Ch.137Chapter 137 – Knock, and It Shall Be Abundant (4)

When I was called to the Chancellor’s office unexpectedly and found the Prime Minister and His Imperial Majesty sitting on the sofa, do you know what thoughts came to mind?

Confusion? Surprise? Worry? Anger? Irritation?

The correct answer should be “no thoughts at all.”

“……”

I’m serious.

Opening the chancellor’s door and seeing the empire’s first and second highest-ranking officials—the two most powerful people in the nation—sitting face to face?

It’s only natural that 100 out of 100 people would freeze on the spot.

It would be even worse for someone with a guilty conscience.

Even I, who had nothing to feel guilty about, couldn’t think of anything at all.

“It’s been a while, Count Pathos Severio. Have you been well?”

“Thanks to Your Imperial Majesty’s boundless grace, I’ve been doing quite well without any issues.”

“Ho ho ho. For someone doing ‘quite well,’ you’ve been involved in quite a number of incidents, haven’t you?”

…Damn this middle-aged man.

Couldn’t you just let those things slide? Hmm?

“By the way, do you have any bread with you?”

“Bread…sir?”

Bread? What bread is he talking about?

Could he mean the bread I created with my ability?

“Are you referring to the bread I made during the demonstration?”

“Of course that’s what I mean. Hmm, would you be willing to give one to me as well?”

“Oh, of course I should offer some to His Imperial Majesty and the Prime Minister.”

That’s a relief. His Imperial Majesty apparently wanted to taste bread made with my ability.

Fortunately, I had about five hard, dried-up pieces of bread in my pouch.

I took out the five hard pieces of bread from my pouch and used my ability.

I had shaped my bracelet into a small hammer like those used for gem cutting.

A small hammer was more suitable when I needed to swing it repeatedly.

“Oho, so this is the famous bread. Let me try…”

His Imperial Majesty showed interest in the bread pieces on the table.

He picked up a piece, tore off a large chunk, and brought it straight to his mouth.

“Hmm, I’ve tasted freshly baked bread made by the imperial palace’s best baker using the finest ingredients, but this is slightly better.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Truly remarkable. Isn’t it fascinating that by simply using your ability, a hard, dried-up piece of bread can surpass one made by a master chef with premium ingredients?”

“Your Majesty speaks the truth. I’ve been Prime Minister for decades, and in all my years of service, I’ve never tasted bread this delicious.”

But wait, did these two really come all this way just to eat bread?

It seems to me they must have some other intention for coming here.

“I’m curious how the two of you, who are responsible for the entire empire, came to visit here…”

“Ah, that? Well, Bergen, why did we come here again?”

“I believe we came because we were curious about what would be showcased at this demonstration.”

“…?”

Wait a minute.

The Prime Minister and His Imperial Majesty, who should be handling all the affairs of the empire, came all this way just because they were curious about that?

Does that even make sense?

They abandoned all their duties and came here just to see a demonstration?

“Don’t Your Imperial Majesty and the Prime Minister need to attend to all the national affairs coming in from across the empire?”

“That’s something my children can handle. My offspring are certainly capable of managing such matters.”

Ah… now I have nothing to say.

Come to think of it, being born as the emperor’s child means every imperial family member must prove their abilities in their respective positions.

And the Emperor before me has gone through that process and proven his capabilities.

“I did it myself when I was young. If they can’t handle it, they’re not qualified to be the next emperor.”

Well, it would be problematic if he assigned tasks he couldn’t do himself… but since he accomplished them all, I can’t really argue.

Making decisions on national affairs is something one must experience at least once to become emperor.

If any problems arise, both His Imperial Majesty and the Prime Minister are here, so I trust they’ll handle things appropriately.

“Anyway, you showed us bread-making at today’s demonstration, so what do you plan to show at the next one?”

“Actually, I had a few ideas…”

I explained my original plan to His Imperial Majesty.

“So according to your original plan, you intended to gradually build people’s expectations over three days?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But that plan was disrupted because of someone with malicious intentions.”

Uh, hmm. Someone with malicious intentions…

If he’s referring to Jason, I’ve heard he’s reformed and living a good life now.

“If you mean that troublemaker from the Eldinar family, hasn’t he been reformed thanks to Count Severio?”

“There’s no need to bring him up specifically. I plan to use this incident later at the council meeting to prevent nobles from trying to strengthen their own interests.”

Um, Your Majesty, is it okay to say that in front of me?

I am a noble after all. Though I personally don’t care much about strengthening my interests.

“Your Majesty, I don’t think this is an appropriate topic for this setting.”

“My apologies. Well, you’ll learn about these things anyway once you begin formal activities as a noble, so it’s not bad to know in advance.”

Hmm. So even in this country under the Emperor’s iron rule, nobles still oppose the imperial family to strengthen their own interests.

Well, I suppose that’s human nature.

After all, I myself enrolled in the academy because of the Prime Minister’s promise to secure various benefits for me.

“We’ve strayed from the topic. So, has the demonstration schedule changed?”

“Yes. According to the original plan, today’s demonstration was supposed to showcase common items like bread, ingredients, cooking utensils, knives, and other everyday objects…”

“But due to the aftermath of the first day, you thought people wouldn’t be very interested, so you chose to distribute bread that people could enjoy?”

“That’s correct.”

To be honest, I’m getting tired of bread too.

But it’s the most effective way to demonstrate my ability to people.

Also, since it’s something people are familiar with, they can clearly perceive the difference.

“Then what do you plan to do tomorrow?”

“I’ll demonstrate repairing various common tools and items that are considered ‘impossible to fix.'”

“Interesting. And what about the final day?”

“I plan to use my ability on people.”

As I answered His Imperial Majesty’s question, I glanced at his hair.

His once sparse hair now looked so luxuriously full that the previous thinness seemed like a mirage.

It even appeared well-maintained, with each strand gleaming with health.

“People?”

His Imperial Majesty noticed where my gaze was directed after hearing that I would use my ability on people.

“Hahahahaha! It will be a most entertaining demonstration. Everyone will witness an amazing sight that no one else could produce.”

“I’m deeply grateful for your kind assessment.”

“I shall attend the demonstration on that day.”

“What?”

No, no, no, wait! Why would His Imperial Majesty attend?

“What if there are subversives mixed in the crowd?”

“Don’t worry. For the final day, additional Imperial Knights will be deployed to strengthen security. All of Archenium’s security forces will be mobilized to maximize the security posture. And don’t forget that His Imperial Majesty is a swordsman who has reached the Master level.”

Ah, that’s right. His Imperial Majesty officially announced his ascension to Master level not long ago.

The Emperor already wielded tremendous power, and now that he’s reached Master level, there’s virtually no one who can challenge him.

“Don’t worry about me. If there are any subversives, I will personally cut them down with my sword. Besides, my presence will make it harder for troublemakers to act. No matter how deranged they might be, who would cause a disturbance in a place guarded by the Imperial Knights and Imperial Mage Corps?”

Well, Your Majesty, there’s actually something I should point out about that.

“I would hope so, but it was only a few weeks ago that explosives breached Glesius Academy’s security and people were injured.”

“It’s fine. There are many people from the Church here now as well.”

Sigh. There’s no way to change his mind when he’s this determined.

“It seems I can’t stop Your Imperial Majesty’s decision. But security must be much stricter.”

“Don’t worry about that. Those who work diligently for the empire, both in the open and in the shadows, will thoroughly control and screen everyone attending your demonstration that day.”

Due to His Imperial Majesty’s bold declaration, it became reality that he would attend the final day of the demonstration.

Please, I hope nothing happens that day.

Please.

I can’t use my ability on my own head, after all.