The Reluctant Imperialist - Chapter 140

WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Reluctant Imperialist

Chapter 140

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The World Thinks of Us as It Pleases (2)

"From your Zerpa cattle, deliver only the top grade."

A border village on the plateau beyond Alberon Gorge. I held out a new long-term contract to the man who had become a major ranch owner with thousands of cattle in just one year.

"...Y-yes. Understood."

I did not cut the unit price at all. If anything, I set it generously to match the quality.

So he could keep the business stable and push it even further.

"Also, hire the villagers and start collecting the truffles that grow around here professionally."

I handled truffle purchase prices the same way.

In truth, truffles were not such an expensive ingredient in this barren mountain region. To locals, they were just an unusual delicacy. The biggest problem had always been that truffles spoiled easily, in other words, transport was difficult.

Even so, I paid full value.

"The truffle price will be set like this."

"...Huh. Y-yes?"

As Dieter advised, if you squeeze huge profits at the source from the beginning, you attract pests.

Of course, I had secured an exclusive position in the Zerpa ingredient trade through the crown prince.

But if I bought truffles locally for twenty dollars and sold them in the imperial center for five hundred, smugglers blinded by money would eventually open a black market.

"Let's rename the village while we're at it."

But what if I bought them from the start at one hundred to two hundred dollars and set the price at five hundred?

Once you factor in initial infrastructure, mana-stone refrigerated shipping, labor, smuggling costs, risk, and so on, margins drop sharply.

From those pests' point of view, the market is no longer attractive enough to enter while taking on the risk of Ebenholtz's "monopoly rights."

"How about 'Terone'? Terone truffles. It has a refined ring to it."

I am not a businessman, but before the war, vast imperial wealth has to gather in my hands.

Money is a massive promise made by everyone on the continent, and I intend to gather as much of that promise as possible to pursue the greatest cause.

"Y-yes, yes. Sounds good. But shipping this mushroom..."

"Don't worry about it."

For shipping, I planned to commission Lorenzo Academy to develop mana-stone freezing containers.

"If you find any other hidden ingredients in this region, tell me anytime."

"Yes! I will remember that, Sir Knight!"

The ranch owner kept bowing, looking like he had the whole world.

...And then.

After that day, a new wind swept through the top restaurants in the imperial center.

Starting with Lilac Vita, which I had acquired, almost every venue backed by my capital introduced new dishes using Zerpa specialties.

The chefs, paid enormous salaries, immediately understood how to use Zerpa beef and truffles. Zerpa beef had less marbling but a stronger meat aroma, so they cooked it low and slow to draw out tenderness, then shaved truffles with rich, elegant umami over the top like snow, presenting highly refined dishes.

The result was exactly as expected.

"...Chef, what on earth is this aroma?"

"It is a rare mushroom called the Terone truffle, found only in Zerpa's pristine mountain range."

"Terone? Truffle?"

"Yes. It forms where Alberon Gorge's natural mana gathers and condenses..."

From the moment the new menu launched, gourmets in the imperial center went wild.

Even palace nobles famous for their picky palates fell for that captivating flavor, and restaurants charging several thousand dollars per meal were fully booked day after day.

"Terone truffle" and "Zerpa Grade-1 beef" quickly became known as the finest luxury ingredients on the continent.

For me, who had long run food businesses in my own way as a gourmet, it was an unexpected new layer of power.

* * *

"Wow..."

Leutern II trembled in delight as he tasted Lilac Vita's new dinner course.

"...This is insane."

The flavor was completely new and perfectly clean.

The texture of Zerpa Grade-1 beef was unlike any meat he had ever eaten, and this Terone-whatever mushroom felt like it was directly stimulating his brain.

"Truly... truly excellent."

The nobles seated with him in the same private room each added a comment, faces full of admiration.

"To taste this kind of delicacy in the imperial center..."

"Who would have guessed Zerpa produced ingredients this precious."

"Honestly, I still can hardly believe it while eating."

"It is all thanks to Duke Leutern. I heard even Grossman could not get a reservation here."

These days, Lilac Vita was effectively impossible to book. No amount of money helped, and no rank mattered unless you were His Majesty the Emperor.

Ebenholtz was backing the restaurant, so what could anyone do?

"Ah, it's fine. I'm just happy you're all enjoying it."

Lilac Vita had always been prestigious, but after the new menu launch, it became a symbol among nobles, proof of power and influence.

I heard reservation requests were pouring in from everywhere.

"Honestly, it felt a little awkward to come somewhere this nice alone."

Leutern II put on airs with a fork in hand. In reality, he had only gathered them because Maximilian said he could get him a reservation anytime.

"But it really is delicious."

"The pairing of food and wine... ah."

"I feel like this flavor will linger even after I get home."

They were palace nobles. By rank, maybe middle to upper-middle.

Until now, whenever I asked them to hang out, they fed me nonsense like "I need time to think," but the moment they heard Lilac Vita, they came running.

"This dish is a special cut, beef tongue from Grade-1 cattle raised on Zerpa's pristine plateau, served with mountain greens and truffle..."

Right then, staff came in to explain the beautifully plated food, and the sommelier poured wine.

"Beef tongue?"

Leutern II frowned.

"This is beef tongue? We are eating beef tongue?"

"Yes. Please try it. It is a delicacy. Enjoy your meal."

Leutern could not understand it, but the staff left after telling them to enjoy.

"No, why would anyone eat beef tongue..."

"Duke Leutern."

At that moment, one palace noble exchanged glances with the others as if planned, then spoke carefully.

"We actually gathered here because we also have something to discuss with you."

Leutern pretended to listen while focusing on the new dish.

They said this was beef tongue. Beef tongue? Should I really eat this? What if I throw up? Should I make the others try first?

"It seems the time has come for us to make a decision as well. To offer Duke Leutern what we believe is due in return..."

"Ah, damn it. What return? No need."

Asking for repayment over one shared meal would be pathetic.

"Just eat. Try it."

At Leutern's words, everyone cut the beef tongue elegantly and ate without hesitation. It looked like they had not heard the explanation at all.

"...!"

"Huh!"

"...No way!"

Their expressions changed instantly. They looked like they had been shot.

"Good?"

At Leutern's question, they chewed, swallowed at once, and asked back.

"Y-yes. Wh-what is this?"

"They said beef tongue."

"Beef, beef tongue tastes like this?!"

So they really had not listened.

"Whatever. Seems good, then."

Leutern II also put a mouthful of meat in his mouth.

One bite.

The instant he took that single bite, the flavor, aroma, and texture were beyond anything he imagined, like being carried into another universe...

"...Ugh."

For a moment, Leutern swayed, dazed by a taste he could not explain.

...

Imperial Palace, Leutern's annex.

"That Leutern brat?"

"Yes."

Leutern I received another report from his trusted aide, and this one was even more satisfying.

"Huh... really."

His son was moving boldly. The boy had somehow secured a room at Lilac Vita, now difficult to reserve even for palace nobles, honestly even for Leutern I himself, and invited several palace nobles.

All of them held voting rights.

It was obvious.

His son, Leutern II, had started gathering his own faction in earnest to win this political fight.

"That aside, how is the Ethics Committee summons progressing?"

Even opening the House of Nobles Ethics Committee was difficult. More than half the house had to approve just to convene it, and then more than two-thirds had to approve there to make expulsion possible.

"The evidence we secured is so clear that Julius's side will not be able to deny it easily. But cornered rats bite cats, so right now we should be more careful of their desperate backlash."

His aide spoke in a worried voice.

Leutern nodded heavily.

"The first expulsion in a hundred years..."

Even for Leutern, setting that kind of extreme precedent was too great a political burden.

"I will compromise at a reasonable line. Strip Julius of real power, and block expulsion."

Like a seasoned politician, he weighed what he could gain instead of cutting off the enemy's breath completely.

"However, rumors are spreading through the palace that Leutern II wants Julius fully expelled and cast out."

"..."

Leutern I's eyes wavered.

You could tell just from what happened at Lilac Vita. Those rumors were already thick in the palace.

"...On that point, I will persuade him."

As a father, he had little choice.

His hot-blooded son seemed to have the decisiveness of "you must kill to avoid being killed," but looking farther ahead, stopping here would be far better for his son.

* * *

Sentinel Order office.

"So how much was all of it?"

I sat in my chair and listened to the wiretap transmitted through the mana-stone cube owned by Leutern II.

"Sir Maximilian already paid for-"

"Ah, it's fine."

That ultra-high-purity premium mana-stone cube he had practically begged me for. Through the hidden wiretap magic I had implanted inside it, I could monitor Leutern II's every move.

"I ate under my name, so I should pay. Process it as is."

"Yes. For the six-person dining course and alcohol combined, the total is eighty thousand dollars."

The best way to keep the palace in check was to make those bastards doubt one another and lose trust in one another. Plant seeds of division so factions could not unite.

While they tore into each other, I would build my own power without interference.

In that sense, Leutern II was a very useful chess piece.

"Eighty thousand for six... this place really is expensive."

"These are the alcohol charges."

"Ah, I know. I know. The booze is pricey..."

Muttering in a pained voice, Leutern completed payment. Soon after, I heard him leave the restaurant. He exchanged pleasantries with palace nobles thanking him, and before long he got into his car and settled in.

"I'm full. Let's go home."

"Yes, sir."

As the luxury car carrying him moved smoothly through the night,

I picked up the communicator on my desk.

"Are we ready?"

One finale remained to ignite the conflict between Julius and Leutern, the two royal houses.

"Yes. Give the signal at any time."

Leutern's vehicle moved down a quiet night street.

Ahead of time, I had agents install a specially made mana bomb under his car.

It was an improvised explosive assembled with parts from old Gigantes components, made by Yukia. The mana stone used as the charge was also a type called Curio, produced from a mine owned by House Julius.

Once it exploded, the mana would quickly dissipate, but a competent forensics team from a palace direct agency, or a Sentinel knight, would still find the faint residue.

"Whew. Damn, that was really good. Worth the money."

At that exact moment, as Leutern II patted his stomach and muttered in satisfaction,

"Detonate."

My order was carried out.

Kwaaaaaaaang────!

Through the wiretap came a thunderous blast that seemed to tear the eardrums.

Kuuuuung!

The heavy armored car lifted whole into the air,

Kwadududduk──!

The chassis crumpled under the explosive pressure,

Keudeudeudeuk!

And torn steel fragments scattered in every direction, striking the asphalt.