Of Tests and Deals

15 December 423

The second test for the Royal Election was meant to be a 'middle ground' for the candidates to finalize the preparation for the last test.

Differently from the previous one, this time the test was a single but lengthy challenge due to the extent I was going through to make it a worthwhile challenge for a future king. It was nothing that put anyone to danger, but it gave a clear reading on who was capable of administering something as important as a society to a smaller degree. The challenge was to increase the overall value of a city that was given control for a whole month Each candidate was given a settlement among the various available 'small-gain' villages across the country that were directly controlled by the Kingdom for the task.

It was preferred to not involve any nobles into giving part of their possessions for the fail-safe in case of failure, which was a 'rescue budget' to revive any killed economy and prevent any worrisome development to hit the current stability of the kingdom. Starting on November 15, the deadline was this very day and I decided to check with two of the Sages, Majima, Bea and Alice, how the situation unfolded. We had a rapid carriage, a lengthy schedule and a lot of patience due to how intense today was going to be.

The first one that was decided that had to be checked was Anastasia. I had grown some expectations for a couple of the candidates, with the head of the Hoshin Trade Company leaving me partially surprised of what we ended up finding as we arrived at our destination. The small town had seen some visible improvements compared to how I had last seen it. The roads were replaced with smooth-stone ones, the shops received a rework into greater buildings and hubs within the settlement and all in all, this looked to be a good administration in the making. It all sounded well until it came to the 'trade' aspect of it. Anastasia didn't waste time exploiting this opportunity to 'kindly' make use of her company as a tool to funnel money into the city rather than using the city's own economic value to expand its size and potential.

It wasn't against the main rules, but it broke two minor ones within the clauses of the contract. Which were: 27b) Candidates shan't use personal economic means of growth to win over the challenge; 31e) Candidates shan't favor their personal economic means of growth through this challenge. Because, while one could easily mistake that her interest was to favor the city, the plum-haired girl also favored her business in return to make the investment profitable. Despite her best plea to try and paint herself an 'innocent businesswoman', the papers spoke louder than anything she could muster. Eventually she conceded that she had expended her own funds for this project, landing her an 8/10 mark. Huffing and puffing, the little entrepreneur was forced to take the grade without much of a whine, allowing us to shift into the next candidate's affair.

Emilia was incredibly nervous as we arrived at the entrance. She looked happy, tired, but overall uneasy as she greeted the group and allowed us to enter a… flourishing settlement. It was fairly odd of a sight to see how 'calm' the people were inside. I had asked a few questions about the way she handled the expansion of the city, and the half-elf eagerly admitted that she was aware of a small mistake she made along the way, which was investing a bit too much in the hospital, creating more places and doctors than planned.

"More can be better. You never know when an epidemic might happen," I told her kindly, but still considering this a minor flaw considering that wasn't an option within the challenge.

I went through the exposure and the silver-haired young woman showed us how she had improved the work in a similar manner to Anastasia, but left the old one when it came to the small park section which was taken as a nice 'natural' touch to the infrastructure planning. A school was expanded, adding two teachers that were hired a week earlier while the taxes were slightly lowered to improve the means of the people to not only buy more, but also bring down unemployment.

Compared to Anastasia's experiment, this one was devoid of poverty of any sort and anyone found a reason within the community rather than being shunned and reneged to insignificant roles. Every job mattered in Emilia's little utopia. But it wasn't a full utopia considering that she was facing a degree of inflation by trying to invest too much on the improvements. And that was meant to then become a problem due to the lack of deflationary policies to stabilize the economy. She wasn't getting enough trade goods to lessen the pressure she was exerting on the city's economy. A detail that caught her off-guard, but that didn't get much beyond a look of self-disappointment about it. Still, I gave her a 9/10, a vote approved by the other two Sages as it took under consideration that the errors made by the half-elf were lesser compared to Anastasia's.

Next up was Crusch and I was a bit disappointed. Sure, we arrived to find a prolific settlement that was approaching a surprisingly healthy approach to industrialization but… she was putting extra taxes out in an effort to 'regulate' the market. In a way, I could sense the reason, but I admitted to her that it was also not favorable in the long run since too many taxes could strain the economy too much and cripple a good chance of further growing it at an acceptable rate. And… that triggered a heated discussion on economic models. I knew the Duchess had gotten a bit annoyed towards me due to the duel, but it surprised me that she was up to sparring me even in a situation as important to her as this one.

She argued that a steady growth was more appropriate as it could be controlled in case of economic crisis, while the model I proposed was too 'radical' as it relied on trusting the capacity of too many people to do their jobs without any question. We both were right and we both were wrong. All in all, the settlement had improved at an impressive rate and it would have been foolish of me to give her a low grade. So I decided to give her just some more opposition before ultimately conceding that, despite all errors she committed in some aspects of her own economic model, she deserved an 8/10.

Felt… did something. I think. Reinhard was quite clueless of what was going on in the city himself, but it became clear that the girl managed to actually create a growth of the interesting kind. The money was flowing in, but not due to 'legal' reasons. The blonde had opened a casino, invited a few contacts which brought more contacts and people. In a strange turn of events, Felt's settlement had grown thrice its original size due to the massive casino she created and the way she budgeted the money to also improve living conditions and protection for those not involved on the matter 'to stop their nagging'. I was just baffled at what I was looking at. It felt so odd. So confusing. And yet it worked.

It worked way too well to be incredibly honest. But what really had me smiling and chuckling was the fact that the girl found a way to make a lot of money really fast, invested them safely and… did all of that with minimal effort. I looked at the way she lazily compiled her paperwork, and I was just scratching the back of my head, unable to figure out how she pulled that stunt so easily. I was stunned, but I had to give merits where it was due. The casino was under standard guidelines when it came to this kind of business despite the awkward cast of people called in with 'favors'. The only thing that I decided to deduct from her grade was a request she made about the city itself and bringing up some worthy concerns about this need.

"Since all candidates have their fancy domains, can I keep this place? I just don't want some bossy moron to take over and make a mess."

The request was also boosted by the citizens actually promoting a petition to make this a possibility. Despite the 'rude' and 'childish' personality of their current administrator, the boons were easily beating any flaws Felt had and that were noticed by the citizens. Plus, she was a genuinely positive force of change that, despite the mostly-criminal affairs she was conducting, didn't allow any of that to hurt the normal life of the non-affiliated denizens because she knew their importance within the city and her moral compass prevented her from causing harm where it wasn't proper.

After consulting on the two representatives I brought with myself on the matter. It became apparent that it would be a good thing to do this beyond the 'Election' business. So, after preparing the proper paperwork to sign, Felt was effectively the Countess of the settlement and the surrounding land. She had permission from the Crown to expand within these lands but she had to also pay a 5% monthly tariff on her overall income to the crown for two months which would then become a bi-monthly 15% one. Instead of lamenting the money situation, she was more annoyed by the fact she had to 'sign more paperwork'.

"That is, sadly, the burden of anyone administrating things in this world."

"I still hate it," Felt replied flatly, unwilling to concede that this might be her destiny regardless of her winning or not this election.

The girl got a 9/10, with the only issue being the suspicious means she used to get the funds, something that got a surprised look out of her when I mentioned hers was one of the highest already.

With the former thief dealt with, it was Priscilla's turn to be judged.

What I didn't expect to find in Priscilla's own task was… Well, finding traces of the system I had used on Erindor. As we walked in the settlement, I felt somewhat reminded of the city that I visited on a monthly occurrence, my eyes narrowing on the smug grin on the noblewoman's face. I could tell she had expected this reaction as she had blatantly used my system to a perfect degree… plus some modifications which, to my eternal grimace, were actually there to maximize profits without straining on the economy itself. I was… annoyed. I wouldn't say angry as I couldn't be angry at this proper application of the system, but I knew already Priscilla had done that just to annoy me and she had succeeded. The chuckling just added salt to the wound regardless of how hard I tried to not give her any attention.

With the way the city was prospering, there wasn't anything to lament about beyond the fact some of her policies were creating inflation and she wasn't taking steps to adjust it due to the 'deadline being today'. I used this small detail to get her a 9/10 much to her immense displeasure and scowling. She didn't lament the decision, knowing she had set herself up for my cynical judgment by trying to tease me this way.

Finally, it was time for the last candidate and my expectations were blown away in two different ways. When we arrived at Fourier's settlement, we were fairly confused to find the settlement had changed just barely since we last left it. The houses had been reworked to have more people in them, the streets were rebuilt as was the norm and… yet there wasn't anything that would suggest this place had been given enough investments at first glance. I was really trying to make sense of this and the fact that Fourier held a mischievous smile as if I had missed something important. Instead of telling me what was going on, he just gave me the papers of his current possessions, taxes, income and expectations.

While the Sages struggled to understand what they were looking at, I felt my jaw actually fall off my body as I caught on to the 'amusing' bit that had the Crown Prince so entertained as he waited for our reaction. Instead of playing with the inward economy, Fourier took a risky but highly-rewarding route which shocked me due to its relative luck. First, he hired a few local geological explorers to find any resources within the settlement's borders which could be used to bolster trade. He found a large Gold vein and set up a mine as quickly and carefully as possible, using the trading of the precious metal to create a unique expansive method which didn't focus on the city itself but rather allowed the formation of 'dependent settlements' through the quick spread of the news tied to the mine.

People flocked for work and he gave them houses within smaller concentrations of houses set in safe sections near the main settlement. Slowly but steadily, magic seals were used to prevent any issues within the borders while also making the roads to the minor settlements stable. While that wouldn't normally generate as much income as Felt did, it was the expectation projects which stunned us all as, from Fourier's correct calculations, the settlement would expand to ten times its original size after just two more months of the same plans exerted. It didn't hurt the economy despite its massive reach, it actually favored a new rise of villages relocating and taking these new dependent settlements as their new homes.

There were two small rivers nearby, making it easy to grow an agricultural economy too, so Fourier effectively went beyond his goal and did something that Miklotov was going to eat his whole beard about. A proof against a statement he had been so firmly supportive of and yet now was no longer valid.

Fourier had created a small kingdom from little. By all means, by the way he carried himself, the way the people humbly greeted him in the sense of warm formality and the fact that no one felt that his bodyguard was at ease… it meant he did it. Fourier became the Lion King just as the kings of old. And not just that, he also took steps to beat me at my own game. It was… beautiful. This place, his drive, the people he conquered with his personality and him-

I paused, my cheeks flaring red for a while before I managed to school my features to try and divert my brain elsewhere. I wasn't sure where that one came from, but it sure had me perplexed for the rest of the day. Still, without much struggle, it was clear there was just a single grade that fit with Fourier's drive: 10/10.

The second test was now over and it was due time to set up new administrators for those centers that were no longer being controlled by the candidates. The candidates themselves were given the choice to pick 'the best options' to administer the towns and they were able to find those they believed would do the job the best. By the end of the day, the test not only gave a clear understanding on who was best set to be a brilliant statesman, but it also left behind successful new projects that would expand and add more to the national economy.

All in all, an intense but positive day. Nothing to lament about until it was time to get home and start setting up the third and last test for the elections.

Emilia sighed in relief at the fact that she did well.

Not the best, but it was still atop a couple of her competitors. The carriage riding back home was mostly quiet as she decided to sit in the one where Rem, Frederica and Omega were at the moment. In a normal situation, the half-elf wouldn't have picked something as enclosed and limited to be nearby Omega with how much she knew of her. The Prime Minister had ultimately told her why she was dangerous and why she had to be wary of her in any interactions they ended up facing with each other. But since she was tired and didn't want to get stared too much by Subaru and because she was sharing the carriage with Rem and Frederica, Emilia assumed she was going to be spared from any issue or conversation tied to the 'reborn Witch of Greed'.

A wrong assumption she would soon learn.

"I wonder, why didn't you tell me he was there when he came to check on your 'little effort'?"

Emilia almost jumped at the words uttered by Omega, her gaze turning at the shortest of the trio.

Be careful.

The half-elf held herself from nodding at Puck's guarantee, knowing that she was being glanced intensely by Echidna. Any wrong step will easily put her in a bad spot. She had to be careful as, from what the Prime Minister truthfully admitted, she had the right mind to counter the many mind games that Echidna was known to employ to achieve a specific objective. So, she braced for what kind of conversation she had just stumbled upon.

"I was more concerned by the test."

A slow nod. "I deduced this much. It was of your interest to pass it."

The admission felt shallow despite how honest the reason was. There was some silence after that, but it wasn't one driven by the need to think and ponder what to say next. No, Omega did something else. Emilia's ears twitched as familiar noises reached her and left her dreading. Rem's head leaned on her shoulder, soft snoring leaving her lips as she matched in rhythm with a now resting Frederica. Both maids were out of commission for the time being, as Echidna had planned from the way she was now smiling at Emilia.

"Now that we are alone, how about you specifically tell me why you ignored my kind request of speaking with him? I made it clear earlier this morning that I would have just needed a few minutes with him, yet you outright ignored my humble offer, why?"

…

"He already told you, didn't he? That's why you have been so keen to ignore me as of lately," Echidna hummed at the logical assumption. "I suppose he knew that keeping this a secret would have been detrimental for you, for him… but also for me. This makes things easier in a fun way."

"You're dangerous," Emilia finally spoke.

"Oh, I am. I truly am and that's why I think you're way smarter than anyone in this whole camp," Omega grinned widely. "But that's why I don't want to be the monster of your tale. I don't want to be your worst nightmare. I want to make things right… and fun. Because I know the truth would make things the most exciting in centuries. It's about time I find something worthy of interest. And also piss off Flugel beyond the grave."

The half-elf frowned. "F-Flugel?"

"Oh yes, I believe that's not exactly something known to many, but we witches knew of him. He knew of us and while many loved him for his drive to do good, I found him highly detestable."

"He was one of the greatest-"

"For a time, I would have agreed to that notion. I hated his determination to try and bring knowledge for the sake of betterment. All Authorities have flaws which detach us from humanity. I didn't mind, the others did due to the unpleasant nature of these restrictions… especially her," Echidna explained as calmly and dreadfully as possible. "You and her, so similar and yet not. Flugel played his cards well, I have to admit that it surprised me at first but… I am digressing. The truth is that, for a time, this was a right way to address him as the 'greatest', but when she got too sick and his 'knowledge' couldn't do much, he decided to put aside the 'niceness' and be something that I abhor even more than what he was before. A liar."

"Why?"

Her smile widened. "I will tell only if you swear an oath to do a single thing for me. Nothing dangerous, troublesome to yourself or even threatening to your attempt at the throne, but it has to be done perfectly."

"Why?" Emilia repeated, this time with a stronger voice.

"Why not?" Omega flatly rebuked. "I can tell you have questions. Who were your parents-"

"Mother Fortuna already told me who they were. Why would I-"

"You know deep within yourself she lied about it. That she wanted you to have a normal backstory as to why you are wandering with someone that looks like you but feels so detached from the rest of the elves."

"What do you mean?" The young woman frowned. "Normal backstory? Are you suggesting that-"

"Accept my offer and I will give you more clues. But the truth lies in the place I want you to visit. The place I want him to check because he suspects something is off about this world and that he is somewhat tied to it."

"Stop this," A new voice called out, this time Puck materialized and stood between Emilia and his creator. "I can tell what you're trying to awaken is best left slumbering. I understand the greed-"

"Greed? You think this is all just for my amusement, you little thing?" Omega replied angrily. "Oh, you poor insignificant thing. I could make you disappear- In fact, I believe this silly act has gone too far. Enact command 'Somnio'."

Before Puck could have moved to say or do something to stop the short witch, his frame was suddenly captured by the crystal Emilia had and she tensed up. What just happened? Was Puck alright? What did Echidna do and-

"W-What did you-"

"Your familiar will be safe for the time being, only 'sleeping'. I don't plan to damage something so important for you, but I want you to do something for me. I don't want anything else but to bring out the truth. A truth you have been kept unaware about," The short witch suggested with a renewed smile. "How about a trip then? I suppose you would want to know more about your past? Things that your guardian kept you clueless about."

Was there even a choice at this point?

"Where and what is this place?"

"You don't-"

"If you want to convince me of going anywhere, I will consider only if you tell me which place it is," Emilia sharply interrupted, growing too annoyed to be pushed around like this. Not in these circumstances.

Instead of being offended at the sudden outburst, Echidna chuckled.

"Oh sure, you deserve some truth. I tell you that, and then I back off- what a shameless flirt I tend to be at times but… yes, the place I want you to go and visit is one of the safest libraries of knowledge this world has. It's preceded by a risky path which I know how to bypass but… you will have to trust me."

"The place-"

"The Pleiades Tower," Omega hummed quickly, shocking Emilia with the name as she was familiar with the name. "I want you to reach there and become aware of the truth. In there, you will find the key, the biggest lie and joke a dying old fool made against the cause of a couple of disasters."

Emilia could tell there was more to this. Something that Echidna was willingly holding back from her, but she couldn't tell if this was because it was too dangerous or too 'good to spoil this soon'. Puck was unresponsive despite her magic tapping into his and confirming his stable condition. He was really sleeping despite his energy pool being enough to allow him to leave the crystal out.

Omega stretched her hand out, the clear sign of a proper deal. She wanted this to happen so desperately, her smile hiding away a strange need that was unusual to the generally confident individual that is the Witch of Greed. While her common sense wanted her to refuse, something felt… wrong about her words.

What Mother Fortuna told her about the past wasn't the truth? She lied to her? Why? What would have forced her to lie this much to her?

And… is that connected to that girl?

"You have to open that door."

That door. Why is it important? Why was it there? The foul energy coming from it, so chilling to even remember and… Emilia knew now that there was much more at stake if this was all connected to the entity that had killed her family. Echidna grinned eye-to-eye as they shook hands, knowing that she got through with the girl and now she could get the real show going.

Now that the bait had been prepared, it was time to lure the real prize in and get the spectacle going~.

AN

So, a little announcement: I gave a little rework to my Ptrn page. You can find the link to it either in my bio in FFN or in some of my signatures in a couple of my accounts around forums. The only tier is just 1$ per month, nothing extra beyond Ptron's VAC. The privilege that comes with that tier is the chance of being given the link to a doc page on a daily basis where I will write the chapters for the day. Patrons get the chance of seeing the process happening and get to add suggestions when possible.

Once again, I wish to remind you all that I would still write regardless of how much that endeavor goes. I do commissions but those are unrelated to and I don't plan to add any tier to that kind of matter just yet.

Omake 29: Love or… Head Pats?

Emilia wasn't sure if this was love or mere admiration.

After all, three hundred years spent in the ice and then a couple of those gone in partial isolation tended to be quite detrimental for one's effort to try and understand the true integrity of romantic feelings. It was all tied to the 'attachment', she could understand. Puck mentioned that it was like friendship, but stronger and more 'intense' in a way.

Nothing that was meant to overwhelm someone into an uncomfortable mood, but enough to 'lift them off the ground and make them float'. So, when it came to the warmth she had in her chest while talking with her role model, Emilia couldn't help but believe there might be some love in her awe. Maybe, perhaps. It was all gone down the hypothetical, with no means to determine with utmost precision if this was the case or not.

Or rather, there was something but… it felt silly. Yet Puck said it was feasible. Sure, she had that bizarre friendship with Subaru, but it felt so 'duller' as to what she had for the current Prime Minister. Thus, the Cat familiar gave her a solution which felt a bit forced on herself… and John himself: "Ask him."

It felt so stupid- Asking him if she was in love with him? That felt awfully sillier than what the mirthful familiar tended to give her in similar situations. Yet the idea remained deep in her mind for a few weeks. What if she went for… a subtle talk? Maybe ask him what he can tell her about this kind of situation without making it clear that it was all about her.

Emilia felt this was the best and worst route ever.

If she had to be honest to herself, in a way, she was more than expected to share discussions with the Prime Minister of a country she might end up ruling if said conversation wasn't centering about the election itself. So, she could 'technically' go and give it a go-

But what if he noticed? What if she got too nervous and messed up her acting, getting some awkward responses from him. A huff left her lips as she paced back and forth by the hall right outside his office. She had surrendered to the idea, partly. She wanted some answers, but her doubts were still there to make it particularly difficult to hold herself back. What if she was going to mess up? And why did Ram look quite annoyed when she asked the maid for advice earlier in that morning? On that note, why did she say that Emilia should have given up about it as it was 'futile'? Why is it futile?

Ultimately, her huffing and grumbling got the attention of one of the occupants in the room. The half-elf barely noticed that the door had slightly opened, allowing for a plum-haired girl to peek her head outside and frown at her. At first, there was silence, then Alice allowed a fake cough out and had the waiting girl tense up in dread. The silver-haired candidate to the throne was swiftly looking at the origin of the noise and… she shivered a tiny bit.

"H-Hello."

"Greetings, Lady Emilia. Is there a particular reason why you're waiting outside?"

"I..." There was only emptiness inside her head and she had a bit of trouble finding a good answer to that. "I was waiting."

Yes, that's what was going on. Precisely.

Alice raised a confused brow. "I can see that, Lady Emilia. Which is why I asked you… why?"

And the half-elf was back to square one minus one. Would that make it square zero?

N-No, I shouldn't forget the situation at hand.

"I was just waiting to speak with… the Prime Minister."

The familiar hummed. "Well, he is currently free. Do you want to come in?"

No.

"Y-Yes, please."

I am going to mess things up.

Beatrice spared her a calm but polite nod as a greeting, leaving just John Bukharin himself to greet her with a half-tired smile.

"Lady Emilia. I wasn't aware you were visiting and… I suppose everything is alright."

Her mouth opened, a need to answer with a lie faltering as soon as her lips parted. Emilia remained quiet until she was sitting in the chair right in front of him. She knew she had to play this safely, to go through the script she wrote for the occasion and… in the greatest manifestation of pure stress, awkwardness and bad luck, her body entered auto-pilot and she instantly spilled out everything.

Her mouth opened and delivered a quick non-vehement and non-angry rant about the overall situation, why it was bothering her and why she felt she had to discuss this with him. Five minutes, that's how long she went on and on about the predicament she was stuck in, with tears forming and crawling down her chin as she poured her whole heart out in this little time.

John remained quiet, with his expression ranging from surprise to rapt attention and ultimately understanding. A small smile lingered through the time and, from nervousness, it soon reached a state of odd calm and care.

"I see what might be the problem, Lady Emilia. But forgive me if I say that I'm quite sure that it isn't love. At least, not of the romantic kind."

Emilia was immensely confused at this, but the next move, albeit odd, gave her some form of realization on what was really going on with her. Much to her embarrassment, she might or might not have 'regained' a little flaw she had as a child. It went lost due to what happened in the past, but due to a recent event it resurfaced as strong as it was back then. It all stemmed from a habit Fortuna had when it came to young Emilia's capacity to do good things. If you do something good, you would get a head pat and a hug. It might sound rather minimal for a child, but back then Emilia saw it as a reward and moral gratification.

It was the best display of affection to show the pride others had in her. And that kind of situation quite unfolded when, during one of the few conversations she had with the Prime Minister about his homeland, Emilia ended up accepting getting head patted out of curiosity. It wasn't terrible, it was a bit odd and… it was good. It was so incredibly good. She missed that feeling and John picked that one up not only back then but also now that she felt 'pulled at him'. It wasn't romantic by all means, in fact it was like… family.

Sitting on his lap was a bit weird at first, but she slowly but steadily accepted the posture as a comfortable one for both. His reach with his hand was better and she could just lean on the hug without feeling her legs go wobbly and betraying her by letting her fall down on the ground the moment the warm embracing was over. How long has it been since someone did that? Hugging her. How long? And the worst part of that realization was that it felt so rightfully hers as a moment and angry that she had ignored this issue for so long. By the end of that visit, there was a solid agreement where, during their conversations, if she wanted, she could get 'spoiled' like that. It was a bit childish to hear post-headpatting, but she could see moments where she needed that.

And Emilia realized that family was a bit more different than just those related to her by blood. In a twisted way, they also agreed to a strange way to address each other.

"See you later, cousin."

"Likewise," He replied jovially, almost ignoring the red blush on her face when saying that. They were now… cousins? Really? Could she really call him that? She almost giggled at the thought of a mini-Emilia clinging a lot on mini-John. Would have been fun to see herself being overbearing to the more 'logic-driven' older child.

But it wasn't time to lament the circumstances. She got what she came for despite the teasing Puck gave her as he had been in his crystal as the act unfolded. Really infuriating, but not enough to taint the pleasant emotion of being spoiled like that by someone that she felt was family to her.

Nope, I will never let go of this now that I found it once more.