Chapter 209 It’s All Back Again…
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
On the way back to Keldan, he caught sight of something strange.
A rabbit beastman, who had settled in the suburbs, was using a tent identical to the ones employed by his own Domain Army.
(That’s odd…)
Even as he thought this, more peculiar sights awaited at Keldan’s gates.
The market stalls that should have been open in the suburbs had disappeared, and the guards were nowhere to be seen.
The massive gates, which had stood since the old empire to protect the city, were shut tight, and even the drawbridge had not been lowered.
A chill of foreboding weighed on his chest.
He hurried to the imperial palace to report his return to Emperor Rai, and was ushered at once into the throne room.
”Sanaiii! You’ve come back at last!”
The emperor nearly clung to him, tears in his eyes.
While he had been stripped of his position as Lord, the emperor had replaced him with three different magistrates—men who were said to excel not only in administration but in character.
Yet, despite these appointments, the tribute from Keldan only shrank further.
Not only that, but the peace of the land had worsened.
Caravans traveling between the State Capital Livonia and the countryside had been attacked by bandits, as if the city had returned to its former slum days.
And because of the bandits’ resurgence, Livonia’s tax revenues collapsed.
Even the bandits’ guild, which had lain low after hearing he was stripped of office, had resurfaced, worsening Sada across the region.
(What the hell… it’s all back again…)
He could only sigh inside as Emperor Rai, desperate, urged him to put aside travel reports and resume the Lord’s duties at once.
All he could do was answer, faintly, “Y-Yes…”
Apparently, the loss of tribute from Keldan and Livonia had reduced the imperial family’s household funds, the very symbol of their dignity.
This had only fueled Empress Sarendra’s complaints and the relentless nagging of the Second Princess, R.onafermia.
The emperor himself seemed weary, burdened both as ruler and as father.
Still, Rai was a good man. Refusing him wasn’t an option.
Thus, he decided to return to his post as Lord.
* * *
Back at his mansion in the suburbs, he was met by astonished cries.
”Master?!” Dmitry, his scribe, gaped at him.
Then Watkins, the house steward, greeted him with a bow. “Welcome back, Master.”
He handed over his cloak and headed inside.
But when he checked the state of the Lord’s estate, one thing made him laugh outright.
Ninim had been thrown into the dungeon!
Apparently, the magistrate sent from the capital—a stickler for purity—had disliked how Ninim often gave favors to her own people.
Because of that, the vast workload that Ninim had once handled went undone.
Worse still, the magistrate clashed with Cartier, known for her sharp tongue.
Wages for factory workers and guards went unpaid.
Refusing to work without pay, they shut down the factories, and Sada worsened.
With goods no longer produced, the value of existing products soared.
Prices rose, and people’s lives grew bitter.
On top of this, the magistrates never grasped the ethnic tensions simmering within Keldan, the melting pot of the realm.
Even before, frictions existed between groups.
But as Lord, he had balanced it by inviting leaders and visiting them himself.
The magistrates, proud of their status, ignored or belittled those same leaders.
And so, cooperation vanished.
Resentment spread.
Ethnic animosity flared openly.
Discrimination appeared in public, and even those with money could no longer obtain necessities.
Logistics collapsed. The economy died.
Had the magistrates at least used force to contain things, some dignity might have remained.
But no—the guards too went unpaid.
Those of Nelrearia and Lusrith descent ignored orders and refused to serve.
The rest sided with their own kin and joined the riots.
Even the Domain Army, Keldan’s greatest authority, was a mess.
The armories holding weapons were intact, but everything else—food rations, cookware, tents, wagons, cloaks, boots, even stainless mess kits—had been stolen, sold off, or gone missing.
Which meant, the tent he saw on the way home—
(That was ours!!)
Later, as he savored a rare steak drenched in thick gravy sauce, he listened to the full tale.
With grim resolve, Ayumu ordered every subordinate and official involved to assemble at the Lord’s mansion.
Notes:
• Sada – A bullied student with a dark and arrogant personality, who awakens as a Dark Knight.
• Empress Sarendra – Aare’s mother who expresses quiet resentment towards Aare’s existence.
• Cartier – Nelrearian merchant prodigy, striking with soft pink hair and sharp sapphire eyes | First in Ch.144 | Genius at bookkeeping and logistics, granddaughter of a major merchant guild founder | Powerful family ties grant her vast influence | Initially scornful of Ayumu and treats him with cold disdain | Oversees arms and supply distribution while mocking his manners | Unique note: brilliant yet venom-tongued, she insults him as vulgar while quietly accelerating Keldan’s military growth
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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