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I see emperor stats-Chapter 125

intimate contact

The purpose of Julius' gathering of people was to sort out suspicious forces as much as possible before ascending to the crown prince.

The first was to find a black market. They will also be grinding their teeth at Julius, so they shouldn't leave any regrets behind.

And the second was stabilization of state affairs. No matter how well you take care of the nobles, if there is someone among them who has a different mind, an accident will inevitably happen.

The first one was looking for the best in the Hyeonwoljeon. The second was the responsibility of the bureaucrats who followed Julius.

It started with an agenda brought up by Mareus at the Daejeon meeting.

“Are you saying you want to conduct a tax investigation in the southern part of the Empire?”

"exactly. There will be regular inspections in the future, so please prepare.”

"her… … .”

“Maybe this is a good thing?”

A groan broke out among the nobles. I'd say something if it was just to find fault with them and to annoy them, but this time the reason was quite plausible.

Mareus held the papers he had brought from the north in front of them and continued.

“This time, it has been confirmed that a fairly large-scale tax leak has been leaked into the northern city of the Empire. It's not that I doubt you, but His Majesty is also interested in this, so I can't help it.”

As he said, the emperor sat on the throne without speaking, but he was staring at the nobles with an expression of anger.

The nobles couldn't help but flinch.

'I'm screwed. Now that this has happened, I have to fill in the empty ledger even with my own money, but how can I do this?'

'Wasn't His Highness the First Prince embracing us? Wouldn't this be difficult?'

It was not without imperfection among them, but it was customary for most southern aristocrats to keep some sort of back money.

The problem was that neither the emperor nor Mareus knew about it. This was no different from a great provocation thrown at them.

Julius also added strength to Mareus' words.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say that there was an official who did a great job in investigating the lost taxes in the North this time?”

“You mean bayon. He is young but very promising.”

“If you are a person with such ability, it would be good to use it at this opportunity.”

"of course. Actually, I was going to tell you first.”

The two of them were talking as if it was not a big deal, but it was like a board that had already been put together, so the words fit perfectly.

In the end, the nobles couldn't even hear it, and the tax investigation in the southern part of the empire was decided.

“With Mareus as the head, we will dispatch a special inspector to the entire southern territory. Let’s all prepare to respond to the tax audit.”

At the emperor's declaration, the nobles were busy rolling their heads. There were two main reactions.

First of all, they were outright complainers.

“It wasn't like this when His Highness the Grand Duke was alive. You're already trying to break us. Where will you be able to live like this?”

Watching that scene, Julius laughed.

'Those like that are the ones who are ahead of their mouths but can't act. They are typical small people who are busy only taking care of their own interests.'

The second category was resignation and practicality.

“What can I do? Just because we are united now, without His Highness the Grand Duke, can we keep His Majesty the Emperor or His Highness the 1st Prince in check? Let’s stop complaining unnecessarily and find a way to reduce the damage.”

Julius thought it would be okay to bring such people into his allies.

'If they're quick-witted and know how to read the trend, at least they're not incompetent, right?'

And, to a lesser extent, there was also a third category. And filtering out such people was the real purpose of this tax investigation.

“… … .”

It was not to the extent of the Grand Duke, but the leading nobles in the south mostly fell into this category. They left Daejeon without saying a word with hard faces.

Julius looked at it with cold eyes and then clicked his tongue.

'Tsk! You made the worst choice. I threw the bait, so can I wait for the bite to come?'

It was hard to understand from his common sense, but the original desire for power and wealth obscures people's judgment.

The sweetness of power is so frightening that even an elderly person who has spent decades in politics will do anything to protect it.

A few days after the shocking announcement of the tax investigation.

“Your Highness, the Marquis of Wallace has visited.”

“The Marquis of Wallace?”

However, while waiting for a bite, Julius had a strange experience of getting caught in a place other than where he threw the bait.

"majesty! No matter how many sins I have committed, this tax audit is too much for this old man!”

Wallace burst open the door, cried, fell on his knees at Julius' feet, and began to weep loudly.

Looking at him with a pitiful look, Julius realized that he had forgotten him for a while.

'ah! Come to think of it, did you forget about this guy?'

He also forgot about it for a while, but Wallace was the owner of the Ryan Merchant, the biggest mercenary in the South. Of course, due to his greedy personality, the amount he has eaten will be beyond imagination.

From Wallace's point of view, it was a thunderbolt from the dry sky! It also put him in an unlucky situation, as if a lightning bolt was aimed at him and fell.

'Tsk! Still, this person is still worth using.'

After staring at him for a while, Julius felt a bit pitiful, but the moment he saw his condition, he felt those thoughts disappear.

[John Wallace]

Current Status: Anxiety, Conflict

'You seem to be hiding something from me? If the only goal was to cling to the tax investigation, how could there be internal conflict?'

Still, he couldn't be blindly suspicious, so he decided to test Wallace.

“Even if you think of past friendships, at least make an exception for me… … .”

“Wallace! Aren't you hiding something from me before that?”

Cutting off his words, Julius coldly sighed. However, Wallace, who is now in this situation, was once a father who ran the top of the empire. Let go of the pretense for once.

“What do you mean? Recently, I have never done anything that would harm His Highness.”

'It's a clever word. Does that mean the offer is accepted?'

No matter how much of a poker face Wallace had, there was no way he could escape his mind-seeing eyes. Looking at his condition again, Julius felt his doubt hardened into certainty.

[John Wallace]

Presence: Surprise, Conflict, Doubt

'If he's really innocent, it's normal when his condition changes to a guilty mind, right? After all, this guy hasn't come to his senses yet, has he?'

[The attribute 'Emperor's Dignity' is activated.]

[Charisma and charm increase.]

Julius gestured lightly into the air, lifting Wallace's body into the air. Then he makes eye contact with him.

“Wouldn’t you know the answer better?”

“Hey!”

Wallace struggled on his limbs in the air, terrified.

This time, there was also growth as a warrior, and as the rank of the skill increased, the sense of intimidation that radiated from Julius' body was incomparable to before.

But this time, since Julius had Wallace firmly fixed in the air, he was not allowed to lie flat or avoid his eyes.

He was not mentally strong enough to withstand this force. He was about to faint halfway through tears and runny nose.

Smack!

After throwing him to the ground, Julius opened his mouth again with a calm expression.

“Stop talking and speak properly. What group did you get an offer from?”

Wallace convulsed on the floor and managed to let out a voice close to screaming.

"this… The name was not taught. But I never accepted that offer. This is innocent! Please trust me, Your Highness!”

“Then can you tell us what they look like?”

"uh… I couldn't see their faces, but they were a group of people wearing black hoods. They said that if you follow their words, they will help you suppress Highness Julius.”

“Did such an offer come to other nobles besides you?”

“As far as I know, most high-ranking nobles had such contact. Because of that, we had separate meetings.”

After a while, Julius let go of his cold expression.

"You're not lying this time, are you? There won't be another chance, so be careful.”

"omg… omg… I apologize.”

With Wallace breathing heavily in front of him, Julius was lost in thought.

'Even if I try to appease, there's no way all the nobles will obey me.'

Discontent erupted in the South, he expected. However, it seemed that a separate force was instigating them. Of course, there was no need to worry about the black hooded group who contacted them in the south.

'If there is a force in the south that can gnaw me at me, there is a high probability that it will be a black market.'

Their operation was roughly guessed. Since he was severely burned in Heaven Guard, there was a high possibility that it was part of a plan to eliminate him by reinforcing his power. But is there any means to get rid of him, possibly in the capital?

'But they're confident about something, so they must have seduced Wallace, who must be dissatisfied with this tax audit.'

“Wallace! Can you guess your purpose this time around? If I didn't get the Ryan Company out of the tax investigation, did you have any intention of joining them?"

"I… Not at all! I flatly refused. It really is!”

“Yeah, I must have been scared. But it is true that you betrayed me without telling the truth.”

“… … .”

Wallace had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. Julius also spoke again in a calm voice.

“There is only one way for you to atone. You know what?”

Wallace's face turned corpse blue again. He too was quick to notice. He realized what Julius wanted from him.

“I will accept their offer.”

“This is the right choice. Then, make sure to post reports regularly.”

Julius grinned and patted him on the shoulder. Their clues were found in unexpected places. If things go well there, you will see additional benefits.

'It went better. It's a good opportunity to stabilize the South while hitting the black market.'

* * *

In the knights quarters of the detached palace, a man who had not been able to sleep tonight was walking around the room with an expression full of questions.

'Isn't that strange?'

The name of the man who still looks blue and young is Keynes. After joining the Sharnos Knights, he developed his skills in a short time and was a person who took the position of squad leader. In the eyes of others, it was nothing short of a so-called sudden success.

At first, because of his reputation and personality, he was treated as a troublemaker even within the Knights, but now he is feeling envious eyes from all sides.

Ironically, however, his concerns were there.

'His Highness the Prince... No, should I call you the crown prince soon? Why does someone like that push me like this?'

His goal in life is to live in peace, and he didn't pay much attention to Julius' favor until recently.

'Well, how can I understand the thoughts of the high-ranking person? You must have a rather peculiar taste.'

However, his calm thoughts did not last long. It all started a few weeks before the attack on the imperial palace.

Suddenly summoned by Julius, he couldn't help but sting from the first word.

“Is the Jinbeop training going well?”

“Actually, it still seems daunting to me.”

"is it?"

This time, he was in charge of one of the three central axes while learning the jinbeop, and unlike the other two, he was not easily used to it.

'Couldn't it be a special training to be beaten again?'

Keynes was nervous, but thought it couldn't be. The reason he struggled was not because of his mental strength or swordsmanship.

"hmm… You certainly have talent, but your inner skills are too lacking. That's why I get tired of my grass in the middle and fall out.”

These were the words of a monster-like Oriental who was teaching that it was true. As he said, Keynes did not have a very good foundation for the force.

That was the reason why he couldn't rise to master level even though he had excellent swordsmanship.

'This time I have an excuse. No matter how much I roll while being hit, the absolute amount of force can increase!'

"hmm?"

In front of Keynes who was so nervous, Julius seemed to think for a moment. Then he pulled out a small box from his chest.

“I heard that you are suffering quite a bit. I hope this helps.”

“Your Highness, what is this?”

After receiving the box from Julius and opening it, Keynes was momentarily speechless. Inside was an object that emitted a brilliant golden light.

"As you can see, it's a force stone."

“… … .”

Keynes had no choice but to conflict while staring at the box and at Julius for a while.

'Even at first glance, this looks very precious. Can someone like me accept it?'

What Julius held out was the inner end of the Imoogi, half of which was used in the desert, with half remaining. Of course, the S-class Force Stones were so precious that their value could not be converted into money.

'But no matter how valuable it is, it's meant to be used in the end, so it's fortunate that the owner was found.

He urged Keynes with an expression of insignificance.

“It's not that valuable from my point of view, so I don't have to worry about it. In fact, you've worked hard for a while, but haven't you received nothing but vacation?"

"Is that so?"

Keynes, who fell for Julius' candy coating, took the drug, and within a few weeks realized that it was a lie.

It was because Jegal Unhyeon, who was tutoring him, smiled and asked playfully.

“Did you get a chance by falling off a cliff somewhere?”

“… … .”

Keynes was staring at his sword with a bewildered expression. While he was frantically swinging his sword, he felt his whole body become much lighter, and the tangible force flowed out from the sword before he knew it.

'I'm breaking through the master's wall... … .'

In fact, when it comes to swordsmanship, Keynes was so excellent that there were few opponents even within the Knights.

The problem, as mentioned before, was that the foundation of internal strength was not well polished, so it was stagnant.

Of course, there is no way that such an effect would come out just by picking up something and eating it.

From this point on, whenever Keynes thought of Julius, he couldn't help but feel an unknown chill. The mysterious meeting that had been called there for some time was further fueling the suspicion.

“Eck! Come to think of it, the time has come. I have to go quickly.”

The meeting just happened tonight. Keynes hurried his steps into the palace.