With Norbek's death, the House of Calyx was completely wiped out.
But the fall of Calyx did not mean rest for Lucian.
On the contrary, it marked the point at which he would truly begin to grow busy.
"Summon all the officials who served under the House of Calyx. Administrators, tax officers, protocol officers, Haralds, scribes—every last one of them."
"What about the administrative vacuum in the territory if the officials are taken away?"
"If they had any sense at all, they would have trained someone to act as a deputy in emergencies. If there's no deputy, then leave it be. Such a man isn't worth summoning in the first place."
Lucian ordered Hugo to gather the territorial officials.
The officials assembled in the White Palace prostrated themselves awkwardly, pressing their foreheads to the floor.
"O Overlord of the North and rightful master of the White Palace—"
"Spare me the pointless flattery. I didn't summon you to kill you."
At his cold tone, the officials flinched, then let out relieved breaths.
They had feared he might take out his anger on them simply for having served under Calyx, but that did not seem to be the case.
After briefly surveying them, Lucian got to the point.
"I intend to select among you those who will work in Asagrim. In other words, I want the most capable among you."
"I'll pay three times your previous salary. If you wish, I'll even provide housing within the inner fortress free of charge. But if you lack the ability to justify it, I'll dismiss you immediately and cast you out."
The officials' eyes lit up.
They had feared they might lose their heads as an outlet for anger, but instead this looked like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The offered salary alone was enough to make their mouths water, and on top of that, housing in Asagrim—within the inner fortress, no less, close to the White Palace.
It was obvious that selling such a residence a decade or two later would yield enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Still, one question remained.
"How should we prove our abilities?"
One of the Haralds asked Lucian timidly.
The thought crossed their minds that this might turn into some sort of competition, but Lucian gave an unexpected answer.
"You tell me yourselves."
"Pardon?"
"Explain your own competence. What sets you apart from the others, and how exceptional you are. If it sounds convincing to my ears, I'll take you."
Bewilderment spread across the officials' faces.
In other words, they were being told to explain, in their own words, just how great they were.
As the officials were left speechless at the idea that even someone incompetent might be chosen if they were eloquent enough—
"What an excellent test. I had heard many things about Your Majesty's wisdom, but only now do I realize that all those rumors fell short."
An elderly official raised his voice.
Lucian looked intrigued despite the obvious flattery.
"An excellent test, you say. Why do you think so?"
"Those who can properly speak of their own abilities understand their strengths and weaknesses clearly. They will step forward confidently in what they do well, and in what they cannot do, they will recognize their shortcomings and readily admit them—so there is no fear of entrusting them with tasks beyond their capacity."
"Conversely, you may also end up selecting an incompetent man who is merely skilled with his tongue."
"After spelling out in detail what abilities one claims to have, if one then fails to live up to them, it would be no different from deceiving and mocking Your Majesty. The moment such incompetence is exposed, one's head would be hung from the battlements—who would dare do such a thing?"
The old official bowed his head, saying that even someone with no more intelligence than a lifelong farmer would never attempt it.
"Moreover, to step forward boldly despite knowing all this means one has pride in one's abilities and an active attitude toward one's duties. Such a person is perfectly suited to laying the foundations of a territory."
"Hm."
Lucian smiled, pleased at having his unspoken concerns so neatly addressed.
Asagrim was only just beginning to establish its foundations, and there was naturally a great deal that needed to be done.
But Lucian could not possibly attend to every minor detail of the territory himself.
What he needed was someone capable of exercising discretion—handling matters on their own and reporting only what truly mattered.
The old official had seen straight through Lucian's intentions.
"Who are you?"
"I am Fritz, the envoy commissioner."
"Envoy commissioner?"
Lucian blinked at the unexpected title.
An envoy commissioner was an official employed by nobles of count rank or higher, dispatched to negotiate important treaties and agreements.
An ordinary messenger lacked the capacity for diplomatic judgment, hence the use of a higher-ranking specialist.
In practice, however, very few lords actually employed and dispatched envoy commissioners.
Most entrust diplomacy to their close retainers.
Envoy commissioner or not, an official was still just an official.
In terms of trust, they could not compare to close aides who were willing to stake their lives at a moment's notice.
Naturally, for critical matters like diplomacy, lords tended to rely on their closest retainers rather than envoy commissioners.
Since such retainers were always at their side, it was also easier to judge whether they had a talent for diplomacy or not.
Which is why an envoy commissioner is usually hired only when one's close retainers are utterly lacking in diplomatic talent.
Lucian stopped thinking and looked Fritz over carefully.
Despite the abrupt halt in the conversation—enough to make anyone worry something had gone wrong—Fritz appeared perfectly calm.
With this level of ability, even if a lord had close retainers, he would still be worth dispatching at least once as an envoy.
Yet Lucian could not recall ever having seen him before.
"Have we met before, by any chance?"
He was asking whether Fritz had ever been among the envoys who had visited him in the past.
At Lucian's question, Fritz replied in a trembling voice,
"It has already been ten years since I last carried out the duties of an envoy commissioner."
In other words, he had been hired merely for appearances and hardly ever used.
Some might call it a stroke of luck to receive a salary without working, but the man's voice was nothing short of desolate.
After all, anyone with ability wishes to put it to use, and growing old without ever being able to do so was bound to leave resentment.
An envoy commissioner, huh…
He was not needed immediately, but it was a position Lucian had always intended to hire eventually.
In the early stages of turbulent times, how often had lords sent close retainers with no aptitude for diplomacy, only to have their heads returned?
Among them were quite a few who had boasted of being adept at handling people through eloquence alone.
But diplomacy in chaotic times was akin to dancing in the midst of a pack of lions without stepping on a single tail.
A careless word could provoke a fatal backlash—it was not a skill just anyone could imitate.
And in Lucian's eyes, Fritz possessed more than enough of that capability.
"Fritz, I will appoint you as Asagrim's envoy commissioner. For the time being there will be little for you to do, but you will soon be very busy, so conserve your strength."
"It is an honor, Your Majesty!"
Fritz answered loudly and pressed his forehead to the floor once more.
Seeing this, the other officials were startled but seemed to gain courage and stepped forward.
They, too, took pride in their abilities—why should they be any worse than him?
The second official to step up bowed deeply and began to speak.
"I am Marco, the tax officer of Sengel Territory. Every domain has a tax officer, but there are flaws in how taxation is handled in each—"
***
The results were quite satisfactory.
Perhaps because Norbek had selected his officials with care, most of them proved competent enough to pass muster.
Lucian had chosen only those who showed confidence in their abilities and an active attitude, so there was little to worry about when it came to internal administration.
With the issue of officials settled, Lucian moved on to the next stage.
"What is this supposed to be? I expected sincerity from you, yet this paltry sum—are you mocking me?"
"Y-Your Majesty… please calm yourself. There must have been some mistake along the way!"
"A mistake? There was no bandit attack, no monster assault. What mistake could there possibly be?"
The lords who had once been Calyx's allies rushed to show Lucian their "sincerity."
But even when offering the same sincerity, the amounts naturally differed.
Lucian personally summoned and berated those who had contributed the smallest sums.
The summoned lords broke out in cold sweat as they made excuses, but it was obvious they had been testing him with a deliberately modest offering.
"No, perhaps I'm the one at fault. Are things difficult in your territory these days? If you can't even match what lords with smaller domains have given, you must truly be struggling."
"T-That's right. No matter how I try, the expenses are simply too great—"
"Tsk, tsk. How unfortunate. A domain should be prosperous so that its next master can be pleased."
"Y-Yes? Your Majesty?"
"Go on, then. Return and develop your territory. To avoid needless strain, disband your army and leave behind only your wealth. Isn't it said that a beautiful person leaves behind even a beautiful absence?"
"Your Majesty, please—just once, grant us mercy! Show us compassion!"
At Lucian's ultimatum, the lords went pale and prostrated themselves.
Up until now, Lucian had never made a threat he did not carry out.
If they stormed out of here, their houses would truly be wiped out and their heads would roll.
After glaring down at them for a moment, Lucian spoke in a cold voice.
"I intend to make public, in half a year's time, the list of traitorous houses that sided with Calyx. The list is already complete, so I could simply release it as is."
"But I am only human, and it's possible I made a mistake somewhere along the way. Perhaps I might realize that mistake and revise the list before then."
"Th-Thank you! The Eight Gods will surely praise Your Majesty's mercy!"
It was a warning that if they failed to show proper sincerity within six months, they would be officially declared traitors.
The lords breathed sighs of relief at the chance they had barely obtained and showered Lucian with praise for his mercy.
In the end, those who had tried to test him were forced to cough up sums far greater than everyone else to prove their sincerity.
What they had sent initially was treated as if it never existed, so their attempt at cleverness only cost them several times over.
"Use the funds that come in to assist the relocation of the common folk. Reorganize the residential districts of the inner and outer cities and prepare them so people can move in at any time."
"What should we do about food?"
"With no proper farmland to speak of, rationing is the only option. However, use food purchased from outside. Do not touch the supplies sent by the imperial court."
The North was a region where food was hard to come by, and even what little could be obtained was rarely of good quality.
For the Blue Rose Knights from Tibrone and the elite imperial troops, Northern food would naturally be unsatisfactory.
Unless the supplied provisions ran out entirely, if Lucian were to hoard them and replace them with coarse food, resentment would surely arise.
I may not be able to give the impression that I've done my absolute best, but I can't be seen as merely lining my own pockets.
With the imperial court having half-abandoned them, the more he took care of the soldiers, the more their loyalties would naturally tilt toward Lucian.
Unless he was truly cornered, he intended to treat them as well as possible.
It was around the time Lucian was working himself to the bone preparing in earnest for the great migration of the common folk.
"Your Majesty."
"Ah, Sir Lothier. You've come at just the right time."
Lucian brightened when he saw Lothier, the former commander of the Asagrim garrison.
He had been planning to suggest that the man leave soon anyway.
Up until now, with the territory empty, he had let things slide—but once the common folk began moving in, he couldn't continue to tolerate an external armed force remaining there.
However, before Lucian could broach the subject, Lothier dropped to one knee and shouted,
"Lothier Terman and the entire Asagrim Garrison swear our loyalty to Your Majesty. Please accept us."
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