I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 32

The new content being written in the was as follows.

…….

When I openly declared that I would eliminate not only the thugs but also the wicked merchants who had colluded with them, the former nobles—the 'officials'—were shaken.

Everyone was worried that if their relationship with the thugs or wicked merchants was revealed, the blame would also fall on them.

However, when I said that I would take it into consideration to some extent if they obediently handed over the names of the thugs and wicked merchants, the officials immediately accepted my proposal.

It might have been that they had no other choice but to accept my words.

But still, the officials seemed unable to believe my words that I would forgive a certain degree of sin, so their work speed was slow.

It was a good situation that the officials were working according to my instructions, but I was not satisfied. I wanted faster, more certain results. To do that, I felt it was necessary to put pressure on the officials.

Should I hold a sword to their necks again?

I did not want to.

Although, as a king, I might have to.

‘The officials are following my words for now, but their work speed is slow……. Hmm, should I pressure the officials to work harder?’

I suddenly remembered when I studied public administration at university. Just like any other group, the government and the civil servant group have many problems, and among them, the biggest problem is laziness, that is, 'not working hard'.

And there are two main ways to make civil servants work hard. Punishment and reward, the so-called 'whip' and 'carrot'.

The 'whip' of course means giving punishment if they don't work properly. Conversely, the 'carrot' is giving incentives.

Applying that simple formula to my current situation…….

‘I need to whip the officials. By making them compete with each other or by giving them punishment.’

It is not yet time to give carrots just because the officials are listening to my words well.

There is still a long way to go to make this kingdom a normal country, and if I give carrots already, I might not have any carrots to give later.

And above all, the officials were originally those who had colluded with the thugs or wicked merchants. Strictly speaking, they were 'sinners'. To give carrots to such people is absurd.

Swish—.

Finishing my various thoughts, I closed the and put it on the bookshelf.

Although I had done quite a few things, it was still six in the morning thanks to moving early in the morning.

‘I should get some sleep until Elly brings breakfast. My head is throbbing from thinking so much.’

Stroking my head, which had been throbbing strangely often lately, I threw myself onto the bed.

***

Eight in the morning.

Elly, the Crown Prince's maid, quietly entered Leonardo's room to wake him up, as she always did. So quietly that even the sound of the door hinges creaking was not heard.

As she entered the room, she saw Leonardo lying carelessly on the bed.

‘……He must have been very tired. He didn't even notice I came in.’

Until now, Leonardo had always noticed her presence when she came to wake him up and would slowly open his eyes. But today, he was sleeping so soundly with his mouth slightly open that he wouldn't even know if he was carried away.

Although she saw Leonardo's face every day, this was almost the first time she had seen him sleeping so peacefully, so it was a new sight for Elly as well.

The bright, clear sunlight coming through the window, the blond hair shining in that sunlight.

And there, the face of a boy so beautiful it was mysterious. Hidden behind his lightly closed eyes would be pupils that shone brighter than blue emerald jewels.

Even if he had inherited the blood of the elves, who were said to be descendants of the goddess of beauty, such beauty was simply wondrous.

“……”

It might be a little disrespectful, but Elly's face moved slightly closer to Leonardo's.

Elly herself did not know she was doing it.

It was then.

“Umm…….”

“!”

Leonardo tossed and turned in his sleep. At that, Elly was startled like a girl who had been about to do something mischievous and hurriedly moved away from Leonardo.

‘……What am I doing.’

Then she cleared her throat and woke Leonardo up as usual.

Ahem, ahem—.

"Your Highness, it is time to wake up."

***

“Phew…… that was refreshing.”

I came out after taking a shower. Even though I had only slept for one or two hours, I must have slept very soundly, as my body felt refreshed.

Elly handed me my clothes and said.

"I have prepared your clothes for you to change into."

"Thank you."

I gulped down the juice on the table and changed my clothes, speaking to Elly.

"Miss Elly, please tell the officials to all gather. In the banquet hall within an hour."

"When you say 'officials,' do you mean the former nobles?"

"Yes."

As I continued to get dressed, Elly cautiously asked.

"Um…… Your Highness, I think it would be better for you to have someone else give the order to gather the officials in the banquet hall."

"Have someone else do it? Why?"

"Because I am a 'maid'. It is an honor for me to be able to deliver Your Highness's words, but for a mere maid to deliver Your Highness's words could tarnish Your Highness's prestige."

A maid delivering my words tarnishes my prestige? Is this another piece of this world's common sense or etiquette that I don't know?

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

"That is to say…… a maid is a low position among servants. Therefore, for a maid to deliver Your Highness's instructions shows that the only servant Your Highness can trust and use is a mere maid—."

"It's true that the only servant I can trust and use is Elly."

"……Yes?"

"I said that's right. It's just as you said."

I cut Elly's words short for a moment and then continued.

"Still, I understand what you're saying. So you're saying it would be better for me to appoint a separate representative? With a higher position than a maid."

"That is correct."

"Then can't I just raise Elly's position? How about 'Head Maid'?"

"H-Head Maid, you say?"

"Yes. Because that's the highest maid position I know of. Originally, Duke Panshin's head maid also served as the royal family's head maid, but that woman was purged and is gone, so the position of royal head maid is probably vacant. You can have it, Elly."

"……."

To the stunned Elly, I continued nonchalantly.

"I will give power to someone I can trust, even if they lack some skill or experience. Because what I need now is not ability, but trust."

"……."

"Ah, of course, I'm not saying Elly lacks skill. The food is delicious, the clothes are clean, everything is good. I'm just saying. Just saying."

I finished getting dressed while talking. Since I told her to 'be the Head Maid,' Elly had just been staring at me blankly, like a mute who had eaten honey.

"Why? You don't want to be the Head Maid?"

"I-it's not that I don't want to, but I'm not sure if I can be the Head Maid. The Head Maid of the royal castle has to command all the maids of the royal family…… and I've never done anything like that before."

"I've never been a king before, but I'm trying to do it. Although I haven't become king yet."

"……."

"The position makes the person, so you'll be able to do it as you go. Or would it be better to entrust the role of butler to Miss Elly? I don't know the hierarchy of servants well, but I think a butler is a higher rank than a head maid."

At the word 'butler,' Elly shook her head vigorously, her hair flying.

"M-me as a butler, that is absolutely not possible! The butler is a position that manages everything in the royal castle on behalf of Your Highness……! I-I would be too burdened."

"If you feel burdened, I can't help it. But please take on the role of Head Maid. I don't know much about maid work and honestly, I don't have the capacity to care about maid work."

"……."

"Then I will take that as your acceptance."

I said to Elly in a passing tone and then thought to myself.

‘Come to think of it, I have few people I can trust and entrust work to.’

That's right. Other than Elly and Jereuth, there was no one I could confide my honest feelings to. There were quite a few officials who followed me out of fear of the Purge, but in the end, that was more 'fear' than 'loyalty,' so it was difficult to trust them.

Fear is a necessary and very excellent tool for ruling, but it is a very precarious double-edged sword.

‘As expected, I lack people I can trust and use. In other words, I lack talented people. Hmm…… more than that, I ended up entrusting the position of Head Maid to Elly. Since it has come to this, I should entrust all the major positions in the kingdom only to people I can trust. Even if it's not to the extent of a spoils system, for now, trustworthiness is the most important virtue in recruitment.’

Recruiting talented people is very important, but it's not something that can be solved just by thinking about it right now. So, for now, I put the thought in the back of my mind.

To the still dazed Elly, I gave a light smile and said once more.

"Please summon the officials. ‘Head Maid’."

"……."

Elly made a face that showed she was very burdened, but then she nodded.

"Yeees……."

***

The banquet hall on the second floor of the Central Palace.

The inside of the banquet hall had been cleaned up nicely after the Purge, but there were still traces of the Purge, bloodstains, on the walls and carpets.

The reason why the traces of the Purge remained was not because the servants who cleaned had done a sloppy job. It was because Jereuth, who had become the second-in-command of the kingdom after the Purge, had said, 「”Leave the traces of the Purge so that the officials do not become complacent.”」

In other words, the bloodstains remaining in the banquet hall were a kind of threat to the officials—the former nobles. A threat to do well on their own, as those bloodstains could increase at any time.

And as Jereuth had intended, the nobles gathered in the banquet hall now could not hide their fear as they sat at their respective desks.

The Crown Prince had summoned them to the banquet hall, the very scene of the Purge.

And not only that, but behind the chairs they were sitting on, the knights of the 3rd Knight Order were staring at them as if they were watching them. How could the officials be calm in such a situation?

From the podium of the banquet hall, Jereuth looked at the officials sitting at their desks, tense, and thought.

‘The reason His Highness has summoned all the officials is probably because of the 'war on crime'. Perhaps he intends to find out the whereabouts or list of the thugs or wicked merchants, and the evil deeds they have committed until now.’

As expected of Jereuh. He had read Leonardo's thoughts to some extent.

‘I can only trust and follow His Highness's judgment, but……. frankly, I'm a little worried. Those foxy former nobles will try to hide the thugs and wicked merchants to reduce their own sins. His Highness must know that much, so he must have prepared a countermeasure.’

Jereuth seemed to be thinking of nothing on the outside, but in reality, he was thinking a lot.

Of course, his main focus was on watching the officials.

Just then, along with the sound of the banquet hall door opening, the loud voice of a knight was heard.

Kwoong—.

―His Highness Leonardo is entering!

Clank!

At that one word, the knights all stood at attention. The officials, glancing around, hurriedly got up from their seats and stood straight like the knights.

Jereuth, who had been standing on the podium, also came down and headed for the door.

Then, he saw Leonardo and his personal maid, Elly, entering.

"You have all gathered."

Leonardo said in the voice of a boy who had not yet gone through puberty as he walked slowly into the banquet hall. However, there was not a single person who ignored that voice because it was the voice of a young boy.

On the contrary, they were only afraid. Afraid that he would give the order, 「”Kill them all.”」 with that innocent voice.

Jereuth greeted Leonardo and saluted.

"Welcome, Your Highness."

"Yes, Head Knight. I apologize again for visiting you late yesterday. Did you rest well?"

"Yes, I rested well."

Leonardo smiled lightly, nodded, and headed for the podium, then turned back slightly and said in a voice that only Jereuth could hear.

"……Head Knight. In a little while, when I say that you have already investigated and know everything about the relationship between the officials and the thugs, please say that you do."

"Already investigated and know……? Ah, yes. I understand. I will say that I know everything."

Jereuth did not exactly understand Leonardo's words, but he nodded. He thought that there must be some intention behind his words.

A little later, Leonardo sat down on the chair on the podium and said.

"Officials, good morning. Thank you all for your hard work in gathering here since morning. So I'd like to tell you all to sit and listen comfortably, but…… today I will be asking you about your sins, so I won't. Please stand and listen."

At the Crown Prince's words, 「”I will ask you about your sins.”」 the officials' expressions hardened.

‘……What sins is he going to ask about now?’

‘Wasn't it all over with yesterday's Purge?’

‘The Crown Prince said he didn't want to kill people. But he also made it clear that he wouldn't not kill them. That means…… surely not again, not someone again?’

‘C-could it be that the letter I sent to my family yesterday, telling them to hide my father's belongings somehow, was discovered?’

Whether Leonardo intended it or not, a reign of terror had firmly established itself in the royal castle. Its effect was certain.

The officials subtly lowered their gazes as if they would never make eye contact with that ruthless tyrant. Some even openly averted their gazes. There were also those who squeezed their eyes shut.

Leonardo leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, and continued.

"As you all know, not only the royal capital but also the public welfare of each city in our Plank Kingdom is effectively managed by thugs and wicked merchants. They are collecting taxes from the kingdom's people, dominating the market, and enforcing the law at their whim."

“……”

“I cannot tolerate that. This kingdom must be ruled by me or by those to whom I have given the authority. That is why, as my first policy, I intend to have a ‘war on crime’ that eliminates the thugs, the wicked merchants, and all those who have oppressed the kingdom's people along with them.”

The Crown Prince's voice was calm and clear, making it pleasant to listen to, but it was absolutely not so for the officials.

Because many of them were included in the target of the 'war on crime' that the Crown Prince had just mentioned.

‘He's going to eliminate the thugs, the wicked merchants, and all those who have oppressed the kingdom's people along with them?’

‘To describe eliminating them as a ‘war’…… doesn't that mean there will be no mercy?’

‘There are no nobles who are not related to the thugs or merchants…… does that mean he intends to kill all of us?’

‘Sparing us in the Purge was just a formality. He intended to kill us all anyway! That fearsome…… demon.’

‘Th-the tribute ledger that the thugs have. If I destroy all of them, I might be able to live.’

‘As soon as I get out of here, I have to send a message immediately. To destroy all information related to me! ……But surviving here comes first.’

The officials, beyond avoiding the Crown Prince's gaze, now began to tremble. They were convinced that they would not survive.

—…….

Time flows fairly in the silent banquet hall. But for the officials, that quietly passing time seemed to pass as slowly as ten years, weighing heavily on their shoulders.

At that moment, the cruel Crown Prince began to speak again, saying something terrifying. It was as if he was reading their minds.

"I know what you are all thinking. You want to get out of here as soon as possible and tell the thugs or merchants. 「“Erase all data related to me.”」"

"……!"

"But it's no use. Head Knight Jereuth, who is over there, has already investigated most of your relationships with the thugs and wicked merchants. Isn't that right, Head Knight?"

As Leonardo pointed and asked, Jereuth nodded nonchalantly.

‘Is this what he was talking about earlier? The thing he told me to just say I had investigated?’

Jereuth was a little flustered inside, but it did not show on the outside.

“That is correct.”

As soon as he heard that answer, Leonardo continued.

"I already know that you all here have a very close relationship with the thugs. The same goes for the wicked merchants."

When he had said this much, the officials' expressions could not get any worse. They couldn't even think of anything else. They only had the question, ‘If he's going to kill us anyway, why is he talking for so long. Is he trying to kill us in a terrifying way?’

The officials even had the thought that it would be better to just be killed. Leonardo's 'whip' had succeeded in piercing their hearts and striking their souls.

But then.

The Crown Prince suddenly threw a ray of hope to the officials.

"But as I have repeatedly said, I do not want to kill people if I can help it. Therefore, I intend to give you all a chance to repent."

"A chance to repent……?"

When one of the officials asked blankly, Leonardo looked at him and began to answer. With a surprisingly charming smile.

Perhaps it just seemed that way because he was so handsome, but it was like a smile mixed with the smiles of a demon and an angel.

"First, please write down and submit a list of the thugs and wicked merchants of the royal capital that you know of. Not just their names, but where they live, where and how much wealth they have accumulated, what they mainly do, and so on. Everything, down to how many forks and knives they have in their house, write down everything in detail."

“……”

“To put it simply, you are to reveal and confess everything you know about them. To help with the 'war on crime' I have spoken of."

At the Crown Prince's words, the officials began to exchange glances with each other. But they could not speak. The atmosphere was not one in which they could possibly raise their voices.

Just then, Leonardo added one more word.

"If you cooperate obediently in this 'war on crime,' I will let you live. However, if you try to deceive me, you too will become my enemy in this 'war on crime'. You will become an enemy of the kingdom."

“……”

"Instead, I will definitely remember the person who confesses to the most thugs and wicked merchants. In a 'good sense'. I don't know what kind of advantage that will bring you, but won't it be helpful someday? It's me, of all people, who will think well of you."

'I will think well of you'.

Those words from the Crown Prince did not strictly promise any reward.

But there was no way that the officials, who had been in noble society for a long time, would not understand the value of being remembered in a 'good sense' by the absolute ruler of the kingdom.

‘If I can catch the Crown Prince's eye…… it's a chance to become a real power in the political world of this new kingdom.’

‘If I catch His Highness's eye, I can get ahead of the other bastards. Definitely!’

‘For me and my family to live and prosper, I must stick to the Crown Prince. If that's the case anyway, it would be better to do my best and get the crumbs from the Crown Prince.’

‘This is an opportunity. An opportunity for me, a mere baron of the frontier, to become a real power!’

The officials' eyes filled with greed. Jereuth scanned the officials with a sideways glance. In Jereuth's eyes, the officials' eyes were filled with desire rather than loyalty, but for now, that alone was not bad.

‘I didn't expect righteous enthusiasm from them anyway.’

More than that, Jereuth was once again impressed by Leonardo.

‘To think of threatening the nobles and then persuading them to confess…… as expected, he had a plan. He is truly a great person.’

As Jereuth silently thought to himself and looked at Leonardo with respectful eyes, Leonardo smiled and said to the officials.

"Do you have any questions about what I have said so far?"

—…….

"Good. Then everyone, please write down a list of the thugs and wicked merchants at your respective seats."

As Leonardo spoke.

Tat!

Scribble, scribble, scribble—!

The officials began to write down the thugs and wicked merchants they had used on paper as if they were solving a test problem.

As Leonardo had expected, the lives of the thugs or wicked merchants were of no value to the officials.

Of course, a very small number of officials had no relationship with the thugs or wicked merchants, so they just sat still.

Leonardo took note of such people.