Hayley was considerably young to be in charge of the merchant guild’s sub-branch.

Considering that the sub-branch heads of the surrounding merchant guilds were all middle-aged men with thick beards, a young female sub-branch head was truly an exceptional case.

That meant there was hardly anything Hayley El couldn’t do.

“I apologize. I didn’t even know you had arrived…”

“No. It’s also on us for not informing you beforehand. It’s not your fault, Hayley.”

I waved my hand at Hayley, who looked as if she had committed a grave sin.

Welcoming someone or not, that wasn’t the important thing here.

I let out a small sigh as I looked at Hayley, who had become even more haggard during her travels.

“…What happened while I was gone, Hayley?”

If we were to assume that I stepped away from the merchant guild’s affairs, Hayley was someone who could perfectly fill that void left by me.

No, to be precise, the merchant guild wouldn’t function without her.

Hayley had been assisting my mother and leading the merchant guild from an even younger age than me.

So even if I was away on a trip, she could handle most of the merchant guild’s matters on her own.

She was someone who could excellently lead the merchant guild without needing to report to me.

For such a Hayley to send an urgent message, what could be the matter, and why was the merchant guild so quiet, and where did all those many people go?

I condensed those long and varied questions into a single sentence and asked.

Then Hayley bit her lip with a somewhat sorrowful expression.

“…It’s all my negligence, young lady.”

With a slightly resentful face, Hayley slowly opened her mouth.

She said it clearly started as something trivial.

Something that always happened, like the wasteful power struggles instigated by other merchant guilds.

“It’s a merchant guild that regularly comes up from the east, and we often saw each other, but that day, they kept picking fights for some reason.”

Hayley, who had been involved in merchant guild affairs from a very young age, was already used to such things.

She was the type to smoothly brush off whoever picked a fight with her.

But strangely, this time, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was going on.

“Since someone who was always cautious suddenly spoke like that, I think I was quite offended too.”

So even though she knew she had to be vigilant and investigate, she got involved in that wasteful fight.

Even while knowing she had to find out what was going on first, she did so together with those who rushed at her as if determined to make her emotional.

It was only a matter of time before the fight quickly led to a pointless bet.

Hayley, who had become more emotional than usual, said she had intentionally lost to them half-heartedly.

Although she must have had the intention to find out why the person had changed so much…

“Two-thirds of the merchant guild’s manpower had to leave for the east. They just said they would take them without even saying why they needed help.”

As the price of the bet, they demanded something absurd, and Hayley, who lost the bet, was helpless.

She had to give them what they wanted without even receiving a proper explanation.

“So that’s why the merchant guild is so empty.”

“I’m ashamed, young lady. I should have acted more level-headedly…”

“If we consider it, it’s not your fault, Hayley. How can you stop someone who rushes at you with a plan?”

I waved my hand as I looked at Hayley, who was sitting with a face as if she had committed a mortal sin.

Looking at how the situation unfolded, it seemed like they had come with a plan in place from the moment they left the east.

As I organized Hayley’s story, I tried to recall my memories.

Did something like this happen before the regression too?

“So, was manpower all they took?”

“Yes. I refused when they tried to bet for more things like food and blankets.”

“And nothing like this happened to other merchant guilds?”

“While nothing like this happened, they bought various things in large quantities and left for the east more than usual.”

“Then could it be that something is happening in the east? Did you check about the east?”

“I tried contacting them even without being told, but there’s still no response.”

“You mean you can’t get any news even through the merchant guild’s communication network?”

Hayley shook her head at my question.

In the empire, the fastest and most secretive communication network after the military’s is our merchant guild’s.

If she says she can’t obtain any information even from there…

“Something must have happened in the east.”

“That’s what I suspect as well.”

“Now that the situation has turned out like this, there’s no choice but to directly send someone to find out.”

“Even without being told, among those we sent to the east this time, there is Gener. I’ve already contacted Gener through a messenger bird.”

There was resolve back in Hayley’s eyes as she said she had sent Gener, whom she employed as her assistant.

Even while regretting that things turned out this way because of her mistake, she had already finished preparing for everything.

I gently patted Hayley’s shoulder as I saw her becoming colder and calmer than usual.

“You’ve returned to the usual Hayley.”

“I’m just sorry I couldn’t return sooner.”

“It’s fine. Mother would have trusted even that side of Hayley.”

And who knows? Maybe we’ll gain something from this incident too.

I encouraged Hayley with a smile, and she bowed her head, moved.

As we had a short moment of emotional exchange, I continued my train of thought.

The east, a merchant guild from the east.

“What’s the name of the merchant guild that came from the east?”

“You’ve probably heard of them. They’re a fairly large merchant guild in the east called Enerheim.”

“Isn’t Enerheim a merchant guild sponsored by the lord of the east?”

“Not the lord, but a quite influential vassal family under him sponsors them as far as I know. I’ll have to look into which family it is, but anyway, they’re the second-largest merchant guild in the east after Fern.”

“For such a place to urgently buy goods and borrow people like that…”

The Jenit Merchant Guild is considered quite large even in the empire.

With its base of operations in the capital, this building is like the merchant guild’s headquarters, and as such, the number of people working here is also immense.

And for something urgent enough to take away two-thirds of such a merchant guild’s manpower…

“If even contact with the east is blocked to this extent, could it be that the east itself has blocked the communication network? If they block the paths between regions, it would be difficult to use our communication network too, right?”

Beatrice, who was listening beside me, quietly spoke up.

It’s not wrong.

In any case, communication is something that is delivered from person to person.

“That’s right. If they block the roads, it’s true that it would be difficult for people to travel even with a communication network…”

As I was about to nod my head and agree with Beatrice’s words, something flashed across my mind.

The first thing I did to make Lloyd known before the regression.

Before telling Waynes to keep an eye on the situation in the north, I had to do this first.

“Hayley. What else did Enerheim buy besides blankets and food?”

“You mean from Enerheim? They said they scraped together blankets, food, and some medicinal herbs.”

“Medicinal herbs?”

“Well, the herbalists said it’s a grass that grows so commonly on the roads that it’s hard to even call it a medicinal herb.”

Food, blankets, and medicinal ingredients that can be easily obtained.

“Gamon? Gaman? It was a name like that, and they said it’s good for reducing fever.”

The fact that everything pointed to was clear.

Everything from before the regression was starting again.

The eastern region had a lower elevation compared to other parts of the empire.

The sun rose the earliest and set the earliest there, and there were several large mountains throughout, so the precipitation was also less compared to other regions.

The fact that obtaining drinking water wasn’t an easy task in such an eastern region was where the entire incident began.

Children in the east often played by finding streams or valleys in the mountains, and some of them even carried water from there for their families to drink.

Since most of the water flowing to the plains was used for agricultural purposes, people always had to climb rough mountains to drink water.

Some even drank the leftover water downstream after it was used for agriculture.

With limited drinking water, water for washing was naturally scarce, and unless one was a noble or wealthy, washing daily was a luxury for commoners.

And that became the root of the problem.

“For now, it would be good to prepare all the goods in the merchant guild that Enerheim bought, leaving only the bare minimum.”

I gave Hayley brief instructions after a short pause.

“Since there will be a shortage of manpower, request some personnel from nearby branches in the capital, and since we don’t know how long it will take, have them prepare the goods with longer shelf life first.”

“…All of a sudden? If that’s the case, couldn’t we have just sold them to Enerheim?”

“The amount they took this time would be the best for them.”

In the eastern region, illnesses with unknown causes occasionally occurred, and usually, people suffered from high fever and recovered after being ill for a while.

Although some were left with scars on their bodies or their minds became strange…

Anyway, since they survived, people often brushed off these common illnesses in the east.

However, in the case of the illness that will occur this time, people gradually start dying.

At first, it starts with a mild fever accompanied by coughing, so most people mistook it for a common cold.

But as time passes, the fever rises, and in severe cases, it even leads to hemoptysis and difficulty breathing.

And eventually, it leads to a dreadful disease that results in death.

Even before the regression, when a terrible disease swept through more than half of the eastern region, I was the crown princess.

At that time too, I supported the east using the merchant guild.

However, the difference was that in the process, the merchant guild’s name was thoroughly concealed, and Lloyd was put at the forefront.

People called him the “Angel in Black” as he roamed the east wearing black clothes and a thick cloth covering his mouth and nose to tend to patients coughing up blood.

And that was the first step Lloyd took towards the imperial throne.

How could I have forgotten about that?

I told Hayley and Beatrice, who had puzzled expressions, to follow the instructions and stand by for now.

“I’ll go back to the palace and send someone. When that happens, you can load those goods and transport them to the east.”

“But young lady, the east is abundant in everything except water, right? If we unnecessarily make a move when there’s already a merchant guild controlling the east…”

“I know what you mean. But for now, can you please do as I say?”

Hayley rarely spoke with a flustered expression, but this was something I couldn’t explain or ask them to understand.

So I awkwardly smiled and chose to push through for now.

“Ah, and it would be good to have a few doctors who can accompany us.”

“Doctors?”

“Young lady, what on earth are you thinking?”

Beatrice and Hayley had expressions full of doubt at the sudden request to pack up, not to mention the unexpected mention of doctors.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand them.

However, it was something that needed to be done.

“Even if it’s hard to comprehend right now, you’ll be able to understand soon. Please, I feel like it has to be done.”

Fortunately, the two of them were the type to listen well to my words.

When I asked again, saying it had to be done, they nodded their heads with reluctant faces.

“If you insist that much, we have to do it.”

“Thank you, Hayley.”

“But as you said, it will take some time to prepare.”

“I know. For now, please hurry as much as you can.”

I finished speaking and stood up from my seat, and Beatrice, who still had a doubtful expression, rose with me.

“Then I’ll get going. If anything comes up, please contact me through Beatrice.”

“Yes, young lady.”

And with that, I turned around and left the merchant guild.

Now, it was time to go to the imperial palace.