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Chapter 158: A Treasure Hunt
“So, how much do you know?”
I settled into my seat while receiving a human massage prepared by Cindy and asked her once again about her intentions.
I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.
She anticipated my desire to return to the Imperial Capital at full speed and had made preparations accordingly.
In other words, she was aware of my father’s situation and wanted to discuss it.
“As expected of Your Majesty,”
“You’re the impressive one here,”
“Me?”
“You waited for me to arrive in such a well-prepared manner. Unless you have something significant, that wouldn’t be possible.”
“…Your Majesty is truly remarkable.”
Cindy spoke with an expression of genuine admiration, her eyes seemingly inflamed with emotion.
However, that fleeting moment quickly turned serious again.
“Sir Noizhil has come to the palace,”
“…The former First Vizier from two generations ago, huh?”
Cindy nodded silently and slightly. Noizhil was the First Vizier during my childhood.
He served for nearly 30 years under my late father’s reign, making him the longest-serving First Vizier of my father’s rule.
He is a man who could be considered a hidden benefactor without hesitation.
Later, he resigned on the grounds of old age and returned to his hometown, completely distancing himself from politics.
By the way, his successor was Jean, and now my trusted aide Don has taken over the position of First Vizier.
So, Noizhil appeared at the Imperial Palace—before my father.
“I see… Do you know how my father is faring?”
“According to reliable sources,”
“Hmm.”
“He is aware of his surroundings, and there have been no unusual conversations. However,”
“However?”
“All the consorts have been kept away from him.”
“…I see.”
I nodded solemnly.
While I qualify Cindy’s information, my honest impression is that the situation is worse than I had imagined.
“Is it… not good?”
“…”
I glanced briefly at the men giving me the massage.
“Rest assured, these are carefully selected individuals. If anything discussed here were to leak out, it would be my responsibility.”
“Leaving the possibility of such a thing unrefuted is typical of you.”
“I am humbled.”
“Noizhil is a man who is good at being obscured.”
I turned my gaze toward the wall, beginning to speak as if looking through the wall towards the scenery outside the carriage.
“After stepping down as First Vizier, he has secluded himself in his hometown, ensuring that neither he nor his descendants get involved in politics. Normally, after serving as First Vizier for 30 years, one could wield influence in any manner they pleased.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
“However, that would also invite resentment.”
“Resentment… from whom?”
“From me.”
“Your Majesty?”
“To be more precise, from the hypothetical version of me.”
“The hypothetical… Your Majesty?”
“Haha, this also concerns you.”
“Huh?”
“Assuming your brother grows up and successfully takes over the household, how old will you be by then?”
“Um…”
With a perplexed expression, Cindy pondered how to answer my “question.”
I wore a mischievous smile and continued.
“Imagine you’re confidently taking over the family, thinking, ‘Now it’s my time’—and suddenly an old man interjects. It’s only natural to feel some murderous intent.”
“Ah… to avoid incurring Your Majesty’s displeasure…”
“That’s exactly it.”
I chuckled softly.
Of course, I didn’t intend to do anything like that, I would listen to reason when presented, and if the law were broken, I would simply carry out the appropriate punishment.
However, the hypothetical version of me—the new Emperor in theory—would not be the same.
Young people inherently dislike being interrupted by the elderly.
This would be even more pronounced for the new Emperor who holds power, possibly with feelings of omnipotence.
And while a mere young person might just vent their grievances, as the Emperor, one possesses the power of life and death over all subjects of the Empire.
If they felt like it, they could execute someone without regard for the law.
(Though one should never do such a thing when considering the aftermath.)
Thus, I believe Noizhil completely secluded himself for self-preservation.
“A man who is so adept at concealment has come to court at this late stage. There can be no other reason than having been summoned by the retired Emperor.”
“Why would the retired Emperor…?”
Cindy looked at me with curious eyes.
It seemed she believed that if she had deduced that much, she should also understand the purpose behind it.
“…You mentioned that he kept all the consorts away, right?”
“Eh? Yes.”
Cindy, who was taken aback by being answered with a question, nodded while her confusion deepened.
“…I see.”
“Um…!”
Cindy tried to ask something further, but suddenly gasped mid-sentence.
Her eyes widened, and she looked at me with a face full of shock.
I silently nodded slightly.
In other words, that’s how it was.
The reason, and fundamentally my father’s condition.
While I could speculate about it, it was something I “couldn’t say from my mouth.”
It must be quite serious.
That my father had kept women at bay was also part of it, and calling upon a trusted aide who had served as prime minister for 30 years was likely to prepare a will.
Of course, it was speculation.
It was merely conjecture based on circumstantial evidence.
But precisely because of that, it was something that should never be articulated from my mouth—the Emperor’s mouth.
“……Rest assured.”
“Huh?”
While still staring at the wall, I spoke to Cindy.
“There won’t be an immediate change; no matter what happens, there will undoubtedly be time to spare.”
“Why is that…?”
“In the past, His Majesty the Retired Emperor told me something like this.”
I spoke while recalling the conversation I had with my father back then, reciting the lines that had completely melded into my memories.
“Nine out of ten people called great rulers tarnish their legacy at the end. You think so too, right?”
“……Yes.”
“His Majesty was very concerned about that. Abdicating in life was also part of that consideration.”
“Why is that?”
“No matter what kind of person one is, it’s impossible to make the best decisions in a dazed state when facing death.”
“Oh…”
“His Majesty wishes to choose a proper successor while he is still of sound mind, instead of descending into senility and ruining his legacy, and to transfer power smoothly without any turmoil. That is likely His Majesty’s thought.”
“I understand.”
“Once you experience something, you can also make inferences. I too wish to decide on important matters while I am still clear-headed.”
In other words, it meant preparing a will, but I had intentionally softened the expression.
Though it was also a conjecture based on circumstantial evidence, it couldn’t be far from the truth.
“I-I see…”
Cindy said that and nodded—but her face was stiff, and moreover, it was pale.
Knowing that the death of the wise Emperor, who had built the golden age of the Empire and had been Emperor since birth, was near made her tremble.
While I had softened the direct expressions, for a sharp woman like Cindy, it would be conveyed more clearly.
Yet, soon after, as if she had resolved herself to something, her expression changed to one of determination.
“Your Majesty.”
“What is it?”
Cindy once again bowed down in front of me.
The massage men, while unable to see, seemed to be unsettled by the sight of their master bowing down, as I felt their unease through their hands on my shoulders and waist.
“What are you planning?”
“I swear, I won’t say anything. However, I don’t have confidence in hiding my feelings either.”
“I see, I understand.”
“Therefore, I wish for you to—”
“I heard a rumor that there is an elixir of immortality in the remote lands of Almeria.”
“—Huh?”
Cindy looked puzzled, surprised at what I was saying.
She raised her face while keeping her hands and feet on the floor, looking at me.
“Go find it. It’s just a silly rumor, so there’s no need to involve anyone else, you will go treasure hunting alone and report to me in three months.”
“……!”
Cindy gasped, it seemed she understood my intention.
In other words, she was saying that she lacked the confidence to keep it a secret and wanted me to silence her, but I had given her a flimsy excuse to go to the outskirts alone for six months, telling her to avoid meeting anyone.
In other words, I had provided an excuse for her preservation.
She understood that, and her eyes widened.
“And this—take this as well.”
I stopped the hands of the masseurs, took out a new piece of paper, and hurried to write.
Then I handed it to Cindy.
She sat up and received it in a kneeling position.
The paper only had the words “People are treasure” written on it.
“What is this…?”
“Don’t think lightly about strange things. For three months, read it aloud once a day.”
“Your Majesty…”
Cindy was moved, kneeling with my handwritten “People are treasure” held close to her chest, her eyes watering.
“People are treasures, people are—ah!”
As soon as she began to read it aloud, Cindy seemed to realize something and gasped.
“That was quick.”
I smiled softly.
People are treasures.
That phrase held another meaning beyond just preventing her from having strange thoughts.
It set her off on a ‘treasure hunt’ for an impossible ‘elixir of immortality.’
I don’t know what will happen in three months, but I hoped that by the time she could meet people, that ‘treasure hunt’ would transform from a quest for immortality into a search for people.
It was also a message to go find someone talented.
Talent is precious, but far easier to find than an elixir of immortality.
Cindy realized this before she set off.
“You are perceptive.”
“Your Majesty, you are truly amazing…”[TN: A good chapter ]
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