On the way to Almeria, I passed through the borderlands of Gabel Province.
To deal with the potion matter as quickly as possible and avoid getting dragged into unnecessary troubles, I decided to spend the night at a roadside station—a privately run one, at that.
And yet.
"L-Long time no see, Your Majesty."
As I stepped down from the carriage and moved toward the station's inn, a man waiting for me dropped to his knees and lowered his head.
"You are... Phil Mohm. Why are you here?"
The young man who raised his head—Phil Mohm—was the young governor-general I had promoted during the salt tax affair.
As the governor-general of Gabel Province, and a former slave who was still unaccustomed to his post, he should have been swamped with work.
"I heard Your Majesty was coming, so I came to act as your guard."
"A guard?"
I knitted my brows and took a close look around.
I see. Though they were trying to blend in, there were numerous people scattered here and there who clearly didn't give off the vibe of ordinary travelers.
"I was told that at times like this, it's customary to come offer greetings and guard you."
"...I see. As it happens, I have something to discuss with you anyway. Lead me somewhere we can talk."
"Yes, sir."
Still awkward with the speech expected of a subject, Phil Mohm stood up and personally guided me.
I was led to an inn—one that anyone in the know could immediately tell had been bought out entirely—and ushered into the most lavish room inside.
At my urging, Phil Mohm dismissed all the subordinates and servants, leaving just the two of us.
Then, he dropped to one knee once more to offer formal vassal etiquette.
"That's enough. More importantly, I have things to discuss."
"Y-Yes, sir! What is it?"
"First, I have been reading your reports. That format is fine. If there is anything on your mind or anything you wish to report, send it whenever you like."
"Yes, sir!"
Phil Mohm couldn't read or write, so he had been sending his reports to me in the form of drawings.
Hearing him talk just now, I suspected that before long, his subordinates' "well-meaning advice" might crush that practice.
"If anyone says anything, just tell them it's fine as is, and that it is an imperial decree."
"U-Understood!"
When I emphasized the imperial decree part, Phil Mohm nodded with an excessively rigid posture.
"Also, you don't need to do things like this from now on."
"I-Is that really all right?"
"Yeah. I'll give you another imperial decree—a secret order. Act for the sake of the people; you may disregard court etiquette toward me."
"B-But if I do that—"
Cutting off Phil Mohm as he tried to object, I looked straight into his eyes.
Slowly and deliberately, I delivered the words with heavy finality.
"There are more than enough people in the world skilled in etiquette. If that was what I needed, I wouldn't have promoted you."
"—!"
"Understood?"
"Yes! I understand!"
"Good."
Saying this much should suffice.
Of course, speaking so firmly had made Phil Mohm stiff as a board with tension.
To ease his nerves, I tossed out a casual topic.
"Come to think of it, have you married yet?"
"N-Not yet."
"What? Couldn't find a good match? Shall I introduce someone to you?"
"It's not that. There are some girls I've been with for a long time, and I've been agonizing over which one to choose..."
"What, is that all?"
I chuckled.
Phil Mohm was harboring a misconception common among former slaves.
"Listen, Phil Mohm. Polygyny is an obligation for a noble."
"A-An obligation?"
"To your eyes, as a former slave, it probably looks like a right—a privilege, even. It is not. It is an obligation."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It is the duty of those who can support many to provide for and raise them. Commoners often cannot support children even if they can give birth to them, right? In an extreme case, if someone caught the same illness, the old you could only pray to the gods, but the current you can have a doctor examine them."
That was precisely why the Empire banned illegal slave merchants and tried to address those issues.
"Y-Yes, sir! I can have a doctor see them!"
"A noble has the means to provide and raise them. People are treasures, and they are potential. It is the duty of those with the means to support many to sire many children."
"I-Is that how it works...?"
Phil Mohm seemed to understand, yet not entirely.
There was a massive divide in perspective between nobles and commoners on this matter.
Commoners often saw no purpose in polygyny, simply assuming from the start that it was done purely for personal pleasure.
"To begin with."
"Yes?"
"You know the Empire is a nation of warriors, right?"
"Y-Yes."
"The Empire is constantly at war with foreign enemies, which means men are constantly dying on the front lines. Women don't go to the front lines, so their numbers don't decrease."
At least for now, I thought, as Jessica's face flashed across my mind.
"If everyone practiced monogamy, there would be a surplus of women."
"Ah..."
The realization struck Phil Mohm.
"Well, if you really don't want to do it yourself, that's fine too. In that case, make it so the people under you can. The surplus of women will not change as long as the Empire remains the Empire. So, simply enrich the land you govern to the point where ordinary men are prosperous enough to take multiple wives."
"I-I see! As expected of Your Majesty! You really were thinking of the people after all."
It was more that I was just scrounging up logic to convince you, I thought.
I kept that to myself, as it would only complicate matters.
"So, for the time being, just marry both of the old acquaintances you're torn between."
"Understood!"
☆
After dealing with Phil Mohm, I picked up the pace while masking my movements even further.
Bypassing all potential squabbles along the way, I reached Nisir, the capital of Almeria Province, in record time.
I brought the carriage to a halt at the entrance to Nisir and hopped down.
It had hardly changed from my time running the fief—the city of water still thrived, crisscrossed by its extensive network of aqueducts.
It really is a fine city, I thought to myself. Almost the very moment the thought crossed my mind—
"I have been waiting for you, Master."
A nostalgic form of address reached my ears from nearby.
Turning around, I saw Evelyn standing alone, dressed in a maid's uniform.
"Ah, it's been a while, Evelyn."
"I shall guide you. Please, this way."
With those words, Evelyn took the lead and began walking.
I gave a simple nod to the carriage driver and followed after her.
After walking for a short while, Evelyn led me into a modest house.
Once inside, after closing the door securely behind us, Evelyn dropped to one knee.
"Please forgive my discourtesy."
"No, this is fine. Besides, with no one else around, there's no need to call me 'Your Majesty.' 'Master' is fine."
"Understood."
Evelyn rose smoothly to her feet.
It had been quite some time since she left the Thirteenth Imperial Prince Mansion; seeing her in that maid uniform brought back a wave of nostalgia.
"You haven't told anyone I'm coming, right?"
"Yes, not a soul."
"Good. Now, about the dragon vein—"
I had sent Evelyn a brief explanation by letter beforehand.
I intended to supplement it with more details now, but...
"Regarding that matter, I have already issued a three-day water restriction and a water storage order."
"Oh?"
"Since you mentioned it concerned the water source, I restricted water intake in addition to ordering reserves to be stored. Would this be satisfactory?"
"Humph. Well done."
I praised her.
Evelyn looked delighted, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
I had been pressed for time, and the matter itself was sensitive, so the letter to Evelyn had contained only the bare minimum details.
Even so, she had implemented policies with the utmost consideration for the people.
"You really did well. You were the very first member of my household I sent out from the Thirteenth Imperial Prince Mansion. Seeing you perform like this makes me proud."
"N-Not at all... I am humbled."
Looking even more embarrassed, Evelyn turned her face away and lowered her gaze.
Then, as if to cover her fluster, she produced a sheet of paper from her sleeve and handed it to me.
"What is this?"
"A schematic of all the waterways in Nisir. I thought you might require it."
"Humph."
I took the waterway map, unfolded it, and looked it over.
After inspecting it, I pulled a four-folded sheet of paper from my own pocket, unfolded it, and glanced back and forth to compare them.
"What might that be, Master?"
"Ah, the oldest waterway map of Nisir."
"What?!"
Evelyn shuddered.
For some reason, she trembled as though she had received a massive shock.
As she looked at the old waterway map I showed her, astonishment spread across her face.
"What's wrong?"
"Actually..."
Evelyn pulled out yet another sheet of paper.
I took it and scanned the contents.
It matched the "oldest waterway map" I had brought out almost perfectly.
"And this is?"
"Just as Master said, it is an older waterway map. I had it investigated thinking it might be needed, but since it describes events so far in the past that they have faded into legend, I couldn't confirm its authenticity. I was hesitating over whether I should present it."
"I see. Since the two match, it means this is accurate."
"How did you obtain that...?"
"I had Leviathan draw it."
"Levi... You mean Leviathan? The magic sword?"
"Yeah. And that Leviathan happens to be the very same entity as Leviathan of the ancient Four Sages."
"What?! To subjugate such a being... Truly, as expected of you, Master."
Evelyn gazed at me with the most reverent expression she had worn all day.
☆
"I see. So this is the power of the earth."
Stepping slightly outside the city of Nisir, I stood above the dragon vein pinpointed by the two waterway maps and Leviathan's memories.
And then... I felt it.
The "invisible water vein" coursing beneath the earth.
I distinctly sensed the presence of the dragon vein, through which the earth's vitality and mana flowed.
"What immense power."
"To think such a thing truly exists."
"You can't feel it?"
"Forgive my dullness..."
Evelyn looked down slightly, sounding apologetic.
"Still, with this much power—just as Leviathan said, like rivers converging and pouring into the sea—an anomaly should have surfaced in the land long ago. Has nothing unusual happened?"
"No. Since you mentioned the period around when Master constructed the new waterways, I looked into it, but within the scope of the natural world, nothing in particular has changed."
"Humph."
I wonder what that means.
I began walking along the path of the dragon vein.
It was definitely flowing, so I decided to check the final point where it all converged.
With that thought in mind, I followed the flow, and about twenty minutes away from the city, I noticed it.
"Is it here?"
"What is it?"
"A stagnation, maybe? It's being blocked."
"Blocked?"
"Step back."
When I gave the order, Evelyn stepped back without hesitation, despite her confusion.
"Leviathan."
I drew the magic sword from my bracelet and summoned her.
The young-looking crone—a being transcending humanity—manifested before my eyes.
"What should I do?"
"It is no different from a river. Simply breach the dam."
"Humph."
I nodded and thought for a moment.
Steeling my resolve, I drove Leviathan—the sword—into the ground.
Then, I channeled my power.
Down toward the dragon vein, for only an instant—but in that single instant, I poured in everything I had.
Rumble, rumble, rumble... The earth groaned.
Immediately after, something burst out from the ground.
A sinister black mass tore through the earth and vaulted into the sky.
A dragon.
It was a beast of the dragon species, radiating a dreadful, malevolent aura.
Faced with a creature exceptionally powerful even among monsters, Evelyn screamed.
"Master, please run! Gather the soldiers at once—"
A clean bisection.
Leaping into the air and closing the distance in a flash, I swung Leviathan and sheared the dragon cleanly in two from top to bottom.
Cut down in a single stroke, the dragon lost all vitality and plummeted to the ground.
Thud! The earth shook violently once more.
The dragon had been strong, but Leviathan was far stronger.
And she had been itching for a fight.
The moment the dragon appeared and directed its bloodlust at me, Leviathan had completely snapped.
Leviathan's murderous intent, which I had kept on a tight leash until now, had been given free rein for the very first time.
As a result, a dragon that would normally require a subjugation force of around a thousand soldiers was cut down in a single blow.
"I-Incredible..."
Watching the spectacle from point-blank range, Evelyn was left utterly speechless, her mouth hanging wide open.