Published: January 4, 2026
After the Jessica incident was settled, I went on to handle government affairs one after another.
Most of them were routine matters, which I dealt with smoothly and distributed to Don and Jiji as needed.
There was a quiet knock on the door.
Don opened the door, received some additional documents from someone in the hallway, and came back.
“These are from the second and third prime ministers. This one is a summary, and this is the original text which I judged you should review yourself. And this—”
“An original text? That’s unusual. Let me have it.”
“Yes, sir.”
I took it from Don.
The original document was Henry’s report.
To conduct government affairs efficiently, I had changed the method a bit from Father’s time.
First, the reports from various regions are reviewed by the second to fourth prime ministers, who then summarize the main points and send that summary up to me.
Even among the regional reports, many are routine or formal.
More to the point, there are quite a few reports filled with excessive flattery aimed at currying favor with me, the emperor.
Such reports are summarized by the prime ministers before reaching me.
Very rarely, some reports go beyond the prime ministers’ authority and responsibility, and those are sent up in their original form without summary.
What I held in my hand now was one of those rare cases, sent directly from Henry at the front lines.
I opened the report and read it from start to finish.
“...Hmm.”
“What is the content, Your Majesty?”
“It says that those claiming to be remnants of Eiler carried a fake palanquin, and they were completely annihilated in one fell swoop.”
“I see.”
“No prisoners, huh?”
“As expected of Fourth His Highness.”
“That’s strange...”
I stared intently at the report, trying to read between the lines for any hidden meaning.
“Is there something, Your Majesty?”
There was nothing between the lines—only a sense of unease.
After reading that far, I looked up and explained to Don, who looked puzzled.
“This isn’t like Henry.”
“What do you mean?”
“They carried out a fake palanquin. In other words, someone impersonating Eiler’s bloodline.”
“That’s a common story, isn’t it?”
“Exactly. Because it’s common, the usual procedure is to completely eliminate the ringleader’s bloodline and publicly execute them as proof once captured.”
I deliberately avoided mentioning the mercy shown to that boy and put it aside, then continued.
“And when a fake appears, you capture them to verify their authenticity.”
“Ah...”
“Henry certainly understands this. Yet he annihilated them all at once... it’s unnatural.”
“I see… ah.”
“What is it?”
“It’s amazing, Your Majesty.”
Don said that as he pulled out Fuwawa’s Box from among the documents.
There were several Fuwawa’s Boxes among the papers, and Don had started to report on them earlier but I had stopped him halfway.
He handed me the box.
“From Henry?”
“It seems there was a secret report addressed only to Your Majesty. As expected of you, Your Majesty.”
“I’ve known Henry for a long time.”
I said that and opened the Fuwawa’s Box from Henry.
I took out the report inside and read it.
“...I see.”
“May I ask about the content?”
“Ah, it seems it was the duel team led by Neil that went on a rampage.”
I said that and handed the report to Don.
Henry’s report stated that it was Neil and his group who wiped out the fakes.
Neil Noble.
He was still known as the empire’s strongest general and the third son of Damian Noble.
Damian had sworn loyalty to Father and had no divided loyalties to the empire, but he was also a doting father who used his connections to advance his children’s careers.
Among his children, Neil was the only one who did not benefit from Damian’s connections or fame.
When I investigated why, it turned out Damian recognized Neil’s talent and believed he could get ahead without any connections.
Knowing that, I met Neil, tested his abilities, and promoted him accordingly.