episode_0044

“Your Majesty. This is a case with almost no precedent. I fear that there will be cases where this incident is exploited in the future.”

“It’s not that you didn’t do anything. But in this case, you went too far with the award.”

In front of the cries of his ministers, the emperor looked troubled.

There is nothing wrong with their argument. In fact, I expected this to happen.

Even the Crown Princess, who had just heard the Emperor’s words, was worried at first.

I personally thought it was a bit excessive and that my subjects would absolutely not accept it.

“Everyone, be quiet.”

As the Emperor raises his hand, the Minister of the Imperial Household speaks in a stern voice to stop the others.

As the whole palace fell silent, the Emperor spoke in a very calm voice.

“I have heard your opinions. How could I not have thought about the problems caused by this decision? I also thought about it for several days. I was worried that future generations would be embarrassed by my choice.”

“Your Majesty!”

“However, Jim’s determination on this matter is firm. Let’s not discuss this further. Now, what you have to do is reward those who have done their best for the Empire.”

I have taken your advice well. I do not mean to blatantly ignore your wishes.

However, this is ultimately the Emperor’s will. Anything beyond this will be considered as an overstepping of the line, not advice.

The emperor’s gentle warnings eventually caused his subjects to back down.

“Minister.”

The Minister of the Imperial Household, left alone by the Emperor’s side, bows his head at the Emperor’s call.

“What do you think?”

“Your Majesty has deep insight, so I believe there are things that only you can see.”

“Hmm.”

The emperor stared blankly at the minister for a moment, then opened his mouth again.

“Look, Benny. I’ll ask you again. What do you think?”

Former chamberlain who assisted him since his days as a prince. Current Minister of the Imperial Household, Benjamin.

A monarch and his subject, but at the same time, they are childhood friends who know each other very well.

The minister hesitated for a moment before answering, since the emperor was calling him by a nickname.

“Their worries are not entirely wrong, Your Majesty.”

“That’s right. Because it’s unprecedented. Because there hasn’t been anyone who’s received such a big award in recent times.”

“If you look at the history of the empire, it does exist, but as expected, most of it is from the time of the Great Emperor (the first emperor of the empire)… .”

When the minister trailed off, the emperor burst into laughter.

Yes. That’s exactly why. Has anything like this happened before during the reign of the Great Emperor?

It’s amazing how one person can have such a huge impact on the whole world.

“However, I do not question Your Majesty’s will. And I know Your Majesty is a wise man. If you stick to your decision despite their advice, there must be a reason for it. I just believe, think, and follow.”

“Thank you, Benny. Thanks, Minister.”

The emperor then replied and presented the minister with an official document containing his decision.

[ Imperial Count of Berthier, Kael Klauwitz. For your great achievements in this Eastern Campaign, I hereby grant you the Neomes region, which was under the direct control of the Imperial Family. ]

The Neomes region. It is not just a simple territory, but a region, so it is large.

In terms of area alone, it is almost at the level of a marquisate. It is being handed over in its entirety.

It even houses one of the empire’s most prestigious trading cities.

It is not land that needs to be reclaimed, nor is it a place where development has just begun.

Since it literally grants Altolan itself, there was bound to be a lot of talk.

Even this next part. This is exactly why the subjects rebelled.

[The Neomes region will henceforth be managed as a territory under the Imperial Count of Berthier and will be inherited by the descendants of Kael Clauswitz.]

It is common for those who have made military contributions to be awarded titles or lands.

However, most of them are limited to the generation of the person concerned. Even if they are inherited, they end with the generation of the children.

It was rare for complete ownership to be established from the beginning like it is now.

“They are loyal subjects.”

Those who do not spare advice, worrying about the future even after the Emperor’s will has been revealed.

The emperor smiled as his subjects were quite pleased.

So soon they will find out why their emperor made this decision.

‘Anyway, that young man will probably know what this means.’

Ah. By the way. The emperor called someone who was nearby.

Then he gave the order to bring in the second princess, Isabel.

*

After returning to the empire, rewards were distributed throughout the eastern region.

The first people to be discussed were, of course, the commanders and soldiers who fought on the front lines.

Among them, the 12th Corps led the second army while successfully blocking the entire pavilion.

And it was the 7th Army Corps that finally achieved victory over Burghai.

[For the 12th and 7th Corps Commanders… To the field commanders… To the soldiers of each Corps, double the salary currently being paid… . ]

As expected, it is an empire. It doesn’t force patriotism, but rather allows it to naturally seethe.

Materialism? You say that honor and patriotism will only spring up if there is compensation.

A country that pays with passion and patriotism has no dreams or hope.

How can you be so sure? Yes. It’s because of memories from a not-so-pleasant past life.

Anyway, since then, many people have been rewarded according to the imperial decree.

It even included nobles from the East who spared no effort in providing material and spiritual support.

One interesting thing about it is that there is almost no mention of the princess.

Even though she also performed well, the emperor did not leave a word for her.

If you go later, you may be included in the list of meritorious deeds at the strong request of your subjects.

But at this very moment, the princess was not included in the official award ceremony.

‘Are you trying to show that you did what is expected of you as a member of the royal family?’

Or is it because you are participating in the war privately and not in an official capacity?

Well, that could be possible. But then wouldn’t that be a similar case for me?

If you think about it, I wasn’t an officer or commander of a corps, I was just a soldier… .

[ Imperial Count of Berthier, Kael Klauwitz. For your great achievements in this Eastern Campaign, I hereby grant you the Neomes region, which was under the direct control of the Imperial Family. ]

“… .”

When my name was finally mentioned and I saw the award that followed, I was horrified.

I thought maybe I heard wrong. Or saw wrong. Or something like that.

The Neomes region? It’s not part of Neomes. Or a city.

Are you just giving me the entire region? Even in the form of inheritance??

“Oh my god.”

I wasn’t the only one who was surprised. The princess next to me was also surprised.

She kept saying that since he had done well, he would be appropriately rewarded for it.

But it seems that the princess had no idea that she would receive something of such enormous value.

“I didn’t know Your Majesty would give me the entire Neomes region.”

“I, I couldn’t even imagine it. Your Majesty.”

To put it simply, it is a territory that is almost the same size as our current Berthier Empire territory.

It is not just an empty lot with a similar area, but a place that has already been developed.

It is not a direct imperial territory for nothing. The land is fertile, there are many people, and commerce is active.

It is literally a land that is too precious to be given away. It is a treasure that must be passed down from generation to generation.

But the Emperor so coolly handed it over to me as a reward.

“I think this is going to… cause some talk. Is that okay?”

The princess speaks to me with worried eyes and voice.

I thought about it for a moment and then answered, “Maybe.”

“Maybe? Prince Kael seems a bit indifferent, doesn’t he? Saying he couldn’t even imagine it.”

“That is. No matter how much His Majesty the Emperor has given me this, it is a reward for my achievements and a kind of advance payment for the work I will do in the future.”

“Prepaid…?”

Yes. I guess he’s asking you to continue to work hard for the empire.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for you to do this despite the opposition of your subjects, Your Majesty.

There is no great advantage to a ruler showing favor to a particular person.

If you do that, it’s obvious that quick-witted people will flock to that person.

There is no way the Emperor wouldn’t know. But the fact that he does this means that it is both a reward and a test.

Now that I’ve been given this, I’m telling myself to prove myself to others even more.

“… First, I will get up first. His Majesty has ordered me to enter the palace.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. See you later.”

“Of course. He is the genius strategist who played a leading role in this victory, so he will be invited to all sorts of places.”

After saying that, the princess greeted me and got up from her seat.

‘That damn bookseller’s voice.’

After seeing him off, I sat down for a moment and held my pounding head.

People keep calling me a genius or a bookworm, but I’ve told them several times that I’m not that kind of person.

I’m just putting into my mouth a few things that I already know.

The limits can be revealed at any time. Once the bottom is revealed, it is an instant crash.

And, above all, the title of ‘book publisher’ is too burdensome to begin with.

If I were to name a bookworm I know, he would have the talent to take the world by storm.

These are people who use mysterious tricks to lead a country on their own.

Something that has not been forgotten and is still talked about by people for thousands of years.

They are people who are literally made in heaven. Even the word genius is not enough.

That’s a real bookseller. You have to be at that level to be called a bookseller.

I’m just a superficial observer. I guess you could call me a bookseller cosplayer.

‘I’ve already received it, so I’ll grit my teeth and try my best…’

I don’t know if I can do it. I’m not joking, I’m serious.