Gather round, gather round...
... the sleeping prince is stirring!
Gather round, gather round...
A malefic king awakens!
A single hour later...
After spending about half an hour healing Katrin and trying to convince her brother that feeling a wound in full isn't healthy nor likely to grant him some kind of deeper insight into the inner workings of the Shaori technique, I commanded the court to take a brief break before reassembling.
There are many issues to solve today and a million concerns to address, but neither of these are capable of growing legs and running out of sight, though they do tend to be put aside and out of mind until it is far too late to properly deal with them.
Going by that logic, it seemed to me that literally every possible problem had been put aside by my oh-so-heroic father.
In any case, I decidedly dumped my enchanted crown in Vivians lap during my break time, her flabbergasted expression only growing further confused as I explained her new task; deciphering the effects of the enchantment placed upon it by Truth and his companions.
After that, a light snack was gleamed from the castle kitchens, the cooks and servants present there experiencing something between great joy and a sudden heart attack the moment they realized I was present, chomping away at whatever form of stacked-up sugar I could reach, much to the comical dismay of my confectioner.
So it was to be that, after these few but pleasant events, I found myself sitting right back on my uncomfortable iron throne, a glorified chair that could not be made comfortable no matter how many pillows I ordered to be used to cover it.
This was clearly a conquerors throne, meant to be used sparingly and in order to inspire unquestioning obedience.
It was a rather strange sensation, sitting on this thing. It felt good to look down on others and assert authority simply by showing an annoyed expression and seeing the worms around me tremble in fear, their quaking minds likely imagining what would happen to them should they displease me.
And it wasn't an empty threat, considering I have randomly murdered several officials that I disliked, more often than not simply for their lack of respect or aura of abusive hedonism.
My large court was filled to the brim with people just a week ago, more than two hundred voices, each screaming incoherently with its own agenda.
There had to be a good purge, a culling, to reduce the number of incessant mouths and clear away the worms, both to prevent them from bogging me down with useless trivia like familial disputes and preserve the overral mental health of the entire court. Mainly my own, of course, but with the sheer lack of protest caused by these seemingly random murders, I have begun considering that many of these people are either used to tyranny or think that it is required.
Then again, my father was a hero, not an administrator, so it's likely that he just killed off whomever was openly against him.
People don't really seem to be that keen on burying him, as the corpse is quietly rotting away in a castle cellar. Hmm, perhaps they're waiting for me to build a mausoleum for the man?
Too bad, I don't feel like it.
In any case, this court of several hundred has been reduced to a mere sixty individuals, my personal courtiers included, which was a much more manageable number.
Naturally, I didn't outright murder all of these people. Most of them just stopped showing up after a while, which works out just as well in my opinion.
I felt myself shift in discomfort as I noticed that everyone was staring at me, waiting for me to announce that the court is in session once more.
With a sigh, I raised my hand and nodded, approving it's continuation and ending the current recess.
This was another function of the iron throne. Whenever so many people stare at you at once, it's only natural to feel uncomfortable, which is why they're purpose-built to push you back hard should you ever instinctively feel the need to retreat from the courts expecting gaze.
The cold, unforgiving metal of the throne has saved my sorry ass from looking highly intimidated on more than one occasion, which has given me some reason to like this damn chair, despite the sheer discomfort it provides.
It's quite the dilemma, I tell you!
Anyways, time to focus myself! There's a whole load of work ahead of me today~.
"Your majesty." It was Percival Chance, the steward boy that introduced himself to me at the worst possible time ever, that approached me first, his well-dressed frame managing to somehow not betray his rather antisocial behaviour.
"You may speak." A smirk etched itself onto my frame as the boy awkwardly sorted some papers in his hands, nearly dropping them on more than one occasion. You see, the boy arrived here a few days ago alongside his elderly father and, while his father fell sick from the horrors of my court, the boy seemed to smile knowingly whenever someone made a fatal mistake, reveling in the deaths with an almost religious zeal.
Purging the useless seemed to earn me the young earls favour, almost as if he was pleased with seeing me rid the world of those he perceived as unworthy. "A-ahem, as your highness has surely been made aware by now, the realm is on a path set for bankruptcy and shattering."
He lifted a paper and looked at another. "Due to the negligence of the previous regent, we are hemorrhaging resources on multiple fronts, with every possible sector not only failing to fulfill its given quota of production but only barely managing to stay afloat."
A few murmurs echoed through the throneroom as the past kings failings were mentioned, questioning the lads daring nature.
I merely shrugged at it all. The failings of my father had little to do with me and I meant to show that by any means necessary.
"Which sectors are suffering the most as of right now, Percival?" The boy nodded and quietly but quickly checked his papers again, setting some aside at a nearby table before clearing his throat.
"According to my calculations, the economic sector has been suffering the most in recent days, what with the raiders on our borders both on land and at sea. However, your majestys recently introduced trade laws and increased merchant rights, as well as mandatory garrison protection of nearby caravans have already borne fruit as the amount of resources that has managed to reach our cities in the past week alone has tripled in comparison to the week before that, offering much needed relief to the nation's economy as a whole."
Then he set the paper down and picked up another as the nobility around him nodded in approval and I smirked.
Turns out, those chats with Vivian really did help. Most of these laws were her idea with only minor changes done by yours truly.
"However, while the extra trade has alleviated the overral economy and granted our citizens a good deal of relief, the same can't be said for the other two sectors in ruin: the agricultural and military sectors." Now this caused me to blink in confusion as I threw a look at Katrin and Asmodeus who were seated on my sides, with the lady acting as a replacement bodyguard in place of her wounded brother.
"Explain to me how could our military be suffering when so many of our court seem to be part of highly skilled and militant factions? Do you all just do a shit job at recruitment and training or what?" Both of my elite courtiers coughed uncomfortably and looked away in shame, causing me to quirk an eyebrow at them both.
Percival snorted and sighed. "My lord, both the Heartland Knights and the Magelords are privately funded martial orders, each supplied by the generous donations of their leading members."
Then he coughed into his fist. "And while lady Katrin's father is the leader of our nation's military, he isn't responsible nor connected to the reason why it is currently about to fall apart."
"Oh?" Quirking an eyebrow at the old man in question was enough for him to stand up and bow in my direction. "Ya might not remember much of your father, my boy. Alas, he wasn't much of a steward and an army requires many things to function. The only thing he was capable of filling it with was just more and more bodies."
I blinked and scowled, taking a deep breath and releasing it in clear annoyance as I rubbed my forehead in pain. "Just skip to the point. What did my father do?"
Percival nodded with a sigh of his own. "His previous majesty has forced many cruel conscription laws on the nation, such that every able bodied individual must serve for a minimum of ten years, with the conscription beginning at the age of twelve. Not only that, but every lord is legally required to provide the regent with at least one thousand soldiers when called upon, draining the land of men and, when we finally ran out of those, women and children too."
".... children? We have children soldiers?" I blinked in horror. This.. alright, I think I know why the agricultural sector has suffered so badly in recent times.
Letting out a massive sigh. "I hereby order the immediate repeal of these laws. Anyone under the age of twenty is to be removed from the army and any currently raised levies are to return home. As for the nobility, they may endeavour to pay their dues to me with coin instead of troops, while those that prefer to provide troops will need only provide two hundred instead. A survey will be set in motion after this week where every noble house shall decide which form of due they want to pay, with the opportunity to switch the type once every ten seasons."
This seemed to resonate well with the court as many present seemed to give out a breath of relief. A few nobles gathered in front of the court and bowed. "Speak."
They coughed and nodded towards me before finally speaking their piece. "Your majesty, would it be possible for a way to pay a balanced tax of both soldiers and gold?"
I nodded towards them, then looked at Percival with a smirk. This was something I could shove onto him. "Present your cases on an official document signed with your family seals, then deliver it to my Royal Steward. He will review them and come to a conclusion which best serves the kingdom."
Their expressions brightened as they nodded joyously.
The rest of the court seemed pleased as well, though the same can't be said for Percival, who groaned in annoyance, causing me to chuckle. "Come now, my boy! Don't you see that I'm giving you the perfect position to start taking bribes~?"
My remark caused Percival to stiffen in horror. "Y-your majesty! I would never accept any such thing!"
He grew red with embarrassment as the entire court laughed merrily at the boys antics.
Percival, for his part, seemed to grow annoyed once he realised it was just a joke. "While we are on the context of taxation, your majesty..."
He turned his head towards Truth and the few bishops and paladins that were accompanying the avatar, then continued with a grimace. "I believe it is high time we addressed a peculiar matter that has been skillfully avoided by the church for centuries."
Percival turned towards me with a smirk. "My lord, it is with utmost honesty that I present you with this idea, for I sincerely believe that the church should pay taxes to the crown just like the rest of us!"
Truth instantly rose from his seat, anger etched on the dark elfs expression. "Impudent whelp! You dare assume to steal from us?! The gods will surely punish you for this insolence."
"... You mean to say that the chruch pays no taxes as of right now?.." Percival smirked when he heard me say this, while the rest of the court murmured with opposing opinions.
"That is correct, your majesty." Then I turned towards Truth. "... But you do take donations from my subjects when you perform your sermons, right?"
He haughtily replied. "Offering money to the church has always been and will always be a way that people can find redemption from their earthly sins!"
"So you take money from my subjects, yet do not protect then from raiders and other scum?.." Truth seemed to be shocked for only a moment as the paladins around him withered and shuddered in shame.
One of the priests slammed their holy staff onto the floor. "How dare you?! The church's cause is holy and divine! We have no interest in such mortal concerns!"
"It seems to me that your comrades do not agree with you, priest." He looked at the paladins as if they were the scum of the earth.
"They have no part to play in this! It is we priests who handle the political sphere of the church, not them!" He angrily replied but before I could rebuke the man, one of the aforementioned paladins rose and grabbed him by the chin, lifting the fat man up with ease.
"Cease your disgusting provocations! Last time I checked, the lord we serve is a god of justice! For far too long have we paladins been denied the right to protect the weak and the innocent!" He threw the priest onto the cold floor, causing the older man to give out a lame yelp as his face reached the ground.
The paladin then leaped to the center of the court and knelt before me. "Your majesty, while I cannot approve of taxing the church, you are completely right in saying that we are failing at protecting the people under our jurisdiction! This shall be remedied henceforth, I swear it!"
With a massive sigh, I nodded and closed my eyes in thought for a moment. "Please understand that I cannot give the church any more special privileges at this time. You are already responsible for my coronation and while your vows are commendable, the best I can offer you is to make the initial tax small and allow the church as a whole to adapt."
He rose with a nod, then turned towards Truth with an expectant gaze, with the dark elf sighing loudly and seemingly relenting. "Haa... Fine. May I inquire as to what tax rate you have in mind, your majesty?"
Nodding towards him, I replied after pondering it for s moment. "How does five percent of each church's individual monthly income sound?"
Truth openly grimaced, but nodded back nonetheless. "Though I am extremely loathe to call the people's donations a form of income, I do find these terms agreeable."
A number of malefic grins were shown across the court, causing me to quirk an eyebrow. Hmm, perhaps they misunderstood me?
"Just to confirm. Each church is now legally obligated to pay it's it's dues to the crown, not the nobles whose lands they may inhabit." This caused many of the grins to wither away and be replaced by dissaproving grimaces, but not all of them.
Truth, the paladins and priests all shared a collective breath of relief. "Thank you for that clarification and small mercy, your majesty."
Finally, I turned my head back to Percival. "I trust you don't have any complaints?"
He shook his head in negative. "Though I admit that this isn't what I had in mind as the church is quite rich, I suppose that starting out with a smaller tax rate is optimal in its own way."
Several mutterings that sounded like the words heretic, greedy and leech filled the holy side of my court as I chuckled, unable to help myself.
Coughing into his fist, Percival put down his current paper and took hold of the last one he had in his hands with an immense grimace. "And now... For the most pressing concern..."
The entire court gave a collective sigh. "The agriculture of our nation..."
He put the paper down and closed his eyes. "As things currently stand, approximately thirteen percent of our nation's population is expected to die from starvation by next winters arrival."
With that bombshell dropped, the entire court fell into an uncomfortable silence.
