Chapter 193: Miruam Elizabeth El Rath (5)
1P6“What’s with this proposal?”u4h
JqYVme7Deputy Minister of Administration, Barohk tilted her head after seeing one of the documents that required her confirmation.mhKVgI
KEsexSE“Who’s the one that sent this through?”CA9M
oyOhrXKIt was by sheer coincidence that Barohk found that document, during the busy times of recruiting an army against demi-humans.2CqwVWC
UYr7cs“Tell them to revise this again. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to pass something like this in this time and age? Huh? Do you wanna die?”o7M
IvKGShe was in the aristocratic faction and was a devout follower of the Old Faith. Therefore, she heavily rebuked ‘Count Manoska’ for passing a bill like this. After that, Count Manoska…L4qQ
CWpc“So uhh… I couldn’t get it to pass.”WHW
PLeH“Haa…”f5rOtz
KYl2THe quickly sent the news to Renya and Josephine who were waiting at the royal capital for the bill to pass.2lDzS
0b4“This is a little bit of a problem.”uswH3
5o49“I, I have done my best! So please do not expose my hobbies!”Gdrn0e
iqEWithout caring about the count, who was worried about his cross-dressing hobby being revealed to the public, Josephine went to Korin.hwi5m3
OwA“Who’s the problem?”3KSiC9K
0XbeKoAnd came back with Marie Dunareff.bYNKG
5G4RHX6………LVeDU0
jcvdzV……n0p
0L9gmu…dRXQ
d7uThe one who returned the bill that Count Manoska tried to pass was Deputy Minister Barohk of Administration.juyVo
116d“She’s a pure blue-blood to the core.”pMm
z0M7“And she’s a faithful believer of the Old Faith.”qYKY
veaoIn just the span of an hour after Marie Dunareff arrived at the capital city, she gathered all sorts of professionals from the Dunareff company.3sQ
SfXwFcNThere was only one goal in mind.bf4B2T
XvQnIt was to pass the bill that Korin wanted to pass.33YC
xD7fW“Would it be possible to persuade her?”CsOSdf
N0ReXaMarie’s question was answered by Toroppo, the branch manager of the royal capital’s Dunareff Supplies.kcQfpC
1qbev“It would be possible, but that depends on what level you are willing to permit.”CeP5RPC
tk7Xq6“Level?”mTTbCit
NqoX“I mean the level of pressure. We could bribe the servant who takes Barohk to and from her mansion to find her secrets. It’s a strategy we used often in the past to withdraw restrictions in agricultural and marine product trades, and it works quite well…”GUofTc
xYS“That’s too aggressive! And we don’t have time either! We have to deal with it by tomorrow!”vtDxXF
FUdi7p“Hmm… So we don’t have much time at hand.”XFI
t94FnoS“Wouldn’t it be faster to go straight to the Minister? I believe that gentleman was a quick-thinker.”TTtttrK
hmlasOq“The Minister is currently on an inspection in the East. The two strongest authorities right now in the Administration are the two Deputy Ministers.”BVr
ntJMatThe task force brainstormed more to find the fastest route to have the bill pass, including the time it would take to send the bill for a reexamination.Np0a
1s8sThat was when Renya from the Intelligence Guild added a statement.i9ckneP
NETsZ“Ah~. By the way, Deputy Minister Barohk is allergic to potatoes.”YKh
imk“Haht…!”zY0X8c
4zk“Hmm!”3QS5q
sTuu5“Oh dear…!”lUsm
b9ctPIt appeared that she wasn’t blessed by Mother Earth. The Dunareff Family lamented at the fact that there was such an unfortunate person in the world.9K3a
AIaePThat night, after returning home from work, Barohk went out to have food and had a sudden allergic reaction after having bread made with potato starch.aNP
ejTvoQLThe fact that that restaurant belonged to the Dunareff Merchants, and how a sudden one-day free meal ticket was sent to Barohk ‘by coincidence’ was a secret hidden from everyone.pOQ
6mO***j7JPzA
bOCGorgol, the Deputy Minister of Administration, went to the Administration Department for work after lunchtime.hsSAA
Lvxv0Today was supposed to be his day off, but he had to work because the other Deputy Minister, Barohk, suddenly got sent to the hospital for an allergic reaction.MvD
mgmyU“Hah~. If only she was a bit more careful…”D50Me94
wZy2TThanks to that, he had to work on his day off.ueOL
6ITKAc-Knock knock!pSs
s4Ditc-Deputy Minister. Count Manoska is waiting outside.at6Y
RoxnYCount Manoska — he was a noble transferred from the western regions of the Kingdom and was immediately sent in as a relatively high member of the department straight after his post began due to his status as a count.2QJHIpU
UDuIt was strange why a count bothered to start as an official of the Administration department. Normally, nobles tended to follow an elite course that allowed them to become a Minister or Deputy Minister, instead of becoming an official.9dHA5B
Aaj“Tell him to come in.”oDxHAC
5wmk39HHowever, Deputy Minister Gorgol was also a noble himself and was unperturbed by the status of the other party. He straightened his collars and permitted his entrance.RoJF
FStiL“Deputy Minister Gorgol. I am Team Leader Manoska.”38LFS
3t1b“Hmm~. What brings you here, Count Manoska?”P4AggKe
2dQZ“P, please speak more casually, Sir.”azQL1
N75RCount Manoska was a rather fragile yet good-looking man with fine lines. His body was so slim that people might mistake him for a woman from a distance.li0cB
2Aj3“A, actually, I’ve come here for your permission regarding this bill. It is urgent, so I was hoping you could stamp it as soon as possible…”4rEbZ
EX8L“All things have procedures for a reason but… Let me read through it.”vWQbm6
6F8Deputy Minister Gorgol read through the document as his face slowly started to turn stiff. After finishing it to the end, he threw the paper at the count and raised his voice.cm1Q
C3Nx“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”QXsS9LF
NEBAJ“Uhkk…! I, I’m a count…”8CaN
aOLvhw“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a count or not! Don’t you know what this agenda will imply?! The royal court is resolute with its subjugation army. Do you know what will happen if we let this through?!”G3qJggf
SWJmKvM-Deputy Minister? You have another guest.jxLIzI
9Lm8P“Who is it now…?! Tell them to wait—”4tz
B3EYR-It’s Lady Marie from the Dunareff Dukedom.NVrr
i8ps“What?! Dunareff?!”Mzv
H5vsWas this the Dunareff of the South? Gorgol immediately shot out of his seat.Ds8YQJ
8jfq“You step outside! No, wait! Get rid of this document! Quick! I’ll help you!”DLpveJ
egoAfter a weird situation where the Deputy Minister personally picked up all the papers that he himself threw, he quickly told his secretary.q5RI5zj
3M2Z6g“T, tell her to please come in!”qMevy
2QzGjTVMarie Dunareff stepped into the room after hearing that, and Deputy Minister Gorgol gulped in nervousness before quickly bending his back.qoQrtPR
IDF“Lady Dunareff. It is a great honor to see you. I am Count Gorgol Lucard.”PRCy5o
HRaTTMq“Ah…! Hello, Count Gorgol. You were here too, Count Manoska?”bkPLcM
3jmUk“Ah, do you know ‘Lord’ Manoska?” Gorgol asked.gQROG
hhKk“Yes. He has some relations with our dukedom.”AC8R
3yh8LxqDamn it. Had Gorgol known that he had a connection with the Dunareff, he certainly wouldn’t have tossed the papers at him.1l236
lzCkg“Is Lord Duke still well? I would love to greet him one day but…”IxHM
RxMCtE“Ah, it’s okay. Dad’s very busy after all.”Zy8kpf
eBrIt sounded like a normal response but Gorgol saw it otherwise – there was no way that someone like Duke Marde would bother spending his time meeting someone like him. That cold-blooded duke and an emperor of his own empire would never bother seeing a mere Deputy Minister.TAqMD
xTLO3There was a time when the Administration department had requested the Duke of Dunareff for assistance to send through a new law regarding crops. The Minister had to beg the South for 3 months straight to barely pass the bill.Q8nkEVf
llQvcMi“M, may I ask… why the Young Lady has visited this little office?”v98t4
wbOmhhX“Ah~ it’s nothing much, but our family runs a small farm, right?”RXXIk
0aTHRRvA small farm? Were 2 million hectares small?VkS
EyMThe amount of farmland under the influence of the Dunareff family was roughly 5.7 million hectares. It was the lifeline of not only the Kingdom but the entire continent.ov32UO
FVzoRRunning the biggest farm on the continent and calling it a small farm was… very modest of her to say the least.cO4b
TT6J“My dad has been very worried these days. Because of depopulation(?), there have been a lot of young people going to big cities.”V32
SmfRd“Haha. I see.”WOn
prscSThat was his first time hearing such a thing.3Ea
kxZdSYsWeren’t there plenty of people in the South? Weren’t the lands so rich there that a few potato seeds could let them support raising a child, hence their massive population?m5Bq
NQCdmhK“So it’s hard to find people to work these days… Wahh~ Look at thisss!”iWbBBU
jAyhvnjShe sounded like a machine reading a textbook. What Marie turned to while saying that was the document brought by Count Manoska.bsnMDlT
I6F3KCF“Wow! I can see this is a very important agenda!”HL0sf
SXqPfs“Sorry? It’s been less than 3 seconds since you’ve started to read…”r1Ud
Udld2a“This will solve all of my dad’s concerns!”VOVmi
w6w080“Really? I don’t think…”mzt
E9V“‘Deputy Minister Gorgol.”fqjnH
iXNMarie looked straight into his eyes with her golden eyes.G25aS
FyoF“Can you please work on this bill immediately?”Z1z
RtDbBAt this point, Gorgol clearly knew what she was asking for. She was telling him to pass the bill right now, right at this moment.iN2ZNTn
JtIaSy“B, but…”8vd
jJNgVWEHowever, he couldn’t do so readily because this was like a political suicide. It could have negative implications on the subjugation army formed directly by the royal court.kr1
r0xCasting dirt on the royal court’s plan was something he could not dare do, as someone who wished to become the next Minister in about 10 years and work in the royal palace.jLwCfVC
asFq“Deputy Minister. Do you know the Secretary of Law, Wolpe Schacht?”sEjE
vl2Vie“O, of course. Isn’t he the widely respected gentleman of the palace? Ah…!”qshUg0M
rBwNAs expected of an elite official, Gorgol immediately realized what she was implying.chT5t1
7bzIViscounty Schacht – a collateral family of the Dunareff Dukedom.IuFV
lVS6Wolpe Schacht, the head of the family and the head of the Ministry of Justice and Public Affairs was a bigshot of the central government. That wasn’t the end.SDDQfgl
32RM6c4Secretary Tocqueville, Minister Lamartine, and Director Darlan… There were many big shots of central politics that were from the South.kOmZiuB
jTvAlthough the Southerners tended to remain in their region without bothering too much about the central affairs, they needed people to represent their voice in the central government, and the above-mentioned were the representatives of the South.x7jmcG
gyk“Next month, there will be a small party in our house to celebrate the harvest.”nsK
6LPtk7xMarie passed him a ring – it was a golden ring with a potato flower.ra5d3W
QbMawM“It’s a party where only the really really close ‘friends of the South’ are invited to. If you come with this ring, my dad will treat you as a friend.”bqJDEgg
8hd“Ohh…”UJwiYKv
JKpThis was the entry ticket of the royal club – a free pass ticket dedicated to the true higher-ups of society.93s0
0aYTeiDunareff was in a whole different league to Manoska or himself, who had peerage and nothing else.TAJdq
6PJmThe Dunareffs were actual nobles.e9GQW3j
oCqDvxUnlike the aristocrats nowadays, who were losing power, and how the central nobles had to buy the favor of the royal family as officials instead of feudal lords, the Dunareffs were a true family of nobles with their land and private soldiers.UcU3Nl
7KZThe conservatives of the South were still in possession of a great amount of land and were huge supporters of the primary industries of the Kingdom, and even the royal court could not dare touch them with ease.KdLS
tW6That was the type of family the Dunareffs were.WPOwDjS
CkDA true untouchable dukedom with everything in possession, whether it be history, customs, authority, or finance.MdSQj
H8TQAnd now, he was given a chance to enter the Dunareff.SZ4syZ
vl1PpkAs long as he passed this ‘bill’.YwBQUgJ
NGfX8E“I, is this really… the only thing I need to do?”YE2zr
Ju07jq“Yes, and you will become a ‘voice of the South’, Deputy Minister. Why don’t you work as a Minister next year? And after retirement, maybe you should become one of the presidents of our companies.”8DAr
zh4rBecome a minister in just one year, instead of the 10 years that he had been thinking about? And a post-retirement measure like none other on top of that?25i
WizNow this was a connection; this was background!fsuR
ajBoElite courses meant nothing! That was like a stem whereas this would be like a root connected directly to Marie, a future head of the dukedom!YXW9
V5U“…”ZWF
i9xLPAHis mind was very confused by the sudden turn of events. It was such a good deal for him, but he became concerned instead.YpCO
KHSrVB8What would happen if he took on this deal?ZbEt
awrLPQBUnfortunately, the Young Lady of the Dunareff family did not wait for him to finish that natural line of thought.ed6
ZJl“Hmm~. I suppose you’re not interested. I will have to visit Deputy Minister Barohk then.”beVjA1
SlXRhDeputy Minister Barohk, his rival for ministry. Hearing her say that she would visit his rival put Gorgol in a hurry.Z9JA
a9YFL“W, wait…! L, let me stamp on it right now!”2vqUCvZ
Wn6Th“Are you sure~? Shouldn’t you read through it one more time?”GzRvB
IMwQjas“No need to! If it could help out Lord Duke Marde, then why would I even need to revise it? Let me stamp on it right now!”ekgHK9
AePZ-Bang!tcXMJen
IZzW8xThe bill was passed.8nD
IRSG………UnCUU
RruXiG……4SZA
onacWPm…eolbY
RcV6“Oh right. Count Gorgol?”9HP
OjFM9“Yes, what is it, Lady Marie?”z7g
hI2YITMarie fidgeted her fingers with a blush and barely managed to add more words.Bd47
KQe“This is… umm, a very… personal question.”gkW
gGX6“Yes yes. Please ask me anything.”5OOAW
tnW88uNow that he had officially become a voice of the South, Gorgol was so submissive and respectful that he could lick her boots if she told him to.UX5qL
mme“If I hand in… a registration of marriage without the spouse’s permission, can you still pass it through?”EijAw
qxRncS“Excuse me?”hK8y02R
1qMKIt was a rather petty question to ask a Deputy Minister of Administration. Before Gorgol could even process the question, Marie blinked her eyes and took a step back.xFq3BX
q5Y6y3W“I, I’m just joking! Forget it! Ahah~”BaTgfsF
E5jWas that really a joke though…?MR8Lr4
j1ldn7***8xPu9BX
jJ35Miruam advanced the army as soon as the contract forged by the mages was reduced to ashes.Rprmi
BlKTFI wanted to reactivate the Sun to stop them on their tracks but… it disappeared before I could even fully materialize it and I just ended up wasting mana. The fight against Bres had utterly drained me of my mana.GnscV6
kDhDtAll we could do was destroy the walls of the canyon with the help of our mages to buy time.25QSF
DrLB“Chunsik. How much time do you think we’ll be able to buy?”mlKez
Humow“If we bombard them with magic… then we can last a few more days.”KiR
CfJvrg“One that doesn’t kill people, you idiot.”3ff8
0p0Z77HWhen I smacked the old ghoul on his head, he replied while groaning in pain.pCLWJ
wlkm“Uhkk…! If we focus on debuffs, then maybe a few hours…”PMbQui
hWj0“I guess that’s the limit since they have mages as well.”bVNxcx
STksLThe biggest problem, however, was the knights. Hundreds of knights would certainly be able to charge their way in through the canyon as long as there was a small path available for them.maBzN
97P“Are you… not going to be firing spells?”pn4sqk
seyr6HA voice reached us from behind – it was from Ku Shee the werewolf.F5X2TKJ
AJN4“People will die if we do.”puKLc
HvA“…This is a war.”zyBNT
A9G“Right. So many lines and boundaries are crossed in a war like they are nothing. But not yet.”BnlIe5
ahgQRc“…”WIOPWW
5AK8Ku Shee blankly stared at me like how he often did whenever I was on a break after duels. He still looked confused.B0KyWGX
0Hx1TG“Why… are you pushing yourself to this extent?” he asked.CfGKlwI
CHC“Didn’t I tell you at the start?”8a6VTcI
R3AYP4-Fewer people dying is always the best option.bjoC
O2qz“…I see.”lE5
eeYh“Hey. Now’s not the time to feel sentimental. Tell your men and the vampires to crush some parts of this canyon. We might be able to buy a few more hours.”Z4KXd
kIKbA“If we use our energy destroying this canyon… we won’t have enough mana for the war.”6Bpv
JltSM“As I said, we’re not going to be in a war. And I’m your leader, Finvarra, right? Listen to me.”OTlF
SkFg“…Alright. I’ll trust you.”GG7PDqA
cl26jVeHe seemed a bit different after seeing me stop an army for several days through various means. Without raising any objections, Ku Shee and his beastmen followed my orders and we were able to buy a few extra hours.2Oq
7CRoHowever, the thousands of soldiers from the Kingdom were quick at removing debris from the canyon. Right when they were about to catch up and we were starting to hear the sound of their pickaxes…r3ajKaK
hu0ri2“Student Korin!”YDC8h
4PofBG“Korin…!”WfUL4
BEgThe dimensions opened up as Josephine and Marie jumped out.94lm
9YDj“We’re done…! The bill has been passed!”x2aQ
YvsLvm“Uwaaaht!”QWg
WsBMarie appeared like the goddess of fortune descending from the heavens. I was so happy that I gave her a few pecks on her cheeks.RhC
Wfk3j8“K, Korin?!”CQpAVis
uTwkhy4“That was really quick! Thank you so much!”rKt4
lwLvEv“H, hmm…! R, right!? I had to try my best!”Xzo
1JI4D“It would have been impossible without your help, Senior! You really are the goddess of fortune for me.”U1PX
5zIofGW“R, really? Umm… Feel free to give me more rewards.”k8n
pSyR0k-Thud!gGbSr
cfO0HThat was when pebbles fell from the ceiling. A road was carved up through the broken debris of the canyon and behind the holes were soldiers of the Kingdom.g69WqN
mCMAfter receiving the document from Marie, I stood before them.X2pGaSd
uS4“All of you. Stop right there…!”QYw
AlARwH0The army ceased their movement after hearing my shout. They were in awe and fearful due to everything I had shown them.iwGFJ6
lYy3kNx“Now. Have a look at this!”07TJ
pnzv“Korin… Lork?”AlJ
sdtkI could see Miruam gazing at me in the distance, while I shook the bill that just passed in the Administration.dY6X
DZAv“It is an official document from the Administration department that states how the ‘2,895 people of the five Dana Shees’ have been accepted as citizens of the Kingdom…!”WTYdxYa
2iA-Citizens?24eAz
PJ9UIhB-What does that mean?ImRZzMm
h08YZH-The demi-humans are citizens now?off4kk
mCbThe document that I was trying to pass through Count Manoska was the residency registration of all the demi-humans of Dana Shee. Now that this was confirmed, the 2,895 demi-humans of Dana Shee were now full-fledged citizens of the Kingdom.UTn
7ypbAnd what did that mean, you might ask?9RTl
viqZa“Citizens of the Kingdom have the right to undertake legal procedures before being pronounced guilty!”cQy4
wOUbeFrom now on, these people were citizens of the Kingdom who had the right to ask for a trial and defend themselves.KqvEk
FvM7“You… Don’t tell me!”6uBTDF0
q9wrMepWe had a victim and a suspect. As for a lawyer? There was no need for one, and they could just defend themselves.YmBX
KElVXThe most important people in a trial are the judge and the prosecutor, but who am I?joRrr
CoWF“I, Korin Lork! As a Grade 1 Justice of the Peace verified by the royal family…! Will now begin the trial of the attempted assassination of 2nd Princess, Miruam Elizabeth El Rath!!”ykpW3K
YJ8A judge and a prosecutor who had the right to carry out an emergency trial in ‘outer regions’ that were far from the reach of legal action.gCbNM
qZz6nThat was me.QiIa1
RJ6XZa3You weren’t expecting this, were you now?8Etq
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