The Taste of Power

Having heard their opinions, it was Ferda’s turn to speak.

“I understand your intentions well. I thank you for your tireless efforts to build a new village under the Grand Duchy’s rule.”

Contrary to his words of gratitude, his eyes looked ready to dissect them at the molecular level.

Ferda was conscious of it as well, and gathered his emotions with a single deep breath.

“Recently, an unfortunate incident resulted in thirty casualties. Four of them died, and all of them were civilians. Their deaths are not something to be taken lightly, not only by you, but by me as well.”

That was true.

“Therefore, I intend to divert the manpower currently focused on the buildings toward constructing the walls. We are planning an area where approximately one thousand citizens can live comfortably, with room for up to three thousand.”

Hanson called himself a laborer, but he had still gotten his foot into the construction industry.

He could roughly estimate how large that area would be.

“Those building the walls will certainly begin somewhere away from the village.”

“Of course.”

“Then what guarantee will you provide for those workers’ safety?”

A solution to the problem.

It was something he could answer very simply.

“Don’t we already have one?”

“What do you mean?”

“The alarm bell installed in the center of the village. What do you think that is? It was created by the chancellor of Escolleia, the city of scholars.”

At that, one of the foremen who had apparently heard of the place made a great fuss.

“If he’s the chancellor of Escolleia, doesn’t that make him the lord of those bookworms?”

“If he’s their lord, then he must be the smartest of them all, right?”

The fact that it was the chancellor of Escolleia made them trust it.

In reality, he was a scholar in an ambiguous position near the upper ranks, but people like them had no way of knowing that.

Ferda continued speaking.

“I enhanced the alarm function of the monster-appearance prediction device and converted it into a warning bell. It detected the monsters’ approach, allowing everyone to evacuate quickly. That is why the number of casualties was so low.”

Ferda spoke while poking the paper he had set down with his finger.

“But people still died, didn’t they?”

“Those were the minimum possible losses. Many more people could have died.”

Ferda spoke firmly.

“If you want to know about monster invasions, I can tell you as much as you like. There have been more than thirty attacks recently, and I can explain how perfectly we prevented them by comparing us with those places. Would you like an explanation?”

His words were cold and unyielding, like steel.

It felt as though striking him with a soft fist would only break one’s own hand.

“Of course, I know this is not a place for me to show off my knowledge. What you need is not an early-warning system, but the power to kill monsters.”

Ferda closed his eyes.

Then, after a moment, he spoke to them as though he had made a decision.

“I will have the magitech rifles Marquis Burnell is going to create issued to you. What do you think?”

Most of the foremen were startled.

The reputation of magitech rifles had already reached ordinary commoners.

“Do you mean the weapon that killed that wolf monster with a single shot?”

“That’s right.”

Stefan, who had heard that, was startled and spoke cautiously.

“Regent, that matter should first be discussed with me—.”

“Why should I?”

“Because the prototype needs to be supplied elsewhere first, and we need to make an appeal—.”

Ferda frowned as he looked at Stefan.

“It was made for the safety of the Far East. Shouldn’t those working in the Far East come first? What do I care about people far away?”

“Of course, Your Excellency is perfectly correct, but—.”

“There is no ‘but.’ I will not permit you to say anything more, Stefan Pascal.”

“I-I apologize.”

Stefan backed down with a whimper.

Ferda turned his gaze back toward the foremen.

“So, what do you say, temporary union leader?”

Hanson looked around at the other foremen.

Their faces clearly said they wanted him to accept immediately.

Hanson could not simply accept the offer and end things there, so he cautiously looked for a fault to pick at.

“Of course, if you would do that, we would be grateful for Your Excellency’s generosity, but we are not very learned people, so we question whether we could properly handle such a weapon.”

“There is no need to worry. The geniuses I have recruited are taking care of that.”

More precisely, it was a fool taking care of it.

The geniuses were probably tearing their hair out over that fool even today.

“Since one bullet for that weapon can kill one wolf monster, even at worst, five of you should be able to face one monster.”

“Oh-ho……”

“Five people against one…… That’s an incredible weapon……”

The more they heard, the more enamored the people looked.

They were all country folk who had come to the Empire’s capital to earn money.

They might never have encountered monsters created by demons, but attacks by monsters such as goblins were commonplace.

What they needed was not a standing army, but the power to protect themselves.

Or the means to match it.

Ferda could give them the power to kill monsters.

More specifically, he could give them a means of killing monsters that even hired mercenaries were reluctant to face.

It was something of profound value that money alone could not buy.

And he had readily offered to give them such a thing.

He had even been prepared to risk damaging his relationship with the Empire’s greatest tycoon.

‘He truly cares about the Far East.’

Ferda studied their expressions.

It was obvious that nearly all of them had been won over.

‘Just as Stefan predicted.’

The plan to throw out the offer of magitech rifles as though he were being generous had actually been devised by Stefan.

Three days earlier, after Stefan arrived, they had discussed several scenarios.

One of them had been to pretend to be generous.

The very purpose of magitech rifles was to provide civilians with a means of defense.

They had intended to commercialize them first among the people of the Far East anyway.

The workers would simply be getting them a little sooner.

‘And if necessary, they can be turned into a reserve force.’

They would gain the power to kill monsters,

while Ferda would gain a force he could mobilize in an emergency.

It appeared to be a mutually beneficial strategy.

Of course, Hanson, the one who had stuck his neck out, would not want things to end there.

The offer had little to do with their actual demands.

“We are sincerely grateful for the generosity bestowed upon us by the Great Fire’s consort, but we would also appreciate it if you would consider our demands.”

“Of course. This is separate from your demands. I am not well informed about that matter, so I will hand the baton over.”

The person who took up that baton was Stefan Pascal.

He greeted them with an affable smile.

“My name is Stefan. I am the head of Pascal Trading Company, am slated to become chairman of the entire company in the future, and currently serve as the acting manager of the Dandolo Trading Company as well.”

A man who was the chairman of the Empire’s greatest trading company and even managed a company in the second tier.

Though he was not a noble, he was a commoner with power so immense that he could not be compared with most nobles.

The reason he rattled off all that information was, of course, to intimidate them.

“After looking into the matter, I found that you are currently employed through an outsourcing arrangement with Hestia Village’s administrator.”

“That’s right.”

“It is true that, with so many workers here, the absence of a union is also a serious matter in my eyes. In any case, you need someone to represent your voices.”

Stefan spoke as though he understood their circumstances.

“I too recognize the need for a union for the peace and prosperity of the Far East. Therefore, I officially support the establishment of a labor union in the Grand Duchy of Waldrova—in other words, the Far Eastern Labor Union.”

Turning the page, Stefan answered another of their demands.

“Furthermore, the wages of the workers and foremen will remain at their current level, which is already a fifty-percent increase. Each foreman will receive a different level of compensation according to the number of workers under his supervision, along with performance bonuses, and we also plan to provide assistance with moving into Far Eastern housing based on years of service.”

It was an astonishingly generous offer.

It was enough to make one wonder why they had not voiced these complaints earlier.

“As for the union leader, it seems you reached an agreement among yourselves. Have you decided to recommend Mr. Hanson?”

“Yes.”

“Understood. Then I will appoint Mr. Hanson as the leader of the Far Eastern Labor Union.”

After quickly writing down the name, Stefan politely folded his hands and made a request.

“Then we will now move on to what I have to discuss with the union leader. From this point on, I intend to allow only those at manager level or above to participate. Would that be acceptable?”

One of the foremen frowned and challenged him.

“Do you think we’ll let you scheme behind our backs?”

“Just say it in front of us.”

“The usual rule is to speak with the union leader, but because you expressed concern, I am allowing those at site-manager level to observe as well.”

There were three site managers in total, including Hanson.

Though they looked uneasy, they had no choice but to leave their seats.

With the foremen gone and only the site managers remaining, Stefan began speaking in a markedly different tone.

“Then shall we have a proper discussion about what the executives are really here to discuss?”

“Whatever you do, we will not be shaken.”

“There is no need to be shaken. The reason I excluded the foremen is that this concerns aristocratic matters.”

“Aristocratic matters?”

Hanson immediately countered.

“Under the laws of the Grand Duchy, citizens currently have no political rights. So even if you become union leader, it is effectively a position inferior to that of a village headman.”

“That’s right.”

“After discussing this matter in advance, the Regent told me that he intends to establish the labor union leader as a representative of the citizens.”

“A representative of the citizens?”

“Yes. Some republics in the West grant political rights in this form. To put it in terms familiar under Imperial law…… you may think of it as equivalent to a baronet.”

A baronet!

Strictly speaking, it was not a noble title, but it was still a position that could grant the privileges of nobility.

Wasn’t this the noble position Hanson had wanted so desperately?

“Therefore, if you become a citizen representative, you will be guaranteed political rights, and you will also receive tax reductions and permission to engage in commercial activities. We also intend to provide you with a quarterly allowance for maintaining your dignity.”

Each line he recited struck their ears with perfect clarity.

Not even the day’s wages, paid at sunset, could offer such pleasure.

Hanson found it extremely difficult to control his expression.

‘It’s exactly as that mage said!’

Complaints made people troublesome, and that trouble led to rewards.

Hanson almost regretted that he had not come up with such an idea sooner.

“Of course, this is limited to the position of union leader. If you step down from that position, you will lose your qualifications as a citizen representative. Do you understand?”

“Does that mean that if I step down as union leader, I will be no different from an ordinary citizen?”

“The position will pass to your successor, and your successor will gain the authority of a citizen representative.”

“I understand.”

“Do either of the other two gentlemen have any objections?”

The site managers shook their heads.

“No objections here.”

“It seems fine to me.”

“Then, Union Leader, please sign here.”

Stefan presented the contract, and Hanson checked its contents once more before signing it.

And so, the council ended successfully.

* * *

That night, Hanson drank to his heart’s content in a splendid mood.

Starting tomorrow, he would go to work as the leader of the Far Eastern Labor Union rather than as a site manager.

‘I need to set up a handsome nameplate and chair…… and I should start looking for the house I’ll live in.’

His future looked no different from a road paved with flowers.

A smile never left his face, and he was itching to contact his relatives and family.

“You look to be in a good mood.”

The arrogant young mage’s voice reached him.

Hanson greeted the voice with enthusiasm.

“Oh, my! Welcome, Mage!”

“Haha, don’t get up. And don’t even think about trying to shake my hand. So, how did it go?”

“Thanks to you, Mage, I’ve risen to the position of union leader.”

“Congratulations. Now tell me about it in greater detail.”

Hanson, thoroughly drunk, recounted everything that had happened.

Unlike someone reciting a heroic tale, the mage’s face grew increasingly stiff.

“So you accepted all of that exactly as offered?”

“Of course. They accepted all our demands, so how could I—.”

“You stupid, worthless bastard!”

The woman suddenly hurled a stream of abuse at him.

Hanson sobered up at once.

“W-Why are you so angry?”

“Did you hear nothing I said, you idiot? You’re worse than a mole crawling along the ground. At least moles have enough sense not to climb up! Do you even know what you’ve done?”

“……?”

When he looked utterly bewildered, the woman let out a long sigh.

“Damn it, if I’d known this would happen, I should have disguised myself as a laborer and joined in, whether that bastard noticed me or not. It’s my fault for sending these idiots off as they were!”

“What exactly did I do to deserve this?”

“What did you do? You climbed onto the executioner’s platform, tied the knot yourself, and put it around your own neck!”

* * *

“A hero play?”

Ferda expressed his confusion. It was the word that captured the essence of the plan Stefan had described.

“Doesn’t it end with the Demon King dying and the hero winning?”

“That’s right.”

“I know the Demon King dies, but the actor who actually played the Demon King isn’t killed. It’s something like that.”

“So you mean they only pretend?”

Stefan nodded.

“Whenever an incident breaks out, the union leader will appear claiming to be a hero. Then he will defeat the evil villain, the Regent, and claim a reward. That way, the citizen representative will gain support from the opposition as well.”

Stefan gave a sly grin.

“All without realizing that they are actually in league with each other.”

“But isn’t Hanson currently not on my side?”

Stefan nodded.

“Soon, he will bow his head in the Regent’s grasp. It cannot turn out any other way.”

“Explain.”

Stefan raised his index finger and spoke.

“First, some of our manpower will be pulled away to construct the walls. Therefore, additional workers are needed for the city plan to proceed smoothly.”

“That’s right.”

“Considering the current situation, we will need to bring in one hundred more workers. That means the labor union will gain one hundred additional members.”

“Can you draw them in?”

“At the daily wage we are paying now, they will have no choice but to come. It is enough money to set aside even the Imperial Dream for a while.”

The current number of workers was 253.

However, ninety-eight of them had come from Halim, and they did not belong to the Far Eastern Labor Union.

That meant there were effectively 155 members.

Then one hundred additional workers would join them.

A full two-fifths would be fresh-faced newcomers.

“Factions will form.”

“They are probably already forming.”

“Why?”

“That brings us to the second reason. As I said, the position of citizen representative comes with benefits similar to those of a noble.”

“That’s right.”

“What do you think will happen if we introduce elections for the position of union leader?”

Ferda understood.

“So that was why you pretended to put forward the site managers as witnesses.”

“Yes. Unlike Hanson, whose eyes were clouded by the power directly in front of him, the other two seem to have understood perfectly.”

The desire for power was surely not limited to Hanson.

They would instead be thinking, ‘If Hanson can become one, why shouldn’t I?’

“They will need money to maintain their factions during the election. But will their wages alone give them enough power to win people over?”

“No.”

“And what do people who have spent their entire lives handling only their trades know about management? Law? Human resources or financial administration?”

Just as Stefan could not do carpentry, and Hanson could not run a business, everyone had something they could not do.

“In the end, this is what they need to solve all those problems.”

Stefan formed a circle with his thumb and index finger.

Money.

Money was necessary to obtain power, and money was also necessary to maintain it.

“They will look for someone to provide that money.”

Who possessed a great deal of money right in front of them?

Who could advise them on finances, law, and personnel management?

“A game without intellectuals is always bound to be swept along by the greater current.”

Stefan himself was that current.

Ferda asked him with an inwardly satisfied expression.

“So will the labor union become mine within a few months?”

Stefan answered with a pleasant smile.

“I will make it yours within two months at the latest.”