Aris's Misconception?
"Line up! His Excellency said to stuff any leftover meat into the containers, so shovel it in until your bellies burst!"
The cooks, aprons tied around their waists, were piling meat onto the slum dwellers' trays like mountains. The workers, finished with their daily tasks, hummed cheerful tunes as they grabbed their trays and gathered around the bonfires.
Aris stood in the ration line as if entranced. Her tray was promptly loaded with heaping white rice and a stew more than half meat.
"This... has as much meat as the Imperial Knight Order's special rations..."
Aris plopped down dazedly in a corner by the bonfire. Just then, an old man with a wrinkled face, wolfing down his rice beside her, grinned at her.
"You new here? What're you waiting for? Eat up before it gets cold."
Aris snapped to her senses and sidled closer to the old man. To dig out the truth, she cautiously tossed out some bait.
"Sir, out there they're saying the Chancellor works us like beasts and we're dropping dead left and right. Isn't this just our last supper? Who knows when that devil will kill us off."
She hoped the old man would unleash a torrent of curses at Caleb. But he swallowed his chewed meat with a gulp, then thwacked her forehead with his spoon.
"Ow!"
"You punk! How dare you badmouth His Excellency! You gonna swallow every rumor those rotten nobles spew hook, line, and sinker?"
"Pardon...? But he locked us up for forced labor and..."
"Locked us up? He's protecting us!"
The old man lowered his voice and glanced around.
"You know it too, right? Back when the palace sent relief funds and bread, did we ever get a single crumb? The back-alley thugs and corrupt officials snatched it all midway."
Aris was speechless. It was an undeniable reality of the Imperial Capital.
"But His Excellency unleashed the army to keep those scum from even setting foot here! Then he handed us shovels. 'Only those who work get fed,' he said, sounding like a total villain... scary as hell."
Tears welled in the old man's wrinkled eyes.
"In the end, he made sure even the kids and sick who couldn't work got rations under their families' names. If you get hurt on the job, an imperial physician comes with top-grade herbs. In my whole life, I've never used honest sweat from my own hands to put meat like this in my family's mouths."
Thud. Aris's heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach.
"His Excellency isn't a devil. He's taking all the world's hate on himself... just to let vermin like us live like humans. He's our slum's savior."
Savior. The word struck Aris's mind like a hammer.
She recalled the vile smirk he'd worn when she'd grabbed his collar days ago and insulted him. 'The world doesn't run on prayers. You stick to swinging your sword. I'll handle the money.'
Behind that arrogant sneer lay the truth. He was standing in for the incompetent knights and palace, bearing the stigma of embezzlement and the world's loathing alone to fill the people's bellies.
'What... have I done.'
Aris's hand trembled around her spoon. Her eyes burned, an unstoppable wave of shame crashing over her. Realizing how arrogantly and narrowly she'd judged him made her want to crawl into a rat hole.
Soon after, a commotion stirred at the construction site entrance, and a familiar silhouette appeared.
"Th-the Chancellor is here on inspection!!"
Aris quickly bowed her head but lifted her gaze. Caleb, black coat draped over his shoulders. Fatigue etched his face, dark circles hollowing his eyes. Clearly, he'd pulled all-nighters directing this massive project and balancing budgets without a wink of sleep.
"Ration portions? I said make sure not a single one gets hurt."
"We're on it! The people all bask in Your Excellency's grace..."
"Grace my ass. Can't have my retirement fund—no, my precious labor force—getting damaged. Manage 'em right."
Caleb grumbled as he meticulously checked the account ledger. He acted cold and ruthless, but his eyes carefully scanned the injury tents and ration depot's food stocks.
Aris's lips quivered as she watched his retreating figure from hiding.
'You're bleeding yourself dry to protect the people... so why didn't you make any excuses to me?'
Aris bit her lip. In the place where loathing and rage had dwelled, a strange emotion began to churn. Profound awe at one man's noble sacrifice... and an uncontrollable guilt.
The Record Magic Tool in her bosom felt unbearably heavy. She quietly drew it out and crushed it to pieces in her grip.
She couldn't insult him with something like this.
'I'll report to Her Highness myself. And...'
In the darkness, she knelt silently toward Caleb.
'That heavy crown of thorns you're wearing, I'll share the burden for sure.'
—
"...What did you say? Say it again."
In the Imperial Palace's audience chamber, fury laced Princess Chloe's voice.
Knight Commander Aris knelt before the dais, head bowed rigidly as she spoke.
"My deepest apologies, Your Highness. The Record Magic Tool meant to capture the slums' horrors... I accidentally broke it during infiltration."
"Broke it? You, the empire's top sword, made a 'mistake' infiltrating?"
Chloe's crimson eyes flashed sharply.
"Then confess what you saw with your own eyes. How that devil tormented my people. You must have solid proof to chop his head off right now, right?"
Aris's heart pounded. The truth she'd witnessed last night. Warm meat stew, rigorously safe work conditions, the people's lively laughter. Reporting it straight would make Chloe gleefully seize the slums under palace control.
But...
'If Her Highness learns the truth, all of His Excellency's plans go up in smoke.'
Aris had spent the sleepless night piecing together Caleb's 'big picture.'
If it came out that the slums were thriving and the Chancellor was aiding the people? The corrupt nobles like Marquis Valer wouldn't sit idle. Furious at losing their money-laundering front, they'd storm in with private troops, overturn everything, and drive the people back to starvation and oppression.
To prevent that, Caleb had donned the infamy of 'human butcher' himself. Even bearing Chloe's hatred and misunderstanding.
Aris bit her lip hard. Lying to her liege went against a knight's code.
But more important were the lives of the people on the brink and the noble sacrifice of the man bleeding alone on the cross to protect them.
"...I'm sorry, Your Highness."
Aris squeezed her eyes shut and lied.
"Security was too tight; I couldn't reach deep into the site. I saw them hauling dirt, but... from afar, I found no clear evidence of abuse warranting punishment for the Chancellor."
"Ha! You mocking me now?!"
Bam! Chloe slammed the dais and shot to her feet.
"You come back empty-handed! I could smash that rotten slum's gates with the knights and lop off Caleb's head this instant!"
"Your Highness, please restrain yourself. Rashly deploying troops now would give Marquis Valer's faction political ammunition. It's not... yet time."
Chloe breathed raggedly, glaring resentfully at Aris. But her words rang true. Force without cause was a coup, and the palace couldn't yet overwhelm the noble factions.
"...Out. I can't stand the sight of you."
"As you command."
Exiting the audience chamber, Aris let out a long sigh. A deep melancholy, new to her blue eyes, settled in.
'Chancellor Caleb. How deep in the darkness are you walking alone?'
Just as she'd shouldered Chloe's wrath, Caleb bore the empire's hatred single-handedly. Only she, who knew the truth, could protect him.
Aris gripped her sword hilt, swearing a silent oath.
—
"Achoo!!"
In the Chancellor's office. I was reviewing documents when a sudden sneeze made me sniffle.
"Someone cursing me? Well, the whole empire's doing it anyway."
I muttered indifferently, gazing fondly at the gold coin chests and paperwork piled like mountains on my desk.
The rumors of 'forced labor' disguised as the slum canal project had spread brilliantly.
As expected, something amazing was happening.
Marquis Valer Territory Special Donation - 10,000 Gold
Count Root's Consolation Funds - 5,000 Gold
"Man, those guys have a nose for rotten money like no other."
The nobles were shoving their 'black money' into the slum labor camp one after another.
Officially 'consolation' or 'donation' funds, but really fees hoping I'd launder it through construction payments.
A farce possible only because they firmly believed I was the villain squeezing the people's blood.
"Your Excellency, just this morning, funds from the noble faction exceeded 20,000 gold."
Cassel stuck out his tongue, handing over the report.
"Perfect. No way in hell I'm laundering this back into their vaults, so add roast chicken to the laborers' lunch menu starting today."
"...Pardon? You're using the nobles' secret funds for laborer meals? If they demand it back later..."
"Who said anything about returning it? Say it all went into digging dirt. Done."
I cackled, slashing red lines through the ledger.
"Once you put money in the wash, expect to get fleeced for the service. Before my guillotine date anyway, it'll all end up in my pockets and the slums' infrastructure. Buy top-grade safety gear and feed 'em well so no one gets hurt."
Just hold out 30 days like this, and the canal finishes. Then I fake getting booted from the palace on embezzlement and forced labor charges, pocket the massive circulation profits from the slums, and bolt to the countryside.
Dodge the axe, make bank. Perfect plan.
'But... why's my spine tingling like this.'
Just my imagination, probably?