Chapter 53: Alesia’s Worth│Read translated stories and daily updates at: Awebstories.com
The King, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Interior Minister, and Mark were meeting in the King’s office to discuss the letter from Farrill.
“Can we meet with the person responsible for the damage?”
“No. He “died” after the interrogation as a result of injuries sustained during the fight with Farrill’s side.”
“Because dead men do not tell tales, so they added a slew of charges. I doubt he did anything with the weavers.”
There was a commotion outside the door.
“What’s going on?” said the interior minister as he rose from his seat and opened the door.
Princess Edna slipped in.
“Oto-sama! You’re not giving up Alesia, are you?!”
“Edna. You’re off limits here. Leave now.”
“To protect Alesia, I will give up all of my jewels. Please don’t abandon Alesia!”
King Isayal’s face softened unexpectedly.
“Don’t worry; Alesia is a state-protected wizard. I’m not going to give her away.”
“Alesia is a wizard?”
“That’s correct. As a result, the kingdom of Laminbo will not relinquish Alesia. You don’t have to use your jewelry. So you can return to your room with peace of mind.”
“…Yes. Yes! I apologize for bothering you.”
Edna is making her way back to her room.
(Alesia-chan is a wizard. Alesia-chan is a wizard. I see. Fufufu. That’s incredible. I wonder what kind of magic she does. Maybe she will show me next time.)
Her blue-green eyes, which had been upturned when she arrived, had returned to their usual droopy state, and she appeared to be about to dance. The lady-in-waiting, who had been sweating profusely behind her, was taken aback by how much she liked Alesia. (From now on, I’ll have to treat Alesia-san with more respect), she told herself.
The Interior minister was sweating in the king’s office as he explained the financial resources.
“We’ve already decided how to spend the reserve fund this year. There is a medama disease epidemic in the country’s south. We know that many young children will go blind in the future. We’ll have to spend a lot of money to support these kids for the next decade or so.”
“Medama flies (メダマバエか)…” (Maybe fruit flies?)
Bitter voices can be heard all over the place.
The medama flies are desert flies. The parent flies lay their eggs in the eyes of animals. It is a dangerous fly that can cause blindness if the eggs are not discovered in time. The flies cause serious illness, especially in babies who are unable to express their discomfort with their eyes. There has been an outbreak of these flies this year.
“In addition, the wells on the capital’s eastern outskirts have run dry. At least three at a time. As a countermeasure, we intend to draw water from the river.”
“How much does this cost?”
“The two will total about three hundred large gold coins.”
The King and Prince Mark exchange glances and nods.
“Alesia could possibly solve those two problems.”
“…However, the three dry wells are used by 5,000 people. Is it possible for one girl to produce that much water? I’ve heard that using magic beyond one’s limits will shorten one’s life.”
“I don’t know for certain. But I’m going to ask her.”
“Your Majesty, if we postpone the canal construction, what should we do about the medama flies?” The Prime Minister wrinkles his brow.
“Alesia’s water has healing properties. I’m not sure if it will cure them, but it could be more effective than current medicine, which is unlikely to work. Let’s ask her about it as well.”
The Interior minister exuded enthusiasm and made a suggestion.
“We’ll need a lot of barrels if we ration water instead of drilling wells. We need to make some plans.”
“Oh, yes. It is critical. Assuming that Alesia can help us, that amounts to a balance of two hundred large gold coins. If we can’t persuade Alesia to assist us, the royal family will foot the bill. Still, it’s preferable to handing over Alesia.”
With a relieved expression, the Interior Minister reveals his true feelings.
“The worth of this one girl is truly astounding. I can see why her parents worked so hard to keep her hidden in order to keep her from being taken away… Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that, Your Majesty! I apologize!”
King Isayal looks everyone in the eyes and says so solemnly.
“Yes, Alesia is extremely valuable. In the future, this country will continue to produce wizards. However, we must dispel the notion that [our children will be taken away from us and used by the state]. Wizard children will continue to be hidden away if wizards are not treated as national treasures. Worse, they’ll flee to other countries. This is something we must remember whenever we deal with Alesia from now on.”
“Treat Alesia well,” Mark said emphatically, and the prime minister and the ministers took his advice to heart.
—○█○—
“Water for 5,000 people? I believe I can. I should give it a try, right? And if you use the healing silk cloths to cure the medama fly disease, we can save water by washing their eyes with my water. The silk will be disposable after, but we have a lot of it woven and stored away, so we should be able to prepare it in time.”
Gil uttered a stunned “huh.” The King and Queen, His Highness Prince Marks, and Gil were the only four people in the country who knew about the silk. Gil was appointed as the liaison.
It’s difficult to believe Alesia can easily do the work of 300 large gold coins by herself. Gil locked his gaze on Alesia’s.
(I have to tell her this.)
“When you try to cast water, Alesia-chan, put it in a barrel, okay? We’ll get a barrel for you. Please do not dump it in the wasteland. It’s too good to throw away! We’ll assist you in not wasting a drop. Please!”
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