Published: January 4, 2026
As I was talking with Neil, the carriage gradually slowed down and eventually came to a complete stop.
"Have we reached today’s camp?"
Just as I said that, the young eunuch Luke called out loudly from outside.
"I-It's Luke, Your Majesty."
"Come in."
"Excuse me."
With the emperor’s permission, Luke entered the carriage and prostrated himself before me.
"What’s going on?"
"It seems we’ve arrived at the place for today’s camp. The tents will be ready shortly, so please wait a little longer."
"Very well."
I nodded, glanced at Neil, and thought for a moment.
"Shall we do an inspection?"
"Inspection? For what?"
"To build an alibi."
"An alibi...?"
Neil’s expression grew even more puzzled after hearing my explanation.
I smiled softly and held up the ring before my eyes.
Then, I concentrated and summoned Apophis.
Apophis, the one who governs and controls all poisons.
During this campaign, I used Apophis at night to expel alcohol from my body as I drank, so no matter how much I drank, I never got drunk.
This time, I did almost the exact opposite.
"Ugh..."
"Y-Your Majesty...?"
Both Neil and Luke furrowed their brows simultaneously.
Neil’s reaction was quite direct — even in front of the emperor, he pinched his nose.
"By the look of it, you caught the scent properly."
"Not just caught it — what’s with this smell of alcohol? It’s like I’ve been soaking in a barrel of booze all day."
Neil said, and Luke nodded repeatedly.
"It’s a little magic."
"You mean... the demonic sword Leviathan’s?"
"Not Leviathan, but something of the same nature."
If I said that, Leviathan, who is quite proud, might protest, but I prioritized clarity and just said so.
To ordinary humans, Leviathan and Apophis are not that different.
Neither is human—they are beings far beyond human understanding.
"Does that mean you can control it freely?"
"Yes."
"Amazing... and from what I can tell, it just smells like alcohol."
"Good intuition, that’s exactly it."
As expected of Neil, I thought to myself.
Yes, I had ordered Apophis to emit the smell of alcohol, and that was all it did.
Normally, if something smells that strongly of alcohol, you’d expect unsteady footing, impaired thinking, or slurred speech, but there was none of that.
Just the smell of alcohol, nothing more.
I alighted from the carriage.
Neil and Luke hurriedly followed behind.
When I stepped out, the vast grassland was already about eighty percent set up for the camp.
At first, I was a little surprised that we stopped so soon.
But it’s impossible for the emperor to be at the very front of a marching formation.
The leading troops set up the camp to some extent before the emperor’s carriage—me—arrived, so this situation happened.
Without saying anything, I started walking.
Behind me, Neil gestured and brought along some soldiers who followed.
Luke did not come.
Perhaps he judged that since Neil was escorting me, there was no need for the eunuch to be involved.
In any case, I led Neil and the others as we inspected the camp.
Most of the soldiers, upon seeing me, immediately stood at attention and saluted.
In peacetime, the emperor is given a kneeling salute — kneeling as a formality — but in the military, maintaining combat readiness is prioritized, so except in extraordinary circumstances, standing salutes are sufficient.
This meant I could clearly see their facial expressions.
About one in ten soldiers looked dissatisfied with me — the emperor.
That was only natural.
A ruler who spent every day womanizing until dawn, and when he occasionally showed his face, reeked of alcohol.
It was only natural for them to harbor resentment.
I was satisfied with that reaction.
Along with the matter of Alice, showing this image would make those around recognize me as a bad emperor.
Now, if only there were some spies planted among the soldiers, then it would be perfect.
"Stop! What’re you doing?"
"Seize him!"
Suddenly, from the direction I was heading, an unsettling commotion arose.
Immediately after, ignoring the restraining soldiers, a middle-aged soldier dashed up to me and prostrated himself on the spot.