I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit - Chapter 113

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Isabel knew how to distinguish between Princess Isabel and the person Isabel with perfect clarity.
Right now, she was Princess Isabel.
And Princess Isabel harbored one small(?) wish.
To this world that gave me a gift, I too would leave behind a gift.
Though I will depart soon, I hope to be remembered fondly by people for a long time.
For that reason, I was living each day with earnest dedication, doing my very best.
“What is the most useless theory for a working person?”
“Hmm….”
I stroked my chin, but the answer eluded me.
“As far as I know!”
“As far as I know” was a habitual phrase that King Valkio of Zirdel wore like a second skin.
The faces of the courtiers noticeably brightened.
“Hehehehe!”
Valkio, completely oblivious that he was being roasted, burst into hearty laughter while clapping his hands.
“That worker is doomed to fail. As far as I know, not a single person has succeeded with that mindset. Back in my day, you see. I never once complained about how hard things were. And….”
The speech that began that way continued for approximately ten minutes.
How in my youth, people worked far harder than this generation, how those who grumble about hardship these days do so because they’re well-fed, how today’s kids lack mental fortitude, how they’re a soft generation that never experienced war, and so on.
The brightened expressions of the courtiers darkened once more.
“In any case, your sense of humor is remarkable.”
“It wasn’t humor.”
Through the courtiers’ expressions, I felt the true state of this kingdom once again.
Those faces spoke volumes about public sentiment.
“I came to give a gift to the Kingdom of Zirdel.”
Isabel wasn’t simply trading jokes.
It was a procedure to gauge through the courtiers’ reactions just how exhausted they truly were.
For reference, this method was one I had devised in consultation with Narmore, who stood behind me.
“A gift?”
Valkio had prepared a beautiful doll as a gift that children would love.
He was already confident that young Isabel would be absolutely delighted with it.
But then, from young Isabel’s lips came words he never anticipated.
“A life with weekends.”
The courtiers’ expressions brightened once more.
“The Teisabel Teleportation Gate isn’t merely a cheap transportation gate. It’s a technology for buying time.”
“Buying time?”
Isabel smiled softly.
“Time is precious to anyone, but for me, it’s truly precious.”
“…Ah.”
Valkio found no words to respond and let out a hollow cough.
He had forgotten because the child was so bright and warm.
That this child has been living a life with a predetermined expiration date since birth.
“The reduced cost means that the benefits can be distributed fairly to everyone.”
Currently, Transportation Gates can only be used by the wealthy.
The cost itself is simply too expensive.
But the Teisabel Teleportation Gate can be used by far more people.
“Zirdel is a logistics hub, after all.”
It’s positioned at a far more crucial trading point than the Kingdom of Alpea.
The Empire even dispatches troops there to manage it separately.
“Logistics will accelerate. As it does, everyone will benefit, and everyone’s free time will increase. Weekends will emerge. People will have more precious moments to spend with their families.”
“Hehehehe!”
Balkio shook his head.
“Do you truly believe that?”
The ministers suddenly grew uneasy.
Whenever the king became that confident, it was always followed by “From what I know” or “Back in my day.”
“If logistics accelerate, doesn’t that simply mean you can transport more goods in the same amount of time?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then doesn’t that mean you can accomplish more work?”
Isabel smiled softly.
I knew Balkio would say exactly that.
‘That’s precisely why workers try not to work faster.’
Finishing work quickly doesn’t mean you can leave early.
Complete a task quickly, and you’re simply given another one—ultimately, you just end up doing more work.
“I don’t think it’s quite that simple, Your Majesty.”
“What do you mean?”
“To accept the Teisabel Teleportation Gate, we need the absolute support of the kingdom’s people.”
This place was far closer to the Magical Federation of Mirotell than to the Kingdom of Alpea.
Naturally, Mirotell’s influence was considerable.
Countless people believed the rumors surrounding the “Teisabel Teleportation Gate.”
Recently, the Magical Federation had shifted from the frame that “the Teisabel Teleportation Gate is lethal” to “the Teisabel Teleportation Gate causes side effects without people realizing it.”
For instance, frames suggesting hair loss or obesity.
“Stirring up anxiety is an excellent tool for propaganda. You cannot force people trembling with fear to use the Teisabel Teleportation Gate technology. It might work briefly, but eventually, there will be massive backlash.”
I had confirmed this through the ministers’ reactions.
The ministers were relatively free in expressing their emotions before the king.
Considering that ministers in kingdoms with perfectly vertical hierarchies cannot even show their expressions before the king, this was an extraordinarily free atmosphere.
It also meant that Zirdel was quite democratic for a monarchy.
“They must accept it from their hearts. For that, we need a cause that can move their hearts.”
“….”
Narmore added a word.
“A life with weekends. A life where you can spend time with family. The Teisabel Teleportation Gate can make that possible for you, Your Majesty.”
In truth, it was meant for the ministers to hear.
When Narmore looked toward Isabel, she nodded in agreement.
Now it was the strategist Narmore’s time to shine.
“Furthermore, we can consistently supply diamonds of this quality. We’re aware that diamond supply within the Kingdom of Zirdel has been unable to keep pace with demand. If you cooperate in actively accepting the Teisabel Teleportation Gate, we will establish a separate contract to supply diamonds of this caliber.”
“Isn’t this an unusually favorable condition just for us? It seems suspicious, haha!”
Balkio laughed benevolently while attempting to discern the true intentions of Narmore and the imperial court.
Narmore readily acknowledged it.
“Since we’re in the early stages of business, we must ultimately achieve economies of scale. In the beginning, we have no choice but to accept some losses.”
“How did you know we needed diamonds? That’s not something we’ve announced publicly.”
“I met with Princess Reina of the Rosild Duchy. There were no notable social gatherings scheduled here, nor is this where her friends are located. She must have come with some other purpose in mind… I judged it unlikely that she was acting alone. Someone came here with a special objective, and Princess Reina simply tagged along for entertainment. Moreover, when I deliberately dropped a diamond, she examined it very carefully—as if diamonds were her primary concern.”
This was also the first time Isabel had heard of this.
What? You deliberately dropped that diamond back then?
To observe Reina’s reaction?
‘Wow…’
Isabel found herself both slightly frightened of Narmore and genuinely pleased that she had invested in him.
* * *
After Isabel’s group left the palace, Balkio held an emergency meeting with his ministers.
Balkio stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes.
“You all agree on this? Your relations aren’t usually good, are they?”
The ministers of the Kingdom of Zirdel were divided into two factions.
The Brillio faction, centered around Minister Brillio.
And the Elliang faction, centered around the other minister, Elliang.
They always stood on opposite sides and tore into each other, yet today their intentions aligned.
“…So, we should actively accept the Teisabel Teleportation Gate?”
“It’s rare to gain both justification and practical benefit, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed. Since it serves the national interest, I too have chosen to align with Minister Brillio.”
For the first time in a long while, all the ministers’ intentions were unified.
“I have a strange feeling I’m being deceived.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty. Our hearts contain only Zirdel.”
“That cannot be, Your Majesty. Please consider the sincerity of us ministers, who think only of Zirdel’s wellbeing and national interest.”
After concluding his meeting with the ministers, Balkio returned to his chambers.
A note lay waiting in his room.
It was a letter from Rahela, Queen of Alpea.
[How does it feel to have met the political strategic asset that the Empire has been deliberately cultivating?]
Though he showed no outward sign, Balkio was deeply shaken.
Just as his ministers said, she had brought both justification and practical benefit.
From the way she spoke, she was clearly not an eight-year-old child.
He decided to send a brief reply.
[I didn’t believe it, but it seems to be true after all. That child is undoubtedly a strategic asset.]
Seeing the young man Narmore who assists Isabel—though he appeared somewhat young for his age—made it all the more certain.
Someone of that caliber must have been deliberately cultivated by the imperial court and placed at Isabel’s side.
Isabel was undoubtedly a political strategic weapon that the Empire had deliberately developed.
And I found myself regretting it somewhat.
“Was giving a doll to such a child a mistake?”
In truth, my retainers had tried to dissuade me with their eyes.
Balkio was not originally a man lacking in perception.
Even if he chose not to acknowledge it, he captured the glances and expressions of his retainers better than anyone else.
‘Should I have given something more refined and elegant?’
Perhaps a book filled with humanistic insight, or a political treatise brimming with understanding of complex international affairs—something along those lines.
Meanwhile, Isabel refused to remain in the royal palace and returned to the Empire’s base camp.
Uncertain how much longer she would stay in the Kingdom of Zirdel, she wanted to spend a bit more time here.
Yuri, who had been baking cookies in the barracks and waiting, rushed out to greet Isabel.
“Welcome back. I’ve baked some delicious butter cookies.”
“Yuri.”
“Yes?”
Isabel’s expression was quite serious.
It was the look of someone wrestling with something profound.
The fact that she wore such an expression despite having just baked butter cookies meant something truly grave was afoot.
Yuri straightened her posture and waited for Isabel’s next words.
‘What on earth is she about to say?’
Finally, Isabel opened her mouth.
It was something Yuri had never anticipated.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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