I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 49

At the crown prince’s sudden call, Heinshtangl made a grimace unfitting for his age.

‘Why did he call me again? Is there more work for me to do…? Should I just pretend I didn't hear and leave?’

But Heinshtangl didn't have the guts to pretend he hadn't heard the tyrant’s words. In the end, Heinshtangl had no choice but to force a smile and look at Leonardo.

“Yes, Your Highness. For what reason have you called me?”

“I have something to tell you regarding the army reinforcement. I’ve made a rough calculation, and with the assets confiscated from the nobles and criminals this time, we will probably be able to conscript a maximum of about 4,000 new soldiers. That will be the maximum of the budget.”

Heinshtangl stared blankly at Leonardo.

‘The maximum number of new recruits that can be conscripted with the kingdom’s budget is 4,000? What does he mean by that?’

The assets confiscated from the nobles and criminals through the purge and the ‘war on crime’ were just now being brought into the royal castle’s treasury. In other words, the total amount of confiscated assets had not yet been sorted out. As the person in charge of the kingdom’s budget, Heinshtangl knew this better than anyone.

But the crown prince, as if he knew the total of the yet-to-be-confirmed budget, said, 「“With the budget, we will be able to conscript a maximum of 4,000 new soldiers.”」 It was only natural for Heinshtangl not to understand.

‘But I can’t ask His Highness back how he knows that… I should just nod for now. Since His Highness said he calculated it, it would be detrimental to me if I unnecessarily raised doubts.’

Heinshtangl nodded his head shrewdly and replied.

“Yes, Your Highness. You are saying that the maximum number of new recruits that can be conscripted with the budget is 4,000.”

“Yes. However, conscripting all 4,000 would be a burden on the 3rd Knight Order who will be training them, so please make a plan to conscript only 1,500 for now.”

“Ah… I understand.”

Heinshtangl had been flustered when Leonardo suddenly brought up the budget. But on the other hand, he also thought it was a good thing. Since the crown prince had clearly decided on the number of soldiers to be conscripted, he just had to work according to that number.

“Then, Your Highness, where should I use the money left over after recruiting the new soldiers? If we only conscript 1,500 out of a budget that can conscript a maximum of 4,000, it seems quite a lot of the budget will be left over.”

“That is—.”

The crown prince, who had been speaking without hesitation until now, slightly trailed off. At that, Heinshtangl worried that he might have displeased him by asking an unnecessary question, but fortunately, Leonardo did not seem angry.

“—I will tell you later where to use the rest of the budget. For now, please finish the new soldier recruitment quickly based on conscripting 1,500. Please discuss the details of that with Commander Jereuth.”

“Yes, I understand!”

“Understood. I will also think about where to use the remaining budget.”

Jereuth and Heinshtangl, who was below the dais, answered at the same time.

Jereuth, who had been silently listening to the conversation between the merchants, Leonardo, and Heinshtangl during this meeting.

He was very satisfied with the ‘1,500 conscripts’ that Leonardo had mentioned.

‘1,500 new recruits. An exquisite number. That number is tight, but it’s possible to finish the basic training within a month. And it’s also a suitable number for reorganizing the troops.’

Jereuth didn't know if Leonardo had said the number ‘1,500’ knowing all of that, but he judged that the intelligent crown prince would have thought of the number ‘1,500’ after considering such things.

Otherwise, there was no reason for him to order the conscription of exactly 1,500 new recruits.

Of course, Leonardo had only mentioned the number of recruits that appeared in the , but there was no way for Jereuth to know that.

Jereuth looked at Leonardo with a gaze mixed with admiration.

‘He’s only twelve, yet he considers even these parts. He will become even more amazing as time goes on. I too must develop further so as not to hold His Highness back.’

Jereuth had already lived through and welcomed the years to be called an ‘old general,’ but his heart was still the same as when he first took his knight’s oath.

His physical abilities were probably not far behind from that time either. It wasn't for nothing that he was called the ‘single ray of light that cuts through the battlefield,’ or a ‘monster.’

“Then this meeting is concluded. I ask that everyone do their best in their assigned roles.”

Leonardo said as he stood up from his seat. At that, the officials who had been working busily also stood up from their seats.

The officials, all acting in unison without being told. That was the etiquette when dealing with a tyrant.

***

After finishing the meeting and returning to my room.

Clack—.

I took off my mask, placed it carelessly on the table, and sat down in a chair. As I leaned my head against the chair’s headrest, I felt the tension that had built up in me release.

‘Ah… I’m tired.’

Although I had conducted the meeting pretending to be nonchalant, I was actually very nervous. How could I not be nervous? No matter how much I was the highest authority, it was only the second time in my life that I had conducted such an important meeting.

‘I was especially surprised when the merchants came in all battered.’

I had ordered the knights and soldiers, 「“Lightly press down on the merchants’ spirit before the meeting.”」 This was so I could take the lead in the meeting.

I thought the knights and soldiers would simply intimidate them a little. But what do you know, the merchants came into the banquet hall with their clothes all disheveled and terrified. Some even had tear stains on their faces. Their appearance was such that one would think the knights and soldiers had beaten them up.

‘That wasn’t my intention… well, thanks to them thoroughly crushing the merchants’ spirit like that, it became easier for me to lead the negotiations.’

Perhaps it’s because I still don’t know the culture or level of thinking of this world well. My words as the crown prince, ‘simply intimidate them,’ might have been a more dangerous command than I thought.

‘What would have happened if I had said, ‘crush their spirit for sure’? Would they have really beaten them up?’

Anyway.

‘Now that I’ve met the merchants, I should check the .’

Originally, in the , Heinshtangl was supposed to report to me about the budget a week later. And at that time, Heinshtangl was supposed to tell me that he would recruit 1,500 new soldiers.

But since I had predetermined the number of new soldiers as ‘1,500,’ his work would have been reduced. Also, since I had given him an overwhelming advantage in his relationship with the merchants, the future was bound to change.

‘It’s as if I gave Heinshtangl the answer to the most difficult problem. So it’s likely that the future will change in a good direction, but you never know. What kind of variable might pop up.’

Swoosh—.

With these thoughts, I opened the . The future closest to the present.

….

The recruitment of 1,500 new soldiers was completed.

—Fire a powerful shout towards the front!

—Iyaaaaaaaah!

—Down! Roll! Up!!

—Iyaaaaaaaah!!

—Spear, thrust! Swing! Stab!

—Iya! Iyaaah! Iyaaaaaah!

—Hey, you! Fall out!

—S-sorry-!

—Does being sorry end your military service?! Does the royal family’s bread go down your throat while you act like that?!

—No, sir!

—It doesn’t go down?! Are you saying the bread His Highness gave you is not delicious?!

-Th-that’s not it…!

-Then is this inside or outside?! Head on the ground!!

From the training grounds, the sound of the knights and soldiers of the 3rd Knight Order conducting basic training for the new recruits could be heard constantly. From the shouts of the knights and veteran soldiers to the desperate shouts of the new recruits.

The sight of everyone training hard was satisfying, but for some reason, it reminded me of myself undergoing ranger training in the army, and it wasn’t very pleasant. PTSD… that kind of feeling. Maybe armies are similar in every world.

In any case.

The new recruit basic training was more systematic than I thought. From drill training to basic spearmanship, I had wondered how they trained soldiers in a medieval-level civilization, but honestly, it didn’t seem much different from the modern military.

The only difference was that the weapon used in modern times is a gun, while here it is a spear, a sword, and a bow.

However, apart from the new recruits’ training, there was a problem.

It was that after the basic training, when the new recruits were to be fully deployed to the farms and market reconstruction, there was no suitable person to lead them.

Not only the newly recruited soldiers, but also the existing soldiers and the knights of the 3rd Knight Order were all of commoner origin. Therefore, they all had experience in farming.

But what they were familiar with was a ‘small-scale farm.’ The level of farming done by a single family. However, what I wanted was a ‘large-scale farm’ where dozens of soldiers, a large number of people, would work.

None of the soldiers or knights had experience working on a farm of that scale. And of course, no one had experience managing one.

Just in case, I asked Jereuth if he had experience running a large-scale farm, but the answer that came back was, 「“I apologize, Your Highness. Even I, a large-scale farm is….”」 such a diffident reply.

The only ones who had experience running a farm of a similar scale to a large-scale farm were the nobles with large fiefs and their vassals. But they had all been purged and their heads had fallen long ago.

Thanks to recruiting new soldiers, I had a huge amount of manpower prepared. A huge amount of manpower that could be used systematically for farming and market reconstruction.

However, there was no ‘leader’ to lead them.

I couldn’t just blindly say, 「“Farm!”」

….

‘There’s enough manpower to put into large-scale farms, but there’s no leader to manage and operate them… that seems like it could be a problem.’

First, I turned to the next page.

….

I had to find an expert. So I asked the former nobles—the officials—if they had experience in running large-scale farms or large-scale constructions, but no one dared to raise their hand.

Perhaps some of them had experience running fairly large farms. The reason they didn’t step forward confidently might have been because I ruled the officials with fear.

Everyone was terrified, thinking they might be punished if they failed the task I gave them.

In any case, my ‘military economy’ policy had to continue. So I first entrusted the management of the large-scale farms and the market reconstruction to Heinshtangl.

But even after a month, Heinshtangl could not make progress in the farms or market reconstruction. Heinshtangl, a noble from a merchant family, also had no particular knowledge in large-scale farm management or market reconstruction. A series of trials and errors, ups and downs, followed.

….

A few more frustrating weeks passed like that.

Jereuth and the 3rd Knight Order, who had gone to other cities for the ‘war on crime,’ returned. They had completely annihilated the thugs and wicked merchants in the other cities and returned after confiscating a vast amount of assets from the criminals.

That was certainly a welcome event, but I was more pleased that Jereuth himself had returned.

I thought that now that he was back, I could entrust him with the command of the large-scale farms and market work. Although he had said he had no experience running a large-scale farm, I thought he would be better than Heinshtangl since he was used to handling soldiers.

“I would like you, Commander, to take command of the large-scale farm construction and market reconstruction.”

At my request, Jereuth thought for a moment and then shook his head.

“Hmm… Your Highness. When it comes to large-scale farm construction and market reconstruction, that is, ‘farming’ and ‘construction,’ there are individuals far more skilled than I am.”

“…There are such people?”

“Yes. Although it’s a bit of a misnomer to call them ‘people’.”

If I had known there were such individuals, I would have asked beforehand.

I had wasted nearly two months.

It was a pity, but what could I do? I had to think that the best time is when you think you’re late.

“So, who are the people you recommend, Commander?”

“Hmm… Kalitos, and Vaisar. As I said again, it’s a bit of a misnomer to call them ‘people’.”

Kalitos and Vaisar.

They were the experts in farming and construction that Jereuth acknowledged.

That was the last content of the newly written .

‘There was plenty of manpower to put into large-scale farms and market reconstruction, but it seems there was trouble because there was no management class to take the lead.’

No matter how much manpower and budget you have, if there is no proper leader, nothing will work. As they say, if there are too many sailors and no leader, the ship will go up a mountain.

‘The fact that a huge amount of assets will be brought in from the thugs and wicked merchants in other cities is good, but what’s even better is that the names of talented people are mentioned. The names of the talents to whom I can entrust the management of large-scale farms and market reconstruction.’

Their names were ‘Kalitos’ and ‘Vaisar.’

Names I’ve never heard before.

‘Usually, hints don’t come this easily in the , I’m lucky.’

I don't know who Kalitos and Vaisar are, but since the diary said Jereuth recommended them, Jereuth must know them.

As I thought, I rang the bell to call Elly.

Ting-a-ling—.

As soon as I rang the bell, Elly, who was waiting outside the room, came in immediately.

“Did you call, Your Highness?”

In her hand was the ‘caller’ connected to my bell.

‘Wait. Come to think of it, instead of asking Elly to call Jereuth or Heinshtangl every time, can’t I just give them callers too?’

…To think I’m only thinking of this now.

I guess I hadn’t thought of such simple things because I had been thinking about such difficult things like the purge, the ‘war on crime,’ and the kingdom’s economic development until now.

For now, it’s not important, so I decided to think about it later, and I said to Elly.

“Lady Elly, please call Commander Jereuth.”

***

Before long, Elly returned to my room with Jereuth.

Jereuth, as he always did, saluted me sternly and politely and asked.

“Did you call, Your Highness?”

“Yes. It’s just that I have something I want to ask.”

“Please speak.”

Jereuth slightly bowed his waist to concentrate on my words, as if not to miss a single syllable.

I decided to get straight to the point without beating around the bush.

“Do you perhaps know individuals named Kalitos or Vaisar?”

I asked casually, thinking Jereuth would answer immediately.

But.

“…How does Your Highness know of them?”

Jereuth was quite surprised that I knew of Kalitos and Vaisar. It was evident in his tone.

I couldn’t say I saw it in the , so I decided to gloss over it for now.

“Hmm… I thought that to conduct farming or rebuild markets by mobilizing a large number of people like an army, we would need individuals with a knack for such things. So, while I was looking for such individuals, I happened to hear the names ‘Kalitos’ and ‘Vaisar’.”

“Individuals with a knack for large-scale farming or construction…. As Your Highness said, there are certainly no others who know as much about farming and construction as Kalitos and Vaisar. But, Your Highness, they have a problem with becoming operators or managers.”

They know farming and construction well, but there’s a problem with them becoming operators or managers?

It was a bit different from what was written in the . In the diary, it was stated that Jereuth had recommended them.

“I don’t understand what you mean. What do you mean that Kalitos and Vaisar know farming and construction well, but there’s a problem with them becoming operators or managers?”

“…‘Them’?”

Jereuth asked back in a dazed voice, then regained his composure and replied.

“Your Highness, there is a reason why I said those two are not operators or managers. Of course, Kalitos is an expert in farming, and Vaisar is second to none in construction. Even I know that much. There are certainly no others who have done as much work in those fields as those two. However…”

Jereuth, uncharacteristically, trailed off. Finding it frustrating, I urged him on a bit.

“However, what?”

“…”

Jereuth looked at me, then.

He carefully finished his sentence.

“They are slaves. So it is a misnomer to call them managers.”

…Slaves?