I’d learned a lot from my foray into paperwork hell.
For instance, each of the Duchies had its own specialisation. Ribera was responsible for raw materials, mining ore from the mountains and tilling fertile land. Larm’s artisans and blacksmiths made the metals into products, but with no-one to buy them, their businesses had gone bust.
The supply became a trickle, so the few goods we did produce had prices so high no-one but the richest nobles could afford them.
Aleister probably wanted the resources for himself, though for what purpose, I didn’t know yet. I hadn’t met the man and I already wanted to punch him in the face. I’d considered sending Cannara to scope it out, but decided against it. She’d suffered enough.
Food was also a big problem. Without Ribera’s crops, prices in the rest of the kingdom had soared so high the common citizen could only starve.
Vissel could have offset that a little, if their ruler, Duchess Emilia, didn’t have splinters up her ass. Hana had told me she preferred to bet on the winning horse, all for the good of her people. I couldn’t dispute the motivation, but it was annoying. Their cotton made for cheap, high-quality garments, but their seafood was most interesting.
Fishing in Caltan Bay had never stopped booming. It wouldn’t feed the kingdom—it barely fed the duchy—but it would be a start.
Shal was the one I cared least about. Their hardwoods could have helped put our artisans in work, but I was more concerned about the lower level of workers, since they had the greatest numbers. Education wasn’t a strong point.
Other than that, Duke Henry’s territory produced mainly citrus and wines. He was supposedly a good man, but he’d cut ties with the previous King in fear of his people’s prosperity.
Finally, we had Kalvin. Lying on the country’s western border, it shared divisions with both Zaleria and Tanar, without the added geographical defences the others had. As such, it had been the first line of defence since the nation’s foundation, and had grown into a military powerhouse.
All it produced was troops, but they were excellent, according to Hana. Their ruler, Duke Relas, was High General of Larheim’s Army, though it didn’t really have ties to the Crown anymore. Relas Kalvin’s list of achievements was longer than a successful LitRPG on Royal Road.
He was also an elf, so I probably didn’t have to worry about racial divides.
As he stood before me, I felt that history exuding from his massive frame. A spiderweb of scars criss-crossed his grizzled face, his nose disjointed, and his arms looked like someone had stuffed footballs down his sleeves. One of his pointed ears was missing.
He wore what I assumed was an officer’s uniform—a crimson coat with an eagle insignia and five blue stripes on the bicep, along with cotton trousers and sturdy boots. His leather belt held a multitude of weapons and pouches. I sat on my throne as he scrutinised me, grey eyes hard and narrow.
Hana had forced me to change from my work clothes into a colourful monstrosity, a shirt and pants that looked like a rainbow had vomited on them. These were silk, and I’d baulked at the luxury. My first thought was to sell them.
But apparently, we could only get a few Royals for them, which did nothing. The robe, on the other hand—a deep, subdued burgundy—was so comfy it was criminal. According to Hana, I looked regal, but that was neither here nor there.
Comfort was everything.
She stood beside me, straight-backed and stoic. I couldn’t see Cannara, but knew she was close. To the side, Shia stared at the floor, making a point of not looking at Duke Kalvin.
Her father, from the way she’d announced his arrival.
His unblinking gaze refused to break. A bead of sweat fell down my neck. As enlightened as I was, I could guess what came next.
He’d declare me puny, an unworthy ruler, and challenge me to some kind of duel, which I’d win through my wits and prove myself.
He kneeled.
I did a double-take.
“I rushed here as soon as I heard,” he said. “You are to be our new King?”
“How did you hear?” As far as I knew, no announcement had been made. I wanted to put off my coronation as long as possible. There were more important problems, and besides, not having the crown officially would make a clean break easier.
“I have my sources,” said Duke Kalvin, glancing at Shia. “Though I’d have expected my daughter to inform me of her plans.”
Shia opened her mouth, but I raised a hand to silence her. “Save the drama for another time. To answer your question, yes. I’d rather not, but it seems no-one else wants the job.”
“An excellent start.” He eyed me expectantly, looking uncomfortable. “A true ruler does not desire power—he has it thrust upon him.”
I sighed. “You may rise.” I felt like a dick. He did so, and I pointed at Hana. “Might have something to do with the head-chopping maniac.”
“The Arbiter has been an integral part of this country since its foundation,” he replied. “I implore you to trust her judgement.”
The jury was out on that one. She seemed decent, if a bit of an oddball, but any idiot would have been able to spot the previous King’s incompetence. So why had it taken so long?
Plus, she’d summoned me, burdening me with The Royal System. I was grateful for the salvation, but it wasn’t the kind I’d wanted. An adventurer had to look after themselves and their party—any others were a bonus.
A King’s duty was always to the entire population.
“Whatever,” I said. “What brings you here?”
“I wished to see you with my own eyes,” he said, “and make my own judgement.”
“How you gonna do that?”
He grunted. “Tell me, sire—what is your first priority to begin rebuilding this nation?”
“Food.” I didn’t have to think. “If people’s basic needs aren’t met, they either die or leave, and then there’s no kingdom left.” How it had lasted so long with negative Morale was beyond me.
Nodding, Kalvin said, “And how do you intend to meet those needs?”
I tapped my cheek. “We’ll have to seize the production from Ribera.”
His eyes widened. “You intend to march on them?”
“No,” I said. “Are you an idiot?”
“Sire?”
“Violence isn’t necessary.”
“I wish it were so.” He clenched his fist. “But I have the displeasure of being acquainted with Duke Ribera—he is not one to simply fall in line.”
“We don’t need him to. The upper classes aren’t the ones who hold the power, you’ve just convinced people you do. How many citizens in Ribera, d’you think?”
“I’m… not sure.”
“Upwards of fifty-thousand,” said Shia.
“And there’s only one Aleister.” I smirked. “What we need to do is convince them. Make them realise that they hold the power, they dictate how it’s used.”
“I’m not sure I follow,” he said.
“Think about it,” I said. “People are inherently selfish creatures—they wanna know their lives will get better. So we show them it’s better with us than him. We enrich the citizens of our own duchies first, and rub it in their faces.
“Then, they’ll get angry. They’ll be so pissed off that no amount of fear or violence will cow them. ‘Why can’t we have that?’ they’ll think, and all that rage will be aimed at one person.”
“Duke Ribera,” said Hana.
“Exactly. Once that happens, we won’t have to lift a finger. They’ll take him out for us.”
Duke Kalvin swallowed. “Sire, you speak of inciting a revolt.”
I shrugged. “And? Where I’m from, there’s this kind of philosophy that’s been proven right over and over. You don’t sway people by taking their lives, or homes, or freedom.
“You do it by taking their hearts and minds.”
Hana shifted. “You intend to rip out Duke Ribera’s heart to send a message?”
I sputtered. “No—it’s a metaphor, you dope!”
She mumbled something, then returned to silence.
“Sire,” said Duke Kalvin, “whilst I appreciate the contemplative nature of your philosophy, and believe it worthwhile, I must confess my doubts. It remains highly theoretical, with many obstacles blocking its progress.”
“Trust me,” I said. “I have a plan to overcome them all.”
That was a lie, but a good one, since he seemed to believe me. In truth, all I had was a couple of thoughts held together with spit and duct tape, but they kept developing, and eventually they might even become full fledged ideas.
I could do this. We could do this. It wouldn’t be easy, but nothing worth doing ever was.
“Come back tomorrow morning,” I said. “I still have a mountain of paperwork to deal with, but we can have a meeting to discuss how we’ll go forward in more detail. Sound all right?”
Nodding, Duke Kalvin took a knee again. “You shall have my sword, sire.”
Oh, goodie. All I needed was the axe and bow to complete the set.
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Specialist recruited! Updating quest progress: Recruit 3 Specialists! (2/3) |
