"Meaning what, exactly?"
Henry looked at me with suspicion, tilting his head.
"Bandits—people in that kind of underworld business have a fierce sense of territory. We take advantage of that."
"...You mean to pit them against one another?"
"Precisely."
I gave a firm nod.
"Fight poison with poison. Looking at Jerry, I realized that people like that crave honor even more than proper knights do, if given the chance. It's only natural when you think about it. Sinking into the underworld means giving up on honor, but that resignation merely comes from feeling they have no other choice. So, all we have to do is dangle the bait of suitable honor right in front of them."
"What do you intend to do specifically?"
"Find an appropriate group and bestow the title of honorary knight upon them."
The honorary knight system was something I had devised a few years ago.
It was granted solely to those who made substantial donations to the national treasury—purely an honor in name, carrying absolutely no practical authority.
Since it still bore the title of "knight," it was currently restricted to only "respectable people."
It had absolutely nothing to do with underworld figures like bandits.
However, that didn't mean it was forbidden.
It wasn't a system steeped in ancient tradition. Since I had conceived it myself back when I was an imperial prince, now that I was Emperor, I was free to alter it however I pleased.
"When we do that, the groups who didn't receive the title will envy those who did. And once that happens—"
"They will naturally begin turning on each other. Fighting poison with poison... Truly magnificent."
Henry spoke with open admiration.
"Yeah. I can already picture what the ones left out will say. Something along the lines of: 'Those bastards sold out and became lapdogs of the Empire.'"
"I have no doubt it will play out precisely like that."
Henry nodded in agreement.
Jealousy was an emotion that almost every human harbored—one nearly impossible to escape.
If we prodded at it just right...
"Henry."
"Yes, Sire."
"Investigate and bring me a list of candidates. A bandit group with martial prowess would be best—specifically the type that only steals and refrains from assaulting women."
"Why that specific type?"
"There are two kinds of bandits."
Even as I said "two kinds," I held up a single finger.
"Those who do it out of sheer desperation because they have no other way to eat, and those who don't. Those forced into crime simply to survive won't commit superfluous evils unless pushed to extremes. How they treat women is a good metric to gauge that."
"I see."
"Track down groups like that. It will make it easier to manufacture an excuse to make them honorary knights, and the chances of them reforming like Jerry are much higher."
"Understood... As expected of Your Majesty, a truly splendid plan."
☆
Half a month later, Shirley and I were traveling along an open road in the countryside.
We weren't riding in our usual carriage, but rather a simple freight wagon.
The cargo bed was piled high with goods typical of a traveling merchant, and I sat on the driver's box, shoulder to shoulder with Shirley.
"Even now... would it not be better to call this off, Your Majesty?"
Nearly a day had passed since we departed the capital, yet Shirley still hadn't completely given up on trying to dissuade me.
"This is dangerous. For Your Majesty to act as bait yourself is simply taking things too far, no matter how you look at it."
"If I do nothing just because it's dangerous, we won't get anywhere."
"I understand that, but... I do not believe this matter warrants Your Majesty taking the field in person..."
"That is precisely why I must go."
"Precisely why...?"
Shirley tilted her head.
"Listen. When an incident occurs, the people involved are already busy handling it. I am the Emperor now; if I go waddling into the scene at a time like that, I'll never see the truth of things."
"That is... true, I suppose..."
Though hesitating, Shirley nodded quietly.
"You cannot govern a nation without knowing the truth. That is why I must regularly travel about when nothing is happening, seeing things with my own eyes and experiencing them firsthand."
"Even so, it is dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
I let out a soft chuckle.
"There's no danger here."
"Pardon?"
"Knowing you, you assigned guards anyway, didn't you?"
"—!"
Having hit the bullseye, Shirley drew back slightly, her eyes widening in surprise.
After a moment, she regained her composure.
"Yes. I placed Cheryl in command of two thousand troops on standby a few kilometers behind us. There are cavalry among them as well, capable of rushing to our side within minutes should anything happen."
"Let's see here."
I rose to my feet.
Standing on the driver's box, I channeled Ziz's power, sprouted wings on my back, and leaped straight up into the air.
Thanks to practicing every day for nearly a month since obtaining Ziz, I had learned to soar nearly ten meters straight up with a single vertical leap.
From that height, I surveyed the road behind us.
While invisible from the ground, they were clearly in view at this altitude.
Just as Shirley had said, roughly two thousand soldiers were slowly following behind us.
After confirming this, I gently drifted back down onto the wagon.
"Overprotective as always. Well, if it gives you peace of mind, do as you please."
Both Shirley and Cheryl were my knights; worrying for my safety and taking precautions was their duty.
"..."
After I landed, Shirley stared blankly at me for some reason.
"What is it?"
"..."
"Hey, is something wrong?"
"...So cool."
"Hm?"
"—Ah! N-No, it is nothing! Please forgive me!"
Snapping back to her senses, Shirley blushed profusely and turned her head away.
After a short while, she regained her usual complexion and turned back toward me.
"B-But that was incredible, Your Majesty. What was that just now?"
"My new power. Though all it does is let me fly."
"To call that 'all it does' is astonishing. You looked just like an angel, or a god. You truly are an extraordinary person, Your Majesty..."
"That's all well and good, but you should fix that habit soon."
"Fix what?"
"How you address me. We are handling this incognito; if you keep calling me Your Majesty, it ruins everything, doesn't it?"
"I-I understand! From now on, I will call you Master!"
With her earnest nature, Shirley straightened her back on the driver's box and answered with enough vigor to resemble a salute.
With the matter of my title settled, we continued onward in the wagon.
We kept moving along a route chosen specifically to draw the attention of the candidate bandit group Henry had scouted.
Nothing happened that day, and we eventually reached an inn along the road.
Halting the wagon, Shirley and I stepped inside.
"Welcome. A party of two?"
"Yes. A single room will suffice; prepare your finest."
Acting as my attendant, Shirley negotiated with the innkeeper.
"Understood, thank you very much. I will prepare hot water right away, so allow me to guide you to your room first."
With that, the innkeeper led us to our quarters.
It was a detached, standalone cottage situated deeper within the inn's property.
The furnishings inside were fairly decent, giving the impression of a village chief's house in a prosperous settlement.
For a roadside inn in the countryside, having a room of this caliber was quite impressive.
"How is it? Does it meet your satisfaction?"
The innkeeper asked tentatively, and Shirley looked over at me as well.
"It will do. We shall spend the night here."
Saying this, I pulled a leather pouch from my breast pocket and tossed it to the innkeeper.
"There are two hundred Rien in here. Keep the change."
"Thank you very much, thank you so much!"
Overjoyed, the innkeeper announced that he would fetch hot water and towels for washing our faces and feet before scurrying out of the room.
Once we were alone, Shirley asked:
"Master... was that not giving him far too much?"
"That was bait."
"Bait?"
"To spread rumors of a generous merchant. If we just wander aimlessly, there's no telling when we'd be targeted. We have to scatter some bait to make them bite faster."
"I see! Truly magnificent, as always!"
Shirley gave an impressed nod.
That night, under the pretext of praising the innkeeper's excellent service, I gave him an additional four hundred Rien—doubling the amount.
It went without saying that the innkeeper's eyes narrowed into slits as he broke into a massive grin.
I had Shirley confirm that word of this reached the ears of the other guests and started circulating as a rumor.
And that bore fruit.
The following day, less than an hour after departing the inn—
We were completely surrounded by a band of bandits.