Chapter 340

Chapter 340Previous

August’s face seemed like he just heard something straight out of a fairy tale.

‘If I show them urgency, I could fail to reach my goal. Like Venua Obernyu.’

Mireille suppressed his discomfort and urged them gently.

“Come on now.”

Poussin answered on his behalf.

“I guess not. It never occurred to me that he could be a woman.”

August agreed with Poussin.

“It’s true that, for a man, his looks appeared more on the feminine side, but he was still definitely a man.”

“In truth, I don’t understand what made you think so. While I agree that in this world, gender may sometimes be confusing... Yes, such people exist, but that wasn’t the case with the Black Whale at all.”

“I agree with Jacques. Based on his appearance and body, a question of his gender never occurred to me. Just as it’s natural for me to be a man, so was it for the Black Whale.”

‘I did not call them here to repeat the same thing like a bunch of parrots... Although they are useless now, these two are the ones who actually encountered Lil Schweiz recently.’

Mireille tried his best to maintain his composure and asked a question while thinking out loud.

“Then how could such a magical thing happen...!”

His eyes brightened. Like a man possessed, he repeated the words he just uttered.

“...Magic?”

Mireille quickly sent the men out of his study, especially now that they had begun to look at him with suspicion. He then nervously closed the study door without even letting either Enzo or Jean in.

Left alone, he wandered around the study deep in thought.

“Magic... it must be magic...”

‘What if the Mireille heirloom that Liloa took was not just an artefact, but a magical one that manifested some mysterious powers and contributed to disguising her identity? Shit! Does this even make sense? ...No, in a world where mermaids are real, why would there not be magic that can seamlessly change a person’s appearance or control people’s memories?’

Mireille rang the bell on his desk and Enzo immediately shouted from beyond the door.

“Your Grace, what is going on!”

“Call Jean!”

The sound that was getting closer became distant again.

“...Yes!”

Before long, there was a knock and the door opened. In the doorway, Jean bowed his head.

‘From what I’ve observed so far, the Emperor eats non-stop throughout the day. In the past, he just liked and enjoyed food, but now he’s resorted to binge eating... Based on his abnormal appetite, there must be some pressures or stress affecting his mental state. Fortunately, it seems like Annette’s presence forces him to show restraint till some extent.’

Only after eating all the refreshments, the emperor asked Lil.

“Did you enjoy the banquet?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

Slogans shouted by the small merchants’ association gathered in the main building were heard all the way to their table. In fact, the chants had been loud since the beginning of their tea time, but all four of them pretended not to hear. However, as it continued to the point where it got on his nerves, the emperor eventually sighed.

“I have a meeting with the union soon...”

“...”

The emperor then habitually touched his forehead as Annette gently placed her hand on his shoulder. He obviously pitied himself, folding his hand on the back of hers.

“I cannot even drink a cup of tea comfortably...”

He tried to smile and lift his teacup, but this time, the chants weren’t even part of some slogan. The shouts were full of swearing and inaudible words, which continued for a long time.

“...Stop, just stop!”

The emperor finally slammed the table, got up, and headed towards the river. Venua, who needed to appease him, quickly walked next to him and matched his pace.

Annette leaned over and whispered to Lil.

“...In the last few years, a huge amount of money has been spent on securing a naval fleet and replenishing the Navy. Robero departing for the Monferrand Strait... You heard about that, right? Whatever you do, do not mention that in front of His Majesty...”

“Yes.”

Lil recalled a rumour she heard in Roahn some time ago*.

‘The Emperor is putting pressure on Ed over the Saint-Viève Canal toll issue. At the time, I only understood it as a fight he picked with Ed, but thinking about it again, I guess it’s related to the financial situation of the imperial family.’

“...At the time, no one expected it would cost this much, such that when it came time to pay, everyone was surprised that it emptied the national treasury. As the budget was being spent all over the place, the imperial army’s salaries were gradually reduced. It unfortunately resulted in the imperial army becoming lethargic and unmotivated... They couldn’t even properly suppress petty bandits. Even if they were ordered to do it, all they would do was go hiking as if they were enjoying an outing... So, there had to be some new means for capital to flow in, but this subjugation of pirates of the south ended in vain, right? In return for dispatching Admiral Retiro, the Merchant Guild brought treasury to His Majesty, however, since there was no result in the South, everyone is slowly withdrawing...”

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Reference:

‘Lil recalled a rumour she heard in Roahn some time ago.’ = The rumour that is talked about is the one from chapter 263, Vol. 7. During an outing/date with Ed to the festival in Roahn, they overheard a conversation between locals:

“...Come on, man. How can you say that so confidently after seeing what Sesbron has been doing to Roahn for the past half year? Not only have the taxes gone up, but according to the guy working at the government office, Sesbron is even trying to have Roahn pay a toll for using the Saint-Viève Canal which leads to the capital... But if the Admiral stays away like this, who will take care of all that?...”

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