Deep in the Great Forest, hidden between the Kingdom of Brilliance to the west and the neighboring Kingdom of Spores to the east, lay a goblin village in turmoil. A great chief had risen to power, determined to elevate his tribe beyond the status of common monsters.
He dreamed of power, dominance, and conquest, to make his people the strongest creatures in the forest. For decades, he hunted the most dangerous beasts, consuming their flesh to gain their strength.
But the power of a single goblin could only go so far. He soon faced enemies who relied not on individual might but on sheer numbers. Realizing this, he set his sights on becoming not just the strongest goblin, but the strongest chief.
Through brute strength alone, he subjugated his kin and seized control of the tribe. He forced them to adopt his way of hunting, killing enemies and eating their flesh to grow stronger.
Many goblins perished, but those who survived became hardened warriors. They bred and multiplied, passing down the same ruthless traditions, until the chief was satisfied with the tribe he had forged.
Then, he turned his attention outward. One by one, he hunted the surrounding enemies, sacrificing countless tribesmen to break through to each leader and claim victory.
He began with the ant colony to the north. Thousands of goblins died in the campaign, but eventually he beheaded the queen, sending the surviving ants into a frenzy. The goblins collected the carcasses, fashioning armor from their carapaces and weapons from their stingers.
Now, his gaze shifted west, toward a sounder of warthog that devoured everything in sight. Such massive beasts would serve as both a formidable food source and powerful mounts for the tribe.
Unbeknownst to the chieftain, a threat had recently been born, one who would see his rising kingdom torn asunder.
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"We're finally here," Seraphina said as she looked out the carriage window.
The original plan was for Seraphina to return to her castle, then figure out a plan for her wedding with Bastion. Since their parents agreed with Aurelia to hold it on the same day as hers, she no longer needed to head back home. On top of that, her parents had run off as well, similar to Bastion's, leaving Cyrus as the new Duke of Phoenixhart.
"You live in a castle as big as the royal palace?" Lilia exclaimed.
She had finished visiting her parents and joined them on the day they left Aurenthal. She regretted not meeting up sooner, as her reward for her help with the demon worshipers was 10 magic crystals, a sum she could have spent shopping for books at the Mages' Guild in Aurenthal.
"Eli, are you ready to take over as the head maid of the castle?" Bastion asked.
"Yes, Master," she replied. "Sibelle has been training me ever since I became yours."
Elyra had been more than ready, as she not only knew the castle's side of the responsibility but the assassin's side as well.
The carriage reached the castle gates, which swung open before it had even stopped. It rolled on past vast gardens bursting with vibrant blooms, crystal fountains, and sculpted hedges that gave the grounds the serene beauty of a paradise, then came to a halt at the main entrance, where rows of guards, butlers, and maids stood waiting.
Elyra exited first while lining up with the maids before directing them for the greeting.
The guards struck their fists to their chests in unison.
"Welcome home, milord."
The butlers bowed at the waist. The maids lowered their heads, skirts gathered neatly in both hands.
Elyra waited until the formalities were complete before straightening and meeting her Master's eyes.
"Take care of everything, Elyra."
"Yes, Master."
She led Bastion, Seraphina, and Lilia to their respective private rooms before heading off to secure her position as head maid.
Seraphina and Lilia, tired from the journey, decided to rest, while Bastion made his way to the main study. He was quite tired as well but he couldn't hold back his curiosity.
He opened the familiar double doors and was met with a desk filled to the brim with paperwork.
"Of course," Bastion said with a sigh. "Why wouldn't it pile up when Father had been away for who knows how long?"
He sat at the desk and started going over the paperwork. It was filled with reports and requests from everywhere within the territory. Every city, town, village, and operation had paperwork that needed attention.
The reports were standard yearly progress reports that included how they were doing, the problems they encountered and their solutions, the budget they operated under, the spending they allocated, and more. The level of professionalism varied widely, ranging from simple lists without further details to professionally written reports that read like novels covering the past year of the territory.
Fortunately for Bastion, he had high Intelligence and Wisdom to cope with the information overload, as well as the ability to speed read through all of it.
Overall, everything was going well without significant problems. If he had to name the most pressing one, it was the request for a greater budget from the army so they could better arm and train the soldiers, a problem he would have to personally discuss with his brother Alexander, who was still the knight commander.
There were also sporadic reports of attacks coming from the Great Forest, more so than normal. They reported that the local creatures were showing signs of panic and fear, leading to stampedes that caused significant damage to villages on the outskirts.
Fortunately, the forest was only freely accessible from the northern edge of the territory, which was relatively peaceful, and the center, where fortresses were placed. The rest of the area was blocked off by mountains that prevented the Great Forest from flooding into the territory.
"Another problem I will have to discuss with my brother."
As for the requests, they were considered standard practice to pass liability to himself, who couldn't grant them unless there was a surplus in the budget, which he hadn't tackled yet.
Once he finished sorting the paperwork, he began digging around the study for information his father had kept hidden from him.
He came across a family register dating back to the time of the hero. The first thing that shocked him was the recorded lifespans. His father, a Rank 2, had been duke for over a thousand years, which explained his almost desperate need to leave.
His grandfather, also a Rank 2, had held the title for four thousand years before passing on, never having left the kingdom or harbored any greater aspirations.
His great-grandfather had been duke for over five thousand years and was the first to hold the title, his father being the hero himself.
"I'm only the fourth generation duke… since ten thousand years ago?"
The hero was recorded as a Rank 4 when he founded the kingdom in the name of the Goddess of Brilliance. His son became the first duke only after the hero's departure, by which time he had already reached Rank 3. When the goddess decreed that the kingdom be restricted to Rank 2, the first duke stepped down, passing the title to his son, who accepted it.
Bastion could hardly imagine how his ancestors spent all that time cooped up in the castle, nor how his grandfather simply desired death instead of fighting for a rank up. Bastion wanted to live a relaxing, stress-free life, but maybe for a few decades at most, not millennia.
The next book Bastion found of interest detailed the dukedom's finances. In short, the territory produced the equivalent of 5 to 10 magic crystals' worth of goods each year. Of that, the dukedom kept 1 to 2 magic crystals' worth, while the remainder went to the royal family. The royals would take their portion for the kingdom before sending the rest on to the central empire.
By running the numbers, Bastion calculated that the entire kingdom generated an average of 25 magic crystals per year. That translated into an enormous volume of Rank 2 and lower raw materials, in the thousands of tons or more, shipped to the central empire annually.
Finally, Bastion found a rule book outlining the duties of the kingdom's duke. First, the duke must ensure that the territory produces no less than 5 magic crystals' worth of goods each year. Second, if there is a shortfall, the missing amount is added as debt to the current duke. Third, upon the duke's death, the title and any outstanding debt pass to the next of kin. Fourth, all services from the empires and guilds will be denied to the current duke until the debt is fully repaid.
"That… seems ominous," Bastion said, getting a bad feeling.
He searched some more until he found a crystal ball that lit up at his touch. On the display, it stated that the current user had been blocked from access until the full debt was paid. As for the total, it was 10,248 magic crystals.
"Now I know why Father had so many children."
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