Chapter 04: Growth as a nobleman and helping people
In the royal palace, the emperor’s study room .
It’s called a study room, but it’s practically a library-like place where more than 100,000 books and most of the documents from his accession to the throne are kept .
When I was called into that study, I was kneeling in front of my father – that is, His Majesty the Emperor .
“You wanted to see me, father?”
“Fumu . ”
Father nodded at me in a dignified voice .
While I was greeting him, he was looking over some papers, signing them and handing them to the serving confidant .
Once the political work had been completed, father raised his head and looked at me .
“How are you?”
“Yes, I’m doing great every day . ”
“Hmm . ”
Father gave a small nod and scoffed his chin at the confidant who had handled the last minute paperwork so deftly .
The confidant, who could be described as a confidant, gave further instructions to a junior confidant, who then came to my side .
The confidant uses magic on me .
The magic to see status, the magic that was cast right after I was born and surprised everyone as a result .
After a while, my status appears for all to see .
Name: Noah Ararat
13th prince of Ararat Empire
Gender: male
Level: 1/∞
HP F Fire F
MP F Water SS
Strength E Wind F
Stamina E Earth F
Intelligence F Light F
Spirit F Darkness F
Speed F
Dexterity E
Luck E
“Well, the power has gone up again . Your strength is on E, as opposed to last time . ”
Father looked impressed as he walked off his office desk and came in front of me, peering at the status .
“And you’re still at level 1, huh . Great news . I’ve never heard of anyone’s ability increasing while their level remains unchanged . You are a very unique child . ”
“Thank you very much . ”
This peculiar constitution that surprised everyone that day, and which my father just described as “mysterious” .
Six years after my reincarnation, I was beginning to understand the cause of this .
It’s linked to my “subordinates” .
The part behind the “+” that is visible only to me and not to normal humans, the additional part increases or decreases according to the status of my subordinates, servants, and other such people .
If I recall, at that time too, it rose right after the territory was decided, and this time, too, because I added the entire flood-damaged village under my umbrella, the power appeared as F+F, which is E .
By the way, this is how I see it now .
Name: Noah Ararat
13th prince of Ararat Empire
Gender: male
Level: 1/∞
HP F Fire F
MP F Water E+S
Strength F+F Wind F
Stamina F+F Earth F
Intelligence F Light F
Spirit F Darkness F
Speed F
Dexterity F+F
Luck F+F
After realizing this, I did a lot of research and talked to a lot of people, but I didn’t find anyone else who had a “+” .
I’m the only one, apparently .
And I still don’t know the meaning of “∞” either, but it seems that this is also something that no one else knows about, and it’s only me .
That’s why I’m keeping quiet about this for now, even though it’s my father, the emperor .
”Is this why you called me here, father?”
“Hmm? Oh yes, there was another subject . Noah, I see you’ve bought an entire village . ”
“… . ”
I gulped .
’I’m surprised, it was a few days ago and I haven’t even reported it yet, so how did Father know about it?
“Don’t be so surprised, I didn’t call you here to reprimand you . Rather, it’s the opposite . ”
” Huh?”
“… . ”
Father crossed his hands behind his back and walked out of the study as if he were thinking .
“I’m sure it’s a natural disaster, but there are always people who try to take advantage of it to make a profit . It’s usually after they’ve finished sucking the sweet juice out of it by the time they come up to me . And then I – the government throws in people and money to clean up afterwards . It’s a natural disaster and a man-made disaster, a double-layered disaster and a cleanup . ”
“… . ”
“How did you know?”
He stopped and turned his head only to look at me with his hands crossed behind his back .
I answered honestly .
“A girl from that village worked as a maid in the residence of the 13th Prince . I heard that she was about to be sold to a brothel . ”
” Oh, so it’s a coincidence then . ”
“Yes, it’s a coincidence . ”
” Coincidence . A lucky coincidence . In Albert’s place, I’d be doing a triple cleanup . ”
The emperor blurted out .
Somehow it sounded like a complaint to the crown prince, so I didn’t even phase through it, and I passed it off in silence .
A few seconds of silence, and then my father spoke to me again .
“At any rate, you have done well . I’m going to reward you . Curuz . ”
“Yes, sir . ”
One of the gutted emissaries, who had been far away all that time, responded and stepped forward .
“How much is Noah’s allowance now?
“His Royal Highness the Thirteenth’s current allowance is 8,000 reen per annum . ”
“That’s not much . ”
It’s a lot .
The average monthly income of a thirty-year-old working in the city is ten reens – 120 reens a year .
That is about seventy people, not a small amount .
“Let’s raise it to a 1000 anyway . That starts this year, retroactively . ”
“As you wish . ”
The confidant Cruz complied and left to communicate it .
“Noah,”
“Yes, sir . ”
“You’ve done well . Keep up the good work, as far as I can see, and help out as much as you can . ”
“I understand . ”
I left the emperor’s study and turned back down the gorgeous hallway .
Then I saw a familiar face from across the hallway .
That one could see me, too, and he came over with a smiling face, as if this was the best he could do .
“Noah-sama”
A young eunuch who calls my name and gets down on one knee right then and there .
His name is Siz . He’s a low-level servant with no job title, doing menial tasks .
When he joined the palace, he was assigned to my mother’s place, so I know his face .
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Noah-sama . Just looking at Noah-sama’s face is enough to make you feel energized for the day . ”
“You’re still a goofball with an open mouth . Here . ”
I reached into my pocket and took out the leather bag I had prepared for this kind of… and tossed it to Siz .
It’s a silver coin sack, containing roughly 100 reens .
This is also something I’ve learned since my reincarnation, but nobles make a virtue out of ‘charity’ .
In addition to the fact that it’s a good idea to give to people who are clearly underprivileged, the purpose of which is to show off that you are powerful enough to do so .
The wages of servants are very low, five reens a month .
Even so, it is higher than in the rural areas, and since their duties make them “permanently employed,” there are many who seek stability in their careers .
But that doesn’t change the fact that the wages are still very low, so it is normal to give them this kind of treatment .
Siz caught the slippery leather bag and became more and more smiley-faced .
“Thank you!”
“Don’t keep it to yourself . Split it up between the people you’re close to . ”
“Oh, you’re very good . Everyone says that the 13th Prince is not only kind to us, he is also like a god who cares about those who are not here . ”
“You’re getting better and better at sucking up . Now you’re snacking on honey from your dinner plate . ”
“No, sir, I don’t . I mean all of it, yes, sir . ”
” Let’s put it that way . ”
I began to walk away, and Siz followed beside me, pointing this and that .
“Speaking of which, Noah-sama . You know that songstress who’s on the market lately?”
“The songstress?”
” Yeah . She runs a shop called Keith’s on Lade Street, though . Her name’s Alice . She’s still a bit green, but she has a reputation for growth . I know a guy who goes there . ”
” Oh,”
I left the royal palace while listening to the random chatter .
After leaving the Royal Palace, I wandered around the Capital randomly .
The capital of a thriving empire, the most prosperous city on land, you could say .
People, goods – and money .
All kinds of things gather here .
Naturally, the things that satisfy human desires are also available, but my body is only six years old and there’s nothing I can do .
It’s nice to be in town, but in the end I can only wander around .
Suddenly, I remember a story I heard from Siz .
A songstress on the market .
If this was a story I heard from the minister or some other elder sibling of mine, that’s where the color – or sexuality – comes into play .
But Siz said, ” I went there too . ”
A eunuch is a human being who has had his male genitals chopped off, just in case a mistake is made .
That eliminates their sex drive (though they become obsessed with money instead), so if they say they’re going through it, it’s probably just a song .
Then even six-year-old me can enjoy it .
With that in mind, I turned to Lade Street, where I’d heard about it .
I found a place called Keith’s right away . It’s a teahouse where you can enjoy plays and performances .
I walked in and paid for my seat and was shown to a good seat .
The waiter looks at me for a moment, and then treats me appropriately when he recognizes me as a noble by the material of my clothes and decorations .
I sit down and ask the waiter .
“Is this woman Alice here today?”
“You’re in luck, that’s Alice, the girl who is singing . ”
“Well just get it right, order as you see fit . I don’t want any vegetables or leafy greens . ”
” Yes!”
After the clerk walked away, I looked again at the front of the store .
There’s a stage and a structure with seating arranged in a radial pattern .
The further back you go, the harder it is to see, but since I had paid extra for my seat, I was ushered into a seat on a platform, so I could watch the stage regardless of the heads of the customers in front of me .
On stage, Alice was singing while playing a harp .
I listened for a while .
Okay, not bad .
Her technique is still in its infancy, but she seems to be singing seriously and earnestly .
Music shows a person’s character well . It’s the same with characters .
I’ve only known it for about six years, but I could still clearly sense that Alice is a serious character .
If this is the case, I’ll go for a while, and in a few occasions, I’ll be a patron–
Palin!
The song was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass .
Not one or two, but continuously until the singing stopped altogether .
Alice’s hands stopped and the customers turned to look at her .
Then a few men who had just entered the store approached the stage, grabbing glasses and plates of customers on the way in and smashing them .
“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing here singing like a little bitch, huh?”
“Sir, this is– Phehee!”
A clerk who was about to enter to intercede was punched and blown up, involving a table .
The store starts to buzz .
“That’ s money–“
” You!”
The man in the lead, who seemed to be the boss of the group, kicked a nearby table away with a dusky voice .
It was a cheap threat .
“You can’t pay off the debt your dad created with this . ”
“But, sir, in addition to this…”
“What? Come on, don’t make me say it to everyone . What’s a woman to do with a woman’s earnings?”
“… . . ”
Alice chewed her lower lip and slumped in frustration .
………
I stood up and went to the stage .
“Hey,”
“What? The kid? Kid, go suck on your mommy’s tits!”
“Article 67-2 of the Imperial Code . No child shall be required to shoulder the debts of a parent . ”
“What?”
“I don’t mean to question the merits of money lending, but it’s a very real sin to ask a daughter to pay back her father’s debt by selling her body, too . ”
“Kid, you’re not helping the situation . ”
The man turned the tables and grabbed my shoulder .
I knew this was going to happen, so I activated what I had prepared .
A magic tool, the splash .
It’s a magic tool that can be used up, a substitute that activates magic regardless of whether or not you have magic power .
The effect depends on the user’s attribute .
The water magic that was activated produced a fierce water flow as many as the number of people and pierced the shoulders of the men .
” Gwah!”
“Heeeee!”
“What the fuck is this?”
The men who had been so vigorous just before, all of them held their bloodied shoulders and backed away with their asses in their hands .
” Still want to try?”
With that, he held up his hand, and the men screamed and rolled away .
The inside of the store was silent – immediately after .
There was an explosive cheer .
” What the hell!”
” Stop it, Boz!”
” You should watch your mouth, idiot . That’s a nobleman . ”
Amidst the cheers, I went towards the one clerk who was punched and was holding his nose bleeding .
“Ye-,Yes, what is it, sir…”
“If they come to you about the debt again, you tell them to come to me . ”
Then I took a bill from my pocket and handed it to him .
The clerk looked at it and freaked out .
“The, The Prince!”
The store buzzed even louder .
Ignoring it, I turned to Alice, who was half-indulging .
“That was a good performance earlier . ”
“Oh, thank you…”
“How much do you earn in a month?”
“What? Well I mean my mother’s medical bills too… . ”
“25 reen . ”
I interrupted Alice mid-sentence .
“I’ll give you that every month, so don’t worry about it and sing along . I’ll give you more as you improve . ”
“Thank you!”
Alice bowed her head in admiration .
Being a Prince: Growing as a nobleman and helping needy people
In this way, whenever I found someone who needed a little bit of help, I became their patron .
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