Harigupta bowed slightly. "The wealth you see before you was accumulated over many years."
He pointed toward another column. "Our expenditure grows each year. Our income… does not."
He turned toward the map. "Every province outside direct royal authority slowly reduces the kingdom's revenue. They were all controlled by local lords. As they submit loyalty to the throne, we have to provide funds, but for various reasons, they always refuse to pay taxes. As a result, most of our taxes come from our capital only, which clearly isn't enough, as unlike big kingdoms, our strength didn't center around the capital. The capital city only makes up one third of the population..."
He looked directly at Karna. "If this continues another decade… the treasury will remain beautiful… but empty. It is like a granary that looks full from the outside while the grain within slowly turns to dust."
Silence lingered.
Karna said quietly, "That is not a problem… we will give an opportunity for the local lords to submit taxes without holding them."
Harigupta replied immediately. "But Your Majesty, it is not easy for that to happen. Unless Maharaj launches a campaign against the local warlords. As most of them maintain their small but own army. But if Maharaj does that, it will send a bad message to the people of Anga. Everyone will think that as soon as their new king has come, he does bloodshed. It won't be good for Maharaj's image."
To that, Karna frowned, "The gold doesn't belong to them or their ancestors that they can hold it in their treasure chests. The taxes belonged to the people of Anga only. As for me, I don't care about my image. I will summon them to the court and ask them directly. Those who make the right choice will receive mercy and forgiveness, but those who don't will receive no mercy from me. Now, next..."
Another minister then slowly stood. "This servant is Lakshmidhara, Minister of Revenue." Unlike Harigupta's polished appearance, Lakshmidhara's robes bore faint stains of soil. "Apologies for my unkempt appearance, Maharaj. As soon as I heard you summoned me, I rushed here from the nearby village where I have gone for land inspection."
He then walked toward the large map. "Our harvests remain plentiful." He pointed toward the fertile plains. "Suranadi Province continues producing grain beyond its own needs. Kundivana supplies nearly half the capital. The farmers remain diligent." He sighed. "But prosperity rarely reaches the throne. As Minister Harigupta pointed out, the local warlords snatch most of it."
The room became quieter.
Lakshmidhara continued, "Several nobles continue collecting taxes. But they no longer deliver them to Champa. They tell the villagers the money still belongs to the king." He lowered his gaze. "The king simply never receives it. It is like a river that still flows, yet never reaches the sea."
Viraj Sena quietly added, "We estimate nearly two-fifths of Anga's revenue never reaches the capital. However, the orders from Hastinapur were clear as well. We shouldn't touch them in order to keep administration stable here. It is a small price to pay. But since you are now the King of Anga, it is up to you to decide the fate of Anga."
Karna frowned, "Two-fifths… the situation seemed more serious than I expected." He then raised his head to look at Lakshmidhara and asked, "And do the people support those local warlords?"
Lakshmidhara shook his head. "The people support whoever protects them. If the crown cannot reach their villages… they naturally turn toward those who can. A farmer does not ask whose flag flies above the fort. He asks whose soldiers stand between his fields and the raiders."
No one objected. It was an uncomfortable truth.
Karna nodded, "Understood. We shall raise this point with them as well. As I have mentioned earlier, under my administration, injustice and adharma will not happen."
The next official stood. "This servant is Vikramjit, Commissioner of Border Affairs." Unlike the previous ministers, he carried no scrolls. Instead, he unfurled another map entirely. It was covered in colored stones—green, yellow, red.
He placed a green stone upon Champa. "This remains firmly beneath Your Majesty's authority."
Another. "Kundivana." Another. "Suranadi."
Then came yellow stones. "These still acknowledge the throne. But only in words."
Finally, three red stones. The room became noticeably quieter.
Vikramjit rested one finger upon the largest.
"Lord Rithudhaman. His domain is only supposed to cover the Town of Devanagari, but in reality, he governs nearly the entirety of Vetragiri, which, based on land area, is as big as one-tenth of the kingdom. He has never declared himself king. However, he still ignores every order sent from Champa. He doesn't even accept court summons, even under the previous king's administration. The problem with Lord Rithudhaman is that he has firm ties with Magadha and many other small kingdoms. He is also referred to as the merchant king, for he monopolizes the trade of spices, as well as fish, in the kingdom."
His finger moved. "Lord Keshivarma." A few ministers frowned. "Unlike Lord Ripudhaman, he no longer hides his ambitions. He self-appointed himself as the Raja of Simhachal. He was running his own administration in his own way in his region and had a 10,000-soldier army." He smiled bitterly. "Because he is related to the past dynasty, he believes that Anga rightfully belongs to him. However, just like Rithudaman ji, he has an alliance with Magadha, and Hastinapur didn't want a war with Maharaj Jarasandha over that small region. Hence, he was never bothered."
His final finger rested upon another marker. "Chief Haripal." Unlike before, Vikramjit smiled. "He is different. He leads the forest tribes of Chintala. He claims no throne. He seeks no kingdom. He merely refuses outside rule, atleast in the forests. He pays tribute to the crown regularly, and he doesn't harm those who enter the forests for living either. So, he could be considered an ally."
Karna studied the map. "Hmm… atleast something good happened so far."
"Okay, Next?"
At last, an elderly man slowly rose. His skin had darkened beneath years of sunlight. A long hunting knife rested upon his waist. Unlike every other official present, his robes were stitched from coarse forest cloth rather than silk. He bowed.
"This old servant is Aranyapala. I oversee the forests of Anga. Making sure that they weren't destroyed by too much woodcutting and hunting."
The atmosphere subtly changed.
Aranyapala spread another map. It showed almost no roads—only trees, rivers, mountains. Then one vast region, darkly shaded. He placed his hand upon it.
"Kaalavana."
No one spoke.
"It is the oldest forest within Anga. Used to be famous for hunting grounds for generations..." His eyes slowly hardened. "But no one hunts there anymore."
Karna quietly asked, "Why?"
Aranyapala remained silent for several moments. Then he answered. "For the past couple of years, strange things began. First, livestock began disappearing from the surrounding villages of the forest. Then people began disappearing after sunset. Everyone no longer leaves their homes. We were asked for help, and we sent the soldiers to find the missing people." His weathered hand tightened. "But whoever entered the forest never returns. So we let it go."
He slowly lifted his gaze toward Karna. "And now, for the past few months..." His voice became unusually heavy. "Children have begun disappearing from homes."
Silence. Complete silence. Even Viraj Sena lowered his eyes.
Aranyapala added, "As far as six villages have vacated in fear."
Karna asked the question no one else had. "You believe Rakshasas are responsible."
Aranyapala nodded. "We think there is a rakshasa tribe living in there. Perhaps something worse." He bowed deeply. "This old servant has served Anga for forty-two years. I have seen drought. I have seen plague. I have seen war. But…" His voice dropped almost to a whisper. "never have I seen a forest swallow children without leaving even tears behind. It is as if the night itself has grown hungry, and the children are the only food that satisfies it."
The council chamber fell into profound silence.
Karna's gaze remained fixed upon the dark region marked upon the map. Kaalavana.