Chapter 137: Women’s Privilege
After leaving various tasks to Henry, I returned to the tent.
Inside the tent, Alice was sitting quietly.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back, Your Majesty.”
Alice smiled warmly and stood up, handing me a well-wrung towel.
I had only just left the tent a short while ago, and I wasn’t tired at all, but without saying anything, I accepted her kind gesture and wiped my face a bit.
“Hmm.”
“Yes.”
Alice took back the used towel.
She didn’t ask me anything further.
It wasn’t that she lacked curiosity; yet, she chose not to inquire about anything.
She attended to me as if she were a devoted wife.
Once I settled in my usual spot, Alice came to sit beside me.
“I’ll be away for a while starting tomorrow.”
“…!”
This surprised her greatly, and she widened her eyes, staring at me.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to infiltrate enemy territory—”
“That’s not acceptable!”
Alice raised her voice in an attempt to stop me before I could finish my sentence.
Realizing her outburst, she quickly covered her mouth, looking embarrassed.
“Don’t worry about it, Henry just admonished me earlier.”
“Of course! It’s far too dangerous.”
“But there’s no other time than now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Livyathan—Leviathan once used a super long-range shot to take out the leader of the rebellion in Almeria, while being near the Imperial Capital.”
“Uh, I see…”
Alice nodded vaguely as if to say, What on earth are you talking about?
I continued without caring.
“That had an enormous effect, but it was so forceful that countermeasures were taken. Now, there’s no way to replicate it. If it hadn’t been done back then, we could now take out the enemy’s leader in a single strike with a long-range shot without needing to lead a campaign.”
“…But, what about the next time?”
“That’s exactly the point.”
I chuckled softly.
Alice, who possessed a keen mind, had grasped the essence of what I was trying to convey.
“No matter how powerful a technique or exceptional a skill may be, it gets countered over time and becomes obsolete, diminishing its effectiveness. Do you know? Once, a single sorcerer could break down castle walls with a fireball, but now countermeasures have been implemented, and unless hundreds of sorcerers unleash it simultaneously, they can’t achieve meaningful results. To go further, in ancient times, simply possessing iron weapons allowed someone to fight on par with a thousand men.”
“…Indeed, it’s the same with songs.”
“That is probably so. I may not know all the details, but if you view things from a woman like you, surely you’ve recognized that reality.”
I nodded and said so.
This holds true in every field.
In highly populated genres like music, where many people are honing their skills, advancements occur rapidly.
It’s often said that just because a master existed in the past doesn’t guarantee they can thrive in the present.
I find that to be correct in some sense, but also wrong in another.
A former master who clings to outdated techniques might struggle to succeed.
However, if they learn the evolving techniques that have developed through their talent, they could still make a significant impact.
Realizing my thoughts were drifting, I looked again at Alice.
“It’s frustrating.”
Alice had an expression that reflected her words, showing her apparent frustration.
“That’s the nature of progress for humanity as a whole.”
“…”
“What’s wrong? You look like a startled pigeon.”
“Uh, no. It’s just that I think Your Majesty is incredible. I know many people who have said similar things, but they all just think about themselves and resist change.”
“I see.”
I’ve seen plenty of such people too
Both since reincarnating as Noah and in my previous life.
Listening to Alice, I re-affirmed my resolve not to become someone like that.
Continuing with our conversation, I said,
“Right now, I’ve developed a technique called gaze diversion. It should demonstrate immense power now, but soon enough, it will be countered and lose its effectiveness.”
“Is that really possible?”
“For instance, if it becomes known that only I can use this technique, one could completely disregard where I am and incinerate a hundred-meter square area with tactical-level magic, rendering gaze diversion meaningless.”
“Um…”
“Was that too difficult to understand? If you know someone is in the house but can’t find them, then why not just burn the whole house down?”
“Ah, y-yes.”
“That was a bit of an extreme example, but it illustrates that there are countless countermeasures that can be conceived when humans are pressed for solutions.”
“I see…”
“So, I want to make the most of it while its effectiveness is at its peak.”
“But! Even if that’s the case! There’s no need for Your Majesty to put yourself in danger! You could delegate your power to someone else—”
“There’s no other time but now.”
“—Huh?”
Alice, looking puzzled, wondered, What does that mean?
“Humans hesitate because they have possibilities.”
“Possibilities… hesitate?”
“Could you imagine the Emperor of the Empire going on reconnaissance himself?”
“That… no, not at all.”
“Indeed. It’s because no Emperor has done it before. But if I do it now, at least my enemies will have to think that such a person might appear in the future—at least that’s what they will come to believe.”
“…”
“Even if I don’t lead the expedition myself. They will become suspicious, doubting whether I’m truly absent while I might actually be present. And the safest time to do this would be now, while I’m performing as a debauched Emperor and the enemy is off guard. In the future, I won’t be a debauched Emperor anymore, so there will be a degree of caution.”
Alice made a complex face, looking as if she had bitten into a bitter bug.
“You really have thought this through…”
“Indeed.”
“That’s amazing. Truly amazing… but…”
Alice looked like she might cry.
With her delicate tear-stained face and the way she seemed to hesitate, this was a moment where she had to act, thinking about the future.
Alice’s expression wavered as she grappled with her feelings, but ultimately she managed to hold herself together.
“I wish you good fortune… I will pray for your success.”
“Thank you.”
I thought for a moment.
I hesitated at the thought of leaving Alice sad, and pondered if there was anything I could do about it.
“Is there anything you want?”
“Huh?”
Alice looked surprised.
She was taken aback by the sudden change of topic.
Her wide-open eyes glistened with traces of tears.
“You did well this time; I must reward you.”
“That’s… not necessary…”
“A woman like you ought to have something better than mere gold.”
“Th-that’s too much…”
“Don’t be so modest; my insight to have found you is included in that.”
“Y-yes… Thank you…”
Now, she appeared bashful, slightly looking down.
The upward glance while still casting her eyes downwards revealed a hint of happiness.
“That’s how it is then, what do you want? Speak freely. There shouldn’t be many things I, as the Emperor, cannot procure.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Hm? What’s wrong? You needn’t hold back.”
“Well… then…”
“Yes?”
“Please come to the establishment again…”
Alice said after a short pause.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Okay, I understand.”
I nodded and stood up.
I had brought Alice some stationery from the corner of the tent, so I headed there.
So I picked up a pen, wrote a minimal message, and stamped it with the Emperor’s seal.
After that, I returned to Alice.
“Here you go.”
“Huh?”
As I handed her the paper I brought, Alice accepted it, although puzzled.
She lowered her gaze and attempted to read the text.
“This… there’s hardly anything written on it…”
“It’s like a blank promissory note.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know exactly what you’ve concealed, but I can tell you’ve got something. I’m not that much of a blockhead.”
“Your Majesty…”
“I’m not going to force you; it seems you don’t want to reveal what you’ve concealed right now.”
“…”
“When you feel like it, or when you think of something you really want, feel free to write it down yourself.”
Hearing that, Alice finally understood the significance of the paper she was holding and gasped in surprise.
Not wanting to say it out loud since it would seem rude, this is the biggest gift I’ve given since my reincarnation as Noah.
While I had given hundreds to thousands of Reens to those I encountered in accordance with noble duties, this paper was on an entirely different level.
It’s a blank promissory note written by the Emperor of the Empire himself so in cash, it would amount to several hundred thousand Reens or more.
I handed this to Alice.
There are several reasons, but the biggest one is my apology for not being able to respond to her feelings.
I understand the reasons Alice doesn’t want me to go.
Though similar to Henry, there’s a genuinely warm feeling there that makes it differ fundamentally.
I can understand that, I truly do, but right now I can’t respond to it.
I am the Emperor of the Empire.
For the future of my reign, I must make these preparations now.
That is how I made her sad, and this is my apology.
Receiving it, Alice made a variety of expressions again.
This time, her face was a bit brighter than before.
“Your Majesty is amazing.”
“Is that so?”
“You see right through everything.”
“…That’s true.”
“I understand—then.”
With that, Alice stood up and went to where I had written a blank promissory note, took the same pen, and quickly wrote something into the blank decree.
Then she returned and handed it to me.
“This is… ‘Please come back alive’?”
“Yes. That is my greatest wish.”
“Is it really something like this? No, I am going to scout; returning alive is a given.”
“Even so.”
Alice said that, smiling gently.
That smile was the most captivating face I had seen from her so far, and I was a bit taken aback.
“You use it in an interesting way.”
“It’s a woman’s greatest whim, and it’s a woman’s privilege.”
“And you express it interestingly.”
“I’m just imitating Your Majesty.”
“Huh? Oh, haha, I see.”
A woman’s privilege—an aristocrat’s privilege.
So she imitated me, huh.
After saying that, Alice had a playful smile—a smile that wiped away her sadness.
“I understand, I will definitely come back alive.”
Further back-and-forth would be pointless.
I treated the decree that Alice had written with care and tucked it away in my pocket.
It seems she correctly received that as a sign of my intent, and her previously dark expression vanished completely, replaced by a smile that I could have gazed at forever, given the time.
TN: Apologies for being late. Come back tomorrow for next chapter.
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