Civilization for the Emperor (3)
“When you are granted a private audience with His Majesty, under no circumstances speak before His Majesty addresses you first. And never look His Majesty directly in the eyes.”
Having been summoned to the Imperial Palace, I prepared to meet the emperor in private. The imperial attendants solemnly explained the etiquette I had to observe before him, while the maids surrounded me, washed me, and groomed me.
Honestly, my head was still spinning. Me, meeting the emperor? And not even at a regular audience, but in private? I still had no idea why the emperor wanted to see me.
Of course, the obvious guess was that it had something to do with the game I'd made… but no matter how entertaining it was, was there really any reason for this?
“Are you ready? It is time to meet His Majesty.”
“Yes. I'm ready.”
Truthfully, I wasn't. My heart was still pounding, but I couldn't exactly say no at this point, so I simply nodded.
“Good. Follow me. You will meet His Majesty in a side chamber.”
Apparently satisfied with my answer, the Chief Chamberlain led the way.
“Not in his office?”
“His Majesty did not attend to state affairs today.”
“Why not?”
“You ask a great many questions. Do not do that before His Majesty. As for why, you will understand when you see him.”
Evading my question, the Chief Chamberlain soon brought me to the side chamber where the emperor was waiting. He knocked on the door and requested permission to enter.
“Your Majesty, I have brought Ian Maxwell as commanded.”
“Let him enter.”
At the solemn voice from inside, the Chief Chamberlain opened the door slightly and gestured for me to go in.
The moment I entered the chamber, I bowed my head just as the Chief Chamberlain had taught me. Because of that, I couldn't even properly see who was inside or what they were doing.
“This lowly one greets Your Majesty.”
“Raise your head.”
Only after receiving the emperor's permission did I finally lift my head.
And when I saw him, I was slightly startled.
The emperor wasn't even looking at me. He was completely absorbed in something.
He was playing a game on the game console I'd made.
He looked every bit as stern and dignified as the rumors said, but seeing him so engrossed in a game didn't exactly fit that image.
He almost looked like a gaming addict… Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, I wondered if he'd stayed up all night.
After a moment, the emperor paused the game, set down the controller for my game console, and finally turned toward me.
“You are Ian Maxwell?”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”
My voice trembled from nerves. At the sight of me, the corners of the emperor's mouth rose as though he found it amusing.
“You look more ordinary than I expected.”
I couldn't tell whether he meant that he was disappointed or that I looked better than expected. I couldn't exactly ask, so I simply remained silent.
“I looked into your background. You were born the son of a serf, but because you displayed talent for magic, you were taken into the Imperial Magic Academy at a young age. You later graduated at the top of your class. I am told that your skill with illusion magic is virtually unrivaled. Is that true?”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”
“Flattery? Hardly.”
After saying that, the emperor beckoned for me to come closer. Following proper etiquette, I carefully approached him.
“Sit. This conversation may take some time.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
At the emperor's words, I sat in an empty chair at the reception table. The moment I did, he spoke with a serious expression.
“Do you perhaps have anything to say to me?”
“F-First, thank you for promoting me, Your Majesty. And for canceling the Magic Development Department's budget cut…….”
“Enough of those obvious words. I did not summon you merely to hear such things.”
But I don't have anything else to say.
“Then what would Your Majesty like to hear from me……?”
“I cleared it.”
“Yes…?”
“Deity Difficulty. I believe I went three full days without sleep because of it.”
Ah.
So that was it.
I'd wondered why he hadn't been working. Apparently, he'd been completely consumed by Civilization. Still, he'd only just started playing, yet he'd already beaten Deity Difficulty? That was anything but ordinary. Was that the level of ability it took to become emperor?
“At first, I wondered what sort of absurd difficulty it was. But the more I played, the more it stirred my competitive spirit. So in the end, I cleared it.”
“I-I'm glad it pleased Your Majesty.”
“Well, choosing nations and monarchs is somewhat irreverent, but I do not consider it a problem. Something else bothered me far more.”
What bothered him?
There was something ominous about the emperor's words, and I tensed.
Then, as though he could see straight through me, the emperor asked his next question.
“You… are you perhaps from another world?”
I genuinely thought my heart had stopped.
For a moment, I nearly lost control of my expression, but I barely managed to compose myself and answered as casually as I could.
“I do not understand what Your Majesty means. Another world?”
“Exactly what I said. Could you perhaps be a hero who came from some other world, like those spoken of in legend?”
Ah, shit.
Of course an otherworld like this would even have weird legends like that.
I didn't know whether another Earthling had actually come here before me or whether a legend like that simply happened to exist, but either way, I had to pretend it wasn't me. Nothing good could come from telling him the truth.
“I am most certainly not such a person. Nor do I have any idea why Your Majesty would think so.”
“Is that so? Then it is rather strange. That game you made seems as though it was created by someone who had lived in another world. It contains a great many concepts that do not exist here.”
I flinched inwardly.
It was exactly what I'd worried about.
The modern elements in the Civilization Development series… things like technological tech trees, social systems, and political systems.
At first, I'd considered removing them because I had no idea how the emperor would react, but doing so would obviously make the game less entertaining. So I'd framed all of them as imaginary creations produced through magic.
I'd thought that would be enough to avoid any trouble…
But the emperor had seen through the deception with ease.
“They are all merely products of my imagination.”
“Is that so? Yet there were many highly unusual elements. Take the soldiers in the game, for example. They are quite different from those in reality. Did they not develop by using a weapon called a gun?”
“That is…….”
“Before you answer, allow me to guess the reason. That weapon is not meant for nobles who are knights or mages. It is a weapon for commoners, is it not?”
When the emperor gave the exact answer, I couldn't help flinching inwardly again.
His insight was frightening.
“A weapon that uses an explosive substance called gunpowder to fire a projectile. Simply reading the concepts described in the game was enough to give me an idea of what sort of weapon it is. I cannot know for certain, but I imagine it is far more powerful than a bow. I also know that you created an experimental version in the Development Department. It seems the matter was buried because the officials took little interest in it. Well? Am I correct?”
“…You are, Your Majesty.”
I admitted it outright.
Of course, I hadn't admitted that I came from Earth.
“However, that too is merely a fantasy of mine. I only thought that if such a weapon existed, even commoners might be capable of fighting knights.”
“The knights would not enjoy hearing that. I, however, found it rather fascinating. That vision of how the world might develop that you conceived through your fantasies.”
The emperor then began listing the products of the modern era and the future that he had seen in the game.
“Steam engines, cannons, tanks made of steel, warships made of iron, artificial satellites, and even a ‘magic bomb’ powerful enough to annihilate an entire city.”
“…….”
“Do you believe all of those things could actually be realized?”
I spent a moment wondering how I should answer the emperor's question.
Should I say they would become possible as science advanced?
Or should I say it would be difficult because magic had taken the place of science here?
No, that wasn't it.
Whether they were truly possible wasn't what mattered.
What mattered was what answer the emperor wanted.
“They are possible.”
“Oh? And why are you so confident?”
“Because they are inevitable.”
Because I'd already seen a world that had developed that far.
I knew that such development would eventually be inevitable.
“Technology and institutions will continue to advance. Just as the Empire will continue to prosper without end. If that is the case, then the world will surely become something like what I imagined.”
“You mean commoners will render knights powerless and kill them, machines will replace labor, and wicked things called democracy and communism will rise to prominence?”
So he'd figured out even that much.
I'd censored the setting as much as possible, but apparently deceiving the emperor's eyes really was difficult.
“They will.”
“Interesting. Are you aware that such words could be considered irreverent?”
“If what I created were truly nothing but irreverence, Your Majesty would have punished me rather than rewarded me.”
Apparently satisfied with my audacious answer, the corners of the emperor's lips rose.
“Indeed. It did seem to contain some irreverent ideas… but at the same time, I found myself agreeing with them.”
“…….”
“If weapons continue to grow more powerful with each passing day, perhaps the time will come when an army composed of commoners can face knights. Precision machinery is already beginning to rival the efficiency of handicrafts, so machines may gradually replace human labor as well. And as for this democracy, I believe…….”
The emperor stopped there.
“…That requires more thought. In any case, many of the ideas I discovered in your game were truly fascinating. They made it enjoyable.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“However, if those things truly can be realized… could the Empire adopt them before anyone else?”
“If we make the effort, I do not believe it would be impossible.”
“Would you be willing to help with that? If you wish, I can transfer you to the Imperial Academy or the Technology Department.”
A chill ran through me.
If I said yes here, I had a feeling I'd end up being worked to the bone like Hwang Hui after King Sejong got hold of him.
Besides, all I'd done was recreate things that appeared in the game. I didn't actually know how to build cannons or tanks or anything like that.
The only reason I'd tried making a gun before was because something that simple had seemed possible.
So if I didn't want to expose how little I actually knew, I had to refuse here.
“I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness, but I merely imagined the basic concepts behind those things. I have not devised their specific principles. Creating such things with my own hands would be beyond me.”
“Hmm… True. The game did not explain such details either. Very well. In that case, I cannot force you.”
The emperor said that, but disappointment showed in his eyes.
“Then you may go. This has been an enlightening conversation.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Apparently having nothing more to ask, the emperor dismissed me.
I left almost as though I were fleeing, without even looking back.
There had been a few terrifying moments, but it seemed like I'd gotten through it all right.
***
“…That fellow is hiding a great deal.”
Contrary to Ian's expectations, the emperor still suspected him.
Of course, he did not truly believe Ian was a hero from another world, but he could at least tell that Ian still had many things hidden away.
“He surely knows how to do more than this. Is he deliberately concealing his abilities?”
Why?
Several possible reasons came to mind.
It could be because of his lowly origins as a serf. It could be because he had little desire for advancement.
Or perhaps he did harbor ambitions, but was simply waiting for the right time.
Whatever the case…
He still appeared to be a useful talent.
“Only the concepts are presented… but if even some of them can be realized, they would greatly aid the Empire's development.”
The institutions and technologies that appeared in the game.
There were many things that were difficult to imitate immediately or even understand.
But what if they researched and experimented with them little by little?
Using scholars and artisans sponsored by the imperial family, it did not seem impossible.
“Trying too many at once would be unreasonable… I should begin with that gun.”
It was the weapon used by the gunpowder-tech unit represented in the game as infantry with a Combat Strength of 24.
The emperor did not believe war was something the Empire needed immediately, but neither was he ignorant of the necessity of military power.
He immediately summoned his officials and ordered the Imperial Academy and the Technology Department to begin research.
“The Crown Prince will like this.”
The boy loved weapons and fighting so much that he would probably be delighted.
The thought that the Crown Prince would once again take an interest in something strange instead of studying made the emperor sigh.