Chapter 64: The Red Ruby & Chief’s Daughter

At night, I was riding a horse-drawn carriage along the main street of the capital.

　The capital of the most powerful empire on the land is so prosperous even at night that it is called the Nightless City.

　As I gazed at the prosperous streets at night, I suddenly noticed Shirley's tense face.

　She was strolling with me alongside the carriage, and she had a very grim look on her face, almost like determination.

"What's the matter, Shirley? Are you nervous about something?"

"Y-Yes. I will protect His Highness's safety at all costs!"

"What's with the sudden determination? Brother Oscar has invited me and Brother Henry to a small banquet today. You don't have to be so nervous."

"That's why I'm here, sir."

　Shirley became more and more enthusiastic.

　One of the guests at the night stall on the main street dropped a dish and broke it.

　Shirley turned around quickly and put her hand on the hilt of her sword and was about to jump out.

　I can see that her nerves are unnecessarily overstimulated. The reason is still unknown to me.

"What do you mean, that's why?"

　Shirley looked at me and answered in a stifled voice.

"Everyone understands the current situation. The next emperor will be either Henry-sama, Oscar-sama, or Lucas-sama. The next emperor will be one of these three."

"..."

　I didn't answer.

　The reason why I didn't even make a gesture is the same reason why Shirley suppressed her voice.

　On the other hand, her voice was a whisper at first, but as she spoke, her speech became more fluent, though her voice remained low.

"There is no way that Oscar-sama, who is involved in this, would just invite Henry-sama and Lucas-sama to a banquet .... We must be vigilant."

"I see what you mean. But if that's the case, it's okay."

"Eh?"

　I made the statement in a very light tone, which startled Shirley, and she was caught off guard.

"B-But why?"

"After the incident with Albert and Gilbert, His Majesty is very sensitive about the usurpation of the imperial throne."

"Ah."

"Brother Henry, Brother Oscar, and me. It's narrowed to us three, or so it would seem from the side. That's why we can't fight it out. Not outwardly, anyway. At least, there's no way they'll do anything to us tonight by calling us out like this. In fact, if anything were to happen, Brother Oscar would protect me and Brother Henry at the cost of his own life."

"I couldn't think of anything like that. ... You're right."

I smiled at Shirley.

"In fact, it is now."

　I said.

　Shirley's eyes widened in surprise, "Eh?" Shirley's eyes widened in surprise.

"Carefully look around you for signs."

　At my suggestion, Shirley's sharp eyes began to search for signs of her surroundings.

" This is ... protecting from a distance, is it?"

"That's right."

　I chuckled.

　Oscar's men have been following us from a distance ever since we left the Thirteenth Prince's residence.

　I myself am reasonably competent, with my most trusted knight, Shirley, by my side.

　Even so, it's still a cautious, distant escort.

"W-When did you notice it?"

"Right after we left the mansion."

"T-That long ago!?　It's amazing ... I didn't notice it at all."

"Fu."

　Shirley's nervousness and over caution were moderately relieved.

　I looked straight ahead from the top of the carriage and thought.

　Although I hadn't told Shirley, I could read Oscar's intentions to some extent.

　I told Shirley that' nothing was going to happen tonight' for a reason.

　It was not the reason why Oscar had dared to suggest that the three of us get together.

　From His Majesty's point of view, the best thing would be for the three of us to get along well, as we are so tightly knit that even the casual observer can tell.

　If the three of us are at odds with each other regularly, there will be worries about who should be left with the throne.

　Depending on the level of the quarrel, it would not be surprising if we concluded that it would be easier to leave the throne to someone other than the three of us.

　But if we were close, that wouldn't happen.

　That's what Oscar is trying to create.

　As proof of this, when I suggested Rice Cake for defeating Galwan, Oscar gave his full support and encouragement.

　His character is often compared to that of the fifth brother, Mile Ararat.

　Both of them are reputed to be mild-mannered and good-natured.

　Oscar, on the other hand, always seems to be up to something, even if he seems to be friendly.

　That's why he's doing tonight's thing, too, knowing that His Majesty's ears are going to be very attentive, and he's even calculated that his secretly escorting me will be known by His Majesty.

　That's why nothing is going to happen tonight.

　As expected, I and my two brothers.

　For the first time in a while, we gathered together and had a peaceful dinner, regardless of national affairs.

　The next day, Alan, the antique dealer, came to the mansion.

　I welcomed him in the living room, instead of the reception room, sitting down.

"I've got what your highness wanted."

"The jewel?"

"Yes."

"I see – but you don't look too happy about it. Something wrong?"

"Actually, it's ...."

　Alan took out several boxes of jewels and laid them out in front of me with a bitter look on his face.

　When I opened the lid of the box, I found a number of jewels inside – almost identical in appearance.

　There were a total of six beautiful red rubies.

"What's going on?"

"It was an error on my part, sir. When I sent a messenger to get them as soon as possible, saying that they were what His Highness wanted, the word got out and he was offered similar ones in competition."

"Fumu."

"At least five of them are fake. ..."

"Ahaha. Things are just things, all six may be fake."

　I said with a laugh, and Alan seemed a little relieved.

　The jewels were originally supposed to be "held in hand at birth," which raised eyebrows.

　There's a good possibility that it's a fake.

　Alan, who had been embarrassed by his mistake, was a little relieved when I laughed it off as a joke.

"I thought I'd wait until I could do something about it, but I didn't have the ability to tell the difference. ..."

"Fumu, ....ah"

"Is there a problem?"

"There it is, the real thing. Here it is."

　I picked up all of the rubies in turn and looked aside as I held one of the six.

"Were you able to tell?"

"Yes."

　I was looking at the corner of my eye, not at the jewel.

　My status, always in the corner, had changed the moment I held the jewel.

――――――――――――

Name: Lucas Ararat

Title: Minister of Justice

Gender: Male

Level: 15 / ∞

HP: C+D

MP: E+E

Strength: C+A

Stamina: D+E

Intelligence: E+D

Spirit: E+D

Speed: E+E

Dexterity: E+D

Luck: E+D

Fire: E+A

Water: C+S

Wind: E+F

Earth: E+D

Light: E+C

Darkness: E+C

―――――――――――

Although only slightly, the "+" in HP had increased by one level.

"Ho, what is the difference between this and the other five?"

"... Watch this."

　The emotions conveyed by the jewel appeared in my mind, not as words, but as a picturesque scene.

　To make it happen, I pulled out my leviathan.

　I flung the leviathan straight up, and it dropped to the ground in a circle.

　With a swoosh, I extended my arm and broke into the Leviathan's falling point.

"–!"

　Alan gulped.

　The Leviathan, spinning in circles, hit my arm – it bounced off and then stuck into the ground.

"W-What happened?"

"Look."

"The ruby ... from earlier?　It's a little chipped."

"This is how it works. It's supposed to protect the Lord from injury or illness."

"I've never heard of such a gem. Your Highness, you've seen right through it."

"Fuu."

"But ... it's a pity, then."

　Alan looked into the ruby and murmured with a look of disappointment on his face.

"It will be damaged when it substitutes the injury..., which is great, but this is just a one-time use."

　That's true.

　Besides, hearing the word " damaged " made him think that it would be a waste to let Ruby's substitution take effect.

　Thanks to the ruby, the " + " in HP went up one level.

　Rather than being damaged during the substitution, I thought it would be better to keep it.

"Hmm?"

" Is there a problem, sir?"

"This is ...."

　Another image poured into my head from Ruby.

　I read the image, then thought about it.

　After I had completed the simulation in my mind, I placed the Armor Ring on.

　With the ring, I created a mass with the same appearance as the ruby, and then pulled out the Leviathan stuck in the ground, crushing the ruby.

"Aah!　W-what the !?"

　Alan was astonished.

　However, I stared at the new one I had made with my Armor Ring and looked at the status.

　There was no change in my status, which meant that the Ruby – or whatever it was – was still intact.

　Then I slashed myself again, harder this time.

　Then, what I made with my Armor Ring shattered.

　Naturally, my body was unharmed.

"M-My God!　Were you able to mass-produce that Ruby?"

　I explained to a surprised Alan.

"Not exactly, I just provided a new vessel for the Ruby to possess after it substituted for me."

　As I said this, I made more with the armor ring.

　The same one as Ruby's, again.

"And that means you can use ... as many times as you want. ...?"

"Yeah."

"W-Wow, ...."

　Alan was speechless with surprise.

Keith's store on Raid Street.

　In the store, Alice is playing the harp and singing as usual.

　And from the best seat, His Majesty is listening to her.

　Sometimes he looks straight at her, sometimes he closes his eyes and sways his body in rhythm with the song.

　His Majesty was enjoying Alice's singing.

　Cruz and I were standing behind him.

　I had gotten the hang of using Apophis.

　His Majesty had come to Keith's in secret, in accordance with Alice's insistence on singing only in the establishment and not in a solo performance at someone's mansion.

　Naturally, there are quite a few customers around.

　As long as it's not too much trouble, no one can harm His Majesty since I'm with him.

　However, there is a great possibility that some people who don't read the atmosphere will spoil His Majesty's fun.

　So, to prevent that from happening, I took measures with Apophis.

　There is a fine line between medicine and poison.

　A drug that works on humans is usually just a poison with weakened toxicity.

　So I used Apophis to put all the customers in the store to sleep.

　I didn't want them to snore, so I paralyzed them to a certain extent and took away their physical freedom.

　Since, all the people here were just customers, and none of them could resist Apophis's poison – they were all put to sleep by me without any effort.

　As a result, His Majesty's reception went off without a hitch, quiet and peaceful.

　Even so, I looked around to be on the alert, just in case.

　Suddenly, I made eye contact with Cruz, who was also waiting.

　–As expected, sir.

　He only moved his lips and said it without speaking.

　I could tell by the way his lips formed because it was a simple word.

　He had noticed.

　Because a eunuch is a person whose job is to serve the nobleman.

　Unlike mere servants, eunuchs are castrated, so they can only do what eunuchs can do, and as a result, they specialize in the ability to serve – the skills to make the nobleman comfortable.

　And Cruz is a eunuch who has been serving the "Emperor" for a long time.

　The emperor has far more power than just a common aristocrat, and Cruz is skilled at serving him.

　If Cruz is saying that he's " as expected ", then this is the right thing to do in order to have His Majesty enjoy himself.

　I then continued to use Apophis to maintain His Majesty's entertainment environment.

　At the interval, Alice retreated backstage for a moment.

　The restaurant was filled with applause as I had broken the sleep and paralysis of all the guests just before.

　Most of the customers looked confused, but they still applauded as they were carried away by their surroundings.

"Ah yes, Lucas."

"What it may be?"

"I heard that the war with the Saeis in the south has come to an end."

"The Saei tribe?"

　I wondered for a moment why he was talking about it now.

　The Empire is a Warrior nation, and there are always wars and rebellions being suppressed somewhere within its borders.

　And, recently, in the south, there had been a battle against the Saeis, a tribe that lived in the forest and did not obey the empire.

"They're giving out awards for meritorious service, and a man named Jerry Eisen was reported to have done particularly well."

"Jerry ..., heh?"

　He's that bandit guy.

　I caught him and sent him to the army as a prisoner of war, but he came to the surface surprisingly quickly.

"After losing the local battle, this Jerry guy gathered up the remaining soldiers and pushed the enemy back. I heard that he was like a lion in the field."

"Is that so"

"He said that he wants to repay your favor, Lucas."

"A favor I owe him?"

"You gave me a new and hopeful second life. Like a father figure."

"Father"

　I muttered half-heartedly.

　I have nothing against this guy Jerry, but it feels strange to be referred to as a father by a guy like him.

　He's probably twice my age, to begin with.

"That's great, Lucas."

　His Majesty said in a good mood.

"The man who was a thief has become a useful soldier. Moreover, if he can organize his troops and move them around like arms and legs, then he will be a general."

　That's true.

　He was the leader of the bandits, so I knew he had the ability to organize the troops.

"You found the man and sent him to the right place. Lucas, as always, you are amazing."

"People are treasure and potential. Your Majesty."

"Yes, and it was a moment when that potential comes to fruition."

　His Majesty smiled happily.

"Keep up the good work."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

　After the performance, His Majesty said he wanted to look around the city some more, so I accompanied him as an escort.

　We left Raid Street and came to Hose Street.

　Hose Street is the busiest street in the Imperial Capital.

　There's a huge plaza where the ceremonies of the expedition and the big festivals are held.

　Large events are often held here, and the street is usually quite crowded.

"Muu?　What's that?　Is it something for sale?"

　His Majesty showed interest in a stall in the middle of the square.

　At first glance, it looked like a stall, but the merchandise was unusual.

　It was a simple stall with several huge jute sacks lined up with strings tied around their mouths.

"That's a slave trader, sir."

"Slaves?"

"Yes, a proper, licensed slave trader."

　While saying this, I approached the trader in the stall.

　I glanced over to see that His Majesty and Cruz were accompanying me and then asked the trader.

"Where are these slaves from?"

"They are newly arrived slaves of the Saei tribe, sir. Indeed."

"We won the war against the Saei tribe."

　I spoke calmly but relayed the obvious thing like this.

　The empire is always fighting somewhere, that's why there is such a thing as military service as a punishment.

　And the Empire has always won. Each time it has won, it has taken a large number of prisoners.

　Most of the prisoners of war go to licensed slave traders.

　Slaves of unimportant status are stuffed into jute sacks and sold for literal piles of money.

"I see, buying and selling of slaves is done in this way.

　His Majesty murmured from behind me, sounding like he was interested.

　I turned around and bowed slightly to him.

"Yes, my lord. Will you be buying some of them?"

"How much for these?"

"Ten reens a bag, sir.

　The merchant replied with a sales smile on his face.

"Is that cheap?　Or is it expensive?"

　When His Majesty asked further, I answered.

"For 10 reens, the sack will have a spell of absolute obedience on it."

"Magic?"

"Yes, it's a spell that causes them to be obedient to all orders, as the first person they see when the bag is opened becomes their master".

"Just like a baby bird."

"That's what this bag is for."

"I see."

　His Majesty looked at the jute sack with great interest.

　Maybe he will buy it.

　Although the magic of absolute obedience is in place, just in case, I touched the top of the bag to check if there was any weapon or something hidden inside.

"Hmm?"

"What's the matter, Lucas?

"Can I help you, customer?"

"This bag ..."

　I gazed at the bag as I touched it.

　There's no doubt about it.

　I took out 10 reens from my pocket and tossed them to the merchant.

"I'll take this one."

"Yes, a pleasure to do business with you."

"Why so sudden Lucas?"

"Please wait a moment."

　I untied the string that bound the bag and a woman emerged from it.

　She had shaggy hair and rags-like slave clothes.

　It's a common look, but that is not what I'm looking at.

　It's my status that is in view.

――――――――――――

Name: Lucas Ararat

Title: Minister of Justice

Gender: Male

Level: 15 / ∞

HP: C+D

MP: E+D

Strength: C+A

Stamina: D+E

Intelligence: E+D

Spirit: E+D

Speed: E+E

Dexterity: E+D

Luck: E+D

Fire: E+A

Water: C+S

Wind: E+F

Earth: E+D

Light: E+C

Darkness: E+C

―――――――――――

The moment I touched the bag the girl was inside, the "+" in my MP went up one level.

　This would not happen with a mere slave.

　It's definitely "someone".

　To confirm this, I paid the trader to buy her, opened the bag, and activated the magic of absolute obedience.

　Then I asked.

"What is your name?　Who are you?"

　The girl furrows her brow and tries to shut her mouth like a clam, but there is absolute obedience magic.

"Lou Peiyu. Daughter of the Saei tribe chief–eh."

　She was surprised that she answered against her will, but we were surprised too.

"The chief's daughter ... was mixed in?"

"What a surprise!　You saw right through this, Lucas."

"Splendid, sir."

　His Majesty and Cruz were both surprised.