The hall itself seemed to exhale, and the nobles turned their eyes back to Rei as he prepared to announce another name, ignoring the storm hidden behind their silence. This time, however, the anticipation was anything but ordinary, for the next announcement concerned the Ministry of Finance.
If the Pillar of Wealth was the guardian that protected the value of the currency and secured the Empire's treasury from collapse, then the Ministry was the mind that decided where and how that wealth would flow.
It was the authority that held the power of grant and denial. With a single stroke of the Minister of Finance's pen, a city could be reborn, and with another stroke, an entire province could wither behind the bars of neglect.
In the past, nobles plundered budgets before they ever reached those they were intended for. Now, however, the Ministry had become the foremost accountant, scrutinizing the viability of every project, and the overseer that tied the release of funds to actual results on the ground.
This was a declaration.
The era of unlimited budgets and extravagant banquets at the Crown's expense was over. From this day forward, money would leave the treasury only to raise a stone, feed a soldier, or turn a gear.
The silence that settled over the hall was a heavy one.
Whoever led this Ministry would not be a mere accountant, but the mandatory partner of every noble in the management of their lands. Would the scales rest in the hands of someone who understood the language of traditional interests and turned a blind eye to the aristocracy's "necessary excesses"? Or would they be held by someone who wielded efficiency as a blade to sever the threads of the old spending practices?
Amid that silence, Rei announced the name with perfect clarity.
At first, however, the words seemed unable to find their way into anyone's mind.
A strange stillness spread through the hall as everyone stared at Rei with bewildered expressions, as though waiting for him to repeat the name or correct some sort of mistake.
Even Marchioness Elena remained frozen in place for a moment.
She neither moved nor realized that she was the one being addressed.
What connection could a widow—who had not set foot in the capital for years and had been consumed with saving her crumbling territory—possibly have with the labyrinth of the Ministry of Finance within the new Aster system?
Yet there was no room for doubt.
Rei had spoken the name clearly, leaving no possibility for misinterpretation, and his gaze rested firmly in the direction where the Marchioness stood.
["Marchioness Alistair Elena... step forward, if you possess the courage to bear the responsibility of this position."]
Elena's eyes narrowed when she heard that word.
Courage.
It was as though the single word had dug up an old wound buried beneath her dignified black attire.
Then she chose to stand.
Whispers gradually began to rise, and the nobles exchanged astonished glances. There was no open hostility, only absolute confusion mixed with a hidden sense of respect.
Upon reaching the throne and offering her greeting, she decided to ask,
"Your Majesty, may I ask why I was chosen for this position?"
Ray looked at her calmly before replying in a questioning tone.
"You are not asking about your qualifications... correct?"
It was not truly a question.
It was a shocking clarification for those who did not understand.
She was the woman who had faced a devastating financial crisis before the water had even dried upon her husband's grave. She had endured beneath the weight of rebellion within her own territory, and despite everything, she had restored stability to her lands.
That alone proved that she possessed not only intelligence, but also the cold nerves that could only be forged through staring into the abyss.
Yet Ray had no need to justify his choices, and Elena knew that.
Her question was intended to answer the nobles' doubts more than her own.
Thus Ray replied simply:
"The truth is that I was searching for a suitable lock for the treasury, and I found no lock sturdier than you. But I force no one. If you wish to step back and return to your seat, you are free to do so. There are many alternatives behind you... though none can compare to you."
Though none can compare to you.
That answer alone was enough to make Elena's body relax.
Before she could speak, however, the only person with the right to comment upon the Emperor's words spoke, demonstrating the harmony between the two thrones.
Morgana smiled calmly, as though she had been waiting for the moment Elena accepted the choice.
She turned toward the ceremonial box.
Inside rested the Ministry's emblem, a symbolic key engraved with the title "Accountant," and a special pen bearing the title "Seal."
Morgana took the pen and handed it to Elena.
"As His Majesty said... the Empire has no need for those who merely polish gold. And you know better than anyone why you were chosen."
Elena nodded.
She gripped the pen firmly before bowing with dignity.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will work to prove the reason I was deemed worthy of this responsibility."
Morgana smiled in satisfaction and gestured for her to withdraw.
At that moment, the hall breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The sharp tension faded, replaced by silent acceptance.
Unlike Marcus and Cedric, whose appointments had sparked quiet controversy and hidden objections, no one dared object to this selection.
A broad faction of nobles, led by the Duke of the South, held special respect for the woman who had protected one of the Empire's oldest houses—the House of Alistair—from collapse and extinction.
And because she was a daughter of the South, the pride of the southern nobles was doubled.
Seeing one of their own take control of the Empire's finances was not merely an administrative appointment.
To them, it was a political victory and a reinforcement of their standing under the new Emperor's reign.
Naturally, where some were satisfied, others were not.
Rei ignored what everyone thought and continued the announcements.
The tone of his voice shifted from the appreciation he had shown Elena to something far stricter and more serious, as though he were closing one door only to open another that was far more dangerous.
["Next... the Ministry of Justice: the single scale of the unified Empire. It is responsible for enforcing Imperial law, drafting legislation, reviewing laws, and amending them in service of absolute justice."]
Rei paused, allowing the weight of those words to settle into the minds of the nobles.
The Minister of Justice was no longer merely a judge settling disputes over farmland boundaries.
He had become the foremost architect of daily life throughout the Empire.
In this new system, Ministries were no longer isolated islands.
They were sovereign layers stretching across the entire map.
If the Minister of Finance controlled every piece of gold from the far east to the far west, then the Minister of Justice was the one who wove the threads that bound everyone together.
Should the Minister of Agriculture or Industry issue a decision that violated the Imperial Handbook, the Minister of Justice possessed the authority to halt it or elevate the matter directly to the Emperor.
He was the brake that prevented ministers from corruption or abuse of authority.
Likewise, the Third Pillar could not imprison someone indefinitely or confiscate their property without legal authorization from the Ministry of Justice.
Otherwise, it would appear to be nothing more than oppression and personal vendettas.
The Minister of Justice gave the government's actions the legitimacy of law.
It was an authority that recognized neither provincial borders nor noble privileges.
The Ministry's law was the umbrella above everyone's head, and its Minister held the power to amend and legislate, making the position the primary driving force behind the machinery of the state and the highest overseer of the remaining Pillars.
A silence tinged with dread filled the hall.
Whoever carried this legislative blade would become the most powerful legal authority in the Empire's history, the individual who would determine the very shape of justice in the age of the Fifteenth Emperor.
Therefore, it had to be one of the three Dukes...
Right?
Sislin stepped forward once more with steady strides, carrying the box that contained the key of the Legal Scale, the pen of the Executor, and the Ministry's seal.
His calm presence stood in complete contrast to the storm unleashed by the name that left Rei's lips.
["Julian Stern... please step forward."]
There was no room for discussion in Rei's words.
It was an Imperial command delivered through the voice of the First Advisor, spoken with a finality that suggested there was no alternative for the position.
The person had been chosen.
By order of the throne, he would be appointed.
While Ray sat silently upon his throne, studying the expressions of those present with piercing eyes, his thoughts had been perfectly clear from the moment he first read this man's file.
This is the right person.
The nobles, meanwhile, had thoughts that were equally clear when they heard the name.
A flash of horror passed through their eyes.
"Out of everyone, he chose the executioner... Does he enjoy unleashing monsters?"
Yet that initial shock soon faded, replaced by a far more bitter reality.
The assembled nobles realized that selecting Stern was not merely an attempt to frighten them.
It was a final message.
A ruler who places an executioner as the guardian of law no longer views noble houses as partners in governance.
He views them as entities that must submit to the rule of the state.
A quiet, collective sigh escaped many chests.
It was the sigh of those who had finally realized that Ray was terrifyingly serious about rebuilding the Empire.
He would not allow any private interest or ancient title to stand in the path of the gears that had already begun to turn.
The question was no longer:
"Who will be the next minister?"
It had become:
"How are we supposed to survive and adapt to this new reality?"
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End of Chapter
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[Side Note: The Records of House Alistair — The Unyielding Lock]
[Elena was not merely a Marchioness by inheritance. She was an heir forged by fire. Her journey with responsibility began early when death claimed her father, leaving her as the sole bearer of the Alistair name and the burden of its vast southern territories.]
[The Shared Oath: To emerge from the darkness of grief, she married a knight of the throne, a man she had known long before he earned his military rank. Their marriage became a rare union of noble blood and martial valor. Together, they governed the province for years, transforming Alistair into a beacon of stability in the South.]
[The Greatest Trial: Four years ago, tragedy struck twice. Her husband died after a long struggle with Mana Deviation Syndrome, while at the same time her lands boiled with rebellions born from a crushing financial crisis. Everyone expected the widowed Marchioness to collapse beneath the weight of sorrow and chaos. Instead, Elena proved herself to be a lock that neither betrayal nor grief could break.]
[Cold Nerves: Without granting herself the luxury of tears, Elena seized control with her own hands. She confronted debt through innovative economic strategies and answered rebellion with political wisdom that restored confidence in the currency and renewed respect for the law within her lands. She did not merely survive. She implemented financial strategies that returned stability to her province while neighboring territories were still staggering... To Be Continued.]