Chapter 73

In the capital of the Principality of Röder, Rosenheim—

"Even though it's been just two weeks, look. My hair is already... completely gone..."

"Sir Baldes, with all due respect, that is..."

"Oh, right, that's how it is."

Baldes, whose hair had been thinning (the same as it had been for three years), had come to visit the captain of the knights.

It had been two weeks since Joshua was exiled. The commercial district, the royal court, and various other places had fallen into chaos, but the guards had maintained perfect discipline.

This was largely due to the efforts of the captain of the knights.

"Sir Captain, thanks to you, the farmlands are completely secure."

"Originally, the monsters had been driven out, so it's unlikely that bandits would invade the farmlands."

Baldes had come to the captain of the knights to thank him personally.

On the other hand, the captain of the knights was modest, saying that the farmlands had never been in chaos.

Despite what the captain said, Baldes thought differently.

If the commercial district fell into chaos and riots broke out, the farmlands would certainly be ravaged.

The city, like human blood, circulates as one. The smooth circulation of blood is only possible because of the captain of the knights.

"I have heard of your excellent work, Sir Baldes. Out of concern, perhaps you should take a little rest?"

"Excellent work? I'm just doing my best to prevent riots. I'm doing my utmost to ensure that crop production doesn't stop."

"Indeed, you are the one chosen by Lord Joshua!"

This time, the captain of the knights praised Baldes wholeheartedly.

Baldes, now called "Sir," was originally a commoner.

He was elevated to the status of a "robe noble" without a fief and now held the position of a knight. The one who had pulled him up from commoner status was, as the captain of the knights said, Joshua himself.

The knighthood was a newly established noble rank by Joshua and was the lowest among the nobility.

Still, a noble was a noble. Even a minister in the principality could be appointed. (It was a well-known secret that Joshua had made it possible for a knight to become a minister.)

When Joshua elevated Baldes to the rank of knight, he said:

"I want to create a principality where even non-nobles can become ministers. However, the resistance from existing nobles is still significant. I hope that knights like Baldes will eventually bridge the gap between commoners and nobles."

Baldes was deeply moved by Joshua's vision of a society where commoners could govern.

As the number of knights increased, more civil servants hired by commoners also increased. Although they did not hold high positions, the era where commoners could be employed by the state based on their abilities was definitely coming.

But then—

Suddenly, the exile happened.

Baldes' disappointment was indescribable.

Still, he could not abandon the principality that Joshua had nurtured.

If only it had been delayed by one more year, or even six months, the situation would have been entirely different, Baldes thought.

This was because Joshua's judgment was so excellent that all the ministers sought his opinion.

The ministers understood that this was a problem, and Joshua himself had repeatedly criticized the concentration of decision-making.

Joshua's workload had been reduced to the point where he only made decisions, but even then, it was not enough for all the ministers.

He had reviewed the decision-making process several times.

Still, the ministers relied on him. So, he had started to work on legal reforms to establish a framework for decision-making.

If the law could determine even the smallest details, the ministers would only need to rely on Joshua for the quality of administration.

This would increase the time Joshua could spend on each minister, allowing him to train them to make all decisions on their own.

But just as he was doing this, he was exiled.

As a result, the decision-making process of the ministers slowed down, and signs of chaos began to appear in the city.

However, some of the ministers, especially those chosen by Joshua, including Baldes, were very competent.

They had managed to keep the chaos to a minimum over the past two weeks. Still, they had not been able to advance the administration.

Knock, knock—

"Captain of the Knights! I have urgent news to report!"

"Come in."

A guard with a distinctive red feather on his helmet entered the room and saluted.

This helmet would likely make Joshua think that Corinthian helmets existed in this world.

A Corinthian helmet is essentially a mohawk helmet.

The young guard with the mohawk helmet looked at the captain of the knights and waited for his words.

The captain of the knights quickly nodded to him.

"This is Sir Baldes. Even if it's confidential, it's fine. Please report."

"Hai! I report that Count Zeifried has declared independence!"

"What, what!?"

Even the captain of the knights was taken aback by this news.

Count Zeifried held a fief in the northwest of the principality and had close ties with the empire to the north.

Baldes had never heard of any rumors of discord between Count Zeifried and the central government.

If a noble who had shown signs of unrest had rebelled, the captain of the knights and Baldes would not have been so shocked.

"Is this true? Really Count Zeifried?"

"Yes, it's confirmed. Count Zeifried has openly declared his independence in his territory and is widely publicizing it both within and outside the principality."

The guard answered Baldes' question immediately.

The guard stated that Count Zeifried had boldly declared his secession from the principality.

"What is his purpose... Do you have any details of his declaration?"

"No, not yet. I will continue to investigate!"

The guard saluted again, shook his red mohawk, and left the room.

A heavy silence fell between the two men.

Baldes was the first to break the silence.

"It was too peaceful. The dream of Pax Röder brought by Lord Joshua... the principality has awakened from the dream..."

"No, it's too early to be pessimistic! We must first understand Count Zeifried's true intentions."

"Yes, understanding his true intentions is crucial..."

"Sir Baldes, if you obtain any information on this matter, please share it with me."

"Of course. The captain of the knights is the key to defense. I will share all the information I can."

"I will also send soldiers to assist you."

"Thank you! Let's overcome this crisis together."

The captain of the knights and Baldes shook hands firmly.

Their faces were not bright, but they showed no signs of giving up.