Apocalypse Saga 56

Chapter 56 Western Command Office I

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 The Western Command Office, located in a building on the 100th floor of Babellion, was extremely busy every day.

 What they spent most of their time and effort on was creating a census. Even the feudal kingdom made a census to collect taxes. However, the accuracy of the farmers’ census was unreliable, often resulting in mistakes and omissions.

 At the same time, there was a debate about the method of calculating tax rates.

 The tax in the feudal kingdom’s rural areas was paid in crops, which was very welcome for Babellion. Babellion had sought to expand its territory to obtain food, but this could also become a major weakness. If they were to switch from paying taxes in kind to paying in gold, it would be a significant change.

 The foundation of governance is to not kill, not starve, and not enrich excessively.

 Experts in plants, including the [Elves] and [Dryads], were sent to conduct large-scale land surveys, and the amount of crops that each village could produce had already been calculated. However, determining how much tax could be collected from this was the job of civil servants.

 There were also other massive tasks, such as managing each town, grasping the city roads and checkpoints, investigating the profits of the merchant guild, and more… The situation was such that they had no time to rest.

 The Western Command Office was organized around civil servants under Felshiol’s command, with additional staff selected through public recruitment from the city. However, there was one exception among them.

 ”Hey, Alfred.”

 ”Yes, sir!”

 ”Check this document too.”

 ”Got it!”

 Alfred, who was not a citizen of Babellion and the only human, received a bundle of documents with a big response.

 ”Alfred, I’ll leave the creation of this document to you too.”

 ”Yes!!”

 He was scribbling away with his pen, focusing intensely on one of the desks lined up in the Western Command Office. However, before one task was finished, 2 more mountains of work piled up on the desk.

 Alfred took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The sweat dripping down his face showed just how tough the job was, even though it wasn’t particularly hot.

 Alfred held the position of director in name, but in reality, the head of the government office was the one in charge, and Alfred was working as a subordinate, handling daily tasks.

 But he was by no means a sl*ve.

 ”Can you handle this too? If it’s too much, just say so. I don’t want you to take on too much and get stuck.”

 ”…I can do it!!”

 ”Good response. For now, let’s aim to finish it by… no, by tomorrow afternoon.”

 ”Yes!”

 He was given a workload that would make anyone think he was a sl*ve, but being a sl*ve and being treated like one were 2 completely different things.

 Besides, Alfred wasn’t the only one busy. All the civil servants sitting at their desks, including Alfred, were so absorbed in their work that they forgot to breathe.

 ”Does the young master have it tough at work? You can take a break if you want, you know.”

 The demon man sitting next to Alfred, who was tasked with supporting him, flashed a sharp smile, showing his pointed teeth. He was assigned to support Alfred and was instructed to turn to him if he had any questions.

 His appearance was extremely intimidating, and at first, anxiety won out. However, after actually getting to know him, he was a kind and endearing person, and he even took Alfred out for dinner several times.

 ”I’m going to do my assigned job properly. And I make sure to get proper sleep too.”

 ”You’re really diligent, aren’t you? Well, it’s more painful to have too much free time than to be busy. You can understand that feeling, right?”

 ”Yes. To be honest, at first, I thought my role was just to sit at my desk all day.”

 ”A decoration, huh?”

 ”Yes. But now I’ve been given a job, and it’s absolutely better than doing nothing. It’s actually fun, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment.”

 Saying that, Alfred wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. Although his expression showed fatigue, there was no sense of despair.

 For Alfred, Babellion was an enemy country. Moreover, it was a country that had been invaded by a foreign world and had been subjugated for 500 years.

 As the crown prince, it was unthinkable for him to serve someone in the future as an emperor. Nevertheless, Alfred was living a life of hard work. The fact that his life had been greatly changed by Babellion’s appearance was undeniable.

 Some people might raise an eyebrow, wondering if Alfred had no pride or patriotism, working diligently for Babellion and doing a job to solidify the control of the territories that had been taken by force.

 Alfred had his own thoughts about this. It was still difficult for him to serve with joy, and this was an undeniable emotion. He sometimes wondered what kind of faces his ancestors, who had continued to rule Ravendora for about 500 years, would make.

 However, Alfred was a rational person. This was not an inherent trait but rather a personality formed by the teachings of his father, King Fredrin II.

 His father, King Fredrin II, always told him this: “A ruler must sometimes make cruel choices. At those times, one must not let emotions get in the way of making the right decision.”

 Charles is a god. Not figuratively, but literally, genuinely, and undoubtedly a god with the power to destroy the world on a whim.

 That’s why he thinks it’s better to consider himself unlucky when faced with a great disaster.

 For example, if a massive earthquake or drought were to strike their country, causing immense damage, it would be pointless to curse the gods or the earth. Instead of shaking with anger and shouting insults at the heavens, it’s better to just accept that they’re unlucky and start rebuilding.

 Of course, if people die, it’s not just a matter of being unlucky. The families of the victims would never accept that their loved ones died simply because of bad luck. They would harbor resentment and anger.

 However, as a ruler, one must make tough decisions and prioritize the greater good, even if it means being called cold-hearted. This is also a lesson his father, King Fredrin II, taught him: that emotions must not cloud their judgment.

 In fact, his father made the same decision when he chose to surrender early on. They could have chosen to fight, but it would have been pointless to order their soldiers to attack the tower. When Azuriela descended and the dragon took to the skies, he knew they had no chance of winning, so he immediately chose the path of submission.

 As a result, although their country became a vassal state, he was able to preserve their sovereignty, and the bloodline of the Ravendora Harenamerehta family was not extinguished.

 That’s something he’d understand if he worked as a government official. Babellion didn’t try to destroy the feudal kingdom, but rather considered it an important territory.

 In that case, it’s also possible to think that they received divine protection and take it positively. It’s more realistic to think that way than to hold onto hostility. This is because holding onto hostility would only make things worse, but it would never improve.

 In other words, Alfred is working sincerely for Babellion’s sake because he cares about the country. By working for Babellion, he gains trust. And that’s what Alfred can do to connect the next generation, as the next king.

 ”I get what you’re saying, but…”

 ”You really understand?”

 ”Hey, don’t try to sound too smart!”

 ”Sorry…”

 ”It’s okay, though. So, it’s not a lie. The Western Command Office is ridiculously busy right now, and I’d die from exhaustion every day, but that’s because it’s necessary.”

 ”Yes. It’s way better than doing nothing.”

 ”That’s obvious, right? If you’re assigned to such an important department, it means you’re evaluated as capable. It’s mentally tougher to be idle and feel useless, like you’re not needed.”

 ”I see… So, not being busy means you’re not needed, and that’s proof of incompetence…”

 ”That’s right. If you’re needed, you’re given work. Important departments, busy departments–they don’t need incompetent people.”

 ”That’s true, indeed…”

 The busyness of the Western Command Office’s officials was no ordinary thing. Running around with pens, carrying documents, and everyone’s eyes spinning like crazy… but despite the exhaustion, they didn’t look like they were complaining.

 ”If the military folks are His Majesty’s arms, then we civil servants are the legs that support and move this Babellion. You should be proud to be a part of it too!”

 The smile reflected in Alfred’s eyes, where he had stopped his pen, was full of pride.

 This was the foundation of Babellion’s strength, Alfred felt. To take pride in working for Babellion, to feel the joy of being needed. It didn’t matter if it was politics or the military. Everyone was united as one for Babellion.

 Perhaps there was no struggle for power. There might be personal likes and dislikes, or petty squabbles. But under the strong sense of belonging to Babellion, they were comrades and brothers, just as Charles had said in his speech, “Children of Babellion.”

 So, if one wanted to get ahead, they had to do it with their own abilities. No pushing or pulling, just pure competition based on skill.

 That’s why a complete meritocracy took root, where only those with real ability were evaluated. Unlike a feudal kingdom, where nobles were at the center and surviving required political power and connections, this organization was completely different.

 But for Alfred, that was a tailwind. If his abilities were evaluated fairly, without bias, and he worked hard and showed results, his trustworthiness would increase, which would also have a good effect on the feudal kingdom.

 No matter what, it’s difficult to suddenly introduce all of those things into a feudal kingdom. However, having learned governance in Babellion, he wants to bring back something, no matter how small.

 That’s why Alfred is willing to do anything. Whether it’s serving tea or cleaning the bathrooms, or even going to the battlefield with a sword, he’s fine with it. He has no pride in protecting the feudal kingdom, and he’s not afraid to sacrifice himself either.

 It’s all because he thinks about the feudal kingdom, wanting to make it a good country, and establish himself as an indispensable existence for Babellion…

 With a strong determination, Alfred picked up his pen again, and

 ”Alfred.”

 ”Yes!”

 As he was called out from behind, Alfred gazed at the mountain of documents piled up on his desk. He thought that if he added more work, it would surely exceed his capacity.

 Thinking that he should decline, Alfred turned around, but the words that followed from the clerk who called out were slightly different from what he expected.

 ”The director is calling for you. Please go immediately.”

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 Alfred is set to be 12 years old, 6 years younger than Lucia, so he’s about 6th grade to 1st grade or so. Partly because he’s in contrast to Lucia, but is he too capable?

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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