Chapter 39

***

I took my hand out of the water from the drinking fountain in the imperial palace. This water was also drawn from the Fahar River.

‘Magic power is the problem.’

I sighed as I wiped away the water with a handkerchief.

After one attempt or another, I was investigating the Fahar River using my power.

I had lost a considerable amount of power from being away from the silver forest. I was skeptical that I could really get anything out of it…….

Rather, I couldn’t believe they reacted when the power was controlled to a minimum.

When I came into contact with the waters of the Fahar River, I felt that I now understood the common denominator of those who were suffering from sclerosis.

There were quite a few cases where a small percentage of ordinary people were born with divine power.

However, they were not strong enough to become wizards, so they couldn’t detect their own power.

The sclerosis seemed to have targeted such people. I was not sure because I was not strong enough.

‘That’s probably why I’ve been fine until now.’

However much my power weakened after leaving my homeland, my power was far above the level of ordinary people.

However, when I deliberately suppressed the power in my body to an extreme level and came into contact with the river water, I immediately noticed that my body was experiencing abnormalities.

Perhaps ordinary people drank the water of the Fahar River without feeling anything.

It was the magic that the red-eyed man had cast into the Fahar River.

I finally understood what it was. It was not a waste of time to spend several days in the library, looking at dozens of magic books on pollution and curses alone.

This was a curse magic that altered the power in the body.

So the tainted magic made the body as hard as stone.

That was why people with no magical power at all were fine with drinking river water.

So the power in the body was the cause of the development of sclerosis. It was no wonder that after so much research, we were unable to find any common ground among the patients.

‘The cause has been found, but the river that has spread throughout the empire cannot be purified within a short period of time.’

More and more people will be suffering from sclerosis at this very moment. As well as solving the curse on the river, we had to develop a cure and distribute it to the people as soon as possible.

Nevertheless, now that the cause of the onset of the disease had been discovered, we had found a clue to the production of the medicine. If we could restore the contaminated internal magic power, the symptoms of sclerosis would naturally improve.

I headed to Kwanach’s office to report what I had found out so far. The whole time I was walking, I bit my lip as I felt uneasy.

‘Why on earth did they even do this? Is Guilier really behind this? Is it to sell the cure for sclerosis at a higher price? Is that the only reason?

They say that you can never have enough wealth, but to spread plague? I don’t understand.’

In addition, the Guilier was in charge of a considerable amount of trade with different races and earned a lot of money. Both in name and reality, they were the best organization on the continent.

So what was it that they lacked to the point of doing something so risky that he would lose everything if he made a mistake?

‘It’s strange. Something doesn’t make sense…’

I thought that as long as I avoided the assassination attempt, survived, and maintained my marriage to Kwanach, I could keep the peace.

But there was so much going on, from Diaquit preparing for war to Guilier deliberately spreading plague. There was evil everywhere. Why was everyone so impatient to hurt each other?

I arrived at Kwanach’s office in a depressed state.

He was busy settling a mountain of paperwork. But as soon as I arrived, he got up and walked briskly up to me.

“What’s the matter? Why aren’t you taking a break?”

Kwanach advised me to rest during the day, since I was going back and forth to the laboratory in the basement every night.

“I think I found something.”

“You didn’t rest.”

“I’m sorry, Kwanach.”

“You’re driving me crazy. What if you faint?”

Kwanach sighed deeply as he arranged my hair, which had fallen over my ear.

“I’ll be careful. But the matter is urgent.”

“I would hate for you to be injured. As emperor, it would be a desertion of duty to say such words, but even if I can keep the people alive, it means nothing to me if you get hurt in the process.”

“I understand that you care for me very much. Still, such exaggeration is not good.”

“No, I’m not exaggerating……”

“More importantly, aren’t you curious about what I know?”

“…….”

Kwanach bit his lip.

“Usphere. I think you are a workaholic. All you have in your head is work. …. okay. What is it that you found?”

On the other hand, when Kwanach also talked about work in earnest, his complexion began to change.

“I think I’ve figured out how the pollution magic on the Fahar River works. Now we can make a cure.”

“You figured it out in five days?

“It took me five days. I’m in a hurry.”

Every night, Kwanach kept close to me, his eyes like saucers until I fell asleep.

I wanted to stay up all night and do more research, but I had to give up because of Kwanach, who was like a fierce watchdog.

If I had continued to work until dawn, I might have found the clue in three days instead of five.

Kwanach shook his head and muttered.

“…… I wonder where this little body gets its energy from.”

“I’ll try to make a potion with Simon right away today. You have all the ingredients ready, right?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

“In return, you must get a good night’s sleep.”

“You’ll be watching …… whether I sleep or not anyway, right?”

“Yes. I will not allow your body to be harmed in any way.”

Kwanach replied firmly, as if he could never retreat. This kind of willfulness could not be broken.

“I understand. I won’t overdo it.”

I replied honestly, trying to ease Kwanach’s worries, while gently holding his waist.

His face was grim, but he glanced at me and the corners of his eyes quivered slightly. I carefully entered his arms and hugged him.

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

“It’s natural because I’m your husband.”

He murmured in a trembling voice and grabbed my shoulders with his big hands, which had lost their composure.

“Tsk, I’m trying to hold back.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

Kwanach wrapped me in his firm arms tightly. His broad chest was warm and cozy.

It relieved my moods, which had been sinking as low as they could go when I realized the conspiracy lurking in the human continent.

***

The development of the sclerosis cure was well underway.

In order to treat the disease, the patient’s internal magic must first be purified. Fortunately, we were on the right track.

I infused my magical power into the ingredients that would go into the healing medicine. Just like when sprouting a seed. Then, the ingredients of the material changed, and it began to have the property of purifying magic power.

As a result, a thick purple potion was completed. It was similar in form to the medicine sold exclusively by the Guilier.

However, it would take some time before its safety and efficacy could be confirmed. Moreover, we had to find a way to mass-produce it so that it could be disseminated among the people.

‘How does the Guilier mass produce their medicine……’

It was probably not the way I did it, but they would need a wizard to give it magic power anyway.

I wondered how the species of wizards on the human continent could cover the quantity of healing agents supplied and demanded throughout the empire in a dry situation.

Then suddenly I remembered one piece of information about the Guilier.

That they had a near monopoly on trade with different races.

Unlike the humans, magic was as active as ever in other races. Perhaps they were getting help from them. If that was the case, it was understandable why the Guilier was able to secure a steady amount of healing medicine.

“Ah…”

My head was throbbing with pain.

At first, I started this to gain Marianne’s loyalty and to help her sister Edith. But I didn’t know how complicated things had gotten with this disease.

This and that tangled up in the case and grew bigger. It was as if the leaves were small, but when you dug up the soil, it was a plant with overgrown roots entwined in it.

‘I suppose I’ll have to make contact with the Guilier to learn more about what’s going on.’

So far it was all speculation, no proof.

However, Marianne brought information to dispel such frustration.

“Your Majesty, I had contact with Baron Edwin the other day.”

Marianne was communicating with Baron Edwin and acting as a double agent.

Baron Edwin had been keeping an eye on my movements and had demanded that Marianne dig into my privacy.

Baron Edwin was invited to an outdoor banquet hosted by the Guilier organization.

“The Guilier?”

“Yes. I think quite a few nobles will be there.”

“Do you know who else will be coming?”

“I don’t know, but Baron Edwin mentioned some of them to me. He was showing off. He said you don’t get invited easily to such a place.”

I asked for the names, and sure enough, only famous families were invited.

I heard that it was a gathering organized by Guilier’s owner. It was probably a splendid outdoor banquet with a lot of money poured into it. They would hunt in the forest during the day and have a ball in the evening. And they would eat and drink until late in the morning.

Why would Baron Edwin be invited to such a gathering? It was strange. Unless he had a close connection with the Guilier.

Was it the Guilier who was behind Baron Edwin’s investigation of me? That seemed to be a possibility.

It seemed like a good idea to approach the Guilier.

“Is there any way I can attend that outdoor banquet?”

“If Your Majesty wants to attend, there’s no way the Guilier can decline. They will greet you with superficially glorious words.

“I’ll have to write a letter directly to the Guilier. Please bring a pen and paper.”

“Yes. But…….”

Marianne, who would have hurried to carry out her mission if it had been her usual, hesitated.

“What’s the matter?”

“If you go alone, the Emperor will be worried.”

“Hmmm.”

The image of Kwanach’s large body trembling with fear and trepidation came to mind.

Yes, it seemed that I had to talk to Kwanach about the outdoor banquet first.

But, did I take it too lightly? Marianne, who had always been calm, continued to speak with a slightly resigned expression.