He became the most insane emperor of all time

“The merchants are gathering one by one. They should all be here soon, Your Majesty.”

Thanks to diligently dealing with the thugs, I was able to gather the merchants while it was still daylight.

“It seems like all the thugs within the capital have been taken care of. The merchants are something else, too. Can’t they just do honest business and live decently?”

“There are honest ones, but now even those people have no choice but to team up with criminals for their own protection.”

“That’s true. When there are violent people around, it’s hard to pretend to be a saint. This is all because of my lack of virtue.”

“That is an undeserved remark, Your Majesty.”

Saying words I didn’t mean and then hearing such flattery felt rather strange.

Though I said that, what really bothered me was that there were no more thugs left for training.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t just beat up the ones who had already been subdued, right? I wasn’t going to kill them off, and even if I forced myself to beat them again, it wouldn’t be of any use for training.

‘Well, I can always find a way to create something to train with.’

This was a world full of monsters. There was no need to worry about running out of training methods.

“The merchants are all gathered.”

“Really? Then, let’s head there. Ah, first, the prime minister will speak.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

There was no need to inform them in advance that the one who called them together was the emperor.

If I revealed my identity right away, they’d probably start excessively flattering me. Though, I didn’t think the prime minister would do that.

I also wanted to see how they truly felt about my plans.

“Well, now that everyone is here, some of you might already know me, but let me introduce myself first. I am the Prime Minister of the Empire, Karl Bright von Hohlerand.”

The prime minister introduced himself in a somewhat light tone, but the merchants’ expressions were far from cheerful.

Some of them whispered, and then one of the appointed representatives stepped forward and spoke.

“It is an honor to meet you, Prime Minister. But may I ask why we have been called here?”

“Of course, I have called you here to entrust you with an important task. If that were not the case, I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of gathering you.”

“I see. But surely, there was no need for such a discomforting method of calling us. You could have simply invited us…”

“Hahaha, you’re quite bold. Or are you just oblivious? Can’t you even guess why I had to gather you by rounding up the thugs you were all using?”

“….”

“If you can’t guess, then just listen.”

They had likely done all sorts of shady, menial work while being with the thugs.

Whether they did it willingly or because they felt it would be a loss if they didn’t do what everyone else was doing, they were still guilty.

And they couldn’t complain about the guilt here, as lowly merchants, so they had no choice but to keep quiet.

“Alright, now that you’re ready to listen, I’ll get straight to the point. The reason I’ve gathered you is, of course, for money.”

“Are you referring to tribute payments?”

When a noble, especially one from the imperial court, mentioned money to a merchant, tribute payments naturally came to mind.

However, the prime minister, who had already been briefed about my plans, shook his head.

“No tribute is needed. What’s required is voluntary donation.”

“That seems pretty much the same…”

“Does the word ‘donation’ not resonate with you? Then let’s call it an investment. If you give money, you can earn it back several times over, so ‘investment’ would be a more fitting term.”

At the prime minister’s rhetorical words, the merchants looked puzzled.

Investment? Whether it’s a donation or a tribute, nobles and the royal family always expect to profit.

Of course, this was because this world was still firmly in a medieval feudal society.

While coins like gold and silver were circulating, the market was small, and the concept of capital and investment was not well-established.

Merchants existed even in such a world, but their status was very different from what we know as modern-day entrepreneurs.

Usually, merchants are associated with being able to collect debts no matter what happens, but in fact, in medieval times, merchants were often exploited by higher-ranking nobles or clergy.

Whenever needed, they were required to pay tribute or taxes to the lords or the king, and to the clergy as well, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, they had to pay money for “repentance.”

Otherwise, they’d be crushed by the army or excommunicated.

This world wasn’t any different. So, for the prime minister to even mention the word “investment” was quite an unusual thing.

“May I ask how we are supposed to make money from this?”

“Good question. But let me turn it around and ask you, what do you think is the reason you haven’t been able to earn more money so far?”

“Well… there are several reasons.”

Naturally, the real problem was the lords, kings, and clergy, but they couldn’t just say that openly to the prime minister.

“Why so shy? Isn’t it because of nobles like me, especially the lords? Our officials are the same, but the money taken by the vassals must be a lot, right?”

“…”

“Also the church, of course… but that’s not what’s important. What’s important is that we will eliminate those constraints for you.”

“Is that really true?”

The prime minister’s bombshell announcement caused a stir among the merchants.

In fact, their expressions were the same as the one the prime minister made when I first told him about this plan.

Though he wasn’t a lord, as a noble, he might not have liked the idea at first.

But it wouldn’t directly harm him, and in fact, for him, a legal noble, his authority would only increase.

Since I intended to bring in the merchants and go after the feudal lords, the power of legal nobility had to grow.

Naturally, both the prime minister and the chamberlain would welcome such a development.

Seeing the prime minister passionately persuading the merchants due to the alignment of their interests, I smiled contentedly.

I was pleased to see someone else working hard without me having to do it.

“So what exactly do you propose…”

“I can support you in everything. I can issue laws to ensure that vassals can no longer take ‘tribute’ from you.”

“Is that…?”

“Not only that, but if things go well in the future, you will be able to buy the lands and properties of the lords who will soon fall. You’ll be able to become large landowners.”

Even in a feudal system, there were still landowners, but the concept of property rights often ultimately belonged to the lords.

While peasants, including merchants, might not be able to own land, or they could own it but always risk losing it to the lords, the land and mines in a given region were essentially owned by the local lord or the king.

“However, if you support the royal family and the royal family causes the fall of the vassals, there will be nothing preventing you from acquiring the lands and properties you need. This is the ultimate goal for calling you here.”

The fall of the vassals.

Just mentioning this much, the merchants immediately understood what the prime minister wanted and why he needed the money.

Most likely, the money collected from them would be used to fund an army to pressure the vassals.

Power comes from strength, like the sharp edge of a spear.

But the army, which can be likened to a spear, is a money-consuming beast.

Aside from the feudal lords, who have their own territories, the only external forces with the money to raise such an army are the merchants.

However, unlike the lords who have the clergy behind them, merchants have no social authority or prestige. So, even if they have the money, they cannot organize an army.

“But if I intervene, it’s different. If you invest in me, I can rebuild the imperial army.”

As the prime minister finished speaking and a heated debate began, I interrupted as the conversation took that direction.

When I spoke from the seat of honor, all the merchants went silent.

“Who are you to say such things…?”

“I am the Emperor.”

“What?”

“The one you are looking at is the ruler and supreme leader of this empire, Emperor Franz.”

“…!”

At my response, the room froze again.

Having expected this reaction, I smiled faintly and drew my sword from its scabbard.

Thud!

At the same time, I drove the sword into the floor.

From the sword, an aura emanated, spreading outward, extending from my mana heart.

Unlike magic power, which is used for spellcasting, aura is a force most effectively applied to the human body.

Even though my aura was still unrefined, the merchants were easily overwhelmed by its presence.

“I guarantee this right here. From now on, you will have no need to fear the vassals.”

The vassals should be the ones fearing you.

They will fear me, who stands behind you.

The system where feudal lords truly submit to the emperor or are eliminated—this was how it was called on Earth.

Absolute monarchy.

That is the world I envision.

Of course, absolute monarchy is not the most ideal system.

No system can ever be perfectly ideal.

And even if I establish an absolute monarchy, it will eventually corrupt over time.

When these merchants eventually become large landowners, they might become new nobles or ally with the existing nobility.

If this issue develops into a serious contradiction within the old system, something like the French Revolution might occur…

‘Is that my concern? By that time, I’ll be dead and gone anyway.’

Even if society collapses, and the country falls into revolution, it’s not my problem—it’s something for future generations to deal with, not me.

I plan to do things my way, and my goal ends right there.

“Your Majesty… But the vassals won’t just sit idly by, will they…?”

“Of course not. Those bastards aren’t the type to sit still.”

But I wasn’t particularly afraid.

How many times have I unified the world, whether it was a collapsing nation or a fragile little country, teetering like a candle in the wind?

It may sound like a scenario for humanity’s downfall, but I’ve started countless times even when things were at their worst.

If this world operates within the rules of a game, then the one who will dominate that game will certainly be me.

Without a doubt, no one knows the rules of this world as well as I do.

“But trust me. This is an investment.”

Investment requires taking both the possibility of profit and loss into account.

From my perspective, giving me money is like investing in a 100% sure coin to rise, but for them, the risk of loss can’t be ignored.

“Then, I will gladly invest.”

But the merchants weren’t ordinary people in that regard.

“I’ll do the same.”

“If you can stop the vassals’ tyranny somehow…”

“I trust in Your Majesty.”

These were people who could smell money from a mile away.

Some seek stability, but in such a rough era, people who only live that way are usually farmers, not merchants.

These people are gamblers who wager their wealth, and when they win, they gamble again with the money they’ve earned.

Though they may be treated like trash and actually engage in lowly deeds, there’s always a useful side to even the trash.

Just like now.