Chapter 64 - 064_How to End the Civil War
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064_How to End the Civil War
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After finishing his single combat with Knight Commander Falken, Rodney entered the royal castle without stopping.
He ran through the royal castle without listening to Hortus or Endever trying to stop him.
"Lord Rodney! Please wait!"
"You're slow! Are you really soldiers of the Dedel Territory?"
Whenever a knight blocked Rodney's path, he cut them down and kept running.
Then Rodney reached a certain room. The four knights in front of the room drew their swords and attacked, so he cut them down in an instant.
"Sorry."
He flung open the double doors and entered the luxurious room. Once through the door, Rodney knelt.
"I am Rodney Elias Forvas, Knight of the northern Dedel Territory. It is most presumptuous, but I shall undertake the protection of Your Highnesses."
The occupants of the room were the Crown Prince and his wife, Erimerda.
He could not let these two die in the chaos of the battle. Count Banyusas had ordered Rodney to protect them.
Count Banyusas had taught Rodney the route to their room. It was information obtained through Count Banyusas's connections.
Rodney also had ties with the two, so he did not want them to die.
"Lord Forvas. It has been a while."
The Crown Prince, who had been looking out the large window, turned around. His expression was sad.
If only he had the power, he should have been able to prevent the situation from developing into civil war. The fact that he could not was entirely due to his lack of power. How many times had he regretted his own inadequacy.
The Crown Prince had been under house arrest by order of the King. He had been unable to contact the outside world at all. Despite being in the position of Crown Prince, he could not admonish his father, the King.
---What a pity.
"I apologize for my long absence, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"What has happened to my father? Is he safe?"
This young man, who worried about his father the King before himself, was kind. Too kind, almost excessively so. To Rodney, that made him seem unreliable as a Crown Prince.
If it were the old Rodney, he would have found him a likable person. But after going through this bloody civil war, Rodney had his own thoughts.
Those without strength, those who cannot read the times, those lacking judgment, and those who cannot use people should not stand at the pinnacle of the nation. The current King might fit all of these descriptions.
And now, he found himself wondering whether this young man standing before him had the caliber to rule as the pinnacle of the nation.
"It seems His Majesty the King has not yet been found."
Other nobles were probably searching for the King. Whether the King's life would be spared at that time, Rodney did not know.
"Rodney-san. It's been a while."
Erimerda looked tired. Since the castle had been attacked, she must have been on edge.
"I have inconvenienced Your Highness the Crown Princess, and I am utterly ashamed."
"That wound on your shoulder... are you injured?"
"No, I am not injured. I appreciate your concern."
Looking at the large scratch on the left shoulder of his armor, it seemed like a fairly deep wound. But Rodney had no injuries now. His physical condition was perfect.
"If Lord Forvas is here, does that mean Falken has fallen?"
Falken, the strongest man in the kingdom, would never betray the King. The Crown Prince believed that. In fact, that was true, and Knight Commander Falken had inflicted heavy damage on the noble army.
"The Knight Commander is injured, but alive."
"I see. So that Falken was wounded."
The Crown Prince never imagined that Falken, acknowledged by himself and others as the kingdom's strongest, would lose to Rodney.
"What is the Sage doing?"
"He is not participating in the civil war. However, knowing him, if any ruffians enter his mansion, he will probably beat them up regardless of which faction they belong to."
"Hmm. That is like the Sage."
The Crown Prince was glad that Sage Daguldor had maintained neutrality. If Sage Daguldor had sided with the royal family, perhaps the royal family might have won this civil war.
But the Crown Prince knew that Sage Daguldor would never side with the royal family. It was enough that he did not become an enemy.
"Rodney. It seems the King has been found."
Feld reported in a low voice. The ears of the Blue Wolf Tribe could distinguish sounds from far away that humans could not hear.
Rodney nodded and urged the Crown Prince and Princess to prepare to be taken to Count Banyusas.
With Knight Commander Falken defeated, most of the knights in the castle surrendered. Knight Commander Falken had instructed them in advance: "When I fall, surrender without useless resistance."
After handing over the Crown Prince and his wife to Count Banyusas, Rodney confirmed the King's safety. The King had been captured by nobles from the north as well. They said he looked tired but was not injured.
Because Rodney had defeated Knight Commander Falken, the northern noble army had the priority to enter the royal castle. Thanks to that, the northern nobles were able to secure the Crown Prince and the King.
The northern nobles, who had defeated Knight Commander Falken, protected the Crown Prince and his wife, and secured the King, would likely wield significant influence. Count Banyusas found it almost frightening how well things were going.
It was two days after securing the King that they wiped out the enemy forces in the castle and stabilized the royal capital.
During these two days, Count Banyusas was swamped with coordinating opinions among the various nobles. This was the hardship of becoming the noble closest to hegemony.
But Count Banyusas did not try to seize hegemony. That might be his cunning.
Count Banyusas avoided incurring more resentment than necessary from other regional nobles by allowing only the northern nobles to reap large profits.
If they were resented by other regional nobles, it could lead to war again. That would benefit other countries. Count Banyusas had a broad perspective and sought a way to end this civil war.
"Rodney-dono. You did really well this time."
"It seems that doing my best was good."
Count Banyusas said he would promote Rodney to Viscount. At the same time, his territory would increase. He said he would add the Aplan Territory, Seppa Territory, and Almes Territory, which bordered the Dedel Territory.
He could have transferred Forvas House to the central region, but Count Banyusas judged that taking away the Dedel Territory from Forvas House, which had amassed wealth through Galim Syrup and beer production, would incur resentment. He prepared the largest possible territory.
Beer could be made elsewhere, but Galim Syrup production was suitable in places where Galim grew abundantly. Count Banyusas understood that.
"The Seppa Territory is a royal demesne, but aren't the Aplan Territory the lands of Viscount Akasas, and the Almes Territory the lands of Knight Baretasas?"
"Both will be transferred to the central region."
Both nobles gladly accepted the transfer to warmer territories closer to the royal capital.
Rodney, who never expected to be promoted to Viscount and have three territories added, could not hide his surprise.
The Dedel Territory was large in area alone, but now an area equal to the Dedel Territory was added. Moreover, the population was much larger, expected to be over twenty thousand.
The Seppa Territory, a royal demesne, was the size of a Viscount's territory. That meant Forvas House received an addition of two Viscount territories and one Knight territory.
Including the added territories, it would not reach the size of a Count's territory, but it would be a fairly large territory for a Viscount.
"Thanks to Rodney-dono defeating Falken, the northern nobles gained the upper hand."
"What will happen to Falken-dono?"
"He will be kept quiet for a while. After that, I hope he will return to his post as Knight Commander as before. After all, he is the kingdom's strongest. Oh, but the current strongest is Rodney-dono, isn't it?"
"My sword skills are still far behind. I simply have good Fundamental Power, so that difference emerged."
Count Banyusas did not try to ask about that Fundamental Power. He knew that even if he asked, he would only be deflected.
"Marquis Pasorof also readily accepted the increase in territory for Rodney-dono. Of course, the nobles of other regions as well."
If Marquis Pasorof, the great noble of the north, had opposed, there would have been no such reward. That showed how much Marquis Pasorof recognized Rodney's contributions.
"What will happen to His Majesty the King?"
"His Majesty will abdicate. His Highness the Crown Prince will ascend the throne, and the new Kuodo Kingdom will be run by all nobles, including the court nobles."
The King would not be killed, but would retire. That seemed to be Count Banyusas's way of ending the civil war.
It was probably the method with the least chaos. Rodney thought so too.
The court nobles were purged. In particular, the Four Ministers and the court nobles connected to them were all purged. Other high-ranking court noble families that had produced ministers were almost all purged. As a result, high-ranking court nobles such as Marquises and Counts largely disappeared.
Count Banyusas was promoted to Marquis, and an exclave in the central region was added. Then Marquis Pasorof of the same north, Marquis Banyusas, and one each from the east, west, and south would become ministers.
In the future, court nobles would no longer be able to hold ministerial positions. The law would be revised so that only regional nobles of Viscount rank and above could become ministers.
The number of minister seats increased from four to five, but there was no room for court nobles to enter.
The military was also reformed. The King's direct army, including the knights, would consist of four legions, and each noble house would form one legion on a rotating basis. In times of emergency, the King's direct army would be deployed first. The noble army would be the last resort.
The General positions also became five, with one each from the court nobles and nobles of each region.
Through this civil war, the power of regional nobles expanded, and the power of court nobles shrank.
Also, the royal demesne was significantly reduced. Sixty percent was given to regional nobles. The royal demesne became only about forty percent around the royal capital.
With the high-ranking court nobles purged, the royal finances might still have been stabilized. However, in exchange, regional nobles with territories might become a drain on finances.
Sage Daguldor, though a Count, was not purged. He would continue as an advisor to the King, as before.
Sage Daguldor refused, saying that an advisor's words carried no weight. Nevertheless, he was persuaded that the new King needed an advisor and agreed to accept.
"I thought of giving the General position to Rodney-dono, but since you are being promoted to Viscount, skipping the Baron rank, I would appreciate it if you could be patient this time."
"No, I have been promoted to Viscount and given many additional territories, so I have no complaints. Please grant the General position to someone else."
If he received a position he was not used to, it would take time to understand the new territory.
Besides, there should be a labyrinth in the Aplan Territory. Until now, it was the territory of Viscount Akasas, so he could not enter, but that would change.
Exploring the labyrinth and inspecting the territory. He had a mountain of things to do. He had no time to be a General.
"However, if it is permitted, I would like to produce salt."
"Salt..."
Count Banyusas's expression clouded.
In the Kuodo Kingdom, salt production was permitted only to a few nobles in the south and west. In the north, salt could not be produced at all.
Salt was a strategic resource, so it would be better to produce it everywhere, but Rodney understood that it was a rule since the opening of the country and would not be easy to change.
Count Banyusas said he would coordinate, but not to expect too much. A few days later, he was informed that salt production was still not possible.
The new system was announced, and the rewards for the various nobles ended.
The noble army was also disbanded. Nobles who found positions in the royal capital remained, while those who did not returned to their territories.
Those who acquired new territories had to first return to their old territories to prepare.