The barely functioning Kingdom of Liz began to creak in earnest.
Once, the fear of death could subdue people, but that was a method applicable only when the people had lingering attachments to life. In a crumbling nation, those who loved and clung to life were a very small minority.
On the other hand, King Liz was plagued by daily rebellions. Of course, most of these rebels were untrained, powerless individuals, making it easy to suppress them.
The real problem was happening elsewhere.
First, the number of mercenaries summoned for the rebels turned out to be more than expected, causing a substantial expense. For now, this could be managed with the generous funds from Euplana.
However, the next issue was more problematic.
The King, in an attempt to sell the rebels as slaves, had captured them all alive. The cost of feeding and housing them in the castle was not insignificant.
“Are you telling me you’re giving five loaves of bread a day to those who are going to be sold as slaves? And why would you distribute soup as well? They are criminals!”
At some point, the King, after checking the cost of sending the rebels away, leaped up and ordered the cessation of all support. In response, the slave trader approached, bowing.
“But didn’t I say that healthy slaves would fetch a higher price? Please take a look at this.”
He handed over an estimate that had been shown to the King before.
The King shook his head. He had willingly given money to the mercenaries because he believed that the proceeds from selling the slaves later would be enough to cover the cost.
“So, you need to make the slaves usable and sell them at a high price.”
‘Understood. There’s no choice. Let the meals proceed as planned.”
As the King reversed his order, the slave trader opened his mouth again with a greedy expression.
“You should also let them take a walk for a set amount of time every day. Humans who haven’t seen the sun will deteriorate, they say.”
“This is extremely annoying.”
The King sighed while resting his chin. It was so bothersome, maybe he should just kill them all. However, that was not doable. A considerable amount of money had already been invested in them.
Moreover, there were people who complained that they hadn’t received the promised money.
“I get it. We need to prepare so that we can get the highest price.”
“Then, make sure to periodically bathe them, provide new clothes, and have them examined by a doctor.”
“Do we have to go that far?!”
That seemed excessive! When things started to take an unexpected turn, the King stood up abruptly.
“Disease can spread; it’s a big problem. They might become unusable! Surely, among them, there are those with malicious intent who could spread the disease.”
“. . .”
Hearing the plausible words of the slave trader, the King quickly agreed once again. It seemed to make sense when he thought about it.
It was them who faced death with determination from the beginning, wasn’t it? Those who resisted helping the royal family. It would be a big deal if they even spread a terrible disease.
“Send all the royal doctors. Have each and every one of them examined without exception.”
As things began to go according to his intentions, the slave trader prostrated himself on the ground.
“Wow! Sending all the royal doctors! Such royal benevolence…!”
“I won’t hesitate to invest properly. Do you understand?”
“This DD will engrave Your Majesty’s words into my bones.”
The slave trader, DD, chuckled and bowed to the King several times.
“So when are you taking those bundles of money away?”
When the king asked, DD, who was preparing to stand up and step back, lowered his head apologetically.
“There will be a large auction at the beginning of winter. Your Highness has provided so many goods, and we are even rearranging the transportation plan.”
“With you being so slow like this, won’t I be at a loss?”
The King shouted in annoyance, not pleased at all. Surprised, DD prostrated himself again.
“We also feel terribly sorry about that particular matter.”
“Is an apology enough?”
But the King’s anger didn’t subside easily. Startled, DD stammered.
“Su, surely not? We are willing to offer this much more to the price you mentioned. There are so many people, it will be a large amount.”
He spread out five fingers wide. The King, after hesitating, called for an even higher amount.
DD’s face turned pale.
“Your, Your Majesty. Then, then, we won’t make much of a profit…”
“What’s the problem? This land is full of slaves. Are you going to back out after this excellent deal, just this once?”
The King looked down at him with a malicious expression.
DD shouted nervously in response, “Are you going to send us more slaves again?”
King Liz chuckled and nodded.
After all, what was left in this land were humans. Humans multiply on their own.
DD’s complexion brightened.
“Ah, I understand. We will accept all the conditions Your Majesty mentioned. I have also learned your words a while ago and engraved it in my bones…”
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