Chapter 48
A few days after having a meaningful conversation with Pereira, I received an order to come to the imperial palace.
I had submitted a report that everything was finished, and Pereira must have sincerely apologized to the imperial family.
Honestly, I thought it would take at least a month to meet the busy Emperor...
"To think he'd want to see a mere knight nobody like me so urgently."
Although it was a bit different from my expectations, it's not bad at all.
It must mean the Emperor was that impressed with the results I achieved.
While I was lost in thought, the door opened and a man's voice was heard.
"Fabio de Medici, His Majesty has personally granted you an audience. Follow me."
"Yes, understood."
As soon as I finished speaking, I immediately got up and followed the palace servant.
The servant, perhaps worried that I might make a mistake in etiquette, gave me a 5-minute crash course on basic etiquette that any noble would know.
I listened to his words.
Although it's all content I already know, who knows?
The servant might report to the Emperor later about how I listened to those words, and that might adjust the evaluation of me.
**
The Emperor welcomed me in his bedroom while drinking coffee.
"It's good to see you like this. Well, sit comfortably."
Even in 21st century Korea, bosses who are the epitome of old-fashioned sometimes say you don't have to participate in company dinners or that it's okay not to drink alcohol.
What's the right response for a subordinate at this time?
Unless you have a parent's or relative's funeral, you must participate in company dinners, and unless you have a disease that kills you if you drink alcohol or are taking medicine that kills you if taken with alcohol, you should drink all the alcohol given to you.
These days, they say it's okay because of the MZ generation, and they won't say anything in front of you.
But later, the boss's personal evaluation of you will drop sharply, and it's likely to have a negative impact on your personnel evaluation.
Conversely, if you drink all the alcohol and swear loyalty to the department head, the probability of overlooking minor mistakes becomes relatively high.
The "be comfortable" being said here now is exactly like that company dinner.
If you really sit comfortably with your head up, you'll meet with a sad fate.
"How could someone as lowly as me sit comfortably when it's an honor just to see Your Majesty? Please withdraw your words."
The Emperor's smile deepened.
"You know etiquette well. I want to see your face directly, so raise your head."
"Yes."
The Emperor stared at my face very intently.
"You're just a bit less than when I was young. Blonde hair, blue eyes, sharp jawline. Above all, I like that confident look in your eyes."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You'll surely become a great person."
This meaning is hidden in those words:
'If you just do well with what I tell you to do from now on, I'll raise you up.'
Unless you're a 21st century congressman or politician who can overturn their own words this way and that as needed.
The nobles of this era really don't retract their statements unless it's absolutely necessary.
Why? Because if they do, they might be branded as someone without honor.
So some extreme ones even really buy a grand mansion in Florence if they jokingly told their servant they'd buy one if they had twins.
"And about this coffee you presented to Peter. It's truly outrageous that those heretic bastards were monopolizing such a good drink."
Although tea also contains caffeine, it's no match for coffee.
And when you add the deep yet warm aroma and soft bitterness?
You can't help but become addicted quickly to the point where you can't stand not drinking it for even a day.
It's not for nothing that modern people complain they can't work without drinking coffee, yet still go to trendy cafes to drink coffee even on their days off.
"This is just between us, but it's really good for virility too. Thanks to this, I'm about to have another child at this age."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"From now on, make sure to present it so the imperial family can drink it too."
In a world without advertising media like TV, internet, and newspapers, and where even the concept of advertising doesn't exist, the way to promote products is to make high-ranking people use them.
More precisely, to make 'high-ranking nobles above count level' bring them out to social gatherings.
But what if the imperial family openly puts it in their mouths?
The nobles of the Tuscan Empire, where falling behind trends can lead to political downfall, will be eager to buy coffee with fire in their eyes.
'Since he didn't mention dealing with the Pereira guys, this must be a reward given separately from dealing with Pereira.'
If it were included in the reward for dealing with Pereira, he would have already mentioned it.
"Although I entrusted you with a heavy task, you handled it very cleanly, befitting the talent recommended by Duke Visconti. To the extent that I wish our empire's young nobility of the robe would learn from you."
When I first received the order to point a sword at the Pereira Trading Company, I was dumbfounded.
The opponent is a monster that could buy a baron title with cash anytime if they just pay money.
Although I'm rapidly increasing my weight class, I'm still just a new company, and I was told to face a super expert who has survived as a merchant for decades...
I'm really happy to be recognized like this even now.
'An emperor-level person wouldn't use someone without giving compensation.'
"But the test isn't over yet. To be more precise, even if you've already passed, there are still parts I want to see more of."
The Emperor finished the coffee in his cup and asked.
"The result is very satisfactory. But I wonder if your methods weren't a bit excessive. Putting the Pereira Trading Company on the chopping block of the High Court to be cut. I thought you were reckless, why did you do that?"
"Because I am infinitely weaker than Pereira."
"If you're much weaker than him, shouldn't you have resolved it without provoking him as much as possible? But in my opinion, that Pereira fellow seems to want to tear you and the Medici baron family to pieces."
When a weak person resolves a problem with a strong person, the important point is not to offend them.
But what if you've already offended them to the point of becoming hostile?
The story changes completely.
Because a peaceful resolution is virtually impossible.
"From the moment I received Your Majesty's order, I had already become an irreconcilable enemy with the Pereira Trading Company. So to survive, I had to approach it with the mindset of a general going to war."
"A general, you say."
The Emperor's eyes soon began to show a look full of interest.
Even a faint smile of satisfaction on his lips.
It's evidence that my evaluation is gradually rising.
"I fear them. If they use their full power without Your Majesty's protection, all the foundations I've built so far will fly away in an instant. They have the power, authority, and financial resources to do so."
"The Pereira Trading Company just doesn't have titles and territory, but their power is equivalent to about 3-4 small baron families. You've just started to stand out. You're looking at reality straight on."
For barons, if you scrape the bottom, there are many cases where the total population of the entire territory doesn't even reach 10,000.
Even a viscount's territory, also called a 'vice count', has cities with over 30,000 inhabitants.
The population within the territory generally exceeds 300,000, so that says it all.
"In this world, no matter how brave a knight is, there's no one who isn't afraid of fighting the enemy. Everyone is afraid and trembling."
General Patton, a hero of World War II and a man who fits the description of a mad dog, also said this:
'Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.'
"I'm also afraid of losing the foundation and vassals I've built up so far. So I had to win no matter what, and I pondered how to deal with the enemy to lose nothing."
The Emperor showed an attitude of listening intently to not miss a single word of mine.
"As a result, I concluded that using a strong-handed method to not give them room to look down on me was actually the best way to protect my safety. And I implemented it."
This was one of the fastest ways to escape when being bullied by a group of bullies at school.
When surrounded by a group of bullies, just turning one, just one of them into a bloody mess.
Or counter attacking with the momentum to do so.
If you just implant the perception that I'm definitely not an easy target like this, the bullying ends the next day.
Why? Because even bullies don't want to get hurt by messing with that crazy guy.
Although the methods may change, this principle applies to all aspects of life.
"And if I had acted oppositely, although they can't touch me carelessly now because I have Your Majesty's protection. Later, they would have waited for an opportunity and trampled on me, a fox cub who just borrowed the lion's dignity. This is why I used a strong-handed method."
The Emperor clapped his hands after hearing my words.
Once, twice, three times.
His face was full of smiles.
"You're more talented than I expected. Good, then now I should give a reward to the knight who fought a life-and-death battle?"