A Sovereign's Burden

The state council meeting ended, and I returned to my office.

"By the way, do you really have a way to make that much money all at once?" Theodora asked, watching me sit at my desk, her voice laced with curiosity.

"Hmm? Of course I do."

My plan was to confiscate the territories of the nobles who had deserted the Anti-Emperor Faction during their internal conflict and absorb them into my direct domain. If I did that, covering the costs wouldn't be difficult at all. On top of that, I intended to plunder the treasures those turncoat nobles had amassed over the years.

At my words, her red eyes sparkled cutely as she gave me a sly, sidelong glance. "Tell me how, too."

I looked at her, puzzled. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I have somewhere I need to spend money, of course."

Did Theodora actually have a use for money?

"Can't you just use the imperial funds managed by your mother? I heard the annual allowance the Empire provides to maintain the imperial family's dignity always has a surplus."

In fact, during the reign of the late Emperor, who lived quite frugally, surplus imperial funds had been returned to the state treasury on several occasions.

Theodora slightly averted her gaze at my words, hesitating. "Well... there's something I absolutely must get... but the imperial funds can't cover it..."

Did we cut the imperial budget recently? I had never issued such an order to the Treasury. Knowing I wanted to accommodate my mother-in-law as much as possible, they should have been receiving the same amount as during the late Emperor's reign. Had something happened?

Reflecting on how indifferent I had been to the imperial household lately, I spoke to Theodora.

"Sigh... What do you need it for? If it's truly necessary, I'll let you draw it from the state treasury."

Yet, she hesitated, unable to give a straight answer. Just what on earth did she want to buy?

"Just tell me. You are the Empress of the Empire, after all. A moderate amount of luxury is necessary to maintain your dignity, so speak freely."

Since I had never seen her indulge in grand extravagances, I spoke lightly.

"I need forty-five million gold."

"Huh...? What?!"

Forty-five million gold. Converted to the weight of gold, that was over thirty tons. In modern Korean won, wouldn't that be in the trillions? Dumbfounded by her demand for such an astronomical sum, I cried out.

"Are... are you insane? Why do you need that much money?!"

"Well..."

I was already struggling with a maddening number of expenses, and now the Empress of the Empire was asking for an absurd, unthinkable sum of forty-five million gold.

Calm down. Theodora isn't a child. She must have a reason.

If she had blurted this out without a single thought... I might have to seriously consider deposing her, locking her away, and crowning Joy instead. Better to dethrone a mad ruler than let them run wild. I pinned a sliver of hope on the fact that, while she wasn't a legendary sage king in the original novel, she was never a foolish tyrant either.

Seeing her fidgeting anxiously in front of me, I chose to believe she had her reasons for bringing this up and spoke gently.

"I won't get mad. Just tell me. If it's truly necessary, I'll give it to you."

Of course, unless it was absolutely vital, I had no intention of giving it to her. Do you have any idea how many expenses we have right now? On top of that, tax revenues from Epirus and Egypt wouldn't be coming in starting next year. Our expenditures were rising while next year's revenue was shrinking; we might even have to scale back other national projects.

"Actually, I invited some professors from the Academy. And during our meeting..."

I listened quietly as she explained. But the more I heard...

"Haha..."

A strange feeling washed over me.

"Can you show me the materials that alchemy professor gave you?"

At my request, Theodora nodded and handed over a stack of documents. I quickly scanned the contents.

Is this... Chemical Fertilizer?

With a racing heart, I flipped to the next page. The core concept was to liquefy air at low temperatures, distill it to obtain two specific substances, trap them in a single vessel, and maintain high temperature and pressure. Looking at the peculiar characters scattered throughout the text, I easily recognized them as the chemical formulas of this world.

Hmm... Come to think of it, I remember hearing that the ammonia needed for fertilizer is made from air. To be precise, was it nitrogen and hydrogen? I couldn't recall the exact details.

I had once looked into the fertilizers used in this world, wishing we had something better. Even in this era, which resembled the medieval or early modern period, primitive forms of fertilizer existed. They mixed animal manure, ash, and straw, let it rot, and scattered it on the fields. However, its effectiveness paled in comparison to modern fertilizer, and it carried the risk of infecting people with parasites.

With this, we can solve our chronic food shortage.

The Empire possessed a massive amount of agricultural land. However, only a quarter of it could be cultivated at any given time, resulting in terribly low productivity. But with chemical fertilizer, the story would change completely. The active arable land would effectively quadruple, crops would grow faster, and yields would skyrocket. In other words, productivity would increase dozens of times over.

I really shouldn't underestimate the technology of this world.

But if they had this kind of technology, they should have told me. Honestly, even though I knew the Academy professors were hostile toward me, I had swallowed my pride, approached them first, and begged them to help for the sake of the Empire's development. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The fact that they had withheld this from me made me feel a little... no, honestly, extremely bitter.

Still, what did it matter? We could get dozens of times more crops! Yes! They could hate me all they wanted as long as they delivered results like this. I was more than willing to take any amount of abuse for this.

"Excellent job, Theodora! I knew I could count on you, Slave Number Two... I mean, the Empress of the Empire!"

"Excuse me?"

Theodora looked utterly bewildered, but I ignored her and kept reading. I nodded as I looked at a graph projecting the increase in crop yields once the fertilizer production facilities were established. Seeing the slope of the projected harvest graph rise almost vertically ten years down the line, my mind began to spin with blissful fantasies.

Who cares if I get cursed at, as long as the citizens of the Empire grow up healthy?

Indulging in this happy daydream, I continued scanning the budget proposal. But then, noticing something strange, I spoke to her.

"Wait... Theodora, something is wrong here. Why are there so many zeroes?"

Ten million gold for the first phase. Thirty-five million gold for the second phase. And a mind-boggling one hundred million gold for the third phase.

I began to question my own sanity. Was I so happy that my eyes were playing tricks on me?

But as if to confirm my worst fears, Theodora spoke up cautiously.

"Well... if you look at the back, there are more details. They said it's the cost for the experimental equipment and artifact fabrication."

I read on.

Magical supplies, apparatuses to generate and maintain the desired temperature and pressure, devices to extract the necessary substances from the air... and the research costs for artifacts to ensure everything could withstand the extreme heat and pressure.

But forty-five million gold just for the experiments?

As I looked over the itemized breakdown, despair washed over me. The artifacts were simply too expensive. Furthermore, the cost of researching metals capable of enduring high temperatures and pressures was astronomical.

Even though the first and second phases were just for the experiments and had to be paid upfront, it was still a massive problem. Translated into modern currency, the experimental phase alone would cost trillions of won. No, wait... that was only if you adjusted for inflation. In reality, wouldn't it drain even more? A trillion won in modern South Korea and a trillion won's worth here were vastly different.

And the even bigger expense was the third phase: building the mass-production facilities. This was just a rough estimate; nobody knew if the actual cost would go up or down.

I closed my eyes and sank into thought.

Is this really feasible? What if we fail after pouring in such an astronomical sum?

If we failed, just hearing the word "fertilizer" would probably give me chronic heartburn for the rest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of my life.

"Sigh..."

As I let out a heavy sigh and agonized over the decision, Theodora watched me anxiously. "Is... is it impossible?"

If success was guaranteed, it was worth a shot. But if we failed? Both Theodora and I, who approved this plan, would be branded as utterly incompetent. If that happened, our only remaining option would be to rule through sheer, brutal force.

Noticing the tremor in her red eyes as I remained silent, I spoke up. "If it succeeds, it's absolutely worth doing. But it's difficult to invest such a fortune based solely on these documents."

Her face brightened slightly at my words. "That's a relief."

"What is?"

"I was worried you'd scold me for trying to do something absurd."

"No, you actually did far better than I expected."

If she succeeded in creating chemical fertilizer, she might go down in history as one of the Empire's greatest rulers. At that moment—

"Thank you."

Seeing her beam with joy, my heart skipped a beat. That smile is cheating.

In any case, she had only done this to reclaim her power. There was no point in me getting fluttered all by myself.

"I'll review it first and let you know. For now, submit a formal proposal."

"A proposal?"

"Yes. Even if you're the Empress, you can't just do whatever you want if the ministers reject it at the state council, right?"

Indeed, no matter how absolute the monarch seemed, they only held the power to appoint and dismiss the ministers who made up the state council; they couldn't legally force the council to rubber-stamp every whim. That was why Frank had been able to oppose the establishment of the Information Department earlier.

It would be good for Theodora to learn how to write a proposal. Normally, an aide would write it for her, but I had intentionally avoided assigning her one since she still lacked administrative capability and her own political philosophy. It was my way of wanting her to experience things firsthand, realize her shortcomings, and grow.

"I've never written a proposal before."

"It's fine. I'll guide you through it. While an Empress rarely has to write a proposal herself, you'll learn a lot in the process."

"I understand. But..." Tilting her head, Theodora continued, "If we also establish the Information Department, do we even have the money for this?"

"Sigh... I'll have to find a way somehow. First, I'll point out a few things I'm skeptical about, so take them and ask the professors."

If we poured in that much money only to get a measly output, I had no intention of doing it. It only made sense if we could produce at least dozens of tons a day.

Theodora looked at me, puzzled.

"But don't you want to meet them in person?"

I gave her a bitter smile.

"Yeah. It seems they harbor quite a bit of resentment toward me, so it's better if you handle them directly."

When I had visited the Academy, they hadn't offered me a shred of help. Yet, at Theodora's request, they had handed over such a groundbreaking paper. The only authority they trusted and followed was the legitimate ruler. They simply didn't want to help me.

Therefore, to secure their voluntary cooperation, it was best for Theodora to stand at the forefront. Besides, I had to revive my scrapped market manipulation plans for the time being, so I would be busy.

I really didn't want to become a market manipulator if I could help it... but I can't pass up chemical fertilizer.

At that moment, a memory flashed through my mind.

"Ah, right. I did promise to return some of your authority, didn't I?"

Theodora beamed and nodded eagerly at my words.

I let out a soft chuckle. Is power really that good? Personally, I can't stand it.

"First, I will grant you absolute authority over this fertilizer development project."

Theodora tilted her head in confusion. "Pardon? Absolute authority over the development?"

I gave her a bright smile. "Yes. Power always comes with responsibility, doesn't it? I'm placing my absolute trust in you and handing over everything related to the development, so take responsibility and make sure it succeeds."

"W-wait a moment?" Theodora's face turned pale, and her voice trembled. "Are... are you telling me to take charge of making such a massive project succeed?"

I nodded.

"Yep! I'm far too busy. How could I possibly find the time to review academic papers and micromanage all of that? Besides, the Empress legally holds the right to audit the Grand Duke's Office, so there won't be any legal issues."

"S-still! This is too much!" Theodora shuddered, as if she could already see the endless nights of overtime flashing before her eyes. "I... I don't want to! You're just going to make me work through the night every single day!"

Watching her resist, I let my gaze turn cold and steady. "Theodora. Didn't you say you wanted to work hard for the Empire and its people? Did you want to be Empress just to play around?"

"Ugh..."

Seeing her unable to find a retort, I pressed her further. "Think about it. There is no power without responsibility. The reason an Empress exists is to bring prosperity to the Empire and its citizens. Surely you weren't planning to just idle away in the background, were you?"

"B-but even so... working through the night like that is..."

Seeing her beautiful, delicate face grow pale with dread, I reached out and took her hands in mine.

"W-wait a moment?"

Ignoring her flustered reaction, I forged ahead. I couldn't give her time to think. I had to push her relentlessly right now. This was the pinnacle of psychological warfare.

"Think about it carefully. A future where this project succeeds and the citizens of the Empire never go hungry again. A life where they can eat steak for dinner every single night! And the one who achieved that miracle will be none other than Empress Theodora. Ah... I can see it so clearly. The legendary sage ruler, Empress Theodora."

Her face flushed red, seemingly moved by my grand speech. I smirked inwardly. Perfect. She's almost hooked!

"I... I'll do it... so let go of my hands..."

At ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her barely audible whisper, I nodded and released her hands.

"Then I shall place my trust in you, Her Imperial Majesty, the Great Empress Theodora!"

Theodora buried her flushed face in her chest. "Ugh... I don't care anymore!"

With that, she hurriedly fled the room. Watching her go, a wave of pure bliss washed over me.

Yes, work your hardest, Slave Number Two!

"This should free up some of my time."

Grow quickly, Theodora. And please, for the love of god, drag me out of this overtime hell...

With that thought, I sat back down and began searching for the unsigned market manipulation proposal.