The day after the pumps were smashed, the number of cholera patients brought in dropped sharply for the first time.
Not by one or two cases, either—the total number of new patients had fallen to fewer than a hundred.
Until then the curve had not merely been rising; it had been exploding almost exponentially. For it to suddenly plunge like that meant that, whether they wished to deny it or not, there was no longer any room left to do so.
"Good heavens… this is a miracle! A miracle!"
"To think John Snow's theory was actually correct…"
"It happened exactly as His Highness said."
The members of the Health Committee and the board immediately abandoned their lingering doubts and shifted their stance in unison.
"I trusted it from the beginning. After all, it was none other than His Highness who said it."
"As did I!"
"Hmm? Were you not the one calling John Snow a fraudulent quack? Now you're trying to quietly change sides?"
"Now see here, you're twisting my words. When did I ever call Professor Snow a fraud? I only said his claim was somewhat extreme. And is Professor Snow your personal friend? You should address him properly as 'Professor'!"
"Well, gentlemen, it may simply be that we were fortunate enough to see a brief lull for a day. We should continue observing the situation."
Of course, there were still a few voices urging caution.
But when another day passed and the number of new patients fell to the twenties, there was no longer any point in hesitation.
The reason the number had not dropped completely to zero was likely that some of the people who had previously drunk water from those companies' pumps had not yet finished the incubation period.
I did not know exactly how long cholera's incubation period was, but it could hardly be longer than one or two weeks.
Since the source of the contamination had already been cut off, I should be able to deliver the results I promised Parliament within two weeks.
But contrary to my thoughts, both Parliament and the committee already seemed convinced that I had fulfilled my promise and achieved meaningful results.
Even the Liberal members who usually tried to restrain me were now speaking with excited voices, busy praising my accomplishments.
"When His Highness requested the passage of the special bill, he promised to produce meaningful results within fifteen days. But look at this! Only two days after operations began, the number of patients dropped to a hundred. The next day it fell to the twenties. Now we can count them on our fingers. This is a miracle!"
"The British Empire has once again achieved a great accomplishment worthy of being recorded in history!"
"Parliament must lead in praising His Highness Killian and the medical staff under his command for their efforts and contributions!"
What was the thing politicians did best?
When results appeared somewhere, they rushed over to place a foot in the achievement.
For the first time in a long while, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party joined hands in a chorus of praise for Killian, issuing statements emphasizing how strongly they had supported me.
—The Royal Family of the great British Empire took the lead during this cholera crisis, striving more than anyone else to protect the lives of the citizens.
—Furthermore, Her Majesty's Parliament honored the will of the Crown by responding immediately to the request of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, passing a special law without delay and assisting the Royal Family in resolving the crisis…
Before the line had even properly been drawn, they had already hurried across it.
The ability to reposition themselves like that might truly have been world-class.
I had taken responsibility for everything and asked them to pass the bill—and now they packaged it like this.
Still, since Parliament had officially made such a declaration, the citizens who had been trembling in fear of cholera quickly regained their composure.
"Is it really over? We can go outside without worry now, right?"
"The cause was dirty water? Then going to work should be fine, shouldn't it?"
Naturally, in the nineteenth century the thing people feared most was not war or famine, but epidemics.
Before Edward Jenner—whom Britain proudly called its own—discovered the smallpox vaccine, a single outbreak of smallpox could claim countless lives.
And once smallpox subsided, cholera rose to become humanity's most terrifying infectious disease.
At its worst, cholera was every bit as dreadful as smallpox had once been.
Just a few years earlier there had been tens of thousands of deaths. In neighboring France, it was said that one hundred thousand people had died in Paris alone.
More recently, rumors claimed that nearly a million people had died in Russia.
London's population was currently estimated to be between two and a half million.
If one hundred thousand people died, that would mean nearly one out of every twenty citizens.
And that was only the death toll. If one counted the total number of patients, the figure would be three to five times higher.
In other words, in the worst case nearly one out of every four or five citizens could fall ill with cholera.
If the wealthy—who lived in cleaner conditions and were less likely to fall sick—were excluded, the proportion among ordinary citizens would be even higher.
When such fear spread across the entire city, the epidemic itself ceased to be the only problem.
In particular, there was a widespread but mistaken belief that cholera spread through the air, which made people reluctant to leave their homes at all.
Factories had to run, yet workers were too terrified to step outside. The capitalists must have been beside themselves.
Which meant that the easing of cholera's terror also meant that London's economy—on the verge of paralysis—had begun to revive.
That was why not only ordinary citizens but wealthy industrialists also burst into cheers and began singing my praises.
Amid such circumstances, I deliberately kept a low profile and behaved with greater humility than usual.
There was no need for me to boast when every newspaper in the British Empire was already competing to report the achievement.
[The Prince Consort of the British Empire Conquers Cholera! The Miraculous Decision that Saved Two Million Londoners!]
[His Royal Highness's Strategic Insight! Despite opposition, he appointed Professor John Snow, who rejected the miasma theory—proving that cholera spreads not through foul air but through water!]
The newspapers also wanted to write about Nightingale, the Saint of the Hammer.
But for the sake of preserving her image, I asked them—politely—to leave the hammer out of the story.
Even so, the impact was more than sufficient.
"His Highness has done great things for us once again."
"Indeed. Where did he find such wise men to assemble this medical team?"
"Diplomacy, war… and now medicine as well. From now on, I'll support whatever His Highness does."
"Support? That's not enough. I hereby withdraw my support and consider myself one with His Highness. Anyone who attacks him attacks me!"
"Hahaha! This man's completely lost his mind."
My popularity in London, which had already been soaring endlessly, shot upward yet again.
It had already been touching the ceiling—now it might as well have blasted straight through the sky.
"Long live His Highness Killian!"
"Thank you, Professor John Snow!"
"We love you, Nightingale!"
Wherever people gathered, I was told they spoke of nothing but these events, praising the medical staff.
"Please hit my head with the hammer too!"
There were even some rather strange remarks mixed in, but the nonsense of eccentrics was best ignored.
Riding this wave, Parliament proposed holding a commemorative festival under government leadership to dispel the public's lingering fears.
Prime Minister Charles Wellesley seemed greatly encouraged by the achievement and actively supported expanding the scale of the festival.
"Why not? To be honest, we allocated a great deal of budget expecting the cholera crisis to last longer. If we draw from that, there will be no problem. It might also help revive the sluggish economy."
"That may be true, but perhaps we should leave a little time before holding it. There are still many patients hospitalized. Such celebrations are best held when the number of patients reaches zero and the end of the epidemic can be declared. It will have more impact that way."
"That is a good point. I had not considered that."
"Please say that Parliament proposed the festival, but since there are still citizens suffering from cholera, we will celebrate together once they have all recovered. People will welcome that even more warmly."
"Haha, an excellent idea."
Following my suggestion, the Prime Minister officially announced the next day that the commemorative festival for the defeat of cholera would be postponed until the last patient had fully recovered.
He also made sure to add that this decision reflected my opinion—that it would be difficult to enjoy a celebration while patients were still lying in their sickbeds.
And so, with the support of the citizens—support that had now risen to something almost resembling religious devotion—
I completely subdued the great epidemic that had plunged London into terror.
The Conqueror of Cholera.
The Founder of Epidemiology.
The latter title would naturally belong to John Snow and Nightingale, but the fact that I had appointed them meant that I too received praise of comparable magnitude.
About a week later, when the cholera crisis had completely subsided, I returned to Parliament once again.
It was time to relinquish the position of Supreme Director of London's Public Health, which I had held under the special law.
"First of all, I am relieved that I was able to live up to the expectations of the honorable members who entrusted me with their confidence and support. The reason I was able to suppress cholera so quickly was because you granted me the necessary authority at the proper time. Had we delayed even a single day, hundreds more would likely have died.
In that sense, the swift judgment of the members here has saved the lives of hundreds—perhaps thousands—of London's citizens."
"Thank you for saying so."
"We hardly did anything. This was entirely thanks to Your Highness's wise and decisive actions."
Despite that, they had wasted no time issuing statements claiming credit the moment the number of patients dropped.
Still, since their behavior ultimately made me look even better, I had no intention of raising the matter here.
After all, a leading actor shines brightest when supported by capable performers.
If they were merely playing the role of harmless extras, I could overlook it.
"As promised, I have succeeded in suppressing cholera for the moment. Therefore, although the allotted time has not yet fully elapsed, I see no reason to continue holding the authority of Supreme Director of Public Health. I would like to step down from this position."
"You have truly worked hard. Parliament—no, the entire British Empire—will never forget the great achievement Your Highness has shown."
"Yes. However, aside from stepping down, there is one more proposal I would like to make. We have now confirmed that cholera spreads through contaminated water. Accordingly, under the leadership of Professor John Snow and Miss Nightingale, we investigated the sources from which these pumps draw their water. When they examined the lower reaches of the Thames—the original source—they reported that the pollution and stench were so severe that approaching it was frightening."
"Good heavens… If they were drawing water from such a place, proper purification would have been impossible. Should we move the intake points further upstream to cleaner water?"
"That would only be a temporary measure. The root of the problem lies in the miasma theory—which we now know to be false—because it led to London's waste being dumped directly into the lower Thames. Another critical cause is that the city's sewage and drainage systems have failed to keep pace with its rapid growth. Therefore, why not take this opportunity to improve the entire system?"
Perhaps because they had just witnessed a disaster on the scale of cholera, the members nodded without objection.
Until now they had believed that merely avoiding bad smells was sufficient. Now that they understood pollution itself could spread disease, there was little choice but to agree.
After all, no matter how wealthy or powerful a person might be, no one can live without water and food.
Since anyone could unknowingly drink contaminated water and contract cholera, the most important thing was to eliminate the cause altogether.
"Of course, such renovations will require a considerable budget and a significant amount of time. Therefore, the Royal Family is prepared to offer full cooperation."
"Oh! To think Your Highness had even considered that. One cannot help but be moved by your devotion to the nation."
"You flatter me. Since I am the one who raised the proposal, may I also take responsibility for overseeing the project? I will do my utmost to ensure that this city—at the center of the world—shines even more brightly in the future."
"Of course, of course! Who could be better suited for such a role than Your Highness? We wholeheartedly support it."
If the Royal Family fully backed the project, it meant the Crown would also provide funding, greatly reducing the financial burden on the government and Parliament.
And since the goal was clearly presented as an extension of the effort to eradicate cholera, it was practically impossible for Parliament to imagine a better candidate than me.
"Very well. Then according to His Highness's proposal, we shall relieve His Highness of the post of Supreme Director of London's Public Health and instead appoint him as the Supreme Director responsible for reviewing and reconstructing London's sewage, water systems, and overall infrastructure. If anyone has objections, please voice them now."
"I approve!"
"I second it!"
"Aaaaapprroooove!"
If some reckless soul had dared to shout opposition here, I might have invited him personally and asked his reasoning.
There was no one here capable of imagining what it truly meant to possess authority over the entire infrastructure of a metropolis like London.
Even the wisest man could hardly imagine it if he had never seen the scale of future megacities with populations of tens of millions.
With not a single voice raised in opposition and the chamber filled with unanimous applause,
I bowed deeply and accepted this new responsibility with pleasure.