Kreg the empaire

A known fact is that Kreg had a terrible system of government for anyone who was not of noble blood.

Misery, poor, illiterate and weak, all the people could do was suffer in silence.

That is, until certain news begins to spread.

A carriage was traveling through the fields and in it were two nobles who offered money to those who opposed the nobles by charging only a small "favor" in the future.

As the nobles did not care about the news that came from the fields, nothing was interrupted or questioned.

The first notable changes were the mood of the citizens. Even with suspicion, the villagers would not lose the chance to invest the little hope that they had in something that seemed so convincing and that brought them pleasure just thinking that it could be true.

A few months after receiving money, the "favor" started to be charged. Each of the merchants and farmers should lower the price of their products by 2 percent.

In a short time, the result could be seen by those who lived on the periphery.

With the price of the products reduced, the purchasing power increased, the products sold more. As a consequence, it was necessary to produce more, and for that the demand for labor power increased and workers had to be better paid. Then more workers migrated to the cities from the carriage.

With this infinite loop of commercial expansion, that is, a win wins for the poor and a distortion of my allowance, savings and any investment in basic comfort.

This was irrevocably not an easy feat to achieve when it looked.

Especially if you were used to a luxurious life and were suddenly taken out of it.

I'm sitting and leaning against the window of that damn "carriage", trying to at least enjoy my only two hours of rest for the day.

For the past 6 months it was the only place I had to sleep, eat and shelter from the cold. Being carried from village to village, proclaiming the same speech over and over, and signing contracts whose terms I did not know. In other words, playing a puppet of a certain someone.

If the working conditions were better, I would even be enjoying the ride.

But due to all the "investment", our funds are extremely limited.

That is, just one cold meal a day, 4 hours of sleep (in a carriage that rocks more than a boat), extremely poor hygiene conditions and long, cold and frightening nights.

I throw my body over the free seats and my thoughts start to cloud.

I felt myself falling into nothingness, I couldn't see or hear, but I still felt my body, somehow smaller than usual, moving in a single direction, which would probably be the ground.

I relaxed and waited for the impact with no more choice.

There is no impact, I felt my body touch the ground, but there was no pain.

I still couldn't move.

But now I could hear.

A female voice approaches my body mumbling incomprehensible verses.

I am wrapped in cotton cloths and carried in an indistinct direction.

I am placed in a warm room and away from the wind.

I stay there, like a rag doll, I can't tell how much time has passed.

The voices around me rise suddenly, now I can recognize some phrases.

- Now we will proceed ... to the next ... of the annual council conference ... Distribution of identified orphans ... first name ... brown hair and eyes ... fire accident ... next name .. willian Gords ... lost his parents in ...

The speech continued with a pattern of the name of orphans followed by their appearance and the death of their parents.

This was probably a legalized children's auction, and my turn soon came.

As if I had anticipated the inevitable, I am carried again, this time to a lighted environment.

Now I can hear the whispers of the audience and the narrator more clearly.

- next orphan has unknown name and origin, red eyes and white hair.

The voices rise and begin to merge before the speaker can calm them down. I was about to hear the response of one of its buyers when some evil heartless person opens the carriage door, leaving the wintry wind and moonlight to blind my eyes.

Great. My sleep was blown by the wind and all that was left was a tatter of my being, stunned and exhausted.

I finally identify my bloodthirsty target.

Nobody less and nobody more than my soulless teacher.

I take advantage of the fact that my eyes were red with sleep and I make the most angry face I can.

Apparently he is already immunized, because his only reaction is to silently make a face that is not to blame and extend his hand so that I could go down.

As I didn't have much to choose from, I accepted the help.

But I'm still pissed.

Today's meeting was with a fruit merchant named Halk.

Our goal was to make fruit no longer a luxurious meal, but something that was also available. l to the people.

Which, honestly, should be normal.

The normally busy streets were quiet. The morning dew cleared the air and spread the scent of wildflowers. The sun would only reach the city in a few hours, for the time being it was cold and dark making the faint moonlight that bathed the city make it shine.

Everything was too comfortable for me, sleep tried to dominate my body with every step I took.

If I had not concentrated, I would certainly have fallen asleep.

After 15, that's right, 15 minutes walking!

I was already huddled in the environment, about to leave this world.

When Rômulo broke all the silence, taking the mood away.

- Looks like we got there early.

Seriously, doesn't he really know how precious my minutes of sleep are?

Already awake, I took a closer look at my surroundings. It was the same, as if the entire village was made of the same mold from the tip to the center.

The only noticeable difference was that we were in a square, in front of a small fountain.

Because of the darkness, it was difficult to notice more details, but if you paid attention, you would hear one or another mouse running around the corner and the creaking of poorly closed windows.

My sleep is coming back.

I close my eyes and take advantage of the scenery to relax.

Naturally, I was the only one enjoying the moment.

Romulus was so alert that you might think he was afraid of the dark if he didn't know him well.

To see a man with great titles and a high reputation so alert with a simple dark alley was strange.

Until I saw the shape of Rômulo's concern, a man hooded in the shadows of a house.

And that was not the biggest problem.

There were 6 more men scattered around the houses that surrounded us, it was an ambush.

Again, what in heaven did I ever do in these situations?

Rômulo didn't seem to notice them, he was still trying to identify what situation we were in.

If I didn't warn you, we would be in danger.

That could be fun ...

I looked directly at the nearest hooded man and gave him the most sincere smile I've ever done (In fact, I was having fun!) While he said it.

- what a nice reception we have here!

After that things happened extremely fast, so fast that I could only enjoy a few scenes.

The first was Rômulo's already cautious face, turning into a frightened face when he noticed the situation.

(That deserved a frame)

The second was that our attackers were desperate to be discovered. Unfortunately it was too dark to see their faces, too bad.

The third and most spectacular was when all the men came out of hiding and advancing on no one but Rômulo (well, I suppose that picking up the adult first and dealing with Children later is a normal reaction).

The next scenes were too fast for me to follow in the dark.

Rômulo entered and guard and from my point of view it seemed that every time an attacker touched him, he was thrown back two meters or knocked out.

It was an extremely fast 'show', in a few minutes all the men besides Rômulo were on the floor. Rômulo was standing there in the center, still on guard as if the fight had never started, only some time later he relaxed and began to mumble under his breath.

I was still enjoying the scene when I realized that Rômulo's bad mood and his grumblings were directed at me.

- boy ... Damn genius ... without even warning ...

Well, that seemed to have worn him out more than expected, I think it's best to lighten the mood ...

I tried to make a face of admiration and give him some praise.

- As expected of a citizen of Castile. Even a scholar is stronger than a Kreg mercenary. - I scanned the men on the floor, everyone had easily recognizable faces coming from hired mercenary signs. But none was our guest.

- But it seems our presence was not very welcome. Or is it that only the merchants from the south are very petty? "I said in a loud voice while watching my surroundings closely.

As expected, a dark shape trembled in a distant shadow as soon as I finished my speech.

I straightened up and walked without any striking expression towards the figure.

- But personally, I don't think that was your intention, am I wrong, Mr. Halk?

- Your Highness, you better stay behind me. - Rômulo said with a serious face putting his arm in front of me to prevent me from passing.

- Please, this is not a gamble. I said a little annoyed that he was playing the bodyguard just now. I tried to dodge his arm, but he held me back, annoyingly.

- Are you sure?

The worried face was good, but we had more important things to do.

- It is a clear fact, traders hate to be called petty, cow hand, or crusty bread, now excuse me. . .- I answered.

Rômulo didn't seem to understand my line of reasoning, but the message was passed and finally released me from his grip.

I turned my gaze evenly to the merchant. While we were talking, he had stepped out of the shadows and was now standing just a few feet apart between us.

He was a guy with a rich face, well-groomed skin, a well-trimmed medium beard and a protruding belly. In short, a typical generic trader, there was a single striking feature.

He looked annoyed.

I think it was because he called it crusty bread, or because he was considered a suspicious person.

In any case, it was now that the real struggle begins.

- I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Hal, can we continue where we left off?

- I don't remember starting a conversation with a child. - Said Halk arrogantly while looking at me from above.

Probably to hide that he had soiled his own pants.

- Well, you must remember that you received a letter that explicitly stated the terms for our agreement.

If I may, we don't have time to have an argument, price negotiation or a more detailed explanation.

The purpose of this meeting is to find out whether you accept the terms or not.

If accepted, we will take care of the payment immediately and arrive at the goods.

If you disagree with any of the terms, we will give you a small amount for your silence and we will both leave this square as if this night had never happened.—

When I finally breathe again when I finish speaking, I see that my little speech had been productive.

Mr. Halk's face contorted in a mixture of disbelief and respect.

He is thoughtful for a long time until he finally declares his decision.

- I understand, I will accept the proposal with gratitude.

Finally, this was one of the easiest guys so far, I think this is related to Rômulo's small performance.

We should do this more often.

- So since you don't think I'm qualified for the final processes, I'll let my companion Rômulo handle the remaining procedures, in any case I'll be waiting in the carriage. - And with this good excuse, I elegantly dragged my exhausted body and soul to the carriage. The last thing I remember was throwing myself over the cushioned seats in the carriage.

Well, what do I think about the future?

My opinion is that if I have to do this for another 6 months, I will not be present for the coronation, when this revolution is over.