"More importantly, what were you doing just now?"
"Eh?"
I glanced at the desk Jerry had been sitting at moments ago.
A stack of documents lay across it, crammed with dense lines of writing and figures.
Hearing my question and catching my gaze, Jerry looked uncharacteristically sheepish.
"Uh... I was just copyin' you, Master."
"Copying me?"
"I've been gatherin' up destitute folks, puttin' 'em in the army, and givin' 'em a steady livelihood."
"Oh?"
"And if they want, I help 'em buy out prostitutes from their contracts, or set 'em up with widows of guys who died in battle, stuff like that."
"Why go that far?"
Inwardly, I marveled at this.
I already had a good guess as to why, but I asked anyway, wanting to hear it directly from Jerry's own mouth.
"I was like that myself once, ya see. If a guy can eat and have a family, he won't be gettin' funny ideas in his head no more. Folks who dabble in 'businesses that don't need startup capital' like we used to are usually dead broke, with nothin' to protect and nothin' to lose."
"So you give them jobs, and you give them families."
I gave a small nod.
It was exactly the reason I had imagined.
Realizing that Jerry had come to understand this principle and put it into practice raised my estimation of him even further.
"Yeah. But Master, this part is seriously hilarious."
"Hm? What is?"
Unlike before, this opening caught me completely off guard.
"I've been arrangin' remarriages with the widows, and both the men and the women are totally thrilled about it."
"Oh? Why is that?"
The fact that both sides were thrilled piqued my interest.
"First off, widows of guys killed in action get a bit of compensation money from their previous husbands."
"Mm, that is true. The Empire is a nation of warriors; it properly compensates the bereaved families of those who fall on the battlefield."
"So they've gotten a taste for it. They're hopin' their next husband might go and die on the battlefield too, if they get lucky. That's why they're more than happy if the remarriage is to another soldier."
"Hahaha, I see! That's the kind of raw, frontline reality that would never reach my ears."
I looked up at the ceiling and burst out laughing.
Vivid, gritty stories like this never made their way up to the Emperor.
Almost everything presented to the throne was embellished, glamorous, and carefully sanitized for imperial ears.
That was why sensible emperors throughout the dynasties frequently went on undercover excursions, and I was following in their footsteps by sneaking out on my own from time to time.
This was something I never could have known in my past life, and something I likely never would have heard as long as I remained confined to the Imperial Capital.
Just hearing this tale from Jerry made sneaking out alone well worth the effort.
After a hearty laugh, I turned back to him.
"Then the reason the men welcome it is... I see, because the widows have money."
"Spot on! Amazing as always, Master, that's exactly it."
Jerry beamed with genuine admiration.
"I mean, a woman with money is way better than a broke one. Especially since the guys I'm settin' up were starvin' right up until the other day."
"I see. Well done."
"Aw, shucks..."
Hearing my praise after laying it all out, Jerry blushed, a look that sat awkwardly on his rugged face.
"I understand that much, but what were you troubling yourself over just now? You looked quite distressed."
"Ah! Right, right, that. Well, of course, the main goal is just feedin' the majority and givin' 'em wives to keep 'em quiet, but I was hopin' a few guys like me might pop up among 'em. Ya know, like what you told me the other day, Master. Even if only one in a thousand turns out good, it's still a profit."
"Mm."
I was rather impressed.
I admired how swiftly Jerry had put my passing remark into practice.
"So, I was lookin' over the tally of our war results. Up till now, we've been countin' heads, but heads are heavy, and there's no time to be choppin' 'em off in the middle of a fight. And when guys try to claim 'em after it's over, they end up squabblin' over 'that one's mine, no, it's mine' and all that."
"What, is that all it was?"
"Eh? 'Is that all'?...Nah, it's actually a huge pain in the ass, honest."
"Why not just count ears instead of heads?"
"...Ears?"
"Yes. You can slice off an ear in an instant, can't you?"
"...Ohh!"
Jerry clapped his hands together, his face lighting up with realization.
"Right, ears! Brilliant, Master! Why didn't I think of that?!"
"If it's just about having a single proof of a kill, a nose would work too, but noses are harder to slice off cleanly."
"Too true! Back when I was runnin' that business, I used to lop off ears quick-like to threaten folks, so I know firsthand—ears are real easy to cut."
"Haha, endorsed by an expert, I see. Well, speaking as someone with no experience in the matter, I was thinking you could even issue them a tool specialized for slicing ears."
"A tool just for slicin' ears?"
"You have tools meant solely for peeling fruit, don't you? Just have the blacksmiths make something small and easy to handle like that, which can be hung from the waist."
"Incredible! As expected of you, Master! That's great, I'll have the craftsmen make 'em right away!"
Even though I was standing right in front of him, Jerry strode over to the doorway and bellowed into the corridor with a booming voice, "Hey, somebody get over here!!"
Hurried footsteps immediately echoed outside, and he barked out instructions to the man who rushed over.
I watched with an amused smile.
A man who could make decisions and take action this swiftly was genuinely refreshing to watch.
Of course, there were times when deliberate consideration was necessary, but for something like an ear-slicing tool, they would have to go through a prototyping stage anyway, making swift decisiveness far superior.
Looking past Jerry's shoulder, I caught sight of the young official listening to Jerry's orders with an expression that practically screamed, Not again.
It was easy to imagine that the poor clerk was run ragged by Jerry on a daily basis.
After a short while, Jerry finished barking his orders, the young subordinate hurried off, and Jerry returned to my side.
"Sorry to keep ya waitin', Master."
"It is fine. Can it be done?"
"Bah, if he can't pull it off, I'll just kick his ass and make someone else do it."
"I see."
I chuckled, amused by how thoroughly unwavering he was.
"Hm? What is that?"
I asked, noticing what Jerry was holding.
In his hand was a piece of paper folded into quarters.
"Ah, this thing? It's a report on that bastard."
"On Eiler Noufe? What kind of report?"
"Word is, the bastard's wife kicked the bucket. So, copyin' the Empire's Emperor, he went and had a massive tomb built, and what d'ya call it... he stuffed about three hundred folks in there to go with her, it seems."
"A funerary sacrificial burial."
"Yeah, that, that's the one!"
Jerry pointed firmly at me as he spoke.
He probably already knew the term and was just playing dumb, I thought to myself.
I see, I mused.
Because of what I had Don do, the rebel ringleader Eiler Noufe had proclaimed himself Emperor.
As a collateral descendant of a Grand Imperial Prince, he possessed a shred of imperial blood to begin with, making him easy to instigate.
And having "become Emperor," Eiler had begun acting the part.
The sacrificial burial was the ultimate manifestation of that delusion.
"A funerary sacrificial burial is quite archaic. But I see—encouraging his imperial usurpation is already showing its effects here as well."
"Huh? You set that up, Master?"
"Yes....To make him easier to strike down."
Naturally, I did not mention that it was a countermeasure against Oscar.
When I used establishing a just cause as my excuse instead, Jerry gazed at me with sparkling, reverent eyes.
"As expected of you, Master! I was wonderin' why that bastard was gettin' so cocky, but it was your doin' all along!"
"Cocky, yes. Quite."
I imagined that Oscar, upon hearing news of this sacrificial burial, was probably flying into a massive rage right about now.
Under Imperial Law, sacrificial burial in an imperial mausoleum was permitted only for an Emperor or an Empress.
It was also stipulated that following an Emperor's death, the surviving widow—the Empress Dowager—required the reigning Emperor's permission to be buried with sacrifices.
Of course, being the Empress Dowager, permission was never denied.
Rather, it was purely a ceremonial gesture to portray the reigning Emperor as a dutiful, filial son.
Regardless, sacrificial burial was strictly reserved for an Emperor or Empress.
In other words, entombing sacrificial victims alongside his wife was a deliberate act meant to assert his status as an Emperor.
That was the one thing Oscar could never forgive.
Oscar was already furious over Eiler's usurpation as a False Emperor; this sacrificial burial would only pour oil on the fire.
This meant the home front—the Imperial Capital—would be even more secure during my personal campaign, bringing me a quiet sense of relief.
"In that case, I'd like to lay another trap."
"Lay a trap... for what?"
"He has only just usurped the title of Emperor, yet he does nothing but indulge in imperial pretense. If we properly guide such a man, I imagine he would squander his resources on every conceivable luxury."
"Ooh! That's brilliant, Master! That's definitely a great idea!"
"...Jerry."
"Yes, sir!"
After a moment's thought, I called Jerry's name, and he snapped his heels together, straightening his spine with crisp attention.
"Can you arrange for the local populace to plant something?"
"Piece of cake."
"In that case, let's have them present him with a 'meteorite naturally engraved with his name.'"
I recalled a story of an absurd flatterer from the history books and spoke.
The tale went that a meteorite fell in the mountains or a rice paddy, and miraculously bore the reigning emperor's name engraved upon it. Claiming it was proof that the emperor was blessed by the heavens, the finder presented it and was bestowed a mountain of gold, silver, and treasures in return.
Thinking about it calmly, there was no way a meteorite would naturally bear a man's name, yet throughout history, there had been countless gullible emperors who bought into such flattery.
"That's incredible, Master! I'll get on it right away!"
Jerry bounded back over to the doorway with giant strides and called for his subordinate once more.
If a fake meteorite threw the rebel army into internal disarray, that would be a bonus; even if it didn't, we lost nothing.
It was a scheme with no downside, I thought to myself.