The Mansion Awaits Spring - Chapter 184

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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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Chapter 184
Pejin wiped the blood trickling down his cheek where the ring had grazed him, then brushed it away with the back of his hand. As if nothing had happened, he spoke to the Emperor.
“A trading house simply launched a merchant vessel. Nothing more—there’s hardly any grand scheme behind it.”
Pejin continued, speaking gently, almost as though soothing the Emperor.
“The Dieusz Grand Duchy suffers from chronic food shortages, so naturally she’d think of provisions first. What could a woman confined for seven years possibly accomplish of great magnitude?”
The Emperor’s anger subsided. He composed himself and returned to his usual measured demeanor, addressing Pejin.
“True enough, I suppose. But if the Empire ends up with surplus grain because of this, that’s no loss, is it?”
“Why let it accumulate? We can simply force it onto the market if needed.”
“That’s a fair point.”
The Emperor’s mood lightened somewhat at the suggestion of simply unloading the surplus. For now, Pejin still seemed to be thinking from an Imperial citizen’s perspective.
Yet the Emperor now understood why Pejin had rushed to the Imperial Palace—he was thinking like a man of the Grand Duchy. The Emperor spoke again.
“I’ll need to compensate for that loss through other means.”
“Other means, Your Majesty?”
“We’ve discovered crude oil along the Right Island coast, haven’t we? We’ve already begun preparations for extraction there. That’s why you came to find me, isn’t it?”
At this, Pejin spoke firmly.
“Yes, that’s exactly why. The researchers mentioned it to you, didn’t they? The ground there is unstable—it’s dangerous.”
“What does it matter? Even if the foundation gives way, it’s only happening in the Grand Duchy.”
At the Emperor’s probing remark, Pejin’s brow furrowed and he continued.
“Your Majesty, the Fog that appears in the Grand Duchy is entirely a winter phenomenon. From winter through early spring, here in Rasa, don’t strong eastern winds blow in with the cold?”
“Hasn’t it been said that the probability of that Fog reaching here is extremely low?”
“Yes, it is low. But that assessment was based on the Factory being inland in the Lunos Fiefdom. The factory you’re discussing now is positioned along the coast, much closer to the Empire itself, isn’t it? Moreover, the Grand Duchy’s coastline is inherently a dangerous region. Who knows what natural disaster might strike there?”
“That’s merely speculation. We can simply build the factory strong enough to withstand it.”
At the Emperor’s declaration to restart the factory that had barely been halted, Pejin’s expression darkened.
He continued, as though reasoning with him.
“I must emphasize—this is a matter of Imperial security. Even if you proceed, please consult deeply with the scholars. I’m begging you.”
With that, he bowed and soon departed the Imperial Palace.
Once outside, he went directly to find Lian Ragnar. In the Imperial Palace gardens, Pejin spotted him strolling with a woman who had recently captured his interest, and he strode over purposefully.
“Ragnar.”
“Don’t come near me! If you get close, I…”
Lian spoke while turning to glance at the woman beside him. As expected, her gaze was fixed on Pejin.
Lian sighed and covered his face with his hand. Pejin politely greeted the woman accompanying him, then spoke to Lian.
“Let’s have a drink at my place later.”
“Fine, now get out of here.”
“I’m married.”
Pejin showed the Wedding Ring on his hand and stepped back.
Even after displaying the ring, the lady remained intensely curious about the man called Pejin, and she made no effort to hide her concern about the wound on his face.
Eventually, Lian cut their time short and reluctantly made his way to where Pejin had summoned him.
A simple drinking gathering had been arranged on the patio of his residence.
Pejin’s body hadn’t fully recovered and he couldn’t drink as he once did, but tonight he’d brought out spirits in abundance.
Lian picked up one of the bottles and spoke.
“Krrock?”
“That Illegal Whiskey we used to confiscate all the time? That’s it.”
“What?”
Lian’s expression twisted, but he quickly brightened with curiosity, filling his cup as he spoke.
“We always just seized it—never actually tasted the stuff.”
“The safety issues are resolved now. Once inspections finish in Rasa, we’ll begin sales immediately. The Empire’s people are so fond of it that the approval should move quickly.”
“Really?”
Lian brightened further and raised his cup.
“I’ve always wondered what made it so good that people would risk their lives to drink it.”
He took a sip of the amber liquid and, despite himself, smiled.
“Ah, so that’s what it’s like.”
“Good, isn’t it?”
“Will every drinking gathering in Rasa feature this?”
He refilled his cup as he spoke.
“Lunos’s Head of House purchased the formula for that dangerous Illegal Whiskey and produced this. You could call it audacious.”
“More than audacious—reckless.”
Pejin’s face, as he said this, was suffused with pride in April.
Lian tactfully ignored the tenor of his friend’s feelings and spoke.
“So what? What are you trying to say?”
“They’re starting extraction along the Right Island coast.”
“The place with the unstable ground, you said?”
“I made that argument. But he won’t listen.”
In the end, the Emperor intended to push forward.
By building the factory and demonstrating the magnitude of resources they could extract from that colony, he believed the appetite for war would increase.
Lian sighed along with Pejin, then spoke to him.
“There’s nothing I can do about this. I can’t stop it, either.”
“Now that the Council has approved, no one can stop it. My best hope is if my brother steps in.”
“What would you have me do?”
“If something goes wrong at the factory, according to the scholars, the Empire could face problems too. That coast is close to Imperial lands.”
“…You mean there’s a chance the Fog could spread to the Empire itself?”
“Exactly.”
Pejin refilled his cup and continued.
“If such a thing happens, someone will surely have to be held accountable—whoever built that factory.”
“You want me to do that?”
“It’s not my request. Isn’t that your dream anyway?”
To put the Emperor on trial.
Lian let out a short laugh and set down his cup.
“You’re not thinking of deliberately blowing up the factory, are you?”
“Not at all. The place where they’re building now is a completely different prospect from the Lunos Fiefdom. It’s a place where the ground is profoundly unstable. If even a small explosion were artificially triggered there, who knows what might happen to the foundation.”
“Won’t the scholars stop them? They’re planning to extract crude oil in such a dangerous place?”
“I just told you—the scholars say the Empire could face problems. And yet, in the end, it’s being built in a colony. All that matters right now is extracting the crude oil for war preparations. What does it matter what happens to that land?”
Lian stopped mid-pour.
As far as he knew, this was the first time Pejin had ever used the word “colony.”
Lian resumed pouring, filling both his cup and Pejin’s, then spoke.
“I’m not sure if you know this, but…”
“I do.”
“You know what I’m about to say?”
“That you oppose the war. That you think it will only bring losses, no gains.”
Pejin spoke as he took the cup Lian had filled for him.
Lian narrowed his eyes and asked.
“How did you know?”
“Is there anything you don’t know about me?”
“If there were, I couldn’t entrust you with my back.”
“The same goes for me.”
He answered and drained his cup. Then he refilled both his and Lian’s cups, speaking as he did.
“I took your hand believing that someday you might become the Emperor of this island, because you’re the sort of person who would oppose war.”
Lian paused at his words.
“Wait, what?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Putting the Emperor on trial means taking his seat for yourself. Only the Emperor has the authority to hold the Emperor accountable.”
“You’re saying something terrifying… No, I’m the one who said something terrifying.”
Lian realized it himself and burst into laughter at the absurdity of it all.
He accepted the cup Pejin offered and drank. He sighed once more, then spoke.
“Bring out more of this. It’s going to be hard to come by from the start.”
“I’ve already had it sent to the Ragnar Residence.”
“Don’t read my thoughts like that, you bastard.”
“Then speak faster.”
Pejin replied with a mocking smile, and Lian shook his head with exasperation. But the fact that he’d obtained this remarkable spirit before anyone else in the Empire pleased him.

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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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