Chapter 99: Grace of the Land
At night, in the living room of a detached palace.
I was sitting cross-legged on the bed, with my right palm facing upward, at about the height of my solar plexus.
Then concentrating my magical power on it.
I transformed the concentrated magic power with Apophis's help.
"Your Majesty."
Suddenly, I heard a voice calling me from the side.
I look up to see Audrey with several servants in tow.
Even if it is a rear palace – so to speak, her own home – the Empress always walks around with a large number of eunuchs and servants in tow.
The reason for this is to avoid inconveniencing the Empress, to protect her by shielding herself in case of trouble, and to give her a slight feeling of security.
Those reasons are many and overlapping, and Empresses are the ones who always have such useless ranks with them.
Incidentally, it is similar for Emperors, but in the Empire, which is a 'land of warriors,' the active Emperors often go off on their own to show off their power, like going incognito or similar.
Audrey waved her hand.
And the servants bowed deeply and everyone left the room.
Audrey, who remained behind, climbed onto the bed and leaned over me.
"What are you doing, Your Majesty?"
"I was making a potion."
"Potion ... that thing you gave to Jessica?"
"Yeah."
"You devised it, I believe. Huh?"
Audrey tilts her head as she's about to say.
"What is it?"
"I know that Your Majesty devised it, but why are you making it again? I hear that you are using Almeria's land for mass production."
"Good question. It's because I'm not satisfied with the potions I'm making now."
"Not satisfied?"
I nodded.
"The current potion only cures minor injuries. It is not effective enough for use on the battlefield. I am working on something more effective."
"I see. Is it possible?"
"It's already in the works."
"Already?"
I picked up the small bottle on the side table next to the bed and handed it to Audrey.
"This is the latest product. I've named it High Potion, just for the sake of clarity."
"High Potion ..."
"Watch."
I pulled the Demon sword Livyathan from the bracelet.
In the residence at night, the tip of the magic sword towing a beautifully shining light blue light, I thrust the tip of the sword into the palm of my hand – it penetrated.
"Your Majesty!
"Don't make a fuss."
I pulled out Leviathan and returned it to the bracelet.
On the other hand, I sprinkled the high potion on the palm that had been pierced.
Then, in a flash, the wound that had pierced through was closed and completely disappeared.
"It goes something like this."
"Wow. ..."
"With this, the wound is instantly closed ....but"
"But?"
"If the body is missing–for example, a finger is torn off or the arm is cut off–. That kind of physical injury would only lead it to seal the wound."
"So, ..., the arm will still be missing, right"
"That's right. Well, it's more effective than potions, so that's good."
"It's amazing, Your Majesty."
"Hmm?"
I looked at Audrey.
Audrey was staring at me with sparkling, moving eyes like an excited young girl.
"I couldn't believe you could make something this amazing."
'It's an extension of the potion. It's not perfect yet, I try to make this and it can turn out to be something else entirely."
"Still, it's amazing. Recovery magic and restorative potions have only existed in ancient lore for hundreds of years. To not only revive it, but to further improve upon it."
"Fumu."
"I ... feel like I'm witnessing a moment that will change history. It's amazing, Your Majesty!"
It is as if a village girl met a famous bard, and she is staring at me with 100% admiration.
It's not a bad feeling to be told that much.
"Ah"
"Is something the matter?"
"Um, ... Your Majesty. I have a favor to ask of Your Majesty ..."
Audrey backed away from me a little, fidgeted, and said shyly,
"What, is there something you want? Is it about time to get a detached palace?"
"No, it's not that. I want you to deliver that ... high potion to Jessica."
I was a little surprised.
Audrey's "begging" came from a direction I hadn't expected.
"For Jessica?"
"Yes. I think she's the one who needs it now."
"You care for her?"
"I'd be happy if we could be like 'sisters,' women who serve His Majesty together."[TN: She's the one who's into incest kink]
"I see."
"And since Your Majesty went to the trouble of giving her a trial, we must take good care of her."
"Is it really so unusual for me to give her a trial?"
I smiled and said jokingly,
"Yes, very much."
Audrey giggled as well and said firmly.
"Your Majesty does most things himself."
Audrey reached out and touched my hand.
The wound was sealed with a high potion, but there was still blood diluted with the liquid.
She scraped up some of the blood with her finger and held it up for me to see.
"There are many things you do without regard for your own danger or pain. It is unusual for such a sovereign to go to the trouble of putting others through such ordeals."
"I see."
I thought Audrey might be right.
"So, please give Jessica a high potion."
"I understand what you're saying. But that won't be a problem, 'cause I've already had it delivered to her."
"Eh?"
"I had the first batch delivered right away. I had someone else hold it for her so she wouldn't get it, but I made sure it will be close to her."
"Why did you do that?"
"How does Audrey feel about me developing a high potion after the potion?"
"Eh? That's ...."
Audrey was puzzled when the question was returned with a question, but she still twisted her head around to answer.
"I think it's amazing and fast."
"That's right. If Jessica has that mindset, she will lose her composure. One is that if you have a high potion, you can get a little hurt. The second is that in a little while, there will be more than a high potion. That's what I mean."
"Ah, ...."
"She will be protected, so that there will be no slackness, from the shadows."
"I see. ... As expected of you, Your Majesty. I can't believe you thought that far ahead."
Audrey gazed at me with even more sparkling eyes.
☆
The next day, in the study of the detached palace.
Jean Brad Reydouk, the First Vizier, was in front of me.
Jean knelt down on one knee and bowed his head with great skill.
"Be at ease. How is the investigation going?"
"Yes. As His Majesty's order, I had them secretly investigate for regenerative dragon veins in various places."
"Umu."
"The Geraha Desert proved to be the most promising."
"Geraha Desert, ..., Salaruria huh."
Salaruria province.
It is the largest province in the southeastern part of the Empire.
The reason for its large area is that it is a frontier, it has no significant industry and a small population, and the desert accounts for more than half of its total area, to begin with.
"Salaruria is ... a frontier land of the Margrave Gerdt, right?"
"Yes. It is a land too 'good' for the Empire, so it was forced upon one of the Margrave.
"Give another land to Gerdt. In exchange, Salaruria will be placed under the direct control of the Emperor."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hmm?"
"Why do you go to such lengths? Isn't Almeria enough for the Dragon Vein ...?"
Jean asked me, choosing his words carefully.
I had expected that question.
I took a small bottle that I had prepared and put a drop of liquid from the bottle on the lantern on my desk.
Then the lantern began to glow.
It was not the light from a flame, but something brighter, more like daytime light.
"T-This is!?"
Jean, amazed, catches on to the lantern's light.
"It's a potion ..., well, a failure."
"A failure?"
"Whenever I try to make a potion with my own power, sometimes I end up with something completely unexpected."
I mentioned this briefly to Audrey yesterday, but she didn't seem interested in it.
"One of them is this. It glows after a while when it touches the air."
"In the air ...."
"One drop of that will last you all night."
"Haa!"
Jean stares at the lantern, even more astonished.
"The magic power from the dragon's veins can create potions, but if we change the direction of that power, we can create something else. I felt that there are infinite possibilities there."
"I see. That's why the dragon's vein."
"Yeah, for that I made Saraluria under the direct control of the Emperor."
"..."
Jean stared at the lantern for a while as if he were immersed in it, and then, "Fuu,...," he said, putting it down and straightening himself up.
"Even this kind of thing... is as expected from His Majesty's."
After saying this, Jean returned to a serious expression – an expression befitting a first Vizier.
"I'll make haste with the Saraluria matter. And the restoration of the dragon's vein."
"Yes, it will be a test for the future. You can use as much of the budget as you can."
"Understood."
Jean gave a final bow and left the study.
Drops of magic power like this, produced using the dragon vein.
It has the potential to change people's lives.
I was secretly convinced.