Carson's knights from Landhill were busy training every day. The nobles were also wary of socializing, let alone being in groups of three or more.
"Whew..."
This was the state of stagnation that Carson had the hardest time enduring.
"Noah, check if people are lining up at Sestina today."
"Understood."
The empire operated a distribution center called Sestina for the poor. However, the number of people visiting there has increased exponentially recently.
The reason Carson chose Harleybin was to observe the situation of the empire's people up close. And for the past month, the atmosphere has been heavy.
He deliberately rode his horse slowly. Soon, the knight who had gone out to scout returned and reported the situation to Noah.
"They say the line is longer today than a few days ago."
When he left for Monstera, the island's market was bustling and supplies were abundant. But in the past few months, people were getting hungry.
“What’s the reason?”
“The amount of grain in circulation has decreased significantly. Even if you try to buy it, most of the time it’s not available.”
Carson gently stroked his horse’s mane and thought. He knew that the amount of grain was decreasing, but it had been too much for the past few months.
“What do you think?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Last year and the year before, there was no drought or flood. The crops were not bad. So suddenly there is no grain in the market? I can only assume that someone is intentionally buying it and not releasing it.”
Noah had thought about it. But there was no reason to hoard grain at a time like this.
“Who do you think is rich enough to buy all the grain in the system and tie it up somewhere?”
“I guess it’s the royal family?”
“Why the royal family? What good would it do if the people were upset right now?”
That was true. If someone really had intentionally embezzled the grain, then...
“Ah!”
Noah’s eyes widened as if he realized something. In the current situation, even the imperial family could not lend that much money. Furthermore, if the imperial people starved, all their resentment would be directed at the imperial family.
“Then the Swenden family...”
“Probably so.”
“Then didn’t Lady Swenden contact you in advance?”
“Of course.”
Ines was always tight-lipped when she planned something without Carson’s permission.
“If that assumption is true, why do you think she’s doing this?”
“If I knew, I would have asked her.”
“Isn’t it too big of a deal to just direct the arrows of resentment at the imperial family?”
Carson shrugged. Of course, he had an inkling of something, but he held back because he wasn’t sure.
“You know that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s a huge casino in Harleybin.”
Noah frowned at the sudden change in topic.
“Of course I know.”
There was another reason why Noah was reluctant to go to Harleybin, besides the mansion’s poor defenses. It was a large-scale casino.
Not many people knew this, but all the money coming from the casino was used as the Empress’s slush fund. So Harleybin itself could be seen as the Empress’s home turf. It was even more unsettling to be in the Empress’s playground at a time when he had to be on guard.
“That’s where the casino is. Originally, there was the largest slum in the country.”
“I know that too.”
“Our Empress set it on fire.”
“Yes?”
Noah shouted in surprise, and the horse he was riding purred softly.
“Is that true?”
“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”
“How did you find out?”
“It’s partly a guess, and partly circumstantial.”
“If it’s circumstantial?”
“Who do you think took care of the aftermath?”
“Weren’t you young back then?”
“You should know enough at fifteen. Of course, at the time, it was almost like a guess. But when I asked Graham, he came out easily. I even got a statement.”
The more he heard it, the more surprising it was. But it was also the moment when the suspicion about how Lesonia could be integrated into Landhill was dispelled.
“But why didn’t you tell me that until now?”
“I didn’t intend to use that trick.”
Carson stopped stroking his horse’s mane diligently and straightened up. The midday sun heated the ground, making the mist rise.
Just like the remains of a fire that burned down all the people in the slums in the past.
When he tightened his reins a little, the black horse that resembled him walked more gracefully than before.
“People are really strange. There’s no way that rumors could spread. The people who survived are all talking like this.”
“...”
“The one who burned my child was the Empress. There’s no evidence. Do you know what they call that?”
“Well... I don’t know.”
“It’s called intuition. It’s another kind of belief that no one is sure of, but it’s something that you hold in your heart.”
“But how can they be so quiet?”
“They must be powerless. Who would believe what they say?”
Noah nodded. The slums were literally devastated by the fire. There was no way to confirm the life or death of the people who barely survived.
“I helped them a little back then. There were only about forty of them. I just helped them live together.”
Noah looked at his master with renewed eyes.
“But you know. What would happen if someone were to plant a spark of confidence in that possibly wrong intuition?”
It would literally burn like an active volcano. Especially in a situation like this.
“But is that too vulgar? I promised not to use this. When I received Lesonia.”
“...”
“Oh, no. Now that you’re asking me to give the land back... I have no other choice.”
Noah understood his master’s inner thoughts from his monologue. When the task at hand became clear, the anxious look around him felt like someone else’s.
“Aren’t there any other actions besides that?”
“Why not, but use your imagination. How many sacrifices were needed to fill the Empress’s great Wolluming Castle?”
“Ah...”
“The small details that will be added on top of the big facts, in fact, don’t they matter much? It will probably be up to the people of the empire to complete that narrative.”
He quickly started to run away as soon as he finished speaking. As Carson moved, the knights following him also moved forward without hesitation. Noah also tightened the reins of his horse and moved steadily to follow Carson.
The grain in the system was drying up, and the mood of the people was becoming increasingly grim. If terrible rumors were to spread in the midst of all this, the people of the empire would not be able to endure for long.
Noah was unable to keep up with him no matter how fast he hurried, so he relaxed and rode slowly.
He thought about when and how he should carry out the order, and then he burst out laughing. Over the past few years, Noah’s life had flowed in an unpredictable direction along with Carson’s.
Now, the stage of his life had become the entire Keynes Empire. He had not served Carson for long, but there was nothing he had not done because he had wanted to.
In order not to be swayed by the world that would soon turn around, Noah focused his gaze only on the back of his master, who was now starting to look like a dot. And he spurred on only to chase after him.
A month later, it was the night before Carson’s crown prince’s investiture ceremony, less than two weeks away.
“Your Highness, there’s a riot.”
Noah barged into the office without even thinking about knocking on the door. However, Carson kept his gaze outside the window and didn’t look back at the door.
The numerous torches that had started in Harleybin were waking up the entire city as brightly as day.
“Yes.”
Carson silently stayed in his place, watching the flow of the times. He didn’t have to ask where the angry torches were headed.
It was Jakohena Square, the closest to the palace.
Whenever people gathered in that square, no matter what the reason, at least one person in the palace was sure to die at the hand of the Empress.
The Empress would always say that she would destroy that square and build a fountain just for herself.
That’s how much the Empress hated people gathering.
Over the past month, the situation had changed incredibly quickly. And the hot wind of anger all headed towards the Empress as if someone had pushed it.
It was obvious who was behind them without having to think too deeply.
“Any news from Landhill?”
“Quiet.”
As Noah began to spread rumors about the Empress with proper evidence, the public sentiment began to stir uncontrollably.
And at that very moment as if someone had timed it, a huge amount of the imperial money circulated throughout the island. Money overflowed into the market as if someone had sprinkled it from the air.
The signs of a riot had started right there.
“I will tell them to keep an eye on the square.”
“Yes, keep an eye on the Empress’s movements. Tell them to further strengthen the perimeter around His Majesty the Emperor’s castle.”
“What if it escalates into a violent incident?”
“Resist as much as possible. Not yet. We can’t drag the Empress out on this scale.”
Noah moved again to carry out his orders. There was absolutely no chance that the townhouse where he was staying would be attacked.
It wasn’t because of Carson’s capable knights. They hadn’t swung their swords properly since they arrived here.
The people of the system had taken it upon themselves to surround Carson’s mansion. Not to attack him, but to protect him from the Empress.
Carson rubbed the back of his neck, which had stiffened, a couple of times as he heard Noah close the door.
When he became certain that the indiscriminate influx of money was Ines’s work, Carson quickly responded. He appointed a representative to lead the uprising and discussed the appropriate timing.
As a result, today’s torchlight was lit.
The light of the torchlight spread across the damp windows. He thought that its pulsating movement was just like a bud sprouting from the ground in spring.
He took a deep breath as was his custom and sat down, thinking back on the events of the past month.
“But why didn’t you tell me that until now?”
“I didn’t intend to use that trick.”
Carson stopped stroking his horse’s mane diligently and straightened up. The midday sun heated the ground, making the mist rise.
Just like the remains of a fire that burned down all the people in the slums in the past.
When he tightened his reins a little, the black horse that resembled him walked more gracefully than before.
“People are really strange. There’s no way that rumors could spread. The people who survived are all talking like this.”
“...”
“The one who burned my child was the Empress. There’s no evidence. Do you know what they call that?”
“Well... I don’t know.”
“It’s called intuition. It’s another kind of belief that no one is sure of, but it’s something that you hold in your heart.”
“But how can they be so quiet?”
“They must be powerless. Who would believe what they say?”
Noah nodded. The slums were literally devastated by the fire. There was no way to confirm the life or death of the people who barely survived.
“I helped them a little back then. There were only about forty of them. I just helped them live together.”
Noah looked at his master with renewed eyes.
“But you know. What would happen if someone were to plant a spark of confidence in that possibly wrong intuition?”
It would literally burn like an active volcano. Especially in a situation like this.
“But is that too vulgar? I promised not to use this. When I received Lesonia.”
“...”
“Oh, no. Now that you’re asking me to give the land back... I have no other choice.”
Noah understood his master’s inner thoughts from his monologue. When the task at hand became clear, the anxious look around him felt like someone else’s.
“Aren’t there any other actions besides that?”
“Why not, but use your imagination. How many sacrifices were needed to fill the Empress’s great Wolluming Castle?”
“Ah...”
“The small details that will be added on top of the big facts, in fact, don’t they matter much? It will probably be up to the people of the empire to complete that narrative.”
He quickly started to run away as soon as he finished speaking. As Carson moved, the knights following him also moved forward without hesitation. Noah also tightened the reins of his horse and moved steadily to follow Carson.
The grain in the system was drying up, and the mood of the people was becoming increasingly grim. If terrible rumors were to spread in the midst of all this, the people of the empire would not be able to endure for long.
Noah was unable to keep up with him no matter how fast he hurried, so he relaxed and rode slowly.
He thought about when and how he should carry out the order, and then he burst out laughing. Over the past few years, Noah’s life had flowed in an unpredictable direction along with Carson’s.
Now, the stage of his life had become the entire Keynes Empire. He had not served Carson for long, but there was nothing he had not done because he had wanted to.
In order not to be swayed by the world that would soon turn around, Noah focused his gaze only on the back of his master, who was now starting to look like a dot. And he spurred on only to chase after him.
***
A month later, it was the night before Carson’s crown prince’s investiture ceremony, less than two weeks away.
“Your Highness, there’s a riot.”
Noah barged into the office without even thinking about knocking on the door. However, Carson kept his gaze outside the window and didn’t look back at the door.
The numerous torches that had started in Harleybin were waking up the entire city as brightly as day.
“Yes.”
Carson silently stayed in his place, watching the flow of the times. He didn’t have to ask where the angry torches were headed.
It was Jakohena Square, the closest to the palace.
Whenever people gathered in that square, no matter what the reason, at least one person in the palace was sure to die at the hand of the Empress.
The Empress would always say that she would destroy that square and build a fountain just for herself.
That’s how much the Empress hated people gathering.
Over the past month, the situation had changed incredibly quickly. And the hot wind of anger all headed towards the Empress as if someone had pushed it.
It was obvious who was behind them without having to think too deeply.
“Any news from Landhill?”
“Quiet.”
As Noah began to spread rumors about the Empress with proper evidence, the public sentiment began to stir uncontrollably.
And at that very moment as if someone had timed it, a huge amount of the imperial money circulated throughout the island. Money overflowed into the market as if someone had sprinkled it from the air.
The signs of a riot had started right there.
“I will tell them to keep an eye on the square.”
“Yes, keep an eye on the Empress’s movements. Tell them to further strengthen the perimeter around His Majesty the Emperor’s castle.”
“What if it escalates into a violent incident?”
“Resist as much as possible. Not yet. We can’t drag the Empress out on this scale.”
Noah moved again to carry out his orders. There was absolutely no chance that the townhouse where he was staying would be attacked.
It wasn’t because of Carson’s capable knights. They hadn’t swung their swords properly since they arrived here.
The people of the system had taken it upon themselves to surround Carson’s mansion. Not to attack him, but to protect him from the Empress.
Carson rubbed the back of his neck, which had stiffened, a couple of times as he heard Noah close the door.
When he became certain that the indiscriminate influx of money was Ines’s work, Carson quickly responded. He appointed a representative to lead the uprising and discussed the appropriate timing.
As a result, today’s torchlight was lit.
The light of the torchlight spread across the damp windows. He thought that its pulsating movement was just like a bud sprouting from the ground in spring.
He took a deep breath as was his custom and sat down, thinking back on the events of the past month.
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