“How?”
With a curious expression, Felix asked. Likewise, the Duke and Barbara also looked at Sylvia.
“I think forcibly bringing in people from other countries would betray the trust of those nations. But even though they are from other countries, there are people who are free to move.”
“…Mercenaries?”
Sylvia smiled slightly at his words.
“That’s right. Since mercenaries aren’t needed right now, they would need work. Or perhaps they might want to settle down.”
“Hmm…”
The Duke, too, leaned forward with interest. Sylvia added as she recalled what Ethan had said.
“When I met Commander Ethan before, he said he wanted to become an adventurer, so he’s been traveling in search of new lands. Then we can offer benefits to those who find new lands and establish their own settlements.”
Not only the Duke and Barbara, but even Hubert and the advisors in the room showed interest in Sylvia’s words.
Felix, showing interest at first, became indifferent when he heard Ethan’s name. Unaware of his reaction, Sylvia continued to speak.
“To cultivate the newly discovered seas and lands, we’ll need fishermen and farmers. We can teach them skills and support them in developing the land.”
Sylvia paused for a moment to take a sip of coffee. Even in that brief pause, people couldn’t take their eyes off her out of curiosity.
“And since fishermen will need boats, how about building boats to attract people? Of course, initial capital will be necessary, but I see it as an unavoidable investment. What do you think?”
After finishing her words, she first looked at Felix. His black eyes, which met hers directly, showed displeasure, leaving her bewildered.
“Darling?”
When she called out to him in a tone asking why, Felix’s expression softened immediately.
The displeasure he felt due to Ethan vanished in an instant with just the word “Darling.”
“As expected, Darling is a genius.”
Felix’s proud remark made everyone present wear an expression of “again?”
Sylvia, holding his hand tightly under the table, brought up the most important point to the Duke.
“To catch fish, you need bait, uncle.”
The Duke of Sabellisa flinched at her meaningful gaze.
“Clearing the land and building boats… There’s a way to reduce the initial capital… Are you curious?”
Felix felt proud at her solemn yet languid voice. Sylvia had always struggled to speak informally even to the palace staff.
But now, she spoke naturally and subtly revealed the qualities of an empress.
It seemed that she had begun to exude a charm that embraced and encompassed people.
“What… exactly is that method?”
The current treasury of the Capitis Empire was weak. Although they had seized the assets of the nobles who had recklessly depleted the treasury, the already squandered resources could not be recovered.
Moreover, many citizens had left their villages due to the tyranny of the lords, leaving many territories vacant.
In many ways, the situation was not good, and the Duke of Sabellisa couldn’t help but ask, even though he felt uneasy.
Sylvia smiled as if she had been waiting and answered with a slight curve of her lips.
“If I, the one who created that land, go, it will be solved quickly. I can cultivate the land with magic, and the boats needed by the fishermen can be made from wood. It’s not a difficult task.”
Hubert looked at Sylvia with an astonished expression as she spoke nonchalantly. He recalled the time when she had captured the king of beasts.
When Sylvia had simultaneously wielded all kinds of elemental magic.
The Duke remained silent for a moment at her words. Soon, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
The Duke downed the remaining coffee in one gulp, feeling parched. The sweet dessert he had just eaten didn’t come to mind at all.
Because he had precisely understood the underlying meaning of her words.
“When Her Majesty the Empress says she will go herself, that means…”
At that moment, Felix, who had been quietly listening, subtly spoke in a tone filled with regret.
“I can’t let my wife go alone. Darling can’t even sleep without me, you know.”
He continued, as if he truly had no other choice.
“I am the emperor of a nation, but more narrowly, I am also the head of a household. As the head, how could I send my wife alone? If I can’t even take care of my own family, what right do I have to be emperor?”
The smooth flow of his words left the Duke feeling cornered.
“Guh!”
“Oh my, Duke?”
But Felix didn’t stop there.
“The Duke has the duty to hold the fort when I’m not around. When I’m away, aren’t you the highest-ranking person? For the sake of the nation, I ask you to do your best.”
As he finished speaking, Felix leaned back comfortably, squeezing the hand he was holding.
‘As expected, Siri is the best.’
He felt as if he was finally being rewarded for all the late nights he had worked.
◆
Not long after, the two of them immediately packed their things.
Felix was happy to escape from the tedious work, and Sylvia felt like she could fly away, finally free from Barbara’s etiquette lessons.
On top of that, the thought of going somewhere together after so long filled them with excitement.
Since more than half of their time together had been spent subjugating monsters, it felt even more thrilling, as if they were returning to those carefree days.
Having packed everything they needed into their subspace bracelets, the two of them brought out their old robes for the first time in a while.
“Seeing it like this, it’s really nice.”
Sylvia said as she fluttered her robe.
“Hehe, you like it that much?”
“Is that even a question? Honestly, the palace is a bit boring.”
Felix looked at Sylvia, who was whispering as if someone might overhear, with eyes full of affection.
He lifted her up, rubbing his nose against hers before naturally turning his head to press their lips together.
As their slightly parted lips shared each other’s breaths, they exchanged a brief but passionate kiss, and then, with faces flushed red, they smiled brightly.
When the two of them stepped out of the room, Barbara, the Duke, Hubert, and Dennis, who had been waiting, followed behind them.
“Are you really going alone?”
Hubert asked, his eyes filled with both concern and envy. Dennis, standing next to him, added,
“We know the capabilities of Your Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress, but still, please take our knights along so we can assist you.”
Felix, wanting to spend time alone with Sylvia, strongly opposed the idea.
“We need to scout quietly, but if we take the knights, it’ll be too cumbersome. Besides, if you all come along, it’s certain that the empress will end up doing all the hard work.”
Since this was not an unreasonable point, Dennis fell silent. In truth, he had secretly hoped to taste Her Majesty’s cooking again after such a long time.
He sometimes missed it so much that it felt like he could die. Already accustomed to her food, Dennis even wanted to demand that she take responsibility.
“Anyway, we’re going for work, so it’s only fair that you guys work too.”
At Felix’s follow-up remark, everyone around him looked at him with pouting eyes.
“Oh, that’s right.”
Sylvia, who had been quietly listening, spoke up. Pointing toward the kitchen, she said to Hubert and Dennis,
“Yesterday, I suddenly felt like cooking, so I made some snacks. If you get hungry, just ask the kitchen, and they’ll bring them to you.”
Upon hearing this, Hubert, Dennis, and even Barbara looked at her with sparkling eyes.
The Duke stood there, looking bewildered, caught in between them.
“Then, we’ll be off.”
Felix said his farewell and extended his hand to Sylvia.
“Alright, we’ll be back.”
“Yes, please have a safe trip!”
“Your Majesty! Please return quickly!”
“Your Majesty the Empress! Take care of your skin! It’s dry these days, so make sure to apply cream before bed!”
They each offered their goodbyes. Felix, not wanting to prolong the departure, quickly took to the skies. While 90% of the reason they decided to travel alone was personal, the remaining 10% was for mobility.
With just the two of them, there was no need for much talking, allowing them to move more swiftly.
Floating gently upward, the two ascended higher, feeling the slightly warm breeze against them.
“Let’s start with the farthest place and work our way back. We can stop by Ansi Village and the lakeside on our way back.”
“Alright.”
“I wasn’t sure if just the subspace bracelet would be enough, so I also packed a subspace bag, just in case.”
She had prepared an enormous amount of subspace items, planning to bring back all the new ingredients she discovered.
Felix noticed the bag at Sylvia’s waist. It was the same one she used during their monster subjugations, and seeing it again filled him with a sense of nostalgia.
Come to think of it, he never really knew the exact purpose of that bag.
“Is that bag a subspace item too?”
“Oh, this?”
Sylvia tapped the bag and let out a mischievous smile.
“Hmm?”
Curious about the playful smile on Sylvia’s face, Felix asked again.
“What is it? Isn’t it?”
He could roughly guess her thoughts just by looking at her expression, but he was still curious why she was smiling like that.
Sylvia smiled as she thought of the Duke.
“I can’t let only my husband do all the work.”
“…Huh?”
At her words, Felix’s face brightened. Sylvia, unable to hide her joy, spoke to him.
“Let’s go even farther than we did last time!”
“Sounds good.”
At her request, Felix increased their speed. As they flew together, Sylvia thought to herself.
‘This bag contains the gem tree that Duke Visconte gave me. I must make sure even Duke Perido Sabellisa doesn’t find out about it.’
She wanted to keep it hidden because the former might get jealous and the latter might become a nuisance.
Sylvia decided not to mention that she could generate as many gems as she wanted to fill the imperial treasury until someone else figured it out.
‘Cooking alone keeps me busy enough. It would be troublesome if they started asking me to make gems too.’
The two of them soared joyfully into the blue sky.
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