Incompetence and Ignorance
The scorching heat of summer beat down upon the land.
Though the seasons passed on with the relentless flow of time, Hestia's prosperity remained as steady as ever.
Among the Empire's lower classes, word of Hestia had begun spreading by word of mouth.
"Have you heard about a place called Hestia Village?"
"Isn't that the land ruled by the Red Dragon?"
"A place ruled by a terrifying tyrant? Can humans even live somewhere like that?"
"Surprisingly, they live there just fine. An acquaintance of mine settled there, and he says it's far better than living in the Empire!"
"Better than the Empire?"
"You actually believe such nonsense?"
To the people of the Empire, villages beyond the Great Wall all shared the same image.
Once you left the imperial capital, you survived by collecting rainwater, and if you caught so much as a cold, all you could do was pray you wouldn't die because there wasn't a healer in sight.
That prejudice existed for a reason—most places really were like that.
"They say every residential district has clean running water."
"We have plenty of water in the Empire too. What's so special about that?"
"And do you think drawing all that water comes for free? The better the place, the higher the taxes. If you move somewhere like that, you'll spend your whole life worrying about your next meal."
"Apparently not! I heard the water fees are less than a quarter of what they are in the Empire. People can actually save money!"
"They can... save money?"
To the lower classes, the very idea of savings was almost unimaginable.
"Even so, isn't it dangerous? The land beside it is crawling with monsters."
"But it's protected by the Red Dragon. If anything, it's safer. Besides, if you enlist, they'll even let you use magic."
"There you go again with your ridiculous stories!"
"How could they possibly let people use magic?"
"What's it called... magical ointment? They make staffs with it."
"You mean magitech?"
"Right, that's it! They even let reservists handle it during training."
"So you have to join the military?"
"Only when monsters attack. Besides, joining the military isn't a bad thing! Plenty of people in the Empire would kill for the chance to enlist. I know I would have."
"Hm... Maybe it really is a good place."
"Anyway, I'm moving out within the week. Packing everything up and heading east. I'm going to make a life for myself there."
"I think that's a foolish decision..."
"I'll write to you. If you ever change your mind, come join me. I'd rather pay the emigration tax than keep being treated like an outsider here."
People were leaving the Empire.
They were crossing the very wall people said no one ever returned through and settling in a new land.
And it wasn't only the lower classes.
"I've heard adventurers talking about it. Apparently everyone's trying to make a fortune in the Demonic Lands these days."
"And they're treating blacksmiths and metalworkers especially well. There must be plenty of work for people who know how to forge iron."
Even skilled craftsmen, whose place within the Empire had always been uncertain, had begun eyeing Hestia as a land of opportunity.
Eventually, the imperial capital had no choice but to discuss the matter.
***
"The latest reports show that the current influx of settlers is already comparable to last winter's numbers."
The newly appointed Acting Emperor, Ureas Arken, asked from his seat,
"And why is that a problem?"
"Normally, summer migration is only about one-third of winter migration. At this rate, we estimate that this coming winter's migration will exceed last year's by more than threefold."
"So?"
"A significant portion of those people are leaving the imperial capital itself."
"The numbers don't seem that large."
"The important issue is that people are leaving at all."
"If this trend continues, public confidence in the Empire will begin to erode."
Ureas reached his conclusion.
"Then execute anyone trying to cross the Wall. Make an example of them."
"We cannot do that. This matter falls outside military law."
"Ruling through fear will only increase public resentment. Right now, Your Majesty must earn the trust the Crown Prince failed to gain."
"Then triple the emigration tax so no one can leave."
"That would also affect merchants traveling in and out of the Empire. The nobles who finance the treasury would fiercely oppose it, and then the Crown Prince's faction would—"
"This won't work, that won't work! Then why do you even ask me? Is this all just to show everyone how incompetent I am?!"
Ureas finally lost his temper.
Just as Valdemar had predicted, Ureas Arken was a complete novice when it came to imperial politics.
His philosophy—that impossible knots should simply be cut apart with a single stroke—had no place in the Empire's political arena.
Ironically, by doing nothing at all, he only made Alexander appear more competent by comparison.
Yet there were still those determined to prevent Alexander's restoration.
Among them were the rising political factions seeking to replace the old establishment...
...and Olivia Arken.
"Brother."
Sitting beside Ureas, Olivia gently clasped his hand.
"Please don't be angry. They're only trying to help you make the wisest decision."
"Then what would you do, Olivia?"
"For now, I would simply leave Hestia alone."
"Leave it alone?"
"Hestia is a newly founded settlement. Just as a sparrow must flap its wings ten times for every single stride a stork takes, trying to imitate the Empire will eventually destroy it."
"You think so?"
"Of course. While we're at it, why not use this opportunity to send away the vagrants everyone claims are draining the Empire?"
"...So we'd be cleaning house. That's actually a fine idea."
"That must not be done!"
Unable to remain silent any longer as Ureas nodded in agreement, one of the officials stepped forward.
"Your Majesty must look further ahead. A small action today could produce enormous consequences tomorrow."
"How so?"
"Our investigation shows that ninety percent of those who have already emigrated are now living better lives than before. If we drive even the slum dwellers out of the Empire and their standard of living improves as well, Hestia will become known as the Land of Opportunity. Once that happens, emigration will only accelerate. We must do everything possible to keep Hestia in check."
Olivia immediately objected.
"You're imagining threats that don't exist. Hestia is one of the Empire's greatest achievements. It is what justifies our claim to remain the Empire of the Cerdes Continent. Are you suggesting we undermine Hestia and hand it a reason to seek independence?"
"They cannot declare independence yet. Hestia still belongs to the Empire, and without the Empire they have no proper foundation. They understand perfectly well who holds the leash around their necks."
The room became tense.
Olivia turned back toward Ureas.
"Brother, didn't you witness with your own eyes what happened when Alexander tried to suppress Hestia?"
"..."
"This war alone won't secure our advantage in the succession. That's why we must support Regent Ferda and keep Alexander out of power."
"Your Highness! I don't know what poison you're whispering into His Majesty's ear, but step away from him at once! You wicked woman!"
The official finally exploded.
Olivia looked at him in stunned disbelief.
"What... did you just say?"
"I said a woman has no place meddling in politics! I've held my tongue long enough! Do you know the rumors circulating? They say you've joined hands with Regent Ferda!"
Olivia's expression froze.
She placed a hand over her chest and swallowed hard.
"Are you... accusing me of treason? How could you possibly—"
"Enough with the act! If you wish to play the saint, then stay in your temple! How dare you come here and—!"
He never finished his sentence.
Ureas's sword was already pressed against the man's throat.
"How dare you..."
Ureas's face twisted with fury.
"How dare you insult my sister in front of me?"
"Y-Your Majesty... General..."
A hint of betrayal appeared in the man's eyes.
He spoke calmly.
"General, I am on your side. Have you forgotten how many battlefields we crossed together? You know that my loyalty belongs to you."
"I know. That is why your head is still attached to your neck."
Ureas's hand began to tremble.
"I want to cut it off right now."
His face gradually lost all restraint.
The sword in his hand looked ready to sever the man's neck at any moment.
"Brother..."
Olivia grasped Ureas by the forearm.
When he lowered his gaze, he saw her looking up at him with tears welling in her eyes.
"Please... do not take another life."
She pleaded while trembling like a frightened little animal.
Ureas lowered the sword from the man's neck.
"Guards! Drag this man away. Strip him of his rank and banish him from the Empire!"
"Y-Your Highness!"
The man stared at him in disbelief.
A comrade who had fought beside him for over ten years had cast him aside merely because he had insulted his younger sister.
Even the final mercy Ureas offered was chilling.
"If you ever appear before me again, you will be a corpse."
The guards seized him and dragged him out.
Still unable to calm his fury, Ureas pointed his drawn sword toward the table.
"I know perfectly well that I know nothing. All I have ever done is wield a sword and command soldiers, so of course I know nothing about politics! But if any of you dare speak carelessly about my sister again, then next time...!"
Slash!
He cut straight through the board bearing the map.
"This is what will happen to you. Understood?"
"Y-Yes!"
"We will remember your words."
Ureas finally sheathed his sword.
"This meeting is adjourned. Prepare yourselves. We will discuss the war with the Kingdom of Heinkel next."
The meeting of Ureas's closest supporters came to an end.
Olivia rose while wiping away her tears with a handkerchief.
The moment she dabbed away the moisture in her eyes, they became dry as though she had never cried at all.
'Ureas's people are not to be underestimated either.'
It should not have been easy for them to notice either her alliance with Regent Ferda or her intention to build up Hestia Village.
'But they still do not understand Ureas.'
They had overlooked one thing.
No matter how many battlefields a comrade had shared with him, that bond meant nothing when compared with his younger sister, Olivia.
Olivia had shaped Ureas into that kind of man.
While her relationship with Alexander had always felt like a rivalry, she and Ureas shared the intimacy of close siblings.
They had been united by the same resentment of being pushed down the line of succession.
Whenever Ureas struggled, he leaned on Olivia, and she had taken the place of a mother in his life.
Naturally, blood was thicker than water.
'Alexander is incompetent.'
That incompetence would eventually trip him up, and when it did, the succession struggle would naturally shift toward Ureas.
'Ureas, on the other hand, is ignorant.'
There was a world of difference between incompetence and ignorance.
The incompetent understood that there was a problem.
The ignorant did not even know what the problem was.
And someone who could not recognize the problem was easy to manipulate.
In the end, Ureas was no more than a pair of shoes to be worn and discarded.
'It also seems only a matter of time before Hestia's population grows...'
The Black Bandana had been reorganized into an intelligence unit under Valdrova and continued to control the flow of information.
Hestia was also becoming a new gathering point for the warriors sent by the Northern Alliance under the pretext of conquering the Demonic Lands.
For now, it was little more than a branch that could be snapped at any time.
But by the time others looked back, it would have grown too large to cut down.
And when that happened, he would surely be pleased.
"Ah..."
An uncontrollable sigh of rapture escaped Olivia's lips.
She clasped her hands reverently before a shrine set into a corner of the corridor.
Her eyes were undoubtedly turned toward the emblem of Alte, yet what she saw was something else.
A man with gray hair and blue eyes appeared faintly in her mind.
It was nothing more than imagination, yet Olivia felt overcome with ecstasy.
'Lord Ferda...'
She offered a prayer to the god.
'I will make you happy. No matter what.'
***
"...For those reasons, I do not believe this situation will significantly interfere with the expansion project."
"The princess has been helping us with remarkable sincerity."
The imperial capital should have begun interfering with them long ago.
However, Ureas's rise to power and the conflict with the Kingdom of Heinkel had overlapped, leaving Hestia relatively free.
Ferda could only hope that the war they were preparing for would not end too easily.
"Are there any other unusual developments?"
"One matter stands out. The armored knight has apparently disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
"Yes. He spoke with Erika, the head of the Adventurers' Guild branch, formally withdrew, and then departed to seek his own path."
"Hmm..."
The armored knight.
A mysterious man who had arrived before the settlement had even been named Hestia Village.
Ferda had received a great deal from him, yet had also doubted and misunderstood him just as often.
'And the greatest misunderstanding happened recently...'
Because of his weakened mental state, Ferda had mistaken the man for Valdrova several times.
He had acted rudely toward him and had even exhausted himself so badly that the knight had been forced to carry him.
Ferda had caused him no small amount of trouble.
'I would have liked to speak with him at least once before he left.'
He was an extraordinary man, one who continued to weigh on Ferda's mind even after departing.
On the faint chance that something could still be done, Ferda asked Isabella,
"Did you attempt to track him?"
For the first time, Isabella's normally smooth response faltered.
Had she attempted to track him?
Of course she had.
The armored knight had been an extremely valuable asset.
At least, that had certainly been true before she discovered his identity.
'How could I possibly have known that person was Lady Valdrova...?'
Erika had been the one to reveal the truth.
She claimed she had shared it only as a warning between old friends who had endured many hardships together.
'A warning, my foot...'
Isabella knew Erika well.
She had undoubtedly said it because she wanted someone else to suffer alongside her.
At that very moment, Isabella felt as though the realization that she had ordered Valdrova around was repeatedly striking her in the stomach.
"Administrator?"
"Y-Yes."
"What happened with the pursuit?"
"I am afraid tracking him will be difficult. He was never easy to detect in the first place."
"I see."
"I apologize for disappointing you."
"There is no need."
What reason did he have to be disappointed?
Isabella always gave everything she had to every task.
"You may return to your duties. Continue as you have been."
"Understood."
Isabella bowed politely and left the office.
Ferda lowered his eyes to the documents piled on his desk.
No, he looked at them.
No—he looked up at them.
'This damned work only ever seems to accumulate.'
More than seventy percent of the documents could probably have been approved with a cursory glance.
But Ferda did not trust people easily.
He refused to be robbed under his own nose, so he checked everything meticulously.
His own personality was the source of his exhaustion.
Preparing himself for an all-nighter, Ferda opened the first document.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The door slowly opened.
And that was all.
"Is that you, Echidna?"
The only person who normally opened the door without revealing herself was that woman.
But today was different.
The figure peeking through the gap wore neither a broad-brimmed hat nor a gloomy mass of disheveled hair.
Two pairs of horns rose from her head, framed by glossy red hair.
She remained half-hidden behind the door, cautiously peering into the room.
Her behavior resembled a rabbit hiding inside its burrow.
To Ferda's eyes, even those menacing horns looked almost like a pair of black rabbit ears.
"Ferda... are you busy?"
Valdrova asked.
"I have nothing to do."
Ferda immediately closed the document and pushed the entire pile away.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE : https://beastnovels.com/