Chapter 26

"Rutiera... It seems to possess the power of fire."

"You've seen through it that far?"

"Yes. And it seems to have quite a lot of power."

"Hmm. Shall we give it a try? If so, let's go outside."

With that, His Majesty walked ahead.

After leaving the treasury, he called his trusted eunuch, Cruise, and ordered him to prepare a "target."

"That won't be necessary, Your Majesty."

"Hmm? You have something in mind?"

"Yes."

"Then show me."

Together with His Majesty, who had given his permission, we went out to the garden.

I bowed to His Majesty and stood a little away.

Rutiera, which had brought a "+" to my status, shares two common points with Leviathan.

One is that it has a will. That's why I speculate it connects to the "+".

The other is that it can launch an attack with the power of the ring alone, independent of my ability.

Rutiera has the same charge attack as Leviathan.

I launched it—towards myself.

Instantly, my body was engulfed in flames.

"Noah!?"

His Majesty was surprised.

He was so shocked that he reflexively took a step forward and reached out his hand.

"I'm fine."

I said this while still on fire.

Because my voice was so normal, His Majesty was surprised again—his shock was visible.

I casually raised Leviathan, which I had been holding out of sight.

"Ah, I see."

His Majesty's expression changed to one of understanding after a few moments.

I had cast Rutiera's flames on myself, but Leviathan had reacted to it.

Leviathan, linked to the armor ring, immediately produced a shield with the power of water.

Water and fire are mutually weak against each other.

If they are evenly matched, they will cancel each other out, but if one is clearly superior, the effect will increase dramatically.

In numerical terms, it would be like this:

If an attack with 100 units of fire power is launched, it will have a normal effect of 100. The same goes for water.

However, if an attack with 100 units of fire power is launched against an opponent with 99 units of water power, the effect will jump to nearly 200.

Conversely, if an attack with 99 units of fire power is launched against an opponent with 100 units of water power, the effect will drop to nearly 0.

That's what happened now.

"Hmm... To remain completely unperturbed even as the ground around you melts. Truly impressive, Noah."

As His Majesty was surprised, Rutiera's flames were so strong that they melted the ground around me, but they had no effect on me at all.

This means nothing other than that Leviathan's power is superior to Rutiera's.

"Hmm?"

"What is it, Your Majesty?"

"Despite the heat that can melt the ground, I don't feel any heat at all."

His Majesty, looking puzzled, extended his palm towards me, as if to hold a campfire.

"Please look at the ground again."

"The ground...? Hmm, it's melting within a 'circle'."

"Yes. I'm also suppressing it so it doesn't spread outside."

"Amazing! That's incredible."

His Majesty praised me, and I bowed deeply in gratitude.

I had grasped Rutiera's power and shown it to His Majesty.

So I ordered Rutiera to retract the flames.

I, who had been a fireball just a moment ago, returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

My hair, skin, and clothes were completely unscorched.

The melted ground alone testified to the strength of Rutiera's power.

"To be able to control it so completely, Noah, you are truly impressive."

"I am honored."

"Indeed, I will formally grant Rutiera to Noah. Use it to serve the empire even more."

"Understood."

His Majesty, looking satisfied, turned and said, "Follow me," and started walking.

We returned to the palace from the garden and went straight to the study.

His Majesty returned to his desk, and I stopped at the position where a subject stands.

"There is one thing I want to hear your opinion on, Noah."

His Majesty pulled out one report from a pile and handed it to me.

I took it and read through it.

It was about His Majesty's younger brother, Graeme Ararat, who is my uncle, offering a fine of 30,000 Reen.

"Did Lord Graeme do something?"

"Graeme's son, who is my nephew, committed all sorts of atrocities in Graeme's territory and, in a drunken state, ended up killing someone he had a dispute with."

"Indeed."

"I punished him accordingly, but Graeme himself, acknowledging his failure to supervise his son, offered the fine."

"According to imperial law, Lord Graeme is not guilty. Just as a child is not obligated to repay a parent's debt, a parent is not responsible for a child's crimes."

As the Minister of Law, I provided a legal interpretation based on imperial law.

"Indeed. I said the same. Still, Graeme must be afraid. He is probably trying to buy peace by offering the fine."

I looked at what was handed to me.

I confirmed the number written there again.

30,000 Reen.

It's a considerable sum.

In the capital, an adult male earns an average of 10 Reen per month.

30,000 Reen is 3,000 times that, roughly 250 years' worth of earnings.

"What do you think, Noah?"

"...I believe it should be firmly rejected."

"Why?"

"It is not right to collect a fine when there is no crime, even if the person offers it."

"Hmm. Then what about amending the law and codifying it?"

His Majesty looked at me intently.

"The national treasury is chronically in danger. Relief for disasters and suppression of rebellions all require money."

So you want this kind of additional income, right?

I understand, but I said firmly with a serious face.

"If we set such a precedent, people who can afford to pay will think that 'paying money means being innocent.' Even though the actual imperial law does not support this, such thinking will lower the threshold for committing crimes."

"Indeed, the deterrent power of the law will be lost."

"Furthermore, most of these people are merchants, nobles, and officials. This will eventually lead to political corruption."

"I see."

"The shortage in the national treasury is a serious issue, but it should be addressed through proper means."

"...You are right, Noah. Thank you for your wise counsel. I will consult with Oscar, the Minister of Finance. I expect to hear your opinion again."

"Of course."

I said, and His Majesty nodded, writing something on the paper in front of him.

After finishing, he signed it and stamped it.

It was an official imperial document—a decree.

He handed it to me.

I took it and read the contents.

It began with praise for the thirteenth prince, me, as a rare wise prince, and ended with my appointment as Prime Advisor.

Prime Advisor is a position derived from the Prime Minister, which I had proposed.

"..."

"An honorary position. Is it not to your liking?"

"No... Your Majesty."

"What is it?"

"Although paying money to escape punishment is out of the question, what about paying money for honor?"

I shared with His Majesty the idea that had come from the honorary position of Prime Advisor, which was clearly created just now.

"Honor?"

"For example, could we grant the title of Honorary Knight to those who donate 1,000 Reen to the national treasury?"

I understood this well from my knowledge and memory of my previous life.

Humans, after accumulating a certain amount of money—more than they can use—tend to seek honor over material wealth.

Nobles become patrons of various people for this reason.

They use the money they cannot spend to nurture talented but underprivileged individuals, thereby enhancing their reputation as nobles.

It's the same principle.

"I see."

His Majesty's eyes seemed to sparkle.

"However, it must be purely honorary. Honorary knights should not be eligible for knight selection and should not have any real power."

"Hmm."

"In return, they will receive direct commendation from Your Majesty."

"Exactly, focused solely on honor?"

"Exactly."

"An amazing idea... Incredible, Noah."

His Majesty's eyes shone even more.

"Cruise. Call Oscar. Hurry."

His Majesty seemed eager to discuss the matter with Oscar, the Minister of Finance, right away.