Chapter 100

Leaving the capital in the hands of Henry, Oscar, and the chancellors, I headed for the state of Salaluria.

Salaluria is where the veins of innovative technology, which could potentially change the lives of all future imperial citizens, and indeed all of humanity, lie dormant.

After transferring the border lord Gert and making Salaluria a direct territory, I decided to go there myself.

I am now on the road leading there, dressed as the son of a merchant family, with only one servant in disguise.

The servant is the maid, Lou Peiyu. She is the daughter of a tribe that once challenged the empire and was defeated. After that, I took in most of her clan, and she has been working as a loyal maid to me. Since she has not been a maid for very long and is an ordinary girl, unlike capable maids like Evelyn and Zoe, I brought her along as a form of camouflage.

Incidentally, her clan has the unusual custom of putting the family name first and the given name last.

Peiyu, carrying a large amount of luggage, is following me.

"Your Majesty—no, Master."

"Hmm?"

What is it? I turned to Peiyu, who almost called me by the wrong name, as we walked. She looks tired from carrying so much luggage, perhaps she wants a break.

"What's a desert like?"

"Hmm, I haven't actually seen one, but it's said to be all sand as far as the eye can see."

"All sand?"

"Have you seen the sea?"

"Yes."

"Then it's easy to understand. It's like the sea, but all sand."

"That means nothing can grow! And probably no animals to hunt either..."

Peiyu looked shocked, as if hit by a thunderbolt. She seems to understand that nothing grows in sandy soil.

"Yes, that's right. It's a vast, barren land, stretching endlessly. That's why Salaluria is the largest state in the empire. It's a collection of areas unsuitable for farming or hunting."

"I see... a desert, huh..."

Peiyu, while walking, seemed to be lost in thought about the desert.

After walking for a while, we could see a checkpoint ahead.

"Master, something seems off."

"Yeah... it smells of blood."

Even though we were still some distance from the checkpoint, the situation was so dire that we could smell it. The area in front of the checkpoint was chaotic and noisy.

From a distance, we could see that there was a physical struggle going on.

"Let's go. Don't stray from my side."

"Y-Yes!"

I led Peiyu, who obediently followed, towards the checkpoint. As we got closer, the situation became clearer.

A group of people dressed as commoners were destroying various parts of the checkpoint.

They were using tools like hoes and planks, which made their destruction inefficient and slow.

There were also officials and soldiers, but they were vastly outnumbered. They had already been defeated and were lying groaning in a pile some distance away.

"..."

I thought for a moment, then cautiously approached the group and called out to a man who had just broken a fence.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

"Huh? Who are you... some rich kid?"

"Just a traveler. What's happening? Why is this happening?"

"We're breaking things."

"Breaking things..."

I had heard of this before, but this was my first time seeing it. It's a form of self-help where a group rises up against an injustice and destroys the property of the perpetrator.

Generally, they only destroy property, not people, and try to avoid causing serious injury.

Looking closely, the officials and soldiers who had been defeated were groaning and unable to move, but none of them seemed to have fatal injuries.

"This checkpoint is terrible. Do you know how much they charge for passage?"

"How much?"

"Half your goods."

"Half?"

"That's right. I'm transporting vegetables to the next town, but they always take half of them here."

"So you couldn't take it anymore, and this happened."

I nodded, understanding, and looked around. The others were venting their pent-up frustration, destroying the checkpoint with unfamiliar tools.

"It'll be over soon, so stand back and watch."

"..."

I nodded and motioned for Peiyu to follow me as we moved back.

The destruction continued for about an hour, after which the men were satisfied and left.

"Master, let's go through."

"No, wait a bit longer."

"Huh? Oh, yes..."

Peiyu, looking puzzled, obeyed my command. After a while, a cloud of dust approached from the distance.

Riding a well-fed horse, an official and about a hundred soldiers arrived at the checkpoint.

"What the hell! What the hell, what the hell, what the hell!! How dare you, you lowly people! How dare you destroy my checkpoint!!"

The man, seeing the completely destroyed checkpoint, raged and stomped his feet on the horse.

"It seems that man is in charge of this checkpoint."

"Y-Yes, it seems so."

"I'll be back. You stay here."

"Huh? B-But—"

"Stay here."

"Y-Yes!"

Leaving Peiyu behind, I approached the checkpoint. A soldier approached me on the way and called out to the man. The man turned to look down at me from his horse.

"What do you want?"

"..."

I silently stepped on the symbol of the checkpoint—the most important gate of the fence—as if to say, "I did this."

"One of them! Seize him!"

At the man's command, several soldiers rushed at me.

I easily dodged the attacks of the regular soldiers with spears and struck the back of their necks with the edge of my hand. The soldiers, struck in a vital spot, immediately rolled their eyes and collapsed.

"W-What—"

"Come at me all at once."

"Don't get cocky! Kill him!"

The fat official, speaking like a bandit, ordered the soldiers. They came at me one after another, but I took them down one by one with strikes and hand strikes.

"W-Who are you!"

"Hmm..."

I deliberately snorted and glanced at the official with a look of disdain before turning away.

"I won't forgive you... I absolutely won't forgive you..."

The official, squeezing out the words from the bottom of his heart, cursed me. I continued walking, feeling his words on my back.

☆

That night, we stayed at an inn in a nearby town.

I was writing a letter by the light of a lantern.

"Um... Master?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

In the same room, Peiyu, who was assisting me with my writing, spoke hesitantly.

"Master was amazing today, and you looked so cool."

"Thanks."

"You were reading that, weren't you?"

"Yes. When the destruction was happening, there were few soldiers at the checkpoint, and no one who seemed to be in charge. That fat man must be the one in charge."

"Yes, that's right."

"By doing that, the hatred will be directed at me. People like him will dive into new hatred."

"Up to that point... Master is amazing."

While answering Peiyu's questions, I continued writing the letter.

"Good. Give this to the person who brought the official documents from the capital."

I handed the letter to Peiyu.

"Understood. What is this, though?"

"Hmm?"

I looked at Peiyu and smiled. As a maid, she doesn't quite understand the line between what she should and shouldn't ask about.

I wouldn't tell her if it were confidential, but this is fine.

"It's about dealing with the destruction."

"Huh? Isn't that over?"

"It's for the future. I've issued an imperial command to the princes left in the capital to change the law in anticipation of future destruction."

"Law..."

"For now, the people who participated in the destruction will be punished."

"What!?"

I raised my hand to stop Peiyu, who was about to say something.

"Similarly, those who caused the destruction—this time, that fat man—will also be punished. The punishment for officials will be more severe."

"Oh... more severe...?"

I smiled at Peiyu's "more severe." She seemed to have taken the side of the people after witnessing today's events. Well, that's fine.

"Yes. And the higher the status, the more severe the punishment."

The order I gave to the留守組 (留守組 means "those left behind," but in this context, it refers to the princes and officials left in the capital) was to draft the law, so I will need to review it when I return to the capital to ensure it aligns with my directives.

"For nobles, perhaps a sentence just below the death penalty would be appropriate."

"Such a severe punishment!?"

Even Peiyu, who had been siding with the people, was surprised by this.

"It's the duty of nobles to prevent such things from happening."

I thought for a moment and turned to face Peiyu.

"For example, today, you carried the luggage the whole time."

"Yes."

"I didn't carry anything. Even though I'm a man and you're a woman, I made you carry the luggage while I did nothing."

"Yes..."

"That's because of our status. I am the master, and you are the servant, so it's natural for you to carry the luggage."

"Yes."

"Similarly, it's the duty of nobles to ensure the people don't rebel by securing their livelihood. Nobles who fail in this duty must be severely punished."

"Oh..."

"Do you understand now?"

"Yes! Master, you are amazing!"

Peiyu looked at me with shining eyes, like an innocent child.

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