Moonlight Ball - Chapter 76

However, even if one had undergone formal education, it would be hard to understand. Iris Elaine had terrible handwriting. Sidrain couldn’t even distinguish numbers between words. Iris had a peculiar talent of making each syllable look like an indecipherable symbol which looked like caterpillars.

“And if we lower the antidote amount to 10 then we can make the medicine that slows the progress of honsy mold by about 254 per day. That doesn’t take much mana. I can do this every day. This is saying if the Magic Tower really doesn’t do anything. Honestly,” mumbled Iris as she drew more caterpillars on the paper. Sidrain looked down thinking those were words.

“The reason the Magic Tower is stepping away from this is because they don’t want any attention. They really hate having guests over. So I think it would work if we put a facility for patients somewhere and ask the Magic Tower to supply the medicine.”

Iris prayed this was true. She hoped they could do at least that much. She hoped that her teacher was someone who cared about the people at least that much.

“In the facility, I can take care of the people who are most affected, as it takes a bit of mana. And, uh, we can receive medicine from the Magic Tower. Ah, the ingredient fee can be provided from the national budget. And overall if we make the medicine that will slow the progression of honsy molds, then we’ll buy some time. If then, hm, I think it would be possible.”

Sidrain quietly asked after listening. “The Magic Tower can make the antidote and also make the medicine that will slow the progression?”

He thought of the congress that was being held next month. In the case of En Letaire, the representatives of each class are gathered. The House of Commons was the representative of peasants, and the Senates was the representative of nobles. The national budget had to be passed from the House of Commons first. The legislation that was passed by the House of Commons could be cut by the Senate but in case of the national budget matter, it could only reach the Senates if it passed the House of Commons.

He was curious as to what would happen to the Magic Tower budget if this news spread. He expected much backlash from the House of Commons.

The Magic Tower and the Royals were completely opposite. Sidrain and Elaine kept checking and attacking each other. Elaine wouldn’t let go of such thing and neither would Sidrain.

Iris continued, “It’s subtle. And the medicine to slow the progression is made by me. It’s my formula… It’s likely to have an effect but I don’t know how much. I have to try it. But I think it shouldn’t have aftereffects… This, Your Majesty has to understand it, but the majority of the wizards in the Magic Tower aren’t interested in medical magic. The only person that’s interested is me, so they can for sure cure the honsy molds, but didn’t think of making an antidote or medicine that will slow the progression. The Magic Tower is a place of research, not a place of healing. Honestly, I think the healing should be done by the temple.”

Sidrain stared at Iris and she avoided his stare. As the Magic Tower wouldn’t do anything, she was trying so hard to do it herself and be on the Magic Tower’s side. To her, it was like home. Elaine was her everything. If there wasn’t an accident of her coming into Rosemary’s body then she would still be a knight of the Magic Tower.

“Alright,” replied Sidrain. He didn’t want to say that the Magic Tower shouldn’t ignore the national disaster. He could see that Iris was trying her best and that he didn’t want to burden her further. He hugged her and patted her back. “Okay, Ris. You’re right. It’s okay. You’ve done well.”

Iris blinked in his embrace. She didn’t want to cry but she felt melancholic. If the Magic Tower really doesn’t help with the antidote, she felt like she would be very disappointed at the Magic Tower. Her home. She thought she would feel disappointment for the first time to Elaine, who was like a parent, a friend and a teacher to her.

Afraid of it happening, she closed her eyes in Sidrain’s embrace. She hoped that such day would never come. She hoped that the sun wouldn’t rise tomorrow, even though she thought of herself weak for having such thoughts..

The ink bottle was knocked over and ink spilled over the bed but neither of them moved. Black ink tainted the white sheets. It was gradual, but what was white soon became black.

***

The Magic Tower didn’t refuse. The Magic Tower took Iris’s formula and started making the antidotes and the medicine that will slow the progress simultaneously. The mana of the nation’s best wizards were strong and they could make enormous amounts of antidotes. They were willing to make the antidotes to make the crowd that surrounded the tower disappear and the people were grateful that the Magic Tower was creating the antidotes. The popularity of the Magic Tower increased.

But it was nothing compared to the popularity that the Royal Family received.

The Royal Family made the treatment center and Iris went to the facility to save the people who were in the direst situation. She did whatever she could with magic but that was all she could do. The rest was up to Elena En Sethang. She managed people, gave them instructions, checked the supplies, and was in charge of flow of the patients. It was her duty to keep the crowd that wanted to see the Queen. The crowd wanted the Queen.