Chapter 89: The Rabbit and the Hound

I looked up at the emperor with a dazed expression.

But I couldn’t discern any hidden intent.

My cousin was a master at keeping a poker face, after all.

I just came here to explain the greater cause…….!

Wasn’t that the case?

A so-called first-class meritorious subject who went on sword rampages whenever he got drunk.

And do you know what was really cunning about him?

None of the victims were nobles.

Even though people of various statuses were gathered nearby.

What did that mean?

He wasn’t blackout drunk to the point of no memory.

Marquis Yates had clearly chosen his targets.

Swinging his sword only at those who wouldn’t cause him much trouble if slashed.

If a guy like that kept acting disgracefully while claiming to be a first-class meritorious subject? It would only end up tarnishing the emperor’s honor. That’s what I came to say, and suddenly he’s telling me to crush the Yates marquisate?

“Your Majesty, this humble servant is dull and finds it hard to understand your words.”

“Ah, I forgot to explain why to crush it. I intended to, of course.”

“Your grace is boundless.”

“It’s nothing special as far as reasons go. The Yates marquisate hasn’t sent taxes for several years now.”

The Enpher Empire was a perfectly centralized state.

In the past, under feudalism, lords handled everything from title inheritance to tax collection.

But now, with imperial authority firmly established, the government controlled it all.

Titles were maintained on the condition of remitting a portion of the harvest.

No, even for a guy living with his guts hanging out, this crosses way too many lines, doesn’t it?

Pissing off the emperor could still get your head chopped off.

When I looked at him quizzically, Emperor Karon twisted up the corner of his mouth.

“Meritorious subjects get tax exemptions for a few years, don’t they? I’ve been overlooking it until now.”

“Ah!”

Now I understood what had happened.

Marquis Yates must not have paid taxes even after the exemption period ended.

But what do you know?

The emperor had just turned a blind eye.

So he probably thought that was a perk of being a meritorious subject and kept delaying payments.

But now, it seemed the emperor’s patience had run out.

Why suddenly?

Wasn’t he the one who played the biggest role in putting him on the throne?

Not paying some taxes seemed like a weak excuse to cast him aside.

When I looked up questioningly, the emperor snorted.

“Hunting season is over.”

The rabbit caught, the hound boiled.

A classic move from the notoriously cold-blooded Emperor Karon.

But why me, of all people?

Wasn’t I the one who had just sent Marquis Yates to prison?

And now he wanted me to raid the guy’s territory too?

It was the perfect way to trash my image.

Not as a fair judge, but as a sharp blade to wield.

My mind was a whirlwind of complexity, but one thing was clear.

I had no right to refuse.

If I wanted to swing a pickaxe alongside Hugo Yates, I could speak my mind freely.

Why not give it a shot this time?

“I accept Your Majesty’s command.”

Of course, I wasn’t crazy enough to do that.

Besides, it wasn’t that unreasonable an order.

Marquis Yates’s honor was already buried deep underground.

And he hadn’t paid taxes on top of that—raiding him a bit wouldn’t send my image to the abyss.

In that case, I should clean him out thoroughly to avoid any backlash.

I turned to leave the palace with a grim expression.

But then, the emperor’s voice came from behind.

“Ah, but cousin.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I spun around smoothly and knelt on one knee naturally.

As if I’d never intended to leave in the first place.

“Nice moves.”

“You’re too kind. But what calls me back?”

“About the clothes you sent.”

“Did they suit your taste?”

“The size doesn’t fit.”

“……”

It was custom-made—how could it not fit?

This had to be him nitpicking to mess with me.

I racked my brain frantically for an escape.

But before I could come up with a proper response, the emperor spoke first.

“I’ve been bulking up lately, so I’ve gotten bigger. Make me another.”

Why would an emperor bulk up?

It was absurd, but if that’s what he said, what could I do?

“Yep!”

I answered energetically and hurried out.

Lest I linger and hear something else.

As I closed the door and turned, I heard the emperor’s low chuckle.

Whew! Even his jokes are terrifying.

Though I’d received the emperor’s command, I didn’t head straight to the Yates marquisate.

I wasn’t going alone—I had to accompany the imperial tax collectors.

My role was to supervise them.

“But I can’t keep leaving my post like this.”

I’d started so many businesses, after all.

I figured I’d have to hold off on expansions until things stabilized a bit.

Most of them would run fine on their own if left alone.

But the fashion business was just getting started.

I needed to keep an eye on it for a while to make sure it didn’t go off track.

Ahem! Ahem!

As I was touring the business sites, a fake cough suddenly rang out.

Not in my ears, but directly in my head.

Only two beings in the Carius Duchy did that.

One was Shugl, nestled in my pocket, slurping up spiritual energy.

The other was Adam, working in the pottery workshop.

“What brings you here?”

I looked at the figure before me with a puzzled expression.

Adam had come all the way to the Midias shopping district.

He knew he looked menacing, so he usually avoided going out.

But today, for some reason, he was out in the open on the street.

And come to think of it, he was decked out in the suit I’d given him.

“How’s the outfit?”

—This is exactly what I wanted. Not only the style, but it fits perfectly too.

Adam struck various poses with a satisfied look.

It made him seem like the real protagonist of Beauty and the Beast.

The issue was him loitering in the Midias shopping district.

What good was a fancy tuxedo?

They say fashion is completed by the face, so this was bound to end badly…….

“Oh my! Mr. Adam, you look so cool!”

“Sturdy build, rugged face. And that warm gaze as a twist. Perfect!”

“Could I get your autograph, please?”

What the hell is going on here?

A dozen women swarmed over.

I examined their faces with a bewildered expression.

Surprisingly, they were all quite pretty.

From their attire, they weren’t nobles.

But they seem well-off?

Roaming around in broad daylight without work was a huge privilege in itself.

And doing something so frivolous, no less.

Probably daughters of knights, low officials, or merchants.

—Heh heh! If it’s a request from the ladies, I’ll gladly oblige.

Adam oozed a sleazy line as he scribbled autographs on paper.

“Kyaa! Even your signing pose is cool!”

“Can I touch your arm? Your muscles look like they’re about to burst the clothes.”

It looked ridiculous to me, but the women were going wild.

He was actually all water weight and a coward, but his smugness was truly unsightly.

Still, I couldn’t really intervene.

It wasn’t disrupting business, after all.

In fact, it was helping.

Conversations like this were spreading.

“A guy who looks like that gets so popular just by wearing those clothes.”

“Should I save up for a suit?”

“But the price is pretty steep.”

“Don’t get custom-made—buy off-the-rack.”

“Do they have those? Let’s check at the Midias clothing store anyway.”

What kind of thought process was that?

Just seeing that scene sparked a massive buying urge?

Then, my jacket pocket suddenly wriggled, and Shugl poked his head out.

—Hoo? That guy’s a real pro.

“What do you mean?”

—He looks like that, but he’s captivating human hearts. He must be using some demigod authority.

“You can sense that?”

—No.

“Come on, you’re just jealous.”

—Yeah. I want to do that too, but I can’t, so that’s why.

“You suck up honey and stick around, so maybe pipe down a bit.”

Shugl pilfered spiritual energy from people bowing to me.

It was basically auto-farming.

That’s why he clung to me like glue.

Once his body filled up with spiritual energy, he’d sprawl out on the office sofa or something.

Digesting all the accumulated energy.

Anyway, Adam was a surprisingly good model.

Maybe I should sell suits a bit cheaper now. Divided by sizes.

Of course, that required production capacity to back it up.

Right now, even handling the current stock was overwhelming.

I’d been trying not to expand, but.

The fashion business was too popular to avoid it.

“Steward Wilkins?”

“Ah! My apologies, Your Grace. I didn’t notice you arrive.”

“It’s fine if you’re busy. How much stock is left?”

“It’s all sold out. The tailors are even working overtime, but at this rate, we might have to close for a few days.”

“No need to rush and cause accidents. Post a notice that we’re closed tomorrow.”

“Is that alright?”

“Of course. It won’t reduce demand for our products. Besides, it’s time to change styles.”

So far, the Midias clothing store had only sold beige T-shirts, black pants, and brown wool coats.

But now, with Vargas’s dye, we could make far more colorful options.

And going forward, I planned to make women’s clothing too.

It’ll probably sell like crazy. Women are more into fashion than men.

For one, commoners in this world didn’t distinguish between men’s and women’s clothes.

They wore whatever they could get.

But from the middle class up, flashy styles were in vogue.

Corsets to cinch the waist tight were standard.

Plus tools to make skirts puff out wide.

I can’t change noble culture overnight.

No matter how light and stylish the clothes I made, if they didn’t sell, it was pointless.

The current hits were selling because they were cheap and high-quality.

The suits only took off because I’d worn them for promotion.

“Huh? Why not just keep doing what we’ve been doing?”

The middle and lower classes tended to imitate the upper class anyway.

And I had a female acquaintance with insane influence.

What if the empress wore clothes I made?

Like the suits, it’d be a massive success.

Since I had to remake the emperor’s outfit anyway, I could slip in a set and call it matching.

I smiled meaningfully.

“Since stock’s out, let’s wrap up. Post the notice as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

After giving brief instructions and turning to leave, I saw someone rushing over from afar.

It was Vargas, his robe still clean, so he hadn’t blown anything up yet.

“Your Grace!”

“You’re not here because you caused another accident, right? I told you to lay low for a while.”

“Ah, of course not. I just ran over because an amazing idea hit me.”

“What is it?”

“This universal dye, right?”

“Yeah?”

“It works on hair too. I just tried it.”

Come to think of it, Vargas’s hair was pitch black today.

He usually had some gray strands.

It felt like I might need to open a hair salon too.

“I was trying not to expand the business anymore, but fate won’t leave me alone.”

Was this a divine sign to earn more?

Ah, but I don’t need money.

Heh.

But why was I grinning?