DSB 152

Yutis questioned the count about the crime, but he stood his ground defiantly. He tried boasting of the influence he wielded over the Empire while running his merchant guild to avoid responsibility.

However, the guild began to falter after that day. Transactions ceased, roads were blocked, and eventually, it collapsed completely, leaving behind only debts. Similar incidents repeated themselves, both big and small.

No one spoke of the cause, but everyone knew.

Furthermore, rumors surrounding the veiled Lebel heightened the nobles’ vigilance even further. As stories flowing in from the North were being revealed as facts one by one, the relationship with the temple also became something that could no longer be ignored.

It was revealed that the person chosen as the High Priest by the Empire’s temple was from the North, and that he and the Empress were close enough to call each other by their first names.

Perhaps because of this, rumors circulated that Lebel was behind everything, the temple siding with the Emperor, and Yutis suddenly becoming a saint.

The spark grew bigger as parts of the oracle, which had descended when the holy sword appeared in the North, were interpreted.

‘Our beloved child.’

While there was an interpretation that it referred to the people of the North since it was the god of the North, the words “our child” was a designation for a specific individual. It didn’t fit the description of Yutis, given that the holy sword was bestowed with a plea to protect that child.

Furthermore, one word remained uninterpreted. It was particularly difficult to understand its meaning, causing a great headache, yet they couldn’t discern its meaning to the very end.

However, rumors naturally spread that Lebel, the figure who had recently appeared in the North and turned the entire land upside down, was indeed the subject of that oracle. Oracles, which appear perhaps once in a generation, were appearing one after another, and they were all directed at people close to Lebel.

Lebel always acted without restraint, as if he knew he was loved by the gods. His attitude was, [Read on]at times, enough to inspire awe.

“You said a majority vote is required to pass the motion, right? They over there will naturally support you. How many more do you need? I think one or three might change their minds.”

It was by no means a bluff. Lebel smiled confidently and looked at the nobles. Unlike before, the current imperial family always managed to get what it wanted.

Whether Lebel orchestrated it or Yutis did.

“I-I agree as well.”

“Ahem. It is a decision made for the future, so I will follow it.”

A few nobles voluntarily declared their intention to pay taxes before suffering greater losses.

“Then it’s over.”

Lebel nodded and smiled gently.

“It would have been fine if you hadn’t stepped forward… we had already obtained all the evidence of corruption.”

“Is that so? Merick is doing quite well.”

Yutis spoke in a low voice, but it was loud enough for the nearby nobles to hear. The nobles fumed inwardly. It was a sight of birds of a feather flocking together. Although the commoners loved them, to the nobles, they were no different from tyrants. With each passing day, the respite from their suffocating presence was diminishing.

The nobles, who had vowed to block them at every turn, vanished without a trace at some point. Since they had disappeared unauthorized copy without a word, those who remained had no choice but to bow their heads out of fear.

“It is all thanks to my wife.”

“Isn’t supporting a husband a wife’s duty?”

The nobles watching the two were convinced that if they stayed any longer, they would face a worse fate.

“It appears you have business to attend to. Since the agenda seems to be settled, we will take our leave now.”

“Have a good time.”

“We shall see you again.”

Their words were polite, but their demeanor was hurried. Scruting glances at one another, they scrambled to bow their heads and fled the meeting hall. Lebel gazed indifferently at the retreating figures.

“It’s amusing to see them running away with their tails between their legs. Should I say they are like weeds, sticking their head out even when trampled? Well, at least leave them some room to breathe.”

“I am doing so. Though I don’t know how they perceive it.”

Yutis let out a short sneer and rose from his seat. Every meeting dragged on unnecessarily and wasted time. And today was an important day. Yutis fiddled with the box he hadn’t let go of since that day.

“I told you to let me know if you lack funds. These things were just lying dormant inside my castle.”

“I cannot do that. I do not want to sacrifice you for the sake of the Empire.”

“Sacrifice? What sacrifice?”

“Aren’t these things you painstakingly collected over a long period of time?”

“Others offered them as tribute on their own initiative. What does it matter if I use them?”

“Even so.”

The state of the Empire’s treasury was far more serious than expected. The immediate costs of restoration and compensation alone were enough to make one suffocate. Yet, they could not ask the financially struggling North for help.

Just then, Lebel nonchalantly presented the gold and silver treasures that had been hidden deep within his castle in the Demon Realm. Yutis refused to accept them until the very end. This was because he knew they were not ordinary gold and silver treasures. Ever since discovering that Lebel was a demon, he had been constantly hearing stories of Lebel’s past from Merick and Karon.

Yutis tried to resolve the situation within the Empire’s capabilities, but there was no other choice if it was to stabilize the Empire.

Instead, he made it clear that this constituted an official debt the Empire owed to Lebel personally. He even drew up a promissory note, vowing to return it once the political situation stabilized. For this reason, he is secretly and diligently running a merchant guild behind the scenes. It was fortunate enough that a guild, now without its owner, fell into his hands at just the right moment.

“You are doing more than well enough. Do you think it is easy to gain the trust of the people in such a short period of time?”

In a way, it was none other than Lebel who had dumped a hollow empire on him; yet, far from complaining, he blamed his own shortcomings.

“But why today?”

Lebel had made his way to the meeting hall because Yutis had mentioned that morning that he had prepared a gift. Although ​stolen content​he had heard that the meeting was dragging on, hearing from Mahan that the gift was worth seeing left him curious enough to make his way.

How magnificent must it have been to make them act this way? Mahan and even the attendants couldn’t hide their excitement. Their faces were filled with anticipation, as if it were their own affair.

However, Lebel had no idea what it was. He was already receiving more than enough.

Should he have just not revealed his true identity from the start? Or would it have been better to keep Karon’s mouth shut? He had said time and time again that he was not the type to enjoy luxury, yet Karon was desperate to ensure that Lebel could have anything he reached for, just as he had when he lived in the Demon Realm.

Although Karon and Merick were lending a hand to help Yutis, it was difficult to say that the Empire had fully stabilized.

It was commendable, but isn’t that proof that I am more important than the people?

Unlike Lebel, who was smiling, Yutis looked nervous.

“…Let’s move somewhere else.”

Even as he rose from his seat, his shoulders remained rigid. Lebel tilted his head at this sight, but followed him without a word.

Attendants naturally lined up behind the two, but at Yutis’s gesture, they quietly disappeared, even the sound of their footsteps was discreet.

The place they arrived at was the garden Yutis had gifted to Lebel last spring. It was a place Yutis had personally overseen and devoted great effort to while restoring the imperial palace.

Yutis still believed that Lebel liked flowers. Lebel did not bother to correct that misunderstanding. He was glad to receive the gift for himself, and the fragrance that wafted whenever they strolled together was indeed something Lebel liked. The garden, having welcomed spring after the first winter in the Empire had passed, had been transformed beautifully. New leaves sprouted on the branches, and colorful flowers bloomed in every flowerbed. The light of spring had settled upon the flowers, and with every passing breeze, layers of floral fragrance wafted in.

It was a sight rarely seen in the North. There, even when spring arrived, ​stolen content​the weather was still winter

“It is spring.”

“I know.”

Why the sudden talk of spring? Yutis had worried about how cold the Empire’s winter was, so did he finally feel reassured only after the season changed?

“It is different from the spring in the North. I heard it is still snowing over there.”

Although the distance prevented him from visiting in person, they often exchanged news through a crystal ball.

“They say the number of demonic beasts is gradually decreasing as well. I heard that last winter caused far less damage than before, and they were greatly relieved.”

“It seems Luceris is guarding the North well.”

Yutis, once the most outstanding knight in the North, was now the Emperor.

He, who used to take charge of and resolve the affairs of the North whenever something happened, was no longer able to return to that position. Since there was no one to fill his void, Damian made full preparations ahead of winter. Although Yutis could not step forward personally, he spared no support for the North as the Emperor.

“Why don’t you make some time to visit? It must have been a long time since you last saw them in person. There must be many people in the North you miss.”

“No. Father will lead the North well. Besides, isn’t this where I belong? Let’s just say I became independent early.”

He was unwavering as ever.

I could easily travel back and forth if I used my power. Or perhaps he thinks it is still too early to leave his post? As Emperor, that would be natural.

“…However, there may come a reason to invite my parents.”