Chapter 38 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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I jotted down the councilors' names with abbreviations and their favorability ratings simply in my notebook. Meanwhile, Elias opened his mouth without so much as changing his complexion.
"Alright, time's short, so let's skip the pleasantries and dive right into the main issue."
"...."
He does it himself but has zero intention of letting anyone else exchange greetings.
"There's been one story making waves across the nation lately. Do you know what it is?"
"The insect problem."
"Of course, that's a hot topic. But there's something else besides that."
One councilor frowned and clasped his hands together.
"I'm not sure. Please tell us."
"Do you remember the charity magic event held by Lord Nikolaus two weeks ago?"
At Elias's gesture, the assistant pulled out a photo of the baby caught standing in line back then.
"There was a baby suffering from an unknown skin disease. Its entire body had changed, looking like it might fester and burst at any moment. I bring this up for no other reason than to highlight the severity of the situation."
Elias displayed newspaper reports from the time as supporting materials.
"Until now, insects haven't been on our radar as threats. They were considered too weak to hold mana, and even if they somehow had any, it would only be a tiny amount."
The councilors nodded.
So far, the reactions were favorable.
Elias was speaking sensibly.
"But look here. Insects we never even bothered to guard against have transferred mana and contaminated humans. And not at a negligible level, either—it's fatal for the elderly and weak. I'm sure you all agree on how serious this is."
"That's right."
The vice-chairman replied.
He was the highest authority present.
The chairman of the Federal Council—who also served as this country's prime minister—had not attended the hearing.
Only now did I notice that the Public Safety Bureau hadn't sent its director, either; instead, the head of the Magical Public Safety Budget Office, a rank below, was in the seat.
"Good. Take a look at the data. This is the result of injecting mosquito venom into skin. As you can see, it presents the same symptoms as the Mephen skin disease patients."
"We're aware, Duke Elias. No newspaper went without covering this over the past week."
"Indeed. The next set of data classifies Mephen-area mosquitoes into three groups, then crossbreeds them between groups. In the worst-case scenario, some offspring inflict five times the damage of current contaminated mosquitoes."
"That's been reported in the press as well."
The Federal Council vice-chairman nodded.
Elias stared wordlessly at the vice-chairman for a long moment, then cracked a smirk.
"Since you all know, no need to drag this out. Before the story broke, I got wind of it and urged the Public Safety Bureau and the Council to act."
"Yes, we're aware of that. We'll be sure to address it..."
Elias thrust out a hand without even glancing that way.
"I'd appreciate the chance to finish my point."
"No, not at a time like—"
"I urged action! But the Public Safety Bureau just sent my letter back unopened? I get it. Could've been a bomb. But for the safety of the subjects, shouldn't you have set up some channel to receive communications?"
A Public Safety Bureau mage rose from his seat.
"We can respond to that—"
"Oh, of course! I understand completely. You're all here at the emergency meeting called by the prime minister, so it must mean you plan to make improvements. Naturally, I know that. I fully understand—no need for excuses."
"No, what do you mean, talking to yourself like...!"
"Duke Elias, maintain some decorum in your participation."
"If it came across as undignified, I sincerely apologize. Anyway..."
He'd demanded a chance to finish speaking, yet here he was cutting everyone else off.
If this were Nana or Leo, the headlines would be blasting across the front pages in real time for that attitude.
I let out a hollow chuckle as I watched his utterly composed expression.
"Back to the point: I state it once more here. For the safety of the subjects, purify the interiors of the barriers once a week. We can't give contaminated insects time to grow."
Elias wrapped up and scanned the chamber.
Someone in the back row cocked their head and spoke up.
"Once a week...? What do you think, Lord Nikolaus?"
Don't you know, seeing as he's here?
Of course, that wasn't really asking for my opinion.
I replied calmly, unruffled by the words.
"I agree."
"Huh..."
"What's there to ask? It's a proposal drafted after discussions with Lord Nikolaus to begin with."
Elias shrugged as he answered.
Just then, one councilor stood.
"I am Federal Councilor Henning Berend."
"Yes, go ahead."
"First, to clear up any potential misunderstanding from the duke's statements for the subjects watching the broadcast, allow me to explain. Per the data, mosquitoes inflicting five times the damage make up just 8 percent of the third generation. Shall we look at the numbers? Four. Four mosquitoes."
"..."
Elias pursed his lips as if to whistle, then laughed.
It was the face of someone with plenty to say but holding back for the moment.
Emboldened by our lack of rebuttal, the councilor now raised his voice even louder.
"Duke Elias, do you know how much regional purification costs?"
"Ten thousand fel per low-grade job."
"That's low-grade. Mid- and high-grade require even more funding. I fully empathize with Your Grace's concerns, but solutions to any problem must be feasible. Cleaning all twenty-one restricted zones once a week simply isn't realistic."
The councilor now softened his tone, as if gently admonishing a child refusing to listen.
A worse sign than merely shouting.
For them, anyway.
It meant arrogance had taken root—they felt utterly at ease with the situation.
Elias smiled faintly and spoke.
"Fifteen low-grade, five mid-grade, one high-grade."
"That's correct."
"Very well. For fairness, let's assume seven of each: low, mid, and high. Any objections?"
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Look at him laying the groundwork.
"Why go to the trouble..."
"For ease of calculation. So, do you agree or not?"
"Calculate it that way if you insist."
The councilor nodded.
No reason not to.
Fewer low-grade and more high-grade would balloon the budget, driving home the cost issue for the public.
The councilor crossed his arms, awaiting Elias's response.
"Labor costs are fifty thousand fel for mid-grade and one hundred thousand for high-grade. Total labor costs, then: seven hundred thousand for low, three point five million for mid, seven million for high. Eleven point two million fel."
Eleven hundred twenty million won in Korean currency.
Multiply that by fifty-two weeks.
Five billion eight hundred twenty-four million won a year.
"Five point eight two four million fel annually—that's certainly worth it for the subjects' safety."
"Not an insignificant sum. And don't overlook the barrier maintenance costs on top."
"Those run about eighteen million fel. Total of twenty-three point eight million... Yeah, money well spent."
Two thousand three hundred eighty billion.
But combining our recalculated standard labor costs and barrier maintenance comes to roughly eleven point six trillion won.
They'd received the proposal already, so they knew.
Even without reading it, a commonsense calculation of barrier suitability would yield a similar figure.
The existing maintenance budget of one hundred eighty billion fel was slashed far below suitability, creating this stark disparity.
They'd shamelessly beaten down one trillion to one hundred eighty billion, so they could very well kick up a fuss at this stage too.
Sure enough, even though it wasn't an impossible scale against the national budget, a few senators shook their heads with incredulous smirks.
Hollow laughs bubbled up here and there, as if in disbelief.
"Hah, really..."
"How can you toss out numbers like that so casually..."
"Duke Elias, there's no such thing as a mandatory expenditure. Budgets must be adjusted to fit the circumstances. We can't conjure money out of thin air. Should we borrow foreign currency for this? Our empire?"
Elias smiled smoothly, unfazed by the reactions.
"If necessary, of course we should."
"..."
"He has no grasp of reality."
"Sheesh, what does he plan to..."
Early in the novel, the council passes a two-trillion-won supplemental budget for expanding standing forces.
In name only, of course—the bulk ends up as salaries for the Imperial and Royal Army brass.
In other words, into the pockets of federal councilors and nobles holding key posts across the forces.
The more sensitively they treat the insect issue, the less room for that upcoming budget, derailing their plans.
Fields like Pleroma crime are especially sticky: once budgets swell, shrinking them later is no easy task.
From their perspective, they needed to stamp out the issue right from the start.
Preemptively brand Elias's subject-first demands as "absurd" and "unrealistic" to blunt future public outcry and pressure.
They'd shown up precisely to turn Elias into a lightning rod for the controversy, so they played dumb about the roughly fifty-eight-billion purification cost on purpose.
Naturally, knowing the true figure exceeded one trillion played a role too.
Amid the barrage of rude remarks, the youngest-looking councilor sneered as he upbraided Elias.
"If Your Grace wants to dabble in politics like that, start by developing a sense of reality."
"..."
At those words, Elias's face—which had remained impassive through all the criticism—hardened in an instant.
Crack—Thud—!
Something snapped from the crutch he leaned on. He flung the one strapped to his right arm to the floor and propped himself on the intact side.
I spotted his assistant frantically contacting someone.
'...They went and poked him.'
He'd never said he wanted to do politics, so dredging that up... Odds were high they knew Elias's circumstances and were exploiting them.
Elias's mana outstripped the current emperor's, which naturally meant the emperor wouldn't let him meddle in state affairs like a typical imperial scion.
Several distant imperial relatives sat as councilors right here in this chamber.
With the emperor's eyes wide open, Elias couldn't take any role remotely matching his family name or talents. No one in this country's political circles was unaware of that.
'They know full well—that's why they say it, hoping he'll lose his cool.'
Easier to paint their desired picture that way.
'He can't lose it here.'
I pondered as I watched Elias's icy expression.
The councilor who'd scratched that nerve earlier now rose toward the still-silent Elias.
Whatever his main point, he'd wiped the sneer away, glancing seriously at the broadcast cameras.
"I understand your intent. I fully grasp it. As public servants working for the subjects, our concerns may well exceed even Your Grace's."
"Really?"
"..."
"Uh, um..."
"...If this were truly a fatal crisis, and resources were limitless, we'd spare no budget, just as Your Grace suggests."
The councilor stepped forward, conjuring data at the chamber's center with magic.
"Behold the imperial survey data. Mosquito specimens from Mephen over the past week: roughly one thousand—not an overwhelming number."
Not a huge count across the whole region.
But that missed the point.
He was trying to downplay the severity, even at the cost of obscuring the essence.
In Elias's stead, who'd gone quiet, I spoke up softly.
"Let's note that all one thousand are contaminated mosquitoes."
"...Of course... yes. But most exist inside barriers, and fully half lack any transmission capability. It's too soon for fear to upend daily life."
"That means the other half do have transmission capability."
He frowned faintly at my tone, laced with subtle amusement.
"Framed that way, it does sound severe, Lord Nikolaus. But in reality, it isn't. Seventy-five percent of the offspring generation perished. And when breeding the most aggressively combative mosquitoes? Ninety percent of offspring died."
"Matches the research results I reported."
"Precisely. And knowing these figures, Duke Elias and Lord Nikolaus still demand fifty-eight thousand fel annually for purification?"
This was the real fight now.
He was blurring the core issues in earnest.
'Should I take the lead from here?'
Elias likely harbored personal feelings toward the man now—uncertain if he could stay level-headed.
We couldn't afford a misstep here, so maybe best if I stepped forward.
I glanced at Elias's face.
'...No, never mind.'
His unusually calm, settled expression assured me otherwise.
No need to rob him of the chance to settle the score.
I called to him quietly, and Elias looked down at me.
"Go ahead."
I nodded toward the councilor.
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