I briefly summarized the names and favorability ratings of the council members in my notebook. Meanwhile, Elias began speaking without a change in his expression.

“Since we are short on time, let’s skip further pleasantries and get straight to the point.”

“……”

It’s clear he doesn’t intend to listen to others’ introductions.

“There’s been a nationwide issue that everyone’s been talking about recently. Do you know what it is?”

“The insect problem, right?”

“That is indeed a topic of discussion. But there’s something else.”

One council member frowned and clasped his hands together.

“I’m not sure. Please, enlighten us.”

“Do you recall the charity magic event hosted by Sir Nicolaus two weeks ago?”

At Elias’s gesture, his aide produced a photo of a baby taken while waiting in line at the event.

“There was a baby suffering from a mysterious skin disease. His entire body looked ready to fester. I bring this up to highlight the severity of the situation.”

Elias displayed a newspaper report from that time.

“Until now, insects have not been on our radar as a threat. Insects are too weak to contain magic, and even if they did, it was believed to be in insignificant amounts.”

The council members nodded in agreement.

The response remains favorable for now.

Elias continued speaking sensibly.

“But look. Insects that were previously no threat have now transferred magic and contaminated humans. And not just to any minor extent, but to a degree fatal to the elderly and weak. I trust we all agree on the gravity of this issue.”

“Indeed.”

The vice-chairman replied.

This man held the highest power in the room.

The chairman of the Federal Council and the country’s Prime Minister did not attend the conference.

Additionally, the Chief of the Security Bureau wasn’t present; instead, a lower-ranking official from the Bureau of Magical Security was seated.

“Very well. Take a look at these materials. This is the result of injecting mosquito venom into the skin, mirroring the skin disease in Mepin.”

“We are aware, Duke Elias. There hasn’t been a newspaper in the last week that didn’t cover this.”

“Yes, the subsequent data presented here is from the Mepin region, where mosquitoes were categorized into three clusters and crossbred. The worst-case scenario showed some offspring causing five times more damage than the current contaminated mosquitoes.”

“This, too, has been reported by the media.”

The vice-chairman nodded.

Elias stared at him silently for a moment, then smiled.

“Since you all are well-informed, I won’t prolong my explanation. I called for action from the Security Bureau and the council before this was reported.”

“Yes, we are aware of that. It is important to note—”

Elias raised his hand, not even looking in the vice-chairman’s direction.

“I would appreciate it if you let me finish speaking.”

“No, you can’t just—”

“I urged for action, but the Security Bureau returned external mail unopened? I understand. There could be explosives. But shouldn’t there be a channel to receive such messages for the safety of the citizens?”

A mage from the Security Bureau stood up.

“We can address that—”

“Of course! I understand. Given that you all attended the emergency meeting convened by the Prime Minister, it shows your willingness to improve. I fully understand, so there’s no need to explain further.”

“No, what are you even—”

“Duke Elias, please maintain decorum.”

“If my conduct seemed unbecoming, I sincerely apologize. Anyway…”

He asks to finish his speech but cuts off others. If it were me or Leo, the headlines would already be plastered with our behavior.

I chuckled at his calm demeanor.

“Returning to the main topic, I emphasize again: cleanse the barrier’s interior once a week for the safety of the citizens. We cannot afford to give contaminated insects time to grow.”

Elias finished speaking and looked around the council.

Someone in the back row tilted their head and asked,

“Once a week… What does Sir Nicolaus think of this?”

Isn’t it obvious given his presence here?

But that wasn’t a genuine question about his opinion.

I calmly answered,

“We share the same opinion.”

“Hmph…”

“Why do you ask? The proposal was drafted in consultation with Sir Nicolaus.”

Elias shrugged as he replied.

At that moment, a council member stood up.

“I am Henning Berend, a member of the Federal Council.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“Firstly, to clarify for the citizens watching the broadcast, there’s a misunderstanding in the Duke’s remarks. According to the data, only 8% of the third-generation mosquitoes caused over five times the damage. In numbers? That’s four mosquitoes. Just four.”

“……”

Elias pursed his lips as if to whistle, then laughed.

He seemed to have a lot to say but was holding back.

Seeing no one challenge his words, the council member seemed emboldened and raised his voice.

“Duke Elias, do you know how much regional purification costs?”

“10,000 per instance.”

“That’s for the lowest level. The cost for medium and high levels is much higher. While we sympathize with your concerns, solutions must be feasible. Cleaning all 21 restricted areas weekly is not a realistic approach.”

The council member now spoke as if reprimanding a disobedient child.

It’s a worse sign than merely raising his voice.

For them, at least.

It means they feel very confident and relaxed about this situation.

Elias smiled and spoke.

“15 lower-level, 5 mid-level, and 1 high-level, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Good. Let’s assume an equal number of 7 for each level. Any objections?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Look at him laying the groundwork.

“Why the arbitrary numbers….”

“For calculation convenience. Do you agree or not?”

“If you wish, proceed with your calculations.”

The council member nodded.

No reason to disagree.

Lower-level decreases and higher-level increases would highlight the cost issue to the public.

The council member crossed his arms, waiting for Elias’s response.

“Salaries for mid-level and high-level are 500,000 and 1 million, respectively. That totals 700,000 for lower, 3.5 million for mid, and 7 million for high-level. That’s 11.2 million.”

11.2 billion KRW.

This amount needs to be multiplied by 52 weeks.

Annual cost would be 58.24 billion KRW.

“5.824 billion annually, which seems reasonable for citizens’ safety.”

“That’s not a trivial amount. Additionally, we must consider the cost of maintaining the barriers.”

“Approximately 1.8 billion. Totaling 23.8 billion annually… a justifiable expense for safety.”

About 2.38 trillion KRW.

Combining our recalculated labor costs and barrier maintenance, the total exceeds 11.6 trillion KRW.

They already knew this from the request. Even if they hadn’t read it, basic calculations on barrier suitability would yield similar figures.

The existing maintenance cost of 1.8 trillion KRW resulted from grossly underestimating barrier suitability, causing this significant discrepancy.

Those who brazenly slashed 1 trillion to 1.8 trillion might make a fuss even at this stage.

Indeed, despite the scale not being unreasonable, some senators shook their heads with incredulous smiles.

There were even some exasperated chuckles.

“Hah…”

“Speaking so lightly…”

“Duke Elias, there’s no predetermined acceptable amount. Budgets must be adjusted to the situation. We cannot conjure money from nowhere. Should we borrow foreign currency for this? Our empire?”

Elias, unfazed by their reactions, smoothly smiled.

“If necessary, absolutely.”

“……”

“You lack understanding.”

“Goodness, what are you…”

In the novel’s early stages, the council passed an additional 2 trillion KRW budget for military force enhancement.

Though ostensibly for that, it mainly went to the salaries of the council and nobles heading various forces.

Budget allocated to maintaining purity in crime prevention is notoriously hard to reduce once increased.

For them, blocking such initiatives from the start was essential.

Preemptively dismiss Elias’s demands as ‘absurd’ and ‘unrealistic’ to mitigate future public pressure.

Having intended to use Elias as a scapegoat for this discussion, they feigned ignorance even about the relatively reasonable 580 billion KRW.

Of course, the actual calculated cost exceeding 1 trillion KRW also played a role.

As insults continued, the youngest-looking council member sneered at Elias.

“Duke, if you wish to engage in politics, first gain a sense of reality.”

“……”

For a moment, Elias, who had been listening impassively, hardened his expression.

Snap—Bam—!

A sound of something breaking came from his crutch. He threw the crutch from his right arm to the floor and leaned on the one on his left.

His aide quickly contacted someone.

‘…They hit a nerve.’

Claiming he intended to engage in politics despite never stating such a desire was likely a deliberate provocation, exploiting Elias’s situation.

His overwhelming magical power meant that even if he wanted to involve himself in state affairs, the current emperor wouldn’t allow it.

Several distant imperial family members were present in the council.

Given the emperor’s vigilance, Elias couldn’t hold any position commensurate with his family name or abilities. Everyone in this country involved in politics knew that.

‘They hope to provoke him into losing his composure.’

That way, they can easily steer the narrative.

‘He mustn’t lose control here.’

I watched Elias’s cold expression and thought deeply.

The council member who previously irritated him rose and faced Elias.

Seemingly wanting to speak seriously, he erased his earlier sneer and glanced at the broadcast cameras.

“We understand your concerns. As representatives working for the people, our worries may even surpass yours, Duke.”

“Do you?”

“……”

“Yes…”

“If this issue is as critical as you claim and we had infinite resources, we wouldn’t hesitate to allocate the budget as you suggest, Duke Elias.”

The council member displayed magical data in the middle of the chamber.

“Refer to the imperial investigation data. Last week, the mosquito population in Mepin was about 1,000, not a large number.”

It’s not a huge number region-wide.

But that’s not the point.

He was deliberately downplaying the severity of the situation.

I spoke up quietly in Elias’s place.

“Let’s note that all 1,000 mosquitoes were contaminated.”

“…Indeed. However, most were within barriers and half lacked contamination spreading ability. It’s too early to disrupt daily life with fear.”

“So, half could spread contamination?”

My slightly amused tone made him frown slightly.

“Thinking that way makes it seem more problematic, Sir Nicolaus. But it’s not the case. 75% of the offspring died. Even with the most aggressive mosquito pairings, 90% of the offspring died.”

“That’s consistent with the research I reported.”

“Indeed. Despite knowing these figures, you propose spending 5.8 billion annually on purification?”

Now it’s serious.

He’s intentionally distorting the focus.

‘Should I push further?’

Elias might have developed personal animosity and may not respond calmly.

We can’t afford to lose ground here; perhaps it’s time for me to take over.

I glanced at Elias’s face.

‘…No, wait.’

Seeing his unusually calm demeanor reassured me.

No need to rob him of the chance to retaliate appropriately.

I quietly called out to him, and Elias looked down at me.

“Go ahead.”

I gestured toward the council member.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep