When the Emperor Needs Money?

Two days later.

Librata manor.

I faced the count and Roderic in the study.

“To review what’s happened and discuss what comes next.”

How the Marquis Crocell affair connected to the elves.

And how the elves had tried to massacre the Librata count’s family as well.

I revealed almost everything, only hiding Lisera’s intelligence.

“In fact, here’s the written order Berk received from the elven elders. It’s written in Elven script, but.”

The count’s face became extremely grave.

Roderic spoke with equal seriousness.

“The elves would eliminate all of us if given the chance. If second or third waves of attacks came, we couldn’t hold them off.”

“They’re an entire race, while we’re only a portion of humanity. We can’t match their numbers.”

The count pointed at the order I had set before him.

“If we report this order as evidence, couldn’t we stop the elves?”

“The elves aren’t complete idiots. It’s written vaguely — something about eliminating whatever interferes with bringing back Alicia. Since they didn’t name Librata directly, they have room to wriggle out.”

“Mmm.”

The count and Roderic wore serious expressions.

Then they stared at me intently.

“I do take after Mom, so I’m somewhat handsome, aren’t I?”

“Rigen, do you have a solution?”

The count asked earnestly.

“If offering my head would resolve this, I’d give it gladly. But the elves seem intent on not leaving even our family’s roots intact……”

“Father, what nonsense are you saying? I would rather stake our house’s survival and fight them to the end than watch you die at the elves’ hands.”

Roderic protested strongly.

I gave a bitter smile.

“If Father died like that, wouldn’t you become count immediately?”

“Rigen! Is that something to say!”

Roderic’s face hardened and he rebuked me sharply.

His genuinely angry expression made me subtly shrink my shoulders.

To calm him down.

“I’m sorry. That was just a test, so stop being angry.”

“What? A test?”

“I’ve prepared countermeasures. As long as Fourth Princess Lisera stays at Librata, the elves won’t dare move rashly. Of course, this is temporary — not a fundamental solution.”

I looked between the two of them as I spoke.

“I’ll bring in the dark elves.”

“……What?”

“Mm.”

Both looked shocked.

The count thought briefly, then said,

“The elves and dark elves have bad blood between them. If the elves tried to annihilate us rather than support us, borrowing strength from the dark elves makes sense. There’s logic to it.”

“However, the dark elves could just as easily discard us once they’ve extracted what they want. Isn’t that the problem?”

Roderic’s point.

I nodded.

“Yes, I’ll carefully manage the details. So I’d like you to entrust me with full authority.”

“Understood. Rigen, we’ll follow your lead.”

“I have no objections either…… but what did you mean earlier by ‘test’?”

Roderic glared at me.

It had been something worth getting angry over, really.

I scratched my chin as I spoke.

“Ah, as things progress, my presence will probably become more prominent. Then rumors might spread that I’m pushing you aside to aim for the count’s position. I threw out those words preemptively.”

“……You brat.”

Roderic glared at me, then let out a deep sigh.

“Just become count yourself after Father. Go ahead.”

“Hiiieeek.”

“Don’t make that genuinely disgusted face. Just do whatever you want.”

Roderic grumbled.

I had said it worried about creating conflict if I kept making decisions while sidestepping him, the eldest son.

But now he truly trusted me.

I shrank my shoulders.

“I didn’t realize Brother’s firm resolve to become unemployed. This youngest brother failed to see it. But the dream of being unemployed! I absolutely cannot yield that.”

“If neither of you will do it, I’ll have to keep going for a while longer.”

When even the count joined in, laughter erupted before anyone could stop it.

Roderic tried to maintain a stern face but eventually laughed too, and I burst out laughing again at the sight.

It was joyful.

Right — aren’t people more important than power?

What I had wanted, what I couldn’t obtain as emperor — it was here right now.

After laughing for a while.

The count spoke.

“If you need support, how about contacting Kalbina?”

“Ah, my older sister…… you mean?”

Someone I had only heard about.

The eldest daughter, Kalbina Librata.

She had left the Librata estate and now served in the imperial military.

Just that track record alone made her quite the oddity.

Roderic frowned.

“No, Father. If that one gets involved, it’ll only make things bigger. She’s reckless, isn’t she?”

“You brat. What kind of talk is that about your sister? The youngest has changed so much day by day — she’s probably changed a lot too.”

“The imperial military is out of the question.”

I said it flatly.

When both focused on me, I explained my reasoning.

“As you both know, explosives that should have been strictly controlled within the imperial military leaked out and reached Marquis Crocell. This means the leaks have started within the imperial military itself. If we need to approach the imperial military, we must be extremely careful.”

“……”

“If we make any hasty moves, the blades within the imperial military could reach Kalbina too. We absolutely cannot take this lightly.”

The count looked at me in surprise, then nodded.

“Hahaha, right. You’re correct. Then is there anything else you need?”

“I’d like to review the account ledgers.”

I said with a smile.

The meeting ended.

Walking down the corridor with me, Roderic suddenly spoke.

“You’ve really grown up, Rigen. Why did you change so much?”

“Huh?”

“……No, was that a strange thing to say? It’s just surprising how you change day by day.”

Roderic said while looking out the window.

“When talk of Kalbina came up, you wiped the smile from your face and spoke so precisely — it was mesmerizing. Like watching a mature, seasoned politician.”

“If you sleep with all kinds of women, you end up like this. Want to try playing around thoroughly, Brother?”

“You brat.”

Roderic put his arm around my shoulders and looked out the window as he spoke.

As if embarrassed to say it while facing me.

“Anyway, with you pulling yourself together…… and showing all these talents while working so hard, both Father and I feel truly reassured.”

“Don’t worry. My dream is to be unemployed in the future — I plan to work you to death and mooch off you.”

“Thank you, you brat.”

Roderic patted my shoulder firmly and walked ahead.

I briefly watched his retreating back, then sat in a chair in the corridor.

Installed for guests who might wait in the corridor.

Sitting comfortably, I reviewed the documents.

“Let’s see……”

The Librata house’s account ledgers.

Checking how much this noble house earned.

“Income is poor. Expenditure records: last year April 15, Rigen 500,000 won. May 9, Rigen 850,000 won……”

Why was money going out under Rigen’s name?

Continuing my review left me speechless.

“Medical bills and settlement payments?”

The original owner of this body, Rigen Librata, had apparently only targeted women who already had partners and gotten beaten up.

The count had kept spending money to cover it up.

“The youngest really did burn through the family fortune.”

Librata territory had modest income, but money kept flowing out because of Rigen.

I suddenly understood why the estate staff had initially dismissed me, and why they were so delighted when I showed changed behavior.

I closed the ledger and sighed.

“So, what do I do……”

I needed money going forward.

When I extracted that 30 million won check from Burzak, I thought there’d be no problems for a while.

But now I had to take care of my daughter.

Lisera was a child with mobility issues.

Maintaining her dignity as a princess cost money.

And before that…….

“I absolutely cannot stand seeing my daughter looked down upon.”

She had to wear the prettiest clothes and eat delicious food every day, didn’t she?

Naturally, the house should have a pond and garden.

Lisera herself hadn’t complained once about anything so far.

Even when I sent back the elf handmaids except one for security reasons, she accepted it.

Of course, as a princess, Lisera probably had her own assets.

“But I want to make up for what I couldn’t do before……”

The money problem didn’t end there.

Going up to the capital also cost money.

Librata was poor and had no villa in the capital.

We’d need to find separate lodging, and living expenses would drain away.

“And once we get there, I need to see how the empire is running, and take care of the kids.”

What I had to do was simple.

Check what changed in a hundred years, one by one, and confirm how my children were living.

In that process, my wives…… well, who knows.

Even divorced men never give up their weekend visitation rights with their kids, right?

That’s exactly how I felt.

“Whatever I do, I need money. Money’s needed everywhere. I need a fortune.”

That’s why I reviewed the account ledgers, but that Rigen bastard blew it all.

I needed money, but there was none in the house.

I propped my chin on my hand and sank into thought.

“The 3 billion I demanded from the elves — the contract still exists. But collecting it won’t be easy and will take time.”

Librata and the elves had now become adversaries.

Originally, the elves were the type to arbitrarily delay things even when you shoved contracts in their faces.

As I pondered, Garul approached.

“Young Master Rigen, Heinkel says he has a message.”

“What is it?”

“The visitor you’re expecting will arrive this afternoon.”

The dark elf superior was coming.

I planned to squeeze information out of them.

“And Amelia says the Noble Assembly’s envoy will arrive this afternoon as well.”

“Both at the same time?”

“Should I tell one to come tomorrow?”

“No……”

A good idea occurred to me.

A plan to make money in one go!

“I’ll see both today.”

“Then should I tell them to adjust the timing?”

“When they both arrive, push chairs together in the reception room and seat them side by side. Tell Amelia it must be done exactly like that.”

Garul asked doubtfully.

“Um, wouldn’t that cause problems?”

“No, this will solve everything.”

I began explaining.

I’d be taking Garul along as an escort, so he needed at least some awareness.

Teaching him in advance made it easier to work him later.

“Anyone from the Noble Assembly is nobility, coming belatedly to handle Marquis Crocell’s affair. Meanwhile, the dark elf is investigating Heinkel’s issue while trying to extract our information. If I put those two together?”

“Will they kiss?”

“……”

Was this guy insane?

When I looked at him incredulously, Garul quickly said,

“Ah, no. I misspoke. I meant to ask if their interests aligned.”

“Are you lonely? Should I introduce you to a woman?”

“I’m not lonely…… no, I am lonely, but I’ll handle it myself!”

Garul declared forcefully with intense eyes.

I explained again.

“Look, they’re both people sent as envoys by their respective groups. Naturally, they sent only the sharp-witted, smooth-talking ones who are also good kissers, right?”

“Now that you explain it, that makes……wait, I misspoke again.”

“Right, put those two in one place and they’ll have a battle of wits and probe each other fiercely. They’ll be frantically calculating in their heads how to act advantageously.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“They’ll update their intelligence and change their thinking and attitude toward Librata.”

“Then what happens?”

“My value shoots up.”

“……?”

When Garul looked puzzled, I spoke calmly.

“The Noble Assembly thinks our house is the weakest of the twelve houses — an insignificant count’s family in the north. They’ll think we got lucky catching Crocell. But they arrive and find a dark elf here? They’ll probe as much as possible to learn why.”

“Yes, that makes sense.”

“Meanwhile, the dark elf envoy came because reports from Heinkel were cut off — to assess the situation on the ground. But won’t they wonder what the Noble Assembly’s envoy knows?”

“But wouldn’t they avoid carelessly revealing valuable information? After all, they’re carefully selected people.”

Garul actually thought things through for once.

“Right. But that’s one-dimensional thinking. That’s only true initially — they’ll attempt information exchanges. They’ll engage in a calculus battle of giving less and receiving more.”

“Then who wins?”

“……You’re really manly.”

Asking who wins while we’re discussing information and probing?

Garul smiled proudly.

He apparently took it as a compliment.

I clicked my tongue and continued.

“I don’t know who’ll win the information exchange. But both are sharp people, and they’ll each have one thought.”

“What’s that?”

“Librata, who openly gathered these two and made them compete, is no ordinary family. They’re not just country bumpkins in the mountains. And I’ll pour oil on that fire.”

I smiled and concluded.

“I’ll make them think I’m worth investing in. That they should buy me regardless of the cost. That they should bid higher than the other side and secure me.”

“Ah, you’re creating competition! Like an auction!”

Garul finally understood.

I smiled as I said,

“Right, constantly showing off how great I am is annoying. Even if I do nothing and just let things simmer, they’ll competitively bid higher.”

When the emperor needs money, what do you do?

Make them offer it up voluntarily.