Wait Until You Command Respect

Alexia wouldn't do something like this without reason.

Judging by her expression, she was dead serious. There was even a hint of urgency. She really didn't want him to accept.

If he said yes now, becoming a noble would likely be set in stone.

He wanted to ask for details, but consulting Alexia in front of everyone here was difficult.

Queen Tianis and Princess Yupe were waiting for his answer.

He debated whether to buy time to discuss it, but decided to follow Alexia's judgment and decline for now.

Queen Tianis alone he could handle, but if Princess Yupe sensed his hesitation and pushed, he might cave.

"I'm honored by the offer of ennoblement, but this isn't something that should be decided so casually on the spot. Just knowing you think that highly of me is reward enough."

"Hmm. You don't seem as enthusiastic as I expected. If you're not interested, I won't force it on you for now. The kingdom has plenty of vacant noble seats at the moment, so if Anatia-neesama and I are willing, elevating one person wouldn't be difficult."

"What? You're not going to become a noble?"

He'd managed to steer the conversation toward a refusal, at least.

Princess Yupe looked disappointed, but Queen Tianis's expression didn't change.

Perhaps she'd anticipated he might decline.

"You've already been more than generous. I'm just a merchant, after all."

"If you change your mind, say the word anytime. There'll be more work I can entrust to you, as well."

"Understood."

As far as he could tell, the matter ended without souring anyone's mood.

Had declining been the right call?

Part of him did feel it was a missed opportunity.

Rising from commoner to noble required extraordinary achievements or something truly special.

It wasn't the kind of thing luck or money alone could buy.

Yet Alexia's judgment had saved him on the big-picture calls time and again.

At times like these, it was best to simply listen to her.

"Was there anything else? The major tasks should all be taken care of."

"Speaking of which, how's the front line?"

"They've reached the border, I'm told. Resistance is fierce, but we have the advantage. Killed enemies keep turning into burning corpses that attack our forces, though, so progress is inevitably slow. The soldiers say it doesn't feel like they're fighting humans. Morale is a concern…"

"Knowing that's what would be coming at us if they attacked, I hope our forces can hold the line."

"Duke Baroba should handle that well. Uncle is a skilled war commander."

The Alsarm army had pushed deeper than ever before.

If they could take the Church of the Sun God's holy city without further incident, the whole conflict would be resolved… but that was unlikely to happen.

The enemy surely had more cards to play.

All the Royal Capital could do was provide support and pray for success.

With aid supplies flowing in from the Empire and other nations, he didn't think the kingdom would lose.

But a prolonged war would warp the kingdom's economy beyond what could be ignored, and there was no telling how long it would take to fix.

Being a ruler was no easy thing.

At Queen Tianis's age, Yohane had been too busy working to survive to have any room to think about the world at large or the future.

Yet Queen Tianis had to do exactly that while fulfilling her duties as queen, choosing the best option every time.

Under the crushing weight of knowing that a mistake could topple the nation.

"Then we'll take our leave. Please don't hesitate to call on us if anything comes up."

"Of course. Thank you for looking after Yupe-neesama. I may ask you to babysit again."

"In moderation, please."

"Treating me like a pet… Well, bye-bye, Yohane. Let's hang out again."

Princess Yupe waved goodbye, so he waved back.

The incident in Luido had brought them considerably closer, or rather, she seemed to have let her guard down around him.

Then again, making him think that might be exactly her intention.

They left Queen Tianis's office, walked down the corridor, and exited the castle.

Everyone seemed to be walking a bit faster than usual.

He could tell from the atmosphere that Azu was restless.

Finn looked like she had something she wanted to ask, too.

They boarded the carriage and rode home.

After parking the carriage in the warehouse and giving the mules water and feed, they let the animals rest.

"Phew. I think it's safe now. Alexia, explain."

He'd wanted to ask much sooner, but couldn't risk being overheard.

Curiosity itched at him.

For the record, he didn't particularly regret not becoming a noble.

There would be other chances.

More importantly, while it was a glittering world, he knew it wasn't all glamour.

Like an elegant swan paddling furiously beneath the surface, it wasn't all advantages. That much he could imagine.

"I'm glad you don't have some burning desire to become a noble at all costs. Or that it's a family aspiration or something."

"My family's been in trade for generations. Though until my father's generation, we could barely afford to keep a shop. Just a small-time operation."

"Y-you could have become a noble! That's incredible, isn't it?!"

Azu sputtered in disbelief.

From her perspective, it must have been unthinkable.

"I kind of get it, though."

"I think you should do whatever feels right, Master."

He heard Finn and Elza's takes as well.

"As far as I'm concerned, sir is sir no matter what happens."

"M-me too!"

Azu chimed in with Orleans's sentiment.

"Being a noble basically means being part of the social elite, right? The upper class that rules over commoners within a kingdom."

"More or less. There are far fewer of them than commoners, but they have their own military forces and own land and wealth. And the one who commands all those nobles is the monarch."

This much was common knowledge.

Nobles were the ruling class. They held power.

"But there's nothing special about being a noble. You can see that just by looking at me, can't you?"

"Well… true enough. You were an imperial noble, after all."

Alexia had been a noble lady of the Empire.

Her house had held the small city of Aquarius as its domain, and it had a respectable history.

But a faction-backed noble angling for a seat on the Senate had schemed against her, and her house had been dismantled without ceremony.

"I had no allies among the other nobles. That was fatal. The inner workings of nobility aren't all that glamorous, either. If you're short on funds, you're just as stuck as any commoner. More so, actually, since you have retainers to support."

"Right, you'd be founding a house."

Becoming a noble wasn't the end of it.

Once you were a noble, you needed the trappings to match.

Unlike running a business, you couldn't limit your hires to only productive roles.

"Plenty of nobles are drowning in debt, you know. As a merchant, you must have seen your share of them."

"And most of the time they just stiff you on the payment."

"And once they stiff you, you stop lending to them, right? No one willing to lend anymore, and it's game over. That alone is reason enough, but being a direct retainer of the royal house makes it even worse."

"Really? I haven't been treated poorly so far."

"Queen Tianis… that girl is a good person. Anatia, who supports her, is too. Even the elder sister Yupe turned out to be decent once she was separated from the wrong crowd, which was a relief. But Tianis's footing is far from solid. How much longer can she stay on the throne? If her backing disappears, a direct retainer like you would have nothing to fall back on. Worse, you'd be seen as a nuisance."

"Come on, now. Isn't that overthinking it?"

"Nobles will do anything if it serves their interests. Including taking lives."

Becoming Queen Tianis's favored noble would lead to prosperity.

Alexia understood that perfectly well.

At the same time, she was saying that losing Queen Tianis's backing would mean ruin.

"I can prevent assassination attempts. But I agree that having the nobility as enemies is a headache."

Alexia nodded at Finn's words.

"If you're going to become a noble, you don't want it to look like you got the title just because you're Queen Tianis's favorite. If you're elevated in a way that everyone acknowledges, it'll be easier to make allies and harder for anyone to move against you. You won't have to feel indebted to Queen Tianis, either."

"I see. That makes sense."

It was the same principle as independence in business.

Setting up shop under someone's patronage meant nothing if losing that patronage meant losing the shop.

What Alexia was trying to say was that standing on your own two feet and being able to protect yourself was what mattered.

"Orleans-chan, do you understand what they're talking about? It's hard for me…"

"I believe they mean we should make it so that no one can say a word against sir."

"Oh, I see!"

In the background, Azu was getting pointers from Orleans.

Not wrong, but…

There was no question that becoming a noble right now would be above his station.

Even using money as leverage, he'd need at least two more digits in working capital to have any real weight.

"Bottom line, nothing changes about aiming higher as a merchant. It's not like we're in trouble without a title."

"Exactly. And if you had become a noble, you might have even had to give up the shop."

That would be a problem.

"If anyone has thoughts, speak up. We move forward together."