Chapter 52 The Advancing Governance I※
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
[Part 2/2]
After taking a refreshing bath and washing away the sweat and grime, Charles felt refreshed in both body and mind. He headed to the dining room for breakfast. It wasn’t a crowded dining room, but a private one exclusively for Charles.
Ever since his Haruto days, Charles had been a hearty eater in the mornings. A heavy, meat-filled breakfast was laid out before him. Today it was Western-style, but sometimes it was Japanese. It was a pleasant surprise that, even in this otherworldly game, people could still make food that didn’t lack rice, soy sauce, or miso.
After breakfast, Satsuki shared the day’s schedule with him.
”Today, Your Majesty has a meeting with Felshiol-dono. The location and time are────.”
Satsuki was perfect in her duties as a guard and secretary.
That morning was early, and Charles wouldn’t be able to wake up feeling refreshed like this if he had been exhausted from the previous night’s activities.
Satsuki woke up earlier than Charles, washed her body in the bath, and got ready. She then met with her imperial guard members and went over the day’s schedule with them, while also checking Charles’ schedule. She would wait until Charles got up from his morning bath.
Although there were some annoying parts, and it was a hassle to deal with her nagging, he thought of her as a capable secretary.
After confirming the day’s schedule, he often exercised lightly in the castle’s courtyard.
Checking the schedule wasn’t a big deal, since Charles’ schedule was usually empty. The management of Babellion was being handled perfectly by his subordinates, so there wasn’t much for Charles to do.
However, that didn’t mean he could always slack off. Even if his subordinates didn’t mind, he wanted to make the most of his time.
So, Charles didn’t neglect his physical training. He would lightly jog around the vast courtyard, practice his sword swings, and sometimes even have a mock battle with Satsuki. It was different from a real PvP battle, but it was better than just lounging around all day.
After his light exercise, he would read documents and inspect the inside of Babellion. The documents were various situation reports that came in from Felshiol, like a daily journal. Right now, the main reports were about the governance of the feudal kingdom.
Lately, he had also been diligently training Lucia. In Lucia’s case, she wouldn’t be called to the bedroom at night. That was a distinction and consideration made for her, unlike the other women.
In Babellion, there was no distinction between those of noble birth and those who weren’t. That was because Charles had created many subordinates, and that mentality applied to the people of other worlds as well.
For example, Alfred was being treated as a comrade at the Western Command Office, regardless of whether he was a monster or human, strong or weak. What was important was whether someone was capable, and above all, whether they had absolute loyalty to Great Saint Charlierel His Majesty.
And it seems Alfred has pledged his loyalty to Charles from the bottom of his heart.
His role is more like an errand boy, contrasting with his title as director (office chief). However, he doesn’t complain and does the work given to him. Moreover, he even tries to learn from the capable civil servants around him, showing a proactive attitude to become more useful. That’s why the civil servants at Western Command Office treat Alfred as a colleague, equal among equals.
In other words, those who serve Charles under the name of Babellion are all comrades and brothers… although there may be some individual differences, it’s a common understanding among the people of Babellion.
On the other hand, Lucia is different from Alfred. She hasn’t pledged her loyalty to Charles from the heart. Although she’s formally submitted to him, she doesn’t truly serve him.
According to Satsuki, Lucia is a foolish woman who mistakes “pride” for “arrogance.” She’s not worthy of respect.
To them, Lucia is not a comrade at all. Rather, she’s a lucky woman who’s caught Charles’s sexual interest, but receives it with reluctance, making her a disobedient female.
Charles may not do anything about it since he’s fond of her as a plaything, but deep down, he’s seething with anger. He doesn’t mind treating her like a s*x toy, but it’s unthinkable to treat her as an equal in bed.
That’s why Lucia’s training is mainly done during the day. Charles thinks it’s effective because he wants Lucia to understand that she’s his mistress.
Anyway…
Today’s morning schedule is omitted. Felshiol is the type who wants to get important tasks done in the morning, so basically, audiences are held in the morning. This also shows the character of his subordinates, which is interesting.
After finishing lunch and taking a short break, Charles headed to his office with Satsuki.
There was no one in the office. It’s not that Felshiol is late, but rather Charles arrived earlier than scheduled.
Charles leaned back in his chair, placing his weight deep into the backrest. He picked up one of the reports stacked on his desk and began to read the finely written characters.
”Let me pour you some tea.”
Satsuki placed a teacup on the desk and skillfully prepared the teapot, pouring a fragrant green tea that wafted a delicious aroma towards the ceiling.
The refreshing scent of green tea tickled Charles’ nostrils. But what really caught his attention was the scent of Satsuki’s black hair, swaying in front of him.
As if driven by his thoughts, Charles reached out and touched Satsuki’s behind.
”…!”
The moment Charles’ hand touched her behind, Satsuki’s body jumped slightly. But to his surprise, Satsuki’s butt completely rejected his touch… unlike the times he had touched it before, when it was soft and yielding.
Satsuki’s butt was large and firm, with a springy texture. But Charles knew it only in bed, wrapped in her crimson warrior’s hakama. Now, it was as hard as a rock.
It was a bundle of muscles. If he didn’t apply force, it was soft, but if he did, it became as hard as iron ―― high-quality muscles.
”…My lord, please stop.”
As Charles was stroking Satsuki’s hard butt, she finished pouring the tea and let out a sigh of frustration. But Charles didn’t stop, instead continuing to stroke her behind and moving his hand up her thigh.
”…My lord, please.”
Satsuki spoke again, and Charles finally stopped, looking up at her with a teasing tone.
”Ah… why is that?”
Beyond the long, black hair that resembled a curtain, Satsuki’s white skin blushed with a hint of red as she turned her face away, muttering,
”I… I might get serious…”
In that moment, the needle of excitement in Charles’ heart swung sharply towards the sexual.
”Ah, you’re a lovely girl, really.”
”Th-thank you, my lord…”
Charles wrapped his arm around Satsuki’s waist, pulling her body onto his lap. He then strongly embraced her from behind, burying his face in her black hair. Next, he kissed her snow-like neck, and his arms, which were already holding her tightly, exerted even more force.
”My lord…in a place like this…”
”Don’t worry about it. I’m not going to do anything, so it’s not like I’m going to force you or anything. If you want to, then that’s fine too.”
”But…that…”
Satsuki’s words trailed off as she moved her hips slightly, causing Charles’s stiffened p**is to shift position and get caught between her buttocks.
”You’re charming, so even if I don’t intend to, I end up reacting on my own.”
”My lord…”
It wasn’t like they were doing anything in particular. They were just sitting on his lap, embracing, not even kissing or touching breasts. Yet, they were both like completely n*ked, and the excitement was building to the point where it felt like they could just go all the way in this position────.
There was a knock at the office door.
The next instant, Satsuki quickly jumped back behind Charles. She then smoothed out her skirt and stood up straight, as if nothing had happened. Her quick movements and ability to switch gears were so natural that it seemed like she had been standing there all along.
However, the warmth that remained on Charles’s lap, and Satsuki’s bright red ears, which peeked out from between her black hair, told a different story ―― that the past few minutes hadn’t been just a dream.
”Enter.”
”I apologize for the intrusion.”
It was a bit annoying to be interrupted at a good moment, but from the knocker’s perspective, it was unavoidable.
After switching gears, Charles invited the knocker into the office. As the door opened, Felshiol appeared, trying to bow, but Charles lightly raised a hand to stop him.
”I apologize for the wait.”
”Don’t worry about it. I’m the one who arrived early.”
Felshiol had arrived 30 minutes before their scheduled meeting, so he wasn’t late at all.
Charles took a sip of his tea, then prompted Felshiol to speak.
”I express my gratitude for your hard work. Today, I’d like to directly explain the current state of the feudal kingdom’s governance.”
Felshiol spoke without hesitation, cutting straight to the point. It’s one of Felshiol’s good qualities that they don’t engage in unnecessary small talk or gossip. If he did, it would be out of character, and Charles wouldn’t appreciate it either.
”I’ve heard that the feudal kingdom’s governance is going smoothly.”
”That’s correct. However, Your Majesty wanted to hear it again, so I’ve prepared this meeting.”
Felshiol’s words seemed to satisfy Charles, who nodded in agreement. To be honest, Charles couldn’t remember when they had discussed this before. But it was true that he wanted to hear the report directly from Felshiol, rather than just reading the report.
”Has the Royal Capital’s Audit Office gotten on track?”
The Royal Capital’s Audit Office was established to oversee the governance of the feudal kingdom, similar to the Western Command Office, which was responsible for the territories granted to Babellion. The office would monitor the kingdom’s politics from the capital.
However, if they were to create a new system from scratch, it would be pointless to leave the existing governance structure intact. The role of the office was to audit, and they would control the kingdom by submitting detailed reports on laws, noble ranks, and aristocratic marriages.
”As reported, we’ve assigned 50 civil servants to the Royal Capital’s Audit Office. We’ve also allocated a similar number to the Western Command Office.”
”The management of the civil servants is left to your discretion. You also have the authority to appoint and dismiss them as you see fit.”
”Understood.”
Of course, the “commoners” referred to in this meeting weren’t the citizens of the kingdom, but rather the people of Babellion.
And to be honest, there’s a hidden intention behind Charles’ actions. It’s because, unlike in the game, individual abilities that didn’t exist before, like the civil servants’ abilities, have become a reality now. If there are people who possess exceptional talent as civil servants but are being held back, that would be a loss for Babellion… Charles think, and that’s why he’s conducting this experiment.
”So… what about the nobles? Now that the kingdom has become a feudal state, aren’t they going to take some kind of action?”
”No. There aren’t any particular problems.”
Felshiol shook his head to the side. Charles raised an eyebrow slightly in response.
”Is that so? I thought there were nobles who advocated for resistance.”
”Yes. But since the leader of those nobles was petrified, their will to resist has been completely erased. Also, Babellion hasn’t taken away any privileges from the royal family and nobles, so they haven’t suffered any losses, which is one of the reasons.”
After hearing Felshiol’s response, Charles nodded with a satisfied expression.
”They’re quite perceptive of the situation.”
”It’s not like there’s anyone who can stop a fool, even if they’re surrounded by people. If the country were to be destroyed, it wouldn’t be a laughing matter.”
”That’s certainly true.”
”The nobles also understand the art of survival. For them, pride and face are crucial elements that make up their being, along with their titles. However, if the country were to be destroyed, there would be no past or future, so adapting to the new era and finding a compromise for their pride… is a natural way of thinking for intelligent people.”
For the nobles, Babellion is still an object of fear. If they take any rebellious stance, they’ll end up like Marquis Riodore, turned into a statue. And there’s no one who can stop it.
On the other hand, when they re-examine their own position, they realize that nothing has changed. Ah, it’s not like anything has changed, has it? There’s certainly regret that their country was turned into a vassal state without a fight. In that sense, their pride has been wounded.
But, as Felshiol said, they didn’t exactly lose anything. And the emperor they had respected until now, who had changed his title to feudal prince, was still ruling as the leader. So, isn’t it like before?
”It’s true that the dissatisfaction hasn’t completely disappeared, but eventually, the choice of the feudal prince to accept rule without a fight will be recognized as correct. And that’s an undeniable fact.”
Felshiol agreed with Charles’ words. If they had left the imperial system, including the emperor, intact and yet a civil war broke out, it would be meaningless.
Originally, the Ravendora Empire was a country with a strong imperial authority, and the nobles who supported the country’s administration were also civil servants.
However, it wasn’t just the nobles who would start a rebellion. And, if anything, a rebellion centered around this side would be undesirable.
”What about the people in the capital? Are they afraid, or are they resisting… what kind of emotions are spreading?”
Forced rule can sometimes create resistance or partisans.
”Right now, fear is dominant. However, it’s possible that the fear will turn into resistance.”
”That’s troublesome…”
Suppressing a rebellion is easy. They can mobilize the army or burn everything to the ground from above. But using military power to suppress it wouldn’t give the other citizens good feelings.
Moreover, the people, such as farmers and townspeople, are important resources in their territories. Even if they have vast, fertile fields, if there’s no one to cultivate them, the crops won’t grow, and the tax revenue will decrease. If the population decreases, the city will become desolate, empty houses will increase, and public safety will deteriorate.
Killing the people is not a good thing at all. In other words, skillfully controlling the people is the key to stable governance.
”On that point, I think we should start by implementing the plan proposed by Your Majesty the other day.”
”That’s right. I also wanted to discuss that with you in particular.”
Charles nodded, picked up the documents on his desk, and gazed at them while thinking about the plan.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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