Night of Conspiracy
Crown Prince Adran kept his promise to Landor.
He handpicked tax specialists and administrative experts from his own staff, assembled a dedicated team, and dispatched them to Elrond territory and Portu Commercial City.
Strictly speaking, dispatching imperial officials to handle administration inside a private lord’s domain was a blatant overreach that should have provoked outrage from the local lords.
Yet the officials Adran sent were greeted with open arms in both Elrond and Portu.
“Welcome! Welcome!”
Only after the officials were handed mountains of paperwork did they understand why they had been so enthusiastically received.
Still, they were professionals trained by Adran himself.
With administrative skill far beyond anything the merchants could manage, they cleared the backlog in no time and then began showing their true colors.
“Remember this: Landor is a treacherous minister. Inspect Elrond and Portu thoroughly. Check for any illegal acts, verify that the territories are being run properly, and confirm that taxes are being paid in full. Send regular reports without fail.”
Having absorbed Adran’s own distaste for Landor, the officials began applying the strictest capital standards to every corner of Portu Commercial City and Elrond territory.
“We will verify that the water and sewage systems are properly maintained!”
“They were installed to capital specifications from the very beginning.”
“We will confirm that taxes have been paid correctly! Bring the ledgers!”
“Yes, yes. Please take them.”
“Where did this 7.5 million gold come from?! Is this an illegal slush fund? We will confiscate it as a penalty!”
“Yes, yes. Please do.”
“We will also inspect whether heating has been properly installed in all the lodging and residential facilities you have built!”
“Everything is in order. Lord Landor instructed us not to skimp on expenses. Every unit has a mana-stone stove.”
“Uh……”
“Anything else?”
Everything was running according to proper procedure.
The 7.5 million gold in alleged slush funds was seized, and taxes were collected exactly as regulations demanded.
Roads, buildings, heating, and water systems all met or exceeded capital standards, and instead of exploitation or tyranny, the officials found only that Landor had created numerous well-paying jobs that made him popular with the citizens.
In the end, the reports that reached Adran contained nothing but praise for Landor—along with the mountains of gold coins collected as taxes.
“There were no significant problems, Your Highness.”
“……Really?”
“Yes. The roads and buildings were maintained to the same standard as the capital, and every household had a mana-stone stove installed.”
“Mana-stone stoves? Not cheap coal stoves?”
“Yes. They were all replaced with mana-stone stoves because of fire risk. There are even more charging stations for depleted stones than in the capital. They clearly prioritized the citizens’ heating. They have also opened a bank that lends money to the people.”
“I knew that bastard Landor would pull something like this! Usury! He lends money and then bleeds them dry with vicious interest!”
“No interest rate exceeded one percent.”
“……”
“Because high-income jobs are far more plentiful than in other territories, most borrowers repaid their loans within a month on average. Lord Landor described the loans as settlement funds for farmers newly arrived in Elrond, and that is exactly how they have been used.”
“That can’t be right! Go back and check again! Make absolutely sure there is no exploitation or tyranny! Investigate Portu Commercial City just as thoroughly!”
The officials returned, yet every report that reached Adran only confirmed that Landor was doing an outstanding job.
Each time they came back, they brought another mountain of tax gold collected according to regulations.
The imperial treasury, long emptied by the current emperor’s extravagance, began filling at an astonishing rate.
“……What on earth……”
Adran stared at the overflowing treasury, momentarily speechless with disbelief and astonishment.
He was no fool, however.
With the treasury full, he immediately began implementing the policies he had long wanted to pursue.
Medical facilities were upgraded, and a state-funded school was established to train priests and healers so that everyone could receive affordable treatment.
At the same time, he began repairing the capital’s aging infrastructure.
New roads were laid, buildings were repainted, and the countless old mana-stone lamps were replaced, brightening the night streets.
Corrupt guards were dismissed and replaced with a large number of new recruits to improve public safety.
Everything was proceeding in an almost absurdly reasonable manner.
“……Why? How?”
Adran found himself repeating the same bewildered question over and over.
Whatever had changed Landor’s mind, that single shift was already transforming the empire.
What he did not yet realize was that the true transformation had only just begun.
Two months after Landor had traveled to the capital to seek help from Selene of Grace and Adran of Gold……
“I hereby declare the completion of the empire’s very first fertilizer factory!”
The first fertilizer plant in the empire opened its doors in the Portu commercial district.
“Safety first! Safety second! Safety third!”
I stressed safety obsessively while opening the factory.
With production already barely keeping up with demand, any accident that halted operations would be catastrophic.
Thanks to that relentless emphasis, the plant began its historic first run and produced a thousand tons of fertilizer on opening day alone, filling an entire warehouse.
“Hahahaha! Fertilizer! It’s fertilizer!”
Staring at the mountain of fertilizer, I, Leoric, and the development team hugged one another, laughing and crying in turn.
This pile of fertilizer was nothing less than the means to feed the entire continent.
The fertilizer was loaded onto carriages and transported to Elrond territory, then onward via trade routes to the Golden Plains.
When I selected a few farmers for a trial run—clearing land, spreading fertilizer, and planting seeds—the results were immediately positive.
“They’ve sprouted. With fertilizer, the crops are growing incredibly well, Lord Landor.”
“Excellent. Absolutely excellent!”
The flood of people arriving in Portu and Elrond was no longer a problem—it was a workforce.
I immediately posted large recruitment notices in both cities.
Farmers wanted. One acre of Lord Landor’s land provided on lease. All harvested grain purchased by the Merchant Guild. Farmers keep 90% of revenue; 10% goes to the Guild. Housing with running water and sewage provided.
Pandemonium erupted.
Most of the new arrivals were farmers who had fled crushing taxes and exploitation, arriving with empty stomachs.
The promise of housing plus the chance at high earnings for doing the work they already knew sent countless applicants rushing forward.
There was no need to worry about space—the Golden Plains Sultan had granted me were vast beyond measure.
“Pave roads across the Golden Plains! Build houses and install water and sewage systems!”
The Iron Blood Coalition’s engineers never had a day off, yet every one of them smiled.
They were paid per completed task, so the more they worked, the heavier their purses became.
And that was only the beginning.
“Karl.”
“Yes.”
“Round up every technician and construction worker across the entire continent.”
“Already done, Lord Landor.”
Developing the Golden Plains created an enormous number of jobs.
The Merchant Guild used generous wages as bait, and in an empire where a full day of back-breaking labor often earned only a single silver, the chance to make eight or nine silvers a day—or over a gold for skilled workers—drew people like bees to honey.
Trade with the west through the new routes had already piled up enormous capital in the Merchant Guild, and that vast wealth let us carve the Golden Plains open at breathtaking speed.
Right now it was a money pit, but before long it would produce enough grain to feed every citizen of both the Ailam Empire and the Karamba Empire with plenty left over.
Everyone was happy.
The Karamba Empire could finally solve its chronic food shortages, the Merchant Guild reaped massive profits as middlemen, and the empire gained cheap access to western specialties.
Only two groups of people were miserable.
“Damn it all! Thirty more ran away today!”
The seven nobles of the Vineyard Party who held territory in the western grain belt watched helplessly as farmers fled toward the jobs opening in the Golden Plains, Elrond, and Portu.
“……The growth of Princess Karia and Landor’s faction is becoming alarming.”
Until now they had clung like parasites to the aging, ailing emperor, but with his death approaching they had bet on the Vineyard Party and Duke Pellings as their next patrons.
Only the thirteen capital nobles who had attached themselves to Duke Pellings’ faction were now left in an unfortunate position.
With expressions that looked as though they had all bitten into something foul, Duke Pellings, the six remaining Vineyard Party members, and the thirteen capital nobles gathered in one place.
Every face was grim, as if they were competing to see who could look the most disgusted.
What both factions wanted was simple: for Karia, Selene, and Adran to tear one another apart in a muddy brawl, exhaust themselves, and leave the throne open for Duke Pellings once the decrepit emperor finally died.
But Landor was thriving, and the factions of Adran and Selene showed no sign of weakening, so their expressions had remained sour for weeks.
“What are we supposed to do? Speak up.”
“Perhaps we could petition His Majesty to return the runaway farmers……”
“We already tried that last time. His Majesty didn’t even pretend to listen.”
“……”
“Are you all playing at being mute?! Say something—anything!”
When Duke Pellings, the central figure of both groups, spoke, everyone flinched.
Seeing that no one dared open their mouths, the duke let out a long, weary sigh that seemed to shake the floor.
“If this continues, Princess Karia might actually become the next emperor! Are we just going to sit here? We have to do something!”
Even under the duke’s pressure, no answers came.
While he was angrily gulping down wine, Count Linea finally spoke.
“What if we try this?”
“What?”
“Landor’s influence is growing rapidly, but it is still limited to the far-western regions of Elrond and Portu. Most capital nobles have barely felt it yet.”
“Think about it. What does Landor ultimately want? The throne. Right now he seems focused on making money, but sooner or later he will reveal his true ambitions.”
“If we can turn the majority of capital nobles against him politically, we can make it much harder for him to reach for the crown. Honestly, aside from His Majesty, no one in power here likes him.”
“So? What exactly are you suggesting, Count Linea?”
The count smiled wickedly.
“Let’s spread rumors. We already know plenty of ugly, dirty stories about Baron Landor. We’ll pick the ones that will most enrage Adran’s and Selene’s factions, make them public, and destroy his reputation.”
“Destroy his reputation?”
“Not just destroy it—we’ll make Adran’s and Selene’s factions actively hate him. That way the three factions will start fighting each other again. While they weaken one another, it will also be easier to seize his businesses after His Majesty passes.”
“What if His Majesty, who favors Landor, finds out?”
“That’s the beauty of rumors. There may be suspicion, but no one can prove who started them. His Majesty won’t be able to punish us. All we have to do is sit back and watch Landor’s reputation crumble while he gets dragged into a mud fight with Adran and Selene.”
No better plan was offered.
They immediately set the scheme in motion.
And the very next day……
“Extra! Extra! Read all about the vile truth of National Minister Landor!”
Flyers began circulating throughout the capital.