Look at them. Should I just kill them?

His lips curled up sinisterly in an expression remarkably similar to one Ruvan III often made.

No. That’s not right. Who was it that said he wouldn’t become the same kind of person as his father?

Caenian quickly came to his senses. He couldn’t let his eyes flip and do something irreparable. Even if his mad father’s blood flowed in him, he was Caenian Ruvan, a separate individual.

“Huff……”

Though he didn’t want to resemble the previous emperor even slightly, he couldn’t easily suppress his unpleasant feelings. He had tried to accommodate them as much as possible to maintain good relations, but their climbing behavior was quite a spectacle.

“I heard that among the nobles who saw that duck called Betty, there’s a duck craze going on.”

“I heard that too. They’re even campaigning against eating duck?”

The ministers with livers outside their bellies didn’t stop. They cackled, not knowing their lifespans were decreasing in real-time.

“Hohoh……”

Duke glared at them with a frightening face, then clicked his tongue and looked toward the door.

His Majesty should arrive soon.

“I have heard your conversations well.”

“Oh my! Your Majesty!”

At that moment! As if on cue, the door opened and Caenian appeared. A pleasant smile was drawn on his handsome face, but his eyes were extremely fierce.

“Y-Your Majesty! Y-you’ve arrived!”

“Yes. I was late because I was participating in that anti-duck consumption protest.”

“…Pardon?”

D-did he hear?

“You there.”

“Yes?”

“I heard you, from a knight family, came in last in the recent high official fitness test? What a disgrace to knight families.”

“Khk……”

Damn it! I told the examiner not to spread rumors!

“I will personally test your fitness tomorrow. If you fail, I will revoke your knight qualification.”

“Hup! Your Majesty! Please have mercy……”

Caenian was cold.

“And you there.”

“Hee, heek!”

“I hear your words are so rough that errand boys can’t last a week?”

“H-how…!”

“I order a lifetime ban on hiring errand boys for your family. Do everything yourself. From start to finish.”

“Ugh……”

The ministers whose flaws had been exposed by the emperor remained silent. They trembled at the realization that he had heard all their backbiting and knew their weak points.

“Your precious lives are the only ones you have. Take care of them, my dear ministers.”

Caenian drove the point home with a grin as he sat down.

Everyone just swallowed hard at the smile of a man who didn’t want to rule through terror.

“Hoho. Your Majesty, those are wise words.”

Only Duke nodded with a satisfied face. He gave a thumbs up under the table to show his admiration.

Just as the backbiting punishment ended!

“Your Majesty! I humbly report. An urgent audience request has arrived.”

The chief chamberlain appeared with his head deeply bowed.

“You know well how much I hate those who break imperial rules, don’t you?”

Caenian glanced at him with a displeased expression. The ministers who had been cracking pumpkin seeds perked up. Their faces showed hope that he would be reprimanded like them.

“I am humbled, Your Majesty. I also know how important your meeting with the ministers is, but—”

“If you know, then do as you should. Can’t you?”

“B-but, Miss Betty has a solution regarding the ingredients for the cold remedy—”

“What? A solution? Let’s go immediately.”

However, unfortunately for them, the chief chamberlain was not reprimanded. Caenian left without even looking back.

“Hohoho. Then I’ll be going too.”

Duke also left with a strange expression, following Caenian.

“Betty? The duck?”

“I think they’re talking about that woman who supposedly can communicate with animals.”

“The Chancellor’s errand girl? Is that why he scurried after him?”

“Then… shall we leave too? I have a fitness test tomorrow… ahem……”

Regardless of whether the ministers who had misspoken were worried about their future, Caenian hurried to the audience chamber and placed Bestia before him.

“Hello, Your Majesty.”

“Is what you say true?”

“Probably.”

“Probably? Are you daring to toy with the emperor?”

Facing his hardened expression, Bestia nodded. Her face was somewhat serious, but it wasn’t the answer Caenian wanted.

“No, Your Majesty. It’s just that I’m not certain.”

“You call me when you’re not even certain? That’s no different from reporting falsehoods.”

“No, Your Majesty. Please don’t jump to conclusions that it’s false and believe me.”

Whoa, whoa.

Bestia held out her palm toward Caenian, who was about to lash out. Just listen first.

“Speak.”

Caenian took a deep breath and leaned back against his seat.

Rustle rustle.

“……?”

“Your Majesty, I have transcribed a hundred-year-old document I discovered while researching beastmen.”

As if she had been waiting for this moment, Bestia took something out. Through the servant’s hands, what was spread before the emperor’s eyes was a small memo with round handwriting.

「Humans don’t seem to know that seasonal colds can be prevented.」

A sentence that seemed confrontational. A raw statement that might have been written in someone’s diary. Caenian twitched one eyebrow menacingly.

“Are you mocking me now.”

“That’s the first line from a book called 『Beastman Medical Compendium』.”

Bestia added without blinking an eye.

“There was a beastman with knowledge deep enough to write a book on medicine?”

“Yes, why couldn’t a beastman do that?”

“Hohoh. Even in the past, there were those as smart, capable, and hand—”

“Chancellor, be quiet.”

In truth, it was a lie. What Bestia had found was just a beastman’s diary. She couldn’t tell what animal they were.

「Humans only like sweet, sour, and savory things. Idiots. Bitter and spicy are the true way. Fools, walking sugar lumps.」

But they clearly had a cynical personality.

“Some beastmen were not afraid of the colds brought by seasonal winds.”

The woman continued, recalling the unexcerpted portion in her mind. If she had copied that part verbatim, the emperor would have thrown a fit at being called a fool and an idiot.

“Ha. Are you trying to play games with me now? We are humans.”

“Yes. Beastmen are half human too, Your Majesty.”

“So?”

Caenian snorted. His tone suggested it was ridiculous. His eyes were fierce as if he might order her to leave immediately.

“Here.”

Bestia held out another memo to him.

“What are you trying to do with me now?”

“Please read it, Your Majesty.”

Again, a servant scurried to bring it. Caenian snatched the memo with an indifferent face.

“If there are some nonsensical words written here, I will immediately—”

He started speaking before reading it, but then his eyes widened! and he couldn’t continue. Noticing this change, Bestia smiled brightly.

“What do you think, Your Majesty? Would you like to try it?”

“But it’s an unproven folk remedy. And it’s from beastmen at that.”

“Yes. That’s right. It’s a beastman folk remedy. But the ingredients listed are all commonly found.”

“……”

The emperor pressed his lips together and stared intently at the memo. The thin paper trembled slightly at his fingertips.

“Ahem… Your Majesty. Finding a solution within our own country would be most—”

“Be quiet, Chancellor.”

Caenian commanded Duke to be silent as he tried to add his thoughts. He was repeatedly cut off mid-sentence today. It grew quiet for a moment.

「The roots of blue bellflowers are bitter. The firm green stem roots are astringent and spicy.」

Below the text was an illustration. Detailed drawings of blue bellflowers and green plants.

“Blue bellflowers and firm green stem roots.”

“Your Majesty, they are also known as ‘bellflower root’ and ‘ginger’.”

“They sound quite unfamiliar.”

“They would be. They’re closer to weeds rarely used as ingredients.”

Duke interjected tactfully. Fortunately, this time he finished his sentence. Caenian took in the rest of the sentence below the illustration.

「Each is poisonous when eaten alone. But together they make medicine when juiced. Drinking it for a month provides protection for three months, good for prevention.」

Bitter taste and spicy flavor. Those were clearly not popular tastes. Caenian frowned. Just imagining it made him feel nauseous.

“If you drink it every day for a month, wouldn’t your body smell like this too?”

“Hohoh……”

“Is this why beastmen have their distinctive smell, because they drink such things often?”

Sniff sniff.

At Caenian’s mutter, Duke smelled his own body. Unfortunately, he had never drunk bellflower root and ginger juice. This was probably a folk remedy known only to a select few beastmen.

“Ahem… Betty.”

Duke, who was as anxious as the emperor with his narrowed eyes, carefully called Bestia.

“Yes, Grandfather Chancellor.”

“Is this really all right?”

“Um… hehe.”

“Oh dear……”

This situation was entirely Bestia’s creation. It meant she had acted without consulting Duke first.

“Ren said he’d heard of it too.”

“Heard what?”

“About cold prevention. He said he hadn’t seen it directly, but it’s not a completely nonexistent medicine.”

Should he believe this or not?

Duke glanced at Caenian. He broke into a cold sweat at the thought of potentially creating a dangerous poison.

“Fine. We can try it.”

“Wow!”

“But who will drink this juice, and how will you prove its effectiveness?”

“Ah.”

“Betty, will you drink it?”

Caenian had the same thought. His smile as he waved the memo was chilling. Bestia swallowed hard. I’m a beastman, so it should naturally work for me, right?

“Yes. I will drink it, Your Majesty.”

But what could she do? If you’re told to do it, you do it; if you’re told to drink, you drink.

She had also acted without thinking about how to prove its effectiveness.

“If sacrificing myself allows the Empire’s children to escape colds, I would be honored to drink and die, Your Majesty.”

Bestia placed her hand on her chest and bowed deeply. This was sincere.