"Well, but our emperor is brilliant, don't you think?　Master Oscar Almon.
　"Quite so. Darios, ...... What are you smoking, by the way?
　Marijuana. Do you smoke?
　No, thank you.

　Darios smokes the marijuana in his pipe with relish.
　In the Lemurian Empire, marijuana is commonly available as a luxury item.

　It is often used for pain relief.
　It's a major plant.

　"Well, I thought it was over when I was defeated by the Emperor. I didn't think you'd be such a good and interesting master. Don't you agree?
　"Yes, I do. I thought that the Lemurian Empire was just going to fall into ruin. ...... But here we are, and the Lord has not abandoned us. I guess that's just the way God wants it.

　And speaking of God, ......
　Oskar asks Darios.

　"You were a 'Western' Messianic, I believe. ...... Are you still one?
　"I converted to Orthodoxy two weeks ago. I converted to Orthodoxy two weeks ago.

　No matter how many imperial edicts forbid discrimination, you will still be looked down upon.
　For Darios, who is not a devout man by nature, converting to Christianity is not a very difficult thing to do.

　But he's a man who doesn't seem to think about anything, but he thinks about everything, he sees everything. Everything is going according to plan, isn't it? Your Majesty.
　"This time I got goosebumps indeed. ...... Too vivid.

　First, I'll purge the great nobles.
　The first step is to purge the great nobility. This will solidify the foundations of the government, and at the same time, acquire land to set the stage for the Tonten system.

　After that, he purged the former Patriarch of Alexandria and brought the Patriarch of Orontia, who had attacked Hercule, to his knees in return.
　This effectively brought most of the clergy in the Lemurian Empire to their knees and brought them under control.

　Then, he made a secret pact with the medium, and the Council was favored. ......
　The confusion caused by the "New Orthodoxy" and the "Decree of the Destruction of the Holy Image" during the reign of Hadrian was put to rest, and Orthodoxy was completely established.

　At the same time, an imperial decree was issued granting religious freedom to the Aretheans, thus gaining the support of the Aretheans.
　The Orthodox clergy, already suppressed by Hercule, have no say in the matter.

　On top of that, ......
　Taxing the infidels and heretics is a new source of revenue.

　In addition, they use their religious organizations against them to prevent rebellions by keeping track of their activities, the number of their followers, and the whereabouts of their followers.

　This is used as a source of threats, and money is borrowed from the infidels and heretics to obtain further financial resources.

　A single policy spreads like a net and solves the problems of the empire in one fell swoop.
　It was truly brilliant, a true work of art.

　And if you lend that much money, ...... the infidels and heretics will have no choice but to support the empire. It's like they're in bed with the Empire.
　"It's the fetters of debt. ...... They can't escape the empire anymore since their livelihood is gold. ......

　Pagans and heretics lend huge amounts of money to Hercule.
　The infidels and heretics lend huge amounts of money to the Hercules, which means that until the money is returned from the Hercules, the infidels and heretics cannot resist the Hercules and the Empire.

　To start a rebellion, you need weapons.
　To buy weapons, you need money.

　In order for the infidels and heretics to revolt, they need the support of the ...... same infidels and heretics.
　But this loan has put them on the side of the Empire.

　It has become hopelessly difficult for the infidels and heretics to revolt.

　"The crowning glory was this 'Church Law'.
　It will solve the religious problems of the empire, and ...... it will also secure new sources of revenue.

　"Church Law.
　It's a new law enacted by Hercule to control the church.

　There are three main points to this law.

　The first is to allow a greater degree of autonomy within the church.

　Until now, until Hadrian's reign, the empire had interfered in the internal affairs of the church. 　
　However, Hercule abolished this and allowed the Church to have free autonomy.

　But ......
　As for the Patriarch, he is elected by the Church and then appointed by Hercule, so there is a minimum collar.

　Two, regarding the Church's property.
　The church has a huge amount of land and property that it has donated and endowed.

　This land and property may or may not be subject to taxation. ......
　This has been an issue since the time of Emperor Hadrian.

　Hadrian's argument was that the land was imperial land before it was church land, so it should be paid for.
　The Church argued that since the land was donated, it belonged to the gods and should not be touched.

　The Church's argument is that since it was donated and endowed, it belongs to God and should not be touched.

　The Church prevented Hadrian from taxing the land. ......
　The Church prevented Hadrian from levying taxes, but Hadrian sometimes forcibly took property from the Church by force.

　In other words, the game was evenly matched.

　In order to solve this situation, Hercule decided to use ......

　In order to solve this situation, Hercule announced at : "Donated money is the property of the church and cannot be touched. The land donated is tax free as long as it is necessary for the operation of the church. However, it is subject to taxation if it earns more profit than necessary.

　This was a compromise.
　In short, it was a compromise.

　From the Church's point of view, it would secure the minimum necessary to run the church, and if it was making more profit than necessary, it could not help but pay taxes, .......

　For Hercule, it would provide a new source of revenue on a permanent basis.

　The two sides came to a satisfactory conclusion.



　And the last bone of contention: ......
　It was decided that each church would submit the names and addresses of its members to the central government .......

　In order to know the exact number of Orthodox, Aretheans, and other heretics and infidels, ......
　That's what Hercule claimed: ......

　The truth is that he wanted to control the Church and to keep the cost of population census low.

　It's a hassle for the church, but ......
　The church is willing to do this in exchange for autonomy. That's about it.

　"If there is such a thing as the art of war, then your thing is political art.
　"That's a very good point. It's an art ...... that is simply wonderful.

　Hercule's goals are consistent.
　Hercule's goals are consistent: to secure financial resources and to stabilize the country.

　But it is very difficult to satisfy both at the same time.
　The more taxation, the more dissatisfaction, and the more tax cuts, the less revenue, for the sake of domestic stability.

　If you raise taxes without complaining, or rather while increasing the number of your supporters, ......
　This is an unusual balancing act that Hercule has pulled off.

　But I don't think it's possible to pull off a better trick than that. ...... What do you think?
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.　I'm sure the tax revenue will gradually increase with the development of the country.

　The only other thing we can do is ......
　The only other thing they could do was to go to war, at least they both thought so.

　That's where we come in.

　"Well, we don't know politics anyway. ...... We can leave the politics to you. Our job is to train the troops and be active on the battlefield.
　You're right. ...... If we follow you, we won't be afraid of any enemy. I look forward to it.
　"You're not very good at war, are you?
　"Mister Darios, you are laughing, too.

　They both laughed merrily.

　It seems that Hercule is already in complete control of the army.






　"Whoa!　Hey, Your Majesty!　Are you sure you want to do this?　Are you sure you want to do this?　Are you sure you want to help us?　Isn't it fun to raise them up and then knock them down into despair!　You're not saying that, are you?
　No. ...... I'm glad you're happy.

　I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I have.
　It's not a girl, because she's 20 years old (according to her), but ......
　She looks like a girl.

　Her breasts are large, though.

　Hercule soothes his eyes by looking at her swaying breasts and says to Hypatia.

　I don't care if you're a heathen or a heretic, as long as it benefits the Empire. I want your knowledge to be used for the development of the Empire's science, technology, and culture. Therefore, I will protect and support your activities. However, it cannot be free of charge at ....... So, naturally, I'd like to ask you for a job, okay?
　"Yes. ...... What is it?

　Hupatia's face tensed up with tension.

　It's a modification of the bow and arrow we use in our country. You know the compound bows that the nomads use?
　"Yes, yes ......, yes I do. It's a short bow made of animal horn or skin and glue. ......?　It's short for riding, it's easy to handle, and it has as much or more ...... range than a longbow.

　Hercule nodded in satisfaction.

　That's it. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. ...... A compound bow and a longbow, don't you think a combination would be more destructive?
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing and how you're going to do it. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to get the best out of it. Isn't that ......?
　How about a pulley for that matter?
　Pulley?　...... Ah!　I see!　I'm sure that will reduce the pulling force!

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to use it.

　Because of the availability of firearms, it is used exclusively for hunting and sport on Earth. ......
　It will be more than enough for this world.

　If you use the principle of leverage and materials, you should be able to make a more powerful bow than ....... I have high hopes for you.
　I'll do my best to live up to your ...... expectations!

　Hupatia clenches her fists.
　This is a great way to get the most out of your business.

　I'm going to build a branch of the ...... Aletheia Library in Nova Lemuria. In order to do this, we need manuscripts. ...... How about this?　Anyone can write up to two codices. Instead, one copy must be kept by the central government. You may keep the other copy for yourself.



　"Ha, ha, ......, but ...... that ...... papyrus and parchment is too expensive .......
　"How about this?

　Hercule handed a sheaf of paper to Hupatia.
　It was pure white, not papyrus, not parchment.

　"It's .......
　"It's paper made from plants. Unlike papyrus, you can write on the back, and it's not difficult to make. I'll give you as much as you need.

　For three years, Hercule had been working hard to develop paper.
　It would be more convenient to have it.
　Papyrus and parchment were expensive and could not be mass-produced.

　The cost of papyrus and parchment is too high to be mass-produced, and the cost of writing for administrative purposes alone is prohibitive.
　In other words, it was originally intended to save money.

　How did you get this from ......?
　It's a secret.

　Hercule said and winked at Hupatia.