I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 192 : Chapter 192

Time flowed quickly.A month had already passed since Ronak's 1st Fleet occupied the Jerpan Archipelago.

During that time, I received various reports from Ronak through the ‘Communication Crystal Ball.’

‘The important reports… are that the remaining lords in the Jerpan Archipelago revolted but were suppressed in an instant by the Griffon bombardment, and that the people of the Jerpan Archipelago welcomed us.’

I had somewhat expected that the remaining lords in the Jerpan Archipelago would revolt.

If I were one of those lords and another kingdom suddenly came with ships to occupy my land, I would naturally have revolted too.

‘Still, if they had known Ronak's military strength well, they wouldn't have dared to defy him.’

The Griffon Knight Order, dropping Chomsky’s Madans from the sky.

In a way, they were no different from modern-day bombers or fighter jets. And even in modern warfare, bombers and fighter jets are ‘overwhelming’ strategic weapons.

‘At least in modern warfare, there are weapons to counter bombers and fighter jets, but in this world, there are almost none.’

Strictly speaking, it wasn't that there were no means to counter the Griffon Knights.

The bows of the Elves, or magic from a wizard on the level of Seria or the Mage Tower elders could shoot down the Griffon Knights.

But I knew that, so I had the Griffon Knights undergo a lot of aerial evasion training.

Although the value of a life cannot be measured numerically, the value of a single Griffon Knight was greater than a thousand soldiers or knights, so I prioritized their safety above all else.

‘So I asked the Dwarves to make exclusive armor for the Griffons… but there's no news yet. Is it because I asked them to make it light yet sturdy, with magic resistance, and without hindering the Griffon's flight?’

Come to think of it, my request seemed a bit excessive.

Nevertheless, the reason I made such a request was because the Griffon Knights were that precious, and on the other hand, because I believed in the Dwarves’ skills.

‘The Dwarves’ skills are no joke.’

Although I didn't know much about blacksmithing or crafting skills, according to reports, the renowned craftsmen of the kingdom were said to have marveled at even the minor techniques of the Dwarves.

There were also reports that those craftsmen learned the techniques from the Dwarves and spread them throughout the kingdom, and thanks to that, the prices of farming tools and weapons had lowered while their quality improved.

Even I, who had little knowledge of blacksmithing or crafting skills, knew that the Dwarves’ skills were amazing.

‘If even the minor techniques of the Dwarves can affect the entire kingdom, if they get serious and research it, they will surely be able to make Griffon armor.’

I stopped my thoughts there for now.

Tap, tap—.

I tapped the documents I was checking on the desk to tidy them up. Then I leaned my head back on the chair’s headrest.

‘There are still a lot of documents to process… but right now, there’s something I need to prepare for.’

The occupation of the Jerpan Archipelago was proceeding smoothly.

The kingdom was also peaceful, and crops and livestock were growing well.

The children were energetic, and the elderly were happy.

Thus, the interior of the kingdom was stable.

But what I needed to prepare for were problems coming from outside the kingdom.

‘It's about time for the Angla Empire's envoy to arrive. They’ll probably come in about 1-2 weeks.’

“Elly.”

I spoke to Elly, who was watching me from a corner of the room.

“I want to be alone for a moment. Can you step out?”

“Yes, I understand, Your Highness. I will be just outside the door, so please call me anytime.”

“Okay. Or you can go to your room and rest. I’ll call you with the crystal ball.”

“I will stay outside the door. That way, I can come quickly when Your Highness calls.”

Click—.

Elly insisted on waiting just outside the door.

It would be better for her to rest in her room since I wouldn't be calling for a while… but I guess it didn't matter.

The reason I sent Elly out of the room was to read the .

After I became more comfortable dealing with Elly, I would sometimes leave her in the room when I read the , but recently, the way Elly looked at me had become somewhat intense, so it was a bit burdensome to read the diary with her around.

Anyway.

Swoosh—.

I opened the .

To the part of the future closest to the present.

***

Three months after Ronak's 1st Fleet occupied the Jerpan Archipelago.

Good news came that most of the rebels and bandits within the Jerpan Archipelago had been dealt with. There were some who were injured in the process, but no one had died.

What was most fortunate was that Loa was also healthy.

Just as it seemed one big issue was passing.

Another message arrived that would complicate my thoughts.

It was an envoy from the Angla Empire.

“By the order of the great Emperor, the Emperor of Iron and Blood, Caturos, the King of Plank shall personally attend his seventieth birthday celebration. Furthermore, His Majesty has commanded that the knight Jereuth, who fought alongside him on the old battlefields, must be present.”

The envoy from the Angla Empire spoke as if he were superior.

It was unpleasant, but for now, I treated the envoy politely.

As long as I didn't know how strong the Angla Empire was, I couldn't act on my feelings.

***

Nothing had changed from what was previously written.

The content would probably change depending on what decision I made, or how I responded when the envoy actually came.

‘To be honest, I don't want to get involved with the Angla Empire. I like the current state of things just fine.’

The current state of the kingdom was perfect. It was peaceful, safe, and all the monsters had been hunted, so there were no dangerous elements at all.

So, if possible, I wished it would stay this way until I died.

‘But rejecting the Emperor's invitation is a bit of a burden. If he gets offended by my rejection, he might start a war.’

Considering Jereuth’s previous assessment of the Emperor, it didn’t seem like he would start a war for such a ridiculous reason, but… thinking about history, I couldn't be complacent.

The great wars that changed the course of humanity sometimes started from very trivial things.

‘And above all… I shouldn't remain a frog in a well.’

Just as the wizards of the Mage Tower watched, learned from, and admired the magic of the Elves.

And just as the craftsmen watched, learned from, and admired the skills of the Dwarves.

I might also have something to learn if I went to other empires or kingdoms. The charisma of those who had sat on the throne longer than me, or their attitudes.

‘And I'll be able to get a slight sense of whether the Plank Kingdom's military strength is stronger or weaker than the surrounding nations.’

Although I had overwhelmed the Jerpan Archipelago with the ‘Griffon Aircraft Carrier,’ perhaps that was a military strength that other empires and kingdoms had possessed for a long time.

It meant there could be military power I couldn't even imagine. Maybe tanks, or missiles… things like that could exist.

In fact, such things did exist during the Joseon Dynasty. Of course, they weren't on the level of modern tanks or missiles.

‘In any case, I need to go to the continent to see and learn. And if possible… it would be even better if I could recruit talented individuals with knowledge and information that the Plank Kingdom lacks.’

The Plank Kingdom was run on the basis of my ‘mighty’ authority.

My word was the law, and my judgment was the future of the kingdom.

And since I had the right now, the broad direction of the kingdom was not a problem.

However, the detailed parts of the kingdom were a different story. For now, Olivia and the lords dispatched to each territory were doing a good job, but they would eventually be overwhelmed.

‘In fact, the volume of reports coming in now has increased severalfold compared to when I first wore the crown.’

I thought as I looked at the reports piled high on my desk, which were still numerous even though I had checked many of them.

‘I definitely need more talented people. Or at least teachers who can nurture those talents.’

At this point, it felt like my purging of most of the nobles in the past was coming back as a boomerang.

But well… at that time, I thought it was the best choice.

Hmm—.

I finished my thoughts while looking at the ceiling.

‘For now, let's accept the Emperor's invitation. And go with Jereuth.’

Was there anyone else to take besides Jereuth?

‘First, I'll have to take Elly. I need someone to attend to me.’

If I didn't have an attendant, the Angla Empire would probably provide a maid, but that wouldn't look good for my image.

Although this would be my first time going to another country, I knew enough not to give them an excuse to look down on me.

‘There's no need to pretend to be strong on purpose. But there’s also no need to pretend to be too weak.’

I continued my thoughts.

‘I’ll ask Jereuth to form an escort. And from the administrative side… in my heart, I want to take Olivia, but I'm worried about the kingdom's internal affairs.’

Currently, Olivia was handling 99% of the kingdom's internal affairs.

I just occasionally set the direction.

Taking Olivia, whose absence could last for weeks on a visit to the Angla Empire… was really not easy.

‘Still, there would be many benefits to taking Olivia. Olivia would also see and learn a lot, and she could lend a hand in recruiting talent.’

Right, let’s take Olivia.

For a few weeks, I could just tell Heinshtangl to maintain the status quo, and it would somehow work out.

‘The craftsmen… let's not take them for now. There's no proper justification for taking craftsmen to an emperor's invitation, and right now, the craftsmen will be busy enough practicing the Dwarves’ techniques.’

Finally, the wizards.

‘Let's take Seria and the wizards she recommends. I know almost nothing about magic, so I definitely need a wizard to see and judge the level of magic in the Angla Empire.’

Ssk—.

A rough list was complete for now.

I could just have the heads of each department create a detailed list later.

‘Still, it's the Emperor's birthday, so I should bring a gift. Nothing too expensive, but—.’

Just as I was thinking that.

Shashashashak—!

New content began to be written in the , which had been silent for a long time.

Just as I expected, as I started preparing to go to the Angla Empire, it seemed the diary was showing me a new future.

***

…….

The invitation from the Emperor of the Angla Empire.

The envoy who invited me set sail and returned to the Angla Empire the very next day.

The reason was that the Emperor's birthday was two weeks away, and there was much to prepare, so he had to return in a hurry.

When the rumor spread that the Emperor had invited me and Jereuth, the royal castle became very restless.

The Angla Empire was undeniably the strongest empire on the continent, and the fact that its emperor had invited us for his birthday became a topic of conversation in itself.

At the same time, many knights and officials wondered if I would accept the invitation.

My answer was already decided, though.

“I will accept the Emperor's invitation. And I have written down the people who will go with me here, so each of you, please check.”

…….

***

Swoosh—.

There was nothing particularly important in this chapter.

I immediately turned to the next chapter.

***

…….

Eight days after departing from the western port of the Plank Kingdom.

We arrived in the Angla Empire.

The port of the Angla Empire was truly bustling with people.

There were many ships with flags I had never seen before, and the people were diverse.

I couldn't tell if the port was always this crowded, but what was certain was that the port was even busier for the Emperor's birthday.

‘The influence of the Angla Empire is truly amazing.’

I thought it was a good thing I came.

Clearly, it seemed I would be able to learn many things.

But… a problem arose.

“There is only one carriage provided by the Emperor for the Plank Kingdom. It is a carriage for Sir Knight Jereuth, the Emperor's old friend and one of the few knights he acknowledges.”

“…”

“As for everyone else besides Sir Knight Jereuth, you may rent a carriage separately, or you may come on horseback.”

The one most flustered by the envoy's words was Jereuth.

The ones who sneered at us the most were the delegations from other kingdoms.

And the one who was probably most displeased was me.

‘I knew it from the envoy’s attitude towards me, but… they are completely ignoring me. Are they openly saying that the only person they invited was Jereuth?’

I was displeased, but what could I do?

It seemed that the Plank Kingdom had an image of a ‘weak nation.’

‘But in reality, it doesn't seem like that.’

The ships docked in the Angla Empire.

The escort knights and soldiers of the delegations.

And the condition of the horses.

The clothes they wore, swords, spears, shields, etc.

At a glance, their quality was inferior to that of the Plank Kingdom.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have brought the Griffon Aircraft Carrier.’

I had no intention of showing off my power.

But I had no intention of being ignored either.

Not after coming all this way.

And come to think of it, I also felt that I shouldn't be looked down upon.

This was my first appearance in international society, and if I was looked down upon, I could be ignored and suffer losses.

But what could I do?

I had made no such preparations right now.

In the end, I decided to rent a carriage at the port.

***

That was the last of the newly written diary entry.

Without any need to summarize or think, the thoughts of the ‘future me’ written here and my current thoughts were the same.

‘The Emperor ignores me, and other worthless kingdoms laugh at me…’

“This is annoying.”

I didn't come all the way to the empire to be ignored.

Nor did I go through hell and survive like this to be ignored.

‘I feel like just telling them to screw the invitation, but the diary says, ‘It was a good thing I came. It seems there will be many things to learn,’ so it would be better to go.’

Ssk—.

I operated the communication crystal ball. Soon after, Olivia’s voice was heard.

「Yes, Your Highness. What is the matter?」

“Temporarily suspend all ongoing projects and pour all our capacity into the construction of the ‘Griffon Aircraft Carrier.’ The two new ships currently under construction must be completed within two months. Also, for converting existing ships into escort vessels, add five new ones. That must also be finished within two months.”

「Understood.」

Olivia didn't ask anything else and immediately agreed to follow my instructions.

I really liked this aspect of Olivia. That she would follow my every word.

After ending the communication with Olivia.

I let out a hollow laugh and finished my thoughts.

‘I have no intention of picking a fight with the empire, but…’

“It should be fine to threaten them to the extent that they realize messing with the Plank Kingdom will have dire consequences.”