Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Problem of Survival
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The biggest characteristic of slave production could be summed up in one phrase: collusion between politics and business.
The slave trade was a business that was difficult to maintain without help from the political world.
Whether it was invading foreign lands and buying up their people with guns and swords, purchasing debtors and criminals to turn into slaves, or "reforming" heretics through labor under the church's tacit approval, all of these required government recognition and assistance to sustain.
That was why the Parkinson family could practically monopolize slave production.
The Parkinsons were government-favored merchants, after all.
And inheriting that business also meant
inheriting the contracts and collusion with the Imperial Family.
"Your Excellency, someone from the Imperial Family is scheduled to visit today to confirm the contract transfer."
"Ah, right. Are we prepared to receive the guest?"
"Yes. We've prepared the finest tea, refreshments, and bribes."
No matter how low-ranking the official who came in the name of the Imperial Family, you couldn't treat them carelessly.
If they dragged things out on purpose, it would only cause trouble for us.
So, to expedite matters, we needed to grease the wheels with a "modest bribe."
This was a kind of custom,
and the amount of the bribe was already standardized.
In any case, it just meant treating the guest well, handing over the gift, and sending them on their way.
The contract itself only needed a stamp,
and there were no special matters requiring further coordination with the Imperial Family.
"Torssoya."
"It's Torsso."
"This is annoying. Can't you just handle receiving the guest?"
"If you intend to openly disregard the Imperial Family's dignity, I suppose that would be fine."
I usually left most external affairs to Torsso and just lounged around sucking honey,
but this time, I had to handle receiving the guest personally.
It was all because of the pre-modern fantasy worldview's peculiar sensitivity to prestige.
(In truth, protocol culture hasn't changed much even in the 21st century.)
"Tch. I don't have particularly good feelings toward the Imperial Family. Hope it doesn't show on my face."
"We have no choice. It's hard to have good feelings toward the group that squeezes us for taxes in the first place. As long as we don't give them anything to grab onto, they won't nitpick over expressions."
"I should research ways to insult them with my face."
"……."
And so, I prepared to receive the guest.
And then.
The moment I laid eyes on the guest who arrived a few hours later,
I couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
"……A girl?"
The guest who had come in the name of the Imperial Family looked, no matter how I saw it, like a mere student.
"Are you the head of House Riddle?"
"Yes? Uh, yes."
"You look surprisingly decent. I thought the guy called the Money Ghost would have a shady appearance."
"Judging my looks right off the bat……?"
What kind of ambush rudeness is this?
"Ah, if that was rude, I apologize."
"Ah. Yes."
"So, where's the bribe?"
"Pardon?"
"I heard it's customary to slip bribes to Imperial guests when they visit, but does House Riddle not have that culture?"
"Ah, here it is."
She's awfully direct.
With a personality like this, she might actually be easier to deal with.
Dealing with nobles who fuss over pointless formalities is harder for me as a modern person.
If they're this straightforward,
I can just give them what they want and be done.
"Hm. It's less than I expected."
"Haha…… Sorry if the sincerity falls short."
"Whatever. That's not the important part."
"Then, shall we go inside and discuss the contract transfer……."
"Ah, I've already handled that."
"Pardon?"
"It's no big deal. It was just changing the name on the existing contract, so I took care of it with my authority."
"With your authority……?"
She talks like she's the final decision-maker.
"Hmm. Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Yule."
"……."
"The Empire's princess."
"Pardon?"
I pondered the meaning of the words that had entered my ears for a moment,
then freaked out and dropped to one knee, bowing my head.
"I greet Your Highness the Princess!"
Ow. I just smacked my knee on the floor…….
"No need to be so formal. I hate it when people look up at me."
"How could I dare……."
"I'm not confident from below."
"Pardon?"
"Looks-wise. I think I look prettier from a slight upward angle."
"……."
Is she nuts?
"I said you don't need to be polite, but calling me a crazy bitch is a bit much, isn't it?"
"……Did I just say that out loud?"
"No."
"Aha."
Mind reading…….
A blessing, huh.
"You catch on quick. Interesting."
"Hahaha."
Don't think anything.
Absolutely don't think about my 'possession'…….
"……Ah."
"Ho. That's even more intriguing."
"……."
"Shall we go inside and talk in detail?"
"……."
"Answer."
"Yes, ma'am."
I'm screwed.
That was the conclusion I reached after much deliberation.
I'm screwed.
.
.
.
"My blessing is attached to my ear. That's why I usually wear my hair down. If I brush my hair back like this, you can see the blessing's pattern."
"……Glasses, huh."
The princess swept her hair behind her ear.
Beneath her snow-white ear, a tattoo-like glasses pattern was visible.
"I've shown you mine, so show me yours."
"Ah, mine's a fountain pen."
I removed my glove and showed her the fountain pen pattern engraved on the back of my right hand.
The princess looked at it with interest.
"I don't get why those natural folks are so fascinated with human-made tools."
"Haha."
I'd hardly encountered them because I approached everything purely economically,
but this was undeniably a 'fantasy' world.
Blessings were one of the key fantasy elements that formed a pillar of this world.
The protagonist of this world, the 'Hero,' was another term for those born with the 'Blessing of History.'
And.
These blessings were generally given randomly.
With one single exception.
"Well, that's not something for the imperial family ruling the Empire to say. We're flawed in many ways to be called 'human,' but we take an interest in humans and rule over them."
"Haha……."
Blessings were gifts bestowed by the capricious nature and fate.
No one knew who would receive them.
Even if both parents had blessings, their child wasn't guaranteed one.
Karl's Winter Blessing.
Diana's Forest's Blessing.
The Hero's Blessing of History.
All were gifts given by chance or destiny.
But the Imperial Family was different.
The Imperial Family itself was nature, fate, and the 'source' that bestowed blessings upon this land.
Nature gods.
Beings called dragons or wyrms.
The Imperial Family were half-human, half-dragon descendants of such entities.
Which meant that 'dragons' originally existed in this world.
"Are you even listening properly? You've just been laughing this whole time."
"Haha…… Yes, I'm listening well."
"You seem to have too many thoughts. In times like this, a warm cup of tea is best. We've got refreshments prepared too."
"Yes, ma'am."
And now, they were gone.
Because this crazy Imperial Family had killed off all the other non-human races.
"A painful history."
"……Sorry for thinking so much."
"No. I know it's unavoidable. I'm a bit more merciful than the gods, so I won't blame you for sins born of thought."
"Thank you for your mercy."
Genocide.
Racial extermination in the literal sense of the word.
The 'painful history' at the end of the Mythic Age.
The Imperial Family had erased all dragons from the world.
More precisely, they had banished all 'Mythic Races,' including dragons, from the mortal realm.
Outside the Empire, 'Mythic Races' and their 'heretic' followers still existed,
but within the Empire at least,
not even a trace of them could be found.
They couldn't even become slaves, after all.
"And I don't think our ancestors committed such great sins. It was…… necessary for humanity's unification. It was unavoidable to face the Demon King."
"The Founding Emperor was also a Hero born with the Blessing of History."
"Yes. The only one in imperial history to be born with two blessings. He possessed both the Dragon's Blessing and the Blessing of History."
"……."
Not 'only' anymore.
Because the original protagonist, the current Hero attending the Academy, also had an additional 'one blessing.'
Which is why, in the future, he'll clash with the Empire…….
"Hmm?"
"Ah."
"Did the Hero of the present era also receive two blessings?"
"……."
"Intriguing. Very intriguing."
I'm doomed.
"But while the Hero is intriguing, you're the most intriguing of all."
"……."
"That 'possession' term you thought of earlier, knowing details about the Hero's blessing I've never encountered, casually recalling future events as if they're obvious…… You don't seem ordinary. I know your innate blessing reads objects' memories, yet you know things you shouldn't as if it's natural."
"……."
"What are you, really? A prophet possessed by a holy spirit or something?"
"I'm……."
What is my identity?
"Well, uh, I'm……."
I don't know.
Several thoughts tangled in my mind.
Lies wouldn't work,
so I had no intention of lying.
Maybe I just thought too much.
My head feels dizzy.
I forgot what honesty even means.
I'm from Earth.
A modern person.
The evil spirit that possessed Karl Riddle's body.
A citizen of South Korea.
I'm…….
"……A person."
"……A person?"
"Yes. I'm just…… a person."
This probably wasn't the answer the princess expected,
but it slipped out anyway.
Yeah.
I'm a person.
Slaves are people, nobles are people, and even possessors are people.
I want to be called just a person.
I want people to be called people,
called friends,
called family,
to do people's work,
and enjoy people's happiness.
In this world, that's impossible,
so I felt like I'd forget I was ever a person,
like I'd die,
so I repeated it to myself over and over to never forget.
That's probably why this answer came out unbidden.
"A person, huh……."
"……Ah, no, that's not it, I'm……."
"That settles it then."
"Pardon?"
"His Majesty is the emperor of people. Looks like I don't have to kill you. What a relief."
"……."
Only then did I realize.
Ah.
I almost died again, damn it.