The Price of Progress

The morning after our incognito outing. It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠breakfast time with my in-laws.

"Are you busy today as well, son?"

At the Empress Dowager's words, Theodora, Joy, and I all looked up with puzzled expressions.

"I have a few things to attend to, but if you have something to discuss, I can make some time this afternoon," I replied with an awkward smile.

The Empress Dowager offered a warm, benevolent smile. "I have no intention of taking up too much of your busy day. I simply wished to have a brief word with you."

"Mother? What are you going to talk to brother-in-law about?" Joy, who was sitting next to her mother, chimed in with her usual bubbly curiosity. However, the Empress Dowager merely smiled and continued her meal without answering, leaving me feeling rather curious myself.

"Very well, I shall visit you this afternoon," I said, and with that, breakfast came to an end.

Afterward, as I walked back to my office with Theodora, she turned to me and asked, "But why would Mother ask to see you alone?"

"I wonder. I have no idea myself."

In truth, I had no memory of ever speaking with the Empress Dowager in private. So... I had absolutely no clue what she wanted to say.

"Hmm... How strange. Mother wouldn't ask to see you without a good reason..."

I nodded in agreement with Theodora's words. "I think so too."

The Empress Dowager was the elder of the imperial family and deeply beloved by the citizens of the Empire. If such a person wanted to meet, she must have a specific request. Honestly, if she demanded something of me, I had little choice but to comply. She was the widow of my savior, and I had married her lovely daughter by force. As a decent human being, it was only right to oblige her.

"Your Grace? What a coincidence to run into you here."

"Ah, Agrippa? Are you on your way to my office?"

In the corridor, Agrippa bowed lightly to Theodora and me as he spoke.

"Yes, I actually have something to report..."

Watching Agrippa trail off and give me a subtle look, I glanced at Theodora beside me. Given his hesitant demeanor, it seemed like something Theodora shouldn't hear.

"Theodora, I have some matters to discuss with Agrippa..."

As I let my voice trail off gently, Theodora nodded understandingly. "Go ahead. Take as long as you need. I have somewhere to be anyway."

"Oh? Where are you going?"

At my question, she turned around slowly, a subtle smile playing on her lips. "It's a secret."

As I stood there blankly staring at her retreating figure, Agrippa spoke up.

"Your Grace, snap out of it."

"Ah... right. So, what is it?"

"A letter has arrived from Lady Mary. It concerns the bank we decided to establish in the Grand Duchy."

I looked around the corridor before replying. "Then let's go to my room... no, your room."

My office was no longer my private space. Lately, Theodora had been studying there almost every single day.

"Very well."

Following Agrippa to his room, he handed me a single sheet of paper.

It was a short, blunt message.

"Is that so? She did it faster than I expected. Agrippa, it looks like you'll have to head back to the Grand Duchy soon."

Agrippa and I had established the bank and merchant coalition to make up for our lack of funds. Operating under an alias, I planned to plunder the coffers of the Emperor Faction.

"Understood. Shall I proceed with the contracts as discussed?"

"Yes. Sign contracts with the dwarves, and the merchant groups and guilds in Epirus and Nicea... sign them with everyone, as long as it's profitable."

Agrippa nodded, but then raised a concern. "But won't we run short on funds?"

"If worst comes to worst, I'll have to borrow from my maternal uncle."

I heard that the Allied Kingdom was currently overflowing with gold. Surely my dear uncle would lend some to his beloved nephew. Of course... I would have to provide solid collateral.

"Well... I understand for now."

I nodded at his reply. "I have some work to finish, so I'll head out first."

With that, I left his room. When I arrived back at my office...

"Oh? She really isn't here."

Seeing the empty office, I felt a slight pang of loneliness. Was it because I was used to seeing her every day? It felt empty without her. Where on earth did she go? With those thoughts in mind, I sat down to finish my remaining work.

"We pay our respects to Her Imperial Majesty."

Three elderly men stood before me. They were the three finest minds of the Empire: an elf who was a professor of magic, a professor of alchemy, and a dwarf who was a professor of engineering at the Academy.

I smiled at them. "Thank you all for taking the time to come, despite your busy schedules."

The three of them waved their hands in polite denial.

"Not at all! It is our absolute honor to be summoned for the sake of the Empire."

"I am glad to hear you say so."

The three professors nodded. "Ahem... We have looked into the matter Your Majesty commanded us to investigate."

Full of anticipation, I leaned forward. "Is that so? Did you achieve any good results?"

The alchemy professor nodded and pulled a small glass vial from his robes. Inside, there was only a white powder.

"With this, Your Majesty's wishes will be fulfilled."

I stared at the unfamiliar white powder. "What is this?"

The alchemy professor spoke triumphantly, as if he had made a monumental discovery. "Your Majesty, do you know how farming is conducted?"

I shook my head. Agriculture was a vital industry for the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nation, but unfortunately, I did not know how to farm. I wondered briefly if *he* would know, but decided he probably didn't either. A man of such noble birth wouldn't know the details of farming.

"No, I do not know much about it."

The magic professor nodded, pulling a document from his robes. "Please, take a look at this."

He showed me a map with a circular castle in the center, divided into four sections.

"What is this?"

"This is the current agricultural method of the Empire. We farm on one of these four divided plots of land..." He pointed to the adjacent plot. "And the following year, we farm here, and the next year, here. Rotating the cultivation like this is what we call fallow farming."

I was puzzled. "Then do the other three plots of land just lie idle? Why farm in such a manner?"

It made no sense to leave land idle on purpose when farming.

"It is to preserve the soil's fertility. We intentionally refrain from farming to let the land recover."

"Soil fertility?"

"Yes. If one farms recklessly, the soil's fertility depletes, and eventually, nothing will grow. Every farmer in the Empire knows this."

I felt a sudden pang of embarrassment. "Ahem... I see. But what does that white powder have to do with fallow farming?"

The alchemy professor smiled. "With this powder, one can farm continuously without ever needing to leave the land fallow."

I was astonished. "Is that true? Such a thing actually exists?"

The alchemy professor nodded. "However, it is not easy to manufacture."

The engineering professor added, "To produce that powder, we require equipment capable of maintaining high temperatures and high pressures."

The magic professor continued, "Furthermore, we need magic to generate that high temperature and pressure within the apparatus. It requires a completely different form of magic from the one-time-use scrolls we have used thus far. Consequently, it will demand an immense amount of investment and time."

I nodded. "Do not worry. The Empire's coffers will not run dry."

But then, a question occurred to me. "However, as far as I know, the Grand Duke visited the Academy to inspect research that could aid the Empire's development. Yet, I have never heard of such a revolutionary item."

If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such a thing existed, Deviang wouldn't have ignored it. In truth, I had only sent letters to the professors asking for anything that could help the Empire because I remembered Deviang visiting the Academy before our marriage. I hadn't expected much. It was a desperate attempt because I couldn't think of any other way. But if he saw this at the Academy and didn't develop it, was it because it was less useful than it seemed? I asked out of a sudden fear that I might invest in it only to be scolded by him...

"The Academy does not cooperate with the Grand Duke. Most of the professors utterly loathe him."

"Indeed. On the day the Grand Duke visited the Academy, countless professors were busy hiding their research materials."

I was bewildered. I pictured Deviang, who spent every night in his office groaning over paperwork, always thinking of the Empire and its people. Why did they hate him?

"Why is that?"

The three professors nodded, knelt before me, and said, "Is it not because he mocks the true ruler of the Empire and manipulates the nation as if he himself were the Emperor? We are all loyal only to Your Imperial Majesty."

"Precisely! He makes a mockery of the Imperial Assembly, and to think a mere traitor dares to treat Your Majesty, the true master of the Empire, in such a manner!"

Hearing their words... I felt a strange mixture of pleasure and discomfort.

Deviang... For some reason, hearing these professors slander him didn't feel good. Was it because he was my husband? Was I upset because they were insulting my husband? I didn't know. But one thing was certain: no one in this Empire worked harder for its sake than he did. Even if his methods were wrong, I knew how deeply he cared for the Empire.

To change their minds, I spoke gently. "Ahem... I highly commend your loyalty. However, the Grand Duke is my consort. And he is a loyal subject who truly works day and night for the sake of this Empire."

They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shook their heads. "Your Majesty! He is a cunning, treacherous minister. Do not trust him."

"Indeed! Are you unaware of how he bribed the Imperial Assembly and the Supreme Court?"

My mood soured. It wasn't entirely false, but why did it make me feel so unpleasant? Setting aside his efforts and devotion, I too believed his methods were wrong. But that didn't mean he deserved to be slandered as a treacherous minister by these professors. He was too dignified and arrogant to be called treacherous. He was a man who researched policies for the sake of the people and the Empire, yet these men knew nothing of his true deeds. I felt a tiny spark of anger.

Still, I suppressed my anger, thinking that if we could mass-produce that powder, the Empire's future would be bright.

"I highly commend your loyalty. But how much funding would be required to manufacture that?"

The engineering professor pulled a piece of paper from his robes and handed it to me. "It will require this much."

"Oh...?"

My head began to ache as I looked at an astronomical figure that far exceeded my expectations.

The review of the proposal to establish a new state institution had finally concluded.

"Argh! It's over. Finally..."

I had lost count of how many times I had read and revised it. The thirty tons of gold that recently entered the imperial treasury had depleted the Grand Duchy's treasury significantly, but it couldn't be helped. Stabilizing Roman was the priority right now... I could always replenish the treasury later by dealing with the Anti-Emperor Faction.

"Now, shall I go see my mother-in-law?"