Chapter 81: Different Perspectives

"...Perfect! Hahaha, she fell for it like a little duckling." Leon gloats in front of Aster after receiving a letter from the Theocracy reducing certain shipping costs, some fees, and transport taxes as a form of "support," while his spies reported that the Theocracy had dealt a very harsh punishment to the Kingdom of Ortyr for the invasion.

"How did you plan this, Emperor... I must say, Saint Stelaria is truly an impressive woman. The way she handled it is harsh but undeniable and easy to defend. Honestly, she’s just as terrifying as you," Aster says in a disinterested tone, having been pulled away from his research just to watch Leon brag about his success.

"Of course, of course. Say she’s terrifying all you want, but in the end, she’s someone predictable. That religious fanatic will always be defensive and react in ways you can foresee if anyone tries to set foot in the Theocracy."

"Emperor, I suggest you don’t celebrate victory so soon. After all, Ortyr’s little invasion was far more conservative than you expected. It won’t generate the level of animosity you wanted."

"Besides, that small kingdom’s resistance is proving greater than anticipated, since their little Queen is quite skilled as well. Don’t forget—everyone involved is capable. You, Stelaria, the Princess of Ortyr."

"And intelligent people know how to turn the game in their favor even at a disadvantage. So if you keep acting as though you’ve already crushed everyone, you’ll be caught off guard," Aster says, offering it as advice.

"I know. You don’t need to remind me of that. If they were incompetent, they would never have lasted this long in their positions. And indeed, the Princess of Ortyr is a thorn in my side."

"But still, a success is still a success, even if not as complete as I would have liked. After all, it’s not the worst scenario I predicted. And now we have a diplomatic relationship slightly superior to that of other kingdoms with the Theocracy."

"This reduction will allow for a faster recovery of my troops. Do you understand that one to two months of these reduced taxes and fees from the Theocracy will save over forty million gold coins? That’s enough to train thirty thousand soldiers over the next two years—not counting housing, food, and actual combat equipment, of course."

"I won’t be taking it slow. All my plans are for the future. There’s nothing very useful for the present moment, but with thirty thousand more soldiers, my military power will be great enough that Ortyr will lose any chance of invading my empire without suffering too much damage."

"Not to mention it would give me room to lay siege to Ortyr’s capital. Even if many lives were sacrificed in the process, it’s still a possibility to pursue if I deem it necessary."

"If that’s what you think, Leon, then why not ask for Saint Stelaria’s hand in marriage now that the opportunity is favorable? Even if she refuses, it would send the message that your interest in the Theocracy is positive."

"...No, that would be a problem for me if she accepted... which is a strangely high possibility." Leon sounds a bit arrogant, though a legitimate marriage with Stelaria under the current circumstances would be bad for the empire.

"I don’t expect a mage to understand much about politics, but marriages require leverage to determine who holds power. The Theocracy just dealt a harsh blow to Ortyr, asserting its sovereignty before everyone."

"If I, the Emperor, tried to ask for her hand, it would sound as though I feared receiving an equally great blow, which would shake my power and give my opponents something to rally behind."

"And it would be far worse if Stelaria accepted, because that would mean she’d have some power over the empire... I hate religion. It affects the lives of foolish commoners too much—people who think faith will save them." Leon strangely shares the same view as Stelaria, "commoners are fools," just as the Princess herself holds the same view. A considerable egocentrism shared by all three.

"If she married me in the current context, she’d spread her religion through the empire like flames through dry wheat, which would naturally diminish my power... of course, the same wouldn’t happen with the new Saint, but I doubt Stelaria would sell me such a gift right now." He looks at the table, eyeing the letter the Theocracy sent him, and smiles.

"Of course... if I could deal a harsh blow to these people’s faith and then ask for Stelaria or the New Saint as a wife, the Theocracy might accept... unfortunately, I don’t see what I could use to deal that kind of blow to the Theocracy’s reputation." Leon looks at Aster.

"Now let’s change the subject. I’m satisfied with the current results, and I’ll immediately begin training new soldiers with the money left over from this little help from the Theocracy."

"Aster, I have a request that only you—the strongest mage in the empire—could carry out. Some rats from Ortyr have been trying to sell drugs in my empire."

"Every year they try something different, and they’re always driven off, killed, or captured. But this time, according to my sources, they’ve opted for a problematic approach."

"They’ve been using women from our nobility to sell that filth here in my territory... and you know me, right? I’m not like that cowardly King of Ortyr. I despise vermin who try to ruin my country from the shadows."

"What do you wish, Emperor?"

"I want you to find those women. Kill all their children and relatives in front of them. Make them watch everything, and then dismember them and sell them to the worst brothel you can find."

"..." Aster gives a smile.

"That’s the Bloody Emperor I know. A man who delivers even the cruelest punishments to members of the nobility... no wonder the opposition is afraid to attack you. How cruel—killing people who have nothing to do with those women’s decisions."

"They should have thought more carefully before accepting money, drugs, and fleeting power in my empire."

"I have no need for useless nobles who undermine my goals." Despite what Leon says, there is zero morality or ethics in his objective. He himself had already considered selling such illicit products as a secret means of raising funds.

But if he sold them, it would not only create a vulnerability for him—one that, if discovered, would cause headaches—but it would also begin to affect public health, well-being, and safety, which would generate a host of other problems.

That’s why he preferred to snuff out every small trace of such issues before they grew beyond his control. His decision was entirely based on how useful it would be and the results.

He was willing to condemn the commoners with such things if it brought him more return than drawbacks.

"I’ll do as you wish, Emperor... but tell me, should it be concealed?"

"...Not entirely. Use a curse so people won’t recognize the noblewomen in the brothels and so they can’t speak about any of it. Make their throats ache and bleed if they try to comment on what happened."

"But don’t alter them too much. Make people have the impression that they look very similar to the missing noblewomen. That’s message enough for the nobles who will notice. After all, they’re not complete fools, just... cowards." He gives a nod to Aster, who bows slightly.

"As you wish, Bloody Emperor... I like how your idea makes sense. It reminds me of the past... you were always like this, and that’s something I respect."

"The punishment actually makes a lot of sense, because it’s worse than death in several ways, and it serves as a warning of two kinds."

"First, the warning that no one is protected by being noble. And second, it’s for those who received the offer and refused, and for those who were considering it—like, if you accept selling drugs in the empire, this is your fate... that will make those who were thinking of accepting refuse, and those who already refused feel more secure in their decision."

"Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with your mind. Did I miss something?" Aster says this, trying to see if there’s something hidden behind it all. After all, Aster is always prepared for an order in which the Emperor might betray him.

"No, at most a few extra warnings. But overall, you grasped the idea of what this is meant to be. Now go and do what I asked." Leon simply accepts this, since he doesn’t plan to get rid of Aster as long as she continues being useful.

"Keep being the useful ’girl’ you are now, and you won’t have anything to worry about."