Chapter 59 - The Walking Fine

59. The Walking Fine

Although Duke Javier used another identity to commission a request, he could not avoid <Evil’s> dense information network. The story that the Duke made a request to find a person, reached Aiden’s ears immediately.

Aiden, who had stopped by the guild, heard the report directly from the submitter, Casey, who was in charge of the actual operation.

“Who is he looking for?”

“A man who raises the auction prices and then disappears everytime.”

Aiden’s eyebrows narrowed. In the meantime, Casey’s report continued.

“His age is unknown. He wears a black hood and his face has never been seen.”

“……”

“So, it’s Master.”

“…He’s looking for me.”

What kind of reaction should he show? Aiden was flustered. It was a very funny situation to ask the information guild to find the head of the information guild.

“What should we do?”

At Casey’s question, Aiden found a pen and paper. It wasn’t a matter of arbitrary decision.

Casey snooped around while Aiden wrote a brief note.

“Are you writing to ‘that person’?”

“Yeah.”

“Just what kind of person is ‘that person’? I’m curious because I’ve never seen him.”

“There’s nothing to know.”

Aiden cut Casey’s curiosity ferociously. Three years had passed since the creation of Evil. While dealing with foreign affairs, everyone knew Aiden as the guild leader. However, among the guild members, some, who were trusted by Aiden, knew that there was a master above him. However, since Aiden never spoke about the real master, there was no information about him.

‘The information that comes in time to time is amazing.’

Creepy information was brought in to the point of wondering just what kind of route was found. It was the kind of information that could only be heard from the mouths of aristocrats themselves.

When he learned that all the sources of information came from one person, he was curious about the identity. However, neither the individual’s ability nor the guild’s information network could determine the master’s identity.

‘Just what does this person do for a living?’

No gender, age, status, or anything. Casey asked again, ignoring the vibes.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re too much.”

(T/N: Casey spoke with aegyo here.)

Casey departed sadly, making a whining sound. Aiden called out Mabel’s animal friend, who was always circling around him without looking in his direction. The mouse, suppressed by Aiden’s energy, trembled and took the note.

As he dealt with guild work that was pushed, the day was over. He felt like he couldn’t return to the Imperial Palace today. Aiden looked out the window and suddenly thought about Mabel.

‘What if you fall down when I’m not there?’

Mabel often tripped over her feet while taking a walk. If Aiden was there, it’s okay since he would catch her, but sometimes, she would return from a walk alone with blood on her knees.

Perhaps, because of that, it was difficult for Aiden to keep his eyes off Mabel. When he woke up, he would take care of Mabel without realizing it.

Mabel had a lax and cute side, so it was unavoidable. It was when Aiden was about to start working again. A small creature was caught in his dark veil.

“Squeak…”

He ignored the mouse that pretended to be pitiful and snatched the letter from Mabel. He was just thinking about Mabel, so he was glad to hear from her.

When he opened the letter that was to long to call a note, Mabel’s crooked handwriting caught his eye. The bloody content didn’t match the clumsy handwriting.

[Spill false information about your identity. You can say he’s Marquis Gardenia’s thug. It won’t matter because their relationship isn’t good anyway. And how about gaining Duke Javier’s trust and making a deal with his top? It would be nice to slowly invest in it and then destroy it in one shot!]

“……”

Mabel’s face came to mind, who would have written the letter saying that the stupid Duke Javier dug his own grave.

‘You usually look like a baby your age, but why do you look evil only in these cases?’

He cancelled the saying that she’s lax and cute.

It was a problem that he didn’t dislike the problem that she’s evil.

***

Yawn

.

I came down from the throne with a small yawn. Even today, I was laying down to be faithful as a lazy Emperor.

‘I’ll eat cake, brush my teeth, and then take a nap!’

“Hehe…”

It was when I was satisfied with my perfect plan once I left the conference hall.

“Your Majesty!!”

Someone called me in a loud voice. I looked back with my eyes wide open. His loud voice also gathered the attention of Daddy and the other vassals, including myself.

“Whath wrong?”

What happened? The vassal who called men had somewhat of an ill-tempered expression. It made me nervous.

“I have something to say to Your Majesty.”

“Go on.”

“I have a wish of a lifetime, and I hope you will listen to it. I sincerely ask…!”

How desperate was his wish to ask with such a grand preface? I got serious.

Parliamentary nobles who attended the regular meetings were often referred to as symbols of power. If so, it wouldn’t be a problem about money, so what was the problem that can’t be solved with money?

“Ah’ll listhen first.”

However, I wasn’t soft enough to say ‘okay’ right away. When I looked up at the tall vassal uncle, he clenched his fists as if he made up his mind.

“It is a wish of a lifetime. Just once is fine, so I’d like to stroke Your Majesty’s head…!”

Bustle!

There was immediate turmoil. All the uncles, who were watching the man as if it was their business, stood up a in a rush.

“That, that unscrupulous….!”

“How dare you spit that kind of impure remark?!”

“The death penalty! Let’s kill him!”

Daddy, who stared at the man with an eerie look, overwhelmed the vassals slowly. The eyes of the vassal uncles were bloody, as if they were going to rip him to death.

“Are you saying that because you want to die? You want to stroke the Emperor’s head? I see you’re a crazy dog.”

I tilted my head at his voice. And I looked up at the vassal, who was contemplating in fear.

“Vassal Uncle.”

“Yes, yes…!”

“Not my head.”

“I see…”

The vassal uncle’s shoulders drooped. But there was a line I can’t compromise on.

No matter how much I was the Emperor in name only, with no power, it’s contrary to the dignity to allow a vassal to stroke my head.

I fully understood the feeling of wanting to pet something because it’s cute.

‘I don’t like looking easy.’

Instead, I raised my hand and grabbed the vassal’s hand, who was sagging weakly. My hand was so small that it was more appropriate to say that I held his finger rather than his hand.

“Instead, I can shake youwe hand!”

As I shook his arm up and down, the uncle’s hand started to shake too.

“Huk…”

His eyes widened as if something so surprising just happened.

‘Maybe he doesn’t like shaking hands?’

It was when I let go because it became somewhat gloomy that Daddy ran and grabbed my hand tightly.

“Mabel, what the hell are you doing!”

“Uung?”

“With these small, precious and cute hands… how come…”

His emotions were so overbearing that Daddy couldn’t talk.

‘If someone sees this, it would look like I sold my hands.’

I looked at Daddy with cold eyes.

“So what. Ith my hands.”

“What? Mabel, how could you say that…”

“And Daddy pets my head, so how cowld you stwop the vassal uncles fwom shaking my hand?”

“That’s because I’m your Dad…”

“Even if you’we my dad, you can’t stop me!”

I deliberately spoke strongly, in case he would kill the vassal who asked to stroke my head. Although the request to stroke the Emperor’s head was disrespectful, it wasn’t enough to sentence someone to death.

I didn’t say anything harsh, but Daddy was in shock.

‘Sigh. I’m tired of acting as a daughter.’

It was when I sighed, wondering if I resolved the commotion.

“Y-Your Majesty. I also want to shake hands…”

Another vassal came up. Then another uncle stood in line behind him.

“I also want to shake hands…”

“Me too…”

Suddenly, there was a long line in front of me. I was a little flustered at the situation I didn’t expect at all, but I was willing to shake hands with them.

“Thank you for your hard work today, too.”

“Sob. It is the honor of my family, Your Majesty!”

“Good work, Gwandpa.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Hahaha!”

I greeted the uncles one by one. It was important to maintain a strong militaristic relationship.

“Please shake hands with me too, haha.”

“……”

However, when Duke Javier smiled and reached out his hand, I wanted to cancel my thoughts a little.

***

Since that day, strange customs occurred in the Imperial Palace.

“Just what’s going on over there?”

“You can shake hands with Her Majesty apparently.”

It was the people who asked for a handshake with twinkling eyes as Mabel passed by.

“Your Majesty! A handshake for me too!”

“Yes yes. Stay heawthy.”

Shaking hands wouldn’t wear out hands. Mabel, a cautious human, shook hands with people happily.

‘It’s like an election campaign. It’s fun.’

Of course, Esteban was angry.

“Shitty bastards. To think you’re taking advantage of Mabel’s soft heart.”

Of course, he could pet Mabel, hug her, and leave a kiss on her forehead when she was asleep, but he still didn’t like it. Esteban might have been looking at them with blaring eyes, but the people shook hands with Mabel happily, pretending they didn’t see it.

At first, he endured it, but Esteban’s patience gradually wore out. Eventually, Esteban reached the point of precipitation.

[If you make contact with the Emperor, you will be fined.]

It was a way to prevent contact with a huge fine. But what Esteban overlooked was that people loved Mabel much more than he thought. Enough that they didn’t care about the fine.

“A fine? You just have to pay it!”

“Now we can shake Her Majesty’s hand to our heart’s content without being wary of His Majesty! Haha!”

Rather, they came to like that they were able to shake her hand legally. (?) Thus, thanks to Esteban’s suicide, a specialty was born in the Imperial Palace.

‘The walking fine,’ was what Her Majesty the Emperor was called.

***

Today was the day of the class with the priest. In fact, the only ones who knew the truth that Hael, the priest, was the Holy King Michael, was me and the kitty.

‘I did it to save the world, but I can’t say anything.’

There was no reason to return him to Abelardo because he said he had no purpose other than to meet me and tell me the contents of the oracle.

In fact, there was an impure purpose.

‘I have to learn how to deal with divine power.’

The priests in the past were useful enough, but now the opponent was none other than the Holy King. Wouldn’t he be somehow different?

He seemed to be a great prey with an excellent use.

When I entered the parlor where the King was waiting, he greeted me in a friendly manner.

“I heard the rumors. The treasury will become quite strong.”

It was a story about the fine Daddy placed. I shrugged and sat across the King.

“It wasn’t exthpected, but having a wot of money is good.”

Money was always the right answer. It’s the money that’s rotting in the noble’s pockets anyway. As I grinned, the King shook his head.

“Even if you’re cute, you’re vicious.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Would you like to pay a fine too, King?”

“No. The priests are poor.”

Sounded like nonsense.

Even though the Holy Kingdom’s territory was small and the population was small, the sincere belief in the Gods of the Kingdom and the tremendous offering can boast great power.

So even if Abelardo stayed still, their finances were so full that their fortunes were piled up. With that budget, they also played with neighboring countries, taking advantage in negotiations.

“The Holy King is richer than me.”

“I wouldn’t be.”

“Ung?”

“When it comes to private property, there is no one who can beat the Emperor of Ermano.”

As I listened to him, all the things I had received from Daddy since I was born passed through my mind. Ponce Castle, the Imperial North Forest, the Vistante Duchy, and even a villa, a villa, a country, a country, a province, a province, and all sorts of treasures.

Oh yeah, I’m rich…

After provoking for no reason, I brought up the reason for coming here.

“Did you pwepare for class?”

Even today, the King came without a textbook, so I wasn’t expecting much. But the Holy King nodded as if it were natural.

“But you don’t have a book?”

The King answered my question.

“Who am I?”

“The Holy King.”

“What did I say the blessing I received from God was?”

“The memories of the successive Holy Kings?”

“Yes. So why would I carry heavy books?”

I admire his attitude.

‘Well, he’s stuck up but cool.’

***

Duke Javier’s gold mine had been dug up for days secretly, and the Duke hadn’t noticed that his gold mine was being robbed yet.

When everything was going smoothly, the moles came in contact with me out of nowhere. I crouched down and saw the moles heads pop out.

Read Latest Chapters at wuxiaworld.eu

“Why? Is thewe a pwoblem?”

[It’s not a problem, kuhong…. I found something like this in the gold mine.]

The mole dup into the ground for a moment and came out with something. Seeing it, my eyes widened.

“This is…?”

It was something I had seen before.