Chapter 77

"Phew..."

Soaking in the hot spring, I feel a warmth seep into my bones.

The water is milky white.

I've heard it has skin-beautifying effects.

The only downside is the smell of rotten eggs.

But that's to be expected with a sulfur spring.

"I've been wanting to come here for a while."

"It's been busy with all the things going on."

Yuria clings to my right hand, and I feel the soft, plump sensation.

I knew about the hot spring's existence.

Of course, if there's sulfur, a component of black powder, there would be hot springs.

Sure enough, after some research, I found one quickly.

However, it seems that the people of Adelnia don't have the custom of soaking in hot springs.

To be more precise, they don't have the habit of traveling to hot springs specifically to soak in them.

The local residents seem to visit them frequently.

In the Adelnia Peninsula, where the primary mode of transportation is walking, there are few people who would go to a hot spring tens of kilometers away.

Perhaps because they are busy with agriculture, there are also few people who would try to dig for hot springs, so there are not many of them.

"There are probably various types of hot springs if we look for them. Maybe there are even unique ones to this world. Yeah, that would be nice."

When I unify the Adelnia Peninsula, I'll dig up the ground extensively.

"I'd like to soak in it every day. Can't we do something about it?"

Tetra clings to my left arm. Though not as soft as Yuria, I feel a firm elasticity. Personally, I prefer this sensation.

What do you want me to do?

"Maybe we could transport it by carriage."

"The cost would be astronomical."

"You're the king, so a bit of luxury is appropriate. Haven't tax revenues increased significantly since the previous king's time?"

After the civil war, the king's direct territories doubled.

The original territories, plus the lands of As, Diber, and the rebellious nobles, and the lands taken from King Domorgal.

And the trade of garnet.

Of course, I granted territories to the nobles who followed me, so not everything became direct territory, but the increase was significant.

I gave the land around Tera Fortress to Boros.

It's a strategic location connecting the old and new territories, but Boros can defend it.

The most difficult decision was about Barthol.

Of course, Barthol's territory needed to be increased, but his abilities are too high.

After much deliberation, I transferred him to the new territory.

His territory increased by 1.5 times, so he shouldn't complain.

With Barthol's abilities, he can defend against King Domorgal's country.

I granted territories near the direct territories to Ron, Rozward, and Gram.

They will continue to work as my hands and feet in the palace.

So they won't live directly in their territories.

The most troublesome were the relatives of the Rosais royal family, centered around Raymond.

Especially Raymond, who owns one of the three rock salt mines in our country.

I hinted at a transfer in exchange for a threefold increase in his territory, but he politely declined. Of course.

Since forcing a transfer would worsen our relationship, I slightly increased his territory.

"I'd like to reduce the power of the nobles."

"Right... If only we could do that..."

Tetra agrees with my muttering.

It's clear that the nobles are hindering smooth governance.

This isn't about whether the government is good or bad.

Their very existence is extremely inefficient.

During wars, we need their consent, and we must be cautious to prevent them from defecting to other countries.

It's common for nobles to defect with their territories.

"But centralization has progressed quite a bit. I think we don't need to worry too much about local nobles."

Thanks to the last civil war, there are no nobles who openly rebel.

The transfer of territories has also successfully reduced their influence in their lands.

The problem is...

"The central nobles, centered around Raymond..."

Tetra mutters.

The central nobles are nominally on my side, and they share the same goal of reducing the power of local nobles.

They want to strengthen the Rosais family.

Their territories are small.

But they have territories around or within the direct territories, giving them strong influence over the center.

Moreover, Raymond and the others made me king.

I am in a position where I must respect them.

The reason Raymond chose me as king is that I don't have many relatives.

The As family is related to me, but we are not close. I have about thirty hereditary vassals.

So in running the country, I must rely on the Rosais family.

They supported me to prevent being overlooked.

My abilities were irrelevant.

If I were incompetent, they could have made me a puppet.

Since the Rosais family is the only reliable relatives, it would be easy.

I need to align our interests well. We share the same goal of reducing the power of the nobles and advancing centralization.

"By the way, are you serious about unifying the Adelnia Peninsula?"

"Yes, I am. I've always thought it would be good, but thinking alone won't make it happen."

The constant conflicts in the Adelnia Peninsula are due to the lack of unification.

Once we unify and lay the groundwork, it won't be so easy to split again.

"Then which country will you attack first?"

"That depends on the situation. First, I'll focus on strengthening the country."

Everything starts with a solid foundation.

A building will lean if the posts aren't properly driven into the ground.

"Ah, wait a moment..."

I embrace Yuria, caressing her purple hair and running my tongue along her neck.

"We need to decide the next crown prince properly."

The issue of succession.

It's the biggest problem in monarchies.

I've seen this issue trouble other countries, and I know it from history.

Appointing a crown prince can bring stability, but if they become complacent, they might become a bad ruler.

On the other hand, not deciding can lead to significant unrest.

If the king dies without appointing a successor, or if the successor is disputed, civil war can break out.

"Almus... It's fine if the crown prince is Yuria's child. That way, the country won't be destabilized."

"Right... Thank you."

As a gesture of gratitude, I lick her ear, making Tetra shiver.

I trace her white back with my fingers.

"Is it better to appoint a crown prince, knowing the risk of a bad ruler?"

"Hmm... Every system has flaws. I think this is the best option. We need a system that can run the country even if the king is incompetent."

You're right... That's the best option.

The bureaucracy I'm promoting is the best when you consider this...

But a non-corrupt bureaucracy is like non-rotten cheese.

Some say slightly rotten meat is more delicious.

We need a system to monitor the bureaucracy.

We can think about that later.

Currently, there are too few bureaucrats to be corrupt.

"How will you handle domestic affairs, Almus? You said you want to reduce the power of the nobles, but how specifically?"

Yuria asks, pressing her chest against me.

Her chest presses against my chest.

"Well... I want to collect taxes directly from all the land, including the private lands of the nobles. And I want to empower the commoners..."

"The commoners?"

Tetra looks puzzled.

"Yes. As a counterbalance to the nobles. It will happen naturally. With the spread of crop rotation and a monetary economy, and the influence of the Kirisians."

"Will they definitely demand political rights in the future?"

"Right..."

As they become wealthier, they will naturally become interested in politics.

But it's inevitable if I unify the Adelnia Peninsula.

Repeated conscription of commoners will naturally increase their influence. The core of the army is made up of heavily armed commoner infantry.

As the territory expands, so will the number of independent farmers, and as the number of slaves increases, they will become cheaper and more accessible to commoners.

Trying to prevent it will only direct their dissatisfaction at us.

The spread of a monetary economy will also spread the democratic ideas of the Kirisians.

If I deepen relations with the Kirisians and modernize the country, democracy will eventually spread to the commoners.

Should I exclude the Kirisians?

That would make unifying the Adelnia Peninsula impossible, or even impossible.

I have no choice but to accept it.

I should even embrace and utilize it.

But that's a distant concern.

It's pointless to debate it now.

We can think about it carefully when the time comes.

I have no intention of ending the monarchy.

I want to pass on what I've built to my children.

Democracy requires literacy for all citizens.

In the Adelnia Peninsula, where few can write, it's not feasible.

The Kirisians can practice democracy because they are city-states.

Democracy works because the administrative units are small.

The northern part of the Adelnia Peninsula, north of the Rosais kingdom, has become a territorial state.

Even the highly civilized Kirisians, who are more advanced than the Adelnians, have fallen into mob rule or seen the rise of tyrants.

It's not suitable for the administrative system of the unified Adelnia Peninsula I aim to create.

Historically, all ancient democratic states have collapsed into monarchies.

In short, in ancient and medieval times, where ideas and science were underdeveloped and religion was strong, monarchy was the most suitable system.

However, someone once said, "Democracy is the worst, but it's better than any other system we've tried."

And what spreads will spread.

We need to find a balance.

We need to keep it in mind.

"You look troubled. Hey!"

Yuria splashes water on me, and I snap out of my thoughts.

I must have been lost in thought.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. ...It's getting late, let's get out."

"Okay, let's do that."

We got out of the hot spring.

Let's come again next time.

This chapter focuses mainly on domestic and foreign affairs.