Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 52

052

The Two Years of Calamity.

That’s what the ‘future’ called the period until the epidemic that swept the entire continent subsided.

The plague was called the Red Star Fever.

It was named that way because the rash that appeared near the neck looked like a star.

‘The infectivity was insane.’

If one person started coughing, you could assume that everyone in the village was already infected.

For healthy ‘humans,’ it usually ended with a severe cold, and sometimes there were people with no symptoms at all.

However.

The world isn’t only made up of those people. Also, the Red Star Fever had the risk of recurring at any time, even after being cured once.

“There is a healer dedicated to developing new drugs using Jenesen. Once the drug is developed, the price will surely skyrocket.”

“A healer? Are they perhaps famous? I’m embarrassed to say, but I don’t know much about that field…”

“Of course.”

There was no need to say, ‘In the future.’

“It seems like there are so many amazing people around you, Prince Evan, like Fran and Lady Reina.”

Nor was there a need to say that the healer wasn’t around me.

I simply gave a humble smile.

“By the way, in which region does the herb called Jenesen grow?”

“The eastern region. In some territories, it’s used more as a spice than an herb.”

There were humans who benefited even during the period called the Two Years of Calamity.

Namely, the Second Prince.

The eastern region, where the incidence rate was noticeably lower than in the south. And an eastern healer who discovered the connection between that and Jenesen.

Based on that luck, the Second Prince used Sky Flowers to become a 6-star knight and was able to hinder the First Prince, who was trying to surge ahead in the battle for the throne.

From the kingdom’s perspective, it was a great tragedy. The power struggle that could have ended early was prolonged.

“I’ve felt this before, but Prince Evan, you seem to be very knowledgeable.”

“You flatter me.”

“But will a new drug immediately make money? I don’t think the Pantheon will grant permission so easily…”

To sell a new drug, approval from the Pantheon is required. Regardless of the trustworthiness of the people who will buy the drug, it’s essential to collect royalties.

And that process is very 까다롭다 [kkadaropda – meticulous/difficult].

One or two years is a joke. There are countless drugs that haven’t been approved for nearly ten years.

“Don’t worry about that. The Pantheon will quickly recognize it as a safe drug.”

The Red Flower Fever erupts just as the medical system is about to take hold.

Priests and healers collapse while caring for patients, causing chaos in the field. Naturally, the scene becomes a living hell.

Many people will die. Hearing news of acquaintances dying day after day will become commonplace.

A new drug will emerge in the midst of that.

‘Emergency approval will be granted.’

There are many rumors as to why the Red Flower Fever broke out.

The demons are involved.

The Hamel Empire accidentally spread it while conducting human experiments.

Someone in the Jwahhan region developed it after eating monster meat.

Actually, it came from the Eastern Continent.
.
.
.
I don’t know the truth either. Personally, I think it’s because of the eating habits of those who even cook cow dung, but.

– 「If you find out the truth, are you even going to step up and stop it?」

– ······.

I remembered not being able to readily answer Barisada’s question.

– ······ At least a warning.

– 「Aren’t there already more than enough people warning about the epidemic besides you?」

That’s right. There are already more than one or two saints who have warned about the appearance of the epidemic.

The saintess of the Patrashit Order, who passed into the arms of God last year, also predicted the appearance of the Red Star Fever before she died.

– When people with umbrellas walk the sunny streets, those who have swallowed red flowers will cover the earth with black smoke.

The problem is that people will only understand that it’s a prophecy about the Red Star Fever after time has passed.

In the old days, I used to wonder why prophecies were all so twisted and incomprehensible.

Now, thanks to Barisada, I know the reason.

It’s to minimize the backlash from the act of twisting the ‘laws of the world.’

– 「Don’t underestimate the laws of the world. In the distant past, not even recorded in human history, there was a saint who paid the price of having his limbs severed along with his sight and hearing, and ‘explicitly’ prophesied a great flood in the city. He accurately predicted who would die and who would live. People built dikes and prepared thoroughly. Do you know what happened?」

– I can guess that a happy outcome didn’t result.

– 「That’s right, you understand well. A great famine came instead of a great flood. But do you know what’s even more amazing? The people who died from the famine and the people the saint said would die in the flood were exactly the same.」

– ······.

– 「If he had just told his acquaintances who were going to die in the flood to leave the city for a while, he would have paid a price of only being sick for a few days at most, right? So don’t meddle unnecessarily, and just take the benefits you can get.」

I will gain immense benefits in exchange for ignoring countless lives.

My throat was parched.

After gulping down the cold tea, I looked at Ayra.

“The choice is yours, Miss Ayra. What will you do?”

She bit her lip and pondered, then looked me straight in the eye as if she had made up her mind.

“Thank you for the opportunity, Prince Evan.”

“You won’t regret it.”

I put down the teacup and asserted that.

It seemed like I had finished everything I needed to do in the west. The mine development was also in its final stages, and there wasn’t much time left to return.

***

“See this? I’ve finally observed a new wavelength hidden by the mana waves in the process of the magnetron oscillating. Unlike mana waves, which pass through when they meet a reflector, it has properties that reflect and refract like light. What should we call this?”

“Since Fran discovered it, you should name it yourself.”

“No way. You’re the one who spoon-fed me all the hints.”

“Hmm… then how about microwaves?”

Two months had passed since returning to the royal palace.

“Isn’t this enough to present at Horizon [a magic society conference]?”

“It’s a little weak. There’s still some time left, so I need to research it more. It doesn’t seem like it’ll end with just being used to melt chocolate.”

Now that I had observed microwaves, I could worry a little less about the Horizon Magic Society.

“Alice! Are you perhaps dozing off?”

“…No!”

At Fran’s shout, her student, who was solving problems in the corner, was startled and raised her head. There was saliva all over her mouth.

It didn’t match the image of the Lightning Witch from the ‘future’ at all. The only thing you could find was a witch’s hat that covered her rabbit ears.

“Solve it properly and bring it to me. If you get it wrong again, you won’t be able to eat chocolate from tomorrow.”

“Hing…”

“I’m going to take care of some business for a while, so keep an eye on that girl for me.”

“Understood.”

I went to Alice’s side and glanced at the assignment she was working on.

+

Design a spell to create a 1m long lightning whip that lasts for 10 minutes on paper.

+

‘If you do it like that, you’ll get a 1cm one instead of 1m.’

Suddenly, Alice raised her head, looked at the door Fran had left through, and whispered softly.

“Prince, just help me once. Just once. Please.”

When the two moved from the Queen’s Crossroads mansion to Emerald Palace, and the three of them gathered for the first magic lesson, she was happy that she finally had a junior.

But that didn’t last long.

– …You understand the spell of [Dancing Lightning]? A 3-star spell?

– Ah, I can’t use it, but I studied the theory on my own. When I was researching ‘Stella’ that Fran was working on.

– That’s a relief. It’s not something you saw in a dream.

– Huh?

– It’s nothing. Then how about this? A spell called [Gluttony Fire]…

– I’ve mastered the theory of that too.

– ……

After a few lessons.

– I underestimated you too much. Studying alone seems to be 10 times faster than taking my class. In my opinion, you are already a magician, a great magical engineer. From now on, I will treat you as an equal ‘magician,’ not a ‘student.’

Fran had declared that to me.

“Prince, hurry before Master comes!”

Alice, who was called the Lightning Witch in the ‘future,’ was also a genius. I decided to just give her a little hint.

“You drew the mana circuit here wrong. Isn’t the bending position a bit strange?”

“Ah!”

She understood the problem herself, her eyes sparkling as she drew the spell.

Fran, who had returned from the bathroom, glanced at Alice solving the problem and asked me.

“You didn’t teach her, did you?”

“Of course not. I have some work to do tomorrow, so I’ll go early today.”

“Okay. See you next time.”

I bowed to her and went outside.

The full moon was lighting the way.

Fran’s lab was located in the corner of Emerald Palace, so I had to cross the garden to get to the bedroom.

As I passed by a large tree, I heard a familiar sound.

“Geuok! Geuok!”

It was G-Dragon.

Thanks to that guy, I can walk around alone at this hour without attendants or escort knights.

Instead, sometimes someone’s bloodstains are found in the garden, causing ominous rumors to circulate. Ah, of course, the owner of the bloodstains is not a member of Emerald Palace.

In fact, I had a lot of 고민 [gomin – worries] when leaving the Black Anvil Tribe. Should I leave him behind, or should I bring him?

– Take him. He’s quite smart, but if you disappear, he might eat us all and disappear in no time, right? You’ll have to watch him for at least a year to determine whether he’s safe or not.

Chief Gilud’s words made sense.

It seemed like it would be better for both of us to keep him by my side. There will be things he can do in many ways. The next problem was how to bring him.

Gilud and Fran solved that easily.

They made a comfortable steel box that G-Dragon, reduced to the smallest size, could fit into when he curled up into a ball, and cast strong locking and security magic.

They made a transport cage.

I brought the guy, who was loaded onto the train and carriage, to the royal palace and safely released him into the garden of Emerald Palace.

Of course, there were problems.

Miloa, who had unexpectedly come to greet me at the train station. She saw G-Dragon’s cage and her eyes lit up.

– What is that suspicious box? All items entering the royal palace are subject to thorough search…

– It’s a box containing research data that I’ll be presenting at Horizon this year. Never touch it. I can’t take responsibility if you die.

– …I see.

It was neatly resolved with Fran’s help.

“Geuo! Geuo!”

“You want a snack? Okay. Wait a minute.”

I bought five pieces of Merton Mountain iron ore, which he likes, from [The Everything Store].

The fist-sized iron ores that fell from the cracked ghost hand went straight into his mouth.

“Geuoooo!”

The guy, with his mouth full of iron ore, hid himself in the ground again. It reminded me of a puppy carrying a bone home.

I hardly feel disgusted by that guy anymore because I see him so often. Sometimes he even looks cute.

I’ve come to understand those who raise unusual pets a little.

I smiled and moved on again. When I arrived at the bedroom, Alphonso was waiting. I told him to take care of some business outside the palace and have some fun, but he came earlier than I thought.

“Weren’t you supposed to return tomorrow?”

“Ah, I was bored. I just came early.”

“Do you find the royal palace interesting?”

“Haha.”

I washed up simply, sat on the bed, and asked.

“So, what’s Austin’s reaction to the Northern Liberation Army like?”

“It was amazing. There was a surge of people shedding tears while eating white rice and swearing allegiance to the prince. Ah, only when they were eating, of course.”

I nodded.

The first profit from the magic stone mine recently came into my possession. I told Ayra to buy some rice and send it to the Northern Liberation Army.

Originally, whether it’s a person or a monster, the person who feeds them well is the best.

“Ah! And they ask that you please request at this National Assembly that the kingdom recognize the existence of the Northern Liberation Army.”

“Is that why you gave up your vacation and came early?”

“Haha.”

I got up from the bed, went to the window, and opened it. I imagined the upcoming war while looking at the bright full moon.

National Assembly.

A meeting where the kingdom’s leaders gather to discuss and decide on major policy issues and matters. A fierce battlefield where they fight with tongues and pens instead of swords.

Tomorrow, I will make my first appearance.

Evan Lionel, the Fifth Prince, who was called the Ghost Prince of Emerald Palace, finally makes his official debut in politics.