While Lillia and Cilia endured their final hours of captivity, Alexius fought a different kind of war in his solar. The honeymoon of absolute power, such a blood-soaked obtaining absolutee suthority could be called was brutally short. The ghosts of the slaughtered nobles were quickly replaced by the far more pressing matter of starvation and monster outbreak. The Principality System, for all its miraculous detail, was a merciless mirror, reflecting the stark reality of Leo's predicament every time he consulted it.
The Food Security metric blinked an ominous, angry red: 2.7 Months National Supply Left.
The Kalian Empire, furious at the death of Duke Valerius—who had been their most promising pawn—had retaliated not with armies because of their war with Republics, but with something just as deadly. They had sealed the western border and enacted a full trade embargo. Fully half (50%) of Leo's grain imports, particularly the fine flour that was the staple of the nobility and the capital's merchant class, and barley for commers had mostly vanished from Principality's markets overnight. The common folk, who already at a bottom of the bottomless poverty suffered the most from barley prices began to climb and become panic. Riots were a matter of when, not if.
Alexius stared at the data streams, a headache pounding behind his temples. The monster outbreak in the north, represented by a red dots on the system's map near Duke Thorne's lands, complicated everything more. It directly threatened the most fertile farmlands they had left i tis barren Principality. The initial reports from Thorne were grim, describing beasts of unusual size and aggression similar to earth's ants larger in size. Each is at least 2 meters tall and spit acid that can melt metals and teeth that can tore off the stee armors. Alexius couldn't afford to let that front collapse since the northen dukendom is the only fertile land on his entire realm.
With a mental notes, he finalized the dispatch orders he had been drafting. He had to trust his subordinates. "Send this to Captain Marcus Valerius," passing down his royal command with the Royal seal, to Elias.
"Captain Marcus Valerius is to take command of the Northern Expeditionary Force," the order read. "Strength: 500 Royal Guards, 1000 City Guards. His objective is to reinforce Duke Thorne's position, contain the monster outbreak, and secure the autumn harvest routes. He has full authority to act in my name." Elias complied with his command.
Alexius focused on the Captain's profile, reviewing the man's capabilities. It was here the System truly shone, providing clarity on the abstract concept of martial power.
[Name: Marcus Valerius. (loyal) Rank: Captain. Strength Level: Expert.]
A tooltip expanded in his mind, providing the detailed breakdown he had studied intently over the last week.
Squire: The baseline for anyone receiving formal military training. Roughly twice the strength of a common farmer.
Newbie: A standard professional soldier. Five times the strength of a normal human. Disciplined, but lacking real combat experience.
Knight: A veteran warrior, the backbone of any true army. Ten times the strength of a man. They have survived battles, honed their skills, and can handle most non-magical threats.
Expert: A significant leap in power. These were elite champions and commanders. They have unconsciously begun to touch upon the flow of Aura, the life force of the world, granting them reflexes and power that seem superhuman. An Expert could battle multiple Knights simultaneously. Captain Marcus was one of these rare individuals.
Swordsman: A true terror on the battlefield. A warrior who has consciously awakened their Aura and can actively wield it, reinforcing their body to inhuman levels and imbuing their weapons with destructive energy. Duke Thorne, for all his age, was a low-tier Swordsman, which was the source of his martial reputation.
Sword Master: A living legend, a master of Aura. Their power was said to be a hundredfold that of a Swordsman. They were one-man armies, capable of changing the course of a war. Captain Gregor was his Sword Master, the ultimate guarantor of his personal safety and the Crown's authority.
Divine Sword Master: A myth. A transcendent being of legend, like the First Human Emperor who had united mankind ten thousand years ago. Only he could achieved this rank and weilded both aura and holy divinity.
Sending an Expert like Marcus was the strongest move he could afford. It was a painful allocation of resources, leaving the capital feeling lighter in strength, but the northern farms had to be protected.
With that crisis managed as best he could, his thoughts drifted to the other festering sores on the body politic. Duke Valerius's and allies Lands. He dispatched Lord Chamberlian, Astolfo, as a Governor of Valerius Dukedom, although his loyalty is not absolute he is reliable enough to manage those territorries as long as he is scared or respect Alexius enough. Another pressing matter is slavery. In fact non-human slavery. Michael Sano's modern soul disgusted it. Grand Prince Alexius, however, saw it as a deeply entrenched, politically inconvenient reality. The law in Leo, a compromise made by his grandfather, was clear: human slavery was utterly forbidden, a capital crime. The enslavement of non-human races, however, was legal, albeit subject to heavy regulation and taxation by the Crown. It was a disgusting but stable institution that brought in revenue and placated the more conservative nobles and wealthy merchants who saw elves, beast-kin,orcs, and goblins as little more than exotic livestock or plaything.
To abolish that law now, with the nation on the brink of famine and war, would be madness. It would alienate what little support he had left among the traditionalists and merchants. He filed it away under 'problems for a more stable future.' He had bigger fires to fight.
As if walking ad deep in his own thoughts, Elias entered the solar with a deeply respect bow.
"Your Majesty, an urgent matter has come to my attention. From… one of the new assets."
Alexius looked up. 'New assets' was their term for the intelligence network being built by Whisper's remnants, funded by the seized Valerius treasury. "What is it?"
"There is an auction tonight, Your Majesty. An illegal one, in the merchants' district. They grow bold, thinking your attention is consumed by matters of state."
Alexius's eyes narrowed. "Illegal? How so?"
"It is unsanctioned," Elias clarified. "The Crimson Veil consortium, a merchant house with a notoriously unsavory reputation, is running it. They have not registered the event, nor have they any intention of paying the Crown's tax on the sales. It is a direct defiance of your authority, a test to see if the laws still have teeth after the recent… turmoils."
This was different. This wasn't a moral dilemma; it was a political challenge. A crime happening under his nose in his own capital. It was a symptom of the same arrogant rot he had exorcised from the Great Hall. After the coup, he could not, would not, allow any faction to believe they could operate outside his law.
"Furthermore," Elias continued, his voice low, "the centerpiece of this auction is… unusual. A prize that has drawn out the worst elements, dregs of the Valerius sympathizers and other malcontents. They call her the 'Sun-Kissed Elf.' A High Elf, they claim, of royal blood."
Alexius stood, a cold fire igniting in his eyes. This was perfect. A criminal enterprise, a direct challenge to his rule, and a gathering of his potential enemies, all in one place. He would not just shut it down. He would make an example of it. He would remind the entire city and the wole realm who held the absolute power now.
"Elias, tell Captain Gregor to quietly muster twenty of his best men. They are to wear the unmarked armor of the palace garrison. We are going to pay a visit to this auction. In disguise." He began to pace, the food crisis momentarily forgotten, replaced by the thrill of a hunt. "The City Guard in the merchants' district are to be put on high alert. Inform their commanders to await my signal. When it comes, they are to seal the entire block. No one gets out."
Elias blinked, surprised by the Prince's decision to attend personally. "Your Majesty, is it wise to expose yourself to such… company?"
"It is essential," Alexius replied, his voice hard as iron. "I need to see the faces of those who still believe they can defy me in my own city. I need to see the rot firsthand before I burn it out. This isn't just about a single illegal auction anymore, Elias. It's about sending a message."
His decision was made. The ruler's logic was clear: crush defiance, assert dominance, reinforce order. But deep beneath it, a flicker of Michael Sano's conscience was stirring. The thought of a royal princess, even an elf, being sold like cattel resonated with a profound sense of wrongness that went beyond politics. He was going as a King to enforce his law, but perhaps, he was also going as a man to witness an injustice he knew he could not, in the end, allow to stand. (Continue….)