You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 426 Roman Above
Sanna rode her little mare past the convoy of transport vehicles and headed toward Lion's Territory.

The horse was only three years old, with thick, soft fur, entirely black except for its white hooves. It came from a meadow pasture and was one of the gifts Gweil had given her.

She loved it so much that she called it early summer to commemorate their friendship from their first meeting.

This horse was blessed by Gewie from a young age. It is of excellent breed, has great endurance, and moves with a steady and agile gait, just like its owner. It has great potential for growth.

The war is over and the external crisis is over, but that doesn't mean everyone can relax.

On the contrary, the officials were in a state of utter disarray because of the annexation of Lion Territory.

Because Roman transferred five hundred clerks from the existing administrative system and sent them to govern Lion Territory.

The 500 vacancies will be filled by new recruits.

The massive amount of aid supplies needs to be prepared.

Transport convoys also need to be organized.

And the most important task for Fengrao City, spring plowing, must also be completed as soon as possible.

While they were busy in the City of Abundance, Sanna took a break and went to Lion's Territory.

She galloped along the road, stopping to rest and drink by the stream when she got tired, and taking dry rations from her sack to feed the mare.
By evening, we had successfully arrived at Lion Castle.

The tower flew the banner of the Iron Throne, but the city walls looked charred and unsightly.

The castle was burned down some time ago and was later cleaned up and repaired, but the halls suddenly felt much more empty.

Those loyal to Tashina came from Oak Territory to assist her in ruling after learning that she had acquired a territory.

The courtier Damon and the chief steward Tussos worked together to create her crown and throne.

The crown is inlaid with rare gemstones such as amber, agate, ice jade, and cat's eye, exuding nobility and brilliance.

The throne was forged from black iron, dark and hard, cold and heavy, making all the brilliance of the world seem dimmed.

Before the Iron Throne, all magic is useless.

Iotahina sat on the throne, exuding a truly regal air, with the ministers' council table below.

"Your Highness." Sanna was extremely surprised when she entered the hall and saw this scene.

“This envoy, you should address her as Her Majesty, and you should bow to her,” Scholar Royce corrected. After the fall of Blackburg, he was one of the very few scholars who followed Tahira, and now that Tahira was gaining power, his status had risen accordingly.

Sanna suddenly realized that the fearless princess she admired had transformed into the cold Iron King, completing her metamorphosis.

Tasina, with a blend of authority and gentleness, said, "Roman didn't come."

“Your Highness is unavailable, as you know,” Sanna explained, feeling unusually nervous under the watchful eyes of those high-ranking court officials.

"He will not set off until the next batch of supplies is ready. He sent me to tell you this time... to wipe them out completely and eliminate them completely."

For some reason, her lips felt a little dry.

Those gazes suddenly intensified, as if reminding her that she shouldn't be teaching the Black Iron King how to do things.

“We are discussing this matter, and in my opinion, it is truly unjust. Sir Joel should never have died at the King’s hands. In principle, you should preserve his life, his honor, and most importantly, his fiefdom,” said the eunuch Tussos.

“You should rescind your decision,” Damon, who had been promoted to Minister of the Palace, also thought.

Ser Joel was a vassal of the Earl of Flint. After the Earl of Flint's death, he pledged allegiance to Tashina, but Tashina's response chilled him to the bone.

Everyone thought Earl Philin had gone mad, and that night he massacred thousands of his subjects outside the castle.

In retrospect, it may not have been the count himself who went mad.

Tashina said, "I'm going to kill them...all of them."

“Your actions violate ancestral precepts!” Scholar Royce was shaken and almost groaned.

"I have my own rules."

"Is it yours? Or Lord Roman's? I never thought that sir had any tricks up his sleeve, but your change of heart has forced me to change my mind."

“You’ve almost given half the kingdom’s wealth to that lord,” Damon added.

That's all the wealth in the Blackburg vault.

Only the White Knights and the Black Iron remained silent; these staunch supporters had no objection to any policy.

"You can all leave now," Tasina said, sounding tired.

The senior officials also sighed and got up from the council table.

Only Tashina and Sanna remained in the hall.

"What do you think?" she asked. Sanna immediately replied, "I don't understand these things."

The affairs of state have never been relevant to the fisherwoman, even though she is now a qualified battle witch and holds a position in the military camp equivalent to that of a scout captain.

“You’ll understand when I tell you—Earl Philin is dead, but his vassals are still alive. I ordered their execution, but the ministers unanimously opposed it, believing it was not in line with the style of conquerors.”

Tasina rested her chin on her hand, looking somewhat helpless.

Sanna inexplicably saw a hint of Roman in this action.

The fiefdoms of the many vassals were not small; their combined population might even exceed that of the entire Lion Territory.

"So what do you think?" Tashina asked the little...young witch in front of her who secretly admired her.

When they first met, the child was still young, but now she had grown into a graceful woman. During her temporary stay at the Abundant Castle, she could tell at a glance when Roman had taken the child's virginity.

“Me?” Sanna blinked.

She realized that the princess was indeed seeking her opinion, so she lowered her head and pondered for a moment before giving her answer.

“Roman and I share the same view.” Her attitude was serious and firm.

Tashina gestured for her to continue, her interest piqued.

"If you want to harvest a hundred catties of grain, you have to give ten catties of grain to feed the farmers. But those lords will not agree to that, because if the farmers have grain, they will oppose them. They will only use the grain to support the knights who go to war and to suppress the farmers' rebellion. Even if they agree to you on the surface, they will make things difficult for you in secret."

Even if the grain in the castle becomes moldy and rotten, it will not be given to the farmers.

First, peasants were of lowly status; to put it nicely, they were called peasants, but to put it bluntly, they were called serfs, and they were extremely dependent on the land.

Secondly, once the farmers are well-fed, they can significantly reduce the physical differences between themselves and the knights who are engaged in battle.

In addition, development requires the rational use of surplus resources.

Roman worked tirelessly to distribute the money, resulting in huge monthly expenditures, but he was willing to do so even if less than a tenth of it was recovered.

Roman believed that if the lower classes possessed wealth, it would only make the entire Origin City prosper.

The nobles, however, did not think so; they believed that it was reasonable to extend the tax collection period to thirty years later.

Serfs must never be allowed to possess their own private wealth!

Must hit hard!

Tasina listened thoughtfully.

She asked, "How did you come up with these ideas?"

Sanna thought for a moment, then pointed to her brain: "Sometimes it pops up from here, endlessly... We call it a blessing, or a revelation."

Tahithina's eyes sparkled.

She knew that Roman could enhance the power of his warriors in a special way, a method far more mysterious than magic and almost divine.

She never asked, and Roman never inquired about the smelting techniques for white steel and black iron.

This is the first time she has ever heard of such a thing.

"He controls your thoughts?"

“No!” Sanna retorted instinctively. She pursed her lips and whispered, “This is the truth, and the truth cannot be controlled… We will judge all of this.”

Follow your instincts. As long as your instincts tell you that things are getting better, you don't need to worry about it. Just focus on the fact that things are getting better.

She could never go back to the past, back to the era of aristocratic rule. She didn't like that era, and nobody would, except the aristocracy themselves.

Sanna silently vowed in her heart: Shatter everything, for Roman, for humanity.

Is there anything other than truth?

Sanna thought for a moment and said, "We would say in private, or in our hearts: Roman above, or Your Highness above..."

'Is he using his own name to overthrow the gods?' Tasina wondered.

She waved goodbye, and waited until Sanna also left.

Tashina sat on the throne, facing the empty hall, lost in deep thought, her brows furrowing and her face tense at times.

She thought about it a lot, and finally, with a doubtful and tentative tone, she said to herself: 'Roman above…'

Nothing happened...

As it should be.

(End of this chapter)