Chapter 76

"......?"

The girl stood beside us, looking bewildered, and seemed to be slightly afraid.

She couldn't understand what Shirley and I were saying, and she was probably afraid that she had offended me.

"Relax. I'm complimenting you."

"Huh..."

"Anyway, what's your name?"

"My name is Kate."

"Kate, huh. What's your last name?"

"I don't have one."

"I see."

It's not uncommon for commoners to lack a last name.

In the frontier, the concept of a last name doesn't exist, and people are often referred to as "so-and-so from such-and-such a house." This "such-and-such a house" is usually the name of the head of the household.

For example, my eldest son would be called "Sem from Noah's house."

In places where there's no other way to call someone, if a last name is needed, the father's name is used as the last name.

Moreover, in some places where the concept of a last name doesn't exist, there's a custom of listing the father, grandfather, and great-grandfather's names in a row. People whose last names look like regular names usually fall into one of these two patterns.

Since this is a common story, I didn't question it. Right now, I'm more interested in Kate herself.

"You—"

Bang!

The door was rudely thrown open, and the village chief and several villagers appeared on the other side. They all looked angry.

"What are you doing here?"

"Leave the village immediately."

Whether it was out of anger or just his usual demeanor, the village chief was trembling as he spoke.

"Rude! Do you know what you're doing—"

I put my hand in front of Shirley to stop her.

"I understand, let's go. Come on, Shirley, Kate."

"Wait, you have to leave the girl here."

"…What?"

"She might have offended the god Karra. We need to keep Kate here just in case."

"What are you talking about! You saw that monster was defeated!"

Shirley, now furious, turned red and shouted at the village chief.

"The god won't die from something like that."

"Right, right."

"What if the resurrected god gets angry?"

"Leave the girl here!"

"…Shirley"

"As you wish."

I signaled to her, and Shirley understood, stepping outside the house.

The village chief and the villagers, who had come to take Kate, didn't try to stop Shirley from leaving alone.

Outside, Shirley launched a signal flare.

We had parted ways, but as the emperor, I hadn't returned to the palace yet. Cheryl and the others were, of course, waiting nearby.

A few minutes later, the sound of footsteps like an earthquake approached.

"What's happening?"

The village chief was shocked. Another villager rushed in.

"Chief, it's terrible! A lot of soldiers, regular soldiers, are coming!"

"What!?"

The village chief was even more shocked and couldn't grasp the situation. Then, Cheryl—

Cheryl, dressed in knight's formal attire, rushed into the house and knelt before me.

"Did you call, Your Majesty?"

"Ko—"

"Tei—?"

The village chief and all the villagers were speechless.

"Your Majesty, you're too humble!"

Shirley, who had returned, shouted angrily.

The villagers, who were startled, looked back and forth between the soldiers surrounding the house—no, the entire village—and me, and eventually knelt before me.

"Please forgive us, Your Majesty. We didn't know it was you."

The village chief, trembling visibly this time out of fear, prostrated himself before me.

"This is a covert journey. It's not a crime to oppose me."

It's clearly stated in the imperial law, and I, who had served as the Minister of Justice, have no intention of breaking it.

"Yes, yes—thank you."

"But—"

I changed my tone.

At the same time, I used a light intimidation with Leviathan.

The room's temperature dropped by nearly ten degrees, and the villagers, who had all knelt, shivered.

"I will not tolerate vigilante justice outside the law."

"Such—such a thing!"

"It was unavoidable!"

"The village will be destroyed if we defy the god Karra."

"Karra, huh. I can understand why you would be afraid and obey such a monster. I'll give you one chance."

The villagers, who had all prostrated themselves, looked up with hope in their eyes.

I watched them coldly and then turned to Kate, who was kneeling beside me, dazed.

"Kate."

"…Huh? Ah, yes!!"

"Will you forgive this village?"

"Huh?"

"You are the victim. If you forgive them, I will too."

"…."

Kate looked at the villagers.

The villagers looked at Kate with pleading eyes, but—

"I won't forgive them."

After clenching her teeth, Kate squeezed out those words.

"Why!?"

"No one helped me."

"That—"

"When I—was—"

"—!"

The villager who tried to argue was intimidated.

This was a point that had nothing to do with the "god Karra." Kate could blame them for this, and they couldn't argue back.

"It's decided. Shirley."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"This village will be permanently exempt from taxes. Inform the local magistrate."

"…? As you wish."

Shirley looked confused but still faithfully carried out my orders.

The villagers, who heard this punishment that didn't seem like a punishment, looked bewildered.

I ordered Cheryl to drive them out, as there was nothing more to say.

Left in the house were me, sitting, and Shirley and Kate, standing.

"Your Majesty, was that alright?"

"Don't you understand?"

"Huh? Yes."

"In the empire, there are mainly two cases where taxes are exempted. One is when a natural disaster strikes."

"Yes."

"The other is in an empire where the main tax is the head tax, and it is exempted for those over sixty."

"—Ah!"

Shirley finally realized it.

Most of the taxes the empire collects from the people are head taxes.

And legally, the head tax that must be paid for life is exempted for those over sixty if they apply.

"Moreover, this can be done—by not recognizing deaths from illness or accidents."

"…Ah!"

"If the household register remains, the head tax continues even if the person is actually dead."

"…Oh!"

"I was the Minister of Justice. I know countless ways to torment people legally."

"Indeed, Your Majesty!"

I smiled at Shirley and then turned to Kate, who was still dazed.

"That's how it is. From now on, this village will suffer gradually. For now, be satisfied with that."

"Thank you… thank you…"

Kate cried. Whether it was from relief or joy, her tears seemed to overflow with everything she had been holding back.

"…Alright, let's return to the capital."

"Is it alright now?"

"Yes, I've obtained the treasure. The harvest is sufficient."

Thus, I took Kate and returned to the capital.

☆

A few days later, in the palace, in my night chamber.

As I was reading a book, there was a knock on the door.

When I responded, Empress Audrey and her sister, Concubine Anya, entered together.

They came to me and bowed according to the etiquette of noblewomen.

"What is it, both of you?"

"It's late at night, and it's about time for you to rest."

"Tomorrow will be early, too."

Audrey, who had matured even more since giving birth to Sem, and Anya, who still retained some childishness, stood side by side. The contrast between them highlighted each other's charm, which I liked.

"I'll read a bit more and then go to bed."

"You always read late into the night."

"Yes. Most knowledge is written in books. By reading many, one can see the essence of things. The foundation of knowledge is reading."

"You already know so much, yet you still read? You're amazing, Your Majesty."

"Heh. Anyway, you didn't come just to talk about this, right?"

As I said this, I looked at Audrey.

In the evening, the empress and concubines generally do not visit the emperor.

The emperor selects, and the eunuchs deliver.

This is the connection between the emperor and the concubines.

Since they ignored this, there must be something.

"Indeed, Your Majesty—do you intend to take more concubines?"

Surprised, I put down my book and looked straight at Audrey.

"What's this about?"

"Since becoming empress, I've thought a lot and my perspective has changed. An emperor should not have just one concubine."

"…Hmm."

I could have responded that it's just a matter of appearance, but for a noble—especially the emperor—it's not acceptable to lack in appearance.

"Even Dustin has more than ten concubines."

"That guy."

Prince Dustin, the tenth prince.

The one who most strongly inherits my father's blood, he already has a double-digit number of concubines at the young age of twenty-two.

"Moreover, it's not just about appearance. Your Majesty should take more concubines to give hope to the women of the world. I believe this is the emperor's duty."

"Indeed."

For women, the path to advancement is very narrow. To "climb the ranks," it's common to aim to become the wife or concubine of a noble.

Furthermore, nobles also consider the emperor's feelings.

If the emperor has few concubines, nobles will also refrain from increasing their own. It's true that having only Anya is too few.

After thinking for a moment, I said:

"Alright, then let's hold a selection for concubines—no, for empresses."

"A selection?"

"Yes. Once a year, we'll select talented and beautiful women from across the country. The outstanding ones will become concubines."

"…."

Audrey looked at me for a while.

Then, as if she had an idea, she was startled.

"Like the knight selection?"

"Exactly."

"I see… You had this in mind… Indeed, Your Majesty."

I smiled.

Rather, Audrey, you're sharp. You understood my intention in an instant.

"Eh? What do you mean, big sister?"