bookpower Chapter 191 : Chapter 191
Chapter 191 : Chapter 191
“The Emperor's daughters might try to seduce Your Highness under his orders, but….”Jereuth said, dividing the remaining alcohol in the bottle between his glass and mine.
He smiled slyly, offered me the glass, and finished his sentence.
“Well, even if it’s not the Emperor's order, the Emperor's daughters will try to seduce Your Highness. In the Angla Empire, strength is the law and justice, so there’s no way they would let a strong man like Your Highness go.”
“A country where strength is the law and justice… They revere strength.”
“Yes. That’s why the Angla Empire holds nationwide events like the ‘Swordsmanship Competition,’ ‘Magic Sparring Competition,’ and the ‘Grand Law Examination’ every year. Those who achieve outstanding results there are recruited by the Emperor into his direct command.”
“A kind of talent recruitment system—no, a ‘recruitment examination.’ But what is the ‘Grand Law Examination’?”
“Ah, it’s an examination on the national laws of the Angla Empire. I don’t know the details myself, but I’ve heard it is a considerably difficult test.”
A judicial examination, something like that.
It didn't quite seem like a law school exam.
“These competitions were held consistently even during the war with the demonkin, so you can imagine how important the Angla Empire considers them.”
The mention of ‘talent recruitment’ brought various thoughts to my mind.
Because it was a truly important part.
‘As the kingdom develops in the future, various administrative and urban systems will become more complex. Right now, I’m leaving it to the lords who are former knights, but… someday they will be overwhelmed.’
After I took the throne and each city stabilized, there were many changes, but the biggest change was that the population had begun to increase.
There were no accurate records yet, but even just looking at the royal capital, there were more babies and children.
In 10, 15 years, when they became adults, there would be even more people.
‘An increasing population is a good thing. But if the administration can't support it, various problems will arise.’
Besides, most of the so-called ‘elites’ in the Plank Kingdom were currently in the military.
On the administrative side, there were excellent talents like Olivia and Heinshtangl, but to be honest, apart from those two, there were no other special talents.
They were merely at the level of reading letters and doing numerical calculations.
‘Rather, there are many outstanding individuals among the merchants.’
It seemed necessary to create a talent recruitment system in the Plank Kingdom as well.
It would also be good to build schools.
‘Realistically, I won't be able to send all the children in the kingdom to school. I can't build schools in every rural village. But if I can at least educate the children in the cities well, it will have various effects.’
As I was thinking about this and that.
Jereuth said with a smile.
“Are you worrying about the kingdom again?”
“Pardon? Ah… I apologize. During a drinking session.”
“Haha, not at all. What do time and place matter when the King worries about his kingdom? In that sense, there is one more thing I would like Your Highness to consider.”
“If it’s something I need to consider… is there a problem in the military?”
I felt myself sobering up.
What could be such a big problem that Jereuth would ask me to ‘consider’ it?
Contrary to my worries, Jereuth spoke in a slightly mischievous voice.
“I believe it’s about time for Your Highness to think about an heir.”
“An heir… you mean a child?”
“Yes. Although Your Highness is still young, from the perspective of royalty, not having an heir yet is a bit on the late side. For the stable future of this kingdom, I advise that you, our great King, see to an heir quickly and have many.”
“Hmm…. Many children… I will try. But I can't have children with just anyone, so it might take some time.”
“Of course, the woman who will bear Your Highness’s heir is also important. However, I believe there are plenty of such women in the kingdom.”
It felt like Jereuth had become a matchmaker.
Just because he had become a married man, he was trying to make me one too… surely that wasn't it.
“I don’t know what aspects Your Highness looks for in a woman, but I believe health is the most important. That way, the child she gives birth to will also be healthy.”
“Mm, yes.”
“That’s why I recommend Yoanna. First of all, she is healthier than any woman in the royal palace, and her talent in swordsmanship is outstanding, so her child will also have excellent swordsmanship talent. Your Highness's talent will also be passed down. On top of that, her heart for Your Highness is more admirable than any knight's, so if it is Your Highness’s child, she will do her best to cherish and raise them.”
“…”
“If the Royal Guard Knight Order’s Vice Commander Yoanna were to have a child tomorrow or the day after, there would have to be changes in the military structure, which could be chaotic, but fortunately, the kingdom is in a peaceful period right now, so it won’t be a major problem.”
As Jereuth recommended Yoanna, he spoke as if he were introducing his own daughter.
Perhaps Jereuth wanted someone from the military to become my spouse. Birds of a feather flock together, and one's arm bends inward, after all.
‘Yoanna…’
As I was thinking, Jereuth took a small, palm-sized bag from his pocket.
It seemed to contain nothing, but from that bag… a bottle of alcohol emerged.
It was like magic.
“I brought a lot of alcohol in the subspace bag Silvia gave me.”
Pop!
Jereuth poured another type of alcohol, filling my glass as he spoke.
“If you feel burdened finding someone within the kingdom, there is also a way to find someone from outside. We touched upon it briefly earlier, but if the Emperor invites Your Highness to the empire, it would be good to go to the empire then and choose one of the Emperor's daughters. The Angla Empire is a strong empire, so it will surely be a great advantage for the Plank Kingdom as well.”
“That’s true. The exchanges with the Angla Empire's merchants, which are currently cut off, could also be revitalized.”
“Indeed. Above all, if Your Highness’s son becomes the next emperor of the Angla Empire… from then on, it will go beyond an alliance, and Your Highness will be able to exert great influence over that empire.”
“Me exerting great influence over the empire means…”
“That’s right.”
With a meaningful expression, Jereuth nodded his head.
I also understood what he was saying.
It's just that—.
“Haha, I have no such grand ambitions. All I need to do is ensure the people of the Plank Kingdom eat and live well.”
“You say that, but did you not effectively take the Jerpan Archipelago into your hands?”
“…”
“That is an achievement that no king of the Plank Kingdom has ever accomplished. This kingdom has always only been attacked from the outside; it has never directly conquered.”
“Well… for me, it was less about conquest and more about defending against an invasion, which led to a counter-attack.”
I evaded the answer and drank my alcohol.
Because Jereuth’s words were correct. Conquering the Jerpan Archipelago was, in fact, a slight deviation from my fundamental goal of ‘making the people of this kingdom live well.’
“But no one will blame or resent Your Highness for that. Even a three-year-old child understands that Your Highness had no choice but to do so to protect this kingdom.”
“…Yes.”
At my answer, Jereuth poured new alcohol.
The bottle he had just opened was still more than half full.
“Then let’s end the difficult talk here and start in earnest.”
“In earnest? …The drinking?”
“Yes.”
Gurgle, gurgle—.
Jereuth said as he boldly poured alcohol into his own glass.
“Lately, I’ve lost to Your Highness in every sparring match, so I must win today at least.”
“…”
Jereuth's voice was sincere.
It seemed that being defeated by me every time in recent sparring matches had wounded his pride deep in his heart.
***
The next morning.
I woke up to a dull headache that I felt in the middle of my head.
‘It’s been a really long time since I’ve had a hangover…’
I couldn't even remember how much I drank yesterday.
I remembered up to four bottles per person with Jereuth.
‘…Jereuth isn’t dead, is he?’
Even I, who was wearing the ‘Health Necklace,’ had a faint hangover; Jereuth could really be dead.
He was old, after all.
Fortunately, I didn't feel nauseous or anything. My digestion seemed to be fine.
It just seemed like my brain was surprised from drinking so much after such a long time.
Click—.
The door opened quietly without a knock. Elly came in and was slightly surprised to see me awake.
“Ah… Your Highness, are you awake?”
“Yeah. Sir Commander—no, is Sir Jereuth okay?”
“Sir Knight Jereuth was escorted by the knights and soldiers at dawn yesterday, so I am not sure. Shall I find out?”
“No, he must be resting after drinking a lot yesterday, so let’s not disturb him.”
I looked beside my bed and saw a chair placed there. It wasn't a position where it was usually kept.
“Elly, did you perhaps nurse me yesterday? Because I fell asleep after drinking?”
“That… Yes, that is correct.”
“All night?”
“…Yes.”
She didn't have to go that far.
Still, I decided to thank her rather than say something like that. She did it out of kindness, after all.
“Thank you, for taking care of me.”
“Ah, not at all! Rather… I was happy. Because Your Highness held my hand.”
Elly said in a barely audible voice.
“Th-Then I will bring some soup. I made it with ingredients recommended by the chef for curing hangovers, I hope it suits your taste. It’s my first time making it.”
“Elly’s cooking is always delicious.”
I said it nonchalantly.
I got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Even if the effects of the alcohol had largely subsided thanks to the Health Necklace, the smell of alcohol on my body seemed like it would only disappear after washing.
“I’ll be out after washing up, so please prepare some clothes for me to change into.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Unlike in the past, asking someone to prepare my clothes had now become natural.
***
I washed up and then ate Elly’s soup.
The soup Elly brought was closer to a ‘guk’ than a ‘soup.’ It had a clear and spicy taste, similar to bean sprout hangover soup.
‘It reminded me of Korea for the first time in a while.’
The only problem was… that bread was served with the hangover soup.
I had lived in this world for quite a long time and had gotten used to bread, but still, bread with hangover soup was not easy.
‘Well then, since I rested well yesterday, shall I get to work again?’
First, I checked the approval documents I had postponed yesterday.
I had only postponed it for a single day, but the number of documents to check seemed to have tripled.
‘Still, I can't do it sloppily. They are all important.’
What was fortunate was that these documents were ones Olivia had finally checked, so they were easy to read and there was nothing for me to correct.
In all honesty, I wanted to proceed just as Olivia had finished them. In terms of administration, Olivia was far better than me.
Nevertheless, the reason I checked each document one by one was… because I needed to know. What was happening in the kingdom.
‘If I start doing this sloppily, the officials will become lazy someday.’
That's how humans are.
If the person above starts to do things carelessly, the people below will quickly notice and start slacking off.
I knew Olivia wasn't that kind of person, but still, there was no need to take a gamble.
Rustle, rustle—.
Elly stared at me intently as I checked the documents.
Today, for some reason, her gaze felt somewhat fierce.
“What is it, Elly? Is there something on my face?”
“Pardon? Ah, not at all! I am sorry.”
“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about. I was just wondering why you were staring like that.”
“Uh…”
Elly thought about something by herself.
She bowed her head, avoiding my gaze.
“…It’s nothing.”
I didn't know what she meant by 'nothing'.
***
Angla Empire.
A massive empire located to the northwest of the Plank Kingdom, ruling over 1/5 of the continent.
It was, by its own and others' admission, the strongest empire.
However, the ruler of the strongest empire—the Emperor was currently in a state of ‘depression.’
‘…There is no son to succeed me.’
To be precise.
‘There is no one I like.’
Before the war with the demonkin, he had over thirty children, but all were daughters.
As if he were cursed.
After the war with the demonkin ended, he had over twenty more children to date. By taking the daughters of twenty noble families as new empresses.
Among them, seven were sons. So the Emperor intended to properly educate one of them and make him the crown prince.
The problem was.
‘There is nothing but trash. To the point where I can't believe they are my seed.’
Because he was the Emperor, he wanted a perfect son.
And to be perfect, one had to be different from a young age.
However, the Emperor’s seven sons each had a flaw.
If they had courage, they lacked wisdom.
If they had beauty, they lacked dignity.
If they had family backing, they made no effort.
If they had talent in swordsmanship, their horsemanship was terrible.
If they were eloquent, they told lies constantly.
If they were smart, they were cunning.
‘My youngest… that one has everything, but he lacks charm as a man, as a human, as an emperor.’
The Emperor of the Angla Empire.
The condition for the successor he wanted was a person who had all the strengths and no weaknesses whatsoever.
Courage, beauty, family, talent in swordsmanship, eloquence, as well as wisdom, dignity, and charm.
Only one who possessed all of that could be made his successor.
‘Only then… will he be able to run this empire.’
The position of the emperor is by no means easy.
It is a position too arduous for a single human to endure.
Therefore, everything had to be perfect.
‘There is one such person I know… He was a man even greater than me.’
The Emperor was old and could no longer produce children. They say a man can embrace a woman as long as he has the strength to lift a spoon, but when he found himself with only the strength to lift a spoon, it was not so easy.
Therefore, there was now only one method left for the Emperor.
The Emperor, with his old hand, rang the calling bell in his bedroom.
Ting-a-ling—.
Thud.
As the butler opened the door immediately and entered.
The Emperor said to the butler.
“Bring paper and a pen. For my birthday this year, I will invite not only the nobles of the empire but also the royalty and personages of the surrounding nations.”
The Emperor's invitation, which would change the course of the continent, had begun.