Chapter 1 — You’re Just Going Too Far to Show Off Your Wealth
Everything was made of jewels and precious metals. The floor, the ceiling, and the pillars connecting them were all gold in color, set with precious stones all over. They were likely all real. Hanakawa didn’t have an eye for identifying their authenticity. His Discernment skill only allowed him to look at the stats of others.
However, there is no way they are just glass balls plated with gold, right?
It was a throne room made for the emperor, who was also a Sage. There was no way they could get away with counterfeit goods. Enormous wealth must have gone into the place.
“So, whaddya think of my throne room?” the Sage and Emperor of Ent, Yoshifumi, asked as he sat down and leaned back on his throne. Naturally, the chair itself was terribly extravagant, boasting a mind-boggling air of luxury.
Yoshifumi’s women crowded around, leaning up against him and the throne. Apparently, the women who had been with him at the bar were of enough standing to make it into the palace.
“Truly an awe-inspiring display of splendor! I cannot help but admire it!” Hanakawa was prostrating himself on the floor one step down from the throne.
“Come on, be honest.”
“Huh? But those words were the honest, unadulterated truth, straight from my heart!”
“Really?” Yoshifumi seemed to be trying to threaten him, but he wasn’t all that scary. His appearance and manner of speaking were those of a common thug, so there wasn’t much that was intimidating about him. He was more funny than anything. He looked like some underling who had made it to the throne by mistake. Hanakawa couldn’t possibly be afraid of someone like that.
But his companions were another matter. The women clinging to Yoshifumi’s throne clearly had some sort of ability to read Hanakawa’s thoughts. No matter what kind of flowery language or flattery he tried, there was always the possibility of his true feelings being exposed. That struck him with a sort of uncanny fear.
Ugh...should I just try to change the subject? Or perhaps I should speak my honest feelings, as I was instructed to do? Or even if my mind is being read, perhaps it would be best to continue pretending my previous words were the truth?
“Well...I feel like this much gold just makes it look foolish, like you are just going too far to show off your wealth. Or like a throne is ill-fitting for someone who looks so much like a common thug...” Hanakawa timidly admitted. If the emperor’s entourage could read his thoughts anyway, there was no point in trying to hide them.
“What?!” Yoshifumi sounded furious.
“My apologies!” Hanakawa pressed his face into the floor. It was all over. He should have said something harmless and inoffensive after all.
But nothing happened.
I am starting to believe this development has become rather common. Once I lift my head, the situation will have completely changed, and I will have no idea what is going on!
Hanakawa slowly lifted his head. Yoshifumi was still staring angrily at him. Nothing had changed.
“You are still furious!” Hanakawa said with a shrill cry, dropping his head again so fast that his face practically bounced off the floor.
“Jeez, you’re so annoying! Just look up!”
“As you wish.” He quickly raised his face again.
“You really are shameless, aren’t you?”
“Then what is it that I am supposed to do?”
Yoshifumi got angry when he was honest and got angry when he bowed down before him. Hanakawa had no idea what course of action to take. It didn’t seem like there was anything left to try but defiance.
“Whatever. Do you know what a court jester is?”
“You mean like a clown who exists to entertain the king?” He remembered hearing about something like that in plays he had seen.
“Yeah, like that. I don’t know much about them, but apparently they were allowed to be as rude as they wanted. Kings are totally isolated. No one gives them anything but flattery. So they need someone like that around.”
“I see. But what about it?”
“You’re going to be my court jester. You can say whatever you want, and I’ll guarantee your safety.”
“No way!”
“What?!”
“W-Wait, you just said I could say anything, didn’t you?!” Hanakawa protested through a small tremor in his voice.
“Oh...I guess I did. Does that count, though? Well, whatever. You have no right to refuse. If you leave the capital, I’ll kill you. Your freedom is limited to the city.”
“C-Can I really say whatever I wish?”
“Yeah. About me or anyone else. You won’t get punished.”
“I see...but why would you choose me?” Hanakawa wasn’t naive enough to get full of himself after hearing that. His instincts told him he still needed to tread carefully.
“I’m a Sage and an emperor, so everyone always tries to flatter me, but you seem different. That’s all.”
“I see. Certainly, I have spoken my thoughts unintentionally already, so continuing to attempt to be polite seems impossible.”
“Also, wear this.” As Yoshifumi said that, one of the women beside him presented Hanakawa with some neatly folded clothes.
“This is...a clown’s outfit, correct?”
“We made it just for you. ’Cause you’re so fat, none of the stuff we had would fit you.”
Hanakawa unfolded the clothes and looked at them. They reminded him of the joker one would draw from a deck of cards. While he didn’t have much in the way of a fashion sense, it was gaudy enough to make even him hesitate.
“Take care of them. If you don’t have those on, you’re not the jester. Who knows what will happen if you’re rude to me then?”
Yoshifumi had already made up his mind. It didn’t seem like there was anything Hanakawa could do to resist.
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