Volume 4 Prologue(2) - Roseria

Chapter 127

A small but extravagant carriage could be seen taking the highway road that came from the empire's northern gate. Several larger carriages followed by knights and hired escorts accompanied this small carriage.

One could tell from a glance that it was the carriage of royalty. The mix of gold and black gave it a noble elegance that no wealthy person without peerage could manage to obtain. The carriage was pulled by four hybrid horses that seemed larger than the average horse.

The horses and the coachman wore gold embroidered red mantles that had the symbol of the imperial family.

If the carriage itself didn't give it away then the flag and the mantles of the imperial family did. This would make bandits think twice about attempting to rob whoever was riding the carriage even if there were several carriages filled with gold and dry foods.

"—Our first priority will be to form investment groups so that we can renovate the less devastated buildings. Building houses and distributing it to workers."

An old man said to the woman sitting opposite him.

"But isn't it a bad idea to give the houses to people for free?" The Empress, Roseria asked in concern.

"No, not at all. This will encourage foreigners to come to the city. The city need physical workers more than anything." The man said as he pointed to the small city—Whitage—that they were approaching.

The city seemed more like a town from where they were currently seeing it from. This was due to the small amount of land where buildings were actually built on. Its hierarchal ranking in the empire had been drastically affected by what happened here in the past.

Despite the city walls surrounding the city, most of the land was black probably due to the fact that people burnt down the buildings in the past.

Roseria heard about the skirmish that took place and how the noble responsible for the city was slaughtered along with most of his family. The skirmish damaged the city so much that scholars and merchants said that "it will never recover".

"Most of the land surrounding the city is made up of thick vegetation. You could fit the entire capital in those forests and mountains alone. Having physical laborers plough the lands would be better than immediately rebuilding. If we had enough funds then we can even do both at once."

Roseria nodded at the merchant's words. He was someone she hired from a merchant guild. His name was Charles Iponik Yvon, a major shareholder in various merchant guilds in the empire and the surrounding lands. His job was to help her transport the gold and advise her on what she needed to buy with the gold while the imperial family provided them with escorts.

They had been discussing countless strategies during their journey from the capital until here that took roughly half a day. Though the capital wasn't far, the road here was harsh since they had to cross many difficult terrains. The secondary road that led to Arnold's city didn't seem to have had maintenance ever since the previous lord was killed.

Roseria asked the merchant: "Shouldn't we repair the roads first? It will be difficult to bring supplies and crops to and from the empire using only this road. The other roads need to be fixed to avoid difficulties."

Charles stroked his grey beard for a few seconds. He seemed to be contemplating what Roseria told him.

"No, that will be more expensive than what we're currently planning on doing. Roads are critical points for any domain, be it kingdom, village, or city. But there are a few things we need to bear in mind. I don't mean to be rude but what is the point of repairing roads that leads to a dying city? People would much rather take the highway road from the empire. That's assuming we restore the city to attract tourists."

"Oh…"

"We need to rebuild the city so that people will have a reason to use these roads other than us."

Roseria nodded, finally understanding why he rejected her proposal.

'2 million is definitely not a great amount if we have to do that as well.'

She was only curious so it didn't matter to her.

Someone suddenly knocked on the window. A knight opened it up.

"We're approaching the city, Your Majesty."

"You'll stay outside the city until I speak with Arnold's advisor to allow us entry. Until then I want all of you to protect the supplies and gold with your life." Roseria said in an elegant tone.

The coachman stopped the carriage.

"Understood. But where will we leave the troops and supplies? There seems to be a lot of things going on around the city."

"It doesn't matter. So long as you protect everything and it remains outside the city." Roseria stepped out of the carriage to get a good look at what was going on.

She looked around in confusion.

There were countless tents set up and people walking around the villages outside the city. From the looks of the equipment they were wearing…

"Miners, huh." Charles said after stepping out of the carriage as well.

"Miners?" Roseria tilted her head.

One of the squires suddenly came running to Charles and whispered into his ear. It was customary for an entourage of nobility to send a messenger to a settlements' gates regardless of its size or the people that live there. This is to make sure the guards at the gate don't mistakenly attack them.

The squire was one of the messengers they sent. Messengers are sometimes sent as spies to fish for information as well.

Charles shooed the squire away when he was done talking.

"That lad just informed me that some of these people are this city and the villages' residents. The others are the people from the family members who attacked the Berkleys. People have been going in and out of the city. The wagons they pull are empty when they leave but full when they come back. Very strange."

"Why is everyone working so hard? And where did Al get the money to pay for all this?" Roseria could see heavy machinery being used and even new materials being taken inside the city.

"Hmmm… Perhaps he won the imperial lottery? Though I'm having a hard time believing anyone would spend the money on restoring a city like this… Should we go and meet the one in charge of whatever is happening here?"

"Mm. Let's do that."

Roseria and Charles boarded the carriage that brought them here. The carriages carrying the supplies will remain outside for now.

◇◇◇

They arrived in front of Arnold's mansion in the centre of the city. The streets were empty but one particular place was filled to the brim with people.

"….."

Roseria's mouth gaped when she stepped out of the carriage. It was like she was looking at a genuine noble's residence.

'Is this really Al's manor...?' She was expecting a half burnt down house on the verge of collapse.

"Hello, big sister," someone called out to Roseria. She turned around and saw a little boy with his two hands cupped towards her, "Can you please spare some money? My mommy is very sick and can't work like everyone else."

She felt happy being called "big sister' even though she was well into her forties.

Roseria bent down and asked the small boy who seemed to be no older than seven:

"If you can tell me something then I'll give you two silvers."

His big eyes widened even further as a smile appeared on his dirty face, "Yes! What would big sis like to know?"

"What's going on inside… and outside the city?"

"Oh, that? The people outside the city are restoring the villages around the land. The ones who went to the forest are going to mine in the mountains."

"Mine? What nonsense is this?" Charles appeared next to Roseria, "No valuable minerals had been found in this land. Not from what I know of."

"It's true! They brought in soooo many wagons yesterday and the day before! I couldn't see what was inside the wagons since every wagon was covered with big cloths… They always bring the wagons here." The boy pointed towards the mansion that was surrounded with people.

"Did you ask the workers what it was?" asked Charles.

"Most of them don't know. Those who know are too hesitant to speak. Uhm, one of them told me that there are two kinds of workers in the mountains: those who fetch and those who mine. Those who mine never tell us what they find. They also don't seem like they're in their right minds. While those who fetch are only allowed to transport whatever is in the wagons."

"Hmm…" Charles stroked his beard. "What minerals have been found so far that you know of, kid? Maybe I misremembered some things in the report I read about this city."

"Uhm, all they found were bronze and some gold. The most recent was a few days ago. They usually come with the ones who fetch the wagons in the mountains."

"I see. I knew it."

"What is it, Charles?" Roseria didn't understand why he was acting so mysterious.

"Oh, pardon me. Whoever is in charge is using a certain tactic to hide their real activities in the mountains. The minerals that are mixed between the others serve as cover so that people don't get too suspicious. They'll just assume that the wagons that are covered have the exact same minerals as the others."

They suddenly heard the gates of the mansion open. Several people, most likely the workers given their gear, used horses that were pulling wagons.

"Ah, those are the wagons they use!" the kid pointed at them.

"...Those are some impressive horses. Such large and muscular breeds," Charles frowned, "Only the wealthy and nobles possess such splendid horses. And look at those knights."

Roseria could see a dozen or so knights donning red armor. They were moving with the carriages a short distance away.

The people who were curiously looking into the estate of the mansion hurriedly scattered once the knights appeared.

"Those guys are definitely not like the average knights you see nowadays. Those are skilled warriors. To think Arnold von Berkley has this much protection for his goods…"

"Isn't that Victoria?" Roseria squinted her eyes when she saw a familiar person standing beside the gate. She seemed to be monitoring something and jotting something down in the book in her hand.

She wasn't wearing a maid uniform like she usually wore. She was wearing a pencil skirt with a white shirt and a blazer. Victoria also had glasses on her face which Roseria hadn't seen before.

She looked like any office worker or bureaucrat in her clothes.

'Is she the one in charge of supervising the goods that are travelling from the mountain to here?'

"Let's go, Charles!" Roseria was about to run but almost forgot something, "Oh, right. Here's the money!"

"Eh? A white gold coin…?" the boy's eyes were on the verge of popping out of his head.

"Sorry, I don't have change. Thank you for the information, boy!"

Roseria and Charles left their carriage in the care of the coachman and the two knights that came with them.

They ran towards the mansion, hoping to get inside before they closed the gates. Victoria suddenly closed the notebook and raised her hand.

That was a sign for them to close the gate.

"Wait!" Charles shouted, "Her Majesty, Empress Roseria wishes to speak with you!"

-???

Victoria turned around when she heard the yell.

◇◇◇

"Welcome to Whitage city, Your Majesty," Victoria bowed while everyone else kneeled. This was a sign that she had the highest authority.

Nobility or someone in power would be the one bowing while their underlings knelt on the ground. This is a sign that the person would be in charge of guiding an esteemed guest and welcoming them to their residence.

"We've known each other for years so please be at ease."

Roseria meant that Victoria didn't have to treat her so formally. Though they hadn't spoken to each other that much, Victoria always used to come to the palace to pick young Arnold up whenever he went to the Inner Palace where the concubines and other mistresses lived.

"I understand, Madam Roseria." Victoria smiled thinly, "Let us walk while we talk."

"Okay."

The three of them began walking. Roseria looked around and noticed that a lot was going on around them. There were construction workers paving the path with cement, gardeners trimming the bushes and trees and planting flowers, and pipes being laid down.

It was like the entire estate was being renovated. The mansion seemed far different from what Roseria heard.

"What brings you here? And with a merchant second only to the Rynald Family Head in fame?" Victoria asked as they walked.

"I wanted to bring help but that doesn't seem to be necessary…" Roseria smiled wryly, "Charles is here to be the one in charge of restoring the city's economy and the land. He will be under my payroll so Al won't have to pay for anything. I also brought gold to help."

Victoria stopped and turned around, "I apologize if this sounds rude but what benefit is there for helping us? Is this a means to get Whitage city under your rule?"

"No! That's not it!" Roseria cleared her throat when she realized how rudely she just yelled, "…I only wish to help."

Victoria stayed silent.

"We brought some extra supplies besides the gold. You can also have the carriages outside the city walls. We only require permission to bring them in." said Charles.

"Lady Anna von Berkley generously sent us thousands of gold a few days ago. We managed to buy food for our warehouses by purchasing from the Golden City."

The Golden City was part of the territory ruled by the Rynald Family. It was still on the empire's land so the empire still had power in their city.

It was located even further west than Lockinge city so how did they manage to buy so many things in such a short amount of time?

'She said that Anna's gold arrived a few days ago, right? So that shouldn't be possible.'

They still had to go around the empire since this city was east while Lockinge was on the western side. They would then have to go past Lockinge city and travel another 30km. That would take at least 6 days for a round trip. A few days was like 2 or 3 days so how could this be possible?

"How long will that food last?"

"A few months if we ration it out. None of the citizens can pay for anything so there is a food scheme every day outside the food warehouse. There were some hooligans who stole a lot of food yesterday but we managed to find them quickly and secure the warehouse with our knights."

"By knights… do you mean…"

"Yes, Lord Charles. The ones who left through the gates just earlier are our city's patrol force. More are coming in soon."

"…I see. But why do they wear red armor? I've never even heard of such knights before. Are they from the empire?"

Victoria shook her head, "They are an independent military organization. That is all I'm allowed to say. Now then, we can't refuse gold if it is a gift. We will spend the gold wisely. Can you give an estimate of how much gold you brought?"

"Two million in gold. I used my own money to buy supplies from various merchant guilds." Roseria began speaking now that Charles was done, "I will try to create a program for funding so that many rich folk can contribute to this city's development. A small city like this needs funding from people willing to pay for it, not more debt."

Victoria's eyes widened, "Two million… That… is quite a hefty amount…"

"But I will give it under one condition," Roseria wasn't done, "I want to be part of the city's restoration process."

"Pardon? I don't see why the empress would care for a small city's restoration. Sending such a large amount of money is already too much…"

"I'm not doing it for the city." Roseria continued, "I'm doing it for the one who rules it."

"…."

They reached the steps leading up to the mansion's front door. Victoria stood there silently with her back turned.

'Will… she refuse my offer?'

If she did then Roseria had no choice but to take all the things she brought with her. If she couldn't be part of the city then there was no reason for her to give that much gold. She would need to find other ways to help Arnold.

Arnold was like a son to her so she wanted to help wherever she could.

"…We are currently looking for someone who has a lot of influence in the empire's market, like markets to sell minerals. Specifically, the markets for magic crystals." Victoria spoke after being silent for a while.

"Her Majesty is very well liked by politicians in various fields so we can't say how influential she is for certain." said Charles, "Many of them work in the manufacturing and trade. There are tycoons in the mineral business world. She also has a lot of friends in the merchant field besides my humble self. I can handle the business side of things by bringing in investors and company owners willing to start their businesses in this city. Ah, excuse my excessive rambling."

Victoria glanced back at them, "No, that is quite alright. If anything, I appreciate your willingness," she opened the front door, "We'll need to finalize things on paper. Let me introduce you to the city lord's advisor."

'Advisor?'

◇◇◇

Roseria and Charles was currently sitting on one of the two red couches in Arnold's office, awaiting the city lord's advisor. It was a small office so there were simple things like cabinets, chairs and bookshelves.

Though there weren't a lot of things, nearly everything looked expensive. The office was also sparkly clean, which didn't suit the crumbling building when one stands outside.

'Why are these knights' pressure this overwhelming?!'

There were two of those red armor knights standing directly behind Charles and Roseria. They were so threatening that sweat continuously fell down her chin. Her back was also damp.

She noticed that Charles was repeatedly patting his sweaty face with his handkerchief while pulling on his collar. His breath also sounded labored.

'He's having it worse than me…' Roseria felt bad for Charles who had to endure this too.

She turned her head slightly to look up at the knights.

"Eeek!" Both of them were looking directly at Roseria. Their red eyes glowed.

Roseria decided to just close her eyes and not look at anything.

The door suddenly opened.

"It's unnecessary for the two of you to be here. Leave." A young woman's voice commanded.

Armor grated against each other as two pairs of heavy footsteps went through the office door. At the same time, the pressure disappeared.

"Haaah… Haaah…" Roseria could finally open her eyes.

"Welcome, Empress Roseria and Lord Charles. I apologize that I hadn't organized a formal feast to welcome you."

Roseria looked at the person who spoke.

'A… girl? She looks even younger than Victoria.'

There was a pink-haired young woman sitting behind Arnold's desk. She wasn't sitting on Arnold's chair though. She was sitting on another chair. Arnold's chair was standing in the corner of the room.

'Is that a horn?'

Roseria noticed a small red horn sticking out from the girl's forehead. Her ears were also a little pointy.

"I am Lunaria Lupusil Azeli. I am the city lord's advisor and second-in-command. If it isn't clear by my titles. My role is to guide him in his presence and to rule in his place if he's absent from office."

"Nice to meet you…. How should we address you?" asked Charles.

"Lunaria is fine."

"Okay, Lunaria… Her Majesty would like to be involved in the city's restoration process. She would also like to be part of the governmental system once one is established."

"We do not plan on making such a system," Lunaria said, "This city will be ruled by its nobles and city lord. No one else gets a say in it "

"Uhm, every city and kingdom is required to have some form of government like a feudal system—"

"There is no need for one."

"But the city won't make it with just the nobles being in charge! You need people specialized in many fields to run this city! Chances that they're only nobles are slim! Hell, even I am a commoner but I manage multiple firms that are important to this country! If I can do so then there are others out there who can do the same." Charles protested.

"So we should put any politician in charge? Pray tell, what are the chances one of them is corrupt? I can write you an entire page's worth of people who are corrupt in this empire. The emperor probably also knows but decides to take the risk because they're—how did you say it—specialized in many fields."

"…." Charles glanced at Roseria for help.

"Are you cautious because of the things you're transporting in those wagons?"

"That's one of the reasons. The second is because I know for a fact that Lord Arnold doesn't want a government in his city. Nobility will be the sole power in this city during its restoration."

"Why?"

"James Caervil. You've heard of what happened in Lockinge city, yes? How will we be able to tell the bad people from the good if they rise to power and form a government? I follow leads that are already there. I can't detect a corrupt politician who appears good on the surface. They'll destroy this city from the inside and rob us of our resources and wealth. As it stands now, this city's resources are its greatest asset. If revealed then many troublesome things will come our way."

"So, for example, any of these 'bad' ones you speak of could send one of their relatives to be part of the government and give instructions on how to ruin the city?"

"Precisely." Lunaria raised one finger, "I am certain that the Berkley Family are fully aware of what Houses are on bad terms with them. But how can they avoid detection while achieving their goal? Maybe they can adopt capable sons or daughters with skills in politics and send them here. We'll never know since these people wouldn't be part of the families that want to destroy the Berkley Family. It's undetectable and far more dangerous than outright attacking us with their own family."

"Dammit, it's still risky to only have nobles in power. There also isn't a court to pass laws. The empire has officially abandoned this city so the Imperial Court won't get involved."

Though the land still belonged to the empire, the city was deemed independent from its rule. This city was a lawless zone. Take note of the "independent" title given to the city. Be it stealing bread or stabbing someone, nearly every person living here did some kind of crime. But the Imperial Court can do nothing because the Emperor doesn't deem this city as his anymore.

The city also attracted a lot of criminals and gangs. They terrorized the few good citizens who have nowhere else to go.

Roseria realized something, 'So those knights are here to demonstrate the power Al has at his disposal. No one will have the audacity to act out of line while such powerful guards patrol the streets.'

She wondered how many more will come to the city.

If this city's assets lay in its resources then that means that Arnold will have the most power. He's the ruler of this city, after all. His father might've bought this city with gold belonging to the Berkley Family but it was still in Arnold's name.

In the end it was Arnold's decision what he does with his city.

"Lunaria, may I ask a personal question?" Roseria spoke.

"If it's where I came from then I won't answer. Yet."

"…." Roseria was actually just about to ask that but went silent.

It was the most natural thing to ask. Why would a child be advising a city lord?

"Only lady Victoria and the nobles know who I really am. Lady Victoria is Lord Arnold's mistress and head maid so she is the most trustworthy person I know of. The nobles are different. They must listen to whatever we say and if they don't then we will have to punish them. Fear is the best method for keeping them in line."

"….Are the secrets you want to protect that valuable…?" Charles looked bewildered by the measures Lunaria was taking.

"My goal is to help the city lord by any means necessary. If someone is a threat then I'll deal with them accordingly. If you want to join us then make sure to do your utmost to gain Lord Arnold's trust."

"Right… Ahem, do we have to sign somewhere? Her Majesty would like to get this over with."

Roseria nodded after what Charles said.

Mana surrounded Lunaria's hand. Something manifested out of thin air.

It was a bundle of papers.

It flew over to Roseria.

"Those are all the terms you must agree to. Read them thoroughly. I would like to get you assigned to your roles quickly and not waste time." said Lunaria before standing up, "You must be tired. Please go and rest. I'll have a servant guide you to your rooms on the first floor."

"Thank you for your time," Charles bowed.

**

Charles and Roseria were now walking down a long hallway.

"I don't like that woman." said Charles immediately after he and Roseria left the office.

Charles slowed down his walking speed.

"What do you mean? She seems like a reliable person." Roseria couldn't sense an inkling of malice from Lunaria.

If anything, she found Lunaria to be quite professional. She was also concise with what she needs to do while considering her position.

"Isn't it common sense to suspect someone of being dangerous if they don't want to reveal their true identity?"

"You're right but…"

"I'm only being careful. She could kill any of us with those knights if she wanted to. She doesn't seem to be a strong combatant from what I can tell. Let's hope Lord Arnold is really in control here."

Roseria watched Charles' back as he walked away.

He was right to be suspicious. Roseria wasn't particularly worried about Lunaria but she felt that what was happening in the city was too suspicious.

What could they be hiding in those wagons?

Roseria and Charles reached the stairs. They began descending. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by Victoria again. A servant was standing next to her, probably to guide the two of them like Lunaria mentioned earlier.

Victoria saw the documents in Roseria's hand.

"It seems everything went well with Lunaria. I would like to officially welcome Your Majesty and Sir Charles again. Let us hope our partnership lasts for years to come." Victoria said with a big smile.