Welcome to the city of filth (2)

A few weeks have passed since I became the new Viceroy of the Vane...and needless to say, it's become the most hectic experience I've had so far, it was like steering a sinking ship to an ocean during storm season...

The problems of the city keep getting worse and worse as the days go by, and even as I think that It can't get any worse than it was, it somehow finds a way to exceed my expectations. Even with the combined efforts of me and my advisors, we still can't make the situation in the city any better, so for now we were just mostly doing damage control...

The problems that were plaguing the city mostly had something to do with the problems that we'd discussed a couple of weeks earlier when we first arrived, and the reason why we can't seem to solve those problems is due to one singular factor...We lack the funds...

'Money makes the world go round' as they say, and while I've already experienced the struggles of being broke in my previous life, especially with a family and all that, never have I ever agreed to that saying more than I do now. Especially when there are thousands, possibly even millions of lives on the line

...And usually, the solution for a lack of money is relatively simple, work hard and get money. But with the state of land right now, we can't exactly do that. The remnants of the poisons used in the previous war still greatly affected the land, so agricultural earnings are practically non-existent, hell, we're practically struggling to try to differentiate the crops that will kill us and the ones that won't

Of course because of this, creating an industry here using livestock is very difficult as well...Seeing as the feeds and water we'll give them will most likely kill them before we do. And there aren't any natural ores in the area that we could mine for profit as well...so we're basically stuck relying on exports from other cities to thrive...

And there comes that problem again...The mage, along with those bandits keeps plundering the merchant cargos. We're practically experiencing an all-time low in regard to trade it was even worse than when we first arrived, almost every merchant is too frightened to even think about coming here, and the few that do manage to come to the city raise the prices of their goods so as to take advantage of our situation

I've tried asking some of my advisors, mostly Maurine, to try and negotiate with the merchants to lower the price, but to no avail. They kept mentioning that the high prices are appropriate due to how perilous the journey to the city was, and while it sounded like a reasonable excuse, it was still quite the slimy scheme on their part...

As it stands, this problem is a massive thorn on our side that we need to remove if we want the state of the city to even be remotely better. And so with this, I summoned Ser Rudeus and Lady Maurine to my office to brainstorm on any good ideas...

All three of us sat at the rather empty, and bland office that I've been using since I started my work as Viceroy. There used to be quite a lot of expensive decorations and furniture that are scattered about in this household, but I sold almost all of them and used the money I got for the management of the city...but even that wasn't enough...

"Ah, glad to see this place is still as depressing as ever"

Rudeus scoffed as he laid back on his chair. From the exhausted look on his face, my guess is that he'd just finished his daily patrol of the city, I actually can't help but feel sorry for him. While it may sound like a simple task, the hot morning sun, the putrid stench of the city, as well as the constant insults being hurled by the citizens that still harbor bad blood against the Empire...It sounded like a pain in the ass...

Even the local city guards would only patrol the city for about an hour on two...I guess I should reward him for his efforts sometimes, he may seem like a drunken savage the moment the sun goes down, but he's quite the diligent worker...

"Though I hate to be rude, I can't help but agree. Ugh, even the tea in this place is getting worse and worse" Maurine placed the cup on the table and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, she must've really hated the taste, which is a testament to how bad it must've been...

...After all, most of the citizens in the Empire have an infatuation for tea, me included...

"Well, you have to blame our lack of servants for that one. They're so few in number, and their hands are constantly full serving us as well as our other officials"

I couldn't help but sigh as I explained the situation. Most of our servants in the household have quit and moved out of the city. An understandable choice to be honest, if I was them I'd sure as hell move out too. And this leaves us with overworked servants that barely have any sleep, as well as pay...

"Well that sounds depressing, so I suppose we should start looking for new hires, milord? A mansion of a noble just isn't complete without any hot maids" Rudeus said casually with a lecherous smile on his face

Hearing this, Maurine squinted her eyes and gave him a glare that was sharp enough to probably kill a man. She and Rudeus had never gone along since day one, though I suppose it's natural for any woman to feel irked after hearing that...

"Your perviness aside, we can talk about getting new servants once we've solved this problem we have. After all, they'd probably leave the moment they realized we pay them nothing but dust"

Quite the exaggeration from her end, but I suppose it's somewhat true. If the situation here continues as is then we would really be paying them dust. So without wasting another moment I laid back in my chair and began the meeting

I then laid out a map of our area on the table, I had already marked some of the important spots in it so my two subordinates saw the points that I was referring to immediately.

"To go to Vane city there are three paths that you can take, one from the northern regions of the city just past the forest, one from the southern mountains, and one from the western lake. And as you all know all of them are compromised as of the moment"

Maurine leaned forward from her chair and began to move the chess pieces on the map

"It is as you say, milord. The northern part of the city used to be considered a safe spot due to the fact that it houses the memorial of the fallen soldiers of the Vane, but now that the frost mage has it occupied, and she has been showing no mercy to all the passersby recently"

"And the south has been a den of savages ever since the war between the Empire was over. Remnants of former knights and soldiers lurk about, being a shadow of their former selves. Most of the merchants from other nations use this spot to travel to us, so it's no wonder that it would make the perfect hideout for these buggers"

Rudeus rubbed his temples as if remembering a bad memory

"A few days ago I sent some scouts to scope out the situation there...and it wasn't a pretty sight. They said they saw their captives being treated like animals there. They steal and kill all as they please. And their numbers are quite boggling, these reports aren't fully accurate milord...but they say they're over a thousand men strong...Possibly even more"

"...Bloody hell..."

I can't help but mutter this while thinking about our situation...Including the city guard, the personal forces of my advisors, as well as the knights that came with me to the capital, we only number about three hundred in total...

If they decided to launch a direct assault...Well, I'm somewhat confident that we'd be able to hold using the city walls. But if they decided to ignite the flames of rebellion within the city then we would have hell to pay...

"And we have the Western lake, which was generally considered to be dangerous due to the high population of monsters, as well as the land being poisoned during the war..."

I knew deep down that we have to secure at least one of those paths to make sure our supply goes in with no fuss, and make the city a least a bit better. The people of the Vane are scared of another war now, but if the situation we have goes on then it won't be long till that fear would be replaced by anger...Which would ultimately be the first sparks of a rebellion

"I suppose the west would be too much for us considering how things are there...and a direct assault on the bandits of the south would be suicidal. Which leaves the north path to be our best bet..."

Both of my subordinates agreed in unison, though they seem stumped as to how to go about it

I stepped forward and took the initiative

"The initial plan that I have in mind was to send a small assault group with Ser Rudeus as the leader. Seeing as you nearly cornered the mage during our first encounter, I believe that you have more than a fighting chance against her...And seeing as your experience on the Forgan war is vast...then you'd be the closest one we have next to a hunter"

It seemed like a sound plan, but Ser Rudeus crossed his arms in refusal

"Believe me milord when I say that my encounter with that mage ended that way was because of pure luck. She must've been underestimating us, which was why I got the upper hand, but the moment she gets serious, mark my words...I'll stand no chance"

"Hmmm"

"Fufu, are you sure that this is not just you speaking out of cowardice?" Maurine sneered as she glanced at Rudeus

"And here I thought veterans of the Forgan war are all hard-stoned warriors that were forged in the fires of battle. Yet you cower when you haven't even faced a lone enemy? If a direct assault does not suit your taste, then what about surprising her? Even though she's a mage, an arrow to the head would surely take her down"

Hearing Maurine's explanation, Rudeus couldn't help but sigh

"I suppose this is what we get if all the government feeds to the public is exaggerated propaganda"

"What did you say?"

"Listen here, daughter of Oswald. We veterans of the Forgan war survive exactly because we're cautious in the face of an enemy that could bend the rules of nature to their will, the fools that charge in search of glory in those battlefields are now six feet deep in the ground. A mage could easily take out the squad of knights we send, that includes me of course...And we could try firing an arrow to her head, but on the off chance that we miss, then she'd be more engaged than she is now..."

...Hmmm, I can't help but agree with him there...If the attempts we have on subduing her end in failure, then there's a chance that she might attack the city with those terrifying powers of hers or worse...join the bandits on their path to resistance...

"Then what do you suggest? We have to remove that mage out of the picture or else we would suffer dire consequences..."

"I know...I'm trying to muse up a plan myself as well but...I could only see our chances of victory getting higher the more forces we send against her. But just like you said, we can't spare any more manpower for that to happen...Those savages in the south would surely take that chance to attack..."

...We're boxed on all fronts...And we can't make a move without worrying about the consequences of the ones behind our backs...Those bandits, former veterans of the war...

...Wait a minute...

"Former veterans of the war...The memorial...Occupied by an unknown mage..."

I stood up from my chair as the gears in my brain began to turn while walking in circles across the room. I could see both of them looking at me with worry, but I ignored them as I focused on polishing the finer prints of my plan...

...I could see it, yes...I could see this one working like a charm

"Maurine, one quick question...The frost mage is residing on the memorial of the war, and based on our intel it seems that the majority of the bandits in the southern part of the lands are former veterans, surely this wouldn't sit right with them...so why haven't they driven the mage off?"

"Well...I have heard rumors that they have attempted it once, milord. But It mostly ended in failure, since then they haven't really tried anything due to the fact that the frost mage has just been idly standing by on the memorial not causing...any trouble...wait a minute"

I could see the spark of realization dawn on both the eyes of my subordinates and I couldn't help but show a wicked smile as I sat back down

The enemy of my enemy is also my enemy, so as long as I set the perfect stage for both of them to duke it out then I would solve two problems at once...

"Seems that you've all realized it"

"Well, I'll be dammed milord" Rudeus chuckled as he leaned forward from his chair

"If you're planning on what I think you're planning, then there is a chance that it would work on our favor...But it's risky business, it could practically destroy the very peace that we're trying to build within the city"

"I have to agree with this dunce, milord. With a bit of luck, this will turn the tide of this city's future for the best but the risk of it is just as big as the reward...We'll be poking a hornet's nest with our next moves"

"Hmmm, there's no need to tell me...Even I know this plan of mine is far too risky..."

But if we do nothing then the end would all be the same, It's better to try and fail miserably than sit back and fail anyway. Though I do not intend to fail...I will make this plan of mine work no matter what it takes...

"...I intend to settle this matter with the plan I have in mind...So I hope you all lend me your strength..."

With this, I laid down the plan that I intend to set in motion...