The next day, inside the office.
I sat in my usual seat, while Wards stood across from me.
The slight difference from recent days was that Zoe, dressed in her maid uniform, stood by my side as my vice governor-general.
Wards glanced back and forth between me and the newcomer, Zoe, stammering as if he had something exceedingly difficult to say.
"Well... you see..."
"Pull yourself together!"
Zoe barked sharply.
Perhaps caught off guard at being reprimanded so loudly by a woman in maid attire, Wards jumped in shock and hastily snapped to attention.
"You stand before His Excellency the Governor-General. Deliver your report clearly and concisely."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Completely overwhelmed, Wards's expression tautened with discipline.
I looked at Zoe with quiet admiration.
With a single sentence, she had reinforced my authority as governor-general—one of the reasons I had summoned her here—while upholding the proper conduct expected before a superior. Quite impressive.
While I was silently commending her, Wards began his report.
"We dispatched troops to the ranches across the region to subjugate the monsters, but... well—"
He faltered again halfway through, but when Zoe shot him a sharp glare, he hurriedly pressed on.
"—almost all of them were driven back by the monster hordes..."
"Driven back? You mean they were routed?"
Frowning slightly, I questioned him.
"Yes..."
"Hmm... How did that happen? Weren't they the ones who originally managed the ranches in this territory?"
"They were, but, well... they all claim in unison that the beasts have become far more formidable."
"Ah."
I nodded in understanding.
"What does that mean, Master?"
Zoe asked with a puzzled look.
Seeing her confusion, I had another realization.
"Right, you're not well-versed in military matters, are you, Zoe?"
"I apologize, Master."
"No matter. That is only natural outside your field of expertise. Even Oscar is reasonably competent at grand strategy, yet put him on the front lines and he would fare worse than an ordinary platoon commander."
Comforting Zoe, I addressed the matter at hand.
"While under containment, the monsters were kept in a weakened state. Now that they've been released into the wild, they have likely grown stronger. Like beasts unshackled, they have reclaimed their wild ferocity."
"I see. That makes sense."
"Which means the current personnel can no longer handle them?"
After explaining it to Zoe, I directed my question back to Wards.
"Well... if we are prepared to accept casualties—"
"Enough."
"No! We can do it! If only you give the order!"
Wards did a complete turnaround and pressed the issue desperately.
Swallowing his previous hesitation, his face turned pale with frantic urgency.
He had probably interpreted my words as a sign of being abandoned, and in his panic, he acted as though that was the one outcome he had to prevent at all costs.
That was understandable enough.
Whether dealing with an emperor or a governor-general, from the perspective of someone in Wards's position, being cast aside by a high-ranking authority was terrifying.
That was why he pressed the matter, trying to argue that it could be done if they were prepared for casualties.
However...
That was not what I wanted, and—
"Master does not favor pointless sacrifices."
Zoe, my vice governor-general who knew me well, cut him off sharply.
Wards gulped hard and recoiled slightly.
Zoe continued.
"Unavoidable casualties are one thing, but Master does not favor operations conceived on the premise of sacrifice from the outset."
"Uh, ah, yes..."
Rebuked by Zoe, Wards cast a tentative glance at my expression, silently checking whether that was truly the case.
Ignoring his probing look, Zoe declared further:
"Keep that in mind from now on."
"U-Understood!"
Startled for the second time today, Wards snapped to attention once more, straightening his spine and bringing his heels together with sharp precision.
Once Zoe's lecture concluded, I spoke up again.
"Tell me the location of the ranch where the troops were driven back."
"Will you be heading out in person, Master?"
"We cannot expect much from the troops for the time being, so I have little choice but to step in myself."
"Understood. If I recall correctly, I believe you granted permission for the private guild."
"Yeah."
"In that case—Wards, was it?"
"Y-Yes!"
For the third time, Wards straightened his back.
Zoe fixed him with a piercing, half-glaring gaze.
"Expedite that process. While His Excellency the Governor-General can subjugate monsters without difficulty, we cannot trouble his hands indefinitely."
"Understood!!"
Wards replied with the utmost enthusiasm, practically radiating an eager 'Of course!'
Heroes of ancient war chronicles aside, a governor-general in times of peace—the man at the very top—should not continually take to the field.
That went without saying, and having been told by Zoe, Wards seemed to understand it fully.
After issuing a few additional instructions to Wards now that he understood, I dismissed him to carry out his duties.
With that, only Zoe and I remained in the room.
I asked her:
"You were awfully strict with him. Was it really necessary to go that far?"
"I have been appointed as your vice governor-general, after all."
"Hm?"
"There are many situations where it is far better for the leader and the second-in-command to divide the roles of the carrot and the whip. Naturally, I could never ask you to wield the whip and play the villain, Master. Therefore, that falls to me."
"I see. You have learned well."
"It is all the fruits of Master's discipline."
"That is an old-fashioned way of putting it."
I let out a faint chuckle.
Over the past few decades, perhaps because imperial culture had reached full maturity—or rather, a state of decadence—the word 'discipline' had increasingly come to refer to relations between men and women, specifically of a sexual nature.
It was especially favored among the upper classes, who possessed wealth and power to spare.
Its most common usage was in phrases like 'disciplining a sex slave,' a prime symbol of that decadent culture.
Originally, however—at least in the early days of the Empire—the word 'discipline' referred to the education and training bestowed by a superior upon a subordinate.
Furthermore, it was almost exclusively used by subordinates to express their gratitude for such guidance.
In short, Zoe had used an exceedingly archaic expression. Saying it was 'the fruits of Master's discipline' meant nothing more than 'thank you for teaching me.'
Considering she was a former maid, using such classical phrasing was quite remarkable. Struck by a wave of nostalgia, I found myself staring intently at her face.
"..."
"Is something the matter, Master? Is there something on my face?"
"No, I was just remembering the past."
"The past?"
"Back when you tried to leave my mansion over that incident in Dosso."
"Ah..."
Reminded by my words, Zoe gasped softly as the memory returned.
It had happened when I was still a child.
One day, Zoe had approached me, asking to step down from her position as my maid.
Taken aback by the sudden request, I pressed for the details and learned that a flood had struck her hometown, devastating her family home.
She urgently needed a large sum of money for her mother's sake, which she claimed she could secure by selling herself to a brothel.
Normally, even that would not have fetched enough, but the title of 'former maid of the Thirteenth Imperial Prince Mansion' supposedly added tremendous value to her price.
It was easy to see why eccentric patrons at a brothel would pay exorbitant sums for a former maid from an imperial prince's residence.
I put a stop to it.
I held her back and provided relief to the entire land of Dosso.
Keeping Zoe close at hand, I raised and educated her, eventually sending her out as a retainer alongside Evelyn to assume official posts.
And that led to where we were today—
"People are treasures," I said, keeping my gaze fixed on Zoe.
"You never know how they will grow or when they will awaken. Even if someone seems unimpressive now, it may just be an unfavorable environment, or they might simply be a late bloomer. Still, if you wait patiently, the flower may eventually blossom. I feel you are the very embodiment of that."
"That is..."
Flustered and looking pleased, Zoe looked straight back into my eyes.
"That is because you are extraordinary, Master. In all the world, there is no one else who would invest so much expectation and time into a mere maid—one among many."
Zoe flattered me.
I chuckled softly.
"So don't overdo playing the villain."
"Pardon?"
Zoe looked surprised.
Her expression clearly read, 'Why is that?'
"People are treasures, and moving forward, I need you to become the symbol of that. It won't do if people end up hating you too much."
"Understood."
Zoe bowed her head quietly.
Her shoulders trembled faintly.
For a moment, I wondered why, but realizing she was likely overcome with emotion, I let it pass without pointing it out.
When Zoe raised her head an instant later, she had completely regained her composure.
"By the way, Master."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Regarding the matter of the monsters and the ranches. A private guild carries too many uncertainties, and we cannot trouble your hands indefinitely. Would it not be prudent to take swift, alternative measures with immediate effect?"
"You're right about that."
"Then—"
"Rest assured, though."
"Meaning?"
"I've already made arrangements."
When I said that, Zoe wore an expression of mixed surprise and admiration.
☆
A few days later, inside the office.
I was listening to a report from Zoe.
I sat at the office desk as usual, while Zoe stood directly across from me to deliver her report, rather than standing at my side as she did when others were present.
Without a hitch, Zoe smoothly read out the figures.
"3,237,001 Rien in cash, with other real estate including land and precious metals estimated at approximately 10,000,000 Rien."
Looking down at the documents in my hands, I nodded at Zoe's report.
"Roughly 15,000,000 in total, then."
"Yes. As these are the assets of those whose death penalties have been finalized, they will be forfeited directly into the provincial treasury."
What Zoe had reported were the confiscated assets of those sentenced to death for bribery and embezzlement.
Under Imperial Law, anyone sentenced to twenty years or more for bribery or embezzlement was to have all their assets—movable and immovable property, as well as human assets such as slaves and servants—confiscated by the national treasury.
I had entrusted Zoe with the liquidation of the assets belonging to those condemned to death in this incident, and this was the formal report of that process.
Digesting Zoe's report along with the documents in front of me, I asked about something left unwritten.
"And how many people lined their own pockets during the liquidation process?"
Zoe looked surprised for a fraction of a second, but soon bowed her head slightly with an admiring look in her eyes.
"Incredible, Master. You did not ask whether there were any, but already knew there would be."
"It's just another form of looting a burning house. They were auditing sums in the tens of thousands, if not millions. Skimming even one percent of the numbers passing through their hands equals several years' to a decade's worth of earnings, and it's common human nature to assume a single percent won't be noticed."
"Indeed. Every single one of them testified that they were overcome by a momentary lapse in judgment."
"I figured as much."
I tossed the report onto the desk.