“Travelers making food would find this perfect. I’ll bring one right away!”
“Ah, no. You really don’t have to rush like that……”
“Hehe! Actually, I already made a prototype. Would you take a look at this?”
President Paul pulled something out of his bag with a flourish.
It was a single-burner portable safe stove. The shape was a little different from what I had described, but it was unmistakably the item.
He made this without me even giving him extra instructions?
Honestly, it was praiseworthy.
I had not expected him to show this kind of initiative.
“We collaborated with President Theo to make it. What do you think?”
There were still a few areas that could be improved.
The current design looked like it would tip over in the slightest breeze.
“It would be better to make it lower to the ground. What if we attach the cartridge to the side and widen the base? That should give it much better stability.”
“Ooh! Exactly right. Your insight is truly the best, Chairman!”
In reality, I had done nothing at all.
I had simply described the shape of a modern gas burner.
I felt a little awkward, and President Paul quickly gathered up the portable stove prototype.
“Then I will take my leave.”
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
Once President Paul left, I immersed myself in the remaining tasks.
But suddenly Secretary Valisieta poked her head in.
“Mayor?”
“What is it?”
“We have quite a few visitors. How would you like to handle them?”
I was one of the busiest people in the Empire.
Probably far more people wanted to meet me than the Emperor himself.
Linking up with the Dapan Group could bring them tremendous business success, after all.
That was why appointments were usually scheduled in advance.
I was simply too busy to meet just anyone on the spot.
Even knowing that, some people still showed up unannounced like today.
They figure they will push their way in and see what happens.
If I started accepting that, it would only become a nuisance.
Everyone would swarm the mayor’s office.
Clear boundaries were the only way to keep things organized.
Still, I had a little free time today, and some strange whim struck me.
“How many are there?”
“Five people.”
“Send them in. And after this, do not accept any more.”
“Yes.”
Secretary Valisieta ushered in five middle-aged men.
Every one of them wore a black suit and tie.
With their fedoras on top, they looked exactly like Americans from the early 1900s.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace the Duke.”
“Let us skip the small talk. I normally would not do this, but I happen to have a moment.”
“Th-thank you!”
“Speak one at a time.”
I looked at the man on the far left and spoke.
The explanation poured out immediately.
“Hello! I am Teron Wilshi, president of Kublo Winery.”
“Nice to meet you. Go ahead.”
“Our product is a wine compressor. Turning the lever applies vertical force to squeeze grape juice out quickly.”
It was actually a pretty decent product.
It was quite crude and labor-intensive, but far better than the existing method.
Right now people crushed grapes with their feet to extract the juice.
From a hygiene standpoint, using a wine compressor was clearly superior.
But it is not without problems.
I gave President Wilshi a meaningful smile.
“What will you do about the bitterness?”
“Excuse me?”
“Using this machine to press the juice will make the wine much more bitter.”
“Th-that is……”
Teron Wilshi’s face darkened instantly.
He clearly had not expected me to pinpoint the wine compressor’s flaw.
He had probably planned to secure investment first and fix the issue later.
“This seems like something we do not need to bother with.”
I deliberately turned my head away as if losing interest.
A look of urgency crossed President Wilshi’s face.
“I am certain we can find a solution very soon.”
The fix was actually simple.
The bitterness came from crushing the grape seeds along with the fruit.
All they had to do was remove the seeds before putting the grapes into the compressor.
“Come back after you find it.”
“The winery’s operations have become difficult. Because of the bitterness, people have stopped buying our wine.”
“What if I provide the solution myself?”
“Pardon?”
“Would you be willing to sign an investment contract on somewhat more unfavorable terms?”
Teron Wilshi pressed his lips together tightly.
The wine compressor was probably the work of his lifetime.
He would not want to hand it over cheaply.
Of course, I had no intention of forcing an unfair contract either.
“Let us split the rights to the wine compressor four to six. This contract includes the condition that I hand over the solution as well.”
“Eh?”
“Ah, of course we will take the four.”
“……!”
President Wilshi’s mouth fell open and stayed that way for a long moment.
The terms were extraordinarily generous.
He had probably never received an offer like this before.
If someone had noticed the flaw, they would have tried to seize the machine entirely by citing defects.
They would have given a pittance in investment while demanding rights split nine-to-one or eight-to-two.
“Is it really all right to offer such generous terms?”
“So you do not like it?”
“No, that is not what I meant.”
Who would refuse money when it was offered?
I told him we would discuss the details later and sent President Wilshi out.
With the others still watching, I could not talk about production facilities or the solution.
For now, we would settle on a preliminary agreement.
I turned to the next person.
The men left in the office were all brimming with expectation.
They had just witnessed an incredibly favorable contract with their own eyes, so it was only natural.
But reality was not as kind as their hopes.
“No.”
“Rejected.”
“Where would we even use something like this?”
“Have a safe trip home.”
I sent the remaining four presidents away one after another.
They had brought truly absurd products.
The last one even suggested making bombs out of spirit wood.
We do not even have enough spirit wood for daily necessities. Weaponizing it is absolutely out of the question.
They might as well have suggested boiling water with it to spin a turbine and generate electricity.
Of course, that would not be possible right away.
The advantage of spirit wood was complete combustion.
Its firepower was weak and production volume was still insufficient.
“Ugh! Shall we call it a day here?”
I stretched my arms and legs and slid down the sofa like melting liquid.
My whole body felt as if it had turned to jelly.
It was because I had handled so many tasks right after returning.
But Secretary Valisieta knocked on the door again.
Knock knock.
“Mayor?”
“What now?”
The sharp reply slipped out before I could stop it; I was that tired.
Yet Secretary Valisieta’s expression did not waver in the slightest.
She truly was a top-class secretary.
I wondered what she had to say this time.
“His Majesty the Emperor has issued an imperial decree ordering you to enter the palace.”
“Excuse me?”
“He is asking why you have not shown your face yet even though you returned some time ago.”
Why is he acting up again all of a sudden?
I had no choice but to drag my exhausted body and trudge toward the palace.
Please stop calling me so often. Are there really no capable people in the royal family?
Thinking about it, I could guess why Emperor Karon kept summoning only me.
The imperial family genuinely had no one else.
Damn it. What could it be this time?
Deep inside the imperial palace.
I had visited so often that the place now felt familiar.
Emperor Karon was leaning back in his chair as usual.
He looked a little paler than before.
“Have you been well, Your Majesty?”
Of course I paid it no mind and performed the most perfect greeting I could manage.
Whether this uncle’s complexion was good or bad was none of my concern.
He could handle his own health.
Shugl said there is a half-demon here too.
He would probably keep things under control to some degree.
A person like the Emperor would have a half-demon completely under his thumb.
“You have come. It seems Peilly III was quite satisfied.”
“I did my best as ordered.”
“Good. Well done.”
Emperor Karon nodded with a calm expression.
When no further words came, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
I completed the mission. Where is my reward?
If I cleared a quest, he should at least give something.
No matter how lowly a subordinate I was, he was working me too hard.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, the corner of the Emperor’s mouth twisted upward.
“It looks like you are wondering why I have given you nothing.”
“N-not at all! I had quite a beneficial time there, so please do not worry about any reward!”
“I have heard the rumors. They say you returned with a strange new kind of fire.”
It seemed word of the safe stove had already reached the Emperor’s ears.
We had not even launched it properly yet.
Just how far do this man’s eyes and ears reach?
A chill ran down my spine.
But why bring it up so suddenly?
He was probably complaining that I had not brought it quickly enough.
“The safety inspection is not yet fully complete, so it is not suitable to present. I will install it in the palace first as soon as possible.”
“Ah, I see. Thank you.”
The moment I said I would deliver it soon, the uncomfortable atmosphere vanished completely.
Even the iron-blooded Emperor had said “thank you.”
People really do need to be quick on the uptake.
I let out a silent sigh of relief and bowed even lower.
But this could not be the real reason he had called me.
The Emperor never beat around the bush when he had actual business.
He had only been curious about the safe stove.
The main topic would probably come out soon.
I simply waited quietly for him to speak.
Sure enough, the Emperor slowly began.
“By the way, the movements in the east have been rather unusual lately.”
“The east…… Would that be the area guarded by Marquis Yates?”
It was a place with quite a deep connection to me.
The previous marquis, Hugo Yates, had received a fifteen-year prison sentence for killing a noble.
The fact that he had tried to pass his title and fortune to his illegitimate child had also been exposed to the entire world.
It was the result of my going to the Yates Marquisate and revealing the truth.
Thanks to that, everything had returned to its proper place.
The son had officially inherited the title in place of the imprisoned Hugo.
The corrupt tax officials and knights who had been gnawing away at the Yates Marquisate had all been arrested as well.
The Empire’s national defense had probably grown much stronger because of it.
The rotten ones are gone.
But why would the Emperor suddenly mention the east?
It had to be because the barbarians beyond the Yates Marquisate were stirring.
Like the northern nomads, the foreign powers there were also a constant headache for the Empire.
Huh? This feels like a familiar pattern.
Was this not exactly the situation that had sent Abel Carius to the north before I possessed him?
Of course, back then the imperial family’s power had been so weak that he had been pushed into it.
In any case, there was clearly a problem threatening the Empire’s safety.
I asked with a worried expression.
“Are you ordering me to go to the east?”
Of course the words were not truly out of concern for the country.
I genuinely did not want to go.
I had only just returned. Why send me straight to the battlefield?
Even a trash personality like this Emperor would not issue such an order.
“There is no need for that yet. However, it is true that national defense is unstable.”
“What would you have me do?”
After a brief pause, the Emperor spoke in a weary voice.
“Support the Yates Marquisate. I will place no restrictions on the method.”
“Understood.”
On the surface I looked resolute, but inside I was jumping for joy.
I would not have to travel all the way to the distant eastern border.
Simply pouring military supplies into the Yates Marquisate would restore national defense on its own.
I tried to leave before he could say anything else.
But the Emperor took something from his robe and held it out.
“What is this, Your Majesty?”
“A reward for a job well done.”
“Th-thank you.”
“You are not even going to ask what it is?”
I was not the least bit curious about the item.
My head was filled only with the desire to leave quickly.
But there was no need to ask.
A hologram message had suddenly appeared before my eyes.
[You have acquired a Half-Demon Authority Card.]
[The Authority Card will be converted into an item summon ticket.]
MC be like: Clock out clock out clock out 🤣