CH 160

A great purge of the nobility took place in the royal palace.

Raidorl then ordered Sven, whom he had appointed as Prime Minister, to eliminate the evil laws that had been neglected and to reduce the powers of the nobility.

Until now, the nobility had its own armed forces, known as the “Lordship Army”, and had the right to impose taxes on its citizens.

However, the reforms under Raidorl’s reign will see all these powers forfeited.

The lords’ armies came under the command of the national army, and the nobles, who had lost their military rights, were deprived of all their troops.

As for taxes, the nobility were not allowed to levy taxes on their own subjects, and a uniform system of taxation was imposed on the whole kingdom.

All the privileges of the nobility were removed and they were reduced to the status of deputies, managing the estates on behalf of the king.

Of course, the nobles did not accept such a decline quietly.

Some of the nobles even tried to revolt against Raidorl by force.

But……this was the development that Raidorl had anticipated.

Raidorl had defeated the invasion of the Arslanian Empire and were now in control of most of the forces in the Kingdom of Zain.

The nobles who tried to revolt were quickly eliminated by force and deprived of their lordship and land.

The fact that the first purges had buried Crowley Rhodis and other leading nobles was also a plus for Raidorl. The remaining nobles were all small and medium-sized, with little military or financial strength. There was no way they could compete with Raidorl.

Some noblemen did not rebel outwardly, but worked in the dark behind the scenes…….Raidorl played this by using his maid, Neimilia, who is in charge of espionage.

No one could hide anything from Neimilia, who lurked in the shadows and controlled a messenger who could sneak into any place.

The number of noble estates was decreasing and the number of estates under the direct control of the Crown was increasing.

In the direct administration, a new position called “governor” was set up to replace the nobles, and he was in charge of local politics under the self-cleansing process of irregular audits.

In the Kingdom of Zain, the “nobility”, which had divided the power between the king and the nobility, lost its power and became a position in name only.

Amazingly – these reforms were carried out in just two short months.

In such a short space of time, the relationship between the royal family and the nobility, which had lasted for 200 years in the kingdom of Zain, collapsed and a centralised power was established.

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“…….I’m not suited to be a ruler. I’d rather be on the battlefield swinging a sword.””

Although Raidorl stood at the top of the Zain kingdom, the expression on his face as he sat at his desk in the royal palace office was gloomy.

His face is plastered with a deep fatigue, and his usually red eyes have lost their light and have become dim.

“Master……I think you need some rest.　Would you like to sleep with me, if you like? There you go, there’s a titty pillow.”

While rubbing Raidorl’s shoulder, Neymiri pretends to be working and reveals her desire.

The time is already half past midnight.

The office, where the civil servants work hard during the day, is now occupied only by the master of the room, Raidorl, and his maid, Neimilia.

Raidorl was working until late at night, and Neimilia was working on her master who was exhausted.

“……Why are they all such idiots? This is why I don’t like aristocrats.”

Raidorl complains in such a way, putting his position as a royal on the shelf.

Just the other day, a nobleman tried to revolt and was detained by the knights led by Darren.

It was something that Raidorl had expected. It was what he had been aiming for, but he still felt he had a lot of work to do to clean up the mess.

As a result of Raidorl’s reforms, more than half of the kingdom’s nobles have lost their titles and estates.

There were still noblemen who rebelled, even though it was clear that they would not stand a chance.

“I didn’t expect them to be so incomprehensible. I thought they’d be a bit more clever than that….”

Even Raidorl did not want to get rid of all the nobles.

A nobleman who obeys him. A nobleman who does not impose heavy taxes and is loved by his subjects. For those noblemen who had not been involved in any wrongdoing, he intended to guarantee them an income and position that would allow them to live comfortably. In spite of this, the number of noblemen who defy the law does not seem to be decreasing.

The nobility, deprived of their rights, hated Raidorl and continued their rebellion  and in the dark.

“But……there are a lot fewer rebellions than there were at the beginning, aren’t there?”

“But the number of assassins has increased. Sven seems to be having a hard time.”

Neimilia’s words are met with a wry smile from Raidorl.

Although the outspoken rebellion of the nobility has decreased considerably, the number of assassins directed against Raidorl, the Regent, and Sven, the Prime Minister, has increased.

Of course, it does not look as if they will succeed.

The assassins who attacked Raidorl were all turned into dust by the holy sword, and the assassins who tried to kill Sven were bled to death by Angelica.

“I thought I’d shown them how terrifying Angelica is, she’s probably more terrifying than I am.”

“A woman who protects the man she loves is much stronger and more terrifying than a cannibalistic demon.”

“A man who’s important to you……I think this is more of an obsession than a love.”

Angelica’s attitude towards Sven is a kind of madness.

It’s the kind of thing that would send chills down the spine of even the most seasoned Raidorl.

“Love and obsession are the same thing. Angelica is so in love with Sven that she would destroy her country for him. If it’s for Sven, she will destroy anything.”

Neimilia says lazily and hugs Raidorl from behind.

A soft touch against his neck. Under normal circumstances he would have been a little flushed, but fatigue was getting the better of him and Raidorl frowned slightly.

“Angelica is a married woman, though..No, I don’t know about that couple.”

Angelica’s husband, Brad Calcifer, is in charge of the eastern part of the kingdom and is separated from Angelica.

The newlyweds don’t seem to be getting on too well, and Raidorl haven’t heard a single word of concern from Angelica about Brad.

Angelica’s only words were her unusual love for Sven.

“But…that one who doesn’t look unhappy. How can he be okay with his woman being attached to another man, albeit a child?”

“You have a taste for cuckoldry, don’t you? I think I know a bit about it. I was a little bit happy when Miss Célia came to our house.” 

Neimilia nodded, letting go of her body, which was in close contact with Raidorl.

It seems that this erotic maid even has the attribute of being a cuckold. Raidorl twisted his lips in disgust.

“……Well, be that as it may, the country is heading in the right direction. There are no more people starving to death because of the aristocracy’s arrogance.” 

Raidorl became a dictator but it is hard to say whether his reign has been unsettling.

Until now, the nobility had been allowed to impose taxes at will. Some towns and villages were oppressed and their inhabitants were left destitute and even starved to death.

In addition to land taxes, labour and military service, in some areas there were joke taxes such as the ‘marriage tax’ and the ‘wedding night tax’, and lords and their relatives kidnapped, sold and even raped their subjects.

Raidorl’s reforms took away the nobility’s right to collect taxes, and the uniformity of the tax system has eliminated such arrogance.

The nobles who were deprived of their privileges hated him, but the people who were freed from oppression accepted him as a good ruler.

“I think my brother was a moderate and good king, because he managed to negotiate with scum aristocrats.”

Although Granard tolerated the aristocracy’s arrogance, it did not necessarily mean that he was incompetent as king.

Depriving the nobility of their privileges would inevitably lead to revolt and rebellion, which could split the country.

Of course, the kingdom’s army is much stronger than the territorial army of the nobility but if the nobility had united and turned to the empire, the Kingdom of Zain would certainly have fallen.

The reason why Raidorl can proceed with such a strong reform is that as the holder of the Holy Sword, he has overwhelming military power. The most important thing is that he has made peace with the Empire and is able to deal with the internal problems without worrying about the external ones. This is the result of a number of fortunate factors, such as the fact that he has a good reason to punish the nobility for informing the Empire.

It was not that Raidorl was necessarily better than Granard.

Rather, being in the position of a politician, he was able to understand how Granard and Lockwood had struggled to govern the country.

“I thought he was a silly brother, but he had his own difficulties.”

He was a foolish brother, whom Raidorl hate while he was alive, but as soon as he died, he saw the good in him.

Raidorl smiled and rolled the quill in his hand across the desk.

“That’s enough for today…….I can’t even do the work with my sleepy eyes.”

“Yes, it’s a good night! I’ll have your bed and bedding ready in no time!”

“… What is a meat futon? I’m tired, so please prepare a normal futon.”

“Eee? I’ve got a soft, warm futon right here…”

Neimilia clasps her cheeks with her hands and says “Yan,yan” as she wriggles her body.

Raidorl slumps his shoulders in disgust and opens his mouth to admonish the maid, who is as normal as ever.

But. 

“…….!”

Immediately, a violent chill streaked down Raidorl’s spine.

He felt as if his blood had been frozen and goosebumps broke out all over his body.

“Neimilia!!”

“Shadow snake prison gate”

Raidorl quickly calls out the maid’s name, but Neimilia is already on the move.

Neimilia crouches down, puts her hands on the floor and activates her magic. From underneath her feet, countless black serpent-like creatures emerge, stretching across the palace in all directions.

The next moment an earthquake that turned the ground upside down struck the royal palace of Zain.