On the First Day of My Election, I Possessed the Prince of a Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Ah~ I really need to bring in more people, seriously.”

My conversation with the Queen went on until late into the night.

She kept trying to act as though she had been asked for help all of a sudden, but she had clearly planned and thought through far too much for that to be true.

She had even decided what I was supposed to do the very next day and told me outright.

“Yaaawn~”

Thanks to that, I had to sit in a carriage and review documents from early this morning.

I had come out at dawn, and the carriage kept rattling at regular intervals.

If the matter had been of any lesser importance, I would have fallen asleep long ago.

But everyone in the Audit Team was giving their all in their own area of expertise, so I ought to do the same in mine.

“Your Highness, we have arrived.”

“Yes.”

After riding for quite a while, we arrived at the far edge of Yeramerian’s countryside.

A small village beside Yeramerian’s treasure trove, the mining region.

It was a place where miners, jewelers, and many other related workers were gathered in large numbers.

“What is this? Why is there a carriage here?”

“Is that not a royal carriage?”

From the moment the carriage door opened until I stepped down, everyone nearby stopped walking and stared at it.

Then they began whispering among themselves.

“They just said ‘His Highness’ a moment ago.”

“Then is the person coming out of there really a prince?”

“I guess? I have never seen royalty before.”

Perhaps because this was not an age where news and photographs circulated like they did in modern times, the atmosphere here was completely different from the capital.

Some of them were not even sure whether I really was a prince.

“This feels unsettling.”

“It does. Why all of a sudden?”

But that did not mean anyone’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

What I felt from them was not merely unfamiliarity, but outright negative emotion.

Anxiety. Wariness. Rejection.

Still, I could not resent them for reacting that way, nor did I feel wronged by it.

I had a rough idea why they all felt this way.

“This is Prince Noel of Yeramerian. Please show proper respect.”

At the words of the official who had accompanied me, the murmuring villagers all fell silent and bowed to me.

But the chilly atmosphere still would not fade.

“Good day. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Noel.”

Hmm. Judging by their eyes, this was hopeless.

There was no point in even trying for the image of a warm, friendly leader.

Then I would go straight to Plan B.

“There are quite a few of you here who were suddenly dragged off by people from the capital and exploited without pay, are there not?”

At my words, the villagers’ previously sullen faces changed in all kinds of ways.

Some looked startled, some trembled for an instant in fear, and some still regarded me with suspicion.

Everyone began to panic in their own way, wondering what this was about.

“I am looking for people who would like to take revenge on them while earning high wages.”

At the words that followed, their expressions became more or less uniform.

What on earth is he talking about?

That single thought seemed to settle over every face.

At least I had succeeded in piquing their curiosity.

“We need experts to help assess the kingdom’s physical assets. I came here to recruit people willing to work anywhere from one week to one month, depending on the period they prefer.”

Now that I had reached the point, everyone who had been confused finally looked as though they had found the answer and felt relieved.

That did not mean they looked particularly positive, though.

“Hmm.”

It could not be helped.

In a Yeramerian where diamonds had been exchanged for bricks, the labor of workers in this region had only been devalued more and more as time passed.

On top of that, I knew many of them had been forcibly dragged away to carry out the nobles’ filthy dealings.

In that situation, I was asking them to come to the capital and work?

“Um, I have been a little behind on a delivery this time.”

“I think it may be a little difficult for me right now as well.”

Knowing they might be dragged off by force, everyone timidly tried to refuse.

That meant a deep sort of fear had settled at the foundation.

There were all kinds of concerns here that outweighed mere uncertainty over pay.

“For the record, I have no intention of using this as an excuse to uncover accomplices or anything of the sort.”

They were probably afraid of punishment or retaliation.

“The majority of you are not accomplices. You are victims who were dragged into it, are you not?”

Had the rumors that I had changed not spread this far yet?

Should I test it?

“I am already busy enough locking up the people who actually embezzled funds. The prisons are overflowing.”

That line, casually tossed out in a joking tone, carried a very clear message.

Prince Noel—the one the whole world once treated like a joke—is now sweeping nobles into prison.

“What?”

Only then did confusion and a spark of life appear in their eyes.

All right.

I should update them on the news a little.

“These days, I have been arresting Corrupt Officials in order to restore Yeramerian. I came here to find experts capable of verifying physical assets for that purpose.”

The villagers, who had started listening carefully to my words, exchanged glances.

Was what I had just said really true?

And if it was, why was the kingdom suddenly doing this?

While everyone was turning that question over in their heads, one young man shot his hand straight into the air.

“Will you really pay us?”

He was a young man with orange hair, about as tall as Douglas and even more thickly muscled.

“I will pay well.”

I answered with a broad, confident smile.

“Then I will go.”

At Gilbert’s sudden declaration, everyone around him looked startled.

A few even tugged lightly at his sleeve, as though trying to stop him.

“Why? It is good if I can take revenge and make money too. I finished all my work for this month last week.”

But Gilbert did not seem to be the type who picked up on hints.

That much was obvious from how loudly he answered the person who had tried to tug at his sleeve in warning.

“What is your name?”

“Gilbert. I do blacksmithing and jewelry work, so I am confident in my ability to appraise gems.”

At Gilbert’s bold response, everyone began looking at one another again.

“Good. You may leave whenever you wish.”

“I could leave right now, but I do not have a carriage. I do not even have money for the ride.”

I had thought Douglas was the sort who could speak up fairly well, but this one was a truly headlong type.

I barely managed to suppress a laugh.

“We will be accepting volunteers besides those present here today. In that case, you may ride the carriage I send at a fixed time each day.”

At my explanation, everyone fell into thought.

It seemed they were each starting to think of suitable candidates.

But Gilbert, who clearly thought he himself was the best candidate, raised his hand again.

“When will you start sending the carriage?”

“I plan to send it on days when there are volunteers.”

“Is there no option where I leave today? I will be busy again in half a month.”

“Then you can ride in my carriage.”

At the words that he could ride in my carriage, everyone looked shocked.

Even the coachman looked startled.

Do you even know who that man is?

I could practically see that thought passing between them and me as they looked back and forth.

“Ah, I understand. My house is nearby, so I think I can just go fetch my things right away.”

I nearly laughed again, but held it back.

Those were the clearest-eyed, most genuinely human words and actions I had seen from an adult in years.

If a man with eyes like that said he wanted to start helping from today, there was no need to screen him any further.

I could take him on the spot.

“Ah, but does a prince usually come in person to recruit laborers like this?”

At Gilbert’s next question, the others lowered their heads, trying to suppress their laughter.

Wow.

It really was rare to find someone who spoke to a prince like that.

The fact that it was a sincere question rather than mockery made it even funnier.

But I had not come all the way here to perform comedy.

“Because I came to ask for work that could change the country.”

I delivered a line that was plausible, and mixed with just enough truth to sound convincing.

At once, the traces of amusement vanished from their faces.

Not that they had turned cold again like before.

“May I ask how one is supposed to volunteer?”

“We are not the only residents here. Does everything have to be decided right this moment?”

Rather, they had begun listening seriously to the subject.

Perhaps the thought had finally taken root that their lives—and Yeramerian itself—might truly change.

That was enough.

“The detailed information is all written on this large sheet. Even the details about the pay are laid out transparently.”

The official immediately spread the large notice I had brought in front of them.

Everyone stared intently at the contents written across the papyrus.

Gilbert also lifted his head, skimmed the contents, and then ran off somewhere at once.

He was probably going to fetch his belongings.

“Which path gets the most traffic—no, rather, where do the most people pass through? I think it would be best to hang this there.”

“This fork in the road gets the most foot traffic.”

“We will secure it there.”

The chill I had felt when I first stepped out of the carriage was no longer present in the village.

They were still hesitant, but their attitude toward me had completely changed.

If things changed little by little, slowly and steadily like this, then Yeramerian would surely change as well.

“What? He ordered us to inspect the physical assets?”

“Yes.”

“Which warehouse?”

“All the warehouses in the capital region.”

But not everyone welcomed Prince Noel’s actions.

What Prince Noel was trying to do was, in effect, an audit procedure.

It was the stage where we would confirm who had been tampering with the state treasury, and by how much.

“No, why all of a sudden? Why does he want that done right now?”

“He did not explain his reasons. His Highness simply came in person and issued the order.”

“That lunatic came here himself?!”

Naturally, if this were carried out properly, many people would welcome the process.

But from the perspective of the chief warehouse overseer, who had been falsifying the records of physical assets, it felt as though the fire had not merely reached his feet, but landed on the top of his head.

“Right now?!”

“Yes.”

“No, what if I had happened to be on leave? How can he suddenly do this?!”

Those with guilty consciences jumped to their feet in shock.

And they already knew that the nobles whose corruption they had turned a blind eye to were being hauled off to prison one after another.

For the chief warehouse overseer, this was no matter to scoff at or dismiss with a click of the tongue.

“Haah, honestly. Just because he is a prince, does that mean he can make people work whenever he pleases?”

Yes, it did.

That was what they were paid to do.

But the administrator, who had never properly done his work during work hours in the first place, was far too busy desperately thinking for his life.

“Haah. He should have just stayed where he belonged, sitting around playing the saint as usual. Why does someone who knows nothing have to march all the way here?”

Grumble, grumble, grumble.

The administrator voiced his complaints aloud the whole way as he went to receive the prince.

It was the classic reaction of someone whose anxiety was rising.

“It is an honor that Your Highness has graced us with your precious presence.”

Though, naturally, all that bravado vanished the moment he stood before Prince Noel.

“Yes. Let us see the main warehouse first.”

Prince Noel did not answer any of that.

He merely spoke brusquely, saying only what he wanted to say.

The administrator forcibly smoothed out the grimace threatening to crease his face and obediently led Prince Noel toward the warehouse.

“You may think of the main warehouse as storing primarily diamonds. It is where the physical taxes paid mostly by counts and higher nobles are gathered.”

As he calmly explained the warehouse, the administrator quickly swept his eyes over Prince Noel and the people behind him.

Just look at the state of the clothes on the attendants who came with him.

I had heard the royal family was running out of money, but it seemed they did not even have enough to maintain their attendants’ dignity.

“And the records of the movement of physical assets have all been updated through today?”

“Yes. The assets gathered in the recent tax recovery project have all been entered as well.”

The administrator’s eyes moved busily, though his tone remained respectful.

Looking at him, I smiled slowly.

Yes, laugh as much as you like for now.

You will be heading to prison because of that very tax recovery project too.