How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending - Chapter 42.2
“High fever, abdominal cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration. All of them were from the same ship?”
“Yes, that is correct, Your Grand Consort.”
The sailor bowed respectfully and answered diligently.
It might not be a contagious disease.
Even if it were, it seemed likely that the cause originated from the ship itself.
“We need to inspect the ship.”
Tristan rose from his seat, seemingly thinking the same thing. His expression suggested that some part of the ship was contaminated.
Tristan and I headed to the harbor, accompanied by the sailor.
Tristan’s face was etched with worry the entire way. With his mind already preoccupied with fleet funding plans, the bad news must have weighed heavily. My own thoughts became tangled again.
When we reached near the fleet, Tristan finally spoke, breaking the silence.
“I suspect the problem is in the lower deck.”
“Why do you think so?”
“In the past, our focus was on naval battles, so hygiene was not a priority. But since you and Constantine started accompanying the fleet, I have instructed that the decks and cabins be strictly managed. Not just the flagship, but all ships were treated the same.”
“That is true. They mostly seemed clean. I never expected this problem to arise.”
“Yes. However… I suspect the lower deck has been neglected.”
Given the lack of manpower and repeated hectic voyages, that was understandable. I silently nodded.
We soon arrived at the ship in question. Following the navigator who was guiding us, Tristan and I walked down to the lower deck.
The path to the very bottom of the ship, where people rarely stepped, was narrow and dark. With almost no light, we relied on the small lantern in the navigator’s hand to move slowly. The stairs, damp from seawater, creaked under our weight.
As we neared the lower deck through the humid space, the navigator, who had seemed to constantly glance at Tristan, suddenly stopped.
“Your Highness. I have something to report.”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
He hesitated repeatedly before carefully speaking.
“…We had stored old materials on the lower deck for a long time.”
Tristan replied, his tone curious.
“I know. They are placed to balance the ship.”
To maintain the ship’s weight distribution, the lower deck stores heavy objects that act as ballast. The Hezekia fleet mainly used discarded materials for this purpose.
Ideally, heavy metal ballast would be safer. But as I had said before, our fleet does not have the funds to purchase proper metal ballast.
“Yes, Your Highness. Normally, these would be replaced on each voyage, but discarded materials are not available that often…”
“So, they were left as-is?”
For Tristan, this was an unusually awkward tone. I also turned sharply to the navigator in surprise.
The navigator’s face turned pale.
“To save costs, that was done. And there was not enough budget to purchase new materials, Your Highness.”
“……”
I had been careless. It was not just that there was no money for metal ballast.
There was also no money to store discarded materials. Judging by his hesitation, the old materials were likely sold as they came in to fund ship operations.
Tristan rubbed his forehead and swallowed a sigh. There was no way he did not understand what I suspected.
Finally, his voice sank even deeper.
“If it was a cost issue, then this ship is not the only one in this state.”
“…Yes, the others are probably similar, though the degree may vary.”
All seven ships in this condition… The situation was worse than expected.
Seeing both Tristan and I harden our faces, the navigator was unsure how to respond and bowed. Tristan pressed him further.
“So, how long have they gone without being replaced?”
“Well…”
His hesitant tone suggested trouble.
“Answer me quickly!”
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