Chapter 23: The Emperor’s New Gift

“Khh! This is what normal looks like.”

The road was beautifully cleared.

All the illegal stalls that had sprouted on both sides were now completely gone.

The captain of the capital guard had personally swept them away.

With the justification that they were committing crimes on the Emperor’s land, who would dare hesitate?

Even though the stall merchants had been crushed, the crowds in Midias showed no sign of thinning.

On the contrary, even more customers were pouring in.

‘The porcelain and various tools have started spreading by word of mouth.’

Even relatively well-off households couldn’t dream of silver platters.

Ninety-nine percent of the capital’s residents used wooden cups and wooden tableware.

But what if far prettier and more hygienic dishes appeared?

It was only natural they would sell like wildfire.

And the prices were quite reasonable.

The slight drawbacks of being fragile and heavy weren’t even considered.

“One set of bowls, one set of cups, please!”

“Me too! Me too!”

People desperately clamored to buy.

Because each person was limited to one set, they had to visit the Midias shop every day.

Until the entire family had everything they needed.

Even then, the customers never decreased.

‘Because the rumors keep spreading.’

Already, visitors from neighboring territories were increasing.

Wholesale inquiries were lining up endlessly.

“Maybe it’s time to release a bit more stock…”

“No, Your Highness.”

I muttered to myself when someone suddenly jumped out, waving both hands wildly.

It was Chief Steward Miller Xavierre.

“There doesn’t seem to be any real problem.”

“Increasing cloth production isn’t a big issue, but the other items only have one craftsman each.”

“OH!”

They produced so well that I had completely forgotten.

Porcelain was solely Adam’s domain; tools were Theo’s.

They were already nearing overload.

Increasing production here?

It wasn’t something you could squeeze out by force.

Recruiting new craftsmen was difficult too.

Theo had merely copied dwarven techniques, but Adam was purely relying on his own abilities.

‘There’s no way he can teach porcelain-making. The guy doesn’t even use a kiln!’

Just when the business was sailing smoothly, the brakes were being applied.

Already, reselling my goods was rampant throughout the capital.

Most were people who needed to put food on the table more urgently than owning nice things.

I was letting it slide for now, but it couldn’t continue forever.

The ones buying in bulk were the trading companies, and those bastards would take the goods on the road and sell them at exorbitant prices.

‘Then the meaning of me changing the world would fade.’

How could I maintain the prices going forward?

The answer was simple.

Just churn out an insane amount of goods.

If supply overflowed, prices would naturally fall.

And I would have to intervene in distribution too.

So no one could play tricks in the middle.

“For now, focus only on increasing cloth production. I’ll think about the rest.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And I’m planning to establish a trading company. Do you have any talent to recommend?”

“I’ll look into it immediately.”

“You must be busy, but I’ll leave it to you.”

“We’re recruiting more staff, so things are gradually getting better. Haha!”

Steward Miller Xavierre was continuously training successors.

The number of workers at the mansion and factories kept growing, but there weren’t enough managers.

I hadn’t deeply involved myself in personnel matters yet, but that might change.

Ever since the employee management tab appeared, I could instantly spot anyone slacking off.

“Is there anything else to report?”

“Ah! It’s not a big deal, but someone came from the imperial palace.”

“Hm? Why?”

“His Majesty the Emperor summons you to the palace.”

“……!”

For a moment, my entire body froze.

It felt like my blood had turned to ice.

‘Why the hell is he saying something so important so casually?’

When I stared at him in disbelief, Steward Miller Xavierre answered like this:

“Aren’t you loving cousins? Just go have a nice chat.”

He seemed to be severely mistaken—being relatives didn’t make that man affectionate.

I clutched my forehead and asked,

“Did he say anything else? Like the reason for the summons?”

“There was no specific mention.”

“Phew. Understood. I’ll prepare at once.”

“Yes, then.”

Steward Miller Xavierre left humming, but I couldn’t laugh.

I had no idea why I was being called.

‘Can’t I just live quietly as a king in my own lands? Why does he keep provoking me?’

But there was no choice.

The moment that monster drew his sword, every successor to the throne would lose their heads.

And the number one candidate was obviously me.

“Damn it.”

A curse slipped out, but I had no option except to hurry to the palace.

If I was late, who knew what that capricious bastard would say.

***

The atmosphere of the imperial palace, which I hadn’t visited in a while, felt quite different.

Probably because the season had changed.

Yet my reluctance to come was exactly the same as before.

Why the hell did I have to set foot in this cursed place?

‘By the way, why is he calling me again? Lately I haven’t even sold him out that much…’

I had barely mentioned the Emperor in trials.

Only when I chased away the trading-company lackeys disguised as small merchants.

But that wasn’t forced—it was the truth.

Opening stalls without permission and turning everything into chaos was their fault.

“It doesn’t feel like he called me just for that.”

His mental state was highly suspect, but the Emperor was no fool.

Nor was he remotely warm.

He wouldn’t summon me just for small talk.

He was definitely going to make some bizarre demand.

Like when he gave me the lands taken from Counts Titus and Brayden.

‘In the end, it turned out to be tremendously helpful.’

Thanks to opening the textile factory and running it brilliantly, there wasn’t a whisper of criticism.

On the contrary, only voices of praise grew louder.

That was how much positive influence I had exerted.

Of course, Count Titus and the Sierre noble faction probably hated it.

“As you know, from here you must go alone, Your Highness.”

“Ah, thank you.”

After the formal guidance of the imperial guard ended, I stood before the Emperor’s office.

I gripped the handles with both hands and flung the doors open with all my strength, just like last time.

“I come to see His Imperial Majesty—”

But this time I couldn’t burst in shouting with vigor.

Because the person waiting in the office was not just the Emperor.

A woman in her thirties with luscious golden hair.

The Empress gently shook her teacup with a smile.

As befitted the mother of the empire, she was dazzlingly beautiful.

Yet I could detect the madness hidden in her eyes.

‘A true madwoman with clear eyes. You can tell just by looking at her eyes.’

The Emperor was insane—did anyone expect the Empress to be sane?

Just as physiognomy is science, so is “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander”…

‘What the hell am I thinking? Get a grip!’

I was in front of the lunatic Emperor.

If I showed even the slightest lapse, unimaginable nonsense could come flying.

I bowed as politely as possible and said,

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesties.”

“Have you been well, cousin?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s grace, vast as the sea. I merely placed a spoon on a table already set.”

“Kekeke! Your flattery has improved while we haven’t seen each other.”

Emperor Karon let out a low laugh.

The chilling atmosphere was no different from before.

Yet today, for some reason, it felt a little softer.

How much softer compared to the past? About the hair on an ant’s leg?

An absurdly tiny change, but I could feel it.

Was it because my senses had sharpened?

“They say the praise for Duke Carius pierces the heavens these days—your face certainly looks radiant!”

At the Empress’s words, I involuntarily flinched.

Was this praise or sarcasm? The wording was impossible to tell.

Normally, “the heavens” referred to the Emperor.

Had my praise reached even there?

It sounded like she was indirectly accusing me of treason.

‘What did I even do?’

I only sold good products cheaply.

And I even sent the very best items as gifts to the Emperor.

Honestly, it might just be my persecution complex.

But the Empress was the woman who had reached the pinnacle of the intrigue-filled imperial palace.

I had to give the most flawless answer possible.

“How could that be praise directed at me? Everything happened on the land Your Majesty graciously bestowed. It is all thanks to Your Majesty’s virtue.”

“Hohoho! What a splendid way of thinking.”

As expected, the Empress’s reaction was calm.

For a brief moment, an expression that seemed to say “not bad” flickered across her face.

Wait—then the subtle jab just now was real?

‘Wow. What a terrifying woman.’

Goosebumps rose on my skin as I swallowed dryly.

Then the hitherto silent Emperor Karon smirked and spoke.

“Yes. I received the gifts well. You sent something quite interesting.”

“I selected the finest items possible, but I wasn’t sure they would please you.”

“They were acceptable. Perfect for using as a chamber pot.”

Whether it was praise or insult was impossible to tell—he was just like her.

Yet facing that serious expression made me wonder if he had always been like this.

Anyway, it seemed he liked the gift I gave.

Even if it was a chamber pot, he said he would use it.

Well, maybe his piss contains gold dust.

That would be the only liquid worthy of celadon.

‘Now, will you finally reveal your true intentions? Why did you call me?’

Everything said so far had been meaningless.

Except for testing whether I harbored any disloyal thoughts.

I deftly changed the subject and held my response.

“Thanks to the escort you sent, my range of movement has widened.”

“I couldn’t just stand by after you were ambushed by bandits. He should be quite useful—I picked him myself. Besides, if you died to some random blade, it would only breed unnecessary suspicion, wouldn’t it?”

Behind that beaming smile lay a hidden blade.

At the same time, a hint that he could kill me anytime if needed.

I kept my nerves taut and continued.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. For some reason, today you seem to radiate an aura. Has something good happened?”

“Are you planning to become a fortune-teller now? You guessed correctly before I even said anything.”

“H-ha, haha! It only means I hold Your Majesty in… that is, in awe.”

That was honestly dangerous just now.

I almost said I was very interested in him.

That could be interpreted in many ways.

Like coveting the Emperor’s throne.

Fortunately, I corrected it quickly, so it didn’t become a big issue.

The Empress merely watched with amusement.

“There is good news. A victory report arrived.”

“Which region, may I ask?”

The empire was almost always at war.

Only by subjugating neighboring countries into vassal states could the borders be stabilized.

Abel Carius’s exploits in the north had been part of the same effort.

Emperor Karon smiled with satisfaction.

“The west. They say it has finally been completely pacified.”

“Ahh, my congratulations. The western desert tribes have always been a headache.”

“Speaking of which.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Watching you govern the Midias region gave me a certain conviction.”

The moment those words left his mouth, I felt the atmosphere turn ominous.

The Emperor’s voice had suddenly become gentle.

I looked at those mad eyes with growing unease, and then a bolt from the blue struck.

“You’ll have to go to the west for me. The position of Governor-General has just opened.”

Are you fucking insane? What did you just say?