Item summon tickets could be used in a variety of ways—such as opening a specific function or receiving an item. Of course, the system wasn't that friendly. It never explained itself properly from beginning to end.

'It was the same last time.'

They said you could access information about transcendental figures, but it didn't apply to humans. So, Abel's attempt to look into the emperor's inner self ended up in vain.

"I won't be fooled this time."

Try to persuade me as much as you want. I will never let it go.

[You can use the item summon ticket.]

—Recommended: High-Performance Support Machine

—Recommendation: AIM-120 AMRAAM

As expected, the system quickly listed recommendations, urging him to use the item summoning ticket.

But Abel wiped out the hologram with a single wave of his hand.

It didn't matter what the support machine or Amram was.

It was probably something that couldn't be used in this world.

There would come a day when such things might reach peak efficiency.

Still, the word Amram caught his eye.

For a moment, Abel hesitated, then shook his head. He had seen it somewhere, but he didn't know exactly what it was.

"By the way, why do you have that expression?"

Emperor Charon held out the Half-Demon's Power Badge as if he knew everything. Abel felt like he believed he could use it somehow. And that was indeed the case.

"Is it because each of us is using a half-horse?"

But then the emperor's pale face came to mind. After a while, Abel muttered bitterly.

"Take care of your own health."

Overcoming illness wouldn't be difficult. He could either receive a shower of divine power or ask the half-demon to cure him of his illness.

At that very moment, Abel realized something.

'Oh! Right, I'm worried about him.'

Honestly, he had never imagined he would have thoughts like this.

Emperor Charon was Abel Carrier's cousin, not his real relative. Besides, their relationship hadn't been good to begin with.

In truth, it was a pretty awkward relationship. Abel's right to the throne was bound to be a political threat to Charon.

Of course, now Abel had completely set aside his doubts and was getting along well with him.

'Let's continue like this in the future.'

Abel returned straight to his office in the mansion and issued instructions. It wasn't anything grand—just orders to enter the military and cosmetics business.

"Mr. Chairman! Why on earth did you make this decision?"

Vice President Xavier's face turned pale. It looked like he had rushed over in a hurry, as one of his shoes was missing.

Abel glanced over his shoulder and saw his secretary running towards him, out of breath. The secretary held the missing shoe in his hand.

"Calm down. You have to keep your dignity."

Abel smiled and pointed to his empty right foot.

But Vice President Xavier didn't care at all.

"Is that important now? Suddenly, a military project? Making weapons?"

Until now, the Carrier Duchy had maintained the minimum number of troops, let alone the training of knights. It was a deliberate choice to avoid any misunderstandings.

So when Abel announced plans to start a military business, such a reaction was inevitable. Was he finally preparing for a coup? Of course, Xavier didn't say that directly.

Either way, Abel needed to calm him down first.

"It's okay. His Majesty the Emperor has approved it."

"Even so… Yes?"

"It seems there's trouble on the Eastern Front. They've asked me to help supply military supplies."

"Aha? So that's the story behind it."

Vice President Xavier now looked relieved.

'As expected, he is incredibly loyal. If he hadn't truly taken me seriously, he would have already calculated his escape angle. He would have been working hard to gather evidence to prove he had nothing to do with Duke Carrier's rebellion. He wouldn't have come running to offer advice without even realizing that his shoe had slipped off.'

Abel felt strangely pleased, as though he had glimpsed Vice President Xavier's sincerity.

"What is the operating rate of Theo's workshop?"

"He's usually quite leisurely. These days, he seems to be focusing his energy on nurturing his students."

The tools Theo made were extremely precise and sturdy. Initially, demand was enormous, but now it was beginning to slow. After buying enough, customers rarely repurchased. Aside from the occasional visit for repairs, there wasn't much to do.

So Theo tended to focus on training captains.

"I don't think you do that because you have great convictions."

"Huh? How do you know without seeing me? I asked you why you take on so many disciples. It's because it's easier to have more hands."

"That's just the way he is. This is perfect timing. I just need to pull out all the weapons and armor."

"I heard there's something else to do."

"Yes, we also need to supply military supplies. Vice President, please take charge of this project."

"Yes, I understand."

Abel created a temporary organization called the Multi-Platform Defense Industry Corporation.

Then, he wanted to gather reports from people who had been deployed to the Eastern Front.

But contrary to his expectations, the information they gathered wasn't of very good quality.

Vice President Xavier returned empty-handed. His voice, when reporting, was filled with disappointment.

"Almost all the veteran soldiers have been drafted, and even those who remember the past…"

"They must have been too old to be useful."

"Yes."

"I didn't expect there to be so many people active in the East recently. It feels like I'm being stopped in an unexpected place."

Abel even tried calling Trevor, who was playing football, but it didn't help much.

"I've been out of the military for a long time, so I don't really know how the Western Defense Forces work anymore."

"Okay."

"If it was an order from His Majesty the Emperor, he would have given me the information."

"Hmm."

Trevor's question made Abel drool in thought.

Emperor Charon had simply ordered him to support the Eastern Defense Forces. He hadn't offered any advice.

It was the expected result. Since when had that gentleman ever taken care of Abel's convenience?

He had simply told him to figure it out.

Of course, that didn't mean Abel could curse or criticize the emperor.