Solution - III

"And you guys didn't think about doing anything to that?" asked Philip. These guys knew prices were increasing & was impossible to keep up with it. Still, they did nothing to solve the matter or to become self-reliant.

"What can we do? If we tried to do anything else, then it will breach the contract."

"And..."

"It can lead to war." It was a common sense among the people that nobody could break the rules implemented by the emperor except themselves. And trinity was one of them & if it broke, then there would be severe consequences.

"So you guys are telling me that all of you are doing nothing & letting your people die cause you fear breaking a contract." Asked Philip with a surprised expression.

These people's actions were dumber than he ever thought. They know it was hurting them, still nothing was ever done. They kept importing food, gold & debt kept increasing. Then taxes among common people increased to only pay the interest, leaving the entire sum alone. This duchy was in ruins from the very beginning.

The man tried to say something but couldn't as it was a fairly logical thing, but they couldn't possibly fight against the emperor. Thousands would die, saving the hundreds, which would never get approved by the commoners. And what if even they die? Nothing was ever going to happen to them, cause they were nobles, directly sent by the God.

"We can't do anything as it will be a direct declaration of disaccord with the Royal family & other dukes which can lead to a major conflict. We will lose thousands of man just to save few people who are not even worth the effort." said another man with greenish-white colored hair, wearing a white-colored suit.

Hearing the words, a faint smile appeared on Philip's face, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Each & everyone in the whole wide world was same. No one wanted to provoke the powerful cause it would be bad for them & let innocent die. Politicians, billionaires & these people, there was no difference between them.

It was like saying those people were sacrificed for the greater good.

Soon Philip's face turned into an angry one as he slammed his left fist on the table where duke was sitting, which shocked everyone.

"Worth the effort, huh... They don't matter, cause they are weak. How about you put yourself in their shoes & think for a minute about what you will do if I said the exact thing to you & your family. Huh? Tell me?" shouted Max with a face full of hatred & agony.

Still, the duke did nothing to stop him. He just sat there with a shocked expression. And just like him, everyone in the room was shocked beyond belief. That man was Leonhart who never cared about anyone else besides his own well-being, but now he was caring about mere commoners. It had to be a Joke right?

Seeing no response from anyone, Philip spoke once again, hitting his fist on to the table as his anger got the best of him.

"This is the exact fucking reason a civil war is coming & if you guys won't do anything, then all of you will be hanged in the city square by the people. Mark my words, it will happen. You will all die." Said Max coldly, which sent shivered down the spine of everyone, including the duke, which should be impossible judging from the circumstances, but his reasoning & words were accurate about the matter and there was no conclusive argument to counter it.

"Max, calm down." said Anslem, grabbing Leon's hand. He who never gave a damn about the world was now caring about it, which was a thing to be proud of for him as a father, but it didn't quite match his character.

Feeling the touch of someone in his hand, Philip realised what he just did. His anger got the best of him & the result was all the people present were now looking at him with fearful gazes. Still, he was not wrong about even a one bit thing. These people would definitely die if a civil war broke out. Just like French revolution in 1793 - 1794, where over 17,000 nobles were killed just for existing. Even kids were not left alone by the angry mob during the Reign of Terror. It was a horrific thing to even read, let alone experience it.

And Philip couldn't let that happen as the number of commoners increased over 90% compared to nobles & if they wanted, it would be a matter of days before the entire empire would be in ruins, which was not a good sign for his new & quiet life. Some drastic changes had to implemented & now was the time to do it.

"I am sorry." said Philip with a little bow & moved his hand away from the table. But his expression didn't return to the old one, as it was now a face devoid of any emotions. Certainly looking like some evil tyrant, which didn't help the hearts of the group to calm down, cause they were also not sure about what that man could do at any moment.

"So What do you guys think now? What should we do now to counter this issue?" asked the Duke in his usual indifferent tone. Things were getting dicey & he had ignored the matter long enough.

"We sho-uld increase our import from the others & take good care of people. It will solve the issue & then we can say sorry to Emperor." replied the man with white hair & everyone followed him saying yes.

"For How long? How long do you think we can ignore this crisis? How long you want to stay us in debt? Tell me Harold, you are the oldest & wisest among all present here, tell me how long can we ignore this?"

To this question from the Duke, the man named Harold had no answer. He knew the civil war would be inevitable if something was not done soon enough, but what more they could even do except delay the impending doom? Were they really doomed from the start or recent changes had made the situation worse? His brain was now flooded with countless questions.

Getting no response from the group, Heinrich spoke once again with a sigh, as these people were really a bunch of good-for-nothing idiots.

"As you guys are fairly useless in coming up with any valid solutions, so I have a plan to discuss which can solve the matter."

"Please Lord..." said all them in unison, as to know the what the grand plan was to solve the incoming disaster.