Always Have to Choose One

"Borrow from someone else?"

His Majesty the Emperor, sitting in his chair, rubbed his temples. He looked at the world map on the wall to his left. Without a doubt, this "someone else" had to mean the Bayer Federation.

But would the Bayer Federation lend him money? He had his doubts.

Everyone knew that the conflict between the Gefra Empire and the Bayer Federation was difficult to resolve. He would be more than happy to see the Bayer Federation suffer, and he believed that the president and his cabinet also hoped to see Gefra suffer.

Perhaps they were even opening champagne to celebrate the Gefra Empire encountering unprecedented trouble. If he asked them for a loan at a time like this, would they lend it?

The Emperor pondered these questions. His gaze unintentionally swept over Jenia, who was standing off to one side.

"You can sit down..." he said casually. Strangely, however, Jenia did not sit.

His Majesty the Emperor's brow twitched. In the past, when everything had been going smoothly, his brows would have drawn together. Now, they merely twitched.

So many infuriating things had trained him not to lose his temper as easily as before. As his attention began to refocus, he faintly detected something amiss in the room—a smell that was not particularly clean.

A smell... that could make people think of many things.

"He hasn't rested, has he?" he asked, then sighed. "They're celebrating, so they definitely won't be resting. Help me call him. I want to talk to him."

Jenia walked to the table and picked up one of the telephones that looked like a work of art. The receiver, made from rhinoceros horn, was wrapped in a thin layer of gold. Attractive patterns had been carved into it, and various gemstones had been embedded