NOVEL WEB Chapter 23 - The Emperor Seeks to Monopolize Potatoes! (2)
✦ Chapter 23 – The Emperor Seeks to Monopolize Potatoes! (2) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
The 「Hel Potato」 was surprisingly palatable even without any cooking. It was a bit dry, but it had a sweet taste with each bite and a good satiety effect.
“You guys should try it. Phoebe, you said you were hungry earlier.”
“Potatoes are poisonous!”
“That’s only for sprouted potatoes.”
“Do you seriously want us to eat this? Lady Paimon, sister-in-law! Say something! He’s telling us to eat potatoes meant for animal feed!”
“To be honest, I’m not too keen on eating it myself….”
It seemed even Somnia, the lady of a high-ranking noble family, was resistant to eating the potato.
Was it really something to be that averse to?
I remembered Phoebe saying she would rather starve to death than eat a potato.
“I’m not eating it!”
Phoebe turned her head away in disdain.
Given the time it would take to persuade a sulking Phoebe, I turned my attention to Somnia instead.
“….…I…….”
Somnia seemed hesitant in many ways; her trembling hands took a potato from me. After removing her helmet, she opened her mouth and finally bit into the potato with her eyes tightly shut!
Crunch-!
Crunch, crunch, crunch—!
“Uuugh.”
She looked like a civilized person being forced to eat a bug by a native, her face contorted in disgust and tears welling up. Just when I thought I should capture this moment on camera, Somnia’s expression began to relax.
“Hmm?”
Sleek—!
She grabbed another potato and took a bite.
Nibble, nibble, nibble—!
“Hmm?”
“Well?”
“Daniel, it’s strange. It’s a potato, but it’s not unpleasant to eat, and I feel like I want to keep eating it! What exactly is this? What is it called?”
“That’s what we call ‘delicious.’ You’re finding it delicious.”
“…Delicious. Delicious!”
“Wow, listening to you two talk is making me feel dumber.”
While Somnia enjoyed the taste of the potato, only Phoebe seemed unhappy, her lips pouting. She must have felt left out and uncomfortable about being alone in her stance.
Swish—!
Phoebe eventually retreated into the mansion.
“Such a prickly person. She still acts like a child despite her age.”
“To think there’s a crop that can be harvested in such quantities in a short time. It tastes decent, too. With this, we can reduce the number of starving people. This might be an incredible discovery!”
Somnia looked genuinely thrilled, her expression and tone serious.
“There are many starving people in the west and north due to last year’s poor harvest. There’s a lot of discontent towards the Emperor for neglecting the people’s plights, and the chances of riots and rebellions are high.”
“That sounds serious.”
“But if we spread and distribute these 「Hel Potatoes」, people might be able to fill their bellies. We might not need to worry about rebellion. The problem is….”
Somnia glanced towards the direction Phoebe had stormed off, looking slightly disappointed.
It was clear what the problem was.
“Somnia, just speak freely. Take it easy.”
“The potatoes I know are small and poisonous, used only as animal feed. This 「Hel Potato」 is different, but in the end, it’s still a potato, so changing people’s perception of it will be difficult.”
“Even with an edict from a noble? Would it be hard if we forced people to eat potatoes?”
“That could lead to greater discontent among the people. They might say, ‘The nobles eat delicious food every day, yet they’re forcing the starving commoners to eat animal feed.’“
“That makes sense.”
“In fact, at the upcoming 「Round Table Conference」, we’re supposed to discuss relief measures for people affected by last year’s poor harvest. If we use this 「Hel Potato」 well, we might find a solution….”
“So, the taste isn’t the problem; it’s the appearance and perception, right?”
I pondered for a moment.
The appearance.
It’s always the appearance that’s the problem.
Simple.
“Somnia, are you good at cooking?”
⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆
Knock, knock, knock—
I knocked on Phoebe’s door.
“I’m not eating potatoes!”
“I’m not telling you to eat potatoes. Instead, try this. Your sister-in-law worked hard in the kitchen to make this for you. She even hurt her hand making it.”
Creak—
The door opened slightly.
And I snuck a plate through the gap.
“What do you think?”
“What is this? It’s crispy and light.”
“Potato chips made from potatoes.”
“Ugh! Potatoes!”
The door almost slammed shut; I quickly wedged my fingers in and forced the door open
Creak—
“You’ll break the door! We don’t have money to fix it! Seriously!”
“Hey, your sister-in-law made this just for you, and you’re not even going to try it? If Father knew, you’d get whipped. Are you going to keep embarrassing yourself in front of your sister-in-law?”
“Why bring up Father now? Why are you so insistent on me eating potatoes? What are you trying to achieve?”
Achieve by making her eat potatoes? Just eating them, that’s all. At this point, I was both tired and irritated.
“If you don’t want to eat, don’t. Somnia and I will eat them all.”
“…Fine, I’ll eat it, but you have to promise to do me a favor in return!”
“How old are you to negotiate like this? Fine.”
“…Promise? On the Dantalian name?”
“On the Dantalian name. Now, eat.”
Rustle—
I handed over the crispy, fried potato chips to Phoebe. She reluctantly pinched one between her thumb and index finger as if handling something dirty, letting out a deep sigh.
“Phew, there was a time I got sick eating potatoes when you weren’t around. If I get sick again, you’ll pay the price. I’m warning you in advance.”
So that’s why she hates potatoes so much. She had gotten sick from them before.
Soon, a potato chip went into Phoebe’s mouth.
“How is it? Tasty, right? Admit it’s tasty.”
“Ha, it’s good. This isn’t like the potatoes I had before.”
I handed the entire bowl of potato chips to Phoebe.
After munching down all the potato chips, Phoebe licked the remaining crumbs off her fingers and lips.
“Give me more!”
Even picky Phoebe admitted that they tasted good.
Just as I thought that using these potatoes well could prevent troublesome rebellions and wars, Somnia spoke.
“Daniel, can I return to Avalam first? I want to distribute these 「Hel Potatoes」 to the starving people in the north. If we start cultivating them today, they’ll multiply quickly.”
It seemed like a good idea.
So, a few days passed—
「Why are you asking us to eat potatoes that even dogs refuse to eat!」
「Are we dogs or pigs to you?」
“The public sentiment in the north is still boiling over.”
I assessed the situation by reading the letters from the north. Somnia was working hard on distributing the potatoes, but it didn’t seem to be going well; angry people were frequently overturning wagons filled with ‘Hel Potatoes’ or setting the crates on fire.
“See, I told you. People would rather starve than eat potatoes. How would anyone be happy with receiving animal feed as relief supplies?” Phoebe scoffed, convinced her point was proven.
What a troublesome girl. Lately, it seemed like Phoebe deliberately did the opposite of what she was told.
If things keep going like this, a rebellion might really break out.
I needed a better solution.
As I pondered, I found myself looking at Phoebe and came up with an idea.
People tend to be contrarian, wanting to do what’s forbidden.
In that case….
“Phoebe, take care. I’m leaving. Take good care of the potato farm in my absence.”
“Hey! Where are you going now? To Avalam?”
“No.”
I decided to return to the imperial capital, Pandemonium.
‘I’ve been meaning to go back soon anyway.’
Although the distance from Ardan to Pandemonium was quite far, traveling at full speed, I arrived in less than a day. Once I reached the Imperial palace, I entered through a secret underground passage known only to the Emperor, leading directly to the Emperor’s chambers.
It was an emergency escape route commonly found in imperial palaces or grand mansions.
I had a feeling I’d be using this path frequently in the future.
“It feels nostalgic to wear this.”
Clank, clank—
As I donned the armor symbolizing Emperor Bael, the weight and discomfort wrapped around my body. Was my armor always this uncomfortable?
Step, step—
As I walked through the palace, the eyes of those who spotted me widened.
“Y-Your Majesty. You have returned.”
“Long live the Emperor.”
Their faces were unmistakably filled with fear.
I brushed past them and headed to the throne room.
There, in the throne room, I found Dimensia sprawled out and sleeping soundly. I woke her up.
“Wake up.”
“Who dares to command me—Eh? Your Majesty! You have returned! I was warming the throne with my body temperature in your absence…!”
Shhhh—!
As Dimensia wiped the sweat off her face and tidied her clothes, I seated myself on the throne and looked around.
And as always, I let out a thoughtful hum and then spoke with authority.
“Dimensia. Do you know about the 「Hel Potato」?”
“Yes, it’s a crop spreading primarily in the north, as well as in the west and east regions. It’s considered animal feed for pigs and dogs. Paimon and Amon are being criticized for recommending it to the commoners, aren’t they? Hahaha!”
Hmmmm—!
I exuded even more gravitas from beneath my armor.
And just when the atmosphere grew awkward with silence, I spoke decisively.
“I will issue an imperial decree.”
“Yes?”
“From now on, only I, Bael, the Emperor, the supreme ruler of this empire, shall be allowed to eat the 「Hel Potato」. Also, create a potato field in the palace and instruct the Ascension Knights to guard it!”
“To deploy the Ascension Knights…at what rank should I command them?”
“A legion commander’s rank would be appropriate.”
“So, you mean the successors ranked from 1st to 12th. Your Majesty, I may not understand what you’re planning, but as Barbatos Dimensia, I will follow your royal decree.”
Sshhhh—
Barbatos Dimensia retreated with a seductive smile, stepping backward.
“Being Emperor still feels awkward.”
Returning as Emperor Bael made everything feel unfamiliar and new.
It must be because I spent quite a bit of time as Daniel.
The buildings of the palace, the faces of the maids and ministers passing by, all seemed different from before. Even my reflection in the mirrors placed along the corridors felt strange.
Emperor Bael.
I was now no longer Daniel, but Emperor Bael.
The mightiest on earth.
Perhaps the greatest of all time.
But right now, I was just a supervisor checking whether the potato farm in the Imperial garden was being properly cultivated.
Shall we see how well it’s coming along?
“Scouty, why do you think they’re making a potato field?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they plan to raise animals in the palace?”
From the garden, I could see handmaidens diligently working on the field.
“His Majesty raising animals? What kind of animals would he raise in the palace? I like cute animals like raccoons or penguins!”
“Haha! Are you kidding? Among the handmaidens, he’s known as the 「Calamity of the Third Age」. If he’s raising animals, it would be something like wyverns or krakens! He must keep at least that much to maintain his dignity as the first Emperor!”
…I’m raising a cute purple spider though.
That barks like a dog.
Anyway, that’s not what mattered right now.
“Ahem. So, I’m known among the palace handmaidens as the 「Calamity of the Third Age」. Does that mean there’s a 「Calamity of the Second Age」 and a 「Calamity of the First Age」?”
As I approached, the handmaidens who had been chatting became startled and quickly bowed their heads, trembling in fear.
“Your Majesty!”
“What brings you here? Th-The term 「Calamity of the Third Age」 was meant as a compliment to your manliness…!”
No, I was genuinely curious about the ‘Calamity of the Second Age’ and the ‘Calamity of the First Age.’
— End of Chapter —
⚘ ⚘ ⚘
Translator’s Notes :-
Don’t forget to RATE and REVIEW the Novel on ⟿ NOVEL UPDATES. A BONUS CHAPTER FOR EVERY MULTIPLE OF 10 RATINGS ON NU…
If you cannot wait to read what secrets lie ahead, you can now read ⟿ ADVANCED CHAPTERS of this series either on this website or on [Ko-Fi Membership]