Chapter 1 |
It had been about six months since I was appointed as the Prime Minister of the new fiefdom (formerly Cornix Dominion). During that time, Sebas brought me some strange news.
“An ancient ruin you say?”
“Yes, it appears to have been discovered within the fiefdom.”
I sighed at Sebas’s report.
The current fiefdom was still in shambles. It was a wonder how the nation had even been functioning, as development across the land had since come to a complete halt. All the wealth had been siphoned off by the previous king and nobles. The remote regions of the country hadn’t been developed at all and were almost entirely unexplored.
Sensing that the nation couldn’t be rebuilt in such a state, Trau-nii had ordered the development of the land, which led to the current discovery of some valuable mines. However, dealing with the recently excavated ancient ruins was a bit more complicated.
“How many people know about this?”
“Only the villagers in the area where it was discovered.”
“Use my authority as Prime Minister to impose a gag order. Delay reporting this to Trau-nii as well.”
“Ancient ruins are extremely dangerous and the current knights of the fiefdom are still inexperienced. If we send them there to investigate, they might trigger something or pocket artifacts from the ruins.”
The people of the fiefdom were too accustomed to corruption. The current knight regime had only recently changed, and there were only a few trustworthy individuals. Therefore, it was too risky to let them handle ancient ruins. Moreover, the ancient magical tools that lie within such ruins could potentially transform people. After all, there are even cursed swords that can control minds.
It would be best to keep this under the wraps until we can confirm that it isn’t dangerous.
“Should we inform the Adventurers’ Guild?”
“That might bring in someone like No Name. The nation is already unstable, and we can’t afford to bring in someone who might destroy the ruins just to level up a cursed sword. I’ll have to investigate it myself.”
“But Arnold-sama, you’re already busy with your duties as Prime Minister.”
I nodded at Sebas’s words.
There’s still much to be done as Prime Minister as the current reforms are far from complete. However…
“If I tighten the reins on the fiefdom too much, it might cause a backlash. This nation, which was riddled with corruption, has now been heavily regulated by me. It’s the prime time to ease up a bit and release them from the Prime Minister’s grip.”
“And by that, you mean?”
“I’ll take a little time off. During that break, I’ll investigate the ancient ruins.”
“Understood. I shall then inform His Majesty Traugott.”
“He’ll be pleased to hear it—Trau-nii, that is.”
_________
“What?! You want to take some time off? R-Really?!”
“Why would I lie about something like that?”
“Well, you’ve been working so hard lately that I couldn’t help but doubt it… So, if Arnold is going to take a break, then…”
“Just make sure you fulfill your duties as king. I’ll also allow you to slack off a bit.”
Trau-nii’s expression visibly brightened.
Originally, Trau-nii lacked motivation to rule. He had the ability but no drive to use it. Hence, I had kept him working as the ‘Demon Prime Minister.’ However, if I’m taking a break, then Trau-nii can take it easy too. Now the basic structure in the fiefdom is in place and it’s about time we slowed down the pace a bit.
“I can finally spend some peaceful time with Marie…”
“Even though you’re taking a break, it’s only for a week. Don’t get too carried away or you’ll regret it later.”
“I-I know that!”
I gave him a warning, then bowed and left the room.
And so, I secured a week-long vacation.
_________
“This mansion will be our base for now.”
Near the ancient ruins, there stood a Western-style mansion that used to belong to a lord. However, that lord had since been arrested for corruption and since the new lord wasn’t using the mansion, I decided to borrow it for my vacation.
I brought along Finne and Sebas. We also had knights for protection, but they were only tasked with guarding the perimeter of the mansion.
“Well, if the ruins aren’t anything significant, we’ll be done quickly…”
“We won’t know until we go inside, right?”
I nodded in response to Finne, who had already prepared tea.
You can’t determine the danger just from the outside. That’s how it is with ancient ruins and that’s why I took a week off.
“If something happens, you two will have to handle it in my stead.”
“Yes! We’ll manage somehow!”
“People will think that I’m enjoying a vacation with a mistress, so it’s fine if it takes a bit longer.”
“I see… So that’s what people think, huh.”
“That’s convenient. Let them misunderstand all they want.”
“Won’t that make people feel jealous?”
“No problem. People are afraid of me now.”
As I spoke, I finished my tea and stood up. In an instant, I changed my clothes and donned a silver mask.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Take care.”
“Please be safe.”
With their words of farewell, I teleported away.
TL's Notes:Side Story Time!!
Next Chapter
Previous Chapter