Chapter 7: A very very good plan!
Three months had passed since Alexius arrived in the Principality of Leo and began his life in this new world.
To the outside world, the Prince Regent was still known as the "Sleeping Lion"—a mere puppet who spent his days signing whatever the Noble Council placed before him, when people are suffering.
In truth, the reality was the complete opposite.
After he woke up from his illness, he is completely heal. The morning training with Elias and Aelrue has became his daily routine.
Apart from that, he visited his father's bedchamber from time to time.
Each visit showed the same slow decline. The Grand Prince's status bar changed little by little—every stat steadily dwindling. His HP dropped day by day, his MP was nearly zero, and his life force was being drained as the natural limits of his body were reached.
Alexius would sit beside his father's bed and speak softly about the state of the realm, about his own days, and about small stories. Sometimes, he read the tales his mother, Lyra, had once read to him—stories Elias recommended to help calm his father's mind.
He did not know whether the man could hear him. Still, he continued. At first, it felt like a duty—something he ought to do, perhaps driven by a sadness his former self still carried. But as time passed, Alexius found himself beginning to cherish these moments.
He also did what was expected of him a boring task for every high profile leaders—sitting in his office in the East wind, signing petitions, tax decrees, and official complaints all from the nobles.
It was just a formal thing. The Noble Council had already decided every outcome. He just have to sign and seal with the Royal Seal. Duke Vetus, who saw commoners as little more than livestock, and Duke Marius, blinded by the prestige of his ancient bloodline, held the control of the court.
However, beneath the pile of "officially handled" documents lay the truth.
Alexius had ordered Elias to use the connections of his grandfather—the Marquess of the South, the only man still loyal to the crown's original intent—to quietly retrieve the "disregarded" petitions, especially those submitted by commoners.
Every night before sleeping, Alexius read each document in silence. These were the true conditions of the nation.
Alone in the darkness, he read the pleas of parents whose daughters had been taken by nobles, the desperate appeals of farmers crushed by unjust taxes, and reports of villages burned for the amusement of noble "hunting parties." People with nothing left to lose.
"I cannot save them yet," Alexius clenched his fist. "But I will make them pay tenfold for your suffering."
To fight a war, one needs steel. To buy steel, one needs gold.
Using the re-gathered Nightwatch network, Alexius quietly introduced "new technologies" into the markets through carefully chosen intermediaries. Drawing on knowledge from his previous world, he refined the production of high-quality paper, crystal-clear glass, fine-distilled wine, and scented soaps—luxuries that had either never existed in Leo or were previously of miserable quality.
He set the price of the "patents," anonymously taking a ten percent share from every transaction. He could have monopolized the market, but he chose not to. The businesses tied to the Nightwatch needed room to grow, and he restrained his own greed—for now.
Only with ten percent equity, In just three months, the treasury in the East Wing swelled by twenty thousand gold sovereigns—twice the amount of the bribe Canis had once placed in his hands.
The irony was that the nobility he hated most were his biggest customers. The very dukes who sought to depose him were unknowingly funding his secret army, paying exorbitant prices for lavender-scented soap and wine that taste rival to the Kraus wine or probably better and unbelievably cheaper.
How, then, did he produce all this under the constant watch of corrupted nobles?
The answer was surprising.
The production center was the former resident of him, the royal mansion on the outskirts of the noble district—the very place where the prince had once been "exiled." Beneath it lay a vast network of tunnels, linking the mansion to the Nightwatch headquarters, and East wing underground, nearly two hours on foot from the palace.
The labor was carried out by freed elves and newly purchased slaves whom Alexius immediately freed upon arrival. Their lives followed a strict schedule: training with the Venator Order in the mornings, producing goods at noon, and transporting them through the tunnels at night. Of course in shifts, one day work and one day off.
They were paid real wages—one silver coin per day—far more than what most commoners earned. For the first time in their lives, they had agency. They could ask the loyal guards or Elias to purchase goods for them, though they themselves had to remain hidden.
In a world where demi-humans were seen as vermin by the nobility, the mansion was their only safe haven. The common people often sympathized with them, for they too lived under the same cruelty—treated as little more than slaves by the nobles, thanks to the Church's teachings of human supremacy had not yet wide spread in this country.
At night, Aelrue Silverwind and Elias spent their few free hours teaching the children—now fifty-three in number—how to read and write, along with lessons in history and art. They also help in production, have the same wage and given more free time as they have to grow and play live as a children.
The Venator Order had grown to 270 members, a diverse group of elves, dwarves, and Demi humans. They were becoming a blade, while the Nightwatch agents regathered in the capital, watching every breath Dukes and every nobles took.
Deus Calendaer, 5127 years, January, 31st
After four month of his arrival, Alexius peaceful daily routine continue. But it did not last long on a Tuesday afternoon. Elias entered the Prince's office, with a face of disdain.
"The Silver Legion from the North has arrived at the capital's gates, Your Highness," Elias reported.
"However, Commander Kray has refused to report to you immediately. He claims a 'sudden illness,' but our agents report he has gone directly to the Noble Council chambers to meet with Duke Vetus's representatives first."
Alexius leaned back,
"Undermining the Crown's authority openly? He doesn't even bother to hide it anymore."
"The Vice Commander is here, however," Elias added.
"He claims he wishes to 'fill the information gap' left by the Commander's illness."
"Show him in."
A moment later, a young man entered after a knock. He was dressed in the silver-and-white cloak of the Northern Legion, but his armor was dusty and his face was weary.
[Inspect]
[Name: Baron Comwell Ravenshire]
[Level: 18 (Cavalry Officer, Vice Commander of the Silver Legion)]
[Loyalty to Crown: 60% ]
[Current Thought: "I hope the Prince is as stupid as they say. If I tell the truth,Duke Vetus will kill my father. I am sorry for my safety and my father's please be stupid."]
'Interesting, but it is rude wish someone be a stupid' Alexius smile,
There was a reason the baron thought that way. Comwell was the son of Count Ravenshire, a northern lord who had been forced into Duke Marius's faction, despite always being a supporter of the royal family.
He bowed and gave a formal military salute.
"Greetings, Your Highness. I am Baron Comwell Ravenshire, Vice Commander of the Silver Legion. I am here to report on the successful Northern withdrawal."
Comwell began a rehearsed speech.
"The withdrawal was perfectly orderly," Comwell began, his tone practiced. "Casualties were minimal, and the transition of forces proceeded without incident and...." He said a long perfect scripted report that sing the songs of the Commander Kray's heroic tales and his elites deeds and so on.
He gestured to the table. "Commander Kray also sends a small token of goodwill—northern spices, freshly harvested."
Alexius gestured to the Elias, the butler then took it and put it on the table.
'How admirable. Even when forced to lie, he delivered the report flawlessly, without a trace of remorse. Still, that sixty percent loyalty the Crown was a mystery—especially since it was not directed at me. If I protect his family and guide him carefully, Alexius thought, 'Could I secure his absolute loyalty in time?'
Interesting!
"Is that all, Baron?" Alexius asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. The North is secure, and the Legion awaits your... funding for the winter quarters."
Alexius stood up. The air in the room suddenly became chilly.
[Skill Activation: Sovereign's Aura (Rank 1)]
The temperature seemed to plunge toward absolute zero. A weight like an entire mountain crashed down upon Comwell's shoulders.
His knees gave way, and he was forced to kneel against the floor. Every breath felt like needles piercing his throat, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Still, he forced himself to look up.
What he saw was a predator. Alexius's eyes glowed with the cold light of a winter moon—a lion watching its prey, silent and utterly merciless.
'Oh, Father… I am dead.' Comwell's mind screamed through this terrifying power even expert level martial rank, himself cannot stand this Aura a skill only a true sovereign of the nation can possess. He continue to shiver in thought.
'I thought he was a foolish, sleeping lion. But in truth, he is the king of the forest—a world ruled by the law of the jungle.
With him, the Crown will rise again. My family will be safe. The suffering of the people will finally stop.
My only regret is that I will not live to see it, for I have sinned. I betrayed the Crown!' He bowed his head, surrendering to the pressure.
Alexius leaned over his desk, his shadow stretching across the kneeling Baron.
"You look like a man giving upon his life, Comwell,"
The pressure has reduced although its still has the force Baron to kneel down on the floor.
Baron confused.
Alexius continue,
"But the dead cannot atone. Only the living can repay for their mistakes."
The Prince's hand slammed onto the desk.
"Speak the truth," Alexius commanded.
"Not the lies Vetus bought with his gold, and not the lies Kray forced to read. I want the really truth written in the blood of my people. Tell me how the Silver Legion turned from the shield of the North into a disgusting vermins."
Comwell's head bowed until his forehead touched the cold stone. The Aura and his emotion pressed down, demanding honesty, and finally, the dam broke.
"It... it was a massacre, Your Highness!" Comwell's tells crying.
He reported that while the Legion was stationed in the North, Commander Kray and his elite troops pillaged the outskirt villages of the dukedom. Under the pretense of "security," they demanded exorbitant tolls. Those who could not pay were punished.
Villages were burned to the ground. Women were raped. Children were kidnapped. Men were slaughtered, elders executed, and the survivors were secretly sold to the Klian Empire—where slavery of humans and all other races was legal—through intermediaries tied to Duke Vetus.
Duke Marius could do nothing about it. The commander stationed in Duke Vetus's territory had been nominated by Duke Marius himself and formally appointed with the understanding that neither faction would interfere in the other's domain, maintaining a façade of cooperation.
In truth, the commander was Duke Vetus's own blood—Viscount Kray Vetus, son of Count Larry Vetus and the duke's nephew.
The situation, however, was different within Duke Vetus lands. Silver Legion became a thorn in Duke Marius side. After enduring it for two years, Marius reached his limit. He sent his niece to attend the regular envoy meetings between the dukes, the Marquess of the South, and representatives of other regions, signaling his intent to petition the Crown withdraw the Legion.
Duke Vetus was displeased. He formally petitioned the Crown over the withdrawal.
But the Prince Regent intervened. Alexius assured him that the Silver Legion would gain greater benefits by training in the capital and hinted at future positions within the central government.
In the end, Duke Vetus was convinced.
Baron continued,
he himself the Vice Commander of the Silver Legion and common officers and soldiers were forced to witness these atrocities. They were powerless to intervene.
He gasped for air, the Sovereign's Aura loosening that he could stand but he refused and still kneel down showing respect tot he Prince Regent.
"My father and I… we hid three hundred refugees in the valleys of Ravenshire. For that, we are traitors to the dukes. But by staying silent, we became traitors to you as well.
Kill me if you must, Your Highness. But please… protect my family. Take the authority you deserve, and—when you do—end the suffering of the people."
Alexius retracted the aura instantly. The mountain weigh pressuring upon the Baron felt relieved.
"Elias," Alexius said, to the man standing beside.
"Prepare the mobilization orders for the Venator Order. And find Vane."
He looked at Comwell smiling dvilishly,
"I have plan for you. A very very good plan!"
"Y–Yes?" the baron replied, surprised.
Continue.....