The Birth of Imperial Slave Number Two

Ever since I handed Theodora the State Council agenda and told her to memorize it, she had been cooped up in a corner of the office. Today was no different; she sat with her brow deeply furrowed, staring intently at the documents.

Flutter! The sharp, aggressive rustle of paper echoed through the room, a clear sign of her foul mood. Soon after, a heavy sigh followed.

"Sigh..."

"What is it? Is there something else you don't understand?"

At my question, Theodora gave a small, reluctant nod.

"Let's see." I walked over to her side and looked down at the section she was reading.

"Ah, this?" The document she was holding was a proposal from the Ministry of Military Affairs, advocating for a total ban on spice imports.

Currently, spices traded at astronomical prices in this world. Because the Empire did not produce its own spices, it relied heavily on imports. The vast majority came through the eastern trade routes, while a smaller but still significant portion was supplied by the Allied Kingdom. Consequently, a staggering amount of gold and silver flowed out of the country to pay for these luxury goods.

The real issue, however, lay with the eastern trade routes. When purchasing spices from the East, immense quantities of gold and silver ended up in the coffers of the Babylon Empire—the Roman Empire's long-standing rival. This was the exact point of contention for the Ministry of Military Affairs.

"Just how much gold is leaving the country that they feel the need to ban spices entirely?"

She was born imperial royalty. Having belonged to a class that could consume as much spice as they pleased regardless of the cost, she naturally lacked any real sense of the scale.

"Hold on a moment." I sat down at my desk and rummaged through the drawers, searching for a document I had received a while ago.

"Here it is." I pulled out a sheet containing the calculated data of the Empire's annual imports and showed it to her.

"Look here. The Empire's annual import expenditure exceeds ten million gold." Theodora stared at the paper with a blank, slightly dazed expression, clearly unable to comprehend the sheer magnitude of that figure.

"But... the Empire is still running perfectly fine, isn't it?"

She wasn't entirely wrong. We exported vast quantities of wheat, wine, dried fruits, and iron to the Babylon Empire. Our most lucrative exports, however, were weapons of war and magic scrolls. In particular, water-attribute magic scrolls, which Babylon desperately needed for agriculture in their arid desert terrain, brought in a massive profit.

But did she actually know all this when she made that comment? Curious, I decided to test her.

"You're not wrong. But do you know why that is?"

Theodora scowled, deep in thought, before finally opening her mouth.

"I am aware that we also export a great deal to Babylon."

Since she had a vague grasp of the trade balance, I decided to move on and steer the conversation back to the main topic.

"Correct. We do export a lot to them. Now, did you look at which department submitted this proposal?"

She nodded.

"The Ministry of Military Affairs."

"Exactly. Currently, the Babylon Empire is aggressively pursuing expansionist policies. They've successfully expanded to the east and north."

In doing so, they secured the fertile eastern rivers and the northern glaciers they had long coveted, growing significantly stronger. Naturally, they had also taken to provoking our eastern borders at every opportunity.

"So, the military already views Babylon with extreme hostility. Seeing private citizens constantly funneling gold into Babylon's pockets only heightens their anxiety."

In other words, Babylon was using the very gold and silver flowing out of our empire to purchase our weapons and magic scrolls, fueling their own expansion. It was only natural that the military found this cycle intolerable.

Whether she disliked the reality of the situation or simply hated agreeing with me, she huffed.

"Hmph! I cannot understand why the Ministry of Military Affairs, tasked with defending the Empire, is making such a fuss over a mere pittance."

I stared at her, utterly dumbfounded.

"A pittance? That is an astronomical sum of money."

In fact, it was an amount that far exceeded the entire annual budget of the imperial court.

"It is not! When you consider our superior civilization, our technology, and the wheat harvested from our fertile lands..."

Realizing this was a waste of precious time, I cut her off mid-sentence.

"Theodora, do you realize that ten million gold is larger than the entire annual budget allocated to the imperial household?"

"Uh... well... but... still..." Her eyes darted around frantically as she scrambled to find some sort of counterargument.

In this world, currency was minted from physical gold and silver. If one gold coin contained roughly 3.7 grams of gold, ten million gold equated to approximately thirty-seven tons of pure gold.

Sigh. I hadn't expected her to grasp it immediately anyway. The late Emperor had originally intended for Theodora and Joy to marry high nobles and live ordinary lives, so it was only natural she was ignorant of state finance. Well, she can just learn step by step.

Theodora spoke in a subdued, deflated voice, sounding like a young girl desperately clinging to her own happiness.

"Then... should we just let them ban spices...?"

I shook my head.

"No. A ban would only trigger massive backlash."

Besides, the military's fears would never materialize anyway. Babylon was destined to face a massive catastrophe in the near future. Furthermore, a sudden ban on spices would inevitably outrage the nobility, the free cities, and the common citizens alike. Not to mention, those employed in the spice trade would find themselves unemployed overnight. It would cause immense collateral damage with zero practical benefit. There was absolutely no reason to do it.

"But rejecting them outright will only alienate the military. Look at the notes I scribbled on the margin there, and use those points during the State Council meeting."

Just as I turned to head back to my desk, a polite knock sounded at the door.

"Your Imperial Majesty, Your Grand Ducal Highness, your meal has arrived."

"Come in," I called out.

At my permission, a maid wheeled in a gleaming silver cart. Theodora stared at it, her face contorted in sheer disbelief.

"Do you... actually eat your meals in here?"

I nodded.

"Yes. Once you get used to it, it's quite convenient."

In truth, walking all the way to the dining hall in this sprawling imperial palace wasted an annoying amount of time. Eating at my desk was far more efficient.

While I explained, the maid placed plates of sandwiches in front of Theodora and me. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠With a polite bow, she wheeled the cart back out.

"What is this...?"

While there were similar foods in this world, modern sandwiches did not exist. Stuffing ingredients between bread was common enough, but the concept of a proper sandwich made with sliced loaf bread, fresh vegetables, ham, and cheese was non-existent—a fact that had quite shocked me when I first arrived.

"It's called a sandwich. Give it a try; it's easy to eat." Holding a sandwich in one hand, I turned my attention back to the academic paper I was reading.

"Sigh... Why on earth do I have to do this?" I completely ignored Theodora's grumbling.

And so, her sighs continued to echo through the office late into the night.

"Sigh..."

"Yaaawn—" Theodora stretched her arms, yawning sleepily. She stared at me intently before asking,

"By the way, what have you been staring at this whole time?"

"An academic thesis." I flipped the page of the paper, which discussed a rather fascinating topic. A currency to replace gold and silver, huh...

"Aren't you tired?"

I set the paper down for a moment and looked at her.

"I am. But what must be done, must be done."

Her expression softened into something unreadable.

"Well, I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed." She began to rise from her seat.

"Wait." When I stopped her, she turned back with a puzzled look.

"What is it?"

"Can we talk for a moment?"

Though sleepy, Theodora nodded cooperatively. "Fine." Thud. I stood up from my desk and sat on the sofa opposite her.

"Don't you want to take back the authority I took from you?"

Her expression stiffened slightly, and she gave a firm nod. "Of course I do. What you are doing right now is a blatant usurpation of my power." Yes! That's the spirit. I smiled inwardly at her predictable response.

"Is that so? Then, if you were to regain your authority, what exactly would you do with it?" My question caught her completely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off guard. "What?" As she blinked blankly, I pressed further.

"I mean, what is the very first thing you would do for the Empire once you have your power back?"

"T-that... I would... for the citizens..." She stammered, clearly flustered by the sudden interrogation.

"What kind of policies would you implement for the citizens?" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠As she struggled to find an answer, I added, "You aren't going to give me some cliché, idealistic answer about helping the poor and powerless, are you?" She flinched.

"Is... is that so wrong?"

"No, it's not wrong. But how do you plan to do it?" She winced again, then furrowed her brow before admitting, "I... I don't know yet."

Well, at least she was honest. I would have been disappointed if she had spouted some delusional nonsense. It seemed she was finally beginning to understand her own limitations. Seizing the moment, I leaned in and whispered like a tempting devil.

"You know... if you do me a small favor, I might be willing to return a portion of your authority."

Theodora's crimson eyes flared with sudden intensity. She swallowed hard. Gulp. "What... is it?" Perhaps she sensed the gravity of the moment, because the sound of her swallowing felt incredibly loud in the quiet room.

"Nothing major. Just find a policy that can actively improve the Empire's finances. Do that, and I'll hand back some of your authority."

I was entirely serious. I was so utterly buried in paperwork that it was a miracle I was still breathing. At this point, I was so desperate to lighten my workload that I would gladly hire a literal demon if they proved competent. Well... if I actually did that, the Pope would probably have my head. In any case, Theodora was the Empress, so she would surely work herself to the bone, right? Masking my sinister intentions, I maintained a perfectly solemn expression.

"I accept... that proposal. Is that all you have to say?" Seeing her look so solemn and determined, I knew she had swallowed the bait hook, line, and sinker. Perfect... absolutely perfect! Another slave acquired. Suppressing the urge to weep tears of pure joy, I nodded. "Yes."

Brimming with newfound resolve, she spoke in a chillingly determined tone. "Then I shall take my leave. It seems I will be very busy starting tomorrow morning."

"Theodora, wait!" I called out hastily as she turned toward the door.

"What now?"

I waved the State Council agenda documents at her. "You forgot these. Oh, and try to finish reading them by tomorrow morning. I'll be giving you a brief test to see if you understand the background and the general flow of things."

The heroic resolve vanished from her face in an instant, replaced by a pale, hollow expression as she snatched the documents from my hand. Creak... Slam!

The door shut with a much louder bang than usual, but... well, I was perfectly satisfied. I was about to gain another slave, after all.

Imperial Slave No. 0: Myself.

Imperial Slave No. 1: Agrippa.

Imperial Slave No. 2: Theodora.

What a truly magnificent lineup.

Once I eventually ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slipped out of the equation, this empire would run itself perfectly fine as long as those slaves were alive. As for me... I would spend the rest of my days in peaceful retirement on the New Continent. I'd sleep in every single day and live a life of absolute, blissful laziness. Unlike now.

Sigh. Exhaling a long breath, I clung to that beautiful hope for the future and plunged right back into the endless sea of academic papers.