On this day, I had traveled to the heart of Nisir.
As the provincial capital of Almeria, Nisir bore the moniker City of Water. True to its name, an abundant supply of water was piped continuously throughout the city via a network of eleven aqueducts.
In the plaza at the center of town stood a massive fountain fed by a branch off one of those channels.
A crowd of Nisir residents had gathered around it, watching from a respectful distance.
Flanked and protected by a cordon of soldiers, I walked toward the fountain, which had been lavishly decorated for the occasion.
Draped across the top was a banner that read: "Special Grade Water Opening Ceremony."
Reaching the basin, I scooped up a cup of the gushing water and drank it down, followed immediately by another.
In an instant, a tremendous cheer erupted.
"Holy crap, the high-and-mighty lord actually drank it!"
"Up until now, you couldn't even drink First Grade water without boiling it first! Drinking it straight like that is incredible!"
"I hear the imperial prince made this happen! Special Grade water!"
"Unbelievable..."
Leaving the buzzing crowd behind, I downed one final cup before slowly making my exit.
Stepping into a tent pitched a short distance from the plaza, my subordinate Don greeted me.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Noah."
"Yeah. That wraps up the ceremony."
"Indeed. With the ceremony concluded, the Appia Aqueduct is now officially designated as a Special Grade aqueduct."
I gave a silent nod.
Upgrading the Appia Aqueduct to Special Grade had been my single largest undertaking since arriving in my fief.
"Still, I was truly astonished when I first arrived in Almeria. Everywhere you look, it's water, water, water," Don remarked in awe.
His gaze drifted toward the flush toilet in the back of the tent.
"You hardly ever see fixtures like this, even in the imperial capital."
"You mean that?"
Because I was an imperial prince, this tent had been pitched directly over a public facility for my convenience, but the toilets themselves were common installations throughout the city.
By channeling the region's rich water sources through its eleven aqueducts, Nisir, the provincial capital of Almeria, enjoyed access to clean running water day and night.
Calculated on a per capita basis, the volume of water available to the common populace was a staggering three times that of the imperial capital.
"Even so, isn't leaving it running constantly like that a terrible waste?"
"If we don't keep it running, we'll have a disaster on our hands."
"Pardon?"
"The water supplied to public toilets is Third Grade. First Grade is for cooking and drinking. Second Grade is for bathing and cleaning—not safe to consume, but harmless on the skin. Third Grade is for toilets like this, and for flushing the sewers so they don't back up."
"Flushing... the sewers?"
"Water turns filthy once it's used. Leave it sitting, and it causes blockages. That's why we have to keep a continuous flow going."
"I see."
"For that matter, any unused First and Second Grade water is kept flowing as well, diverted into the system to prevent sewage from backing up."
"Aha! I had always thought it would be less wasteful to install some kind of mechanism at the taps so the water only flowed when someone needed it. It was all for the sake of the sewers, then."
"Precisely....Right now, only one line is upgraded, but over time, I plan to convert the remaining ten to Special Grade as well."
"Why go that far?"
"It works the same way as a river. If the water carries sand and silt, sediment gradually settles and causes blockages. The same is true for aqueducts. Maintaining and clearing blockages from Third Grade water is surprisingly costly."
"Wouldn't Special Grade water be even more expensive, though?"
"Initially, yes. But over the long haul, it works out cheaper. Besides, clearing blockages from aqueducts occasionally costs human lives."
People are a treasure.
Hazards like that should be eliminated wherever possible.
"To think that far ahead... As expected of you, Lord Noah."
I smiled back at Don and tuned my ears to the commotion outside.
The people of Nisir were celebrating with wild enthusiasm, overjoyed by the arrival of Special Grade water they could drink straight from the source.
☆
"...Tsk."
A few days later, in my study in the mansion's outer court.
Looking at the reply that had arrived from Brother Oscar, I clicked my tongue in spite of myself.
"Is something the matter?"
Don, who had been attending to administrative duties in the corner of the room, noticed my frustration, rose from his seat, and came over.
"A letter from Brother Oscar."
"An official document from the Ministry of Finance?"
"No, for now, it's a personal letter. For the time being, at least."
With a sigh, I handed the correspondence to Don.
As he read through it, I turned the contents over in my mind.
It was a response to the budget request I had submitted to the Ministry of Finance.
One of the eleven lines, the Julia Aqueduct, required extensive maintenance due to accumulated sediment and structural damage along its run.
I had petitioned the Empire—specifically, the Ministry of Finance—for the necessary funds.
Oscar had politely declined the request under the guise of a personal letter.
"Next year... is it?"
Don looked up at me, and I gave a slight nod.
"He says this year's budget is exceptionally tight even for the Ministry of Finance. With funds tied up in the northern campaign, they simply cannot spare a coin. He's asking us to hold off until next year."
"...I have heard about the northern campaign." Don's expression turned grave. "The state coffers are indeed draining at an alarming rate. It is understandable that the Eighth Prince would take this stance."
"I know. That's precisely why my brother sent a personal letter. An official rejection would leave a permanent record of the Empire's financial distress."
In other words, the Ministry of Finance couldn't give what they didn't have.
"If we leave it alone, we'll have to shut it down by next week. Forcing it to remain in service will cause severe structural damage to the aqueduct itself. If that happens, routine maintenance costs won't begin to cover the repairs."
"...If it is only the Julia Aqueduct, would it really hurt to leave it alone for a year? It only carries Third Grade water, so it shouldn't immediately disrupt the people's daily lives..."
"The Julia Aqueduct may only carry Third Grade water, but it's our largest line by volume. If we shut it down, who knows what kind of havoc it will wreak on the public toilets and the sewers? The sewers cannot be allowed to clog. Nor the toilets. At worst, an epidemic could break out."
"Even so, you can't squeeze blood from a stone..."
"...For now, I'll pay for it out of my own pocket."
"What!?" Don gasped in utter disbelief. "You will cover it yourself, Your Highness? From your personal funds?"
"Yeah."
"B-But repairing and maintaining the Julia Aqueduct requires an enormous sum! It could compromise your own household finances! Please, reconsider!"
"I believe I told you once before."
"Pardon?"
"Proud endurance is the privilege of the nobility. Didn't I?"
Don's mouth hung open, his eyes wide with astonishment.
Leaving him to his shock, I calculated the required amount against my current liquid assets in my head.
If I liquidated a few antiques and treasures, it should be just enough.
I stood up, lost in thought, and gazed out the window.
I had to protect the beauty of this City of Water.
☆
A few days later, while I was tending to administrative work in the study as usual.
Having poured in nearly all the ready cash I possessed, I received a report from Don that maintenance on the Julia Aqueduct had begun.
"The damaged sections have been repaired. This ensures we will not need to suspend its operation."
"I see. That's a relief."
I stood up and looked out the window over Nisir, just as I had done days before.
The cityscape was as breathtaking as ever.
Blessed with fine weather, the public fountains scattered throughout the streets sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.
Then, something caught my eye.
A short distance from the estate, smoke and flames were billowing upward.
"This is bad."
"What is?"
"Look."
I stepped aside, and Don peered out from where I had been standing.
"A fire? That area... the buildings are far too densely packed."
Don understood my alarm immediately.
Indeed, the fire had broken out in a bustling commercial district.
Most of the buildings were built practically leaning against one another—a layout primed for flames to spread out of control.
In fact, the blaze had already engulfed several neighboring structures from its point of origin.
"What are your orders?"
"You arrange the evacuation of the residents. I'll go extinguish the fire."
"What? Ah, Lord Noah!"
Leaving a stunned Don behind, I leapt out the second-story window.
With all my attributes boosted to SSS rank, I was effectively in god mode.
Hitting the ground outside the mansion, I sprang onto the roof of a nearby house and sprinted across the rooftops, beelining for the scene of the blaze.
I needed to reach the site as fast as possible and suppress the flames using Leviathan.
Unleashing Leviathan at full power would likely demolish several buildings in the process, but in a fire, that was actually an advantage.
Blasting away the surrounding structures would double as an intentional demolition to create a firebreak, cutting off the blaze's path.
Drawing Leviathan from my bracelet and restoring the blade to its full size, I arrived at the scene—
"...Well now."
It seemed there was no need for my intervention after all.
The fire had broken out in a crowded commercial sector.
The area was home to a bustling marketplace and numerous eateries.
And—it had a dedicated Third Grade aqueduct line running straight through it.
It supplied water for washing down butcher blocks, and owing to the heavy foot traffic, the area had a higher concentration of public toilets than most districts.
The Third Grade aqueduct cut directly through the neighborhood.
Most of the local residents had already formed an extensive bucket brigade, drawing directly from that aqueduct.
Thanks to the boundless supply of water, though the fire had initially shown signs of spreading, the blaze was completely brought under control the moment the brigade sprang into action. Before long, the flames were fully extinguished.
☆
With nothing left for me to do, I returned to the study in the mansion.
Shortly thereafter, Don came back as well.
"How did things look?"
Don bowed respectfully and began his report.
"One building was completely destroyed, and four were partially burned. Aside from that, six individuals suffered mild smoke inhalation... That is the extent of it. Considering where the fire started, the damage is practically negligible."
"I see."
Getting away with so little destruction in such a tightly packed district was a massive stroke of luck.
"...Furthermore,"
"Hm? What is it? Something on your mind?"
"No. It's just... the water used to fight the fire was drawn directly from the Julia Aqueduct."
"Oh?"
"If the Julia Aqueduct had been shut down... this could have turned into a catastrophic conflagration on par with Coronthia, or perhaps even worse."
"Is that so?"
"Truly... you are incredible, Lord Noah. If we had suspended the water back then..."
Don looked at me, a profound sense of awe and reverence shining openly on his face.