Chapter 39 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble House
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Elias gave a faint smile and shrugged his shoulder on the arm without the crutch.
He quietly asked the councilor.
"Do you enjoy skipping logic?"
"Pardon?"
"The conclusion that some mosquitoes in the experimental group possess five times the attack power of the control group came from those that survived the slim odds."
"That's right, Duke Elias. And that's exactly the problem here."
"Let's hear what the problem is."
Elias smiled indulgently and nodded his head.
The councilor raised his voice, veins bulging in his neck.
"Your Grace is saying we should spend a whopping 500 million fel to deal with one or two super mosquitoes that happen to pop up. When we could just eradicate Mephen's contaminated mosquitoes altogether! The ignorant might call this passive administration, but it's actually overadministration. It's wasting taxpayer money on pointless things."
At first glance, it sounded reasonable and valid.
But it was missing the most crucial point.
Elias gaped in disbelief for a moment before finally speaking.
"You seem to not realize that mosquitoes fly."
"...."
"They come flying in."
"And you also seem to not realize that the implication of this research isn't just 'after several generations, we got four incredibly strong mosquitoes.'"
Elias tilted his eyebrows exaggeratedly and smiled.
"You must have been pretty proud of yourself. The research report pointed out the mosquitoes' power in its conclusion, but you focused on the number from a fresh perspective, catching a blind spot no one else saw. You must have been thrilled."
"Hey, now."
"So, think about this. Why haven't insects been considered a threat until now? Why has insect contamination become such a big issue?"
"...."
"It's because their bodies need to be strong to withstand contaminated mana. But what did we learn this time? Even something as small and fragile as an insect can carry contaminated mana. Oh, don't worry. We're not the first to figure it out. Pleroma learned it this year, too."
Elias, who had been pouring out words like a madman, suddenly shut his mouth and clapped his hands lightly.
"No, to make you understand, I should say, 'Pleroma has finally figured out even this.'"
The councilor just glared at Elias silently.
"Do you get it? This research doesn't require obsessing over mosquito counts or ratios like you do. What we learned is that even a mere mosquito can carry mana strong enough to be called a 'super mosquito.' That's the real implication."
"Duke, we know that. Can we move on to something productive…."
As the situation turned against him, another councilor stood up to interrupt Elias.
Elias waved him off and raised his voice.
"In short! Since it's possible to load that much mana onto mosquitoes, Pleroma could mass-produce those 'super mosquitoes' and scatter them across the country. That's our point, and it's what the imperial family, the council, and the magical elite—who must protect the people—need to recognize and prepare for."
The chamber grew icy. No one dared speak up rashly.
Elias looked around the now-silent council seats and clerks' area, then smiled.
"You're the one who shouldn't be talking about lacking a sense of reality."
"...."
He pulled it off unscathed.
No, that didn't do it justice.
He was succeeding far beyond expectations.
Elias Hohenstaufen
Impression: +4.5 (+1.5)
Just to check, he'd opened the impression score, and in a single hour, it had skyrocketed insanely.
'1.5 points in an hour.'
An unprecedented rise in positive territory.
Countless people across the nation were starting to evaluate Elias higher and higher.
'Showing himself nationwide really helps with impression scores.'
Of course, it was too early to relax.
They'd probably used up all their prepared arguments by now, and once cornered, they'd resort to shameless denial without logic.
They probably hadn't prepared that hard to begin with, since the opponent was Elias.
If they went that route, Elias would have no choice but to match them.
Then, another councilor spoke up.
"It's premature thinking. Above all, there's no guarantee they'll succeed in mass production."
"…Hah."
Elias couldn't hold back and let out an overt scoff.
"Normally, wouldn't you say, 'We share that concern'? Don't forget your duty isn't to bicker with me but to ensure the people's safety."
"Duke, you're not here to teach us."
"Ah, yes. Just wanted to try out some line you picked up somewhere. Happy now? So, what if Pleroma succeeds?"
It probably wasn't something picked up—it was their original thought.
He'd been speaking properly the whole time but lightened the mood like this occasionally because he was mindful of the emperor.
"We can allocate a new budget when the time comes."
"That'll be too late. If they succeed in mass production."
As idiotic questions seemed about to continue, a mage from the Security Bureau cut off the councilor and spoke himself.
"We understand Your Grace's anxiety and fear. But by that logic, magical beasts are also a threat. We hadn't brought it up yet since it was set to be announced next week, but we suspect that's Pleroma's doing too."
"Yeah, good that you mentioned it. I personally explored a restricted zone, and there was another problem."
"There's no problem. We inspect periodically…."
"There was. The evidence is right here on my body. Can you see it?"
Elias gestured toward his leg.
"We prepared according to Security Bureau protocol for an upper-grade restricted zone, but it was beyond that—uppermost-grade level. I got poisoned by the contaminated air before I could even cast properly and fell off a cliff."
"This isn't the place to discuss personal negligence…."
"How much more explanation do I have to give?!"
Elias shouted and slammed the desk.
"Let's cut to the chase. We need to adjust the barrier grades. From the current 15 low, 5 mid, 1 high, to 8 low, 8 mid, 3 high, and 2 uppermost. Including purification costs, it'll total 11.5926 billion fel. We've already submitted the data."
"…Heavens, 11.5 billion…."
"Duke, you keep bringing up unrealistic proposals. This is problematic."
"This doesn't fit the agenda of this meeting. We'll discuss it in depth next time."
I spoke up at the councilor's words.
"No, it's related. Barriers mismatched to contamination levels make it easier for contaminated animals to escape. That includes insects, of course."
The Security Bureau mage, who'd been grimacing while listening to us, finally shook his head as if he couldn't take it anymore.
"As I said earlier, we understand the duke and Your Grace's anxiety. But…."
"Isn't the issue the people's safety, not my anxiety?"
"Of course. But right now, you're overestimating Pleroma out of fear, stirring the people's emotions, and distorting reality. Budgets are limited, so we can't just throw money around preemptively at the slightest hint of danger. That's why we've drafted an adjustment plan to ensure the people's safety as best we can."
Elias nodded as if to say, go ahead.
"Once a month. We'll investigate when mosquitoes complete a cycle to produce a new generation and apply purification magic then."
"…Hmph."
Elias smirked.
"Sorry, but there are other biting insects besides mosquitoes."
"...."
A flicker of realization crossed the man's face.
He regained his composure and responded coolly.
"If we go that far, as I said earlier, the budget would be excessive. Pleroma won't develop research on various insect groups that quickly either, and considering size, habitat, accessibility, and symbolism, they'll prioritize mosquitoes over other bugs."
What nonsense is that?
The very fact that contaminated mana could be loaded onto creatures as hard to endure magic as insects was the problem.
If they could stably load it onto one insect, applying it to others was only a matter of time.
'Even when I lowballed the estimates….'
I hadn't expected they wouldn't apply it no matter what I said. More stubborn than anticipated.
I slowly refuted him.
"Once they succeed with one, applying it to others will happen rapidly. Insects with short growth periods can breed and cause harm within a month, so please consider countermeasures accounting for the fact that mana can be loaded onto insects themselves. No matter the budget issues, devising maximum effect with minimum cost is the Security Bureau's job, isn't it?"
"Yes, of course. It's only been a week since the incident, so there are shortcomings. Please be understanding."
He glanced back and forth between me and the broadcast camera as he spoke.
What drivel. He thinks this will play well with the public….
Just in case, I pulled up the status window.
Lucas René Ascanien
Impression: -9.9 (+0.1) [+3.8009128]
It started at 2, now 3.8?
Impression score climbing nicely.
The backlash from their lame responses was proving quite lucrative.
Then Elias spoke up.
"Just to check, what about the areas?"
"That will be announced via the Imperial Gazette later."
This meant they had no intention of purifying all 21 zones—they'd do as few as possible and decide based on public opinion.
"...."
"…Let me guess. 'We'll support periodic purification magic for Mephen and nearby restricted zones'—sounds generous enough. Is that the real plan?"
"Duke Elias."
"Just curious. Mephen and its nearby restricted zone make exactly two up to Osnabrück, which gives it significance."
"The government strives to allocate budgets as efficiently as possible through cost-benefit analysis. All projects and budgets have been reviewed by the Imperial Economic Research Institute under the crown."
The ultimate canned response.
Slipping out smoothly.
"Yes, I see. Not denying it, so probably close. You can't change the plan on your own before approval, huh? Everyone must be ripping into your rock-bottom flexibility and improvisation. Before you head back and get an earful, here's your chance to explain. Go ahead."
The Security Bureau mage furrowed his brow and started getting irritated.
"What are you saying? It's not that simple. Mephen including Osnabrück is the most dangerous area for insect contamination. Focusing on how many zones get purified is a pointless waste of taxes…."
At those words, Elias looked at him with a sneer.
He'd already gotten what he wanted.
They had no plans to purify all 21 zones.
Success in needling them.
You really need someone like Elias who goes all out if you're diving into politics.
"Wait! These questions are unproductive. Let's skip them due to time constraints."
The vice chair glared at the Security Bureau mage and cut him off.
If this excuse continued, it'd amount to admitting they'd only purify a few.
'Scored some nice backlash benefits again.'
Now, time to check the favorability changes of those present.
I tuned out the broadcast and scanned people's faces.
[Favorability 0*]
[Favorability +1*]
[Favorability +3]
[Favorability +5]
[Favorability +2*]
Excluding the starred increases, most were similar to before.
'No way they're not here.'
Someone from the pro-barrier faction whose favorability toward me should be plummeting soon.
Barriers had to be approved—i.e., restricted zones created—for Pleroma to rampage inside them.
'…Ah.'
No.
I needed to judge flexibly.
As I scanned faces and jotted numbers in my notes, Elias grinned and raised his voice.
"Honorable Vice Chair."
The vice chair narrowed his eyes suspiciously, as if questioning if he'd heard right from a courtroom.
"We've heard the government and council's views. So, if Pleroma succeeds in mass-producing contaminated mosquitoes and disaster strikes, what then? Will the vice chair and government take responsibility?"
"Such a thing won't happen easily."
"Why not?"
"The crown will respond at the most appropriate time in the most efficient manner before any disaster. As always. It'd be great if Duke Elias presented grounds for believing otherwise first."
Now they were spitting out automated responses too.
Elias gaped, at a loss for words.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Sounds like kids bickering. 'The crown will handle it right before it blows up, so no spending now'?"
"Please maintain decorum. Remember where you stand, Duke."
"My apologies, Vice Chair. I had no intention of undermining the council's authority."
Elias drooped his eyebrows, then flashed a strange smile.
He picked up the black box on the desk and, with his aide's support, walked up to the vice chair's seat.
"…!"
I stopped writing and looked at him.
"Evidence, you say…. Right. I should provide evidence. It's meager, but I have material that might change your mind, Vice Chair. Please open it."
Elias hooked his crutch over his arm, wobbled, and handed the small box to the vice chair almost like tossing it.
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