“Eliminating the nobility entirely is impossible for Your Highness right now. Even the Holy See cannot achieve that. Therefore, it must be our ultimate goal for the future. As for abolishing slavery, however, I believe that is quite feasible.”
Augus spoke with confidence and looked up at me.
“Your Highness, to abolish slavery, we must first raise the status of slaves while simultaneously restricting the nobility from purchasing them.”
Lola glanced at Augus and shook her head.
“Mr. Augus, you are being a bit idealistic. Restricting the nobility’s ability to buy slaves will be extremely difficult.”
“It’s not hard at all.”
Augus smiled slightly and turned to Lola.
“One only needs to increase the slave tax.”
Audis stroked his beard, pondering for a moment.
“You mean... raising the price so the nobles can’t afford them?”
“No, it’s about making it so the nobles feel it isn’t worth the cost.”
Augus smiled and turned back to me.
“As far as I know, the Kingdom of the Moon has already begun collecting slave taxes. However, at this stage, the tax is still too low. I suggest increasing it further. Meanwhile, the Temple should purchase as many slaves as possible, restore their status as free citizens, and then suppress the slave market by renting them out at low rates.”
Lola looked troubled and spoke up.
“But that would require far too much money. Even Brilliant City doesn’t have that much wealth...”
“No, we won’t spend a single copper.”
Augus turned to look at Audis.
“Lord Audis was right just now. At this stage, even if we increase taxes on other nobles, they will certainly pay in full. After all, right now, preserving their status and position is far more important than losing some money.”
“Other nations may not have a clear understanding of the demons, but the nobles of the Kingdom of the Moon know exactly what kind of existence they are. To ensure their territories aren’t invaded, they will obediently hand over the money. Thus... we can use this leverage to make the nobles hand over their slaves for nothing.”
Watching the confident Augus, I asked:
“And how do you propose we get them to hand over their slaves?”
“First, Your Highness must raise the slave tax. All slaves entering or leaving the borders must be officially registered. Then, increase the taxes on other territories while allowing them to use slaves, resources, and the like to cover part of the payment.”
Augus answered fluently, almost without needing to think.
I turned to Audis.
Audis nodded slightly.
“Your Highness, if we do this, those nobles will surely hand over their surplus slaves to save money. However, this will increase the profitability of smuggling.”
Augus replied with a face full of confidence.
“Then simply enact legislation. If they resort to forced smuggling, those slaves can be confiscated for free. At the same time, the buyers should be fined. If they do not follow the law, won’t Your Highness have a perfect justification to deploy troops?”
I understood Augus’s point.
By raising territorial and slave taxes, nobles who manage land could use slaves to offset some of the cost.
Naturally, surplus slaves would be handed over.
At the same time, laws would restrict smuggling. Once caught, all illegal slaves would be confiscated by the state, and the nobles purchasing them would be fined.
If a noble refused to follow the rules, it gave me a perfect excuse to send in the army.
Once these slaves reached me, they would sign 'long-term labor contracts' and have their status as commoners restored.
Then, by renting out these 'long-term contract commoners', they would create value for me.
As the number of slaves outside decreased, they would naturally become more precious and even a bit of a waste to use for simple tasks.
A slave purchased for life at a high price versus a low-cost rented servant.
Over time, except for a few nobles with excessive wealth, the average minor noble would start using cheap servants.
Whether in the short or long term, this was an excellent plan.
“Then it is settled. Lord Audis, you will draft the noble tax increase. You know the nobility far better than any of us.”
Audis nodded.
“This old servant obeys the Divine Oracle.”
“Augus, you will draft the rental price ranges for the restored commoners. You may choose your own officials. Manage this department well for me.”
Augus smiled and nodded.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Lola, organize personnel immediately to build housing for the 'long-term contract commoners'. Ensure there are no issues when they arrive. I do not want to see a single person freeze or starve to death once winter arrives.”
Lola adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses.
“Please rest assured, Your Highness. Such a thing will never happen.”
“Very well. That is enough for political affairs today. Next is the military.”
Now that the next step was decided, once we started moving, there was no stopping. As for what the future held, we could only leave it to fate.
Next to be discussed was the military portion.
“At this moment, Kevin has already led seven thousand knights and tens of thousands of infantry to Seaview City. We don’t need to worry about that side for now. The Great Wall is guarded by four Guardian Knights, so there is no concern there either. What I am thinking about now... is how to take the lead in reclaiming the cities near Brilliant City.”
The northeast region beyond the Four-Ring Mountains was basically under the direct jurisdiction of Brilliant City. But aside from that part, other regions were not under my direct control.
This made me feel very uncomfortable.
Audis pondered for a moment.
“This old servant feels that Bishop Lola’s method from before was very good. No noble is clean. Your Highness only needs a pretext to strike at one of the families. However, Your Highness, you must never let them know that you are intentionally targeting the noble class. Instead, you must make them feel that your actions are born of 'righteous fury'.”
This method was almost identical to how I had General Yanagi Musashi act as a provocateur to extort the Garnet family with the 'Let them eat cake' excuse.
In other words, Audis and I were thinking along the same lines.
I looked back at Lola, and she nodded.
“I have plenty of evidence of the nobles’ crimes in my hands. It just depends on where Your Highness wants to start.”
Of the ten great cities of the Kingdom of the Moon, Brilliant City was in the north.
The central part, which was the most prosperous area around Stargaze City, belonged to the Alvin family.
A great family cannot be touched without absolute certainty.
So, that part was off-limits for now.
“Lola, which family currently holds High Ridge City?”
Lola pondered for a moment and looked back at me.
“Your Highness, High Ridge City is jointly held by the Saxony family and the York family. If Your Highness wants to take that part, it may not be so easy.”
“What about... Moonrise City?”
“Moonrise City belongs to the Stuart family.”
I nodded slightly.
To take a major city, one had to strike at these great families.
Although this might lead to stronger resistance, I could no longer hesitate.
During this period of the demon invasion, I had to seize most of the territory of the Kingdom of the Moon. Otherwise, there would be no way to recover and rebuild after the war.
“Then we will strike from these two directions. I want both High Ridge City in the northwest and Moonrise City in the east. Lola, gather the evidence for me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Augus had remained silent the entire time, just listening quietly. It wasn't until this moment that he suddenly spoke.
“Your Highness, I have no objection to reclaiming Moonrise City, but I suggest you do not rush with High Ridge City.”
I turned to look at Augus, somewhat puzzled.
“Why?”
Augus pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.
“First, although High Ridge City is rich in minerals, its production of other resources is very low. It isn’t worth the effort yet.”
“Second, facing two intermediate families at once would be a massive burden for Brilliant City.”
“Finally, I recall that Your Highness has a very good relationship with the Saintess of the Snow Country, correct?”
Everyone knew this, as Kevin’s previous mission was to the Snow Country.
“That’s right,” I nodded.
Augus continued.
“In that case, there is even less reason to rush for High Ridge City. After all, High Ridge City borders the Snow Country. While the Saxony and York families are not small, they are still far too insignificant compared to the Snow Country. Once Your Highness has sufficient strength, you can take those two families without losing a single soldier. There is no need to waste energy on them now.”
He paused and then added:
“However, there is one thing I must advise Your Highness on.”
“What is it?”
“Even if Your Highness strips these nobles of their lands, you must never strip them of their privileges, including the taxes from their territories. Even if the direct jurisdiction of the land returns to your hands, you must still give them a portion of the land’s tax revenue as usual.”
In other words, treat these nobles like the imperial family of the Ming Dynasty?
“Why?”
I pressed for an answer.
Augus smiled.
“On one hand, this can reduce the nobles’ desire to resist, laying the foundation for Your Highness’s future unification. On the other hand, it can also win over the hearts of some nobles. At the least, not all nobles enjoy being bloodsuckers.”
“Very well, we will do as you say. Lola, you decide on the specifics and report to me later.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
By the end of the day, our future strategy was basically settled. The first target was Moonrise City to the east.
And once Moonrise City was opened up, it meant Brilliant City would have access to the sea.
But compared to sea travel, I was more interested in building roads.
However, this would indeed be useful.
The management ranges of Moonrise City and Seaview City directly connected the coastline of the Kingdom of the Moon.
Furthermore, once Moonrise City was cleared, we could bypass Stargaze City in the center and directly control Seaview City.
The ten great cities of the Kingdom of the Moon were equivalent to dividing the entire nation into ten provinces.
Taking Moonrise City and securing Seaview City was equivalent to directly reclaiming the two main cities and all the territories within their provincial ranges.
Once the entire coastline was under my control, maritime transport would be open.
At that time, as long as the railway was built from Brilliant City all the way to Seaview City, all the vital transportation lifelines would be connected.
But... Stuart?
That family seemed to lack ambition.
Despite having such excellent geographical conditions, they didn’t think about development at all, instead just living off their past.
Truly useless.
Rather than letting this useless family use the land, it was better to take it back and use it for myself!
With that, the morning’s discussion came to an end, determining the broad future direction for Brilliant City.
And while we were deciding the fate of the Kingdom of the Moon...
Unbeknownst to me, something had happened to the south, on the main islands of the Kingdom of the Sun!
...
“Your Highness!! Please leave quickly! Hiroyuki Amazawa has led the demon army and begun attacking the main island!!”
“Your Highness!!”
Two samurai knelt before the temple, their faces filled with anxiety as they shouted toward the interior. However, only a faint voice drifted out from within the temple.
“How is... the King?”
The two samurai couldn’t help but exchange a look, their faces showing difficulty. One of them gritted his teeth and said helplessly:
“Reporting to Your Highness, the King led an imperial expedition to resist the demon army on the remote island. No news has arrived yet, but the demon army has already bypassed the remote island. I fear... I fear...”
“Hiroyuki Amazawa...”
Inside the temple, Momoka’s voice rang out faintly.
She knelt on the sacred bed and slowly opened her eyes.
Outside the hall, the samurai continued to urge her loudly.
“Your Highness, many of our nation’s knights are currently supporting the Kingdom of the Moon, and nearly half of our naval fleet has been deployed. If we try to hold out, the result will inevitably be the total annihilation of our forces. Your Highness, please leave the temple quickly! We will escort you to the Kingdom of the Moon. Once there, we can gather our knights and launch a counterattack. It won’t be too late!!”
There was a long silence in the hall. Suddenly, the doors slowly opened with a teeth-aching creak.
Two young shrine maidens each pushed open a door. From the center of the hall, Momoka walked out, dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, her long black hair flowing, and a crimson longbow on her back.
“Can we still not contact the continent?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, the demons used magic stones to disrupt the magic elements in the air, interfering with communication devices. Now that the remote island has also been conquered, it is impossible to contact the continent!”
Momoka pondered for a moment and slowly looked toward the coast.
At this very moment, the booming roars of magic cannons could still be heard from the shore. Looking toward the distant horizon, thousands of massive sailing ships were approaching with their sails unfurled.
Sunrise City was already in a state of chaos.
Countless citizens were frantically packing their valuables, leading their families to flee toward the back of the island.
But... what was the use of fleeing to the back of the island?
The shortest sea route from the main island to the continent had been completely blocked by the demon army. Even if they fled to the back of the island, they would only be waiting for death in a corner.
“Your Highness, I have arrived late.”
Just then, a voice suddenly reached Momoka’s ears. The moment she heard it, a smile instantly appeared on her face.
“You’ve finally returned.”
“Please forgive me, Your Highness. I have returned late.”
Momoka turned her head to see a woman with long blue hair kneeling on one knee.
Looking at her slightly pointed ears, which were otherwise not much different from a normal person’s, one could tell at a glance that she was a half-elf—a mix of elf and human.
“Of course I won’t blame you. Get up quickly.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The girl slowly rose. She was about the same height as Momoka, but she appeared more energetic. A katana hung at her waist, and her face was calm.
“Your Highness, please evacuate the main island immediately. I am willing to stay behind to cover your retreat.”
“No!”
Momoka didn’t hesitate, flatly rejecting the girl’s proposal.
“Izumi, you are the only one who can do this now.”
Momoka’s words startled Izumi. She looked at her princess, and her heart immediately understood Momoka’s thoughts.
“Your Highness, I...”
“Izumi, do not refuse. If this news doesn’t reach the Holy See, the Kingdom of the Sun will surely fall. Right now, you are the only one I can rely on!”
Saying this, Momoka reached out and took out the letters she had prepared long ago, handing them to Izumi.
“These three letters. The first one, once you reach the continent, immediately send someone to deliver it to Emperor Dominic of the Kingdom of Flame. The second, send it to the Holy See to inform His Holiness the Pope. The third... you must personally deliver it into the hands of the Saintess of the Moon!”
Izumi furrowed her brows and looked up at her princess.
“Momoka, you...”
“Izumi, if I evacuate now, the citizens of the Kingdom of the Sun will have no chance of survival. But if I stay here, I can unite the army’s morale. At least we can hold out for a while. Everything... depends on you.”
Momoka spoke calmly, clearly having no intention of leaving.
Izumi took a deep breath, tucked the three letters away, and nodded with a solemn gaze.
“I understand.”
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