Published: January 4, 2026
After leaving the Oscar Residence, I hailed a carriage and climbed in.
“Where to?”
“To the palace—Skyroad.”
“Yes, sir!”
Responding to my order, the coachman cracked his whip and the carriage began to move.
I had a little thought and decided to use a common nickname that sounded more like something the common folk would say.
Skyroad—the road in the sky.
Because the emperor is seen as a heavenly being, the main avenue in front of the palace is colloquially called the Skyroad.
It’s a somewhat mocking nickname, so even though the royal family knows it, they rarely use it.
But I deliberately did.
Then, casually, I spoke to the coachman.
“How’s business? Making a profit?”
“Yes, sir, it’s going okay. There was a time when we’d drive around and couldn’t get any passengers, and it was questionable whether we could even afford the horse’s feed.”
The coachman said that, reaching out to stroke the horse.
“But now, as long as we go out, we at least get some customers, so there’s no trouble making a living.”
“I see.”
I nodded clearly.
Since it was a rare opportunity, I wanted to pose as someone far removed from governance and hear the real voices from the common streets.
True information rarely reaches the emperor.
People fear punishment, or they try to curry favor.
Most of the information flowing up from ordinary ministers is embellished.
Henry and Oscar know me well, so there’s less of that with them, but even they exercise some consideration.
The only one who doesn’t really hold back is Phil Morm, whom I happened to catch by chance.
I consider him a real treasure.
“So, we can say the economy is improving. Do you know why?”
“Well, someone like me can’t understand difficult things.”
“It’s fine to just share your honest feelings.”
“Hmm, well, I suppose it’s because His Majesty the emperor abdicated.”
“Oh?”
The retired emperor, Father, stepped down, and the economy improved?
Why is that?
To be frank, even now, I don’t compare to Father at all.
Father is the empire’s finest—no, among all the dynasties recorded in history, one of the greatest wise rulers.
And yet the economy got better after he abdicated...?
What could that mean?
“Why did things improve after His Majesty abdicated?”
“Well, the previous emperor was old, right?”
“Ah.”
“Which means, it wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly passed away.”
“That’s true, at that age.”
“When the emperor dies, well, business suffers for at least half a year, sometimes even a full year.”
“...Ah.”
I understood.
The death of an emperor is a significant event.
Of course, orders are sent to the provinces, but more than that, in the capital city—being the emperor’s seat—the entire city must mourn.
Entertainment venues like taverns close completely.
Meals become simple, stylish clothing is forbidden, and many prohibitions are enforced.
Honestly, the capital temporarily comes to a complete halt.
“That’s why people get prepared in advance; even when that happens, they can survive. Everyone tightens their purse strings and saves carefully.”
“I see, so when it’s not the emperor, even if he dies, it doesn’t affect things that badly.”
“Exactly. The current emperor is young, so he’s got decades left. With that peace of mind, people loosen their purse strings, I think.”
“I understand.”
I nodded firmly.
It was a line of thought I hadn’t considered, but it made sense.
Rulers, after all, succeed if they can reassure the people and give them hope for the future.
This was... a valuable insight.
I had known about the ceremonial protocols regarding the emperor’s death, but I hadn’t imagined its impact on the people.
Hearing this was a joy beyond expectation.
“We’ve arrived, sir.”
“Thank you.”
I pulled some money from my pocket and handed it to the coachman.
He took it—and was surprised.
“Sir!? This is...!?”
“A tip. Keep it.”
“Ti-tip...? Isn’t this about 100?”
Strictly speaking, it was 1000 Liens, but I deliberately didn’t correct him.