Chapter 147: A Woman Who Follows Ancient Customs
The system of honorary knights was something I devised when I was a child – around the time I was about to receive the title of ‘Wise Prince.’
The idea for this was because of the deficit in the Empire’s finances, which had been suffering for decades.
There were suggestions that the Empire should reduce its expenditures to decrease the deficit, and for a time, such measures were taken. However, it ultimately ended in disastrous failure.
The Empire’s spending does not simply vanish into thin air.
The money spent by the Empire flows into the private sector, circulating within it and enriching the people.
As soon as those expenditures were cut, the circulation of money in the private sector visibly decreased.
As a result, tax revenues sharply fell, public safety deteriorated across various regions, and uprisings began to erupt.
This also influenced the perception of the Empire as a “nation of warriors.”
The reduction in spending was seen as a sign of weakness in the Empire, leading to rebellions popping up everywhere.
Ironically, the temporary recovery of finances was achieved by suppressing these uprisings, capturing the instigators, and seizing their assets.
However, the situation remained moderately critical.
In such circumstances, a member of the Imperial family voluntarily offered to pay a fine.
The reason was that their son had committed murder, and the fine was ostensibly for neglecting supervision.
By offering to pay a large fine, they aimed to gain favor with the Emperor, avoiding the worst-case scenario of losing their family’s standing.
The Emperor was enthusiastic about this, but I vehemently opposed it.
The reason was that if a precedent were set where someone could mitigate their punishment simply by offering to pay a fine, it would undermine the deterrent effect of the law.
Thus, I protested strongly, and the former Emperor ultimately understood and accepted my viewpoint.
Instead, I proposed an alternative as a fundraising mechanism for “honor.”
Being absolved of a crime by paying a fine was out of the question, but buying honor through donations was acceptable.
However, if one could purchase rank or position through donations, it would lead to corruption and malfeasance.
Therefore, I suggested that “no actual power or positions would be granted,” but instead, “the Emperor would personally confer honors,” creating a system specifically for honor – no, “fundraising” for honor.
Afterward, this proposal was discussed by the former Emperor and the chancellor, and it solidified into a formal system for honorary knights.
For a while after this system was established, I found myself being praised by the former Emperor with “amazing” remarks time and again for an entire month.
☆
I looked at the woman in front of me.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, still youthful, with a hint of childlike innocence in her face.
This woman claimed to be an “honorary knight.” This meant she was someone who had donated in the past and was honored by the Emperor.
“At that time…”
“What?”
“W-Was it me?”
“Yes! Directly.”
“I see.”
I nodded in understanding.
For me, she was just one of the many individuals I had honored for their generous donations, but for her, I was the one and only Emperor.
It made sense that she would remember me clearly.
“I shouldn’t have approached you, but I couldn’t hold back, so I just…”
“It’s fine, rather, let’s talk a bit more casually.”
“Ah, yes! Um… did you understand that?”
“Haha.”
I chuckled softly.
It was amusing to clearly see Etna’s embarrassment.
“More importantly, does this mean your family is in trading or something?”
“Yes—uh, yes. My family has been engaged in sericulture for generations.”
“I see.”
I nodded in agreement.
Almost 90% of honorary knights were merchants.
The system of buying honor with money naturally led to that outcome.
“Has there been any change in your family business since then?”
“Thanks to your grace, we’ve been able to profit even more.”
“Oh?”
I looked at Etna with eyes questioning what she meant.
“People seem to view it as remarkable that someone could spend so much money on something that doesn’t yield practical returns… Merchants care about whether they’re making a profit or not.”
“Hahaha, that’s true. Merchants who aren’t making a profit are risky and no one wants to do business with them.”
“Exactly. Plus, rather than my father, it’s me—it adds even more value. His Majesty the Emperor who invented this system is truly an incredible person!”
“I see. But by the way—why are you doing something like this?”
I asked, lightly brushing aside her praise while directing my gaze towards the direction she had come from, where her attendants had begun preparing for a soup kitchen.
I was curious about why they were organizing a soup kitchen.
“Isn’t that behavior rather uncharacteristic for a merchant?”
“I received information that His Majesty the Emperor is coming to this land.”
Etna answered without hesitation.
The phrase “His Majesty the Emperor is coming” was not directed at me personally; it was meant as information, so I didn’t point that out.
“Why would you do this if His Majesty is coming?”
“Because His Majesty is leading a personal campaign, and will definitely win.”
“Win?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Etna stated this confidently without any doubt.
“Why?”
“Because he is His Majesty the Emperor.”
“…I see.”
I nodded slightly and focused on Etna’s eyes.
Then I realized.
When Etna said “His Majesty the Emperor,” she was referring to me—Noah I.
It seemed that it wasn’t just because I was the Emperor, but specifically because he was Noah.
And there was no reasoning behind it. Her only reason was simply that it was me.
“While it’s fine that His Majesty will definitely win—”
“Yes?”
“When His Majesty sees this situation, he will surely command that the people be saved. He is someone who deeply cares for his subjects. We should not trouble His Majesty with such trivial matters. I wish for him to focus solely on the battle, and that is why I am doing this.”
As we spoke, I suppose her feelings escalated more and more.
Etna’s tone returned to the humble and respectful language she initially used when we met.
“I see.”
I didn’t point out her choice of words.
More than that, I was slightly surprised by the strength of her feelings.
Perhaps drawn to her strong voice, the villagers who had come out for the food distribution were glancing over at us.
It wouldn’t be good to be stared at like this for much longer. Wanting to hear more of her story, I thought of moving to a different location with her.
“Let’s talk in a quieter place.”
“Yes!”
I turned around and started walking.
She followed behind me—however, I noticed something off and stopped in my tracks.
And, she wasn’t just following like before.
She had significantly changed her position as she followed along.
“Why did you move over there?”
Her movement seemed strange even to Luke.
He asked her out of curiosity.
“This is—”
“It’s an old custom.”
“An old custom?”
I nodded and explained to Luke on Etna’s behalf.
“When standing near someone of higher status, you must always stand on the north side.”
“Why?”
“It’s the reasoning of not stepping on their shadow. There’s no real harm in stepping on someone’s shadow, but that’s just how it was in the old days.”
“I-I see.”
“…”
I shifted my gaze from Luke to Etna.
I stared intently at her.
“What’s wrong?”
“…………Were you the one disguising yourself as a man by suppressing your voice?”
“—! Yes!!”
Surprise and joy.
These two emotions flickered across Etna’s face.
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Thanks for the treat. 🖖