Chapter 12: The Marshal.
"No... don't worry, there's nothing wrong with him," Rose said with a forced smile.
As she voiced those words, Rose was mentally screaming at the top of her lungs against this accursed continent and the frankly obscene amount of trouble it had brought into her life. Of course, Desmos was openly laughing at his best friend's predicament.
She made a mental note to ask Han if he would accept a raise in exchange for teaching Mina to read. While she was at it, she would ask him if he knew other people who could read and write. Damn it, at this point she would settle for them being able to count to ten!
"What does it say?" Mina asked, handing the contract to Rose to review.
"Basically, you get one day off a week, an eight-hour workday, and since I cover your food and lodging, your salary is one hundred coins a month," Rose replied, feeling at that moment that she was forgetting something truly important.
Mina gaped, staring at him. Seriously, she hadn't expected to earn an amount comparable to that of the highest-paid administrators in the most prosperous kingdoms.
"Mr. Rose, that's a waste. For someone like me, one hundred copper coins a month is too much," she protested.
"What do you mean?" Rose asked, completely bewildered.
[Shit, this is like Germany with the Holy Roman Empire! This damned continent has penny coins!] Desmos lamented. Qin had detested that campaign; the decentralization of the kingdoms was such that it had literally taken them years to reach Berlin.
"How can there be copper coins?!" Rose yelled, holding his spear in front of his face. "Why didn't you tell me, useless spear?"
He shook the spear, although it would do little or no good: Desmos was just a piece of self-aware metal; he literally felt no pain.
[If you, who have eyes, didn't know it, how do you expect me to know, idiot?], the spear retorted.
"Sir, are you alright?" Mina asked, somewhat frightened. After all, her new boss was... literally yelling at his spear as if it could answer him.
At the same time, on the outskirts of the city, a burly man, clad in identical clothing to the young Prince Rose, crossed the threshold. He was accompanied by his wife and daughter, and escorted by ten of his best men.
This individual was one of the most distinguished soldiers in the imperial army, a former general of the Napoleonic army and a strategist of the greatest cavalry campaigns history had ever known. The Emperor himself considered him a man of complete trust, as he could always count on his "damned peacock on an imperial steed" to lift the morale of his troops upon seeing him always ride at the front, like a true white knight.
He was none other than Joachim Murat, the unrivaled marshal according to himself and his men. Exactly six months earlier, a month after the young Crown Prince Rose was sent to the Badlands to complete the unification of the magnificent Empire of the Rising Sun, the Emperor in person called upon Murat, who had sworn him unwavering loyalty. In short, the great Emperor Qin, acting like a "mother hen," only lasted a month before sending his best marshal to "look after his baby's pretty butt," according to the man's own textual quote.
Of course, tracking him had been quite simple. He only had to follow the rumors about a pale-skinned, silver-eyed youth who often talked to a spear. Finally, they arrived at what was undoubtedly the most neglected and sadly ruined city the great marshal had ever seen in his life, and he had witnessed a few during the campaigns of Carthage and Central Africa.
"Excuse me... may I ask who you are and what brings you to our humble city?" asked the elderly Mister Han, who, as always, had woken up early to start his day. This time, however, he was heading directly to work at the palace, where he would help his lord balance the account books. It was then that he suddenly saw ten men dressed in military uniforms enter, riding steeds larger than a bull, followed by three people in exquisite attire.
"Indeed, my esteemed gentleman, you may ask," the marshal replied with his characteristic sly smile and perfect speaking eloquence. "I am Marshal Murat, of the Empire of the Rising Sun. The glorious Great Emperor Qin has sent my family and my most trusted men to serve as the military support for our young prince. Would you happen to know where I can find him?" he explained with a tone that denoted respect. After all, if Rose was there, it meant the boy had done something, and the wisest thing was to show consideration for the citizens of the empire, for it was for them that he sacrificed a part of his face in the Sultanate of Egypt.
(N/A: Thanks to Davitxenco for the information about Murat.)
The declaration left Mister Han completely bewildered. Of course, he knew the stories of the great men and women of the Empire of the Rising Sun, although they were mostly considered mere legends, fairy tales to give hope to the little ones. However, now that Prince Rose was there and officially declared them part of the Empire of the Rising Sun, those stories gained unusual force.
Even so, the idea that the unrivaled marshal could be in their humble city was something Mister Han honestly couldn't believe.
The unrivaled marshal was famous for his unlikely, almost suicidal charges, from which he always emerged unscathed or with minor injuries, earning him the nickname "Murat the Immortal."
The marshal cleared his throat, capturing the old man's attention once more. "Sir," he said with a tone that was now slightly sharper, although not directed at Mister Han, "we have traveled from beyond the sea. My family and my men would appreciate being able to rest, and besides, I need to meet with my young prince to prepare for the Feast of Thieves."
During the journey from the coast to the city of Sedena, he and his men had heard about this event celebrated every autumn, coinciding with the harvest. If his calculations were correct, it was little more than fifteen days away. Although he was sure the prince would have already made preparations, there was no doubt that his expert eye would be of great use.
Mister Han merely nodded, allowing the marshal and his men into the city. Upon crossing the gates, the entourage noticed that the city's deterioration was even more evident up close than from the walls. Despite this, the people showed remarkably high spirits, which contrasted sharply with other places they had passed through, many of which were practically ghost towns or dens of thieves, which is why the marshal had decided not to expose his family to those risks.
"Your city is... certainly different," he commented with a rather ambiguous compliment, earning him an elbow to the ribs from his wife. Both knew that the Badlands was mostly ignored during the campaigns of the unification wars, precisely because it was the weakest of the now nine great continents.
The gentleman was not offended at all; in fact, it was quite the opposite. At that moment, the street was more crowded than ever, the people were hopeful, and, for the first time, they felt they had a future truly worth living.
"Our young prince has annulled all the abusive taxes and assured us that we will only pay the ten taxes approved by the great emperor," Mister Han exclaimed with a smile that completely illuminated his face.
"Actually, we annulled one a few months ago," said the marshal's young daughter and Princess of Naples. Although neither she nor her father attended the meeting, as they were on the Providence, the warship that brought them to the Badlands, they did participate via video call. The emperor considered the ISR (Income Tax) to be basically a form of slavery, as it was a tax on workers for working, so, with the brutality that characterized him, he completely annulled it. It is understandable that the prince was not aware, as he has been in the Badlands for much longer.
"I see that at least our young prince has been able to lift your spirits," commented Murat, who had little more to say about the town. Damn it! Had he known they encountered a ghost town, he would have brought engineers in addition to soldiers. "May we go in now?"
End of Chapter,