ALL NOVEL Chapter 51
“He asked if you want the position of the heir’s betrothed.”
Heike asked me nonchalantly.
Alberich, unable to follow the flow of the conversation, was in a state of shock, making gagging sounds.
Well, let’s consider it.
The emperor’s consort, a position called the national letter.
My wife is the emperor, the highest authority in the empire, so it’s hard just to see her face.
I would be locked away in this suffocating palace until I die, gasping for air.
Worrying about assassination every day, I probably wouldn’t even get proper sleep.
I understand what it’s like to be in a similar situation.
Like a prisoner trapped in a jail.
Yes, I will decline.
“Forgive my boldness, but that position isn’t meant for someone like me.”
“Hm.”
Heike slightly raised the corners of her mouth in response to me.
“To show no greed at all for such a proposal, you must be a top-notch minister.”
Isn’t it a bit greedy for royalty?
“Relax. It was a joke. No matter how I feel about it, I won’t take away my blood relationship’s betrothed.”
“I didn’t know Your Majesty enjoyed jokes,”
Heike seemed displeased with my comment, pulling her lips tight.
“Even members of the imperial family make jokes. But if you come across so stubbornly, there’s no opening for me.”
I didn’t mean to appear that way, but I’ve built an impenetrable wall.
If I send Heike back like this, we’ll lose the chance to interact again.
I thought of a better proposal.
“Depending on the conditions, I could consider selling penicillin to Mokhwi Palace.”
“Is that true?”
Heike relaxed her arms and showed interest.
“If we send you back empty-handed after your visit here, how rude would that be?”
“Polite just like a noble family. What are the conditions?”
Royals are indeed thorough with their profit calculations. Seeing them first seek the price and conditions, it must be in their blood.
Securing what needs to be secured.
I spoke firmly, presenting my condition.
“It’s an alliance between Mokhwi Palace and Moonlight Palace.”
“Hm.”
I need resources for my faction in the inner palace to quietly grow.
Even if I persuade Falkenhayn, with Acella being hostile against Georg, there’s a limit to how much he can help me.
If Alberich keeps interfering like he is now, it will become increasingly difficult for me to operate in the inner palace.
I didn’t get Acella’s permission for the alliance, but well, if I explain it, she should understand.
If she allies with us, Heike will also come into direct conflict with Georg.
In that process, if both expend their strength and end in mutual destruction, it would create a good scenario for Moonlight Palace.
Acella’s chance of winning might increase, but well…
The probabilities of a bad ending aren’t changing just yet, so let’s think about that later.
“So it’s an alliance.”
Heike clearly desires my medical skills.
If she accepts the proposal, in the long term, she can trade medicine or equipment with me.
If she sees it as an investment, it could be quite a sweet deal.
After finishing her calculations, Heike responded.
“I’ll consider it positively. I’ll confront Acella.”
“I appreciate it.”
I was already feeling excited about the many benefits to come.
*
“It’s great to see you safe.”
I returned to Moonlight Palace with Tanya.
After a big issue, I wanted to take a little break by leaving the office to Chloe.
Chloe was worried about me and was in a panic, but amidst it, she managed to handle her tasks well.
Now, I need to use the blue mold cultivated by Chloe to perform alchemy to create penicillin.
At this pace, I should be able to leave the mass production of antibiotics to Chloe soon.
Without alchemy, it looks like I’ll be able to expect medication production.
However, upon arriving at Moonlight Palace, I encountered an unexpectedly pleasant face.
“Brother!”
“Neria?”
As soon as she saw me, Neria came running over on tiptoe with a big smile.
Without realizing it, I smiled back at her in delight.
“Have you been well?”
“Of course! Thanks to the ingredients you provided, I’ve been doing well. How about you being here?”
“Hehe, were you surprised?”
She gave me such a cute surprise without any hint in her letters. It was a total success.
I patted Neria’s head, and her gray hair danced lightly. Finally, it felt like I could breathe in this suffocating palace life.
“Actually, I came because there’s an important social party.”
The party under the duke is in a little while.
“Has Father come along?”
“Father is busy, so I came instead. Neria is representing the Gothberg family.”
“Good to have you. I’ll leave the family honor to you, Neria.”
“Haha, it’s about time the face of the Gothberg Marquisate gets younger!”
Turning my head to the boisterous voice, I saw Boris organizing the horses and carriage that Neria arrived with, along with his knight subordinates.
The injuries from the goblin shaman had completely healed.
“How have you been, Young Master?”
“You’re looking healthy, Boris.”
“Thanks to you. It’s been a while since I saw the Commander.”
“Hmm.”
Tanya lightly acknowledged Boris’s greeting.
“Boris and the knights provided protection to the imperial palace.”
“Thanks for the hard work. Didn’t it take about two weeks?”
“We lost a day just at the castle wall. The entrance procedure to the imperial palace is incredibly complex. I lost count of how many security checks we went through.”
Boris grumbled, then flashed a grin showing his teeth.
“By the way, Young Master, Commander, I heard great news.”
“What news?”
“I saw the video of the imperial martial arts tournament. Commander Tanya’s skills were impressive.”
“You flatter me.”
Tanya humbly replied to Neria’s compliment.
“Commander kept mentioning Young Master. The rumor spread widely that Gothberg’s heir became the attending physician and turned the martial arts tournament upside down.”
“Hm, is that so?”
That was good news for me too. If the name Gothberg spreads widely, it becomes advantageous for my achievements.
“Thanks to that, the Marquisate has been in a festive atmosphere every day. Next year’s admission to the academy already has people lining up.”
“Father was delighted. I have a letter to share later.”
“I’m looking forward to that. Shall we go inside and talk? Neria, I’ll ask you to prepare some tea.”
“Sounds good!”
Neria, thrilled to be in the imperial palace, looked around excitedly as she entered Moonlight Palace.
“I’m just about to switch with Bruno, so I’ll step out for a little while.”
Tanya disappeared, seeming to have something to do.
I took Neria to the reception room and asked the attendant for some refreshments.
“Regarding the golden roses you sent, they seem to be growing so fast that I should be able to harvest them soon. It’s starting to get warmer, but I can depend on the warm weather then. As for the conditions in the Marquisate…”
Neria rapid-fired all the accumulated stories she hadn’t been able to share through letters.
I felt she would choke if I didn’t slow her down, so I put some snacks in her mouth to set the pace.
“The snacks in the imperial palace are super sweet!”
Neria, unaware of the crumbs on her cheeks, delightedly enjoyed her treats.
After a while of catching up, I decided to bring up a certain topic with Neria.
“Neria, has the word about the medicine I made spread to the Marquisate?”
“Yes. Ice…? I’m sorry, the name is hard. It’s said to cure the epidemic that spread in the system without using healing spells?”
“Exactly. Right now, I’m the only one who can create it, but with training, other healers can produce it too.”
“Really?”
“Yep. The materials have been the willow bark you used to send me.”
“Ah… that’s fascinating.”
The reason I brought up the topic of medicine wasn’t without a purpose.
When I heard Heike’s proposal.
Hearing that a manufacturing environment would be established to mass-produce medicine and monopolize it was tantalizing.
But wait, if it’s such a good deal, shouldn’t I handle it myself?
That was the conclusion I came to.
Since Neria is here, maybe I should casually bring it up.
“Neria, do you want to venture into a business?”
“A business?”
“Yeah. The Healing Academy is primarily operated on tuition and donations, so it doesn’t generate much profit. Our family isn’t exactly rich either, right? Running a territory always requires a huge amount of capital.”
“Right. I also want to become an adult quickly so I can help the family like you, brother. But what kind of business?”
I pulled a medicine bottle from my pocket.
These are sample containers organized by type.
“Aspirin, effective for colds or headaches. Penicillin, an antibiotic that prevents secondary infections. The red medicine is a topical antibiotic. We’ll also make nausea medicine, disinfectants, and digestive aids.”
I began to outline my plan, writing an overview in my notebook for Neria to see.
“There are a lot of types.”
“Only I can create the more advanced medicines, but what I’ve shown you can be mass-produced as long as we have the technology, equipment, and materials ready.”
I got to the point with Neria.
“Let’s build a pharmaceutical factory in the Marquisate.”
“A factory for medicine…!”
Her pupils widened with interest.
Neria was educated well and quite clever, so I’m sure she understood fully.
I had no intention of stepping forward as the head of the Marquisate anyway. Balancing being a doctor and running the Marquisate is challenging.
The pharmaceutical business will have to be actively managed by Neria, who will inherit my father’s job in the future.
“We could help many sick people!”
Right now, I’m the only one able to produce the medicine and sell it at high prices, but if it’s produced in a factory, costs will go down.
It’ll be far more affordable than having commoners visit healers individually.
Neria is indeed sharp.
“I heard there’s a candy factory in the empire.”
“Uh? There is.”
“Then could we make tons of sweet medicines too?”
“Hm, depending on how we create them?”
I see she’s imagining something like a chocolate factory.
Her thoughts seem to quickly bounce in other directions; she’s still just a kid.
“But doesn’t creating such a factory cost a huge amount?”
“It does. If we start solely with our family’s capital without investors, the risk becomes great.”
It might be manageable to start on a small scale, but training pharmaceutical personnel and establishing the initial infrastructure will consume a lot of time and funds.
“We’ll need to find investors. Either way, it’ll take years, so let’s take our time.”
“Yes, big brother. I’ll do my very best!”
Neria made a fist with determination.
She probably wanted to appear serious, but instead, her puffy cheeks made her look adorable.
I feel relieved knowing Neria will actively push it forward.
If someone like me could retire as an attending physician when it’s completed, what a leisurely and prosperous life that would be.
“Thank you in advance. For now, let’s convince Father and start planning.”
“Leave it to me! Father always supports whatever I want to do!”
Neria was brimming with energy. I couldn’t help but want to shove a ton of snacks into her chubby cheeks.
“Want some candy?”
“Yes!”
I opened the wrapper of a honey candy and handed it to her, and she bit into it in one go.
Just as I thought I wouldn’t be bored for a while, I heard a bustling sound near my ear.
Clank clank, the sound of armored knights’ footsteps. They were moving quickly.
The escort knights rushed into the reception room and took positions along the walls.
The only one who could enter through the path they created was one person.
It was Acella.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
Neria immediately bowed to Acella, but she ignored the greeting.
Acella raised her chin and crossed her arms, glaring at me fiercely.
“Prince.”
“Yes.”
Golden mana surged in her pupils.
What could she be upset about this time?
Acella coldly questioned me.
“What does it mean that you were proposed to by Heike?”
How on earth did that story get distorted like this?