Chapter 90

Chapter 90:  The Empress’s Test (2)

The first meeting with the Empress ended swiftly.

She rose from her seat, saying she wanted to rest for a while, and thanks to that, we were able to head straight to Haman.

However, all of us knew the truth the entire time we were leaving.

What the Empress was actually going to do alone in the name of rest.

She had headed straight to a private room with a phonograph, and apparently, the hallway echoed with the beautiful singing voice of Bennet Tolkien.

“When did you prepare something like that again?”

While we were back in the carriage together.

Echina, stuck close to me like a massive cheetah, asked.

“Well, it’s widely known that Her Majesty is a fan of Sir Bennet. I thought it might come in handy, so I got a copy in advance.”

“Seriously, I heard Her Majesty never accepts gifts or anything like that.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter made a sullen face, having received different information back in Nord.

To her, I replied with the gaze of someone far too familiar with the ways of the world—like an old man worn out by worldly matters.

“It’s not that she dislikes gifts. She simply refuses them because none have matched her tastes.”

I continued speaking as I looked over the city report on Haman.

“Tobang must’ve picked up on that and suggested a gift to Prince Eric ahead of time.”

That guy’s always been good at this kind of wining and dining.

His actual abilities might be average, but he’s the kind of person the upper class truly favors.

“But you still got ahead of him, didn’t you?”

Echina folded her arms and gazed at me deeply.

Her gaze, once sharp and cold, had softened somewhere along the way.

“That’s just the basics.”

But I didn’t pay it any mind.

That was just a warm-up round.

I’d already made significant moves ahead of him in several areas, so he was probably feeling the pressure by now.

What’s more, his family—the Armans—were originally from the capital.

Tobang, who was well-versed in this region, must’ve prepared a different kind of card.

Then we arrived in Haman.

It didn’t take long for me to find out exactly what card Tobang had prepared.

“The Haman Special Exhibition of Genius Painter Descent.”

It was none other than an art exhibition featuring Descent, the very artist who had left a deep impression on the Empress.

“Well, look at that.”

Echina stared at the art exhibition posters hanging from every streetlamp with a chilling gaze.

As if she were seeing a hyena invading her territory.

“Roger, isn’t this the same method you used when you built up the Erian Hotel?”

“It is. Seems Tobang was quite impressed by it.”

I leisurely looked at the portrait of Baron Descent printed on the poster.

Echina frowned at my reaction.

“You’re really okay with this?”

“Yes. I don’t particularly feel anything about it.”

Because that method wasn’t going to work in Haman.

The reason I had used an art exhibition in Erian was that the venue was limited to a hotel.

However, this place was a city of merchants.

There’s no way those who came here for business would have the leisure to enjoy an art exhibition.

‘But, there is one thing bothering me.’

Tobang might’ve heard about it through rumors, but Lucun had seen my efforts up close.

The art exhibition was even a collaborative effort between the two of us.

“For now, let’s just focus on our task.”

Echina quietly gazed at my eyes, which had grown even sharper than usual despite already being narrow.

Then, with a cool expression much like the Grand Duke’s, she turned her gaze toward the city of Haman.

“Let’s first look into what this city is most famous for.”

“Famous for? That’d be the local specialties brought in from different regions.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter tilted her head with lifeless eyes.

“I mean to identify the most iconic items in particular.”

With my hands behind my back, I took a step ahead into the street.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“There certainly is.”

I gave her a faint smile in response to her eagerness.

Then, I pointed toward the towering Imperial Palace in the distance.

“You’re going to meet the Imperial physician.”

“The physician…?”

Echina furrowed her delicate brows.

“Yes. If you could arrange a meeting, I’ll join you there shortly.”

“Hmmm.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter tilted her head further at my increasingly cryptic words.

“Well, if it’s you, I’m sure there’s something to it. Alright.”

In my previous life, she had always been calm and strong-willed.

But perhaps because of what she’d seen from me so far, she seemed a little more inclined to trust me this time.

“Just don’t get sidetracked again like last time.”

Sidetracked…?

This time, I was the one with a puzzled expression.

Then, Echina pointed between my eyes with her finger.

“Like that wand sales pitch you pulled before, when I didn’t even ask you to.”

Ah.

She must mean the Luton Wand I sold to Lize back then.

Well, thinking about it, it might have been rude to sell something from Luton to a family we weren’t exactly on the best terms with.

“Understood.”

I bowed my head in a calm and composed manner.

Then Echina crossed her arms and spoke in a slightly sulky tone.

“And also… going forward, you don’t have to bow so deeply like that.”

She casually waved her hand at my display of courtesy.

‘She really does feel oddly different from before.’

“It means you can act a little more comfortably.”

“Understood…?”

Echina let out a deep sigh at my tilted head and confused face.

Then, with her fist lightly covering her lips, she turned her head.

“Well then, I’ll go ahead. Stay in touch.”

I blinked as I watched the Grand Duke’s daughter walk away.

Then, I decided to focus on the task at hand.

――――――

I walked through the city of Haman alone.

This place was filled mostly with storage warehouses for goods brought up from the provinces by merchants.

So, unlike residential areas, this city mostly consisted of commercial buildings and markets.

Back in my days as Chief Secretary, I often came here to personally check on the resources distributed by the Grand Duke’s house.

That’s why I was well aware of the rhythms of the street.

People woke up early in the morning, filled up on a hearty meal, drank coffee, and then headed straight to the wholesale market for auctions and various transactions.

In short, no matter what kind of new culture you tried to introduce, the image of this city would not change.

Because the very foundation of this city was built on fierce wholesale battles between ruthless merchants.

‘Which must be why the Imperial Palace called in advisors to try and change that image…’

I looked over at a small diner packed with merchants during lunchtime.

People stood or sat under parasols, hurriedly eating toast and sipping coffee.

Yet even so, their faces were filled with happiness as they laughed and enjoyed the meal together.

The food in their hands might’ve looked like ordinary toast.

But in fact, it was a very special menu item unique to Haman.

“One sandwich and a cup of coffee, please.”

I stepped through the bustling crowd and placed an order with a middle-aged woman.

In no time at all, she handed me a steaming hot meal.

While everyone else stood to eat, I sat alone under a parasol in silence.

Then, I quietly took a bite and watched the daily life of Haman unfold around me.

“Are you an outsider?”

The woman who had just handed me the meal asked as she passed me the coffee.

Her tone was quite blunt.

“Yes, I am. You could tell?”

“Of course. No one from Haman sits down to eat like this.”

She gave my shoulder a light slap as she spoke.

“Especially not young folks like you!”

“Keugh…!!”

I let out a small laugh without meaning to.

Even in my previous life, unless it was an assassin entering the Grand Duke’s house, I never allowed anyone to get this close.

But as expected, this city was overflowing with warmth.

“Just teasing you, just teasing. It’s past breakfast time now, so eat comfortably.”

“Haha… Thank you.”

I took a sip of the coffee.

Unlike what’s imported into Nord, the coffee here had a deep, nutty flavor that was truly excellent.

“But it’s strange. Outsiders almost never know about the sandwich.”

The plump shopkeeper said as she brought out a plate from the kitchen.

“That’s true. It wasn’t easy for me to find out either.”

The reason I knew about the sandwich, a specialty of this place, was simple.

Back when I was Chief Secretary, there was a period when the quality of ingredients being delivered to Nord was poor.

Since it kept happening, I came to Haman myself and looked for a reliable distributor.

During that time, I spent about two weeks here.

And I had eaten a lot of sandwiches.

‘Never thought I’d be eating one again like this.’

“Here you go, the sandwich. You know how to eat it, right?”

The plump lady asked with her hands on her hips.

At that, I placed both hands above the plate and replied leisurely.

“Yes, you take a big bite with both hands, right?”

“You do know how to eat it—!”

The Haman shopkeeper let out a hearty laugh, clearly satisfied.

“Some of those visiting outsider merchants always whine about needing forks and knives, I’m tellin’ you—!”

“Don’t some even split the bread apart and start eating the lettuce first?”

I shamelessly played along with her.

In response, she pointed at my narrow eyes with her thick fingers and nodded in full agreement.

“Exactly! Like it’s some kind of full-course meal!! I mean, come on—salad, then bread, then meat? It just makes your head spin!”

“And don’t they always drink the coffee last like it’s dessert, after it’s already gone cold?”

Just for now, I laughed like the most down-to-earth commoner around.

The shopkeeper responded with a loud slap on the parasol and a boisterous voice.

“Right?! Right!! They really act like coffee’s a dessert!! Just ridiculous!!”

She laughed so loudly and heartily that even passing warehouse workers turned their heads to look at us.

“Look at this, look at this. At first glance, I thought you were from some noble family or something—but turns out, you're one of us, huh?”

“The house I serve is pretty stiff, that’s all. I’m just a commoner.”

Though I was dressed in a suit, I answered in a rough tone, adjusting to the Haman locals.

That seemed to please the shopkeeper, who waved over the laborers nearby.

“Hey, Tony! Come over here. We’ve got a fun young man here.”

“Who is it?”

A group of middle-aged men with rough faces—like something straight out of the Pirate Roctania gang—approached.

Their shadows fell squarely across my face.

“Says he knows how to eat a sandwich.”

“What? An outsider?”

They scoffed, adjusting their hunting caps.

Then, folding their arms, they pointed at me with teasing fingers.

“Why don’t we see you eat one, then?”

“Yeah, let’s see if you can really handle our local food.”

I looked down at the sandwich the shopkeeper had brought me.

Bread, lightly toasted and crispy on the outside.

Fresh lettuce that had just arrived from the provinces.

Beef freshly butchered in Haman, its aroma thick and rich.

And finally, cheese from the West, glistening with sheen.

Everything about it was fresh and perfectly balanced.

I grabbed that perfect sandwich with both hands.

And like a fox swallowing its prey in one go, I took a massive bite.

At the same time, I closed my eyes to savor the taste.

‘Just as I thought—then or now, it’s still exquisite.’

Seven or eight years from now, this thing called a sandwich would spread across the Empire.

The reason?

A noble gourmet society that roamed the nation in search of delicious food.

When they stopped by Haman and tasted the sandwich, they praised it to the heavens.

To young nobles tired of endless, hours-long full-course meals, a sandwich—quick, simple, and delicious—was practically a revolution in dining.

Thanks to that, Haman’s sandwich eventually gained fame, and the city’s image gradually began to improve.

But that was a story for the distant future.

Even so, it wasn’t the kind of influence that would satisfy the Empress, who was currently testing me.

‘However, if I step forward myself, it’s a different story.’

“Hey, is this kid about to faint from eating that sandwich or something?”

“Look at that smile. He’s got the face of one of those mountain foxes, absolutely loving it.”

I set down the sandwich, now bearing a large bite mark.

Then, I wiped my lips with a napkin and spoke.

“How was it?”

“Well, at least you know how to eat.”

One of the men begrudgingly acknowledged me in his usual gruff tone.

But perhaps wanting to find fault somewhere, he kept throwing questions at me, eyeing my neat suit.

“So tell me—what’s someone like you, clearly from some noble family, doing here?”

“Right? You’re not seriously here just to eat a sandwich, are you?”

I decided to answer the warehouse workers honestly.

“I came because I wanted to spread Haman’s food to the world.”

To spread the food they’d always considered simple and insignificant.

At that absurd remark, the middle-aged men looked at one another with puzzled expressions.

“You’re, what… a gourmet or something?”

“Judging by your appearance, maybe. But what food are you thinking will represent Haman?”

To their questions, I gave a faint smile.

Then, pointing to the sandwich I’d bitten into and the coffee beside it, I answered.

“These two, right here.”

Changing a city through its food.

That bold statement echoed down the streets of Haman.

“With just a sandwich…?”

“Saying you’ll change our city through food—man, I’ve heard it all now…!!”

They laughed heartily, men who had spent their whole lives working diligently in warehouses.

They laughed so hard the parasol pole shook slightly.

“Hey, young man. Haman is the most looked-down-upon place in the capital. Our image isn’t something that changes easily.”

One of the warehouse workers stopped laughing and let out a deep sigh.

Then, another middle-aged man beside him, clearly understanding his comrade’s pain, added quietly.

“He’s right. People go to neighboring cities for tourism or culture. We’re just the capital’s ugly warehouse district.”

“Ugly, huh… sounds just like us.”

The once cheerful mood turned gloomy in an instant.

And the reason was simple.

The reason they had laughed so loudly and boisterously in the first place was because if they didn’t laugh like that, they couldn’t survive in such a depressing city.

The dreary city atmosphere.

The streets empty outside of work hours.

It reminded me of Old Luton.

Of course, Haman wasn’t quite as depopulated as that place.

Which meant—if the city could just find a clear symbol to represent itself, there was enough potential for the atmosphere to brighten.

And the first step toward that was this very sandwich.

For the middle and upper classes who were used to swapping out fork after fork, knife after knife, enduring tedious course meals for over two hours…

This would bring a revolution—called convenience.

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