He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 262

I Became the Greatest Crazy Emperor – Episode 262

Long ago, I had traveled to the distant past through the Secret Labyrinth and, by a stroke of luck, met the Dwarves.

They were the ones who saved Sara’s life. Though they had to leave to find new lands to escape the threat from underground.

And after a long time, their descendants met us.

“Welcome, I am Franz I, Emperor of the Empire.”

“It is an honor to meet Your Majesty. I am Dimarssen, President of the Galvar Federation.”

A stocky stature, typical of Dwarves. But the clothes he wore were closer to a suit. That alone made him seem foreign, and the title he spoke was both alien and familiar.

“President, you say… so that is your title.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The President is—”

“I know. Isn’t that someone elected by the people’s vote, appointed as the commander-in-chief only for a given term?”

“How do you know that…?”

Dimarssen looked puzzled at my familiarity with the concept of a president.

Not only him, but all the court officials watching the conversation were surprised.

“It may seem unfamiliar, but it’s not exactly new, is it? The concept of a republic exists in this land as well. It’s just that it failed a long time ago and is only thought of as an idealistic system.”

Humanity’s power is now virtually limited to the Empire, but the history of humanity in this land is more diverse than one might think.

The concept of a republic I just mentioned also existed in the form of merchant republics or small-scale civic republics.

Of course, just as on Earth, they were not proper national republics and were buried in history due to the limitations of the era.

“Let me be clear, I don’t necessarily think of a republic as a system that only exists in ideals.”

“Is, is that so?”

“Indeed. I think it’s rather realistic. If everyone’s will can be reflected, shouldn’t governance be based on the consensus of all, rather than being ruled by a mere crowned commoner?”

“Well… that’s what I think, but…”

The President agreed with my words but looked troubled.

On the other hand, my officials looked as if they were itching to speak.

They seemed reluctant to voice their disagreement with my words that seemed to undermine the Emperor’s authority, but they were refraining from causing a scene in front of the envoy from afar.

I found it amusing, but I decided to end the jest there.

“Well, let’s put that aside and talk about something more important. I’m more curious about how you managed to settle on that continent than the fact that you’re a president.”

“Ah, yes. It’s a bit of a long story…”

Dimarssen slowly began to speak.

“Our ancestor, King Galvar, led us to the land across the distant sea on a flying ship… an airship that your Empire also operates. It’s obvious, but we weren’t a federal republic from the beginning.”

“So, it was a monarchy at first. How did it become like this?”

“Well, you see… to tell that story, I can’t leave out the story of the natives who were originally on the continent…”

By natives, he seemed to mean humans. Certainly, the exploration team’s report mentioned seeing humans with red or dark skin besides the dwarves.

“King Galvar led us to a new land, but our population was tiny compared to the vast land there. In fact, the dwarf population itself wasn’t large at the time of crossing over.”

“Then you must have had to assimilate with the local natives.”

“Yes… that’s what we should have done, but…”

The Dwarf President continued, looking somewhat ashamed.

“Actually… at first, we enslaved them because we considered them uncivilized.”

“Wh, what!”

“Are you saying you enslaved humans?”

The imperial officials were furious at the President’s confession.

They were angry at the fact that humans were enslaved, but I didn’t think they would have been any different in the same situation.

Humans can enslave other humans as much as they want. I had a near-certain belief in that because that’s how it was on Earth.

“Enough. Now is not the time to argue about the rights and wrongs of the past. Don’t interrupt the envoy’s story.”

I stopped the officials and continued listening to the President’s story. The President wiped away a bit of cold sweat and continued.

“Th, thank you, Your Majesty. However, we later freed all those who were slaves. There was a civil war in the process, though…”

“A civil war… was there a dispute over the emancipation of slaves? Let me guess, weren’t those who opposed the emancipation the landowners who desperately needed the labor of slaves?”

“Oh, how did you know that?”

“Because there’s no reason for those who aren’t to oppose it. Perhaps those who agreed to emancipation wanted to employ slaves as laborers for wages.”

“That’s also correct. Your Majesty’s insight is amazing.”

Rather than my insight, it was because the situation in the North and South was like that in the American Civil War, which was the last major slave emancipation on Earth.

“As Your Majesty said, that was the case. Some also had purely conscientious reasons… Anyway, the natives were accepted as subjects.”

“That’s good. But seeing as you say ‘subjects,’ it seems it was still a monarchy at that time?”

“That’s right. It was a monarchy for a while after that. The reason it changed to a republic is actually something else…”

“Would you like to talk about that?”

By then, the officials were slowly falling into the President’s story.

Even those who were displeased with the fact that they had once enslaved humans seemed impressed by what he went on to say.

“Yes, in fact, after a long time, the kingdom was divided into several countries, and there were disputes among them.”

“Is that story related to how it became a republic?”

“Yes, it is. As those disputes were repeated several times, the Galvar Kingdom was burdened with huge debts. The reasons were excessive military spending, misgovernment, and the contradictions of the old system.”

“The contradictions of the old system… can you tell me what that is?”

I was most interested in the words ‘contradictions of the old system’ than the other causes.

It was because this, too, had aspects that were strikingly similar to the history on Earth.

“That’s… it might be a bit difficult to say…”

“It’s okay. I swear I won’t take anything you say as an insult to me or my officials.”

“…I understand. The contradictions of the old system refer to the problems caused by the privileges held by the privileged classes, such as the king and nobles, under the monarchy.”

The President bitterly spoke about the structure in which the king and nobles took all the taxes while not paying a penny themselves, driving the national finances into ruin.

“We overthrew that system through revolution. That’s why we became a republic.”

“Then let me ask, what happened to your king and nobles?”

“That’s…”

“You can tell me. I have no intention of breaking my promise.”

“…The king was executed, and the nobles were either exiled or killed.”

Having said that, even the officials who had been holding back could no longer bear it.

“Your Majesty! We must drive out such an ominous group immediately!”

“Not only did they enslave humans, but commoners killed the king and nobles. We must not associate with such people!”

“We must launch a holy war to the New World immediately! We must correct their wrongs…”

They showed a more violent reaction than expected. But I raised my hand and silenced them.

“Listen, everyone. We should not reject them, but rather learn from them.”

“Bu, but Your Majesty…”

“They are a mirror image of our future.”

“……!”

I spoke to the officials as if making a prophecy. No, if you look at the content itself, it was closer to a curse for them.

“Those of you who benefit from the Empire are also nobles, and you are also very generous when it comes to taxes,” I said, with a hint of sarcasm.

If there was a part that I couldn’t completely reform even while rebuilding the Empire, it was the fact that I couldn’t eliminate the nobility itself.

Because I am the Emperor, I needed to maintain their support in order to remain as an absolute monarch.

Of course, the worst aspects of feudal aristocracy have been largely eliminated, but not all the privileges of being a noble have disappeared.

Among them was the fact that they paid almost no taxes.

“You are accumulating wealth while shifting the heavy taxes only to the commoners. You are watching your step now because of me, but what will happen in the future? Is there any guarantee that the wealth you are accumulating is not the blood of your subordinates?”

Is there any guarantee that the resentment will not accumulate and eat away at this country?

I don’t think so. It’s 100% a matter of time, and that problem will eventually erupt.

“Unless you change, the subjects will one day express unbearable anger. Our descendants may also walk the same path as them. But is that wrong? They are not wrong, but inevitable.”

It is literally inevitable. The development and conclusion of history can only flow that way.

“Therefore, do not reject them, but learn from them. If you want to avoid the inevitable, learn from them and change. This is not an order, but a recommendation. It is your freedom to accept it.”

But those who do not accept it will not be able to avoid destruction anyway.

“…I obey Your Majesty’s command.”

The officials bowed their heads at my scolding.

They may have some dissatisfaction right now, but it’s better to leave it at this.

It’s not like I can immediately transplant democracy into the Empire just by doing this.

“Good, then let’s stop talking about uncomfortable things. I’ve heard your story well. Looking at it, it seems that there was a considerable amount of integration with the natives in the process of that revolution.”

“That’s right. Thanks to their joining the cause, the republican system was able to take root, and furthermore, the revolution spread, and each country joined the federation. It’s been several hundred years since that happened.”

Although it’s been several hundred years, considering the gap of 3,000 years, it seems that the federal republic has only recently taken root.

“Then the Celestial Race’s attack came.”

“Yes, the event that our ancestor Galvar prophesied has happened.”

“A prophecy, you say?”

“It is a prophecy that the chaos in the Old Continent will befall us. They said the Creator God has returned.”

“That’s right… perhaps that’s why you blocked the sea?”

“Yes, King Galvar wanted us to develop on the continent until we were ready. And it seems he wanted us to stand against the Creator God… but shamefully, we have not fulfilled our ancestor’s will.”

“Don’t worry. We have come.”

King Galvar… As someone who remembers him from a long time ago, I don’t know what he saw.

But it seemed possible to fight alongside his descendants.

“That’s why I’m telling you this…”

“Hmm?”

“There is an ancient weapon left by our ancestor. Please help us recapture the place where it sleeps.”

Meanwhile, he was throwing out an unexpected proposal.