Chapter 244
Chapter 244
Plague.
A term collectively referring to highly contagious diseases with rapid spread and high mortality rates.
Throughout the continent's history, there have even been empires that collapsed due to a single plague.
Thus, it was inevitable that the MacLaine Kingdom would be thrown into chaos.
"A plague?! Where?!"
What in the world—?
'This didn't happen in my past life!'
Logan's shout carried a mix of bewilderment spanning both his past and present lives.
"In the southeastern Raphtan Territory. Four days ago..."
"Why now of all times?!"
Logan bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he listened to Damian's report.
At a time when he was risking everything to forcibly strengthen the kingdom's defenses, an unexpected disaster breaking out in the rear could very well shatter all his carefully laid plans.
"We must act as quickly as possible!"
"The royal forces alone may not be enough to contain the spread. We'll need the nobles' assistance as well!"
"Convene a Grand Hall meeting! Immediately!!"
The aides who heard the news also voiced the gravity of the situation, and soon Logan's orders were relayed to the nobles.
Every noble residing in the capital gathered in the Great Hall at once.
For them, it was as if fire had begun spreading through their own homes—no, worse, as if flames had already reached their feet.
"What in the world is happening now...?"
"It's the end times."
"They say disasters strike when a king lacks virtue..."
"Hey! Don't say such reckless things!"
The nobles gathered in the hall murmured among themselves, their unease palpable.
Then—
"His Majesty the King approaches!"
At the knight's announcement from outside, the murmuring nobles fell silent in unison and turned their attention to the grand entrance.
Creak—
Clack, clack.
Logan strode swiftly across the hall and took his seat on the throne, exhaling a short sigh before surveying the room.
"Thank you all for gathering on such short notice. An unexpected crisis has arisen, and I've called this meeting to seek your cooperation. Chancellor, explain the situation."
"At your command, Your Majesty."
Roberts Floyd stepped forward and began reading from a lengthy document in his hands.
"One week ago, a corpse was discovered in a village in Raphtan Territory—drained of blood from every orifice. Within just three days, over thirty more deaths with identical symptoms were reported, and hundreds of residents are now suffering from severe fevers and rashes."
"Just three days?!"
"Madness...!"
"That's impossible!"
Even for a plague, the progression from infection to death in mere three days was unheard of.
The hall erupted into chaos at the unbelievable news.
"Silence! Let him finish!"
Though Logan understood their shock, Roberts wasn't done speaking.
"The temple reports that this plague resembles the Lestaboom outbreak seventy years ago, which devastated fifteen territories in the eastern kingdom. They caution that they cannot confirm it's identical, but..."
The nobles, already agitated, barely registered the latter half of his words.
The mere suggestion that this plague resembled one that had once toppled countless territories was enough to convey its danger.
"What about treatments?! The priests?!"
"We must request aid from the temple immediately!"
"Raphtan Territory must be quarantined!"
The hall grew as noisy as a marketplace.
"Silence!!"
Logan slammed his armrest, instantly quelling the heated atmosphere.
"Chancellor. What is the current progression of the plague?"
"Raphtan has already quarantined the infected village and prohibited entry. However, initial cases have been reported in another village as of two days ago."
Though he had already heard the report, Logan clenched his eyes shut.
"Specific symptoms?"
"High fever accompanied by full-body inflammation, loss of consciousness within a day, and death three days later—with victims vomiting blood from their eyes, nose, ears, and mouth."
Ugh—
A collective groan of horror spread through the hall.
"As you've heard, the situation is dire. I intend to mobilize all available royal and noble resources to bring this crisis to an end as swiftly as possible. If you have suggestions, speak now."
Logan spoke while already considering relief measures, but—
"Your Majesty. Your intent to save the infected territory is noble. But history shows that no plague has ever been fully conquered."
Jacques Juan was the first to voice dissent.
"Divine Power can cure it, can it not?"
"There are limits to how many priests can be deployed. Once the plague spreads, there will be no stopping it."
"Then what are you suggesting?"
"...We must mobilize the kingdom's forces to quarantine Raphtan Territory and burn everything within it to the ground."
"What?!"
The horrifying suggestion to annihilate an entire territory.
Yet, many nobles nodded in agreement at the extreme proposal.
"He's right!"
"Better to sacrifice one territory than risk the kingdom's fate!"
"I strongly support this!"
The hall descended into chaos as nobles shouted with veins bulging in their necks. Logan's own eyes reddened with fury as he watched them.
BANG!
"Silence!!"
The overwhelming pressure of an Aura User instantly subdued the uproar.
"You call yourselves nobles, yet you suggest slaughtering over thirty thousand people over a plague?! Have you forgotten the duty carried by your blue blood—to protect this kingdom?!"
"But plagues are calamities that topple nations, Your Majesty! You must end this with minimal sacrifice before it spreads!"
"Then focus on suppression before it spreads! Propose solutions to save lives, not massacre them!"
Logan's firm tone plunged the hall into silence.
Then, a deep voice from directly below the throne shattered the icy quiet.
"Your Majesty, you should order the neighboring lords to seal Raphtan's borders and prioritize military reinforcement where needed."
The Sword Duke's words stirred murmurs anew.
Logan's brow furrowed deeply as his gaze turned to his teacher.
"Duke. Surely you're not advocating for massacre?"
"Of course not. I'm merely suggesting we cut off transmission routes while beginning relief efforts."
The Sword Duke made it clear he was only proposing a way to execute Logan's will—drawing a firm line between his stance and the other nobles'.
Many nobles frowned imperceptibly, but among them, Jacques Juan allowed himself the faintest smirk.
Of course, given the gravity of the situation, he quickly schooled his expression—but not before the Sword Duke caught it.
'That bastard...'
His brow twitched just as—
"I will request priests from the temple and issue orders for the territory's quarantine. Neighboring lords will be instructed to provide military aid, food, and essential supplies! All nobles are obligated to contribute relief funds and materials! The royal treasury will cover any shortfall!"
"Your Majesty?!"
From the corner, Dwain's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull at the declaration—but it did little to ease the nobles' unease.
"What if the plague spreads to other territories...?"
"Our lands aren't that far away..."
"Isn't this heading for disaster?"
The hushed whispers didn't escape Logan's notice.
Every one of them was only concerned with their own interests.
While he understood their perspective, as king, he couldn't help but find it despicable.
BANG!
"My decision is final! The crown will take all necessary measures to contain the plague and save Raphtan. I expect the voluntary cooperation of you noble lords!"
Just as Logan moved to conclude the meeting—
"Your Majesty. Forgive my impertinence, but if the plague spreads, it will become a national catastrophe. By then, no amount of regret will undo the consequences of failing to purge Raphtan now."
Jacques Juan wore a concerned expression but spoke with deliberate volume.
Logan looked down at Jacques' stern face and smiled coldly.
"Are you implying you'll hold me accountable if that happens?"
The crowd's attention snapped back, and Jacques' sharp gaze wavered.
"N-No, how could I dare...?"
"Fine, do as you wish. But remember—any noble or king who abandons his people in any crisis is unworthy of their title. If you are true nobles, choose your words with care!"
"...I will keep that in mind."
With Jacques' expression frozen stiff, the Grand Hall meeting came to an end.
"Ugh... Just as we were finally catching our breath after finishing the Majeong Water farming and other projects..."
"So you're saying we shouldn't help a territory being ravaged by plague?"
"N-No, of course not! It's just... this damned fate is so frustrating! Why can't anything ever go smoothly?"
Dwain clutched his chest in lament—perfectly encapsulating Logan's own feelings. Logan sighed deeply and gripped his head.
'This didn't happen in my past life. Damn it, what went wrong?'
The worst possible variable had reignited the headache that had just begun to fade.
But plagues were called calamities precisely because their causes were often unknown.
Rather than dwelling on why this happened, he needed to focus on solutions.
"First, compile relief supplies and food for Raphtan. Don't let up on pressuring the nobles—they'll have to cough up something, given the justification."
"...Understood."
"Send temple priests and soldiers as well. Is there anything else we can do?"
"There are also the so-called healers' guilds. Frankly, their effects aren't as visible as the priests', but commoners without money often turn to them instead."
"Ah! Right, them."
"Should we request their assistance too...?"
"Yes. Offer them generous compensation—make sure they're well paid!"
"Understood."
As the palace bustled with plague relief preparations, the grand temples of Gran—the very institutions receiving the royal request—were voicing opinions that would cause an uproar if made public.
"Volunteers to travel all the way to Raphtan and treat a plague with no end in sight? Who in their right mind would go?"
Agni's bishop, Ruf Teian—god of wood and life—scowled as he spoke, and most listening bishops nodded in agreement.
"Records from the Lestaboom plague seventy years ago show that even intermediate priests died. Lower-ranked priests would be at risk..."
Adga's bishop, Praha—god of earth and death—only deepened the frowns among the clergy.
Lower and intermediate priests could die.
That meant only high-ranking priests would be safe—but high-ranking priests were typically just one step below bishops.
Sending such valuable personnel to some remote backwater indefinitely? Preposterous.
"But if the plague spreads, the kingdom will collapse. At the very least, as children of the gods, we must fulfill our duty."
Amunda's bishop—Ilia, the only female among them—was the first to speak like a true priest, but her words only plunged the others deeper into contemplation.
"Hmm... Let each sect compile a list of priests to send. I will relay this to the king."
Thus, the temple council concluded with these words from Archbishop Pamiel Geirnheim—servant of Ion, god of water and agriculture.
When Logan later reviewed the list of dispatched priests, he clutched the back of his neck in frustration.
"Eighteen?! And only one high-ranking priest?! Are you out of your minds?!"
His low voice seethed with suppressed rage.
A plague had broken out in a city of thirty thousand, and they were sending a measly eighteen priests? This was nothing short of a slap in the face.
"At least the healers' guilds have pledged three hundred volunteers..."
"Enough. Prepare the knights—we're going to the temple!"
"Pardon?"
Leaving a bewildered Dwain behind, Logan rode straight to the Grand Temple of Gran.
North of Gran's outer city.
Past an unusually lavish street that clashed with the commoners' quarters stood the "Temple District"—a row of majestic temples.
The nine pristine marble temples shared a single enclosure, and the outer city's residents often took detours to avoid the area.
A sight where temples built to "serve the faithful among the people" were instead avoided by those very people.
'Then again, even in my past life, the poor couldn't dream of receiving a priest's healing.'
Logan was reminded once more that some things never changed, even after his regression, as he rode toward the temple with dozens of knights in tow.
"Y-Your Majesty?!"
The guards at the temple entrance paled instantly at the king's sudden, unannounced visit—complete with an armed escort.
"Inform the archbishop. I've come in person."
"P-Please wait a moment!"
The panicked guards scrambled inside, and before long, Logan stood face-to-face with Archbishop Pamiel.
"It's been a while, Archbishop."
"My, my! For Your Majesty to grace us with a visit—what an honor..."
"Send more priests to Raphtan. Eighteen is nowhere near enough!"
Logan cut off Pamiel's pleasantries and went straight to the point.
The archbishop averted his gaze awkwardly, wearing an uncomfortable smile.
"We, too, have our limitations, you see... Hahaha."
Logan openly frowned at the man's evasive, eye-rolling response.
'Just like in my past life, there's only one thing that moves these priests.'
Suppressing a sigh, Logan played his trump card.
"The royal family will demonstrate our utmost sincerity."
"Sincerity, you say...?"
"A sacred donation of ten million gold. How does that sound?"
Had Dwain been present, he would have clutched his head and collapsed on the spot.
Ten million gold.
Enough to match a decent count's annual budget.
Even the archbishop's eyes flickered at the staggering sum.
"Well... If you're willing to go to such lengths, I suppose we can... renegotiate with the bishops."
'You greedy old—!'
"Reconvening" meant they'd have to hold another meeting.
Logan hadn't offered such an exorbitant sum for this paltry response.
If the plague spread, the kingdom would fall.
If they massacred the infected territory, the backlash would be unbearable.
And right now, they needed to marshal every resource to prepare for the coming calamity in just a few years.
The plague had to be suppressed at all costs.
So Logan played a card the archbishop couldn't refuse.
"I will personally go to Raphtan. The royal family will commit everything we have! The temple must cooperate!"
The archbishop's eyes widened—
"Your Majesty?!"
Even the knights behind Logan gasped in shock.