As a puppet, I barely have any work to do as Emperor.
So, like I said before, I spend my leftover time making babies with Shiron and Ney. But honestly, this was also my own way of self-preservation.
To the Chancellor who holds all the power over the country, the Emperor is just a decoration. There’s no need for him to be capable. Actually, if I stupidly showed off any competence, he’d get suspicious and think, “This Emperor will eventually try to push me aside and take back real power.”
Being suspected would be fine on its own, but a man who climbed all the way from commoner to Chancellor wouldn’t leave any future problems lying around. Eventually, he’d force me to step down. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the method was illness or death in battle.
Back when I was a salaryman, I met plenty of people who’d do anything to climb the ladder. But the nasty vibe I get from Marquis Gregor Gram is like those career-climbers concentrated dozens of times over.
I don’t even need to say how dangerous it is to be on guard against someone like that. To avoid it, what I should aim for isn’t a wise emperor – it’s a foolish one.
That’s exactly why I act as the Chancellor’s yes-man in the imperial palace and drown myself in women.
But even someone like me had training that I sometimes had to take seriously-specifically horsemanship.
I say horsemanship, but the “horses” in the Urgalia Empire are animals called horned horses (Longa), and they’re pretty different from the horses I know (Thoroughbreds).
Just like the name says, they have two mighty horns growing out of their heads – they look more like deer than horses. Many grow past two meters long as adults, and some even have shoulder heights over two meters, not just body length.
Cavalry riding these horned horses are called horned cavalry (Longara), and their sheer force and speed is like a light truck charging at you with the engine wide open. They’d crush infantry in one blow – hell, they’d send even shield-bearers in iron armor with big shields flying.
Even if you surround your position with fences or abatis to stop a horned cavalry charge, the horned horses – famous for “running through mountains like it’s flat ground” – would leap over obstacles with ease and trample the enemy along with their whole camp.
To the neighboring countries, Urgalia’s horned cavalry was synonymous with devils.
And for the Urgalia Emperor, becoming a horned cavalryman was an absolute duty.
Why? Because the founding emperor who built the Urgalia Empire left behind some (unnecessary) words: “The Empire is with the horned horse (Longa). If you are not horned cavalry (Longara), you are not Emperor.”
As for why the founding emperor left such a (troublesome) saying – the ones who originally built the Urgalia Empire were a mountain people who settled in the Urga Mountains in the northern part of the continent.
Called the Urgalu, they were a fierce hunting people who rode horned horses (Longa) to hunt game in the steep mountains, and sometimes came down to the plains to raid.
It was the founding emperor who organized these kinsmen and built the elite unit called the horned cavalry (Longara). Standing at the front of the horned cavalry, he subdued the surrounding nations and eventually built one of the continent’s leading great empires. So in a way, it was only natural that he arrived at the idea that “an Emperor who can’t ride a horned horse is a hundred harms and zero benefits to the Empire.”
So that’s why even me, enjoying my puppet life, had to seriously commit to horned horse training. The early morning training right after waking up was part of that.
The training itself started when I was the Fourth Prince, but I had no horseback experience – hell, I’d never even properly touched an animal – so of course I struggled.
Luckily, the horned horse assigned to me, Ura, is excellent, so I can do things like sit in the saddle and make her trot lightly. But being able to run at full speed or fight on horseback is a long way off. Honestly, it might be impossible for life.
I think being able to do this much at eleven is plenty, but apparently my three dead older brothers were already handling horned horses at my age, so the imperial guard knights acting as my teachers looked at me with very cold eyes.
Well, I got plenty of those “looks at the useless guy” in my past life, so it doesn’t hurt anymore. I’ll just do things at my own pace.
”So yeah, I’m counting on you, Ura,” I said, patting her body, and Ura let out a relaxed “fumoo.”
Horned horses (Longa) are mostly brown or black, but Ura’s coat is a rare white. She’s small overall, and unusual for a horned horse, she has a gentle temperament.
Even though she’s small, Ura’s shoulder height is over 150 centimeters, so from the perspective of an eleven-year-old me, she’s the size of a small hill. Getting into the saddle is a struggle, but Ura bends her four legs and sits down when I get on.
Also, horned horses often rear up and throw off riders they don’t like, but Ura has never once done that.
I can say that I can “ride a horned horse” – barely – thanks to Ura.
I spent over an hour training on Ura. Just as my stomach started growling for breakfast and I was about to wrap up training, one of the imperial guard knights on escort duty casually brought his horse up next to mine, speaking in a hushed voice.
”…Your Majesty. Forgive my boldness, but I have something I wish to tell you,” he whispered softly.
”What is it?” I asked, looking over.
”It concerns Chancellor Marquis Gram. In recent years, the Marquis’s power has been remarkable, and at this rate, I fear something bad may happen to Your Majesty-” the knight continued nervously.
Seeing the imperial guard knight start chattering away, I sighed internally: “Not again.”
Ever since I became Emperor, guys like this come around every now and then. Their arguments are all identical, like they were stamped from the same mold.
They condemn the Chancellor’s actions as “tyranny” – the man who holds power over the country by propping up a young me – and preach to me, “Push the Chancellor aside, and may Your Majesty reign over your subjects as the true lord of the Empire,” And they’d spare no effort for that cause, they say.
-Yeah, honestly, none of your business. Don’t act like a loyal subject and get in the way of my easy puppet life.
If the person giving me advice were more capable than the Chancellor and could give me a more comfortable life, I might think about it. But there’s no way someone more capable than Marquis Gram – who climbed from commoner to Chancellor – just shows up.
I don’t know if the imperial guard knight in front of me has loyalty or lust for power deep down, but either way, I had no intention of weighing this guy against the Chancellor.
”Marquis Gram is my tutor and a peerless loyal subject. It’s fair to say that I am who I am today because the Marquis taught me strictly. There’s no way Marquis Gram would do anything that isn’t for my sake,” I interjected firmly.
”But Your Majesty! Marquis Gram is originally of commoner birth. As Chancellor of our nation – one of the continent’s five great powers – he is simply not fit-” the knight protested hastily.
”Oh? Then are you saying my judgment in appointing Marquis Gram as Chancellor was a mistake?” I countered sharply.
When I asked in a stronger tone, the imperial guard knight’s expression changed with a start, and he hurriedly bowed his head. It seemed he finally realized he’d said too much.
Or maybe he was surprised by my unchildlike way of speaking and hid his expression.
Thinking about that, I waved my hand lightly to shoo the imperial guard knight away.
-Now then, I need to report that imperial guard knight’s name to the Chancellor.
I muttered internally while watching the imperial guard knight’s back as he left.
Judging from his words and actions, that knight is probably connected to the Noble Clans. Even if he isn’t, I have to report that there was a courtier who tried to plant distrust of the Chancellor in me.
This too was a precaution necessary for living a comfortable puppet life.
”…After all, there’s a chance that knight is moving on the Chancellor’s orders,” I whispered under my breath.
I muttered in Japanese so no one could hear – and so that even if they did, they wouldn’t understand.
Whispering bad things about the Chancellor into my ear, seeing how I handle it, and judging whether I’m useful to him or not – yeah, that’s totally something Gram would do.
Remembering the office politics from my salaryman days, I felt deeply fed up. The guys who get ahead are all without exception good at this kind of maneuvering.
I let out a big sigh: haaah. Why do I have to feel sick to my stomach first thing in the morning?
Being a puppet isn’t easy, I thought as I nudged Ura toward the stables. Tonight I’ll mess with Ney plenty to blow off some steam – I’d decided that in my heart.
Trivia:
- The Emperor mutters in Japanese specifically so that even if someone overhears, they cannot understand – a subtle reminder that his reincarnation grants him a private language no one in this world shares.
- The founding emperor’s decree that “if you are not horned cavalry, you are not Emperor” is called “unnecessary” and “troublesome” by the narrator, hinting at quiet resentment toward the burden it places on him.
- The Emperor suspects the guard knight might be acting on the Chancellor’s orders as a loyalty test – meaning even acts of apparent rebellion could be part of Gram’s control over him.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ The Japanese text uses the kanji compound meaning “horned horse” with the original term “Longa” as furigana reading. The English translation keeps both the descriptive phrase and the coined term to preserve the worldbuilding nuance.
2 ↩ Similarly, “horned cavalry” is the literal meaning while “Longara” is the coined term. The suffix -ra likely indicates a group or unit, distinguishing the riders from the mounts (Longa).