Chapter 91 – Administration Reform
Author’s note:
From here to the next few chapters will be more about domestics and politics than battles.
=====
[Well then, Ares-dono, please be careful on your way to Grants. We’ll meet again in one month.]
[Yeah, in a month, I’ll be expecting you.]
Both Ares and William smiled and shook each other’s hands.
Ares had spent a week staying in Redgear, inspecting the fertile land and the well-trained soldiers.
The development was actually more than what he expected.
[I assure you, Ares-sama! If I happen to be unable to come, then I’ll come a year later with some soldiers. They should prove useful.]
(Dear husband, I will quickly recruit and train a lot of soldiers so I can meet you again sooner!)
[Oh, yes… I’ll be counting on you…]
Ares forced himself to smile at Liliana. Zion who watched from the side could only give his condolences.
Over the past week, another detail had been added to the content of Redgear’s pledge:
『Liliana will lead a detachment of soldiers to Grants. And afterward, they will be incorporated into the Grants Army.』
or so it said.
When Ares visited Redgear palace in the morning, a few days after that bedroom incident with Liliana, William informed him about this, which obviously showed that she had something to do with it.
As he suppressed the dreadful sense of foreboding… Ares finally left Redgear.
=====
◆
Ares arrived at the Grants’ territory three weeks after he left the Royal Capital.
Heinz, the capital of the former Grants Principality, was where the supplies and manpower from the Schwarzer territory was sent to one after another.
When Ares entered Heinz’ gate, he was greeted by the former sovereign Gail and George.
George and the others had gone in advance to start up the administrative movement.
He immediately gathered the politicians of Grants, giving them detailed instructions so that they could act as soon as possible.
[Welcome, Ares-sama.]
[Welcome back to Heinz, Ares-dono.]
Ares got off his horse, and went to shake Gail’s hand.
[Gail-dono… are you really in good shape to do this?]
[I… cannot certainly say that I am completely fine. But, after I consumed the medicine that Ares-dono sent me, my condition has steadily improved. Therefore, I was able to show up here.]
After the capture of Grants, Ares gave Gail the medicine he concocted himself.
Gail then resumed.
[Originally, Darius was supposed to be the one responsible for welcoming you… but he has been sparring with Sigurd-dono unceasingly every day since the latter arrived back here.]
He laughed as he said so.
[Ares-sama, I’m sure you are tired from the long travel… but I need milord to finalize the plan, so would you please follow me to the administrative office immediately?
Perhaps fearing that the conversation would take too long, George chimed in.
Ares could only laugh wryly at George who already pushed in more work as soon as he arrived.
[Sure, let’s do that. Can you inform Sigurd and Darius to come as well? …and Shion too…]
[They should be already waiting at the office.]
[….eh, that’s rare.]
[They had suggestions and we’ve been preparing for a while after all.]
And recalling something, George added.
[Right right, there is also new and promising talent.]
[New and promising talent?]
[Ares-sama should already be familiar with him.]
After saying so, George turned around and headed to the office.
Seeing this, Ares laughed and followed suit alongside Gail.
=====
◆
When Ares entered the office with George and Gail, the first thing that entered his sight was Shion who was studying a map with an unusually serious expression.
His brain must be working hard concocting battle strategies… Ares thought inwardly. Shifting his gaze to another spot… he noticed a familiar face.
[Elan! You are Elan, aren’t you!?]
[It’s been a long time, Ares-sama.]
Over there, stood the figure of Elan who was his long time friend but had always been refusing to serve as his retainer due to reasons.
[I’m glad that you are here… but is it really alright?]
[Yes, I’ve left my shop under my brother-in-law’s care.]
Having said that, Elan continued on.
[I’ve promised Ares-sama before,and now it’s time for me to fulfill it. If you will, I would like to serve as your retainer.]
Seeing his long time friend kneel before him, Ares rushed forward and urged Elan to stand up.
[Thank you, Elan. Your presence here gives me peace of mind.]
Ares and Elan laughed to each other… when suddenly the door was opened harshly.
[It’s my win this time!]
[It certainly was, but I’m still ahead with a score of 10 to 9. Don’t be full of yourself just yet!]
[Hah! I’ll surely win again next time and we’ll be even. Just you wait soon…]
Sigurd and Darius entered the office side by side… Ares could only wonder when did those two became close friends.
The two noticed that everyone’s gaze was pointed at them. They laughed in embarrassment.
[Everyone is here already. Shall we now begin?]
George put up the draft of the organization chart on the wall.
=====
◆
In the office, other than Ares, Sigurd, Darius, Shion, George, Gail and Elan… were several people who formerly served as Grants Principality’s generals and domestic officers. Basically everyone who will be the important figures in governing Grants.
Grants was a country of warriors. There are a lot of soldiers, but little domestic officers.
Grants Sovereign Gail had actually governed Grants with this very limited amount of officers.
There are two particularly notable officers in Grants.
The first one was Bergan. A brown-eyed, 40 year old man with solidly-built body.
He has an unusually good political sense for a local and had been serving as the prime minister even when Gail was still a prince. It could be said that he’s [Gail’s Lifeline] when it comes to governing Grants.
The other one was Gail’s first son and Darius’ older brother, Ramires Grants. Unlike his little brother Darius, Ramires had little to no talent in martial arts, but he could be considered as a genius in terms of political affairs.
When Gail noticed this, he immediately transferred the heir position to Darius in order to remove the burden on Ramires. Eventually Gail offered the administrative position to Ramires so that he could gain some experience as a domestic officer.
Ramires understood his father’s intention, thus gladly took the post.
[People believe that there are barely any civil officers in Grants… but, that’s not actually the case.]
George said.
After talking with them and gauging their talent, George was pleased with the result.
With George’s cue, everyone sat on nearby chairs. Even Shion who’s been deep in thought planning strategies stopped what he was doing and looked straight at George’s paper.
[Everyone, today I will show you the policy and strategy that Grants should follow. I will be responsible for political affairs, while Shion will be in charge of military strategy.]
George kept speaking while looking at everyone present.
[First of all, each one of you will need a positiont. Here are the positions I’ve planned for each of you to take.]
George pointed at the administrative organization chart. Everyone observed the chart closely.
Firstly, Ares’s name was listed as Chief Administrative Officer.
The chart was as follows:
=====
Chief Administrative Officer – Ares
State Secretary – George
State Counsellor – Elan
State Counsellor – Ramires Grants
Consultant – Gail Grants
Treasury Secretary
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Industry
Secretary of Security – Eckhart Grants
Civil Engineering Secretary
Family Register Secretary – Bergan
=====
[Are those the positions we will be in charge of?]
Hearing the question, George continued to explain.
[For now, I will handle mostly everything as the State Secretary. Elan-dono here will act as my assistant, helping me delegate work to the appropriate department.]
[Do we have enough manpower?]
Shion asked.
[We managed to pull some from Schwarzer territory… You see, there should be talented people too stubborn to leave the Royal Capital despite not getting a proper job, am I correct?]
Shion chuckled in response to that.
[Ah, THOSE people… then let me convince them]
Reverting his view back to Ares, George continued.
[I’d like Gail-dono who has governed this land for decades to join us. But since your sickness has not yet been completely cured, I can only ask you to support us as the consultant.]
[As long as I can help, I will be content. Thank you]
Gail laughed merrily.
[I’d also like Ramires-dono to be my assistant. Since you’ve been involved in Grants’ internal affairs for a long time, your help will be a great aid.]
[If it will make this land prosperous, then I’ll gladly take the post.]
Ramires laughed in affirmation.
[I thought that it’s best if the security is maintained by those who are more familiar with the location, so I’d have to ask Eckhart-dono’s aid in this]
Eckhart was Darius’ younger brother and Gail’s third son. As courageous as his brother, he was mainly involved in external warfare.
Listening to that request, Eckhart complied.
[Also, we will need family registers. I must point out that this is a very important task. Again, this post should go to those who are familiar with the area… therefore I’d like to ask Bergan-dono to take this task.]
[That’s a work I’ve never gotten to do in the past. I’d be happy to serve!]
Belgan replied enthusiastically.
[The remaining posts will be filled in about 3 months time. So please rest assured.]
Right then, Sigurd raised his hand for a question.
[I have one question… what is a family register?]
[A family register… is very important to indicate who stays where.]
George explained as he took out a document.
[If we know who lives where and the actual number, collecting tax and such would be easier to do. As I see it, Grants has more residents than we thought, so we need to make sure of it.]
He said as he unfolded the document.
[Also, should someone die in battle, it’ll be easier for us to contact and aid their relatives. In short, it’s to make people’s lives easier… does that sound easy to understand?]
Sigurd was convinced. Gail was next to throw a question.
[…we had a similar plan… but never got to do it. That will be great. By the way, that document on George-dono’s hand… I am really curious about it.]
[Ah, this document?]
George replied while tapping at the document in his hand.
[George-dono, that’s…]
[It’s something that should be established in this place, a new law]
Afterward, George once again explained to everyone.
[As a frontier territory, we are given a fairly high amount of autonomy. Therefore, I’d like to create a local law, differing to those existing in Arcadia and govern the territory based on it.]
After giving everyone a glance, George continued.
[Of course, even Ares-sama will not be exempt from this new law.]
[!? What do you mean?]
Sigurd protested. But Ares… he simply smiled quietly.
[If the people in the ruling positions have to obey the law, then the people would willingly follow as well. The law will cover and protect both the people and their lords. I can’t divulge the full contents yet… but I can give you the most important of it to serve as a guideline.]
It could be said that the idea behind the [Constitutional Monarchy] that was later practiced on the Arestia Dominion was born right there.
Once George finished his explanation…
[Of course, the reform of this area has only just begun. The first step we have to make is to enrich our resources. The representatives from Redgear, Trevoir, and Brittany will arrive here next month. I intend to come up with a future policy by then.]
With George concluding his speech, Ares looked over and said.
[Is there anyone who is against this decision?]
After confirming that none was against it, Ares signed the administrative organization chart.
Right after he signed it, the paper started to glow.
[This paper contains the magic of the church… a holy paper, so to speak. Everyone here should try their best to abide to their post]
[Yes, Milord!]
And so, the foundation of Grants’ politics… the Administrative Organization was formed.
Chapter 91 – Administration Reform
Author’s note:
From here to the next few chapters will be more about domestics and politics than battles.
=====
[Well then, Ares-dono, please be careful on your way to Grants. We’ll meet again in one month.]
[Yeah, in a month, I’ll be expecting you.]
Both Ares and William smiled and shook each other’s hands.
Ares had spent a week staying in Redgear, inspecting the fertile land and the well-trained soldiers.
The development was actually more than what he expected.
[I assure you, Ares-sama! If I happen to be unable to come, then I’ll come a year later with some soldiers. They should prove useful.]
(Dear husband, I will quickly recruit and train a lot of soldiers so I can meet you again sooner!)
[Oh, yes… I’ll be counting on you…]
Ares forced himself to smile at Liliana. Zion who watched from the side could only give his condolences.
Over the past week, another detail had been added to the content of Redgear’s pledge:
『Liliana will lead a detachment of soldiers to Grants. And afterward, they will be incorporated into the Grants Army.』
or so it said.
When Ares visited Redgear palace in the morning, a few days after that bedroom incident with Liliana, William informed him about this, which obviously showed that she had something to do with it.
As he suppressed the dreadful sense of foreboding… Ares finally left Redgear.
=====
◆
Ares arrived at the Grants’ territory three weeks after he left the Royal Capital.
Heinz, the capital of the former Grants Principality, was where the supplies and manpower from the Schwarzer territory was sent to one after another.
When Ares entered Heinz’ gate, he was greeted by the former sovereign Gail and George.
George and the others had gone in advance to start up the administrative movement.
He immediately gathered the politicians of Grants, giving them detailed instructions so that they could act as soon as possible.
[Welcome, Ares-sama.]
[Welcome back to Heinz, Ares-dono.]
Ares got off his horse, and went to shake Gail’s hand.
[Gail-dono… are you really in good shape to do this?]
[I… cannot certainly say that I am completely fine. But, after I consumed the medicine that Ares-dono sent me, my condition has steadily improved. Therefore, I was able to show up here.]
After the capture of Grants, Ares gave Gail the medicine he concocted himself.
Gail then resumed.
[Originally, Darius was supposed to be the one responsible for welcoming you… but he has been sparring with Sigurd-dono unceasingly every day since the latter arrived back here.]
He laughed as he said so.
[Ares-sama, I’m sure you are tired from the long travel… but I need milord to finalize the plan, so would you please follow me to the administrative office immediately?
Perhaps fearing that the conversation would take too long, George chimed in.
Ares could only laugh wryly at George who already pushed in more work as soon as he arrived.
[Sure, let’s do that. Can you inform Sigurd and Darius to come as well? …and Shion too…]
[They should be already waiting at the office.]
[….eh, that’s rare.]
[They had suggestions and we’ve been preparing for a while after all.]
And recalling something, George added.
[Right right, there is also new and promising talent.]
[New and promising talent?]
[Ares-sama should already be familiar with him.]
After saying so, George turned around and headed to the office.
Seeing this, Ares laughed and followed suit alongside Gail.
=====
◆
When Ares entered the office with George and Gail, the first thing that entered his sight was Shion who was studying a map with an unusually serious expression.
His brain must be working hard concocting battle strategies… Ares thought inwardly. Shifting his gaze to another spot… he noticed a familiar face.
[Elan! You are Elan, aren’t you!?]
[It’s been a long time, Ares-sama.]
Over there, stood the figure of Elan who was his long time friend but had always been refusing to serve as his retainer due to reasons.
[I’m glad that you are here… but is it really alright?]
[Yes, I’ve left my shop under my brother-in-law’s care.]
Having said that, Elan continued on.
[I’ve promised Ares-sama before,and now it’s time for me to fulfill it. If you will, I would like to serve as your retainer.]
Seeing his long time friend kneel before him, Ares rushed forward and urged Elan to stand up.
[Thank you, Elan. Your presence here gives me peace of mind.]
Ares and Elan laughed to each other… when suddenly the door was opened harshly.
[It’s my win this time!]
[It certainly was, but I’m still ahead with a score of 10 to 9. Don’t be full of yourself just yet!]
[Hah! I’ll surely win again next time and we’ll be even. Just you wait soon…]
Sigurd and Darius entered the office side by side… Ares could only wonder when did those two became close friends.
The two noticed that everyone’s gaze was pointed at them. They laughed in embarrassment.
[Everyone is here already. Shall we now begin?]
George put up the draft of the organization chart on the wall.
=====
◆
In the office, other than Ares, Sigurd, Darius, Shion, George, Gail and Elan… were several people who formerly served as Grants Principality’s generals and domestic officers. Basically everyone who will be the important figures in governing Grants.
Grants was a country of warriors. There are a lot of soldiers, but little domestic officers.
Grants Sovereign Gail had actually governed Grants with this very limited amount of officers.
There are two particularly notable officers in Grants.
The first one was Bergan. A brown-eyed, 40 year old man with solidly-built body.
He has an unusually good political sense for a local and had been serving as the prime minister even when Gail was still a prince. It could be said that he’s [Gail’s Lifeline] when it comes to governing Grants.
The other one was Gail’s first son and Darius’ older brother, Ramires Grants. Unlike his little brother Darius, Ramires had little to no talent in martial arts, but he could be considered as a genius in terms of political affairs.
When Gail noticed this, he immediately transferred the heir position to Darius in order to remove the burden on Ramires. Eventually Gail offered the administrative position to Ramires so that he could gain some experience as a domestic officer.
Ramires understood his father’s intention, thus gladly took the post.
[People believe that there are barely any civil officers in Grants… but, that’s not actually the case.]
George said.
After talking with them and gauging their talent, George was pleased with the result.
With George’s cue, everyone sat on nearby chairs. Even Shion who’s been deep in thought planning strategies stopped what he was doing and looked straight at George’s paper.
[Everyone, today I will show you the policy and strategy that Grants should follow. I will be responsible for political affairs, while Shion will be in charge of military strategy.]
George kept speaking while looking at everyone present.
[First of all, each one of you will need a positiont. Here are the positions I’ve planned for each of you to take.]
George pointed at the administrative organization chart. Everyone observed the chart closely.
Firstly, Ares’s name was listed as Chief Administrative Officer.
The chart was as follows:
=====
Chief Administrative Officer – Ares
State Secretary – George
State Counsellor – Elan
State Counsellor – Ramires Grants
Consultant – Gail Grants
Treasury Secretary
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Industry
Secretary of Security – Eckhart Grants
Civil Engineering Secretary
Family Register Secretary – Bergan
=====
[Are those the positions we will be in charge of?]
Hearing the question, George continued to explain.
[For now, I will handle mostly everything as the State Secretary. Elan-dono here will act as my assistant, helping me delegate work to the appropriate department.]
[Do we have enough manpower?]
Shion asked.
[We managed to pull some from Schwarzer territory… You see, there should be talented people too stubborn to leave the Royal Capital despite not getting a proper job, am I correct?]
Shion chuckled in response to that.
[Ah, THOSE people… then let me convince them]
Reverting his view back to Ares, George continued.
[I’d like Gail-dono who has governed this land for decades to join us. But since your sickness has not yet been completely cured, I can only ask you to support us as the consultant.]
[As long as I can help, I will be content. Thank you]
Gail laughed merrily.
[I’d also like Ramires-dono to be my assistant. Since you’ve been involved in Grants’ internal affairs for a long time, your help will be a great aid.]
[If it will make this land prosperous, then I’ll gladly take the post.]
Ramires laughed in affirmation.
[I thought that it’s best if the security is maintained by those who are more familiar with the location, so I’d have to ask Eckhart-dono’s aid in this]
Eckhart was Darius’ younger brother and Gail’s third son. As courageous as his brother, he was mainly involved in external warfare.
Listening to that request, Eckhart complied.
[Also, we will need family registers. I must point out that this is a very important task. Again, this post should go to those who are familiar with the area… therefore I’d like to ask Bergan-dono to take this task.]
[That’s a work I’ve never gotten to do in the past. I’d be happy to serve!]
Belgan replied enthusiastically.
[The remaining posts will be filled in about 3 months time. So please rest assured.]
Right then, Sigurd raised his hand for a question.
[I have one question… what is a family register?]
[A family register… is very important to indicate who stays where.]
George explained as he took out a document.
[If we know who lives where and the actual number, collecting tax and such would be easier to do. As I see it, Grants has more residents than we thought, so we need to make sure of it.]
He said as he unfolded the document.
[Also, should someone die in battle, it’ll be easier for us to contact and aid their relatives. In short, it’s to make people’s lives easier… does that sound easy to understand?]
Sigurd was convinced. Gail was next to throw a question.
[…we had a similar plan… but never got to do it. That will be great. By the way, that document on George-dono’s hand… I am really curious about it.]
[Ah, this document?]
George replied while tapping at the document in his hand.
[George-dono, that’s…]
[It’s something that should be established in this place, a new law]
Afterward, George once again explained to everyone.
[As a frontier territory, we are given a fairly high amount of autonomy. Therefore, I’d like to create a local law, differing to those existing in Arcadia and govern the territory based on it.]
After giving everyone a glance, George continued.
[Of course, even Ares-sama will not be exempt from this new law.]
[!? What do you mean?]
Sigurd protested. But Ares… he simply smiled quietly.
[If the people in the ruling positions have to obey the law, then the people would willingly follow as well. The law will cover and protect both the people and their lords. I can’t divulge the full contents yet… but I can give you the most important of it to serve as a guideline.]
It could be said that the idea behind the [Constitutional Monarchy] that was later practiced on the Arestia Dominion was born right there.
Once George finished his explanation…
[Of course, the reform of this area has only just begun. The first step we have to make is to enrich our resources. The representatives from Redgear, Trevoir, and Brittany will arrive here next month. I intend to come up with a future policy by then.]
With George concluding his speech, Ares looked over and said.
[Is there anyone who is against this decision?]
After confirming that none was against it, Ares signed the administrative organization chart.
Right after he signed it, the paper started to glow.
[This paper contains the magic of the church… a holy paper, so to speak. Everyone here should try their best to abide to their post]
[Yes, Milord!]
And so, the foundation of Grants’ politics… the Administrative Organization was formed.
