The torrential rain that had lasted for days finally subsided, though a light drizzle continued to fall.
The weather today was far worse than in previous years.
Tiny raindrops fell to the ground, instantly turning into puddles of muddy water mixed with sand and gravel that flowed through the cracks in the stone pavement.
In autumns past, while Brilliant City would see storms, they were mostly spent typhoons that had lost their strength.
But this autumn, the first typhoon had made landfall with its full, ferocious power.
Immediately after the first one passed, a second typhoon swept in like a relentless swarm of ants.
This had caused this year's autumn to be far colder and more somber than usual.
"Hiss... phew..."
Augus blew a breath into his hands and rubbed his palms together, trying to restore some warmth to his frozen fingertips.
Though Augus, who had suffered from a chronic illness for years, had been mostly cured by a single healing art from the Saintess, his constitution was not something that could be restored overnight. He required long-term recuperation.
However, over the past few days, he had been stretched to his absolute limit.
After Bishop Lola collapsed, she had barely begun to recover before she caught a severe cold.
Against such an ailment, even a priest was powerless.
The holy magic of the light element, specifically the healing branch, mostly functioned by enhancing an individual's vitality.
But for this kind of illness, using holy magic would instead cause the body to break out in a high fever.
If Luo Li were here to hear this news, she would have known the reason instantly.
If you are going to treat an illness, don't buff the damn virus too!
Consequently, for these types of sicknesses, doctors were usually the ones called upon.
With Lola bedridden, the responsibility for all of Brilliant City, the Refugee City, and the lands to the northeast of the Four-Ring Mountains had fallen entirely onto Augus's shoulders.
The Kingdom of the Moon was divided into ten major provinces, and there were several small towns surrounding Brilliant City.
While those towns were not under the direct jurisdiction of Brilliant City, they were closely linked to it to a certain extent.
The northeast was a complete disaster this year because the war with the demon army had occurred right in July and August.
With only one harvest a year, the crops had been almost entirely destroyed.
Furthermore, the path the refugees had taken was like a plague of locusts.
The rice fields that had not yet matured were stripped clean.
In the entire northeast region, nearly ninety-five percent of the land had been abandoned.
Out of a population of tens of millions, only two million remained. One million had come to Brilliant City to build the nearby settlement.
The other million had split into two groups.
One group headed for Stargaze City in the center.
The other group headed for Moonrise City on the eastern coast.
Combined with the maintenance of the Great Wall and the needs of the local residents, the sheer volume of tasks had Augus at his wits' end.
His personality was different from Lola's, and their strengths lay in different areas.
Augus was better at handling the big picture and strategy.
Lola, on the other hand, was more adept at administrative affairs and details.
Nevertheless, Augus had no choice but to bite the bullet and take charge.
At this moment in Brilliant City, aside from Lola, he was the only confidant of the Saintess capable of handling government affairs.
Although Camilla from the Alchemists' Association had aligned herself with Her Highness, she was not loyal to the Temple.
Now that the Saintess's whereabouts and status were unknown, Camilla seemed to have sensed something and had stopped visiting the Temple.
Ligeia, as a mage-level figure who lived outside the secular world, had not left.
However, she was entirely focused on managing Dragon City and had no time to help here.
This only added to his headache.
Lost in thought, the carriage eventually arrived at the Refugee City outside the walls.
He had no choice but to come this time.
Just this morning, Yuna Von had sent word of a situation that added insult to injury.
A plague seemed to have broken out in the Refugee City.
The carriage stopped in front of the newly built administrative office of the Refugee City.
As he stepped down, he was greeted by the knights under Yuna's command.
Having had frequent contact with him, these knights were already very familiar with the Cabinet Minister.
"Lord Augus, you've arrived."
"Yes. Where is Yuna? What is the situation?"
"In response to your inquiry, Lord Yuna is currently outside the city comforting some villagers. She asked me to wait for you here and report on the current status."
Augus nodded and pulled his heavy cloak tighter around his shoulders.
"Lord Augus, the cold wind is quite heavy outside. Let us go inside to speak."
"Thank you."
Augus knew the knight was looking out for him, so he did not refuse and stepped into the office.
As soon as he entered, a wave of warm air dispelled the autumn chill.
He felt his body warm up significantly.
"Please have a seat, my lord."
The knight led Augus to sit by the fireplace, then called someone to bring a cup of hot tea before beginning his report.
"Three days ago, in the southern part of the city that is still under construction, several workers requested sick leave after suffering from diarrhea and exhaustion. As you know, the Saintess is merciful and cautioned us against exploiting these people, so the leave was naturally granted."
Augus nodded, taking the hot tea handed to him by a female staff member and holding it in his palms.
He felt much warmer now, and his shivering stopped.
"Continue."
"Yes."
The knight organized his thoughts for a moment.
"The plague started from there. At first, there was nothing unusual, but soon after, the people around those workers began to show the same symptoms. About a dozen people fell ill."
"The knight managing that area is a junior from my own family, and he found it difficult to speak up. He didn't pay it much mind and didn't notice anything wrong."
"Yesterday, when the cases increased to over two hundred, that junior finally reported the matter. But by then, the plague had become difficult to control. According to the statistics from this morning, at least a thousand people have shown symptoms."
"Are there any deaths?"
"So far, only six. They were all elderly or young children."
Augus rubbed his forehead in frustration, took a sip of tea, and nodded.
"I see. I understand the situation. Does Yuna have any plan for dealing with this?"
"To answer your lordship... she hasn't made a move yet."
Augus narrowed his eyes at the knight.
"Why hasn't she moved?"
"This... Lord Augus, to be honest with you, the supplies transferred from Brilliant City are barely enough to get by. In this situation, if the people's hearts are unsettled, it could easily lead to civil unrest."
"You people are truly..."
Augus opened his mouth, but the words 'stupid and useless' did not come out.
After all, the person in front of him was still a Temple knight and a close associate of Yuna.
"Fine, I understand. Pass on my orders: construct temporary wooden shelters outside the city. I will immediately mobilize troops from Brilliant City to prepare housing for twenty thousand people within a single day. Move all cases there immediately."
The knight was struck with horror upon hearing this.
"My lord, such a massive undertaking... if it causes civil unrest..."
"You're still worried about civil unrest? If the plague spreads, they'll revolt whether you move them or not!"
Everyone wants to live. Driven by the pressure of survival, people will do things they never imagined they could.
Parents love their children, yet in the face of a great disaster, people have been known to trade their children for food.
Even parental love is not absolute; it can sour in times of crisis.
"Go, now!"
"This... as you command."
The knight quickly ran out to issue the orders.
Seeing this, Augus took a deep breath.
Looking at the tea cup in his hand, his heart sank to the bottom.
Your Highness, if you are still alive, please return quickly.
Without you, the Kingdom of the Moon has no pillar to lean on.
The three-month deadline has not yet arrived. Rest assured, no matter what happens, I will hold this Brilliant City for you.
Even if... I have to get my hands dirty.
One must worry about defeat before the battle begins; no matter the time, one must consider every possibility.
Augus looked at his own hands.
"If this plague continues to spread, I will have no choice but to use drastic measures."
Kill.
Stopping the plague through execution.
This was the final method Augus could think of.
No matter what, this plague must not be allowed to affect the interior of Brilliant City, or all will be lost.
Just as he was thinking this, the door to the office was slammed open, and the crisp sound of light armor clashing reached his ears.
The familiar sound told Augus that Yuna had returned.
"Augus! Have you thought of a solution?"
As soon as she entered, Yuna asked with an expression of pure anxiety.
Augus turned around to see Yuna covered in rainwater.
Her sodden cloak was still dripping.
Clearly, she had rushed back in a panic upon hearing the news, and her raincoat was nowhere to be found.
"I've thought of some things, but not many."
Augus's voice was very flat.
Given Nara's physical constitution, a normal plague wouldn't spread to her.
Even most ordinary knights were practically immune to such diseases.
However, that didn't mean knights were invulnerable to all illnesses.
On the contrary, if a knight-level existence did fall ill, the difficulty of treating them would be several times that of an ordinary person.
"You should come and warm yourself by the fire. If you fall ill, I won't have the energy to look after you, let alone this Refugee City."
Yuna's brow twitched.
"Who do you think I am? A mere sickness can't do anything to me."
Despite her words, her feet obediently carried her to the fireplace. She took a towel from a staff member and began wiping the water from her body.
"So, have you found a way or not? When I was coming over, I heard you wanted to build an isolated military camp outside?"
"Yes. Tally the numbers. Send everyone who has had contact with the cases outside the city before dark."
Yuna looked at Augus in shock.
"Are you crazy? Sending them out now? Isn't that just sending them to their deaths?"
"It's better than everyone in the city dying with them."
"No, I don't agree!"
"I am commanding you as the Cabinet Minister and the acting executive officer of government affairs, Knight Yuna!"
Yuna's brow rose sharply at his words.
But facing the serious expression on Augus's face, she could only stand up obediently, heels together, with her right hand over her chest.
"Present."
"Immediately tally the plague cases. Once they are gathered, send them outside the city. I will have men build a camp immediately, and everyone will be quarantined."
"...Yes."
Yuna gritted her teeth and agreed, but immediately followed up with a question:
"Augus, have you thought this through? There will be a price to pay for this. The will of these refugees will swallow you alive!"
"If I had any other way, I wouldn't be using such a stupid method."
Augus could clearly feel Yuna's concern for him at this moment.
But he had no choice.
Rather than letting the plague spread, it was better to move all those who had already fallen ill into a quarantine camp.
No matter what, this plague could not be allowed to affect Brilliant City.
Otherwise, those nobles who were already restless would likely make their move!
Augus and Yuna stared at each other, their gazes meeting in mid-air.
Seeing the determination and resolve in Augus's eyes, Yuna was so angry she wanted to step forward and beat him.
She bit her lip.
"You'd better be careful yourself. Don't let the refugees eat you!"
"I'll be careful. Go now. Do not let the plague spread any further."
"Hmph!"
Yuna gave an angry huff and turned to leave.
The sound of her combat boots stomping on the floor gradually faded into the distance.
Augus's mood sank along with those footsteps, hitting rock bottom.
But just as Yuna had stepped out, the main door was slammed open again.
A knight hurried to Augus's side.
He placed a letter into his hand.
"This is a letter from Lady Nara. Lord Augus, please read it personally!"
Augus's brow furrowed.
Oh? Nara?
Wasn't she taking care of Lola? Why would she send a letter?
If there was information to convey, couldn't she just say it verbally?
Was it something that couldn't be known by outsiders?
Augus hurriedly opened the letter, but as he finished reading it, his expression grew even darker.
After a moment of silence, Augus tossed the letter into the fireplace, stood up, and headed for the door.
"Return to the city immediately. We are going to the Temple!"
The paper fell into the fire, and the handwriting on it was clearly visible for a split second.
'Bishop Lola has awakened. News has been received that some nobles intend to spread the plague into the city. Cases have already been discovered at the North Gate. Lord Augus, please come to the Temple immediately for a consultation.'
A second later, the flames consumed the paper, leaving not a trace of evidence.
Augus did not know that as he left the administrative office, a flash of malice crossed the eyes of one of the knights inside the building.
...
Brilliant City, South Gate, Noble District.
An elderly butler knocked on the door of his master's study.
"Master, the news has arrived. The Cabinet Minister, Augus, has received the letter and has already left for the Temple."
The person inside seemed to be contemplating something and remained silent for a long while.
"Good. Tell those people to begin. Do it cleanly. Do not leave any evidence behind."
"As you command."
...
Brilliant City, southeast of the central square, in a large three-story building.
This was the largest bar in Brilliant City and a favorite spot for many to spend their money.
The first floor was a grand hall. Most people with a bit of disposable income who wanted a taste of alcohol would certainly come here.
By chance, a group of customers sharing a table nearby was discussing something in low voices.
"I have some major news. Want to hear it?"
"Of course."
"Then this drink..."
"It's on me!"
"Hehe, you know the drill."
The man chuckled, then stood up and leaned over, whispering into the other's ear.
"Don't tell anyone else. They say Her Highness the Saintess wasn't just heavily injured, but..."
"She's dead!"
Rate on N.U.
