Chapter 117
Promise
Translator : PolterGlast
"Masaru-sama,
over here please!"
"Ah, yes..."
Upon arriving at the
Imperial Castle Novark, someone who seemed to be a knight flew towards me with
tremendous momentum.
Led by him, I went
inside.
The inside of the
Imperial Castle was vast, and I passed many people on the way, but almost all
of them bowed their heads in an extremely respectful manner.
What kind of treatment
am I getting...? I'm not being thought of as a jackknife that snaps if you
touch it, or a bomb maniac who fires magic indiscriminately, am I?
I'm starting to get a
little scared.
"Masaru-sama,
this way."
"...Understood."
When I came before, I
was kept waiting in the guest room for quite a while, but this time it seems
I'm going straight through without entering any room.
This is definitely the
direct route to His Majesty the Emperor, isn't it?
Did I make a wrong
choice somewhere?
Did I do something
again?
The destination was
not the audience chamber, but a garden on the back side of the Imperial Castle.
Apparently, since it's
a tea party, it won't be that formal.
What appeared was a
garden with neatly trimmed trees and lawns.
Looking up, I could
see a huge parasol and a table set lined up beneath it.
Sitting there and
waving her hand towards me was Empress Emilia, dressed even more casually than
when I saw her in her private room before.
A straw hat and a
beautiful white dress.
The outfit, which was
too pure for a queen, was dazzling in the sunlight.
"Greetings, Your
Majesty..."
"Unlike last
time, today is a completely private occasion. Masaru-dono, you can relax."
"Um... then, I'll
take you up on that."
As soon as I sat
facing her, tea was served.
It was apparently some
kind of tea leaves from some region called something or other.
The nice middle-aged
man who seemed to be a butler gave me an explanation, but about 70% of what he
said didn't make sense.
But I think in an
aristocratic society, showing ignorance in such situations would make me look
like a fool, so I just nodded along as if I understood.
I cooled the tea and
drank it carefully, making sure not to make any noise.
Yes, it's delicious.
I sometimes drank the
tea bag tea at home, but this is on a completely different level.
There's no astringency
or bitterness, and instead, the fruity and fresh notes of the tea leaves come
forward, making it very easy to drink.
"It's
delicious."
"I'm glad to hear
that. These tea leaves are among my personal top 5 favorites in the
Empire."
(...Huh?)
Talking with Her
Majesty, I felt a slight sense of discomfort.
Something's off... Oh,
it's the way she talks.
Her tone is more
formal than when we met before.
Why is her tone more
formal in a private setting?
Is this the Empire's
casual way of speaking?
"Fufu, is my way
of speaking that strange?"
"It's quite
different from the first time, so it feels a bit off."
"The role
expected of me is that of a benevolent ruler. I'm merely trying to act as
feminine as possible as a merciful empress."
"I-I see..."
The Holy Elmore
Empire, where benevolent rulers and warlord rulers alternate to some extent, is
currently ruled by Empress Emilia, a benevolent ruler.
Therefore, she has to
maintain a demeanor that befits a benevolent ruler in front of her other
vassals.
I see, being an
emperor isn't easy.
"But I hear the
battle with the demons is intensifying now, wouldn't it be better to be in a
warlord ruler position?"
"Hmm, that's
true. So if there were someone excelling in military prowess, it would be a
different story... but all the royal candidates this time were inclined towards
being benevolent rulers. Among them, I was the most outstanding, so I became
the emperor. I have to say, I'm not very knowledgeable in tactics and strategy.
My expertise is limited to domestic affairs."
Well, now that I think
about it, a benevolent ruler might be better.
When you think about
it calmly, it's hard to believe that the emperor of such a huge country would
go to the front lines and wield power on the battlefield.
That makes me wonder
what kind of person the emperor was during the warlord ruler period...
"How strong were
the famous warlords of the past?"
"It is said that
King Roces VIII, who lived several hundred years ago, could split the ground
with his fists and create tsunamis with magic."
"Wow..."
I think I've become quite
strong myself, but even I can't do that.
Was it the power of a
powerful gift?
Or, if you master many
skills, will you eventually reach that level?
"Well, unless a
genius of that level appears, they cannot become a warlord. Therefore, it is
we, the benevolent rulers, who build the foundation of the empire. Besides, it
is not necessarily true that military power declines during the reign of a
benevolent ruler, you know?"
"Is it more like
an organized army is stronger than an overwhelming individual?"
"...Yes. As
expected of Masaru-dono, you understand well. Battles with demons and monsters
are often group-versus-group battles. Therefore, rather than suppressing the
surroundings with overwhelming individual power, it is more effective to
organically move a coordinated army. Maintaining logistics and indirect support
from an economic perspective are also not to be underestimated."
"I see, I
understand. There are many armies that have been crippled by logistics since
ancient times."
"You understand,
Masaru-dono? That's right, demons have far stronger physiques than us, and very
few regions actually engage in proper agriculture..."
Apparently, Empress
Emilia has a lot pent up, and she keeps talking about her hardships.
It's only natural, but
being an emperor seems to be an incredibly difficult job.
It seems particularly
difficult to supply goods so that officers and generals who neglect logistics
don't starve.
It's difficult to
procure food locally when dealing with demons, and if supplies aren't managed
well, they'll quickly run dry.
I like reading
historical novels and military science books, so I can follow the conversation
to some extent.
It's often said that
the most important thing in war is supply.
What? There are
examples like Hannibal, who rampaged in enemy territory for years without
proper supplies from his own country?
That's cheating, so it
doesn't count.
I still don't
understand why he could keep going in the 21st century. It's too much of a
cheat, even for military power.
"Even in wartime,
it's meaningless if the economy declines. We've increased trade with Salzburg
more than before to prevent the economy from stagnating, and we're carrying out
public works and strengthening the city's defenses so that the people don't
starve to death in winter..."
"I, I
see..."
Listening to her,
Empress Emilia's thinking is quite modern, and she seems to have a perspective
comparable to that of modern people living on Earth.
She seems to be a
complete amateur when it comes to combat, and her parameters seem to be
completely focused on domestic affairs.
She seems to want
everyone to have her perspective, but she's having a hard time spreading that
way of thinking throughout the empire.
She must have been
under a lot of stress.
Before I knew it, she
had picked up a bottle of wine and continued to talk more and more eloquently
as she drank.
Some of the things she
said made me break out in a cold sweat, like, "Wait, isn't that a state
secret?" I had no choice but to pretend I didn't hear them.
Please don't tell me
such things when I'm just a commoner!
Well, since I'm having
tea with the emperor one-on-one, I guess it's too late to worry about that.
...Right, I'm having
tea with the emperor right now.
That makes it suddenly
seem unreal.
By the way, it hurt
when I pinched my cheek.
Yes, this is
definitely a reality.
"...Pfft, what's
wrong, Masaru-dono?"
When I nodded, Empress
Emilia laughed at me for some reason.
Pinching my cheek to
see if it was a dream or reality doesn't seem to be common in the empire.
I felt a little
embarrassed, so I decided to eat the sweets in front of me.
Since it's something
that might go into the emperor's mouth, it must be a super high-class item.
I'll take this
opportunity to see the skills of the other world's pastry chefs.
"Delicious..."
It wasn't like all the
moisture in my mouth was taken away by the flour, or it was so sweet that I'd
get a stomach ache from eating just a little because of the large amount of
sugar used.
Each cookie was
surprisingly elegant and had a moderate sweetness.
Even the chiffon cake,
with its abundant coating of cream, was surprisingly not cloying to the palate.
I once heard somewhere that food is an indicator of a culture's level of
development, and if this is true, it would seem that the empire is very well
developed.
Considering how happy
Miku was with the food at home, perhaps the empire is the only place with such
a great food culture.
Ah, maybe the heroes
before us were also protected by the empire, and that's how diverse food culture
developed...?
"Snore...
mumble..."
While I was thinking
about the sweets situation in the other world, I realized that Empress Emilia
had fallen asleep on the table.
Next to her lay an
empty bottle of wine.
What, no way, she
finished another bottle!?
"Our apologies,
it seems Her Majesty has caused you trouble."
"N, no, please
don't worry about it!"
Looking at the
sleeping Empress Emilia, I noticed that a towel blanket had been placed on her
shoulders.
W, when did that
happen...? It was so fast, even I missed it.
The nice middle-aged
butler's movements are too smooth.
He probably has many
skills and uses them all for his work.
"It's been a long
time since Her Majesty was this lively."
"H-haha, is that
so?"
Why is she so open
with me, whom she doesn't know very well...? Or is it the opposite?
She doesn't know me,
and more importantly, I'm not from this world.
In this medieval-like
world, royal authority is absolute.
I use honorifics, but
I don't have much respect, so it might be easier for her to talk to me.
However, I was
planning to have a serious conversation about accepting our classmates, but it
ended up being just a time to listen to her complaints.
...Well, this is fine
too. It won't hurt to get along with Empress Emilia.
It would be a problem
if the empire became unstable, and if I can help, I don't mind listening to
her.
The king of a great
power must be under a lot of stress, so I'll listen to any complaints.
"Mumble... I've
got your word..."
"--Eh!?"
"Snore,
snore..."
"...What, was it
just sleep talking?"
It was just
sleep-talking... right?
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