Inside the study, I sat facing Oscar across the desk.
Remaining seated, I stared at the report he had handed me, looking over the figures.
"It's surprisingly large—the retired emperor's annual budget, that is."
"Yes..."
Oscar, the Imperial Prince Minister of the Imperial Household, bowed slightly, choosing his words with evident care.
"His Imperial Majesty, the retired emperor, has many consorts, so his expenses inevitably mount. Even so, while it may seem large, it is only about a tenth of what Emperor Robby used to spend."
"I see."
Compared to that man, anyone would look frugal, I thought, though I kept it to myself.
Emperor Robby had been the final ruler of the realm that preceded our empire—a man infamous for squandering the country's wealth on pure decadence and debauchery until the nation collapsed.
"May I ask what Your Majesty intends to do with this information?"
"It seems my own budget could easily be managed at about a tenth of the retired emperor's, could it not?"
Without answering directly, I looked up at Oscar.
I gave him an inquiring look that said, Well? He wore a contemplative expression for a brief moment before replying.
"It is just as you say. At present, Your Majesty has few consorts, and accordingly, the staff of court ladies and eunuchs can be kept to the bare minimum. Furthermore... pardon my presumption, but having known Your Majesty since childhood, I know you are not one for extravagance."
Oscar paused, looking straight at me.
"Therefore, as you have said, a tenth should be more than sufficient."
"Mm. The reason I summoned you, Oscar, is none other than this: I want you to make sure this budget does not needlessly balloon in the future."
"That is... indeed part of my duties, but..."
A puzzled look crossed Oscar's face, asking, Why?
I stood up, turned my back to him, and gazed out through the window behind me.
Spread out below, the imperial capital was in the very prime of prosperity.
"I intend to expand our domain."
"—!"
Behind me, I could hear Oscar catch his breath.
"In short, an aggressive war. For that, we will need funds."
"...Yes."
"Whenever an emperor spends money, ten times that amount must ultimately be squeezed from the people."
Spending money requires setting people in motion, which drives up labor costs right away.
On top of that—and this was something no emperor could ever truly stop—whenever people handle vast sums of gold, human nature compels them to pocket a little for themselves.
If every single person skims just a fraction off the top, considering the sheer number of people an emperor mobilizes, the going rate naturally swells to ten times the amount actually used.
"What we don't spend spares the people a heavier burden. That preserves our national strength... or even lets us build it up."
"A wise assessment, Your Majesty."
I turned back to look Oscar in the eye.
"The time will come when we must spend that money. Until then, I need you to keep a tight grip on my purse strings."
"As you command. Leave it to me."
Oscar offered a deep bow, then took his leave.
He was a capable man.
As long as I set down a clear direction, he would hardly make a mistake.
Just as I was wondering who was next, Don walked in.
Having been appointed Fourth Prime Minister as my trusted confidant following my coronation, Don continued to work just as diligently as he had back in Almeria.
The moment he entered, he dropped to one knee and bowed in a single fluid motion.
"There is trouble, Your Majesty."
"What happened?"
"Refugees from the Zimbel Region are flooding into the capital."
"Hm. Zimbel... that's the area struck by drought and famine, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Don nodded, offering a written report onto the desk.
I sat back down, took it, and looked over the details.
"A considerable number have poured in. Hmm, public order is deteriorating as well, I see."
"Yes. While mostly petty scuffles with the locals like street brawls, the number of incidents is visibly climbing."
"..."
"To that end, I was considering consolidating the disaster relief soup kitchens in the southern outskirts to gather the refugees in one place. I request your approval."
I considered it for a moment.
"How is the situation back in Zimbel?"
"As per Your Majesty's orders, the shipment of surplus grain from the capital is underway. Rion will be leading the transport corps out within the next few days."
"Mm."
Shipping directly from the capital was my way of addressing the very issue I had just discussed with Oscar—people pocketing a cut at every stage.
When everyone skims a little off the top, you're lucky if even ten percent—at most thirty—actually reaches the disaster zone.
To prevent that, I had them transport raw grain, which offered little in the way of easy profits.
If there was little to skim, less would be stolen—meaning more would reach the people in need.
"Is something the matter with that arrangement?"
"What if we have the refugees handle the transport?"
".........Pardon?"
Don looked at me as if I had lost my mind.
"Er... what do you mean by that?"
"I mean we should have the refugees transport the food."
"...What would be your aim in doing so?"
Keeping a straight face, I met Don's gaze.
"We have to pay laborers to transport the grain, correct?"
"Yes."
"So let the refugees do it. We pay them directly in food. If we do that—"
"—! We can save on transport costs for refugees who are merely receiving free meals at the soup kitchens!"
Don gasped, looking at me with sudden realization.
"Exactly. There are two main reasons the refugees are clashing with the locals: they are in an unfamiliar city, and they are starving. If we have them haul the grain, public order will return to the capital, and the refugee population here will drop."
"Brilliant!"
"And what's more..."
"There is more?!"
As Don stared in even greater astonishment, I gave him a faint smile.
"Yes. Let's use the refugees for the local distribution as well. They share the same roots; right now, they'll be far less inclined to line their own pockets when it's for their suffering kin back home. On top of that, they know the disaster areas intimately, so they'll know exactly who is where and in what numbers. Well? Think it's feasible?"
"...Yes."
Don pondered for a brief moment before giving a decisive nod.
"Even factoring in those who might run off with the supplies, more should reach the people than under normal circumstances."
"Indeed."
"Truly magnificent, Your Majesty. I never would have conceived of such a plan. It is a brilliant strategy that kills three birds with one stone."
"Refugees are human, too. As long as you fill their bellies, they become a valuable workforce. And more importantly..."
"More importantly?"
"History is rife with examples of neglected refugees turning to riots and rebellion."
"Quite true!"
The refugee count would never truly drop to zero.
I resolved to think up effective, long-term ways to manage them.
☆
Come evening, I stepped out of the detached palace and took a stroll through the capital, accompanied by the maid Zoe.
After a long day of work, I wanted to refresh myself a bit, so I headed toward Keith's teahouse on Raid Street.
My plan was to unwind by listening to Alice sing.
"Huh? What is with all these people?"
The moment we stepped onto Raid Street, we were met with an unprecedented crowd.
It was so bustling that Zoe gasped in shock, and even I couldn't help but frown.
What was more, the commotion was centered squarely around Keith's place—his shop appeared to be the most packed by far.
It looked difficult to even get near the entrance.
"Go ask around and see what's going on."
I sent Zoe off to investigate.
She trotted away, spoke with a few bystanders, and soon returned.
"I found out, Your Ma—I mean, Master."
"Mm."
"Apparently the shop is completely packed to bursting, and it's filled almost entirely with women."
"Why is that?"
"Word seems to have leaked that this teahouse was a favorite haunt of the imperial prince before he became Emperor."
Having served by my side for years, Zoe was able to phrase things naturally so as not to blow my cover while in disguise.
"So, everyone came rushing here thinking that if they hang around, they might run into the Emperor in disguise, catch his eye, and become an imperial consort!"
"I see."
"It's incredible, Master. Every single one of them is breathtakingly beautiful. It's practically a beauty pageant in there."
"Hmph."
I couldn't say I disliked the thought.
Most likely—
"And there's something even crazier! Every inn around here is fully booked, and apparently you couldn't get a room even if you offered triple the price!"
It seemed that not only the capital's citizens, but beauties from all across the realm had gathered here, all setting their sights on me.