Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Ryūsha divided this task into two parts. On the military side, only the core forces led by Lin Hu were retained to guard Sochi and key roads. The remaining troops recruited in Sochi, including ordinary soldiers, were dispersed into construction corps, from the general population to specific areas. They went to the countryside to help the southward-migrating civilians build houses and, at the same time, handed over the farmland seized from the old noble lords to them for collective cultivation.

This part of the army was mainly commanded by promoted lower-ranking officers. The Ryūxia army also had many talented individuals from the old aristocracy or related to them; these individuals were transferred away from frontline command. The pretext was the establishment of a branch of the Imperial Military Academy, which required a large number of personnel, and the need for further training for officers of all ranks within the army.

Before he could 'educate and change' these people to the point where he could trust them, Ryūka dared not let them continue to control the army. After all, he would be very busy in the future and wouldn't have the energy to keep an eye on their every move.

This move was euphemistically called by Ryukyu a response to His Majesty the Emperor's call that the military and political system should not be controlled by traditional nobles, but should instead be used to cultivate and select bureaucratic talent according to a systematic approach.

As for the common people, Ryukyu's plan was to build collective farms for the newly relocated population and require village chiefs and elders in various places to directly receive orders from the governor's office and develop and cultivate the land according to their own requirements.

"This area is rich in water and grass and was once a hunting ground used by the old lords. It will later be handed over to a company under the Second Construction Corps for grazing and raising sheep."

Liuxia stood on a small, green hillside, looking at the grassland and river before her, listening to Hetia's report, and nodded in satisfaction.

This meadow is located at the border between his and Hetia's territories. Originally, the two sides of the river belonged to different nobles, but now they have been united as a pilot area for his ideas.

"How are the soldiers reacting?"

Ryūka added that he didn't know how the soldiers of this world would react to being asked to do construction and aquaculture work. He needed to get real-time feedback and make adjustments before he could confidently promote the policy.

“It’s alright.” Hetia nodded. “These soldiers are the more obedient and compliant part of the surrendered troops selected. Most of them come from rural areas, so they have no complaints. As for those who do complain, they’ve been sent out to suppress bandits and clear out monsters and beasts, as you requested. Even the Adventurers’ Guild complained to me, saying that if this continues, their adventurers will have no missions to do…”

"It seems we still need to think of a way out for these adventurers. An uncontrolled civilian armed force is not someone we can trust."

Liu Xia pinched the bridge of his nose. When he finally took over, he realized that the vast and fertile land of Sochi was different from that of Linhu Territory, and the conditions were very different.

Linhu Territory is mostly undeveloped mountain forest. People live in close-knit communities in the valleys and small plains, rarely leaving their small plots of land. The land developed by humans is far less than the natural forest, and wild animals and small monsters like goblins live peacefully in their forests and caves, rarely attacking villages. Bandits and thieves are generally unable to form large-scale forces in the wild forests; they are mostly low-level vagrants or outlaws, operating on a nomadic basis or simply occupying mountain paths. (The last sentence appears to be a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)

Therefore, even ordinary villagers don't need to worry about the threat of monsters and bandits except when going into the mountains or traveling far away, but it's different in Sochi.

While Sochi Territory does have many forests, lakes, and hills far from towns and villages, its flat terrain makes it highly developed. Therefore, many monsters, primarily goblins, don't have much space to live, leading to frequent contact with humans. Occasionally, griffins and giant lizards will venture from the forests of Linhu Territory to the Sochi Plains in search of food. After all, compared to the once impoverished villages of Linhu Territory, which were reduced to nothing but thatch and stones, the prosperous farms and granaries of the Sochi Plains serve as a self-sufficient food source for them.

The lords had no time to deal with these daily affairs for the common people, so adventurers' guilds were formed. Although called adventurers, they mostly handled mundane tasks. Of course, across the continent, many powerful adventurers emerged, some serving local lords, others traveling with a spirit of freedom and adventure, challenging countless monsters.

Furthermore, bandits, thieves, and other lawless elements are more advanced and powerful than the poor, stingy mountain bandits in Linhu territory.

Many of them were even down-on-their-luck knights and mages, and they didn't settle in some mountain stronghold or cave in the wilderness, but were scattered in various villages and towns. Bars, casinos, and brothels could all be their hideouts, like the Fire Dragon's Nest Club that Liu Xia had visited before. Information brokers like Poison Scorpion actually served more people like this.

Normally they hide among the crowd, but at the first sign of trouble, they gather through an underground network. Their activities range from attacking tax-collecting convoys to robbing shops and towns. Even Earl Duke, with his shadow guards, had his share of headaches during his reign.

Street gangsters, retired soldiers, down-on-their-luck knights and mages, controllers of various lowlife establishments, and even adventurers—their identities can easily switch at any moment. This phenomenon is common throughout Ottos; when noble lords neglect the common people, power is seized by another group, giving rise to various shadowy forces.

For Ryūka, any forces beyond his control were potential threats, but eliminating them would be extremely difficult, especially since he had only just taken over this territory. Therefore, he could only send Megan to lead a portion of the army to clear out the weaker wild monsters and the less powerful outlaws, thus expanding the usable land area.

Inside the city, the investigation and screening were handled by the intelligence agencies under Kania and Zona, while Baron and Luca formed qualified patrol teams to manage public order.

In Ryūsha's view, this was not only for better governance, but also a necessary step to enhance his prestige. Although he had been granted the title of Governor-General of Sochi, not everyone under his jurisdiction genuinely regarded him as their 'leader'.

Unlike the backward living conditions in Linhu, which fostered a genuine expectation of a 'strong ruler' among the common people, the citizens of Sochi had a strong sense of complacency. Even though their previous conquests were extraordinary, most people didn't care who the governor was, but instead focused on living their own lives.

Especially for those outlaws and the people they control, to these local tyrants, Ryūka is nothing more than another nobleman they need to curry favor with. Perhaps before long, Ryūka or his men will be sought after by some 'well-known figures,' who, after offering them money, will demand that they turn a blind eye to the affairs of the lower classes…

This wasn't worthwhile for Ryūka, since money wasn't the most important thing; becoming stronger through the [Leader's Proof] was what interested him more. Therefore, even though the cost was high, he had to consider and deal with these matters.

Moreover, only by continuously expanding his influence can he gain more followers. Even if they aren't powerful beauties like Kania and Hetia, talented individuals like Baron and Luca can still provide him with considerable benefits.

Another issue worth noting is the religious beliefs of the lower classes.

Ryūka doesn't believe he can easily promote atheism or feudal monarchical ideology of 'loyalty to the emperor and patriotism' in this world. For most ordinary people, faith seems essential. At its root, Ryūka believes this might be related to the idea that 'gods truly exist'.

After all, Chloe had said that the faith of her followers was the source of her power, and that the gods would bless their followers and divine messengers. Quaid's mention of divine favor also concerned Ryukatsu, and even his own [Proof of Leadership] was a kind of ability to collect faith to amplify himself, and he could also feed back and strengthen his followers.

However, most formal records concerning 'God' and other beliefs ceased a thousand years ago. It was after the great war in which King Kranar defeated the cruel witch that the Papacy's 'goddess' became the only being who could be called 'God.' And since the Papacy is the only existing religious church, they don't even need to use a name to identify themselves.

Because there is only one 'Papacy' in the world, 'God' can only refer to their goddess.

But in reality, there are quite a few folk beliefs scattered around.

Strange and unusual 'heresies' always emerge, sometimes stemming from 'revelation' received by someone in a family, sometimes from underground societies developing in remote villages. There are water gods, fire gods, even 'giant hanging gods,' with all sorts of bizarre names. Some are practiced by only one family, while others involve dozens or even hundreds of people. It's almost as if everything can be a deity…

Strange and unusual 'heresies' always emerge, sometimes stemming from 'revelation' received by someone in a family, sometimes from underground societies developing in remote villages. There are water gods, fire gods, even 'giant hanging gods,' with all sorts of bizarre names. Some are practiced by only one family, while others involve dozens or even hundreds of people. It's almost as if everything can be a deity…

Therefore, Ryūka's previous agreement with Chloe to secretly help her revive her faith made it easy for him to succeed. After all, there were too many suffering slaves and people at the bottom of society, and Ryūka had previously performed a 'miracle' using Chloe's name, so faith in her quickly and secretly flourished in the eastern part of the empire.

With so many more territories at his disposal, Liu Xia no longer had the time to occasionally take time, as a divine messenger, to clear away resentment in the local areas, as he had done in Linhu Territory before.

"It seems we need to consider building a temple for Chloe. After all, no one but her can be consulted about her own abilities. And once the temple is built, she can avoid the troublesome matter of finding someone else to act as her divine messenger..."

But Ryuka has no intention of giving up on acquiring abilities from her. Perhaps she can use her secret identity to become a high priest of the Chloe Church or something similar, and leave the actual work to others.

That's what you call outsourcing! Ryuga doesn't see helping Chloe as stealing his faith, since the temple is built on his own territory, he's not afraid of a falling out. And with the increased territory and population under his control, there will always be some people who simply won't believe him. Besides, having both sides believe might not be so bad after all.

But this matter still requires facing an enemy, namely the papal bishop Sinatiel, who has a curvaceous figure but a sour face.

Prince Hypnos had also warned himself to be wary of the Knights of Judgment...

Chapter 18 My Loyalty to You

For Liuxia now, money is not a problem. The emperor rewarded him with gold, and he also seized a considerable amount of property from the former Sochi nobles. At least in the short term, he will not have to worry about money.

Therefore, he had enough military pay to make his troops act according to his wishes, since nothing could make ordinary soldiers more loyal than the gold coins they received.

However, managing the populace and dealing with the hidden attacks from various forces is much more difficult, especially since the population under his actual control far exceeds the amount of land he currently governs. In addition, there are adventurers who may become a hidden danger. Ryūka must hurry up and come up with a way to reduce the population.

One approach is to have Megan clear out monsters in the wild, open up areas outside of farmland, and carry out livestock farming and population relocation. Another approach is to explore other avenues besides agriculture.

Build roads and set up workshops.

"The cotton seedlings and high-quality sheep purchased from the southern region are on their way back. Before they arrive, we must complete the planning of the cultivated areas and pastures, and at the same time solve the livelihood problems of some farmers."

Looking at the grassland before him, Ryūka and Hetia visited a company stationed there. Beside the makeshift camp, the soldiers were building barracks from scratch for their long-term living arrangements. Upon seeing their governor, they lined up to welcome him.

Liu Xia then inspected a large area of ​​territory, an action that earned him considerable prestige among soldiers and civilians, and his faith value also increased rapidly.

Now, with the blessing of the [Leader's Proof], Ryūka is not only full of energy and has excellent hearing and vision, but he also rarely feels tired. Moreover, as long as he is willing, he can quickly master anything he can learn from his followers by simply investing points into it.

Magic, martial arts, magical engineering, history, and even crafts like cooking, weaving, and blacksmithing—Ryuuya embraced them all. This allowed him to chat with people from all walks of life when interacting with ordinary citizens, quickly building rapport and increasing his prestige while earning their admiration.

Moreover, Ryūka currently has ample points to strengthen his followers, but unless absolutely necessary, he will still use strengthening as a reward and strengthen them as needed.

Hetia ultimately won the roulette game, while Zona narrowly lost. Everyone else was extremely satisfied, both mentally and physically. And today, Ryūka finally decided to give Hetia the reward she had promised.

I invested a full 100,000 points to upgrade Hetia from SR to SSR, a qualitative leap.

After showing Hetia around the territory, Ryuka suddenly smiled and asked Hetia, "Hetia, what do you think?"

"What do you mean, how was it?" Hetia blinked, having just taken off her armor and rubbing her slightly sore lower back. Today's patrol wasn't much of a problem, but last night, Ryūka had kept her up until midnight. Despite winning a month's worth of enhancements, Hetia still felt a bit ashamed and scared.

"If I were to entrust these matters concerning the territory to you, could you handle them well?"

Ryūka's question left Hetia somewhat at a loss. She looked at the boy in surprise and stammered, "..."

"Let me do it? But this is your plan, and you are the governor..."

"It's so disheartening, why are you still being so formal with me now?"

Faced with Hetia's flattery, Ryuka made a rather inappropriate joke, causing Hetia to blush. Although she had shown all sorts of different sides of herself in front of Ryuka at night, Hetia always seemed a little distant when things got serious like this.

She frowned slightly and stared at Ryuka:

"Leave it to me, are you sure you trust me? Don't you always complain that I'm stupid, impatient, and useless except in war...?"

That's right. Anyway, this guy only bullies me and has all sorts of ways to humiliate me. This time he must be messing with me again, or he has some strange request.

Seeing Hetia's distrustful look, Ryuka remained completely at ease and, unusually, spoke his true feelings to Hetia.

“People change, you know. Things you don’t know or aren’t good at, you learn as you grow. If it were the old Hetia, I certainly wouldn’t have entrusted these things to you. Well, after all, you used to be incredibly violent, and all you cared about was Tipalotura…”

Hetia blushed and puffed out her cheeks. Just as she was about to say something, Ryusha covered her lips with his hand, looked into her eyes, and asked:

"However, I think you've changed enough, haven't you?"

Being treated like this by a boy younger than herself, Hetia felt only shame, yet her heart was racing. Ryusha's words reminded her of the past year, when she was sent from Tipalotura's side to the remote town of Linhu. Although she had become a viscount and restored her family's former noble status, her ultimate goal was still to become Tipalotura's loyal knight.

Until she met a boy with a witch by her side, she became his slave, yet had to maintain her outward identity.

But through her interactions with Ryūka, she gradually witnessed many things beyond the capital. Despite Ryūka's absolute dominance over his noble lord status, he always willingly helped commoners achieve a better life. She realized the world was far more complex than what she knew at the Imperial Military Academy, where noble young masters and ladies formed factions and competed against each other under the leadership of key figures.

At some point, Hetia gradually stopped hating Ryūka, and instead felt an emotion she couldn't explain. Not to mention, after breaking through to become a Grand Knight, the fragile magic of the slave contract from back then could no longer control her. Yet, she still habitually followed Ryūka, seemingly forgetting her former mission.

She felt as if she had already been reshaped by Ryūka, no longer the naive, impetuous, nineteen-year-old knight fresh out of the academy, her mind solely focused on loyalty to her lord. Have you recited Lin Linkong's poem yet...?

It's only been a year...

As for Ryūka's question, Hetia seemed to have some reservations. Her expression darkened, and she blushed as she turned her head away, saying to Ryūka:

"I do not wish to be Your Highness's enemy..."

Although her answer was irrelevant, Ryuka understood her response from her expression.

Hetia realized she had changed; in every way, she couldn't live without the boy before her. It wasn't just their ambiguous and somewhat twisted romantic relationship; even her values ​​had been gradually altered by Ryūka. Once, like other nobles, she had looked down upon the common people, thinking only of loyalty to the royal family. But now, Hetia harbored a desire to be like Ryūka, a noblewoman beloved by soldiers and the people.

She didn't want to be just a female knight who could charge into battle; she was Hetia Tartu of the Tartu family, and she also wanted to become a proper noblewoman.

The current situation with Liuxia clearly demonstrates a willingness to trust her and allow her to try managing government affairs. It also expresses a level of confidence in her…

This thrilled Hetia; her heart pounded faster than she could have imagined, and even her earlobes turned red and swollen from the blood rushing to them. But she also had her worries: first, she feared she wouldn't do well; second… if she accepted Ryūka's offer and his trust and command, she would be completely saying goodbye to her past self…

She wanted to agree, to become someone he completely trusted, to be like Kania, and to gain Ryūka's trust and attention. But she couldn't completely erase her past experiences, especially since she vaguely understood that Ryūka and Kania would ultimately be enemies of Ottus, which made Hetia even more conflicted.

That's why she said, 'I don't want to be enemies with His Highness'...

This was both honesty and escapism. Ryuka watched as Hetia's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was afraid that the answer would displease her and that she would hate her because of it, but she still said it.

"I understand."

Ryuga's casual remark made Hetia freeze. She slowly turned her head, expecting to be met with Ryuga's indifference and disappointment, but instead saw the young man's peaceful and friendly smile.

"How about this? No matter what happens, I won't let you be directly involved in anything that harms Princess Tipalotura. As long as conditions allow, I will maintain a good relationship with her, and even if things break down and we become enemies later, I will consider your feelings. What do you say?"

"Really, really?"

Ryūka looked at Hetia, who was staring blankly at him. A layer of mist seemed to appear on the female knight's wide eyes. He had never seen this side of Hetia before, which surprised Ryūka, but he still smiled and nodded.

No matter how much he possesses Hetia, she will always have her own will. Ryuga doesn't believe slave contracts will always be effective, nor does he believe they can bring truly reliable companions and subordinates. Mutual compromise between hearts is the best contract magic in this world.

So he said to Hetia calmly, "Really."

"I see..." Hetia sniffed, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, turned around, crossed her arms, and tilted her head towards Ryūka:

"Hmph, then leave it to me. Don't worry, I'll definitely handle the government affairs well for you. As for you, you can use your free time to bully other girls~ How about that, pretty good, right~"

Seeing Hetia's expression, Ryūka found it both cute and funny, and he couldn't help but chuckle. This made Hetia's face flush red with anger. After sulking for a while, she finally calmed down and said to Ryūka:

Seeing Hetia's expression, Ryūka found it both cute and funny, and he couldn't help but chuckle. This made Hetia's face flush red with anger. After sulking for a while, she finally calmed down and said to Ryūka:

"Don't worry, I will be loyal to you... Thank you for trusting me. As for Your Highness's matter..."

She raised her eyes and spoke to Ryūka, word by word.

“I need more time, which is why I said those things before. But I will gradually accept it, to the point that one day when you are at odds with His Highness, I will stand by your side…”

The girl in Chapter 19, "The Leader's Proof"

Seeing Hetia's serious expression, Ryusha simply waved his hand casually: "Don't think that far ahead. Just handle the affairs in Sochi right now. All the nobles are waiting for us to make a mistake, and the affairs of the common people are not so easy to resolve."

Seeing Ryuga's expression, Hetia felt that the boy sometimes seemed to be pretending to be oblivious to romance, but before she could get angry, an unprecedented power was poured into her body.

What... what is this?

Unlike previous enhancements, her strength remained at the early to mid-stages of the Great Knight realm, but Hetia could definitely feel changes in her body.

Her muscles, bones, and the meridians of her battle aura were all undergoing a subtle transformation. A piercing pain mixed with a tingling comfort caused her to involuntarily curl into a ball. The battle aura within her erupted like a blazing red flame, instantly shredding her clothes. When everything calmed down, Hetia breathed heavily, watching the red battle aura dance at her fingertips, almost tangible, moving at her will.

Ryuga looked at the faint golden light emanating from Hetia and smiled with satisfaction.

The improvement in aptitude is something invisible and intangible, but Hetia felt that her state of mind had changed, and her understanding of combat techniques and control of battle aura had reached a new level. Her eyes seemed to be able to see the dust in the air, and compared to her current state, even when she was at her best, she seemed to be plagued by illness.

"How are you feeling? Has anything changed?"

“I can’t explain it…” Hetia frowned. With a gentle wave of her hand, a crimson whirlwind rose from her arm, but without harming anything around her, she easily withdrew it.

"If I had to put it into words, it's not just that I've become more insightful and stronger in every aspect, but even my consciousness is clearer than before. Even with complex political affairs, I seem to be able to figure things out, as if I've been reborn... But most importantly..."

As Hetia spoke, she tried to release all her battle aura, but it condensed in her body, making her whole body seem to be covered with a layer of crimson armor. Although it only lasted for a few breaths, the power of that moment surprised Liu Xia. It was as if she had used the K18 drug, and she could probably be comparable to the Heavenly Rank in a short period of time.

"I feel... like I've seen a path, and as long as I walk steadily along it, the gates to becoming a Celestial Knight are right in front of me. This doesn't make sense. I heard from Hefren that a Great Knight needs some extraordinary external aid to advance to the Celestial rank... Only then can the knight connect with the world, and their battle aura will no longer be just the power erupting from within, but... something more mysterious, like the magic of perceiving the world. That's why the gap between a Celestial Knight and a mage narrows, but now... it seems I can do it already! Ah!"

Just as Hetia was talking to herself, feeling the power within her body, Ryūka mischievously leaned forward and flicked the tips of her pink breasts. Watching Hetia clutch her chest in embarrassment and indignation, Ryūka stroked his chin and nodded with satisfaction.

"Hmm, the sensitivity is still good, that's enough~"

"When will you ever be serious?!"

The emotion and excitement of becoming stronger vanished instantly, and Hetia looked at Ryūka with a mixture of anger and amusement. After this enhancement, she felt as if a strange connection had formed between herself and Ryūka, a relationship that transcended that of lovers or ruler and subject, a closer one.

Ryūka noticed this as well, and his consciousness suddenly blurred as he unconsciously entered the [Proof of Leadership]...