episode_0103

Change came quietly and suddenly at the same time.

During the darkest times, when no one could speak up, the church was the first to notice that something had changed.

It wasn’t because I saw the patients I was treating. Rather, it is because the work to prepare cemeteries behind churches and in sacred places has decreased in the hope that people will find rest after death.

“James, what coffin did you decide to enter?”

“They said they would send it soon, but it’s still not there. Isn’t it something that was solved successfully at the treatment center?”

“That’s a good thing, but the requests that were pouring in just two weeks ago suddenly disappeared like that?”

“That’s right.”

The owner did not enter the pit dug for the poor souls whose tomorrow was difficult to predict.

Even if you just leave it at that and think you’ll survive for a day or two more, it lasts for three or four days, and if it goes beyond a week, you can’t help but notice something strange.

At the time, the workers who were digging the ground were becoming confused.

The next to notice that the plague was coming were the patients.

-Grumbling- Cough-

“…What will happen if you keep quiet a little? I don’t think it was like this until recently.”

“At least, isn’t it better than making a gloomy moan like a ghost or coughing and telling people to leave the world?”

“Everyone is in trouble. Sleep comfortably.”

The number of complaints gradually decreased at the temporary treatment center, which was notorious for its unique, gloomy noise.

Instead of the sound of breathing, which was getting closer and closer to death, came the sound of rolling and rustling on a straw bed and the clatter of dishes being prepared for a meal.

Finally, he stood up on his own two feet and walked, and as the symptoms of the plague subsided, the change became evident.

“Not everyone is okay, but if things continue like this, it seems only a matter of time before everyone gets better.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes. Even those with the most severe symptoms shook off their pride and woke up.”

It felt as if the Baron had experienced a moment like this at some point.

And after tapping my fingers on the table a few times while lost in thought, I was finally able to remember what that sense of déjà vu was.

There was a plague that caused the hands and toes of thousands of people to rot all at once.

The Baron remembered something like that happening more than ten years ago.

Although it was not the capital, it was one of the largest cities in the empire.

There was so much to see as its size that many nobles, clergy, and even ordinary free people took the time to stop by.

When I was young, I was a traveler, a pilgrim, and a believer.

However, under the calamity of the plague, everyone, regardless of social status, became a sick person, no better than the other.

And one day, a young nun’s prayer became salvation.

Everyone coveted that miracle. I wanted the power that made it possible, the authority that would be established.

After being tormented by countless people, including the emperor, the Pope, and minor nobles, the saint eventually confined herself to a university.

Pure good intentions were not reciprocated, and, bitterly, that was the way the world worked.

“Were there any additional deaths?”

“It is not due to plague. Even though the saint did not come, what else could this be but a miracle?”

“Yeah, right… … .”

Obviously the situation was different then.

The numbers were much smaller than that, and it wasn’t as if everyone was washed away at once.

Still, why did that memory come to mind?

“What should I do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Until now, I haven’t paid much attention to it because the situation hasn’t been favorable, but isn’t there definitely a message from the imperial family?”

His secretary, who raised his head and met him, had completely erased the happy smile from her face, as if she had never done that before.

At the same time, something crossed my mind, so I took out a letter I had kept deep in a drawer.

On the thread wrapped around the rolled up parchment was a seal with the imperial seal.

“Was it really sent from the imperial family? Isn’t there a possibility that it may have been counterfeit?”

“Of course, the possibility always exists. But I think it’s real.”

The Baron shook his head in response to another aide’s questionable words.

Like everything else, including gold coins and documents, there was a possibility that seals could have been forged.

Of course, the imperial seal was complicated and detailed, but as long as there was a drawing, it was an easy task if several craftsmen decided to put it together.

However, there was no way to distinguish whether it was a forgery or not.

When I looked at the Baron’s spelling, grammar, letters and rhetorical expressions he used, it didn’t seem like he was doing anything without doing anything.

Above all, the names written there and the content written there added to the credibility.

-Keep Heine on quinine as long as possible. Then there will be a deserved reward.

If you take away all the greetings, this is what remains.

Who would know the princess’s schedule in such detail, and how would they even call her by her name?

Thanks to this, I was the only one caught in the middle of the situation.

If I hadn’t used the epidemic as an excuse to stay on quinine, I would have made an excuse that there was a reason I couldn’t catch it, but once I was stuck like this, it was useless.

“Things have become complicated. If Her Royal Highness had just passed by, she wouldn’t have had to worry like this.”

“But if that were to happen, wouldn’t our people of Quinine be better off? Your coming here may have been the destiny of Europa.”

“Sorry, I made a mistake. But isn’t it true that careful thought is needed?”

“Yes. There is nothing more meaningless than discussing the past. Things have already happened so I have to make a choice.”

“Even if it is a choice, it is dishonorable to ignore grace. If the world finds out about this, they will point fingers.”

“I think so too.”

In a rare occurrence, the opinions of the two who often fought came to an agreement. Even if he pretended not to notice the favor bestowed on him by a lowly person, there was no way such a slap would work against the princess.

The secretary and aide were chatting about such things, and then they all turned their heads to ask the Baron.

“As a subject of His Majesty, I must carry out orders… Aren’t you also a member of the imperial family? So wouldn’t it be better to have more faith in His Majesty who is right in front of us?”

“Baron, why should I listen to such suspicious words more than anything else? You don’t even know who sent it.”

“No, there is one place I can guess.”

The Baron immediately cut them off.

Although the imperial family seemed to have been sealed on the outside, there was a conflict going on underneath the surface.

Although the current moment of gathering strength had stopped for a while, a secret struggle to succeed to the throne was taking place, knowingly or unknowingly.

There were many people who would do anything to subtly dispose of their brothers and sisters in order to obtain the highest and most honorable position under God.

Even though it was the imperial family, there was no reason for it to be any different. No, it would be even more urgent because it glimmers as if it can’t be grasped.

And who would do something like this right now?

“… His Royal Highness.”

It was Konrad, the first prince of the Remus Empire.

When asked who would be the next emperor, he answered that out of a hundred, he would be the first emperor.

It was only natural that the emperor himself had even lowered the title of king to be awarded to the next emperor in the first place.

Until just a few years ago, this was somewhat of a topic of discussion.

Of course, with the civil war, protecting the emperor’s position became a priority, so it was pushed to the background.

How many times in history have there been cases where personal feelings have distorted the cause?

As a politician, I had to stick to reason and put emotions aside when it came to politics. Above all, I had to guard against being eaten by such human feelings.

In cases where emotions made matters worse, this has already been confirmed by the precedent of the Holy See in the south.

“As for His Highness the 1st Prince, it is definitely a bit… … .”

“Hmm… … .”

Everyone’s mouths in the office were closed like clams. It wasn’t a strange thing.

I have definitely received a favor that cannot be washed away. They were willing to express their due gratitude and offer generous compensation.

Still, it wasn’t enough to make him someone to whom he would give his allegiance. Compared to Conrad, who was officially designated as the next emperor, Heine’s value fell a little, or frankly, a lot.

“Well, isn’t this something that everyone can understand?”

“… Baron, then.”

The atmosphere gradually shifted towards the opposite direction, as if it had been like that for some time. The Baron himself could feel the scales he carried within him tipping.

However, the thought that came to mind a little while ago hit my head again.

Pure good intentions were not reciprocated, and, bitterly, that was the way the world worked.

Although she was a miracle and a saint who existed for salvation, she could not be used in reality.

It was a reality that came as a shock to me when I was young. so that.

“… Just because the world is like that, I don’t need to be like that either.”

“Baron?”

“I have made a decision, so please call your highness.”

“Okay.”

After a pause, the Baron realized that there was one person he had forgotten.

So, I added a word behind the secretary who immediately turned around and was about to leave.

“Oh, and a knight named Raven.”

*****

Heine suddenly came to his senses as his hands shook before his eyes.

“We did it!”

“… … .”

At that time, when Lisia, who had confirmed that she had come to her senses, was posing in front of her, Heine had several question marks in his mind.

Is the change usually this dramatic? If there were an absolute secret to success, there is no way other churches would not have used such methods.

But it had already happened, and it was uglier to deny it since we had seen the results firsthand.

It shouldn’t be like this, no. It’s not impossible, but it’s a little strange. But can the word strange be attached to a good thing?

The more complicated and deeply I thought about it, the more dizzy my mind became.

In the end, after cutting everything out, Heine was finally able to get a rough idea of what he was feeling.

“… Yes, good things are good things.”

“Right?”

The moment I acknowledged that, for some reason, my heart felt itchy.

Heine raised his head and looked back at his former patients. At that moment, Lisia was in front of him.

“I cured this patient!”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work, kid.”

“I can control my illness!”

Everyone was purely happy. It didn’t seem to matter whether it was because the family was healed or because the danger was gone.

And while I was trying to get over this dull feeling, there was a voice coming from beside me.

“Charge.”

“Why are you doing that?”

“The Baron asks to meet you.”