Gratitude

"So that new slave... uh, what was her name again?"

Mia asked, standing before me in the office.

"Supposedly, Lisya."

"Supposedly?"

"I just found out myself."

"Hmm. Didn't care much about other people's slaves, huh?"

I nodded.

Before, I’d never asked for the name of a slave during Holy Night, but now that she’s mine, I asked.

Her name is Lisya. Incidentally, Risha already knew her.

Lisya’s become shockingly energetic.

Assigned to Yuria’s duties, she’s been running around all day, never stopping to refill the Rebeck. The more she works, the happier she gets.

"Didn’t expect her to look like that. Honestly, never thought she’d have that expression on her face."

"Same here. Shocked me too."

"So, is that just how Eternal Slaves are—everyone says that?"

"Could be."

From near-collapse into sheer exhaustion, she’s now bustling around more energetically than anyone else among the slaves.

Should’ve done this sooner, I thought.

“Anyway, what’s this about today?”

“I brought this.”

Mira snapped her fingers.

The office door swung open, and her female companions filed in.

They set down the box between me and Mira, then left the room.

I looked inside. Piles of folded papers, envelopes—stacked high.

“What’s this?”

“Letters. Collected from towns all over. For Akito.”

“Letters? For Akito?”

I pulled out a folded sheet.

It was written in a painfully clumsy hand.

One glance told me: a child’s writing.

“Says ‘Thank you, King,’ here. And this one—‘Life’s easier now, thanks.’”

I opened each letter Mya had brought, one after another.

All of them said similar things—words of gratitude.

"Stuff like this..."

"And then, this was entrusted to me too."

Mya stood up and opened the largest box among them.

From inside, she pulled out an umbrella.

Massive—bigger than a parasol, almost large enough to be a tent if you hung curtains from it.

She unfolded it right there in the office.

"What's this?"

"You see the names written here, right?"

"Yeah... covered in names."

"This is a signature umbrella. People who're grateful to you. I collected it from Kazan. Apparently, in these parts, when people want to thank a ruler, they send a collective umbrella like this."

"Huh..."

"Something this big isn't common."

Mya said, shaking her head with quiet awe.

"Never thought I'd get something like this."

"Everyone's grateful to you, that's all. Just so you know—thanks that's just lip service wouldn’t result in something like this."

Is that how it works?

No… wait. In that case, you’d just say thank you. No need to make something this big, sign it with everyone’s names.

Thankfulness… it hits harder than just hearing ‘thank you.’

I aimed to restore the world, to become king and rule over it.

But being genuinely appreciated? That’s actually kind of nice.

"Gratitude, huh. I thought that’s what made me king."

"Not quite. You can’t even express it with just that."

"Ah. Thanks, Mya. You delivered it."

"No big deal. We just carried it."

Mya shrugged.

"Honestly, at first I was planning to do all sorts of things for you."

"All sorts?"

"Y’know—take down anyone who talked bad about you, talk someone into doing what we wanted, all that stuff."

Mia emphasized the word “smoothly.”

“Censorship, huh?”

“That was entirely unnecessary. Everywhere you go, it’s just people thanking you. Well… the only thing I’d complain about…”

“Complain about?”

Something’s bugging me.

“Guess it’s just… Pshiny’s a mess.”

“…Yeah, that’s a mess.”

We laughed together.

☆

After Mia left, I called Yuria.

“I’ve got something I want to entrust to you.”

“Hmm, what?”

Little slave girl Yuria looked up at me.

Emotionless, as usual.

“The beach resort I built with Risha. I’m opening it to the public.”

“You’re letting everyone use it?”

“That’s right.”

“For free?”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“Basic food, shelter, and clothing will be guaranteed. Everything beyond that, they’ll have to manage on their own. Same as before.”

“So… we’re charging them?”

"Yeah, take just enough not to be a rip-off. Leave that part to you."

"Got it."

"Ah, wait a sec."

I stopped Yuria, thought for a moment.

"First customer—give them a freebie. Some royal coronation or whatever, make up a reason. Leave that to you too."

"Got it. Who’s the guest?"

"Here."

I pulled one letter from the pile Mya had left behind.

Just right—written by a child.

"Probably has a family. Invite the whole family."

"Yeah, got it."

Yuria nodded, having received all the orders, then left the office.

She’d handle it fine.

Alone in the office, I stared at the pile of letters and the umbrella.

"Menu open... dismantle."

I tried DORECA’s magic on them—didn’t work.

The sense of it, that these were made by the people, kept growing, slowly, steadily.