BGFV 145

Chapter 145

Hestia’s party arrived in Byron a few hours later than the Frost family.

Since Derrick and Anna had to hurry back to Byron, the children had come down together with Hestia’s group.

Hestia stepped out of the carriage briefly, both to drop off her younger siblings and to check the situation in Byron.

“Raven! What’s the current status?!”

“There are three people so far who have shown the symptoms that the Viscount described. We’ve isolated everyone who had contact with them.”

“Already? We’re seeing patients already?!”

“I’m going to issue a state of emergency across all of Byron. Everyone, move quickly!”

By the time they arrived at the office, it was already a chaotic scene.

Especially Derrick, Anna, and Raven were running around non-stop.

‘Three symptomatic already?’

Last she checked before going up to the capital, there had been no issues in Byron.

Derrick hadn’t said anything either.

Hestia surveyed the office with a grave gaze. At the end of her line of sight stood Raven.

“Hestia, we need to go. If Byron is already like this, Chest—which is even closer to Valeron—won’t be any better.”

“…Yeah, we should go. Where’s Leon?”

“He said he went to the restroom for a moment.”

“When he comes back, tell him to wait in the carriage. I need to speak to our parents before we leave.”

“Okay, I’ll go ahead and get things ready.”

Since time was of the essence, Luciard had already left ahead, and as Hestia was glancing around the office, she spotted Elvin rushing in.

“Elvin.”

“Huh? Sis, Luciard just left a bit ago. Aren’t you going?”

“I’m about to. But before that, can I ask you a favor?”

“Can’t you see how busy it is right now? If it’s not urgent, can’t it wait?”

“It is important.”

Hestia’s serious expression made Elvin wonder if something major had happened.

She pulled him aside to a secluded spot. After checking that no one was around, she lowered her voice.

“Keep a close eye on Raven.”

“What?”

Elvin gave her a look of confusion.

“Watch if he acts suspicious, or if he’s secretly communicating with anyone who isn’t us.”

“…”

“I’m not saying to tail him or anything reckless. But if you notice anything off—even the smallest thing—contact me immediately. Got it?”

Elvin looked displeased and didn’t respond right away, eventually letting out a dry laugh.

“Sis, Raven hasn’t worked for our family that long, sure—but he’s done a lot to help us maintain things while you were gone. If you just tell me to spy on him like this, how can I accept that?”

“Just do as I say, you little punk! Don’t you know following your sister’s advice brings good luck? Like getting an extra cookie in your sleep?”

“Ah! Stop it! No violence!”

Hestia pulled on his ear, making Elvin yelp.

She sighed as she looked at him with his lips pouting.

“You remember back in Winston when I caught those spies, right?”

“…Yeah. Why?”

“Well, the key figure was found dead. But Raven… he gives off a strangely similar vibe.”

“Wait, what? Are you saying that guy came back to life?”

“No, not that. I’m saying he smells just as fishy. I haven’t told our parents yet because I haven’t found concrete evidence…”

“Wait, you actually looked into Raven?”

“Elvin, I’m not joking here.”

Seeing how serious she was, Elvin flinched.

“…If it’s that serious, shouldn’t you tell our parents?”

“I can’t. They wouldn’t be able to act natural. And lately, you’re the one spending the most time around Raven.”

Elvin had indeed been learning the ropes from Raven recently and couldn’t argue further.

Because Hestia was being deadly serious, he naturally became serious too.

“I’m not 100% sure he’s a spy either. Just… if anything seems off, please be extra observant. Got it?”

“…Alright. You wouldn’t ask something like this for no reason.”

Though he grumbled a little, Elvin eventually agreed.

After repeating her request and returning to the office, Hestia’s gaze found Raven, who was still moving busily by her parents’ side.

‘Please let this just be my imagination.’

“Tia, are you heading off now?”

Called by her parents, Hestia smiled and said goodbye.

Once the goodbyes were done, she climbed into the carriage right away.

“Let’s hurry to the duchy.”

“It’s fine even if we go fast! I don’t get motion sickness!”

Luciard and Leonhard said anxiously.

Leonhard had also been briefed on how urgent the current situation was.

When he insisted they shouldn’t worry about him and just go as fast as possible, Hestia chuckled.

“Then let’s speed things up.”

“Okay! I’ll go tell the coachman—”

“Wait, before that.”

The two froze mid-action.

“There are some people we need to bring to the duchy.”

* * *

A day and a half later, Hestia’s group arrived at the ducal estate faster than they ever had before.

As soon as they arrived, Galleon, Hilde, and Basil came rushing out.

“Hestia! We were just about to send a messenger to the capital! The concern you and the young master had before—”

“The epidemic, you mean?”

“Yes, it’s started to spread… Wait, how did you know?”

“We heard about it at the imperial palace, which is why we came back earlier than usual.”

“You’ve received news from all southern territories by now, right?”

Hestia and Luciard walked briskly, issuing orders to those following them.

“Yes! We’ve categorized and organized every urgent report as they came in.”

“And according to the guidelines you prepared in advance, we’ve already isolated all symptomatic individuals.”

“Well done. It spreads fast, so minimizing contact is key.”

Hestia turned to Galleon.

“Did you send the manual to all southern regions?”

“We’d sent it earlier, so with the outbreak, we’ve already instructed them to refer to it.”

“That’s not enough. We’re adding several new guidelines. Make sure they’re distributed across the entire south.”

“Yes, Lady Hestia.”

“The knights—are they all gathered?”

“Yes, young master. I’ll order an immediate assembly.”

Leonhard had just gotten off the carriage and was hurrying after Hestia and Luciard.

From the moment they arrived, the two had been firing off orders without a second of hesitation.

Time was clearly of the essence, and they were moving so quickly and busily that young Leonhard struggled to keep up.

“W-Wait for me! I want to help too—!”

Leonhard, running frantically, tripped over a stone edge in the garden.

Just before he fell, someone caught him quickly.

“Uncle!”

Luciard, who had been ahead, had suddenly appeared right in front of him.

Hestia, hearing the commotion, rushed over too.

“Be careful, Leon. We can’t afford even a minor injury right now.”

“I-I’m sorry! But Uncle, I want to help too! Isn’t there something I can do?”

Seeing how urgent and busy everyone was, Leonhard wanted to contribute.

As he looked up with eager eyes, Luciard hesitated—but Hestia stepped in.

“Leon, please stay and protect the duchy.”

“…Protect here?”

Leonhard tilted his head, puzzled by the unexpected answer.

“Yes. From now on, Luciard and I won’t be around here very often.”

“Then I’ll go with you—”

“No.”

“You can’t.”

Hestia and Luciard replied in unison, firmly, causing Leonhard to flinch.

“We explained this in the carriage, remember? A terrifying disease is spreading throughout the empire.”

“…Right.”

“At this point, we don’t even know what causes it. If you were to catch it, that would be disastrous. You’re the future head of the duchy.”

“So… you’re saying I should just stay here and do nothing?”

“No. I said protect the duchy.”

“You’re the only one who can guard it while we’re gone.”

To be honest, there wasn’t a clear job Leonhard could do—but if they didn’t assign him something that felt meaningful, he might act out.

If he tried to “help” and ended up causing trouble, it would be a huge problem.

After a moment’s hesitation, Leonhard nodded.

“Alright. I’ll protect this place!”

“Our Leon is so dependable.”

“Then we’ll leave everything to you so we can work in peace.”

“Yep! Just leave it to me!”

Luciard and Hestia smiled proudly at the boy, who was now full of confidence.

“But first, you must be tired from the long ride. Go in and rest for today.”

“What about you and Uncle…?”

“We won’t be gone too long. But we likely won’t be able to join you for dinner tonight—can you eat by yourself?”

“I’m grown up now! I’m not scared of eating alone!”

Before he could start protesting, Hestia and Luciard called Daisy over and had her escort Leonhard away.

Once he was gone, they finally let out a breath and returned to business.

“Oh, Lady Hestia. What about the people you brought with you?”

“Give them rooms in the manor. They’re very important for developing the cure. Also, can you call for Jerome?”

The people she brought from Byron were none other than the employees of Tears Workshop—herbalists skilled in cosmetics and herbal mixtures.

From the moment she had taken on the refugee crisis, Hestia had been preparing for an epidemic—not with naïve hopes of solving it by simply controlling refugees, but by planning a full-scale counterattack.

She had been preparing for this outbreak for a long time.

“As of this moment, House Winston will begin developing a new medicine. Things will get busy—so be ready.”

And to make this plan a success, she would need Jerome’s help more than ever.