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Episode 75: The Self-Defeating Greedy Pig (II)
“
That can’t be
”
Bernard was the number one target of the purge from the beginning.
I had always thought of him as a cancerous creature eating away at Aktoum.
And I knew very well how to deal with and punish such rotten officials.
I had already done it all with Spinel.
8 times too.
It was almost irrelevant to say that I was like a vacuum cleaner that sucked in all the pests.
“You must know how those who embezzle the country’s money are governed by the laws of the country.”
“Your Majesty
! Please, ah, give me one chance!”
Bernard prostrated with a brooding face.
A chance. If he wanted to be given the opportunity, he should have bowed down and received it like what he was doing now when he first met me.
‘No
 How do I give a money thief a chance in the first place?’
‘Even at work, embezzling public funds is punishable by imprisonment. But, he took the nation’s money?’
This guy was rotten from the ground up.
‘Besides, if I leave him alone, I don’t know when he and Deborah will get together and hit the back of my head.’
It was already annoying, but I thought I should nip it in the bud.
‘In the original work, he grabbed even a single ferring and amassed enormous wealth.’
He saw the country’s money as his own blood.
What was the scariest thing for such a person?
I leaned over to him, who was lying on his face, and grabbed his chin, making him lift his head.
“Your property will be confiscated.”
“!”
‘If blood spurts out of his body, would he have this expression too?’
The corners of Bernard’s eyes were drenched in tears.
It must have been like seeing the property he had cherished and accumulated all his life greedily sanctioned and vanished in an instant.
“Your treasury will be emptied and dust will remain, and your estate will become the property of the country. Never again, perhaps, until you die, you will never be able to accumulate the wealth you have now.”
He was terrified. It was like he had been robbed and left with one ferring in his pocket, becoming a beggar.
The most fearful thing for people who were greedy for money was the disappearance of that money.
Bernard, who was obsessively collecting money, was a man who loved money; fearing it as much as he loved it, and was almost dominated by money.
So there was no better and more effective punishment than this.
“But don’t even think about trying to fool me with the other ledger.”
I whispered softly.
“If even a single ferring is omitted from that ledger
 I will rip your limbs apart and give you prison food according to the laws of the country.”
Bernard’s bloodshot eyes became so unstable and empty that it was hard to believe that they belonged to the living.
How could one write down ten years’ worth of ledgers now without missing even a single ferring?
It was pretty much saying that I would just kill him and tear his limbs apart.
“Oh, and
”
I whispered into his ear, which was shaking in his attempt to not howl.
“You’re going to live counting the days before you go to hell.”
Because that was the punishment he must bear.
Part of the budget he robbed might have been used for the charity of our precious people, and part of it could have been used for the education of young children.
I understood all too well that a budget that was wasted and embezzled without thinking from people of high standing could completely ruin the lives of the people in the lowest places.
I let go of his chin and stood up.
“Take this guy out.”
“Your Majesty
 Please have mercy
”
At that moment, while he was clinging to my feet as if he had come to his senses in a hurry, the door was opened and the guards rushed out and dragged him out.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty
!”
I never looked back.
“Your Majesty
!'”
The wretched howl of weeping was getting farther and farther away.
* * *
‘It’s quiet
’
After all the commotion had passed.
The office was as quiet as if I was the only one inside.
Laura and Maribel seemed to be gauging my mood.
What was surprising was that Seryl, who was usually incredibly loud, was also quiet.
Even that pink cotton candy head that never stopped talking for even 10 seconds was silent.
It was Seryl’s specialty to talk until one’s eardrum bled if you didn’t stop her.
‘Are they finally scared?’
After seeing the bloody purge, the maids in Spinel became scared of me.
On the other hand, Aktoum’s chick-like maids were very bright and fearless.
There was also a more intimate feeling


Somehow, there was a bitter taste in my mouth.
Having been frightened once, it suddenly dawned on me that it would be difficult to go back to the way it used to be.
Their combat power was ‘0’, but when I told the chicks to stay by my side, they did so right away.
I was just going to tell them to get out
 It was a time of such regrets.
Seryl, who had been shifting her eyes hard, was the first to open her mouth.
“Bad guy!”
“

?”
I looked at Seryl curiously.
Due to her anger, both of her cheeks were dyed in peach like her hair.
“The bad guy who robs the state treasury needs to be jailed!”
“I think so too. Besides, during the high priest’s visit, didn’t he treat Your Majesty a bit too much?”
“
I’m glad you finally said it
”
After listening to Laura and Maribel, who added their thoughts one at a time, I realized it belatedly.
The fact that they were overwhelmed by the atmosphere and couldn’t do anything, and then tried ‘pecking their beaks’ too late.
I almost burst out laughing, but I swallowed it hard.
‘It’s cute anyway.’
I felt a strange sense of relief. The fact that they hadn’t changed the way they treated me

They didn’t show it outwardly, but thanks to them, my life in Aktoum was about 10% warmer.
They were chicks with no fighting power, but them being by my side made me feel reassured.
It was a feeling I had never felt in my previous life.
In the meantime, Laura, who was deep in thought, asked me.
“However, Your Majesty, I am sorry to say such a thing
”
“

.”
“Is there anyone suitable to be the next prime minister
?”
She asked as carefully as possible, but I knew the intent of the question and what her concerns were.
The next prime minister had to be chosen carefully.
Otherwise, a second Bernard would roll up the budget like a caterpillar.
The whole country was plagued by pests.
Not only that, even an honest person could not act as a prime minister if he was without a sense of numbers.
Therefore, the decision could only be made after carefully observing talents over a long time.
Laura was genuinely concerned about that and asked.
“Even the previous Empress of Aktoum did the budget without a prime minister.”
“

You’re right”
“So for the time being, I will be enough.”
Why do I say these things with my own mouth?
“Spinel doesn’t have a prime minister. I’ve been in charge of budget-related matters.”
A person who was good at figures and calculations, but who did not covet Aktoum’s treasury.
To be honest, I wasn’t the only one who could do it.
“And there are already several candidates for the prime minister.”
“!”
Laura blinked in surprise.
They must be wondering how on earth I did that.
‘Yes, I’ve been looking for another prime minister since I came to Aktoum.’
Since removing Bernard was a number one priority from the beginning, I was already carefully selecting the next prime minister from the time I had conversations with the nobles in the social world.
It was like thinking about which doll would come out well before inserting a bill in the claw machine.
It’s the so-called ‘re-appointment’ measure where not even one person would be overlooked.
Besides, I have memories of the original work, so it was easier for me to judge people.
I wondered if there was a cheat that selected only the imperial-level talents except for the severance pay.
“
Sometimes, Your Majesty, how do I say this
”
Laura said admiringly.
“You seem to see things that normal people can’t see.”
I was startled inwardly, but I naturally raised the corners of my lips.
“Yes?”
Things like that happened too. If I made excuses for being a person with a particularly good sense, it was enough.
“Ah
! Seryl feels the same way! Sometimes it seems like you see the future!”
“!”
This time, it hit a little closer.
The surprisingly sharp pink cotton candy head almost embarrassed me.
I tried to laugh, saying,
“No way

.”
Maybe it was because we were living together all the time, sometimes these guys were pretty keen.
‘Does Maribel also feel suspicious?’
Of course, Laura and Seryl meant it in a good way, but I took it to mean ‘suspicious’. It pricked me.
Blinking her timid sky-blue eyes, Mariebel blushed and spoke as if she was revealing a secret.
“The more merciless Your Majesty is, the more thrilled I am

.”
Then she hid her face as if embarrassed.
“.

”

Why was she ashamed of herself for saying something that sounded like a pervert

Anyway, out of the three, I couldn’t predict what she was thinking the most.
When she talked about racy things, she would say, ‘Fufufu’, smiling and being more active than anyone else.
‘But all three of them had cuteness as a common factor?’
It was when I was smiling without realizing it.
“Ah! Your Majesty! The appointed time has come. The Crown Prince will be waiting for you.”
Seryl informed me.
“Already?”
I confirmed and smiled quietly.
It really was time.
Time to go out with Rixus.
Among the four of us, I was the first to get up.
“You too, get ready. Let’s go together today.”
“Sure!”
Seryl jumped and rejoiced.
After a while.
I went out to the place where my three maids and Rixus were waiting, expecting to see a ‘simple’ carriage for only Rixus, me, and my three maids.

However, the sight was completely different from what I expected.
It was as if I checked a trap to see if there was a rabbit caught, but then I saw triceratops stuck?
‘
What is this, where the hell are we going
?’