Inside the reception room of Oscar's estate.
Before the two of us sat a single spherical object.
Resting atop the low table like a crystal ball, the sphere connected to a thread running in from outside the room.
The thread and the orb shifted colors at steady intervals.
Oscar called out each shift in hue, diligently writing them down.
"Black, black, white, black. Black, black, black, white. Black, white, black, black. White, white, white, white... And if I recall, all white is the signal for the end, correct?"
"That's right. What do you get when you match those against the cipher sheet?"
Oscar looked back and forth between his notes and the table I had handed him beforehand.
"H-E-L-L-O, I A-M W-E-L-L... Oh!"
Though it was a simple sentence, Oscar let out a voice full of awe.
"It truly forms a message."
"Indeed. By the way, this is linked to my detached palace."
"Your Majesty's detached palace... That would take about ten minutes by fast horse."
"Try sending a simple message back."
"Understood... Here goes."
After a brief pause for thought, Oscar touched two small spheres resting beneath the crystal-like orb.
The spheres were black and white; touching either caused the orb and the thread to take on the corresponding color.
Since it was his first time, Oscar sent the message while glaring intently back and forth between the spheres and the cipher sheet.
The orb and thread alternated between black and white. Even after Oscar lifted his hands, the colors continued to flicker back and forth in response.
"Who is this?"
"Don."
"The First Prime Minister?"
"Yeah. I had him help out with the test."
"This is... this is incredible, Your Majesty!"
Oscar exclaimed in excitement.
In all the decades spanning our time as brothers to our relationship as sovereign and subject, this was the most unvarnished, enthusiastic "incredible" I had ever heard from him.
"Depending on the length of the text, finishing something that would take ten minutes in under a minute is beyond amazing."
"The benefit is modest across this distance, but it could transmit at this same speed even from city to city."
"If we utilize this effectively, we won't even need magistrates."
"A thought true to an administrator. That said, we still need people on the ground who can properly filter the information."
"True enough."
"Until now, regional leaders had to be individuals with exceptional governing talent, but with this, even figureheads will do."
"It's revolutionary."
"I would like to hear Henry's thoughts on this as well."
"Quite so. While it lies outside my expertise, I know all too well that transmitting information on the battlefield is even more critical than on the home front."
"Mm."
I nodded, pleased with Oscar's insight.
I had brought the thread to show him now that Humbaba had made it practical, and his reaction did not disappoint.
"There are two reasons I showed this to you."
"Yes, sire."
Oscar adjusted his posture, straightening up to face me with renewed gravity.
As Oscar himself had noted, this thread represented revolutionary technology. That meant this discussion between the Emperor—me—and the Minister of Internal Affairs—Oscar—was a crucial matter that would shape the future of the Empire.
Grasping that in an instant, Oscar carried himself with fitting decorum.
"First, I want this connected across the provinces. To that end, you must select personnel skilled in handling ciphers."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
"At the same time, design a new cipher. The current one is merely a rough draft thrown together in haste. We should be able to create one that is far more efficient or easier to grasp."
"I simply need to design it around the binary switching of black and white, correct?"
"That is correct."
"Consider it done."
Oscar bowed deeply, accepting my order.
When it came to cipher design, what mattered most was usability for the personnel on the ground, so it was best if I didn't meddle.
"And one more thing. This is more important, though it isn't an immediate emergency."
"...What might that be?"
"Developing an equivalent to this."
"An equivalent...?"
"A mechanical means of transmitting binary information—black and white, on or off—over long distances."
"You mean to recreate the exact same functionality?"
"Yeah."
"Whatever for?"
Oscar wore a look of utter bewilderment.
A natural reaction, surely.
With Humbaba's thread physically right here, it was only natural to question why we should bother developing an exact duplicate from scratch.
"This was created using knowledge inherited from the Retired Emperor."
"As expected of His Majesty."
"Do you still not see it?"
"See what, sire?"
"I inherited it from the Retired Emperor."
"............Ah."
Oscar paused, then gasped as the realization struck him.
"This... cannot be passed down to the next emperor?"
"That's right."
I nodded firmly.
"Humbaba's allegiance belongs strictly to me. I did ask her, and she said she would obey a new emperor if I ordered it, but..."
"Her true loyalty remains solely with Your Majesty."
"Yes. In the worst-case scenario, that means only until I die."
"Hearing that makes it look like nothing more than a tremendous poisoned apple."
Oscar sighed in dismay, and I nodded in agreement.
It was undeniably a groundbreaking, convenient technology.
Give it ten or twenty years, and it would thoroughly permeate society, fundamentally revolutionizing the way information was transmitted.
However, if it could not be inherited...
If it was a technology that could not be handed down to future generations...
The moment I died, technological progress would be set back by decades.
"Once people grow too accustomed to convenience, they won't want to go back."
"They likely won't be able to go back at all."
"What... do you mean by that?"
"If we connect these everywhere, fast horses and carrier pigeons will become useless relics."
"Indeed."
"Do you still not get it?"
"Eh? Ah, I see... Any skill left unneeded for decades will inevitably be lost to history."
"Precisely."
"Incredible, Your Majesty. To think your foresight reached so far ahead. My mind was entirely consumed by how wonderful it was."
"It is undeniably a wonderful technology. I intend to live as long as I can, so all we need to do is develop an equivalent before my time comes."
"Understood."
"Spare no expense. Government, private sector—I don't care where the ideas come from."
"In that case, it would likely be easier to pursue under the guise of 'improvements for cost reduction.'"
"I leave it in your hands."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Having laid out both directives to Oscar, I let out a breath.
Next, we would connect the various provincial capitals to the imperial capital and see how it performed in practice.
For the time being, we would keep the conventional communication methods running in parallel. Unforeseen problems might crop up, and even if they didn't, we might discover areas for improvement.
A mountain of work lay ahead, but I had no doubt that once this succeeded, the Empire would take a massive leap forward.
To accomplish that, first—
"—!!"
I gasped.
My face went rigid, so suddenly that even I could feel the tension in my skin.
An anomaly had surfaced in my field of vision.
"Your Majesty? Is something the matter?"
"..."
"Your Majesty?"
Oscar leaned forward, searching my face with a look of concern.
"...Oscar."
"Y-Yes?"
"Gather every imperial prince currently in the imperial capital. Wait—who's away?"
"Um, if we speak of who is absent, that would be Brother Henry and Dustin."
"Dustin? Where is he?"
Henry went without saying—he was away on a personal campaign—so I furrowed my brow in confusion over Dustin.
"Well, apparently his fifth concubine begged him, so he took her back to visit her hometown."
"I see."
I felt no anger. That was merely Dustin's signature way of playing the fool to stay clear of court intrigue, so I took no real offense.
However...
"Summon him back immediately."
"Dustin, sire?"
"Yes. Tell him that if he does not return at once, he will face punishment—you may quote my exact words."
Quote my exact words.
Relaying the Emperor's words verbatim was a grave measure, reserved for matters so critical they allowed zero room for misunderstanding.
Going that far made Oscar instantly realize that something catastrophic was brewing.
His expression hardened as he nodded.
"Understood. Are there any other orders?"
"Just gather all the imperial princes—every one of my brothers."
"What about Brother Henry?"
"I will go to him myself."
"...Understood. Please do not push yourself—"
Without waiting for Oscar to finish, I bolted from the room and tore out of the estate.
What had just appeared in my vision.
The thing that had been visible to me ever since the moment I was born, ever since I reincarnated as Noah—my personal status.
―――――――――――― Name: Noah Ararat Emperor of the Empire Gender: Male Level: 17 + 1 + 1 / ∞
HP: C + SSS MP: D + SSS Strength: C + SSS Stamina: D + SSS Intelligence: D + SSS Spirit: E + SSS Speed: E + SSS Dexterity: E + SSS Luck: D + SSS
Fire: E + SSS Water: C + SSS Wind: E + SSS Earth: E + SSS Light: E + SSS Dark: E + SSS ――――――――――――
An anomaly had appeared in my status.
It was an anomaly that had happened only once before in my life.
And with that, the terrible truth struck me.
"Ziz!!"