55-Episode 54: It's good to be a duke.

I'm not sure what to say.

A few days after Regulus offered me a knighthood.

The knighthood ceremony was held with all the nobles in the country.

There were some former royalty in the audience.

The family of the former King Selbert had not been eradicated.

They were only disposed of on an equal footing with the general population, and it was agreed that they would not do anything barbaric such as killing innocent people, or at least presumably innocent people, because they were royalty.

However, since they were not the king's family, they could not be called royalty. I gave him a small territory in a remote area and made him a baron. Since I am a nobleman, I am here again today.

'It's quite impressive that the king, who is an upstart adventurer like you, would make his friend a grand duke with his connections.

'That's right. This is why the blood of the common people is foul.

'I agree with you. The current king is also very stupid. He's just a brainiac, and suddenly he's a grand duke. ......'

I can hear better than most people.

I can hear you even when you think you're speaking inaudibly.

However, I believe that everyone should have the freedom of speech and expression. Therefore, I have no intention at this time to do anything for disrespect or insult.

But if you do anything too much, you will have to think about how to respond.

'Oh, you're not wearing a robe today, are you?

Aleria spoke to me. Aina is following behind her.

'Well, yeah. It's a ceremony, so you have to wear formal attire.

It looks like a suit, and I don't like the way it brings back memories of the past. .......

I don't like it because it brings back memories of my past.

Incidentally, Aleria and Aina are wearing their usual robes.

They will not be given any particular titles.

Both of them have complicated relationships. Aleria is the imperial princess and a member of the royal family, and she is in the kingdom illegally.

Aina, although a royal citizen, is a resident of a special autonomous region and is royalty.

She can't be given a title even if she wanted to.

'For that matter, do you know ...... Yuki?'

'Know what?'

'The ex-royal is tearing down Yuki and Regulus.'

'Oh, you mean that. I know.

'Aren't you angry with him for saying that?

'It's nice that you both care, but I don't intend to do anything about it at the moment. Conflicts are only created between people of the same level. So I won't argue with you. In today's terms, you're out of sight, aren't you?

'I see, you're too low level to be in Yuki's eyes! I'm impressed!

'Yuki is a man of vision, isn't he? He's more like a royalty than a nobleman.''

'No, no, it's not that big of a deal, okay? Besides--'

Just as I was about to explain to them, a lord came over to greet them.

This one was Viscount Sylvia, I believe. He's a nobleman who came to talk to Regulus about the problem of an aging population in addition to a declining young population. Unfortunately, Regulus was not available, so I listened to him.

'Grand Duke Matsusaki, it's been a while. Congratulations on becoming a grand duke .......

So, when you become a nobleman, you will be called by your family name. .......

It's a strange feeling.

It's been a while. I don't have a family, so I'll just call you Yuki. ...... Well, whichever is easier for you to call me is fine. Anyway, what's happened since then?'

'I took the advice you gave me, and suddenly more couples are getting pregnant. I really can't believe it! How can I thank you? ....... How can I thank you for your help? Not only do you have power, but you also have a clear mind!

'Well, it just so happens that this time it went well from the start. Besides, I only gave you an idea. It's hard to give it shape. You should be confident and try different things.

'Thank you for your kind words, sir! Excuse me!

With that, he left with a smile.

The policy seemed to have worked pretty well.

'Did Yuki give any advice to the Viscount?

'Hmm, well, a little. He came to me for advice on the problem of the declining birthrate and aging population, so I gave him 500 gold coins and free money for every child born, and a daycare center as a solution to the labor problem. In addition, I advised him to unconditionally distribute seven gold coins every month to all the people so that they can live in peace.

'Wait, I don't know what you're talking about!

'500 gold coins for the birth of a child, or 7 gold coins for all the people in the territory every month, that's ...... very bold. But how do you get such financial resources from ......?''

'The first financial resources were created by issuing territorial bonds. We also raised taxes in exchange for living security, so we can collect about 500 gold coins in a few years if our children grow up in the future. It should be a loop of continuous population growth and ever-increasing wealth.

'You say that so casually, but it's not very well thought out. ......! You can't just pop out an idea like that. ...... You're amazing!

Hmm, is it that great?

I think it's a natural consequence of rational thinking.

After that, the lords who agreed to the currency exchange thanked me one after another for the tax.

It seems that my idea was leaked from somewhere.

The culprit is ......, Regulus.

Some lords hate you, but you seem to have a good reputation with the decent lords.