Chapter 40

“Miss, what is it?”

“Nothing, Hess.”

Leonid now had an enormous sum of funds. And not just any funds, but an extraordinary commodity whose value skyrocketed every year.

He wouldn’t be thinking of releasing it all at once. No matter how good something was, if that staggering quantity flooded the market at once, the price dropping was only natural.

‘As expected of him. Clever.’

If only he hadn’t been falsely branded as cursed. If only he hadn’t walked that hellish path. No, if only he hadn’t been betrayed by someone he trusted like family, wouldn’t Leonid have become the wisest Emperor of all.

In her past life, Leonid had found her in no great length of time with the cooperation of the Empire’s top guild, even as she was fleeing. That had been no easy feat.

Come to think of it, ascending the throne in an instant by subduing every imperial family member and noble, even drenched in blood, was itself a remarkable thing.

Compared to the suffering of the imperial family and nobles, the lives of the Empire’s common people had actually improved somewhat after he ascended the throne. Of course, the Empire had been broken beyond repair, so there were clear limits to that.

‘If he had inherited it properly from the start, it would have been a far better Empire. No, even if he simply hadn’t run out of control, it would have been far better.’

She hadn’t seen and experienced all that much since entering the palace, but Leonid was certainly exceptional.

The fact that after Leonid’s death in her past life the Empire had been torn to pieces and the entire continent had been drawn into the devastation of war showed that. Paradoxically, it meant Leonid’s ability had been sustaining an Empire that had reached the end of its fate.

‘Except for his obsessive fixation on me.’

Looking back, he had been the Empire’s only answer as it crumbled. The other two princes were so incompetent and greedy that she felt it would be a blessing if things simply didn’t get worse than they already were.

“My goal has become clearer.”

“What goal do you mean?”

The reason Leonid needed to ascend the throne with legitimacy.

She could now add one more reason to that.

“The support of every person in the Empire.”

“Pardon? Who would support this rotten Empire…… I’m sorry, Miss. I said something vulgar.”

“No. You’re not entirely wrong.”

Imperial year 680.

Three years from now. A catastrophe incomparable to the year Leonid was born would occur.

More precisely, five years of great natural disasters. A calamity in which more than half the Empire’s people would perish. At this time, the current Emperor would suffer the condemnation of not only the nobles but every person in the Empire, tormented by severe illness of the mind, unable to leave his sickbed.

One year after the great disaster ended.

Taking advantage of his father the former Emperor’s worsening condition, Leonid would eliminate all his brothers and ascend the throne. The prelude to the bloody purge would begin. A brutal storm of blood in which the necks of more than half the Empire’s nobles would fly.

Because the common people’s resentment toward the Empire’s ruling class had swelled beyond its limits, Leonid had actually received the support of the common people. On top of that, by creating the harem, he had completely subdued the noble forces as well.

A precarious Empire had produced an Emperor who wielded absolute power.

That was why men who had anything to do with Ellen had been eliminated without a second thought.

‘Though there won’t be any of that now.’

There would be no harem to begin with, so what would there be to do.

Ellen smiled bitterly without meaning to.

“Hess. You have one more task.”

“Tell me, Miss.”

“First, take this.”

Ellen had disposed of five small pieces from the jewels she had received from Senne. She had set one aside to give to Hess.

“You’re giving something this precious to me?”

“It’s a small one, so it’s not that precious.”

“Even so. I’ve never received anything like this in my life.”

“That’s why.”

“Moreover, it’s the same size as the ones that were disposed of at the jeweler.”

“That’s right.”

Hess’s eyes welled with tears as she stood beside Ellen when the jewels were being disposed of. Even a single jewel was enough to match a full year of Hess’s wages as a maid.

“I’ll work even harder, Miss. Thank you so much.”

“Yes. I’m counting on you.”

She was already doing well enough, but Ellen accepted Hess’s heart. Because the sincerity inside it was touching.

“Then what do I need to do.”

“The Serteng family in the south. I’d like to make contact with the closest aide of their second son. Can you do it?”

“Not the first son but the second?”

“Yes. The second. Young lord Kallock Serteng.”

The southern Empire had long been the Empire’s breadbasket, and it was said that the grain produced there fed half the Empire.

Among those, the family with the largest territory was the Serteng family. The leader of the southern nobles, so to speak.

Ellen set down the proceeds from the jewels she had disposed of, kept for emergencies, in front of Hess.

“Start with this for now, and tell me if you need more.”

“This should be enough.”

After entering the palace, Ellen had given Hess the contact she had received from Countess Huan, the head maid’s younger sister, in exchange for the diamond ring, and Hess had been receiving occasional help from that attendant. At present, backed by Ellen’s influence as someone who had Senne’s full trust, she had built up a fairly wide network of connections around her.

So with sufficient funds in hand, making contact with Kallock Serteng’s closest aide would not be particularly difficult.

“You know, don’t you, Hess?”

At Ellen’s words, Hess gave a firm nod and spoke.

“Discreetly and quietly. Of course, Miss.”

“Yes. Then go quickly.”

“Yes!”

Ellen watched Hess leave the room swiftly and smiled with satisfaction.

Shortly after, Ellen also stepped out of her quarters to dispose of the remaining jewels she had left with the jeweler just in case.

She had left most of them in Leonid’s secret space, but had brought what she needed immediately.

‘Kallock Serteng. The man who will become the next Marquis Serteng.’

The frail eldest son would not survive past thirty and would soon pass away. Thanks to that, Kallock, whose mother was of lowly birth like Ellen’s, would inherit the marquisate. The current Marquis had also been bedridden for a long time. The day Kallock became Marquis Serteng was not far off.

Right now the south was in its third consecutive year of great harvest, with grain practically underfoot. The food supply that could feed not half but all of the Empire was going to mold.

On top of that, since last year the entire Empire had been having such a good harvest that grain prices had been hitting rock bottom with no end in sight.

‘Surplus grain. He should buy it.’

Leonid now had enormous funds more than sufficient to buy all of it. Of course, it helped greatly that grain was so cheap. If he accumulated it steadily over three years starting from next autumn when Kallock became Marquis, it might be possible without disposing of all the monsters.

“Then with the remaining monsters, he can purchase magic tools for grain storage.”

Monsters were also used in magic tools, so mages would come running in a frenzy. In short, monster materials were one of the rare ingredients that mages who made magic tools couldn’t get enough of.

Since magic tools were an absolute necessity for mages who had no magical power of their own, they would pay any price, and depending on the negotiation, he could also purchase magic tools cheaply in whatever quantity he wanted.

‘He’ll be the one to save the Empire.’

And getting full value for it.

At this rate, the current Emperor might have no choice but to hand the throne to Leonid even against his will. Because everyone in the Empire would be singing his praises.

When that time came, Leonid would shed every false charge against him.

Ellen thought back to Leonid’s secret space. The holy Emperor had apparently turned all of Mount Tir into a fortress in secret immediately after his accession.

Fortress was a mild way to put it. He had turned the entire interior of the mountain into a vast private residence. After the secret construction was complete, the holy Emperor, for the sake of secrecy, had dealt with all the workers……

Ellen shook her head as she recalled what Leonid had told her inside the enormous storage room full of monsters.

That wasn’t what mattered right now. That place, sealed with a barrier by some unknown power, was said to be able to hold ten times its visible space.

That meant it was more than enough to fill with every grain Leonid bought.

Since no one could enter or leave without Leonid, there was no worry of anyone stealing it. A perfect storehouse.

‘All of fate is moving toward him.’

If that happened, wouldn’t every woman in the Empire come throwing themselves at him.

Even in the harem, women had been unable to come to their senses over Leonid. Once he had everything, they would come rushing without a second thought.

Even bearing the stigma of being cursed, women had lost their minds the moment they saw Leonid’s face.

‘What am I thinking right now.’

I’ve lost my mind. Ellen Nockton.

The seat beside Leonid has nothing to do with me. When that time comes, a woman as lowly as me won’t even be visible to him.

“Terrible man.”

But why am I having these thoughts. It’s only natural.

Ellen kicked a pebble on the road and muttered.

“Who is this terrible man.”

“Hic.”

Ellen pressed a hand over her mouth as the very person in question appeared before her.