Well chapter 158 was supposed to be a regular chapter update, but whatever!!
Chapter 161: A Man I Want to Rely On
“…But…”
“Hmm?”
“Your Majesty mentioned a presence. If that’s the case, then the reason you have come to me… I am sure that I am also constantly being monitored by the retired Emperor.”
“In that case, it should be fine.”
I said this while recalling the times I came to Don.
“When I entered, I concentrated my presence on you. Even now, I am masking my own presence. As long as I am not visually detected, it should be fine—after all, I wouldn’t be ‘seen’ from the outside, would I?”
“Of course. In this position, I can manage things to some extent.”
Don nodded, impressed.
“So right now, I am alone in this study—is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“That combination is amazing.”
“I can’t say that I’ve completely outsmarted the situation, and besides, it’s a race against time.”
“A race against time, you say?”
“I told you that I left a presence behind.”
“…”
Don pondered this.
He realized that my words were essentially asking a question, like a quiz.
“Oh, Your Majesty does not stay in one place.”
“That’s right.”
I nodded slightly.
“Unless something major happens, I hardly ever stay in one place for long. Especially not at a location where I left my presence behind.”
“If you remain where you are, you will eventually raise suspicion… is that what you mean?”
“Exactly. The test was successful, I must return and move again soon.”
“I see! And what will you do next?”
“I cannot tell you that.”
“What?”
Don was momentarily taken aback, as if surprised. But he quickly came to his senses.
“Not for me?”
“Hmm.”
“Not for me, then.”
“That’s right.”
“Understood.”
Don accepted this and bowed his head.
“Well then, since you have come, there is one matter I would like to address, but I take it that it’s better if I don’t inquire about it?”
“That’s correct.”
I nodded firmly.
Quick to understand, Don is exactly why I made him my trusted subordinate and appointed him as the First Vizier.
“If I ask about it and give instructions, then my ‘presence’ will manifest there.”
“That is true.”
“Furthermore, it concerns you.”
“Huh?”
“Even if I do not give instructions, you would infer it from my expressions. That too would mix in with my presence.”
“Oh… Amazing, Your Majesty, to have thought that far ahead.”
“…”
I smiled gently.
“Then I will proceed with that matter as planned before Your Majesty arrived.”
“That’s fine.”
I nodded and then looked towards the door.
☆
Leaving Don’s place, I returned to where I had “left a presence” and proceeded as usual. Then I began to move.
I advanced along the main road, trying to “avoid people” as much as possible, and eventually arrived at Oscar’s mansion. At Oscar’s mansion, there was, as expected, a guard on duty at the entrance. Upon seeing me, the guard diligently carried out his duties.
“Stop! What business do you have at this hour?”
“Don’t raise a fuss. Is Oscar here?”
I deliberately lowered my voice and asked with a serious face.
“What did you say—huh!”
“I told you not to raise a fuss.”
“Y-Yes.”
The guard at Oscar’s mansion knew who I was. With that clearance, I said to the guard:
“It’s top secret. Lead me directly to Oscar.”
“Yes, sir!”
The guard said this as he began to lead me.
I followed behind him.
Along the way, I encountered servants of the mansion twice, but when the guard sent some kind of signal, the servants quickly suppressed their surprise and pretended not to notice.
“He seems to have a good education,” I thought to myself as I was led into the study.
Like Don, it seems Oscar had been holed up in the study until this time.
The gatekeeper knocked.
“Who is it?”
“……”
The gatekeeper opened the door silently.
Oscar was at his desk writing something.
He looked up, puzzled by his subordinate’s silent action, but that expression quickly shifted to one of surprise upon seeing me there.
He quickly composed himself and spoke to the gatekeeper.
“Thank you for your hard work, you may leave now.”
“Yes, sir.”
The gatekeeper followed the order and stepped back.
Once I entered the study, the gatekeeper slowly closed the door.
“You’re working hard at this hour.”
“It’s the duty of Royalty. Surely His Majesty understands this better than anyone else.”
“That’s true.”
I proceeded deeper into the study.
Oscar’s room had only a single desk and chair set, with a bookshelf as the only other furniture.
In other words, there was only one place to sit.
Oscar stood up straight and offered his chair to me.
Before I could sit down, Oscar spoke.
“First, allow me to admonish you. As I mentioned before, that is a danger that the Emperor should not engage in.”
Oscar pointed out my method of returning here.
There was a time when I rushed back to the imperial capital on horseback, pushing the horse to its limits.
“Rushing” refers not only to exhausting the horse but also to ignoring the safety of the rider, all to deliver something quickly.
I had returned in a similar manner this time, and Oscar had admonished me then as well.
“I’ll hear your scolding later. More importantly, we have something to discuss, is there a place where the conversation won’t leak?”
“I understand, this way please.”
Oscar responded immediately.
The Emperor had come here at night, alone and in secret.
He wanted to talk somewhere private where nothing would get out.
Oscar is a capable man, he didn’t start with pointless questions like “Why?”.
Oscar stepped out into the hallway first, holding a lantern to lead the way.
I followed him, and after walking down the corridor for a while, we entered a garden.
As we proceeded through the garden suitable for a prince’s rank, we came to an open area.
It was so wide that it looked almost like a “meadow.”
In the center of that open space stood a tower.
“Did you have this made anew?”
“Yes.”
“I see. For confidential talks, a spot that’s either completely closed off or completely open is ideal, so you’ve combined both.”
“And the design at the top allows for a view down, but not the other way around.”
“……This is the first time someone has seen through it at a glance.”
“I might borrow this design.”
“……”
Oscar, who was walking ahead, turned around.
His face, illuminated by the lantern, showed surprise.
“What’s the matter? Is it not okay?”
“That’s impressive, Your Majesty. I never thought you would say such a straightforward thing.”
“It’s a good idea realized in a good form, there’s no reason not to learn from it.”
“I’m honored.”
I followed Oscar and ascended the tower.
The top of the tower had only a table and chairs with nothing else.
“Please.”
“Um.”
Oscar and I sat facing each other across the table.
Although I was seated first, Oscar took a seat as well, which indicated that this was the expected arrangement for a confidential talk.
“In fact, this is a countermeasure concerning the retired Emperor.”
Oscar spoke first.
And that made me realize he already had a sense of my purpose.
“Hmm, while I’ve given up hope of keeping this meeting itself from being discovered, you’re suggesting we should at least keep the contents secret.”
“You’re well aware of the retired Emperor’s remarkable network of information.”
“Indeed.”
I nodded and moved on to the main topic.
“What is the condition of my father?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been informed at all. I know that the former First Minister has come back and is currently at the late Emperor’s side.”
“So there’s little difference between us.”
“Rather, it’s impressive that you, being abroad, have grasped it to that extent.”
Oscar gave a self-deprecating smile.
“I want to know the real situation in more detail.”
“Of course. But there’s no way to find out.”
“I will investigate myself.”
“You, Your Majesty?”
Oscar was surprised and furrowed his brow.
“With all due respect, the old Emperor has hidden this much, so there must be thorough countermeasures against you as well.”
“There is one way to deal with it, but it will be a race against time.”
“…Is that so?”
“That’s why I want your cooperation.”
“…………Do you trust me?”
I was a bit surprised.
This was a rather bold and frank question for Oscar.
So I also decided to dig deeper.
“In terms of wanting to know about my father’s wellbeing, you and I should have the same thought.”
“…Yes.”
“Maintaining the authority of the Emperor; that should also be a shared objective.”
“………………Incredible that you could come this far with me.”
“I mentioned it would be a race against time. Also…”
“Also?”
“I want to rely on you. This is my sincere feeling.”
“……………”
Oscar fell silent and stared at me with a complex expression for a moment.
“…It is a race against time, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“We can discuss everything else later.”
“That would be helpful.”
“What should I do?”
“I will explain the details afterward. I need you to stay here alone without contacting anyone until I return.”
“Understood. Good luck.”
Oscar accepted my proposal without asking anything else.
Oscar is truly a capable man.
I want to continue relying on Oscar in the future, I want him to be someone I can rely on.
I genuinely thought this as I left my presence behind in Oscar’s tower.
And hurried straight to the palace where my father was likely to be.
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I’ll try to update Another World is full of happiness very soon enough! Thank you for the patience. Also Thanks for the donation again guyzzz
Also, there may be a few more error in these 4 chapters, do mention it in discord.