第９３６堀：二人の皇帝の意味 (Part1)
**Chapter 936: The Meaning of Two Emperors**
**Side: Yuki**
"..."
Well, well. My wives were all struck silent by the unexpected turn of events.
The reason was simple: our audience with the Emperor of Zurable had been granted with surprising ease.
And it was scheduled for tomorrow, of all times.
We had only just arrived in the Imperial Capital today, so this was a dizzying pace. Usually, one would expect various troubles or bureaucratic adjustments before an audience could be arranged, but there was absolutely none of that.
And that wasn't all...
"I mean, the journey to the Imperial Capital itself was surprisingly peaceful, wasn't it?"
As Seraria said, nothing of note had happened on the road. It was the definition of peace; we didn't encounter the monsters that should have been roaming about, nor were we accosted by bandits.
"Yes. It seems the patrols are out in full force. Though, the travelers we passed were quite surprised to see us."
As Qual noted, everyone we saw on the road was just an ordinary traveler. We had passed quite a number of them, too. Well, it was only natural that the flow of people would increase as we neared the capital, but...
"Whether it was merchant caravans or individual travelers, almost none of them even had guards with them. When the Boss and the others stayed in towns under Vol-san's guidance, I thought for sure we’d run into some kind of trouble..."
"And yet, not even that happened."
Exactly. There was genuinely zero reaction. It was so smooth—a stark contrast to the constant trouble we’d faced everywhere else—that we arrived at the Zurable Imperial Capital in exactly one week, just as planned. Thanks to that, the only thing we had to talk about on the road was...
"That steak in that town was delicious, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. That was surprisingly good."
"...The Zurable Great Empire, not to be underestimated."
As Riel and the others were saying, we had nothing to discuss but our impressions of the local food. If I compiled our travel reports, I could probably publish a guide to the best eats in each town. I might actually do that later. It could become the first gourmet information paper for the New Continent.
But setting that aside, what this really meant was...
"It seems the Zurable Great Empire governs its territory extremely well."
"Yes. The people in the towns didn't even show a hint of fear toward anything..."
"The reputation from the shopkeepers wasn't just good; they were saying it's easier to do business now than it was before the Zurable Great Empire took over."
As Eris and Ratz observed, the towns and villages we’d stopped at were governed with strict discipline, and it was clear that this wasn't a regime built on oppression or fear.
"It's strange, isn't it? The people of Aurelia said the Zurable Great Empire was cruel and wicked."
"Now that we're actually here, it's nothing like that at all. It's truly mysterious. What do you think, Labyris?"
"It's strange for me, too. To have the internal and external evaluations be complete opposites. But, there is no mistake that they committed atrocities at the Aurelia port. Many people died and many suffered because of it."
"Yes. That is undeniable. It is a fact that many people lost their homes and families because of the Zurable Great Empire."
Aslin and Firia’s confusion was natural. In Aurelia, they were called a wicked nation, but once inside their borders, the residents were living their lives in peace and security. However, as Labyris and Shera pointed out, the looting that occurred along the roads of Aurelia Port was also an undeniable fact. They were likely struggling to reconcile this duality.
While Eris, Ratz, Aslin, and Firia were confused, those among us who understood the nature of governance—Seraria, Deryu, and Shera—remained calm. The reason was simple:
"Well, it's only natural. If a country acted that harshly toward its own controlled territories, it could never grow this large."
"Indeed. As Seraria says. The most important thing in governing a nation is to solidify the support of the people around you who sustain the country. If you can't do that, betrayals will sprout one after another, and you'd never be able to invade other nations in peace."
"Exactly. In other words, they are strict when viewed from the outside, but have deep trust from their own allies."
They drew a clear line between friend and foe. Furthermore, there was another force at play regarding why the Zurable Great Empire was labeled as wicked.
"Another reason the Zurable Great Empire is so heavily criticized is that the Emperor who has reigned over this New Continent since ancient times still holds authority. Even the Ritea Holy Church, which preaches love, has suppressed those who go against their teachings as heretics."
As Rurua explained, while it wasn't exactly a religion, the conflict between the symbolic authority of the traditional Emperor of this New Continent and the Emperor of the Zurable Great Empire was at the root of the issue. Even so, that explanation didn't seem to click with Riel and the others.
"Hmm... I don't really get it!"
"Oh, Riel. Um, let's see..."
"Tori doesn't get it either. Of course, I don't really understand it either."
To Kaya, who clearly didn't understand, Rurua continued with a wry smile.
"Let's see. If we were to use the Rogali Continent as an example, it would be like another Ritea Holy Church suddenly appearing, wouldn't it? If that happened, the original Ritea Holy Church would never acknowledge its existence. ...How is that?"
"*(Shake, shake, shake)*"
Everyone shook their heads vigorously, still not getting it.
*Sigh.* I thought that was pretty easy to understand... Just as I was thinking that, Dressa spoke up.
"Think of it this way. If another group started calling themselves 'Weed,' and a fake Yuki there started saying *they* were the real ones and began taking Weed's territory and people, would you forgive them?"
"We would never forgive that!"
They understood that perfectly. Well, I suppose it's easier to understand when it's compared to our own country.
"It's like that. For the people who worshipped the old Emperor, they can't just bow their heads to the Emperor of the Zurable Great Empire who suddenly appeared. But, the people of this New Continent are starting to acknowledge the Zurable Emperor more than the Emperor who holds that history and authority."
"Big Brother, why is that? Why are they acknowledging the new Emperor?"
"I don't know the details, but it's likely that the Zurable Emperor is a better fit for the current citizens."
"A better fit for the citizens? Firia doesn't really understand."
It’s tough for Aslin and Firia to grasp these things. In times like these, it's better to be straightforward rather than beat around the bush.
"It's probably this: the Zurable Emperor is actually thinking about the common people. Taxes are lower, and you saw it on the road, right? They have soldiers patrolling so travelers can move from town to town in safety. The original Emperor didn't do things like that. So..."
"People are gathering around the Zurable Emperor who actually cares about them, right?"
"I see!"