Chapter 42

“Lehan!”

When Edelis called his name with joy, Lehan rushed over and embraced her.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Yes, thank you for inviting the Count.”

“It was nothing. If you ever need anything or face difficulties, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Edelis didn’t miss the opportunity. All the policies she had in mind needed the emperor’s full support to be implemented immediately, and even then, there wouldn’t be enough time.

“I was thinking during our conversation today—it would be great if we had more doctors.”

“I’ve thought that too. The medical department at the academy has limited capacity. And since many students come from other countries, the number of citizens in our empire who benefit is even smaller.”

“Right… Isn’t there any way to solve that?”

“We could establish a training institution.”

“…That sounds like it would take a long time.”

“Yes. I’ve already submitted it as an agenda item to the state council, but it’ll take about a year and a half to set up.”

A year and a half. That was far too late. But Edelis couldn’t just pout and ask Lehan to get it done in two weeks. She didn’t have the nerve to smile shamelessly and say something like, “Couldn’t you get it done in two weeks?”

“That’s still too long…”

“We could try to shorten it to within a year.”

Even a year felt long. But to reduce the timeline by half a year would mean tremendous effort for Lehan. Still, if she let things go on as they were, and an epidemic broke out, the saintess would inevitably play the hero like in the book, tipping the scales in her favor.

‘I need to prevent that.’

It wasn’t as if Edelis hated the saintess with a burning passion. But was it really necessary for the saintess of the Holy Empire to gain influence in this one? Especially since the saintess was the female lead—it left a bad taste in her mouth. As she contemplated, Edelis’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Lehan, would it be possible to check how much I have in my private treasury?”

She knew Lehan had studied a lot since arriving at the Grand Duke’s estate. But Edelis was nobility to her core—she knew what mattered most in situations like this.

‘Justification.’

With the right justification, anything was possible—budget, timeline, anything. Money was still the biggest issue, but she might be able to cover part of it using her own funds. And justifications could always be created.

“I believe it was set at a level sufficient for your needs. But if it proves inadequate, just let me know. I’ll order the Minister of Finance to send you the appropriate documents.”

“Thank you!”

Edelis threw her arms around Lehan’s neck, embracing him. She couldn’t hide the upward curve of her lips.

‘Time to act.’

Edelis immediately informed Lehan that she was stepping out for a short while. He offered to go with her, but he already had a meeting scheduled—where he planned to strongly advocate for the medical institution’s establishment—so he couldn’t accompany her.

Disguised in the clothes of a commoner, Edelis headed to the slums with her escort, Sir Ferrin.

“Your Majesty, must you really go to the slums?”

“Yes. It matches the conditions Count Reynold mentioned that are prone to epidemics.”

As Reynold pointed out, sanitation was poor and too many people were crammed into small spaces. There was almost no chance of them receiving medical attention.

“…Even in commoner clothes, Your Majesty stands out too much.”

“I won’t take off my robe. I’ll stay near you, Sir Ferrin. I won’t wander off.”

She had repeated these assurances so many times that Sir Ferrin’s ears could fall off. Even though Edelis recited them smoothly, Sir Ferrin still looked displeased.

“Anyway, your sharp eyes will probably keep people away…”

“I won’t deny that my eyes are sharp. But just in case, we’ll switch carriages on the way.”

The carriage that entered the imperial palace was obviously luxurious, meant for nobles. So once they reached the outskirts, they would switch to a more battered, cheap carriage that a commoner might ride. They would then disembark at the slums’ entrance and walk the rest of the way for safety.

“I won’t refer to you as ‘Your Majesty’ in front of others. Revealing your identity does no good.”

“Then you can’t call me ‘Your Majesty.’ Want to call me by name instead?”

“I’d rather not fall out of favor with His Majesty the Emperor.”

“…”

As they arrived at the slums, eyes were already watching them from the entrance.

“Outsiders!”

Even though they were dressed poorly and their faces were hidden, their clothes were still far too clean to pass unnoticed. The desperate people, with nothing to lose, ran at them with all their strength.

“Spare a coin, milady, just one coin!”

Edelis was appalled at the sight of their suffering. Far off, children were eating mold-covered bread. Their hands, black with filth from lack of washing, picked up anything and shoved it in their mouths. Instinctively, Edelis reached for her purse, but then clenched her fist. Sir Ferrin breathed a sigh of relief. Had she taken out a coin, the crowd would have mobbed them. They wouldn’t have stopped until nothing was left. And when there was nothing more to take, they might have turned to things they couldn’t give.

“Let’s go quickly.”

Just then, someone tugged on Edelis’s robe.

“Just one coin… please…”

She tried to pull her robe away, but the grip was surprisingly strong.

“Let go!”

Others began reaching for her robe as well. Left with no choice, Sir Ferrin struck the person’s wrist with the sheath of his sword, forcing them to let go.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

He led Edelis deeper into the slums. Many tried to approach them, but the moment Sir Ferrin drew his sword, they backed off, realizing they would gain nothing.

“You were right not to give them money. Even if you gave it to the children, someone else would just take it. You’d end up seeing worse.”

“I didn’t realize it was this bad…”

“Most nobles wouldn’t know. We only know because we’ve come here chasing fugitives.”

They finally reached a small, hidden apothecary inside the slums.

“I’d like to buy medicine for colds.”

“We don’t sell to outsiders. Leave.”

Sir Ferrin pulled a silver coin from his pocket.

“Give us what you usually sell to others here.”

“What’s the meaning of this?”

The shopkeeper became wary at the sight of silver, so rare in the slums.

“We’re not here to arrest anyone. We just want to see the medicine. If we were here to punish anyone, we wouldn’t be giving you silver—we’d be dragging you out.”

“…Wait here.”

Edelis was glad she came with Ferrin. He wasn’t just sharp-eyed—he clearly had experience threatening people too. The medicine brought out by the pharmacist looked awful even to Ferrin, who knew nothing of herbal medicine. The leaves were discolored, and some were moldy.

“People actually take this?”

“You don’t seem to understand how things work here, miss. People take what they can get.”

“Because it’s too expensive?”

“That, and no one wants to sell medicine here.”

“What happens when people get sick?”

“They die.”

“…”

“They don’t have food or rest, so even minor illnesses hit hard. Wounds get infected because no one can treat them. And they die.”

Ferrin nervously glanced at Edelis. Hearing this might be a shock for someone who lived her whole life as a noble, and now was the highest-ranking person in the land. But Edelis, though shaken, wasn’t deterred.

“If you could get better quality herbs, what would you do?”

“They’d be stolen before they arrived.”

“What if they weren’t?”

“They’d be stolen after arrival. Medicine is money.”

“If they weren’t stolen—would people buy them?”

“They don’t have the money. They’ll just spoil like everything else.”

One obstacle after another.

“What if they were sold cheap?”

The pharmacist thought Edelis’s hypotheticals were pointless, but the silver in his hand kept him civil.

“No one wants to sell at a loss.”

“What if someone could?”

“Then everyone would come buy it.”

Finally, a positive answer.

“But most would resell the medicine instead of using it.”

“You said they’d die if they didn’t take it.”

“You can’t eat medicine. If you’re starving, you might as well eat and die full.”

“What if the medicine was administered on-site?”

“You don’t recover after one dose.”

So people would have to come regularly. But would they? Even if it was life or death? It wasn’t going to be easy.

“You seem to know a lot about this place.”

“I’ve been running this apothecary for over thirty years.”

“Shouldn’t that be enough to get you out of here?”

“If I leave, these people will have no one. I’m from here too. As long as I’m alive, I want to help.”

He was worried about who would care for them after he was gone. Edelis felt he was someone she could rely on.

“If we build a new apothecary and supply herbs—would you work there?”

“You’re not supplying here?”

“I want to build a new one. This place…”

Frankly, it was dark, damp, full of cobwebs and mold. As she looked around, she spotted a few rats scurrying by. The pharmacist understood without her needing to explain.

“And after I’m gone, will the apothecary still run?”

“It will.”

It had started with a fear of an epidemic, but Edelis couldn’t ignore what she’d seen as someone now holding power. She couldn’t pretend not to notice lives she could save by being a little frugal.

“In that case, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you. We’ll talk more once the new place is ready.”

Edelis smiled in satisfaction. It would be difficult to find someone knowledgeable about herbs and willing to work in the slums. Plus, he knew the situation here intimately—he was the perfect candidate.

As Edelis stepped out of the apothecary with Ferrin, her steps were light.

“That’s them!”

“…Huh?”

But what awaited them was a mob of a dozen or more people, armed with daggers and clubs.

What the—what’s going on?