"Sir, Alexander Carlyle. It is a pleasure to see your jade face.

　In the vast audience room, my voice echoes through the room.
　The ministers, officials, and soldiers around me are looking at me with sublime eyes.

　Meanwhile, the emperor on his throne, Elisabeth C. Forsyth herself, looks vaguely unhappy.

"Raise your head, Sir Alexander. There is no need for you to bow your head any longer.
"Grateful happiness

　Saying that, I stop bowing on one knee and stand up.

　I meet eyes with Eliza.
　She looks at me accusingly and says, "What are you doing here.

"I would like your permission to do something, Your Majesty.
What
A few titles of nobility and a quasi-baronetcy, if you will.
What, you're a piece of work.

Oh.
"Father of the Nation is finally here, too?
But you are not yet married to Angelica, are you?
"Well, congratulations anyway.

　There was a murmur and then a near-cheer from the surroundings.

　It's a common joking pattern between emperors and nobles.
　A high-ranking nobleman's parometer of his status and power is whether or not his child will be given the rank of nobleman when he is born.

　In fact, right after I was born, my father took the plunge and gave me a baronetcy, so I became a baronet before I could crawl or even call him father.

　That much is obvious.

No, not really.
That's a shame. The Sir's bloodline should be preserved for posterity. You had better think about that.
"Thank you.

　Dodging Eliza's teasing and sort of social graces, we'll get down to business.

　The main thing that brought me here today.
　I flew directly from Avalon to the imperial capital to find out why I had an audience with the Emperor.

To give to the merchant.
Merchants?

　The buzz grows.

"I'm surprised you've taken up a sideline as a drug dealer, Sir.

　Eliza laughed with great pleasure.

I'd feel safer if you were a drug dealer. Sir, you're too perfect.
"You've got to be kidding me.
What do you do?
"I'm not here yet.
...... explain from the beginning. I think I've grown to be more tolerant of what you do, but as expected, I can't imagine anything.

　When Eliza said that, the ministers around her nodded.

It's nothing. We want to attract merchants to Avalon.
"At the end of the day, it's bait.
"Yes, sir. I would like to give it to the merchant who brought the industry to Avalon.
"Why limit it to that?
We're trying to bring in industry, but we want to bring in industries that require equipment, such as spinning.
"Hmm.
"It's the same as farmland, Your Majesty. A farmer cannot leave the land he has so carefully cultivated. If you weigh the labor invested in it against the labor to start over. Merchants are no different. Once you bring in merchants who need a big investment, they will stay on the same land for ten, even twenty years.
"Hmm.

"I see, that's my father,
I know the people and the land, but I don't think about the merchants.
I'm not going to be able to leave the house I live in, either.
"You're just poor.

　Ministers and officials joke around.
　It's a joke that gets passed around, but that's exactly what happens when you can't leave the house you're used to living in.

　People who rent houses move on, but people who buy houses are tied to the land for years.
　It's the same thing.

　Eliza thought about it.
　Give the merchant a nobleman's degree.

　I'm not saying it's unheard of, but I know it's not so fun for a native born nobleman.
　That's why I came out in person and asked in public.
　I was wondering if that would work.

　Just when I was wondering if it would work.

"Okay.
"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty.
"Mm. Father of the Nation Alexander Carlyle.
"Haha!
You are free to give it to anyone below you.
"Thanks--what?

　I was about to say, surprise.


　I stared at Eliza with a great deal of surprise, so much so that it flipped me over.

The ...... Your Majesty?　What do you say now?
"Hmm?　Sorry, wrong.
"Isn't it?

　Just when I was about to be relieved.

"You're free to go lower than the Vice-Emperor. But you can't let the vice emperor be a random person.
"Yeah!

　Another surprise.
　You got it wrong there!

　Is that what you want me to do?

"You don't even have to report it, you can allocate the territory as long as it's Avalon.
"Oh, thank you.

　I was slightly overwhelmed by the unexpected answer.

"That's my father,
"Your trust is strong with His Majesty.

　The buzz around us was also very positive and increasingly tense.