After telling Henry that I was leaving everything in his hands, I returned to the tent.
Inside, Alice sat quietly with a graceful, composed posture.
"I'm back."
"Welcome back, Your Majesty."
Alice stood up with a gentle smile, prepared a tightly wrung damp cloth, and offered it to me.
Only a brief moment had passed since I had stepped outside, so I wasn't the least bit fatigued, but I wordlessly accepted her thoughtful gesture and lightly wiped my face.
"Here."
"Thank you."
Alice took the cloth back.
Just like that, she asked no questions.
It wasn't as if she lacked curiosity, yet she refrained from prying.
She attended to me devotedly, just like a steadfast wife.
When I sat down in my usual spot, Alice came over and sat beside me.
"Starting tomorrow, I will be away for a while."
"...!"
This clearly caught her off guard; she widened her eyes and stared at me.
"Where are you going?"
"I am going to infiltrate enemy territory—"
"You must not!"
Before I could finish, Alice raised her voice to stop me.
Realizing she had shouted, she suddenly caught herself and covered her mouth, looking embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it. Henry just scolded me for the exact same thing."
"Naturally. It is far too dangerous."
"Yet now is our only window."
"What do you mean?"
"In the past, Leviathan used ultra-long-range sniping to eliminate the leader of the Almeria Rebel Army all the way from near the imperial capital."
"Y-Yes..."
Alice nodded hesitantly, her expression clearly asking where this was coming from all of a sudden.
Paying it no mind, I continued.
"That yielded tremendous results, but because it was so overwhelming, countermeasures were developed. We can no longer do the same thing today. Had we not done it back then, I could take down the enemy ringleader in a single shot with an ultra-long-range strike right now, without ever needing to lead a personal campaign."
"...However, if you did that, then the next time..."
"Exactly."
I chuckled softly.
Clever as she was, Alice grasped the core of what I was trying to say.
"No matter how powerful a technique or superior a technology is, once you use it, people develop countermeasures, rendering it obsolete and diminishing its efficacy. Did you know? Long ago, a single magician's Fireball could breach a castle wall. Nowadays, defenses have evolved to the point where deploying hundreds of magicians for a synchronized volley barely produces any decent tactical results. Going back even further to ancient times, merely wielding an iron weapon made a warrior worth a thousand men."
"...Yes. Singing is the same."
"I imagine so. I am no expert on the craft, but a woman of your caliber surely sees that from where you stand."
I nodded in agreement.
It held true across every field.
In a mainstream discipline practiced and refined by countless people, like singing, techniques advanced by leaps and bounds with each passing day.
It was often said that a master of the past wouldn't necessarily thrive if brought into modern times.
I believed that was partly true and partly false.
If the master of old clung solely to antiquated techniques, they would fail.
However, if they applied their raw talent to master modern methods developed through generations of progress, they would undoubtedly thrive.
Realizing my thoughts had drifted, I looked back at Alice.
"It is frustrating."
Alice wore a genuinely vexed expression, matching her words.
"That is what progress is—for humanity as a whole."
"..."
"What is the matter? You look like a deer caught in the headlights."
"No... it's just that Your Majesty truly is incredible. I've known several people who said similar things, but they were only thinking of themselves and complained about hating change."
"Is that so?"
I had seen plenty of people like that myself.
Both after reincarnating as Noah, and in my previous life.
Hearing Alice's words reaffirmed my resolve never to become someone like that.
Then, I continued.
"Right now, I have devised a technique called Misdirection. At present, it will yield tremendous power, but countermeasures will eventually be developed, rendering it ineffective."
"Can such a thing happen?"
"For instance, if the enemy realizes this technique can only be used by me, they won't even care where I am. If they simply scorch a hundred-meter radius using tactical-scale area magic, Misdirection won't matter in the slightest."
"Um..."
"Was that too complicated? If someone is hiding somewhere in a house and you can't find them, you just burn the entire house down."
"Ah... y-yes."
"That is an extreme example, but it means that if humans are pressed by necessity, they can devise any number of solutions."
"I see..."
"That is why I want to make full use of it now, while its effectiveness can be maximized."
"Even so! Even if that is true, there is no need for Your Majesty to risk danger personally! If Your Majesty's power could be entrusted to someone else—"
"Now is the only chance."
"—Eh?"
Alice blinked in confusion, wondering what I meant.
"Humans hesitate when there is uncertainty."
"Uncertainty... hesitate?"
"Can you imagine the Emperor of the Empire acting as a scout himself?"
"That is... no, not at all."
"Indeed. That is because no Emperor has ever done so before. But if I do it here and now, anyone who opposes me in the future will be forced to think, 'He might be the kind of man to pull a stunt like that—he might just show up himself.'"
"..."
"Even if I do not lead a personal campaign, they will grow paranoid, suspecting that while I claim to be elsewhere, I have actually infiltrated their lines. And the only time I can accomplish this safely—the moment with the least danger—is right now, during my first personal campaign, while I put on a display of debauchery and the enemy has lowered their guard. Next time, I will no longer have the guise of a profligate emperor, so they will maintain their vigilance."
Alice wore a strained, conflicted expression, as though she had swallowed something bitter.
"You have thought it through that far..."
"Yes."
"That is incredible. It truly is... and yet..."
Alice looked on the verge of tears.
It was a delicate, tearful expression that pulled at my heartstrings, but considering what lay ahead, this was a step I had to take.
Alice's expression wavered and strained, mirroring the turmoil in her heart, before she finally managed to compose herself.
"I pray... for your success in battle."
"Mm."
I thought for a moment.
Feeling it wouldn't do to leave Alice in sorrow, I tried to think of something to cheer her up.
"Is there anything you desire?"
"What?"
Alice looked startled.
The sudden shift in topic caught her completely off guard.
Her eyes went wide, traces of tears glistening at the corners.
"You performed splendidly this time. I must reward you."
"That's..."
"A woman of your standing surely has no need for mere money anymore."
"Th-That's..."
"Do not be overly modest. After all, it reflects upon my own discernment for discovering your talent."
"Y-Yes... thank you very much..."
This time, she looked down bashfully.
Even with her head lowered, her upward glance held a distinct trace of joy.
"So, what do you want? Ask for anything. There is little an Emperor of the Empire cannot provide."
"Your Majesty..."
"Hmm? What is it? No need to hold back."
"...In that case..."
"Go on."
"Please... come visit the shop again."
Alice said after a brief hesitation.
A faint smile touched my lips.
"I see. Very well."
Nodding, I rose to my feet.
I walked over to the stationery set in the corner of the tent that Alice had been fetching for me recently.
Picking up a pen, I wrote only the bare minimum of text and affixed the imperial seal at the bottom.
Taking the paper, I returned to Alice.
"Here."
"Eh?"
When I offered it to her, Alice took it with a puzzled look.
She lowered her gaze, trying to read what was written.
"This is... there is almost nothing written here..."
"It is essentially a blank check."
"What?"
"I may not know what exactly you swallowed back, but I can tell that you held your tongue. I like to think I am not completely dense."
"Your Majesty..."
"I won't force you. The fact that you held back means you don't wish to say it right now."
"..."
"When you feel ready to say it, or when you think of what you truly desire, write it in yourself."
Hearing that, Alice gasped softly as she finally realized the immense weight of the paper in her hands.
It would be tasteless to say aloud, but this was the grandest gift I had bestowed since reincarnating as Noah.
In accordance with noble obligations, I frequently distributed hundreds or thousands of Rien to those I dealt with, but this document was on an entirely different scale.
A blank imperial edict written by the Emperor of the Empire himself; converted to cash, it was worth far more than a few million Rien.
And I had handed it to Alice.
I had several reasons... but above all, it was an apology for being unable to answer her feelings.
I understood why Alice didn't want me to go.
It was similar to Henry's concern, but beneath the surface lay a tender, deep-seated affection that was entirely different in nature.
I understood that. I understood, but right now, I could not reciprocate.
I was the Emperor of the Empire.
For the sake of my future reign, I had to lay this groundwork now.
And so, this was my apology for causing her sorrow.
Holding the paper, Alice's face went through a kaleidoscope of emotions.
This time, her expression was noticeably brighter.
"Your Majesty truly is amazing."
"Is that so?"
"You see through everything, don't you?"
"...I suppose so."
"I understand—in that case..."
With that, Alice stood up, walked over to the desk where I had written the blank edict, took up the same pen, and briskly wrote something on the imperial edict.
She then walked back and handed it to me.
"This is... 'Please return alive'?"
"Yes. That is my greatest wish."
"You would use it on this? I am only going on reconnaissance; returning alive is a given."
"Even so."
Alice spoke with a radiant, enchanting smile.
It was the most captivating expression I had ever seen on her face, enough to make my heart skip a beat.
"That is an interesting use for it."
"It is a woman's greatest indulgence, and a woman's prerogative."
"And an interesting way to put it."
"I am merely imitating Your Majesty."
"Hm? Ah, hahaha, I see."
A woman's prerogative—a noble's prerogative.
I see, she was mimicking my words.
As she said it, Alice wore a mischievous grin—one that wiped away every trace of her earlier sadness.
"Very well. I will certainly return alive."
Any further exchange would only be tasteless.
Treating the imperial edict Alice had written on with the utmost care, I tucked it into my breast pocket.
Alice seemed to take the gesture as the promise it was. The gloom that had hung over her vanished without a trace, leaving behind a smile I could have gazed upon forever, if only time allowed.