Toward Independence

I had set out to gain independence as a mere noble, only to end up seceding as an entire country.

I didn't even understand what I was saying anymore, but since I had already accepted the responsibility, I had no choice but to see it through. I have a sinking feeling that my standard-issue Ruin Flag has just evolved into a localized apocalypse, I thought. The only silver lining was that I no longer faced execution due to complicity; that was something, at least.

Still, the problems were stacking up.

To begin with, while this territory was quite developed, that was strictly by the standards of a feudal estate. If we were to consider ourselves a sovereign nation, we were lacking in almost every category. For the time being, I had sent Fritz to the Sage’s Tower to retrieve Magic Tools for our National Army. We had to leverage every resource at our disposal—especially the Magic Tools that served as this land's specialty.

“A-anyway, for now, we’ve secured our independence as a nation, and I’ve become its king… wait.”

Was I actually the king?

The King of Inraku had stated that he recognized our independence as a country, but he hadn't explicitly said that I was the one who would lead it. In other words, there might still be a way to foist the job onto someone else…

“Fee!”

“Of course you are the king, Lord Yuri,” she replied instantly.

“I haven’t even said anything yet!”

“I didn’t need you to. I already knew.”

Damn it.

Wasn't being a king just a losing role where you were forced to take the fall whenever something went wrong? I’d always pictured it as a job where you sat in a fancy chair and sent the Hero off on a quest, but that was just my own bias talking. In reality, it meant drowning in a sea of paperwork. I would have to set national policies, negotiate with foreign powers…

The sheer volume of work was going to swallow every second of my free time.

“Maybe I should just make a run for it.”

“Absolutely not,” Fee said.

“Ugh. I just want to live a peaceful life.”

“Then you should turn this country into that kind of place. I know you can do it, Lord Yuri.”

I suppose she’s right…

There was no reason to be bound by conventional molds. I could just build my own kind of country from the ground up.

“Alright, in that case—”

“First, we work.”

Fee’s hand clamped onto me with a crushing grip. It was as if she had read my next move before I’d even thought of it.

“No, I was just—”

“Lord Yuri, you were trying to escape again. The work is piling up. You can’t leave it all to Lady Sasha; that would be cruel.”

“Look, things just progress more smoothly when you leave the work to the people who are actually good at it…”

“You’ve been away from the country for a long time. The least you can do is help while you’re actually here. Now, come along.”

“O-okay, I get it…”

Left with no other choice, I allowed myself to be hauled off toward Sasha.

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