From atop the platform, King Hellorn looked out over everyone and moved them deeply with only a few words. The morale of everyone gathered before the World Tree below the platform quickly soared.
King Hellorn, who held the same position in Ellar Kingdom that the Heavenly Demon held, inspired loyalty not through fear or a display of strength, but through gentleness.
Is strength measured not only by force, but by words as well?
I raised my head and watched the flowers King Hellorn had created sway gently as they fell from the sky.
At that moment, Elder Philn's voice quietly reached me from beside me.
"It is now Your Highness's turn to speak. Are you prepared?"
As Nameless, I had received recognition and respect, but I had always stood behind the Heavenly Demon and had never delivered a formal address.
'Should I start thinking up impressive speeches for the future…?'
I looked at Elder Philn, nodded, and climbed toward the altar where King Hellorn stood. Elder Philn watched me ascend the stairs, then looked at the Elves gathered below the altar and platform. Lowering himself onto one knee, he shouted.
"His Highness enters! May Nature bless you!!"
At his lead, the Elves below the altar lowered themselves onto one knee and repeated the greeting.
"Blessings upon Ellar Kingdom-!"
"May Nature bless you-!"
It would not matter if I were giving the speech alone, but King Hellorn had spoken briefly before me, and the mood of his speech had been gentle. I should maintain that mood as well.
[Blink]
I descended below the platform and looked at those kneeling before me as I extended my hand. Then, as the elders and the Flower of Death had taught me, I breathed steadily, gathered Energy against the direction of the current flowing through my palm, and released it.
[Subspace]
Now I only have to name what I want, and it will come out…
THUD.
First came the soft blankets I had taken from an inn in the Kroso Empire. Fresh, fluffy bedding mats began spreading across the grass one after another.
THUD-THUD-THUD.
More bedding followed, taken while I searched the building where those called Human nobles stayed. I had taken plenty from the inn, but these looked better, so I had taken extra.
CLANG. CLANG.
THUD-THUD-THUD.
Next came the weapons I had taken from an armory stocked full of them, followed by heaps of cloth from a fabric shop.
Last came what no banquet could do without, and what could raise their morale: all manner of ingredients, including meat, and wooden barrels of liquor poured out at once.
THOOM.
ROLL, ROLL, ROLL.
The things I had stolen piled up like a mountain, blocking the Elves from view.
[Blink]
Since I ranked below King Hellorn, I climbed not onto the altar but onto the platform beneath it. Looking down at their expressions, I shouted.
"Welcome home! May Nature! Bless you!!"
They stared blankly back and forth between me and the goods I had brought from the Kroso Empire. Then they shouted the response at the top of their lungs.
"WAAAAAAH-!"
"May Nature bless you-!"
Elder McGill, who stood beside me, stared at the goods with wide eyes and asked me.
"You said you had somewhere to stop by…"
"Yes. I brought gifts."
I looked at Elder Philn, who was blinking in surprise, and asked.
"Who is the Special Operations Unit Leader?"
"Ellond."
"Call together everyone in the Special Operations Unit, not merely the leader. Have them uncover every piece of information they can, including the relationships among the Dragon factions, why the Dragons bestow Blessings upon Humans, and what the Dragons intend to do with the Energy contained within the World Tree."
"I will summon them immediately."
"Gather the members of the Supply Unit and tell them all to come to the training ground. I will be waiting there."
"Understood."
Elder Philn walked to the front of the platform and looked up at King Hellorn standing on the altar. When King Hellorn smiled gently and nodded, the elder looked out at everyone below the platform and shouted.
"Before we begin the banquet with the liquor and food His Highness brought! Everyone in the Special Operations Unit, there must be information to organize, including the situation among the Dragons, so gather in the meeting room for a moment."
"Understood!"
"Every member of the Supply Unit will gather in front of the training ground and report on your businesses. Is that understood?!"
"Understood!!"
"His Highness has brought a great deal of food! The members of the Special Operations Unit and the Supply Unit will return after making their reports, so the rest of you must not become too drunk. Enjoy the banquet first and catch up with one another!"
"Understood-!"
"Thank you, Your Highness-!"
"WAAAAAAH!!"
As I was about to head to the training ground, I looked at King Hellorn descending from the altar to the platform. He approached me, gently placed a hand on my shoulder, and spoke.
"I heard that you endured much today."
"It was nothing."
He patted my shoulder.
"It is good to set an example for everyone, but as your father, I simply wish you would not have to suffer."
I smiled brightly, showing him that he did not need to worry. He descended below the platform and spoke to the elders.
"All of you have worked hard. Elder McGill, speak with the members of the Covert Operations Unit, and Elder Bardi, speak with the members of the Investigation Unit. Organize the information we need, then take some time to comfort the members."
Elder McGill and Elder Bardi bowed silently and answered at the same time.
"Understood."
"Elder Yorite, please move the blankets, cloth, food, and other things Kellick brought into the warehouse and organize them."
"Understood."
I had not gotten around to mentioning it, but the division of labor was certainly efficient.
I bowed my head to King Hellorn and headed toward the training ground.
[Blink]
I stood in the middle of the empty training ground and looked up at the sky.
The Supply Unit used its profits to procure supplies for every organization, including Ellar Kingdom itself, so it was an important organization to the kingdom.
I had taken a great many round coins made of gold from the Kroso Empire, though they looked different from the gold currency I knew. However, I did not know how much these gold coins were worth, and there was no guarantee that I would succeed in stealing daily necessities every time from now on.
Unlike the Elves, who traded through barter, Human society conducted transactions through currency, just as people did in the Central Plains. I needed to learn how Humans generated profits and how we should operate once we began working from the Branch.
As I considered one thing after another, I sensed someone approaching.
STEP, STEP.
MURMUR, MURMUR.
Their heights and hair lengths differed, but people with the exceptional features and blond hair distinctive of Elves began gathering before the training ground one by one.
Of course, every Elf was beautiful enough to have been hailed as the greatest beauty under heaven in the place where I had lived in my previous life. On average, however, the members of the Supply Unit were the best-looking among the various organizations.
Then again, every Elf possessed looks above a certain standard, so daring to compare their appearances was ultimately nothing more than a matter of personal taste.
The one walking at the front seemed deeply moved by something. He came all the way before me, sharply dropped onto one knee, and shouted.
"May Nature bless you!"
The others behind him also lowered themselves onto one knee and greeted me.
"May Nature bless you-!"
I nodded and carefully studied their expressions.
At that moment.
SMOOCH.
The man before me kissed the back of my hand.
That voice was unmistakably a man's, was it not?
What… is this?
I had tried to understand and accept most of the culture here, but what was this unpleasant act? Moreover, no one had ever greeted me this way before. Was this part of the culture within the Supply Unit?
Although displeased, I forced myself to remain calm and spoke.
"All of you, rise."
SWISH.
As I studied their expressions, the man who had kissed the back of my hand placed one hand against his chest, flourished the other through the air, and gave an exceedingly peculiar yet elegant greeting.
"I am Nileri, the Supply Unit Leader."
He moved his feet this way and that as he looked at my face and hair, then continued.
"Black hair! How fascinating!"
Come to think of it, something had puzzled me while I visited the Kroso Empire.
"Most Humans in the Kroso Empire had blond hair. I did not see anyone with black hair."
"Among the Humans of the empires and kingdoms across the continent, the most common hair colors, in order, are brown, blond, blue, orange, and red."
"So walking around with black hair would make me stand out."
"I have heard that some ethnic minorities have black hair."
"It is fortunate that no one suspects you of being Elves merely because you walk around with blond hair."
"That is correct, Your Highness!"
I looked at them and began explaining why I had called them.
"The banquet is already underway, so I will get straight to the point. How much profit does the Supply Unit make?"
"Sixty percent comes from musicals, thirty percent from flower shops, and the remaining ten percent from handicrafts such as bowls and bottles."
Sixty percent?
Rokiyan had explained it to me…
Did that mean six-tenths?
After thinking for a moment, I slowly spoke.
"So more than half comes from musicals. Then what is a musical?"
Nileri instantly answered with an exaggerated gesture.
"It is life itself, containing joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure."
He makes money from life?
"What exactly does that mean?"
Nileri spoke with a sly expression.
"Once we have finished reporting to Your Highness, we plan to show everyone a musical when the banquet reaches its height."
I still do not know what kind of sword a musi-cal is, but it seems I will find out later.
Next.
I understand handicrafts, but does a flower shop sell flowers?
But.
There are people who buy flowers?
Why would anyone buy flowers?
Do they sell something special?
Could they be selling opium poppies? They had once brought enormous profits when sold secretly in cities controlled by those Righteous Faction bastards. Can opium poppies be sold legally here?
Would that not explain why flower shops account for such a large share of their profits?
When we establish a Branch in Human territory, could we gather more wealth by running not only an inn and selling handicrafts, but also creating these things called musicals?
"I am asking because I know little about musicals. Is there a reason they generate such high profits?"
Nileri smiled brightly at me.
"Many nobles throughout the empires and kingdoms come not only for the premiere, but also for the second run, the third run, or even the entire season. There are only a handful of musicals like ours across the entire continent."
The premiere, second run, third run, season—what do any of those mean?
Does coming for the entire thing mean they visit several times?
I engraved the word musical into my mind and asked.
"Why…?"
"What?"
The Supply Unit members behind Nileri also began murmuring in confusion.
At that moment, a woman's voice came from behind them.
"It seems His Highness is asking for the secret."
As though he had finally understood, Nileri clapped his hands and answered.
"Ah! It is because the work I wrote, [The Man Holding His C*ck], became tremendously popular. It was explosively popular among First Ladies and noblewomen."
!?
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
A man…
Holding that?
Without realizing it, I glanced down at my crotch before raising my head and meeting Nileri's eyes. Nileri nodded curtly.
Of course, I had been castrated in my previous life, so I had rejoiced at being able to raise my old friend hanging from Kellick's body…
But women come to see something this indecent?
And it is popular?
Ah… Are there so many people who come because Elves are delicate and handsome?
No.
Perhaps it was a difference in culture, but this was far beyond anything I could understand…
I closed my eyes, placed a hand against my forehead, and spoke in a low voice.
"What do you call the currency required to purchase goods?"
Nileri raised his head and thought for a moment before answering in confusion.
"Are you asking what gold coins are called? We call gold coins gold coins…"
"Then how many gold coins does the Supply Unit earn annually?"
Nileri watched my expression with an apologetic look.
"It is barely enough to cover the members' operating expenses and the cost of the food ingredients we send to Ellar Kingdom, but we earn approximately one million gold coins."
There are many mouths to feed, so even that many gold coins must be insufficient. At the Branch, we will have to research goods or products that generate greater profits.
I extended my hand into the air, summoned a Subspace, and spoke.
"I brought gold coins and expensive-looking ornaments from the Kroso Empire. Will you appraise their value?"
At my question, round gold coins began pouring down in thick, unbroken streams like monsoon rain from the Subspace, whose rippling blue waves brightly illuminated the dark night. The previously sullen gazes of the Supply Unit members gradually began to sparkle before slowly filling with excitement.