Side Story 1. Gideon’s Day

What powers does a king possess?

Military authority, appointment power, administrative rights…… The extent of this power is limitless. A king, if he wishes, can interfere with even the spoons that appear on his subjects’ tables.

Then, among these powers, which item most effectively tightens the noose around the nobles’ necks?

Gideon believed it was the power to determine the budget.

As the year-end approached, the king’s office was crowded with people from all walks of life. It was filled with people asking for money.

Gideon sat at his desk, browsing through the next year’s budget proposal submitted by the Magic Tower, and frowned. He checked the total amount several times. He thought perhaps a zero had been mistakenly added.

“Why is it so much?”

His aide, who had completed the preliminary review, answered,

“Didn’t we decide to establish a Magic Tower branch in the principality? They’re requesting an increase from the usual level based on that.”

The establishment of the Magic Tower branch was already discussed and finalized during the council of state, with Gideon personally approving it. But this amount was excessive, far too excessive. If the specific amount had been mentioned during the meeting, surely someone would have objected. The mages were quite cunning.

“How grandly are they planning to build it? Are they building a royal palace instead of a branch?”

The aide cleared his throat. He too had doubted his eyes when he first saw this plan. He had quickly grabbed the hem of the fleeing Magic Tower official’s robe and demanded an explanation, so despite his surprise, he had done his job properly.

“I asked about that too, and apparently they’re planning to install a magic gate at the branch. They claim this is the minimum operating cost.”

Gideon twisted his lips cynically.

“Tell them to just walk.”

But contrary to his curt response, he was internally considering that this matter might be worth considering.

The principality’s friction with the royal family had been significantly influenced by physical distance and challenging terrain. Unable to easily sustain themselves or receive food supplies from the capital, they were constantly hungry, and without constant supervision, they had developed rebellious tendencies.

For the principality, which was often isolated whenever it snowed, no transportation method could be more ideal than a magic gate.

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they had sneakily added an extra zero……

“This is still too much. Tell them to revise and resubmit with a reduced amount.”

The Magic Tower headquarters had installed a gate some 30 years ago. Had they made no technological progress since then? Gideon believed they had. They could certainly reduce the budget if they tried. They might have to rack their brains for several days and nights, but it was possible. Even if it proved impossible, there were other methods.

“If they can’t do it, tell them to sell some of the magical items they’ve been smuggling. That should be enough.”

“Yes, I will convey your message word for word. I will make sure they understand clearly.”

The aide nodded vigorously. A strange satisfaction showed on his face. The thought of giving the haughty mages a hard time with the king’s backing gave him an odd sense of contentment.

Meanwhile, Gideon was deep in thought, examining another document. The mages weren’t the only ones clinging to him for money. Budget proposals from various administrative departments and all kinds of organizations were piled high. They were desperate to persuade the king by any means necessary.

But Gideon was already too familiar with these tasks. He had been handling most of the state affairs as the real power behind the throne even before his coronation. He wasn’t easily swayed by any flowery rhetoric.

In fact, there wasn’t a person brave enough to exaggerate achievements or paint groundless visions before Gideon. His occasional killing intent played a significant role in this.

While people in society might have thought this killing intent was reserved for chasing women at parties, it truly shone during state council meetings.

In truth, he didn’t even need to use killing intent. Most people were already intimidated when Gideon looked at them with eyes that said, ‘What is this incompetent trash babbling about now?’

That alone should be enough to drive away the flies trying to waste the national treasury. Yet the king had started adding strange comments recently. For example……

“I should consult the Queen about this matter.”

“……”

The aides looked at each other, trying to read the situation before lowering their heads. They couldn’t grasp the king’s true intention behind such remarks.

The Queen didn’t deeply involve herself in state affairs. The only areas she showed interest in were the charity work under her name and the operation of the Royal Guard.

She personally designed the curriculum for knight apprentices. These days, she was apparently writing a swordsmanship manual for them in her spare time. She was practically torturing the Royal Guard, and in fact, the royal knights, despite their respect for her, suspected she might have some such intention. The difficulty level was too high.

But aside from those two areas, she rarely offered her opinion.

It could be that she naturally lacked interest, or perhaps she was being cautious due to the precedent set by the previous queen. So there was no reason to expect any meaningful response from her…… Yet the king kept dragging the Queen into matters that had nothing to do with her.

It would have been fortunate if it ended there. When faced with an absurd proposal that wasn’t worth considering, he would reject it with an even more absurd response.

“If I spend money on this, my wife will scold me.”

“……Yes.”

The aides still couldn’t tell if this was sincere or a joke, so they could only offer awkward smiles.

But this wasn’t a manner of speech unique to Gideon. At parties, one could frequently encounter married men saying similar things. They weren’t learning this collectively from somewhere, yet they all made the same jokes about needing their home’s financial chief’s permission and such.

Of course, though the words might be the same, their situations would each be different. Perhaps sadly, in some households, the balance of power had truly shifted.

But such cases are fewer than one might think. People generally tend to hide their weaknesses and flaws, so if their position at home were truly pathetic, they wouldn’t joke about it.

Then why do the others make such jokes?

Perhaps it’s because in social situations, when faced with awkward circumstances, a spouse’s existence can be quite a useful shield.

This shield sometimes approaches invincibility just by mentioning it. When receiving a troublesome request or when refusals seem ineffective, this one phrase can instantly resolve the situation.

‘My wife will scold me.’

‘My husband doesn’t like it. We’ll fight.’

Even those who brought up the matter usually become uncomfortable. Even if it’s not actually true, they pretend it is. Most people feel considerable burden about causing discord in someone else’s home.

They might not mind if couples fight and break up on their own, but they don’t want to be the main culprit.

Finally, some husbands enjoy setting up their wives as authority figures and themselves as some kind of underlings, relishing this position of weakness. Of course, since it’s a fictional position, they can enjoy it.