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

Chapter 434 The Heir

“Your Highness,” the apostate said before him, “I looked up at the stars through the Sunstone and saw that the wound has never healed; it foreshadows disaster, bloodshed, and flames…”

Roman heard Garin's incessant chatter in his ears.

When will this old man shut up? He wondered to himself, his gaze fixed on the stack of reports and documents.

Today is the second day since Roman arrived in Lion Territory. Just when he thought he had gotten rid of all the tedious affairs in Plenty City, Garin quietly appeared in front of him.

This person was a close friend of Jet and Dick, an elder of Gweil, a mentor of Sanna, and also made a small contribution to the establishment of Origin City.

But Garin is not standing before Roman in those capacities at this moment.

He was once an astrologer and was very convinced of mysterious omens, believing that a great catastrophe was about to occur.

Not long ago, a crimson comet streaked across the sky, leaving a hideous wound in the celestial realm that is difficult to heal.

For Roman, anything that doesn't involve a real-world meteorite impact isn't worth paying attention to.

But Garin believed that the wounds of the sky were horrifying, and that as time went by, they were becoming more and more broken, like rotting flesh and blood, about to spread to the earth.

Roman shifted his gaze from the red table to the stone window, trying to find traces of what Garin had mentioned in the clear blue sky, but to no avail.

Garin then reminded him, "Your Highness, only we can see the Astral Plane."

Roman asked, "Not even Mary?"

He saw the Scarlet Witch and gently shook his head.

The prophet can use the Sunstone to observe the Astral Sphere, which, like the Netherworld, is a dimension that only a very few gifted individuals can perceive.

But witches are not orthodox astrologers.

Astrologers cannot see the ghost realm as seen through the witch's eyes, and witches know nothing about the star realm as seen through the astrologer's eyes.

Roman knew that these extraordinary beings believed the Netherworld and the Astral Realm were different manifestations of the same dimension.

Shasta then said, "Hasn't the Astral Plane also fallen into darkness?"

Garin countered, "What if that blinding, crimson light pierced the darkness?"

Shasta felt intensely uneasy upon hearing this.

Margaret remained silent, a crimson light flashing in her eyes.

Roman didn't want to discuss this vague matter.

Because of the mystique surrounding it, it seems normal not to understand it, and once you understand it, it's no longer mysterious.

Roman rubbed his eyes: "Alright, Garin, I've taken this matter seriously enough. If necessary, River Valley won't stand idly by. But what more do you want from me now? You can leave now!"

When Garin heard Roman's harsh tone, he immediately realized that the young king did not take this matter seriously and was now very impatient.

Garin sighed inwardly and could only bow and take his leave.

Roman refocused his attention on the official documents of the Lion's Territory.

This territorial expansion brought him great benefits.

Despite suffering numerous devastations, Lion Territory still boasts a considerable population, capable of replenishing the valley's military strength.

He didn't ask for too many, fearing he wouldn't be able to handle them all; he only wanted three thousand men. Moreover, he planned to recruit new soldiers for each new place he conquered.

These new recruits can only be used as auxiliary troops.

In Roman's plan, new recruits during the campaign period would not have much training time. Unlike the soldiers of the past, they would not have time to grow in the barracks. As soon as they joined the army, they would have to go to various places quickly to provide support for subsequent large-scale operations.

Roman hopes these new recruits will grow and mature in their future military careers.

Military life is a brutal crucible that allows no room for laziness, procrastination, or disobedience.

They will be guided by professional soldiers, who will help them get rid of all their bad habits and become soldiers who meet the requirements of the army.

If a new recruit fails to change his ways, makes repeated mistakes, or runs away... then Roman also hands over the power of life and death to the junior officers, whose superiors will decide whether they live or die.

A life is just a life; it just means receiving an extra pension.

He no longer has time to pay attention to insignificant little people.

Garin's reminder wasn't useless. Roman knew there were external threats to humanity, but how could the land possibly unite to resist a foreign enemy in its current state? Just then, Tashina burst in. She was tall and sturdy, dressed in pristine white riding attire. She immediately said, "Lord Roman, where are the elite troops you promised me?"

Roman stopped writing and frowned.

Tashina said, "Lion Territory has been peaceful for a month, but the army you promised me has yet to appear."

“Less than a month! You’ve urged me three times already!” Roman’s eyes were gloomy. “During this time, I’ve provided Lion Territory with hundreds of tons of various supplies. Everyone has been working non-stop to help restore basic production here, and all you want is your army!”

Tashina said, “My Lord Roman, I believe it would have been much more effective if you had involved your entire army in this matter! But after kidnapping three thousand teenagers on my land to serve as your soldiers, you have abandoned them without a second thought—and now your army is about to set off—Roman! You have no regard for my affairs at all.”

Roman looked coldly at Tashina: "Helping this place get through the most difficult phase has already taken up a lot of my time."

He pulled a letter from the documents and placed it in front of Tasina.

"I agreed to the contract, ordering five hundred clerks and three hundred instructors to be stationed here to manage the land and train the army for you, but the opponents are your ministers. They are demanding that my clerks follow the army and withdraw from Lion Territory!"

Tashina picked up the letter, looked at its contents, and her face turned cold.

The Lion Kingdom was in dire need of rebuilding, and she faced many challenges. Her ministers were unwilling to contribute, and she had initially thought they were merely resistant, but they hadn't expected them to actually hinder her progress.

Tashina said indifferently, "This is a misunderstanding. It seems I didn't explain things clearly to them!"

The ministers had always opposed Tasina having so many professional troops.

Mainly due to financial concerns, maintaining an army is extremely difficult and requires a huge investment.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Dimon is one of the opponents, who believes that Tasina's newly established regime will collapse within six months at most.

The ministers were willing to do their utmost for the newly established Iron Kingdom in order to gain an honor and title that would go down in history and benefit future generations.

But the current Tasina feels intensely unfamiliar to them.

They privately believed that she had been bewitched by someone, and that the influence had penetrated to the bone marrow.

Roman's actions in the Lion Territory were tantamount to trampling on their power, which deeply disturbed these senior officials.

Lion's Territory currently has two management systems.

One was a clerk from the valley brought by Roman, and the other was a minister of Tasina.

The former was too powerful, taking over all management and order in the Lion Territory and forcing everyone to do as they said. The ministers dared not speak out, secretly wondering whether this was Roman's Lion Territory or the Lion Territory of the Black Iron King?

Tahithina's indifference, and even her tacit approval and participation, caused the ministers even more heartache and disappointment.

They have a strong dependence on the old order, are used to extracting benefits from the land in the old ways, and dislike the King of the Valley in any way—his style is terrifying.

Today, these ministers have finally begun to exercise their legitimate powers.

Stop Tashina from recruiting an army and force Roman's forces away from Lion Territory.

These demands are reasonable and justifiable, and even if the conqueror were alive, he could not find fault with them.

Tashina emphasized, "There will be no more misunderstandings like this in the future!"

Roman nodded: "If you can win over your ministers, you'll get what you want in less than ten days!"

He believed in Tashina's abilities; she was extremely powerful, a born king, and had a keen eye that could see through people's hearts. No one could escape her scrutiny.

Roman didn't want to fall out with her unless absolutely necessary; the White Knights and Black Iron under Tashina's command were the toughest nuts to crack on the land.

He and his senior officers had conducted calculations and concluded that it would take the lives of ten professional soldiers to kill one Black Iron Knight, and that White Knights would be even more difficult to kill. Without the pursuit and interception of hundreds of soldiers, they would not be able to kill a single White Knight.

Strictly speaking, compared to the Black Fortress King who was supported to take the throne, the exiled princess Tahithina was the rightful heir to the Black Iron legacy.

And now, she has ascended the throne.

She inherited Ionus's ambition to quell all conflicts as quickly as possible and was eager to restore the fragmented order of the land.

Roman believed this was related to the mission she carried and some kind of secret from the depths of the Blackburg court.

“Your Highness, Queen Tasina is a woman of noble aspirations and never resorts to underhanded tactics. The letter urging you to withdraw your troops was not authorized by her,” Shasta said softly, watching Tasina disappear through the door.

Roman nodded in response, "I know."

He didn't care what methods Tasina used to subdue the courtiers. If Tasina couldn't do it, Roman wouldn't mind helping her get rid of those fleas with absolutely clean methods, even though he and Ser Damon had interacted several times before.

(End of this chapter)