Chapter 88

(88)

Gizel opened her eyes wide and was struck dumb in astonishment.

“Great Lord, did I hear that wrong?”

“You heard correctly, Gizel. I know your name.”

I’ve heard that there was always a professor who stood by the students, according to Jin.

“Help the talents of the future to grow well. If you do, then while I cause havoc, someone else will clean up afterward, won’t they?”

“Your Excellency, must you really say that?”

Lady Trentia let out a sigh of relief.

Hamun raised his hand brightly and stepped forward.

“Your Excellency, I have gathered 300 gold coins. This is my small token of appreciation for your busy schedule, so please accept it.”

“Very well. I will gratefully receive it.”

Lady Trentia immediately squinted her eyes.

After handing her the heavy pouch of gold coins, I spoke to Hamun.

“Alright, you may go now. I’ll use that gold wisely.”

“What?!”

“And don’t forget. I just saved your life.”

“Your Excellency, what nonsense is this? What about the signature?”

Surprisingly, I indeed just saved his life.

I remembered a significant incident that happened before my return which was unrelated to the past: a substantial amount of the budget for soundproofing construction and the repair budget for the docks had flowed into his back pocket.

Naturally, shoddy construction occurred, and when Jeilliris deployed troops through the central canal, the dock collapsed under the weight of the heavily armored elite infantry.

Though Jeilliris magically lifted all the water from the canal to rescue them, ultimately, 100 had drowned.

Losing 100 elite soldiers even before combat began drove Jeilliris mad, leading her to torture Hamun for a month before killing him.

It felt strange to meet the face of someone I had seen suffer many times under my hands, unscathed now.

For Hamun, simply avoiding involvement in the council would be best for everyone, including him.

“Shadow Mask, the council candidate wishes to go out, but it seems his legs aren’t working well.”

“Yes, Lord Valenccius.”

Wearing a sophisticated black suit and a red fox mask, she elegantly snapped her fingers.

Elite sword user guards from top-tier mercenaries entered and carried Hamun away.

“My money! My money! Aaaah! That bandit scum!”

Lady Trentia placed her hand on her sword’s hilt.

“I will hold you accountable for insulting the royal family.”

“That’s fair. It’s not incorrect.”

“For the next generation of royals.”

“If anyone else rebels here, have them dealt with then.”

I gestured while sitting cross-legged.

“Now, what are all of you doing? Show your sincerity first.”

The twenty-eight council candidates exchanged glances.

They must be contemplating the two recent incidents.

They could receive signatures without paying a single coin, or they could lose 300 coins forever.

Moreover, unlike the original deposit, that money would not be refunded.

However, it is a rule that great rewards follow risky challenges, and major rewards come with hazardous undertakings.

“200 coins.”

A young man named Arsen, who was running for election next to the west gate, placed his pouch of coins down.

“Next to the west gate, part of the slums behind it will be your area as well.”

“Yes, that’s correct. If you elect me, I will completely demolish it…”

“It must be over a year since he visited there last. Shadow Mask. He seems eager to go out.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Yes?! Wait a moment!”

Lady Trentia smiled brightly as she watched him being dragged out.

“Your Excellency, no lord likes the increase of the poor in their territories. But if they are to attend the council, it is not about ruling but representation, right? He seems to misunderstand what a councilor does, more than I do.”

“Well said. It seems your experience as a knight gives you better perspective. He appeared to think he was the lord of that area.”

I got a signature for 30 coins from the next candidate and 50 coins from the following one.

Some candidates provided their signatures without taking a single coin, while others gave signatures for 100 coins.

All thirty returned with their respective outcomes, or they were sent back.

And I met thirty more council candidates every day for seven days.

“I don’t understand what this is about. Paying a knight or something.”

Lady Trentia mumbled as she divided the stacks of gold coins into several pouches.

“Oh, this too is the noble duty of a knight.”

I grinned as I received one of the pouches of coins.

She grimaced with a dignified expression.

“This isn’t honorable or a knight’s duty.”

As I loaded the bags of gold onto the carriage, I replied:

“It was the Emperor’s command.”

* * *

Behind the desk in Jeilliris’s office, the large window faced south.

When I walked across that vast, empty space toward her desk, it felt like a holy halo shone behind her.

Whether it was the blessing of the God of Radiance or surveillance, I still didn’t know before my return and still didn’t now.

The sunlight pouring through the glass made her platinum hair gleam white, as if melting into the light, and her golden eyes, resting in deep shadows, quietly observed with a chilling gaze. My Empress looked beautiful today.

“When did I give such an order?”

“Did you not issue me a private letter that night?”

“That wasn’t a private letter; it was just a declaration of intent to recruit.”

“In the end, those who profited until two years ago will come out just the same. Those who have come to me will either be saving every coin or trying to avoid the minimum registration screening. They took the money, but I’ve selected talents. Is this not your will, Your Majesty?”

Jeilliris chuckled quietly.

“Hehe. You are not incorrect. Still, I did not expect so many of those cowards to gather. Perhaps they feared I would purge them, as everyone resigned the moment I ascended.”

“Thanks to that, I could find a few decent talents.”

“Indeed. If we must open the council, it would be better to fill it with somewhat decent individuals, wouldn’t you agree?”

Before my return, the imperial capital’s council rarely convened.

The Great Lords, foreign nations, and endless wars waged on, and in that context, the citizens were not objects of care but of command.

Jeilliris smiled pleasantly and spoke.

“When the council is convened, the world will know. The imperial capital, the imperial decree, has been securely stabilized.”

The council could only be convened and dissolved by the Emperor.

The fact that it was being convened meant she intended to care for the citizens as the new Empress and simultaneously declared an end to the era of purges.

End the era of purges.

That did not mean there were no longer those to purge but that there was no need to purge anymore.

Before my return, she had held the throne she gained in one day for 40 years.

In this life, she had held the throne for 2 years and was now looking beyond just maintaining it to ruling and governing.

“If that happens… even the other Great Lords will have no choice but to recognize Your Majesty.”

The accusation of rising to power through a great purge could never be avoided.

But if the blame is unavoidable, there’s no need to worry about it.

The church’s recognition, the council’s opening, the strengthening of the order of knights, and the exchanges with the Ivory Tower.

All were duties the Emperor must undertake, and she was managing them well.

Ultimately, it comes down to performance.

Performance does not lie.

“I am looking forward to this summer. At that time, I will receive a loyalty oath in the audience chamber down there. Just like my father, like my grandfather, like the patriarch of our Solettaro family.”

“It will be more splendid and grand than any Emperor’s accession ceremony.”

“All the Great Lords of the empire will gather.”

“The whole world will know Your Majesty’s name.”

She smiled as if she were pleased.

“The council is the beginning. Since public sentiment is important, don’t take too much initiative, you bandit.”

“Do not worry. It will not be revealed unless the person himself mentions that he did not pay the deposit with the approval of the royal family. While receiving the approval of a significantly reputable royal is something to boast about, surely no madman would take pride in receiving approval from me, right?”

“Right. There wouldn’t be such a person anywhere, not even in the new district that seems to be emerging.”

“Is a new street being created? Within the capital… Ah!”

The area that had become the slums was naturally a district that could originally run for election.

However, after it had turned into slums, it had not produced any candidates, and it was effectively treated as an empty seat in the council’s entire makeup.

“I will go and have a look. Shouldn’t we examine the actual situation?”

“I was going to make you do so even without you saying.”

Konel.

It was time to confirm what that one-legged girl had changed.

* * *

The makeshift buildings made of planks and tents had all been demolished, and the frames of old brick buildings were boldly revealed here and there.

“Today is the demolition of district 34!”

“Understood.”

“We completed the repair work on building 23 yesterday. The walls were rebuilt, and the 3rd floor was restored.”

Areas needing repairs were being fixed, and places that needed to be demolished were being torn down and rebuilt.

On the surface, it looked quite similar to when I had last visited.

But today, the smell was different.

The disgusting stench of filth, blood, and other horrific things that once infested the crawling back alleys and narrow paths between buildings was gone, as if it had never been there.

“Demolish that building completely. Turn it into an open space and pave it for use as the central square.”

“Let’s remove the stones along this line. We will fill the empty spaces with those stones and plant street trees here.”

“Prepare to seal off the underground water passage. From now on, only soldiers and managers will enter.”

“We’re recruiting for a self-defense force! Anyone in good health and with a sense of justice is welcome.”

“We’re adding more positions at the brick factory.”

Changes were unfolding before my eyes.

“Your Excellency, look. It can no longer even be called a slum.”

I looked at the long rectangular building Lady Trentia pointed out.

It was a large workshop with thick wooden pillars.

“It’s a large workshop. Did the guild invest in it? This should significantly reduce the employment problem.”

Such buildings were not just one or two.

Seven were lined up in a row.

They were tearing down smaller buildings next to it as well, as it seemed more large workshops would be established there.

I could see that officials from major guilds and associations had already arrived here and there.

The street that had been decaying was beginning to pulse with life.

“Knights are here! Show proper respect.”

“Sir Knight, how do you do?”

“The knights are here.”

The looks people gave toward me and Lady Trentia had changed.

Originally, upon seeing nobility or knights, they feared human hunting would begin, but now, they were bowing respectfully to us.

“Do you know where Konel is?”

“Chairwoman Konel, or rather, are you referring to the chair? She should be behind that building.”

There stood a magnificent six-story building set to be demolished for the central square.

It seemed likely to become the center of the future street.

Like other buildings, it was in the process of demolishing boards and tents when I spotted Konel standing by a bonfire at the edge of the vacant lot.

With her chestnut hair neatly tied back, wearing an ivory coat, firmly supporting her prosthetic limb, gripping a cane tightly, she stood among the executives radiating the energy of Amon, a clever and bright girl.

I gestured to Konel, and she went inside the building.

It was a signal to follow.

Konel stopped on the sixth floor, where there were no people.

“Is it okay to come up this high?”

It was an ambiguous question.

“It was such a well-built building that it remained intact even after being used as slums for so long. It was a place used by the most powerful gang leaders in this area. Now, I have become the leader.”

She responded equally ambiguously.

“Everything has changed a lot.”

“Getting rid of the smell was the hardest part. Every time the weather warmed up a bit, I would sprinkle ashes everywhere and have the floor wiped with melted snow.”

“Good job.”

I quickly got to the point.

Konel had started as a one-legged orphan and had come this far.

There was no need to see more.

“Konel, run for council.”