I was also busy.
Everyone treated me as a hero who had defeated the Demon King, so I had no obstacles daring to inaugurate a new empire, but it was just a lot of work.
The empire was exhausted from the war against the fate that had lasted nearly 20 years.
Embedding it would not be easy.
‘What can I do? I have to change the human beings.’
The fire was lit at the feet of the nobility, who thought I would be more lenient than Meyer.
Until now, the cooperation of the nobles was actively needed in the touchy situation where the gates had broken out, and the establishment of expeditionary forces in various places tilted the promotion of military force.
The former emperor devoted himself to a tug-of-war with the nobles, since they would all have to die together if a rebellion broke out in the wrong direction.
The shell of the empire remained intact, but its contents had long since been starved of food and drink.
Therefore, it was only natural that tax revenues and fiscal management would not be tightened.
But I was different. The Black Knights, including Meyer Knox at the top of the armed forces, were behind me.
As I was from an expeditionary force with a strict upper and lower command, the other expeditionary forces were also the ones who respected me.
I was not afraid to be candid, and I happily adjusted tax rates, built roads, and developed a welfare policy for those who had lost family members to the demons that had burst through the gates.
In the latter case, people like Sevi and Began, who had lost their families and joined the expedition, sent great support and help.
‘To some extent, once the empire enters a period of stability, schools need to be built.’
This was something I had planned from the time I regained power, as I was well aware of the importance of public education.
I gave the order to Axion and the other mages and scholars to try to put together an educational program, which would produce meaningful results as early as next year and as late as within three years.
The list of tasks to be handled was almost as long as my life’s bucket list.
‘I guess I’m suffering from an obsessive-compulsive need to call it a bucket list.’
But something like the importance of education was a relatively less desperate issue unless I had experienced a world that was not a status-based society in the first place.
And such problems were scattered…
It seemed that I had to keep running at least until we had a stable system in place.
Perhaps the fortunate thing is that the treasury is large.
The reason it was wide was also really embarrassing.
Meyer, who had been making commemorative coins, stamps, and this and that since the wedding, found it interesting and spurred the production of commemorative items after that.
Commemorative posters, commemorative hardcover notebooks, decorative plates with commemorative drawings, commemorative liquor…
Selling a set of mediocre black ink and flag pens called “The Colors of the Black Knights.” He even launched a gray ink named Jun Liteitia Ink and put forward the tagline, “Romantic Whispers in the Mist.”
I patted him on his sturdy, broad back as I said, embarrassed and shameful.
“Who buys this stuff!”
“I’ve made you my motif, and of course, everyone in the world will live!”
“Are you going to do business with that sense of nonsense?”
… but what I really couldn’t talk about was the reality.
How did I know that gray ink would begin to gain whirlwind popularity as an essential element when lovers exchange romantic letters?
There is something about the fact that it is blurred, not crisper than black ink, that makes it better for whispering secret words.
That was not all.
When Meyer learned of the high demand for the commemorative coinage, he immediately began coins with photos engraved with the profiles of the members of the Black Knights.
Since this was a time when there were no laws against infringement of portrait rights, of course the Black Knights did not agree to this.
The commemorative coins were measured at a slightly higher value than the cost of the coins because of their strong commemorative meaning.
Despite this, the commemorative coins of the Black Knights sold like hotcakes.
It wasn’t just selling it… Moreover, they were sold at random!
As a result, coins from popular elite members of the team were sold for more than money.
When all the coins were collected, an event was held to present a specially made palm-sized folding screen portrait album of the Black Knights.
In social circles, collecting and exchanging commemorative coin sets spread into a new fad.
To stimulate their psychology, Meyer did not forget to sell separately a case in which commemorative coin sets could be collected.
The thin, wide ebony wood case was decorated with gold insignia at the corners and the Black Knights insignia was engraved in the middle.
Inside, he made a separate room for the velvet-wrapped coins but embroidered the name of the corresponding member on each platform in small letters. It was a terrible business move indeed.
‘Isn’t this gambling? Where on earth did he learn all that stuff!’
I seriously wondered if he had ever had a flowing, curly tale to tell, but I was sure he never did.
If all of this came out of Meyer’s head, he was truly a man of rare and devilish talent.
‘It wasn’t enough that he was the strongest mankind had ever known, but that he also had a talent for business…’
At first, I thought his pledge to help me frugally was preposterous, but it actually happened… He poured money into my stomach and said proudly.
“I’ve thought about it, and I still think the more money you have, the better.”
It was a statement that could only be made by a man with more money than anyone else in the empire, to which the only reply was that the person who had more was stronger.
“What you do in the future will cost a lot of money. I want to let you do everything you want to do.”
But the intention itself is good, so for me, it was a bit much to tell him to be appropriate.
In fact, if I only look at the rich treasury, I would be full even if I didn’t eat rice…
For him, I could endure enough to have my face stuffed in all directions throughout the empire.
The sun crashed into the room in a window that seemed to be twice my height.
I wanted to lounge around in bed soaking up the warm sun, but such luxury was a luxury I could not afford.
Breakfast was as plentiful as possible. I needed to stock up on energy to keep myself busy throughout the day.
After washing my face and finishing breakfast, I dressed up while being served by the maids.
They tied a white shiny silk shirt with a silk string, and hung a silk vest and jacket embroidered with gold on it.
It was a formal dress that Veronay, the Imperial Cutter, had poured her heart and soul into. After putting on a pair of glossy black shoes, my appearance was complete.
Mary, who had just become the chief maid of the Imperial Palace, knocked on the door.
“Your Majesty, all the ministers are seated in the conference hall.”
“Alright.”
I nodded at Mary’s words.
Four times a year in the empire, there was a grand council where the Grand Duke and other high-ranking nobles gathered periodically. Today was that very day.
‘After all, it’s a bit frequent…’
It would seem that it could be reduced to twice a year, but the frequent exchange of information was necessary since the empire had just been founded. I couldn’t help it for a while.
‘But it’s not bad to see them sometimes.’
The chamberlain draped the red cloak symbolizing the emperor over my shoulders and Mary handed me the crown. I lifted the crown and put it on my head. All the preparations for attending the meeting were complete.
“The Emperor is coming!”
Everyone rose from their seats to welcome me as I entered the large conference room. The seats closest to me in the Great Council Room were occupied by the six grand dukes, the seven heroes.
Meyer and August occupied the front two sides, followed by Axion and Sevi, and Julieta and Nova occupied the bottom end of the grand ducal throne.
And in places on the seats, I could see their faces…
They were the Black Knights. Of course, there were also those who were not here. Such as Robur and the Red Wolf unit that protected Axion’s territory…
Robur even pushed the title she received to Julieta and enjoyed a life of freedom because she was comfortable.
In the process, she would suddenly stop by the Imperial Palace to have a drink with me and then leave again without a trace, which was very much like her.
The Red Wolf troops were busy cleaning up the mess Axion had made in the name of magical research in the territory.
Five years had passed, but everyone looked much the same as they had in the past.
It was a well-known fact that the expedition members aged somewhat slower, only because they were at a higher level and somewhat out of the human race.
Rather, everyone’s faces bloomed just by maintaining a comfortable daily life, because they did not have to enter any more dungeons that were dark, dull, and full of magi.
Meyer’s face, in particular, lit up daily. He was usually really handsome, but in the company of others like this, his face sparkled.
Of course, his face did not light up just because his mind was at ease.
Free from responsibility and burden, if Meyer devoted half of his day to increasing his memorabilia business, the other half was invested in keeping his body fit and cultivating his good looks all day long.
Grand Duke Knox’s officials were still left to Vince.
I thought I’d say a word to Meyer about how awful it was for Vince to do it, and how he had to be responsible for it as Grand Duke.
However, when they hear the news that medicinal herbs were rather good for the skin, they would gather them up like ghosts and spur Meyer on to skin management.
Something about the fall of the Emperor’s favor, and that His Excellency would not be able to re-establish himself.
After hearing that story, I gave up thinking further about the internal affairs of the Grand Duke of Knox.
As for the adults, what about the children? Sevi and Jeanne were growing up at the time of the Holy Demon War, and every year was different.
