[60]
When Sena returned to the palace, it was already past midnight.
Sena knew that Astria had a habit of going to bed early.
Perhaps the debriefing could wait until tomorrow.
‘Sylvia’s lifespan hasn’t changed.’
There was no 100% infectious epidemic. However, one could not ignore the high probability.
Mercenaries, Sylvia, and even himself. There were none infected by the Black Death.
Up to this point, Sena couldn’t confirm the exact cause. However, through Perna’s existence, Sena could know the transmission route of the Black Plague unique to this world.
‘The trigger is magic power. It seems that it doesn’t infect those with high magic power.’
In reverse, the Black Plague is weak against magic. Sena still didn’t fully understand, but it seemed that magic played some role as an antibiotic.
But one thing bothered him.
‘Then why didn’t I get infected with the Black Death?’
Sena had no magic power.
All he had was divine power.
Then, does divine power also have an effect against the Black Death?
If that were true, there couldn’t be anything better than this. Then, all he had to worry about was transmission, ignoring everything else.
Sena saw a glimmer of hope that the disaster of the Black Plague could be easily resolved more than he thought.
“Senior.”
Inside the building.
Sylvia closed the large door.
Perhaps because it was late at night, there were no maids bustling inside the building.
Sylvia approached Sena in the darkness.
“Do you plan to leave again?”
“Yeah. I made a promise.”
“I can’t allow it.”
Sena awkwardly smiled and took a step back.
There’s something strange about Sylvia’s mood.
“Do you know what I’m going to say?”
“You can’t leave a patient behind?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Senior, you’ve already done enough. You’ve done your best until your body is a mess. That’s enough. Now, you just have to leave the rest to others.”
“Um… that’s not possible.”
“Why?”
Sena suddenly found himself blocked by the wall.
Sylvia didn’t stop, looking at Sena with half-dead eyes.
‘Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?’
Sena was perplexed.
“This is an epidemic. It could be a big problem if not dealt with properly.”
“…Epidemic?”
Sylvia still didn’t know. Sena breathed a sigh of relief. If Sylvia understood the seriousness of the situation, she would understand.
“Yeah. It’s a serious epidemic that could kill the majority of humanity.”
“…So, Senior, did you go there knowing it was an epidemic?”
“You know I have a strong body, right?”
Sena laughed proudly. His body didn’t catch even a small cold.
But Sena chose the wrong words. Sparks flew from Sylvia’s eyes.
“Then, I can’t let you go even more.”
“Sylvia is on my side…? Because you’re my knight.”
“As long as Senior’s life is not in danger.”
‘This is troublesome.’
Sena only had thoughts about the Black Plague in his mind.
Anyone would. It was the black disaster that took away 30-60% of the European population.
Discovering it early on might have been lucky. The fact that Sena witnessed it firsthand was also lucky.
Now was the golden time. There was no thought of dealing with it lightly.
Even if someone tried to stop him, it would be the same.
“If you don’t change your mind, I’ll stop you by force.”
“…I don’t want to fight Sylvia.”
He was determined to go even if it meant fighting. Sylvia bit her lip hard.
She will help you if you want to run away from Astria. Because Sena wants it.
If Sena were to escape from Astria, she would help him, because Sena wanted it.
She made a vow to help even if he chose to quietly face death alone without informing anyone.
But if he were to spend even the remaining short lifespan for others, Sylvia would throw her own knighthood into the trash.
But even calling it an epidemic…?
Sylvia was furious. So furious that it was the moment she wanted to explode.
“Cough, cough.”
Sena suddenly coughed and staggered. Sylvia quickly supported him.
“Sen… Senior? Are you okay?”
“Ah… I think I overdid it.”
Sena jokingly winked with one eye. But his whole body was already drenched in cold sweat.
Taking care of patients was quite a laborious task. His body couldn’t handle the accumulated fatigue.
He wanted Sylvia to disappear as much as possible and suffer alone, but it seemed that the God didn’t allow even that.
“Se… Sena. I’ll call a priest.”
“No, don’t go. Just stay by my side.”
Sena grabbed the hem of Sylvia’s clothes.
Even holding it seemed difficult with his strength.
Sylvia choked back tears. She no longer had the heart to issue a strong warning.
“Yes, I’ll stay by your side.”
“Thank you.”
Sena’s rough breathing sounded through the dawn air into Sylvia’s ears.
Sylvia wanted to take away even a little of that pain. She felt resentful of her own helplessness.
They endured painful moments together. Sena barely managed to catch his breath.
“Sylvia.”
“I wish you would trust me more.”
“…”
Sylvia just lowered her head.
**
Sneaky.
Sena walked on tiptoes in case Astria woke up.
Astria was lying face down on the bed, breathing quietly.
What a bad sleeping posture…!
Anyway, Sena finally managed to reach the bed. After swallowing his saliva, he carefully tried to climb onto the bed.
‘Right, I’m dirty.’
Realizing that there were some stains, he looked around.
The clothes scattered around looked like a mess to his tired eyes.
Sena approached and picked up the clothes. It was a white dress.
“…”
As a man, it was embarrassing to wear this, but today, he had no choice.
Sena took off all his clothes, put on the dress, and cleansed himself with divine power before climbing into bed.
Rustle.
Sena tucked himself under the blanket and poked his head out.
“Do you have anything to say?”
At that moment, Astria, whom he thought was sleeping, spoke in a faint voice.
Sena was so startled that he almost screamed. He swept his hand over his heart and replied.
“…Sorry for being late.”
“If that’s… all, then. You’ve come back to me.”
Sena clutched at his pounding heart. Thankfully, it was just a mild scolding.
‘Right. Let’s talk about the Black Death now.’
He turned his head. Astria was sound asleep.
‘Let’s not be too hasty. After all, there’s nothing I can do by telling her now.’
Sena slowly closed and opened his eyes repeatedly.
A wave of exhaustion that had been held back surged like the tide.
He needed a hug.
He worked hard today.
He wanted a reward.
With blurred vision, Sena followed Astria.
He wiggled closer and hugged Astria.
It was warm.
Sena felt like he had finally returned to home.
**
Chirp Chirp.
The warm sunlight felt pleasant. Sena, with a groan, swallowed his saliva and slowly opened his eyes.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for your medicine….”
Half unconsciously, he spoke while turning his body to the side. But there was no one there. Only a golden thread lay there.
“Huh? What time is it now?”
Sena quickly got up from the bed.
He looked at the clock. It was already lunchtime.
He grabbed his messy hair.
‘Am I stupid? What will happen if I oversleep at such an important time?’
Even at this hour, the plague bacteria would be asserting their presence. Every hour, every moment was precious, and oversleeping at such a time was unacceptable.
Anyway, there was no time to scold himself now. Sena quickly got up and went straight out of the bedroom.
“Sena-nim! Good morning! Luna is also here toda…”
“Sorry, I’m busy right now!”
Sena ran down the hallway at a fast pace. He flung open the door to the study.
Inside, Astria was holding documents. Chris glanced at Sena’s face and turned his head to suppress his laughter.
Astria glanced at Sena with a side glance before refocusing on the documents.
“You came? Then sit over there and raise your hands.”
“Your Majesty.”
Sena usually avoided serious situations. He disliked serious atmospheres.
But when it was really important, he became serious. And that time was now.
“I have something to tell you. Something really, really important.”
Astria put down the documents she was holding.
“Tell me.”
“Yesterday, I…”
Sena explained with a more serious expression than ever before. The danger of the Black Death. The origin of the outbreak. Although some measures had been taken, they barely scratched the surface of the problem.
Astria, who heard the whole story, did not show the slightest emotional agitation.
Sena felt something strange, but he confidently continued.
“Please entrust it to me, Your Majesty. I will try to solve it.”
Sena’s eyes sparkled. Astria rested her chin on her hand and spoke with a calm face.
“What will you do?”
“First, I want to go back to the scene and investigate the epidemic. We still have too little information.”
Astria smiled softly.
“You’ve saved this empire several times.”
Sena smiled brightly.
Who said Her Majesty was a tyrant?
When he speaks like this, she listens to everything.
“Those with a certain level of magic power are not infected. It’s valuable information. I won’t ask for a reward.”
“It’s okay to give you a reward for something you should do anyway.”
That’s what he received yesterday.
“In return, please lend me a few magicians.”
‘All right! Luckily, Astria is cooperating. With her help, we can definitely handle it.’
The golden time had not passed yet, and Sena had some knowledge about the Black Death.
Just a little bit more. Just a bit more information. And with the wizards, there was nothing to fear.
As Sena was listing what needed to be done in his head, Astria tilted her head slightly.
“I think you’re mistaken about something. Don’t directly intervene in this matter.”
Sena doubted his ears. There was no doubt that he had heard something wrong just now.
“…Why?”
“Because it’s dangerous. If, by any chance, I lose you, who will fix my body?”
“It’s not… dangerous…”
“I said no.”
Astria was firm. She didn’t give any room for persuasion, and Sena was shocked and took a step back.
‘Why are you making such a mean face?’
Sena felt hurt. More than that, Astria seemed almost hateful.
“Eat sh*t!”
Sena shouted and ran out of the room.
Astria, who had been unexpectedly surprised, slowly looked at Chris.
“What does that even mean?”
Chris remembered when Astria had laughed at him for hearing the same phrase last time.
It was time to return the favor. Chris smiled cheerfully.
“It means, that’s the worst insult Sena knows.”
“So, he wants to curse but doesn’t know how, so he said that to me?”
“As expected, your insight is fitting for the Great Empress of the Laperci Empire.”
“Insignificant furball.”
Astria sighed lightly and stood up.
Chris followed, asking.
“Sena is rarely wrong in his judgments. Your Majesty, what will you do?”
The epidemic was a major issue.
During the Empire’s previous conquest wars, the hardest challenge was when the enemy used an epidemic against them.
Losing many soldiers without a fight had angered Astria, leading her to charge with a few knights and turn the tide to victory.
Thus, she was well aware of the dangers of an epidemic.
Naturally, it was the most urgent problem to solve.
“Postpone the third test of the Imperial Knights until this issue is resolved.”
“I will send a messenger.”
Chris bowed low, waiting for the next command.
Astria glanced at Chris, then clasped her hands behind her back and walked to the window.
She looked at an old castle not far away.
It was a separate building used as an exile for the royal family.
‘If having a certain level of magic protects one, then sending the Teutonic Knights should suffice.’
On the other hand, Astria was not a healer. Let alone a priest.
She didn’t know how to deal with the disease.
But she knew how to handle an epidemic effectively.
She had experienced it firsthand.
There was one most efficient method.
“Eliminate them.”
“Don’t leave even one person alive.”
Gambling something precious for a great gain.
Sacrificing much to achieve a definite result.
If she had to choose, Astria always chose the latter.
