Chapter 4
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 by a 1000 then. 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.
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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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TN: Well I also want some one to be my patron as well,
I have not made any page for this one yet…. I will do it leisurely.
Chapter end