A completely unexpected development. (3)

“… So we are currently increasing the number of personnel searching for missing persons within the empire, but as expected, the budget is… “

“We are also strengthening security at the airport, but if we conduct intensive inspections of all people coming from all over the world, those who arrive in the morning will… “

“Even if the taxes collected through the ranking battle are immediately organized into a budget and rotated, if things continue like this, we will have no choice but to organize an additional budget for the second half of this year… “

The office of the Emperor of the Empire.

The Emperor, who had been caught up in a constant storm of work since the ranking battle began, opened his mouth with a bitter smile as he looked at his subjects.

“Everyone wants to talk about money. If the reason they need money is manpower, why don’t you try to get someone to go to the regent and the chancellor and try to recruit knights and military personnel?”

“That, that’s… “

“””… … “””

The mouths of the officials who had rushed in carrying documents instantly shut as they heard the Emperor’s leisurely and tired words.

It’s not because they’re incompetent or thoughtless that they come to the emperor and beg for money.

It was something the Emperor knew better than anyone else, and his subjects also understood that he knew it.

However, the emperor was frustrated.

The empire’s budget shortage and manpower shortage, which had been a problem for several years, already had an answer to how to solve it.

Of course, the problem was that even if the answer was visible, it wasn’t something that anyone could solve.

“There are no answers. Then, I will go and ask the Chancellor and the Regent by their trouser legs. Please, mobilize the Knights and the Army to maintain order during the ranking battle. What do you think?”

“I’m sorry!!”

“””I’m sorry, Your Majesty!”””

The heads of the subjects bowed at the joke thrown out in a self-deprecating manner, and the emperor could only spit out a bitter sigh at the sight.

How did the throne of the once brilliant emperor end up like this?

The Emperor sincerely wanted to step down from the throne because of the stupid ‘separation of powers’ system created by his old ancestors and old officials who did not even care about their predecessors and when they had reigned.

Yes, the current Emperor of the Empire is not the commander-in-chief of the troops who can move the knights and the army.

Because there was a history of the ancient emperors personally moving their armies and knights to massacre civilians, the previous emperors.

In other words, his father separated the command system related to the Knights Templar and the military.

In this way, the military was controlled by the regent, the knights by the chancellor, and the emperor was left with the authority to only move the knights directly under the imperial guard.

If they were separated like this, it would seem like a clean picture where the Emperor, Regent, and Prime Minister would each have power and would be able to check and cooperate with each other, but in reality, that was not the case.

Because what people do can never be perfect and is always filled with personal feelings.

That is, the empire was now divided into two.

The regent and the prime minister joined hands to strongly check the influence of the imperial family, which had the weakest power.

“… Haa. Everyone, raise your heads, and the aide. “

“Yes!!”

“Tell the regent to come to the palace. I will personally ask the commander of the army what he has been doing while the security of the capital is in this state and why he has been doing nothing until now.”

“I will obey your command!”

In the current situation where the axis of power is tilted to one side, why can the Emperor still sit on the Emperor’s throne and pretend to command them?

One is the existence of the Imperial Tower.

To be exact, it was because the magician Clark Theodore, the tower’s owner, was on the Emperor’s side.

If it weren’t for that, the Emperor truly believed, the regent and the prime minister would have already raised a rebellion.

And the second reason is…

‘Ha, I’m talking to these boring old people, and you’re chatting with the young people in the arena. I’m really jealous.’

It was because of the existence of Empress Emilia’s Royal Labyrinth.

‘I should have learned magic when I was younger. Why would I have wasted my time thinking that a sword was cool when I couldn’t even use an Auror? If I had, I could have said, ‘I want to become Clark Theodore’s disciple’ like you, and even tried to challenge myself.’

The empress, who has never been revealed in the novel, is a woman who was the disciple of the world’s greatest magician.

There weren’t many people who knew this fact, including those who had been reincarnated.

*

“That means the regent and the prime minister are trying to push Prince Andrew to be the next emperor.”

“Yes. And they try to use Coty’s existence as one of their justifications.”

The Empress, who briefly explained the current state of the empire to me for about 10 minutes, laid out a chessboard in front of us, and ordered all the pawns (soldiers) to face our opponents, and in their direction, placed the King (Emperor), Queen (Empress), Knight (Crown Prince), Bishop (Magic Tower Lord), and a different colored pawn (Princess)… In other words, she added one more piece that could become the Queen, and continued her explanation.

“At first, neither they nor we knew. That Koti had such a divine gift. And because she was born as a girl and did not inherit any of the colors of the emperor or her husband, and did not have any other special talents, she was completely neglected by her biological mother.”

The Empress’s explanation was brief, yet contained all the important points.

As a child, Coty never met her concubine, her biological mother, for five years.

He said that by her side, there was only one nanny whom he had arranged for her because he felt sorry for her situation.

And the nanny who had been taking care of her with all her heart found out that Coti had a divine gift.

Perhaps… it was something that stole the trait that Coty was talking about.

Even if she had it, it would not take much thought to tell her that it was a good thing, since she had taken away the black magic trait that was looked down upon.

And, for Koti, who had become her benefactor, the nanny… only told the empress about Koti’s abilities without telling her real mother, the concubine.

“I’m not in a position to talk about others. Before I found out that Koti had such a talent, I only met her once every three months, as the empress.”

The empress began her confession to me as if she was telling me that she had realized that she had a talent and had only taken the first step to take advantage of it. She bit her lips as if she was truly distressed and continued to speak.

“That’s why I tried to be even better to that kid. But now… “

“You’re saying that the princess’s abilities don’t matter, and that you just want her to be healthy and safe?”

“Hehehe. Yes. In addition, if you find the love you desire and live a peaceful life, I think my guilt will be reduced a little.”

The empress’s eyes, smiling brightly but slightly tearful, were reciting the truth.

How could he love the daughter of his concubine, who is not even his own daughter, but his rival and political enemy?

I’ve been wondering that, and now that I see her, I know.

Sympathy at first.

I saw Koti abandoned by his mother and just took care of him as my own with shallow sympathy.

Next is guilt.

Knowing that she had a special ability, he took her under his wing to prevent her from being used by her biological mother who had abandoned her, but there was no love for Koti there.

There, he began to strongly reproach himself for being a human being like that concubine.

Finally, motherhood.

He was a child abandoned by his parents, and he was taken in by someone who was only meant to be used for political purposes. After caring for him for a few days, he suddenly became like nothing had happened before.

Literally, to the point where I didn’t want to give her back to the biological mother who had abandoned her. To the point where I wanted to protect her as if she were my own daughter.

It turned out to be something I had heard somewhere, a child born from the heart.

“The political stuff will be handled somehow by me, him, and my mentor Clark Theodore. So you… “

“I just need to show you my skills in the ranked matches and make sure that the princess is safe with me by her side.”

“Hehehe. Your mind works fast. Yes. Can you do it?”

The empress, who had been suffering and spitting out words stained with guilt and regret just a moment ago, had now turned back into her mother’s face and was testing me.

However, the question is a little bit wrong.

“It’s not a question of whether I can do it or not. Just tell me to do it. From the beginning, I was planning to ‘save’ the princess with all my might.”

“Oh my gosh… “

I was a bit flustered because of things with my teacher, but ultimately, the important thing right now is the story of the Imperial Ranking Battle.

And the additional information I learned today from meeting the Empress will certainly help me save her.

“So, please watch over your Majesty and stay strong and ‘healthy’. Surely, something good will happen.”

“Hahaha! Seriously, you speak so well like our guy.”

The empress laughed cautiously as if she found my words amusing.

I’m sure she didn’t appear in the novel, because I saw the conversation and her abilities now.

She is also the key to ‘saving the princess.’

“I will definitely show you in this ‘ranking match’ that I am not just good at talking.”

“Okay. I’ll look forward to it and watch.”

An empress with the ability to control magical powers at a level that was possible when I [paid].

The reason she doesn’t appear in the novel is.

– Hehe. It’s good that you’re honest. And I’m glad that you’re ‘human’.

When the princess began to break down and fall apart, she must have used her tremendous magical power to find and contact the demons that had invaded the empire.

And then the princess, whose mind was broken, found the demons that she had started gathering, and died while fighting them.

He struggled alone to prevent his beloved daughter from committing a sin because she was blinded by her first love, and then disappeared into the back alleys of history.

I was able to finish my coffee cup, truly feeling glad that I met her today just by knowing this.