Early the following afternoon, in the gardens of the governor-general's official residence.
In the Empire, a "governor-general" was the head of an administrative territory known as a "province."
To put the heights of that position and the sheer magnitude of its authority in the crudest terms possible, they were like a dozen-odd "sub-emperors" seated directly beneath the Emperor himself.
Practically speaking, imperial princes who had taken up residence in their fiefs were still treated as higher in rank, but legally, a governor-general stood on equal footing with a prince governing his territory.
Naturally, such an exalted status called for a fitting residence, and as a product of prestige blended with ostentation, their gardens were customarily vast and magnificent.
The garden of the governor-general's residence here in Enlil Province was no exception. Perhaps reflecting the tastes of my predecessor, it was exceedingly spacious—so much so that it could easily be called a forest.
Anne Locke and I walked through that forest, just the two of us, as if taking a quiet stroll.
Amidst the sunlight filtering through the canopy, Anne followed silently a step behind me and to my side, her hands neatly folded together and clad in a dress of solid black.
The black was likely mourning attire. Her makeup was applied in a style entirely opposite to the standard noblewomen had embraced over recent decades—painted in stark white that made her look completely bloodless.
Dressed entirely in black, with stark white makeup.
Mourning.
Her appearance seemed to proclaim that very word with absolute, uncompromising intensity.
As we walked, I spoke to her.
"You did well last night. It reminded me once again of the true power of that intelligence network."
"Thank you very much. I can hardly say I wield it anywhere near as skillfully as my father did, but even so, I am honored to be of service."
"So, to you, that still counts as not wielding it well?"
"Yes."
Anne nodded firmly without breaking her stride.
Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw her sorrow-laden eyes looking straight ahead.
They were eyes that seemed to gaze not at the mortal realm, but at something far beyond it.
"I read through what my father left behind. I spoke with the people he left behind."
Anne paused there, shaking her head weakly.
She fell silent, saying nothing more.
There were clearly words that should have followed, yet they refused to come out.
So I answered in her stead, speaking for what lay deep within her heart.
"The more you read, and the more you hear, the further out of reach your father's back seems to become?"
"...Ah. Yes. How did you know?"
Anne snapped her head up, gazing at me.
Her face was filled with astonishment.
"Incredible..."
As her shock subsided, a look of deep reverence surfaced in its place.
Though her white-painted face still looked pale, the light in her eyes had distinctly changed.
"It is the same for me. Even now, I feel I have not managed to step even an inch into my father's shadow."
"Is that so...? Though comparing myself to someone like you may be terribly presumptuous of me."
"It is the same."
"If so... then you truly are incredible. To have achieved so much and still think that way... You are entirely different from me, who merely stands upon the foundation my father built."
"Even so, there's no merit in falling into despair."
"No merit...?"
"An ancient philosopher once said this."
To the wide-eyed, stunned Anne, I voiced my thoughts.
"Parents give birth to children, and children are meant to surpass their parents. That is the natural law of living beings, and humanity is unique in that it can apply this principle not only to the body, but to knowledge and skill as well."
"Parents give birth to children... and children surpass their parents..."
Anne repeated the words under her breath, rolling them over her tongue.
"You are still young. It is enough if, at some point in the remainder of your life, you come to feel you have surpassed him."
"Could I really do that... someone like me?"
Anne murmured softly.
Her words were laden with a multitude of heavy emotions.
This was a moment that required careful care.
"Heh. Humans truly become blind when it comes to themselves, don't they?"
"Huh...?"
"I have acknowledged you."
"..."
"And I am taking the time to do this."
"Taking... time?"
"The Emperor's time."
I chuckled softly, lacing my words with a half-teasing tone as I continued.
"In this same span of time, I could issue orders to save a thousand lives, or protect their livelihoods and improve them."
"..."
"Yet I spent that time on you. Because I believe you are worth it. Is that not enough for you?"
"...That is..."
Anne faltered.
Her eyes had widened in shock as she stared at me, but she quickly cast her gaze downward in a fluster.
Piercing straight through her white makeup, a deep crimson flushed across her entire face.
I chuckled.
If she could blush like that, she would be fine for the time being.
"Well then."
I stopped in my tracks and turned to face Anne directly.
Stopping alongside me, Anne looked up at me again with an expression that asked what was coming next.
"Since we have the chance, why don't we join hands—even in a limited capacity—to surpass our fathers?"
"J-Join hands?! No! How could I possibly! That is far too presumptuous for someone like me!"
"Too presumptuous when facing the Emperor? How about when facing the Governor-General?"
"Switching titles whenever it suits your convenience... You are unfair, Your Majesty."
Anne lowered her head, pouting her lips as she looked up at me with upturned eyes, her cheeks still flushed.
It was an unmistakably sulking expression.
I thought it was hundreds of times better than her looking world-weary.
"If I weren't unfair, I wouldn't have come up with a loophole like demoting myself from Emperor in the first place."
I laughed. Anne pouted even more, but her expression softened another degree, settling into a look that seemed to accept my proposal.
"But... how? Setting my father aside, is it truly possible to surpass the late Emperor, a wise ruler hailed as once-in-a-millennium?"
"Humbaba."
Instead of answering directly, I curled the corners of my lips into a smile and called out that name in a clear, resonant tone, almost like singing.
Light spilled forth from the ring on my thumb, gathering together to take human form.
Emanating an otherworldly beauty, the spirit Humbaba appeared. After manifesting, she hovered motionlessly between Anne and me, wearing a smile filled with maternal affection.
"This is... the spirit Humbaba..."
Anne murmured Humbaba's name in a tone filled with awe.
Humbaba directed an endlessly gentle smile toward Anne.
Though her expression was beautiful and warmly benevolent—reminiscent of a mother's—she simultaneously radiated an overwhelming presence.
The transcendent presence of a non-human entity.
It was something that might feel like immense pressure to some, and indeed, Anne seemed to be feeling that very weight right now.
"Humbaba, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Anything you wish."
Humbaba replied with a voice as clear and pure as an angel's.
Hearing this brief exchange, Anne muttered under her breath, "To speak with a spirit like master and servant... incredible..."
I spoke to Humbaba.
"Regarding the Humbaba threads you are currently extending across the Empire. Grant Anne the exact same authority over them as I have."
"Are you sure? Full release... you have never granted that to anyone else, you know."
"Yes, that is fine. Make it so she can use all of it without needing permission or procedures."
I nodded firmly.
Humbaba looked slightly surprised.
And understandably so.
"Full authority" did not simply mean "the ability to use everything."
Humbaba threads were currently used throughout the Empire for instant communications.
Though we used the slightly unfamiliar term "communications," it was essentially a form of telecommunication.
And if it was a means of communication, there was something just as vital as "delivering" a message.
That was not delivering—"preventing delivery."
Granting full authority meant that, if she wished, she could completely sever communications as well.
Naturally, because Humbaba served me above Anne, if I intervened—or if Humbaba deemed it unacceptable—it could be stopped at any time.
Even so, I recalled something.
I remembered the Swords of Immunity I had bestowed upon Henry and Oscar.
Swords crafted from special materials, serving more as works of art than actual weapons.
While they held immense value as art pieces, within the Empire, they were above all proof of an exemption: a token that pardoned any single death sentence, exactly once.
In my name as Emperor, I had granted them to Henry and Oscar.
No matter what crime the two of them might commit, no matter what led to a death sentence, holding that sword allowed them to claim a pardon a single time.
Those Swords of Immunity were not magical items.
They were a form of symbolic permission.
In other words, if an Emperor truly wished to, he could ignore the sword and carry out an execution regardless.
Thus, bestowing them was merely a formality.
A formality to emphasize the depth of trust.
This was the exact same thing.
If Father's intelligence network—even just a part of it—were combined with the instant communications of Humbaba's threads, its capabilities would grow exponentially.
If someone intended to misuse it, they could do so in countless ways.
Even so, I chose to do this.
I decided to share it with Anne.
I looked at the status window that always hovered in the corner of my vision.
―――――――――――― Name: Noah Ararat Governor-General of Enlil Province Gender: Male Level: 33 / ∞
HP: SSS+ Fire: SSS+ MP: SSS+ Water: SSS+ Strength: SSS+ Wind: SSS+ Stamina: SSS+ Earth: SSS+ Intelligence: SSS+ Light: SSS+ Spirit: SSS+ Darkness: SSS+ Speed: SSS+ Dexterity: SSS+ Luck: SSS+ ――――――――――――
Ever since I rescued Anne and inherited the intelligence network Father left behind, those "+" indicators had appeared.
I surmised that this was proof of Anne's absolute devotion to me.
My experiences throughout life led me to that deduction.
If that was the case, then sharing this authority with Anne posed no issue—so I believed.
Whether Humbaba read my thoughts or not, she gazed intently at me for a moment before replying.
"Understood."
Nodding with a gentle smile, she began to move.
With a soft rustle, her body began to unravel like thread from her feet upward.
Those threads wound themselves around Anne.
"W-What is this?"
"Anne."
"Eh?"
"Do not worry."
"...Yes."
Anne, who had begun to panic, regained her composure at my words.
With a look that said if you say so, she gave a small nod.
Humbaba's body unraveled further, eventually surrounding and wrapping Anne like a cocoon.
And when it shrank back down all at once—
"W-What just..."
Anne reappeared, looking entirely unchanged at a glance.
"Humbaba should have taught you the method."
"Eh? Yes... the method for... communications. It entered my mind before I even realized it."
"Try putting it to use."
"Um... right now?"
"Yeah. Most likely—"
Just before her face unraveled, I had seen a mischievous smile lingering on Humbaba's lips.
If my guess was correct, then most likely...
Anne nodded hesitantly, closed her eyes, and focused her will.
In that instant, Anne's dress began to transform.
While maintaining its shape and tailoring, the black mourning dress turned pure white.
Changing from a pitch-black dress into a pristine white one.
After focusing her mind to channel Humbaba's power, Anne opened her eyes once more and gasped in shock at her own appearance.
"T-This is..."
"Humbaba threads can change color like that."
"Change color...? Eh? C-Could it be that my entire outfit has turned into those threads?"
"That is correct. I had a feeling, but seeing it in person makes for quite an intriguing sight."
"An entire set of clothes... just how much thread is that...?"
"These are threads capable of spanning the entire Empire. A single outfit's worth is nothing to her."
"I-Incredible..."
Clad in the white dress, Anne's eyes went wide as saucers.
And from her face, every trace of sorrow seemed to have been completely wiped away.