Inside the living room of the mansion's inner court.
I sat facing my maid, Zoe.
I was leaned deep back into the sofa, while Zoe stood directly before me.
"As per your orders, Master, I have secured four wet nurses. All of them are experienced mothers, so their milk supply is guaranteed."
"Mm."
"I have also secured four nursery maids as commanded, along with sixteen tutors. Regarding the tutors, two were recommended by Miss Evelyn, and one by Lady Shirley."
"Understood."
Four wet nurses, four nursery maids, and sixteen tutors.
These were the personnel assembled for my son, who would be born before long.
Unless extraordinary circumstances dictated otherwise, royal mothers never nursed their children with their own breast milk.
There were several reasons for this.
One was the view that it was dangerous and should be avoided.
Another, to put it bluntly, was that a noblewoman was expected to keep bearing children until she produced an heir—a son.
Therefore, rather than dedicating herself to child-rearing, she needed to recover as quickly as possible so she could undergo the next childbirth.
In fact, possessing memories from the very moment of my birth in this life, I distinctly remembered being raised on the milk of a wet nurse rather than my mother's.
Incidentally, when it came to a crown prince, milk siblings virtually never existed.
This was because women who had suffered stillbirths were chosen as wet nurses.
Since milk siblings inevitably ended up holding special influence, that possibility was eliminated from the outset.
Before our empire conquered the realm, there had been an empire where the emperor's milk sibling meddled in politics and brought about the nation's ruin. To prevent history from repeating itself, our empire ensured a crown prince never had milk siblings.
"Still... it is truly incredible..."
"Hm? What is, Zoe?"
"He has not even been born yet, and already nearly twenty staff have been assigned to his care. I have never heard of so many wet nurses and nursery maids."
"It's for the sake of the house, after all."
"For the sake of the house, you say?"
I gave a quiet nod.
"An exceptional child ensures a greater future for the next generation of the house. Considering that, I have every reason to dedicate resources to it."
"I see! As expected of you, Master!"
Once Zoe was satisfied, I counted the days remaining until the birth on my fingers.
Audrey's belly was swelling nicely, and the court physician's regular checkups confirmed that everything was proceeding smoothly.
I could hardly wait for the due date.
As I was pondering such things, a knock came at the door, and Zoe went over to answer it.
The door opened, and one of the maids whispered into Zoe's ear.
Zoe nodded, closed the door, and returned.
"Master."
"What is it?"
"It seems an auspicious omen has appeared."
"Again?"
I offered a wry smile, half-exasperated.
There had been an awful lot of auspicious omens lately.
First, a meteorite supposedly bearing the naturally formed character for 'Wisdom.' That had been a complete fabrication.
Next, a newborn infant who arrived clenching a gemstone in its hand.
And now, they were claiming yet another auspicious omen had appeared.
"What is it this time? Has it already arrived as a tribute?"
"No, it does not appear to be an object."
"Not an object?"
"Yes. Please look out the window."
"...?"
Tilting my head in confusion, I rose from the sofa and walked over to the window.
I was stunned—so much so that I reflexively caught my breath.
Lo and behold, right outside the window—an aurora stretched across the sky.
A curtain of polar light hanging high in the heavens.
It was, without question, a phenomenon one would never normally see here.
"An aurora in a place like this?"
"It seems this hasn't appeared in Almeria for at least several hundred years."
"I'd imagine so."
Auroras typically manifested at the far northern or southern reaches of the world.
They simply did not appear in a region like Almeria, which enjoyed a warm climate ideal for agriculture.
"Bahamut."
"Yes, Sire."
"Is that artificial in any way?"
"I sense no such will whatsoever."
Apparently, it was entirely natural.
I see, I thought.
Witnessing this, it was easy to see why people would take it as a sign of divine favor.
"For such a miracle to appear... You truly are incredible, Master..."
As if it were the most natural truth in the world—believing that an auspicious omen was meant solely for its ruler—Zoe gazed at me with pure admiration.
As it turned out, it truly was an auspicious sign.
A few months later, Audrey reached full term and gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby boy.
The delivery was remarkably smooth, leaving both mother and child in excellent health.
"You did wonderfully, Audrey."
I offered words of comfort and praise to Audrey as she lay resting in bed.
"Thank you very much."
"Since he's a boy, his name will be Shem, just as we decided beforehand."
"Yes..."
Having accomplished her great task, Audrey nodded, her eyes gently closing behind a faint, peaceful smile.
"Now then... Zoe."
"Right away."
Zoe approached the infant cradled in the nursery maid's arms—Shem—and cast a spell upon him.
It was the very same thing done right after I was reincarnated—immediately after my birth.
She cast the magic to appraise his abilities.
The next instant, the child's status materialized.
―――――――――――― Name: Shem Ararat Gender: Male Level: 1/100 HP: F Fire: F MP: F Water: F Strength: F Wind: F Stamina: F Earth: F Intelligence: F Light: F Spirit: F Darkness: E Agility: F Dexterity: F Luck: F ――――――――――――
"Ooooh!?"
The moment the status appeared, the maids, nursery maids, and midwives filling the room gasped in unison.
"A level cap of 100, huh."
"As expected of you, Master, it is astounding! Master's blood has been thoroughly inherited by the young master!"
"So it seems."
A level cap of 100 was nothing short of extraordinary.
Even a level 15 put someone in the top 5% of humanity.
A level cap of 100 was a talent seen only once in tens of millions.
"So that auspicious omen really was foretelling this after all."
"Perhaps it was... Right. I should grant this child a territory."
Though not on the scale of a full imperial prince, it was customary to grant a modest fief to an imperial prince's offspring as well.
It was customary, of course, but that wasn't my only consideration.
If he had inherited my bloodline to possess a level cap as high as 100, did he also inherit my unique power—the ability that enhanced my stats as I acquired more land and subordinates?
"I'll grant him Dosso. Are you fine with that, Zoe?"
"Thank you so very much!"
Zoe bowed her head with deep gratitude.
Dosso was the land of her birth.
Granting that territory to my firstborn—Shem, who was overwhelmingly likely to become my heir—was an immense honor and blessing.
With that settled, I instructed Zoe to bring up his status once more.
―――――――――――― Name: Shem Ararat Gender: Male Level: 1/100 HP: F Fire: F MP: F Water: F Strength: F Wind: F Stamina: F Earth: F Intelligence: F Light: F Spirit: F Darkness: E Agility: F Dexterity: F Luck: F ――――――――――――
No change, then.
I see. The '+' modifier truly is unique to me, and wasn't passed down to my son.
Even so.
"Level 100..."
"When was the last time someone with a three-digit cap appeared?"
"Wasn't it Lord Grant, the Grand General roughly fifty years ago?"
The retainers naturally placed boundless hope in Shem, while turning gazes of ever-deepening reverence toward me.
Following Shem's birth, I departed swiftly for the capital.
Whenever an imperial prince has a child—particularly a son—he is obligated to report the matter to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor.
To fulfill that duty, I returned to the capital, entered the imperial palace, and requested an audience with His Majesty.
The audience was granted without delay, and I was ushered into His Majesty's private study.
"Oh, you've arrived, Noah!"
Inside the study, His Majesty raised both hands and walked toward me with a broad, beaming smile.
I dropped to one knee on the spot and bowed according to court etiquette.
"Dispense with the formalities. Raise your head."
"I am most grateful."
"I have heard the news of your child. Shem, was it?"
"Yes, Sire."
"I am told his level cap is 100. As expected of Noah's son."
"You flatter me. Once I return to my fief, I will bring Shem back to the capital at once, so that Your Majesty might hold him."
"Mm, let us do so. More importantly, Noah, there is something I must discuss with you."
"A discussion, Sire?"
When I raised my head, I was taken aback.
His Majesty's expression had turned unusually solemn.
The face that had been smiling so warmly moments ago was now dead serious.
"Indeed."
His Majesty nodded—and dropped an absolute bombshell.
"I intend to abdicate and become retired emperor."
"Wha—"
I was genuinely stunned.
In the sixteen years since my reincarnation, this was the single most shocking moment I had ever experienced.
"...What is the meaning of this?"
"I have given the matter a great deal of thought. You gave me your advice, Noah, but in the end, that remains too uncertain."
My advice—the proposal to embed a will within his body that designated his chosen successor as the next emperor.
"Even if I were to do that, it does not change the fact that the next emperor would be decided in my absence. Therefore, I concluded it would be best to settle the matter of the succession while I am still of sound mind and judgment."
"...I see."
His Majesty's reasoning held sound logic.
No, rather, it was brilliant foresight.
"Therefore—Noah, I want you to serve as the next emperor."
"...Is this because of Shem?"
Instantly, a flash of white lightning struck through my mind.
Had he asked a month ago, I might not have understood.
But now, it made perfect sense.
With Shem's birth, His Majesty's intentions became crystal clear.
"You truly are exceptional, Noah."
His Majesty praised me with a nod.
"Indeed. A level cap of 100—Shem possesses a talent seen only once in tens of millions. If I pass the imperial throne to you, Noah, the prosperity of our empire across three generations is assured."
"...Understood."
"In short, that is how the matter stands. You will accept, won't you, Noah?"
"..."
After a brief pause, I silently sank to both knees.
"I understand. For the sake of three generations of imperial prosperity, I shall strive with all my might to fulfill your expectations."
"Mm."
His Majesty nodded approvingly and clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"The formal ceremonies will follow, but from this very moment, I pass the imperial throne to you."
The next instant, the status display in the corner of my vision shifted.
―――――――――――― Name: Noah Ararat Emperor of the Empire Gender: Male Level: 15+1/∞ HP: C+C Fire: E+S MP: E+C Water: C+SS Strength: C+S Wind: E+E Stamina: D+C Earth: E+C Intelligence: D+C Light: E+B Spirit: E+C Darkness: E+B Agility: E+C Dexterity: E+C Luck: E+C ―――――――――――
My title changed to Emperor, and every single '+' modifier rose by one rank.
...I see.
Back when I was appointed Imperial Prince Prime Minister, all of my '+' modifiers shot straight to SSS.
Yet now, they had only risen by a single rank.
Which meant—even after stepping down as retired emperor, His Majesty had no intention of relinquishing all of his authority just yet.
And so, I spoke.
"I will redouble my efforts and become an emperor worthy of being entrusted with the entirety of the empire."
"That is what makes you so remarkable. The second generation is in safe hands."
His Majesty smiled with deep satisfaction.
And thus, I ascended from an imperial prince to the Emperor.