Chapter 68. Letter of Appointment

The atmosphere among the ministers gathered for the general assembly was far from ordinary. They had heard that both princes, who had been at odds the previous day at the hunting grounds, would be attending.

"What's going on all of a sudden? His Highness Marius and His Highness Gael are both here."

"They usually only attend the afternoon meetings..."

"I hear it's because of the appointment of the lord of Bratz."

"Could they have gilded that worthless land? I don't understand why they're so fixated on it."

"Do you have any inside information?"

"Well, I heard that a recommendation for the lordship was submitted, and the candidate is Derga's illegitimate son, Ian. He's a magic user, which might be why His Highness Gael is interested."

"A magic user, you say?"

"I only overheard it. Let's go in. We're going to be late."

The ministers, with no choice, took heavy steps into the conference hall. Usually, the atmosphere was lively and relaxed, but today was clearly different.

Creak.

"His Highness Gael has arrived."

"Your Highness, welcome."

Gael, with his naturally tousled black hair, smiled as he pushed it back.

"Everyone seems to be quite busy this morning."

"Your Highness, you flatter us."

His active participation in politics, despite being lower in the line of succession, was a silent threat to Marius. Moreover, the general assembly was entirely the responsibility of the ministers, so there was no particular reason for him to attend. At least, not until a few days ago.

"His Highness Marius is here."

"Your Highness, good morning."

"...Sit down."

Upon arriving at the meeting, Marius glanced at Gael and took his seat at the head of the table. The meeting began in heavy silence. During the discussion of various items, the two princes remained silent.

"Well, next, then..."

Everyone sensed the hesitation of the chair.

Here it comes.

"The item concerns the Bratz territory. Romandor, who was sent as an advisor, has submitted a recommendation for the lordship. The candidate is Ian, the illegitimate son of the executed Derga."

"The illegitimate son of a criminal... Wouldn't appointing him as lord imply the destruction of the family?"

"But Ian is the one who reported Derga to the palace. It means he has severed ties with Bratz. Moreover, he has never been officially registered as a member of the Bratz family."

The ministers, having reviewed the relevant reports, began to voice their opinions. Gael was the first to speak.

"By principle, he should be a slave. Appointing him as a lord is absurd."

"He is the only Bratz who can form an alliance with the neighboring desert. If the army's size decreases, the costs will decrease, and taxes will increase."

"Isn't bringing in foreign forces considered treason?"

"But it seems he has significant support from the local residents. He meets all the conditions we considered when we initially delayed the appointment. Moreover, he is a magic user."

"Ah, right. I heard that too."

The ministers began to murmur again. As if anticipating this, Marius handed a piece of paper to a servant, who bowed and passed it to the chair.

"For these reasons, I also recommend him. While a baron is typical for a border territory, given the circumstances, a viscount would be appropriate."

Following Romandor, Marius submitted his recommendation. At this point, there was no real reason to oppose it. The ministers exchanged silent glances but kept an eye on Gael.

He clearly attended to oppose, yet he remained silent.

"Once appointed as lord, what will be done with him? As a magic user, he should work at the palace. Can the head of the family be away from the territory for long, especially when they are busy rebuilding?"

"That's for the head of the family to decide. Once the territory is granted, it's not a matter for the central government to interfere with."

"Agreed. The current item is whether Ian is qualified to be the head of the family. As long as the taxes are paid, we shouldn't be concerned."

Especially for border territories, autonomy must be more thoroughly recognized. The cultural differences due to distance and the fact that it strengthens the border were important.

Slap!

"Speaking of taxes, well said."

"...What do you mean?"

Gael, tapping his fingers, caught the tail end of the statement, causing Marius to frown. It was a signal to behave properly in a public setting.

"By principle, he should be a slave. As a magic user, keeping him as a slave at the palace would be beneficial in many ways. Don't you think so, Minister Wesley?"

"That's true. The average income of a mid-level magic user is 200 gold coins annually. Even those with less experience earn at least 100 gold coins."

"If Ian is promoted to a magic user, he would be worth that much, but as a slave, it would be more profitable."

"There has never been a case of a magic user being kept as a slave!"

"How can you say that, Minister of the Magic Department, who knows better than anyone?"

The ministers gasped and raised their voices. Magic users were considered sacred, being the closest to divine power.

That's why, despite having the smallest number of members, the Magic Department receives one of the largest budgets from the palace.

Wesley smiled lightly, signaling to calm down.

"I was merely discussing the economic cost Ian would bring. I never suggested demoting him to a slave."

"Your Highness Gael, what is your point?"

The prime minister, mediating, raised his gavel. Gael, looking at Marius, spoke.

"I heard that the taxes Derga evaded were enormous. Instead, the central government even provided subsidies to the border territory?"

"That was a humanitarian necessity."

"The economic opportunity cost Ian would bring, combined with the missed taxes, could be repaid to the palace in a certain amount, which would be acceptable to everyone."

Marius almost burst out laughing. With Molin and the investigation team unable to secure the lordship, they were now trying to push through with money.

If a lord fails to pay public debts, including taxes, for a certain period, the palace would confiscate the territory to cover the losses. It was also an opportunity for nouveau riche to seek status. If an auction were held, Wesley would likely be the highest bidder.

'No wonder the Magic Department...'

As the department with the largest budget, Wesley's wealth was unimaginable. Some even said that his mansion was gilded, and he had mastered alchemy to stack gold like sand.

"Honestly, isn't it reasonable to set such conditions for the bloodline of a criminal? After appointing him as lord, within one year. If he fails to repay, he should be demoted to a slave."

"How much would that be..."

"10,000 gold coins."

"Goodness."

"I think that's appropriate."

Given his confident demand, it was likely a well-calculated amount. A justified sum.

But 10,000 gold coins.

It was an amount that would require all the taxes from Bratz to be paid in full, likely necessitating the sale of mines or land to maintain the lordship.

If that happened, the family's fortune would decline, and they would lose their power. It was clear that Gael intended to create an opportunity to intervene later.

"What do you all think?"

"I don't think it's too bad. Paying such a price would provide a legitimate reason and quell the nobles' opposition."

"I agree. Despite being a magic user, his bloodline as the previous lord's son is suspicious."

"Isn't one year too short? There will be many trials and errors as a new lord. Three years would be more reasonable..."

"Isn't he already acting as the head of the family in Bratz? After this winter, the next winter would be two years. It's sufficient."

The ministers, finding a consensus, glanced at Marius for his approval. He seemed to be considering something, but Gael's proposal didn't seem entirely bad.

"Agreed. Then, appointing Ian as lord should be the first step."

"It's necessary to generate revenue through management..."

"Agreed. I have no objections."

As Marius nodded, the ministers breathed a sigh of relief. They were glad they could still have their afternoon tea.

In contrast, Gael and Wesley exchanged surprised glances.

'I thought he would be more proactive in protecting him.'

At least, extending the period or reducing the amount.

Or outright opposing Gael's proposal as unreasonable. Whether Marius knew their thoughts or not, he urged the prime minister.

"It seems we have a consensus. Let's move on to the next item."

"Yes. I'll do that. Then, I will submit the proposal to conditionally appoint Ian as the head of the Bratz territory to the Emperor."

"Agreed."

"No objections."

Thud!

The gavel fell, finalizing the item. Marius, smiling, turned to the next report. In reality, it didn't matter to him whether Ian incurred debt or not.

The primary goal was to prevent a Gael-aligned person from becoming lord. Moreover...

'Somehow, I think he can do it.'

Despite never having met Ian, he felt confident that Ian could handle it. It was an unfounded and unrealistic belief, but it felt right. Perhaps it was just an interesting third-party perspective.

But if he really managed to gather 10,000 gold coins...

'I'm looking forward to it.'

"Let's move on to the next item."

A small peace found the stormy general assembly.

Wesley leaned in and whispered something to Gael, who nodded in