The Emperor's Humble Abode

“Whoa~ It’s been forever since I’ve been back at the old place~ This is where I first met Ahjussi!”

“Yeah… it was.”

Poyu flew around happily, but Kim Hwang-je felt strangely out of place.

After days of living in luxury, his studio apartment no longer felt like home.

The hotel’s crisp air, that sweet fragrance, marble floors, beautiful chandeliers, sunlight pouring through wide glass windows, mahogany tables, and wine refrigerators…

He missed them all more than he could say.

Instead, he had a musty blanket reeking of sweat, a tiny room that smelled of mold, and the heavy, stale air of a semi-basement.

This was the place soaked in every hardship of Kim Hwang-je’s life.

“I wish I could just go to the royal castle instead.”

It was frustrating to send everything away while being stuck here himself.

Of course, he didn’t truly hate this place.

It was the neighborhood he’d been forced into after losing his family and his deposit.

Only the bitter, sorrowful memories outnumbered the rest.

Kim Hwang-je let out a long sigh and reached for fresh underwear.

“Huh?”

Through the cosmic expanse between his legs, something precious appeared far in the distance!

…Like an astronomer searching for stars, a black pillar emerged from the depths of the galaxy…

It approached slowly, as though a colossal space battleship were rising from beneath the waves.

“What the hell is that?”

Kim Hwang-je muttered in disbelief.

“Hey, you little—!”

Kim Hwang-je’s outburst was cut short by Poyu.

“Ahjussi~ Can I take a bath here~?”

Poyu blocked the tiny sink that could barely hold a few dishes and pulled a large pot down from the shelf, filling it with warm water.

Wow. Anyone who saw that would think he was about to boil a dragon.

“Poyu, let’s wash up here.”

Ever since that one bath, the little dragon seemed to want one whenever there was time.

Kim Hwang-je stepped into the bathroom, sat Poyu in the washbasin, and took a shower himself.

His face was covered in soot from the fierce and majestic magical battle.

“Heeheehee! Ahjussi! The water’s getting sucked in over there!”

Poyu burst into laughter.

Kim Hwang-je looked down at the swirling galaxy with the same expression a father might wear when his child first asks about an elephant’s trunk.

The falling shower stream spiraled and vanished into the vortex.

A few days ago, he had lain in a marble bathtub and greeted George while looking down over Seoul…

“Come on, don’t worry about that. Let’s just wash up, Poyu…”

Still, Kim Hwang-je had grown seasoned enough not to be surprised by every little thing.

He washed Poyu the way one might bathe a cat.

The fluffy fur clung to his palm.

Looking at the little dragon like this brought back memories of childhood.

Mother used to bathe him in the red basin in the yard.

“Now then, body shampoo incoming~”

“Smells nice~”

Kim Hwang-je took out the body wash and scrubbed the little dragon clean.

A short while later, after finishing their bath, they dried themselves with magic.

“Ahjussi, I’m gonna sleep now~ I like it here···!”

Poyu had already curled up on the crown as if it were his personal spot.

With the railings, it was probably as safe and comfortable as a baby crib.

Kim Hwang-je gave a helpless smile and opened the refrigerator.

It was completely empty.

He had grown so used to hotel life that he had forgotten the hungry reality of living alone.

“Ah… right…”

In the end, at this early hour, Kim Hwang-je had to grill spam and boil ramen.

Actually, that was more than enough.

Hunger is the best seasoning, and after everything he had been through, even raw radish would have tasted delicious.

The late-night snack turned out to be the first meal of the morning.

Sunlight streamed through the window.

“…I didn’t realize we fought all night.”

Kim Hwang-je caught the gold coins raining onto the table with practiced ease and deposited them into the trade window.

“Eunuch. I’ll buy the Book of Rifts from Jung Da-yeon and use it. I’ll think about Benedict after I eat.”

More than anything, he simply hoped the expensive relic would prove effective.

Then he noticed one extra notification.

Along with the brief message, a massive gold ingot dropped.

Thud.

“Whoa!”

Kim Hwang-je rolled aside just in time.

The falling ingot split the table and punched a deep crater into the floor.

The ramen pot and spam plate crashed to the ground with a clatter.

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“Wow… That bastard Bahu…”

The gold Bahu had looted from the orcs carried an orcish design—brutish and crude.

If Kim Hwang-je had still been asleep, it wouldn’t have ended with just a bump on the head.

Was the undead aiming for him?

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Rumble rumble rumble!

Crash crash crash!

“Aaaagh!”

Weapons, armor, and supplies Bahu had taken from the orcs poured down in a torrent.

He had apparently looted entire orc merchant ships and fleets—rum barrels and all sorts of goods came flooding in.

“Uh, uh-oh?”

A rolling rum barrel smashed into the refrigerator and burst open.

The apartment filled with the sharp scent of alcohol and sweetness.

That wasn’t all. Household appliances were struck and damaged by the falling metal weapons.

The spoils were so numerous that they completely filled the room.

This was insane.

Some armor still had chunks of flesh clinging to it, as if it had been forcibly stripped from dead orcs.

The flesh was cooking against the hot metal, perhaps from cannon fire.

“Smells tasty···”

Poyu sniffed the air and rubbed his head against Kim Hwang-je’s chest.

“Ah, that’s not a tasty smell… Come on, go back to sleep?”

To a dragon, it apparently wasn’t the stench Kim Hwang-je perceived.

“…”

Still, that bastard Bahu.

Did he really think that if Kim Hwang-je died from the falling loot, he wouldn’t have to pay taxes?

The automatic barrier would prevent even a scratch anyway.

Kim Hwang-je immediately opened the status window and dispatched Baekju and Sirius—both under Labor Correction—to deal with Bahu.

He gave them their orders.

[There’s an undead over there. Strip him down and give him the same re-education you two got. You’ll need help, so take the Supervisor with you.]

[Yes, Your Majesty!]

[Ah, and while you’re at it, raid an underwater prison with that guy. Hold a meeting and report back. Also, write up a report on who those white-haired, golden-eyed kids are.]

[Yes, Your Majesty. But we only know they are Master’s puppets.]

[Then find out what that Master and Howling are up to, what their weaknesses are, and report everything you know.]

He would not be attacked again.

If anything, he would be the one attacking.

Kim Hwang-je had no intention of being dragged around by that pair of siblings.

[Understood, Your Majesty.]

[Ah, and you two are fully healed, right?]

[Yes… Your Majesty… You’re worried about us…? The healing magic fixed us right up… Sniff…]

[Yeah, good… Keep working hard.]

…They were way too moved by that.

Kim Hwang-je closed the message and looked at Bahu in the Monster Management Window.

Even under Eternal Shackles, this one couldn’t be trusted completely.

Still, with the Supervisor’s whip and the two young men now obsessed with tights, even Bahu might be reformed!

Soon after, Kim Hwang-je used World Observation to check the royal castle.

Dave and Gemini stood anxiously on the castle terrace, staring at the courtyard.

Perhaps the Emperor would send something today?

They had guarded the rear gate, so maybe a reward was coming?

Of course, Kim Hwang-je was more than willing to give far more than usual.

He sent everything Bahu had offered—gold, weapons, armor, and even the gold coins taken from the rebels—through Tribute Trade as a Bestowal.

“Right. Food.”

Kim Hwang-je smacked his forehead.

With Gaya Hotel destroyed, Gaya Mart wouldn’t have survived either. There was no way to restock supplies now.

“I’ll have to make Bahu fetch fish too.”

Kim Hwang-je opened the Monster Management Window and sent Bahu the command: Fishing.

Scolding him for sending taxes like that wouldn’t preserve imperial dignity.

Reacting to provocation only made one look the same.

It was better to issue the next order calmly and leave the discipline to the Supervisor.

“Fish should be edible, at least.”

The castle would be having a fish party for a while.

It was a petty revenge against Bahu, but it felt satisfying.

Additionally, Kim Hwang-je checked the quest he had postponed amid the now-empty room.

The Castle Becomes Me (Lv.4) allows you to receive advice from ministers.

For better advice, raise the skill level.

If no minister is present, you may receive a single piece of advice from the eunuch fairies of each department.

Of course, these fairies are not civil servants.

They merely read the hearts of sleeping officials and offer appropriate counsel to Your Majesty.

Remember their cuteness!

Eunuch advice, huh…?

Though it felt ominous, Kim Hwang-je pressed Y.

Kim Hwang-je sighed.

If he listened to every piece of advice without filtering, he would end up in the grave in no time.

Monster hunting wasn’t easy work…

He understood.

At least this one spoke with common sense.

This one needed to be dismissed!

Damn it, there was no dismissal button?

Well, the fact that the country was running at all without ministers was already a miracle.

Since it was like a ruined nation that had lost all its officials, he needed to find interior ministers.

Kim Hwang-je used Resident Summon (Lv.2) to give orders to the Hunter.

[Hunter. Go take over the Public Security Department.]

[Eh…? Your Majesty, what about the underground organizations?]

[They seem to want collusion. Pretend to collude with them, then wipe them all out. Can you do it?]

[Of course I can!]

Kim Hwang-je set the message aside and read the next report.

This one was only normal when it came to gluttony.

Still, shouldn’t they also hear the druids’ side?

Okay.

This one was a good idiot.

Kim ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hwang-je stopped reading.

This one was a pervert.

Instead, he used Resident Summon (Lv.2) to give orders to the Hunter.

[While you’re at it, there are perverts in the Loyalty Department… They might spread it to the people, so handle it as you see fit.]

[Understood.]

Kim Hwang-je looked at the empty lot to the left of the castle and thought.

‘What should I build there first to earn some praise?’