medicine into the bundle of eye nerves, so even if the surgery is performed on one side… both eyes are bound to be affected.”

Blindfolding both parties means not being able to appear at public events for quite some time.

That’s not allowed.

The confusion was finally resolved.

But now I have to reveal my own weaknesses.

When thinking about reform in the future, my authority and power must not be shaken.

No matter how much my power overwhelms the imperial faction, if the small and medium-sized nobles, the neutral faction, and the imperial faction have different ideas, a terrible civil war may begin once again.

Politics isn’t the only problem.

In a situation where you don’t know what the Locust hiding in the dark will do, you need someone with great power to respond quickly.

And the worst case scenario is that demon worshipers may become more bold with civil war.

My mind becomes complicated because I have to avoid that much.

“Huh… I understand. I think it will be difficult to perform surgery right now.”

Saying that, I stand up from the chair and speak.

“If I leave now, the order we have established will collapse… Locust will not miss that opportunity.”

The two people let out a short sigh at my words.

“Ah… His Majesty the Archduke…”

“Huh… Archduke…”

To those who look bitter and sad, I answer them with a bright smile.

“But don’t worry, we will drive out the Locust and demon worshipers as soon as possible and get the surgery.”

Try to brag in front of them.

I don’t know if it’s possible… but this is the only way.

Fear of losing an eye.

To be honest, it doesn’t really hit me yet.

Because I’ve never lived a life like that before.

I just… just think that’s it.

I don’t know about later, but right now… that’s just the way it is.

It’s rather strange that I feel like I’m going blind.

“We will do our best to help. So… don’t give up and have hope.”

I answer that question with a smile.

“Thank you for saying that. Please… keep this a secret.”

When I saw the two people nod their heads at my words, I exchanged greetings and returned to the imperial palace.