Around noon the following day, inside the carriage.
While Henry and I were discussing matters ahead, word arrived that Neil had returned.
To receive his report without delay, I summoned him into the carriage.
Stepping inside, Neil glanced briefly at Henry before dropping to one knee and bowing his head.
"Having handed over the escort duties, I have returned."
"Good work. Come closer and speak."
"Yes, Sire."
Neil rose and approached.
Although we were inside a carriage, the cabin was spacious enough that one could stand and walk around without bumping their head.
He came over and stood before one of the chairs arranged across the table.
Only after I gave him leave—telling him to sit—did Neil take his seat.
"Well, Henry? Was it not just as I said?"
"Indeed. I concede the loss."
As Henry and I shared a laugh, Neil looked on blankly, having no idea what we were talking about.
Not even knowing whether the matter concerned him, he couldn't very well ask, leaving him wearing a thoroughly puzzled expression.
"Henry warned me, you see, that your attitude was becoming far too unseemly to overlook."
"That was—"
"Do not panic. I told him I had permitted it, so long as no one else was present."
"I see..."
"Even so, Henry insisted that if I spoiled you too much, you would grow presumptuous, and that it would be better to keep a tight rein on you."
"Your Majesty, that is summarizing it far too harshly."
Henry reproached me with a faint, wry smile.
Since Henry had raised concerns about Neil's conduct, his actual phrasing had naturally been much more tactful and diplomatic, but that was essentially the gist of it.
"So, we made a small wager on how you would behave in Henry's presence."
"Naturally, Your Majesty believed you would conduct yourself properly. I am completely bested by your discernment of character. Truly impressive, Your Majesty."
I gave a faint smile, offering neither confirmation nor denial.
For an emperor, humility is not necessarily a virtue.
Just as Neil observed proper etiquette in Henry's presence, an emperor before his retainers and subjects is expected to project magnanimity rather than modesty.
"Now then, let us hear your report."
"Yes, Sire. I escorted him part of the way and conveyed Your Majesty's words."
"And how did he take it?"
"At first he was astonished, and afterward he wept with gratitude."
"I see."
"Following that, I had trustworthy subordinates escort him the rest of the way to the capital."
"Mm, well done."
I nodded.
With that, the matter was settled—or so I thought.
"However, Your Majesty. Is that not precisely being too lenient?"
Far from letting the subject rest, Henry once again brought up the issue of being overly indulgent.
"Hm?"
"He committed such an act before the public eye; to leave him entirely unpunished seems questionable. Furthermore, sending him to the Ministry of Justice, of all places..."
"Is there something wrong with being sent to the Ministry of Justice, Lord Henry?" Neil asked, looking puzzled.
"His Majesty once served as the Imperial Prince Minister of Justice."
"Yes."
Neil nodded, though his face showed he still did not comprehend.
I let out a soft chuckle and took over the explanation for Henry, who was looking at Neil with an exasperated Don't you get it? expression.
"Actions are judged not only by whether they are good or evil, right or wrong, but also by how the people around you perceive them."
"I see..."
"I previously oversaw the Ministry of Justice as the Imperial Prince Minister of Justice. Under those circumstances, a verdict personally assigning him there will make others view him as someone I have taken under my wing."
"Ah..."
"The way others treat him will change as well. That is what I meant by being too lenient," Henry added.
"That may be true, but I believe this is the right course."
Henry looked at me in silence, his expression asking, Why is that?
"There are two reasons. Merely possessing the resolve to die in order to uphold what one believes is right is a rare quality in itself. It would be a waste to lose such talent."
"And the other?"
"It is a trial."
I gave a faint smile.
"Just as Henry says, sending him to the Ministry of Justice will lead people to think I favor him. Consequently, all sorts of individuals will approach him. His temptations will multiply."
"...To see whether he can withstand those temptations, you mean?"
"Precisely."
I nodded, paused for a breath, and then continued.
"Even if he could maintain his integrity at the rank of centurion, there is no guarantee he will do the same after rising through the ranks. Before placing him in vital positions down the line, I want to test his measure now."
"I see... That is remarkable."
"Frankly, I believe Your Majesty overestimates that soldier," Henry said with a sour look.
"Is that so?"
"Remonstrating on an impulse is not particularly difficult."
"Because men can, at times, become intoxicated by their own sense of righteousness, you mean?"
When I said that, Henry gave a slight, silent nod.
"If so, then so be it. For now, we will temper him at the Ministry of Justice while observing how he fares. In the first place, direct remonstration is not something that should be punished."
"...Indeed."
Henry nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied for the moment.
"Now then, let us change the subject. There is something I would like both of your opinions on."
"What might it be?"
"—!"
Henry responded placidly, while Neil stiffened slightly, sitting up straight with a tense expression.
He was never like this when it was just the two of us, but with Henry around, I was carrying myself more like an emperor than usual, which seemed to put him on edge.
Without calling attention to it, I continued.
"Ultimately, I will consult with Oscar, but I want to hear your thoughts first."
"Then it pertains to internal affairs, I take it?"
"I wish to establish a new official post."
"A new post?"
"Mm. A post dedicated solely to directly remonstrating with the emperor—shall we provisionally call it 'censor'?"
"Censor."
"Its role, as I just stated, will be exclusively to offer direct counsel and remonstration to me, the emperor. It will also require amending parts of Imperial Law to carve out specific exceptions to lese-majesty."
"You intend to go that far?"
Henry asked, looking somewhat hesitant, if not troubled.
Unlike Alice, Henry grasped the implications immediately.
He rightly understood that, taking that soldier's remonstration as a catalyst, I was intending to formalize this into a proper institution.
I gave a firm nod.
"I do."
"Why go to such lengths?" Henry pressed, unwilling to let the matter drop.
"It will sound like I am repeating myself, but I must prove that the late Emperor's discernment in choosing me to take the throne was right."
"Your Majesty..."
I looked up at the ceiling.
To reduce weight, the carriage's roof was lined with canvas, allowing a faint glimpse of the blue sky above.
Gazing up at that distant sky, I continued.
"I consider that to be my foremost duty upon ascending the throne. If I establish the post of censor, first of all—as I mentioned earlier, there is the matter of how it will be perceived."
"...Indeed. While it depends on how much authority the censor's words carry, it will demonstrate to all that Your Majesty is a wise ruler who genuinely welcomes direct remonstration."
I nodded in agreement.
While the term 'wise ruler' was directed at me, in truth it meant 'the wise ruler who appointed a wise ruler'—in context, it was praise meant for Father.
"The other aspect is practical utility. I, too, am bound to make mistakes. Even for matters that you or Oscar might hesitate to rebuke me over, if there are multiple censors and one of them speaks up, errors can be averted. By weeding out mistakes, one naturally becomes a wise ruler."
"So that was your reasoning."
"What do you think, Henry?"
"I have no objections."
"I see. Then there shouldn't be any issue. Oscar won't oppose something like this either."
"That is overestimating Oscar—no, never mind."
"I see."
I gave a small nod, feeling reassured.
Realizing Neil hadn't said a word in a while, I turned the conversation toward him as well.
"What do you think, Neil?"
"Eh? Ah... well..."
"Mm?"
"Well... I just think it's incredible."
"What kind of answer is that?" I chuckled.
"No, I mean, willingly keeping people close just to watch over you and point out your flaws... normally, nobody would ever consider such a thing..."
"His Majesty has always had that streak in him. Ever since he was young."
Unlike Neil, who was wide-eyed with awe, Henry wore an expression of quiet understanding.
Well, fair enough.
Judging by this, Neil likely had no particular objections, so I would send a letter later to sound out the key player, Oscar.
Given Oscar's conviction that the emperor's authority was absolute, he might object at first... but he would surely understand that such a measure was necessary if one truly aspired to be a wise ruler.
Now then, as for the rest—
"E-Excuse me, pardon the interruption."
Suddenly, Luke's voice called out from outside the carriage.
"What is it?"
It was Henry, not I, who answered.
At times like this, the person of lower rank present would often handle the response rather than the master of the space.
Henry answered in keeping with that custom, but whether it was because Henry had spoken instead of me or because he felt intimidated, Luke's voice grew distinctly more tense.
"U-Um, well... a-a guest has arrived."
"A guest? What are you talking about?"
"Ah, I'm sorry, not a guest! S-Someone seeking an audience with His Majesty."
"Who is it?"
Noticing Luke's nervousness, Henry stifled a laugh and softened his tone slightly.
"Um... a titular general? Lord Jerry Eisen."
"A titu... a titular general? Who is Jerry Eisen?"
Henry tilted his head, searching his memory.
"Jerry, is it? How nostalgic. Send him in."
"Y-Yes, Sire!"
"Your Majesty, you know him?"
"Henry, he is someone you know as well, you know." I let out a soft chuckle.
"Pardon?"
"Come now—back in Nisir, the bandit leader who attacked me."
"....................................Oh."
Given the hint, Henry's face finally lit up with recognition.
"Come to think of it, there was such a man... You remembered him?"
"Mm. After all, he is a person who literally became a treasure."
"Your Majesty... truly, you never cease to amaze..."
Henry shook his head in sheer marvel, filled with quiet admiration.