CH 190

The Curse Placed Upon the Empire

“Your Highness Princess Mia, welcome back.”

After receiving news of Mia’s return, Ludwig visited the Whitemoon Palace. His expression was unexpectedly dark. This wasn’t surprising as he didn’t want to request Mia’s return, but the situation made it extremely necessary.

It can’t be helped. This problem can get pretty big if done poorly. I know my limits, and I know I can’t tackle it on my own.

And so he faced Mia who looked tired.

He grimaced. She must haven’t been able to rest because of the rush. The sight of Mia yawning and rubbing her eyes felt like thorns on Ludwig’s chest.

I heard that she has been quite active at Saint Noel. She must already be pretty busy as it is.

When Ludwig heard the news of Mia running for presidency, he felt the chills. But what happened next was something he never imagined. From being an underdog, she emerged victorious at a last minute conceding from Rafina. It was unclear what happened behind the scenes. There must be a deal or something. But whatever it was, it wasn’t a threat. There seemed to be a mutual consent between the two candidates.

Ludwig had heard that there were many people who complained about the result of the election. They were unsatisfied that it was won without voting. These people argued: what is victory without swords? For them, it wasn’t a real victory, it was cowardly.

But Ludwig thought differently. Some tacticians are good at fighting, while some strategists can force their opponens to withdraw before the fighting even begins. There are politicians who put their nations in a position o diplomatic superiority that there was no need for open conflict.

The way Ludwig saw it, Mia had won over Rafina on the strategic font, way before the actual battle of votes began. And now that he thought about it, it was becoming obvious why she decided to run for the student council.

Becoming the student council president will allow her to experience how the school is actually run. 　

The knowledge gained there will be used in Tearmoon’s first academy city.

Indeed, even though the continent is vast, there is no better place to learn academic administration than at St. Noel’s. Mia’s thinking was extremely rational. Despite this, Ludwig regrets that he had interfered with her actions. Ludwig makes to curse himself for his shamelessness.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness Mia for calling you back like this.”

“No, there’s no problem. Last night, my father didn’t let me sleep much because he wanted to hear the stories he hadn’t heard.”

He thought that it was a joke as an excuse. She probably saw his troubled expression and tried to make the atmosphere light by making such a joke. After making such a joke, Mia yawned again then turned her slightly moist eyes to Ludwig.

“So you came all the way here. I was planning of visiting you later. I know you must be busy too.”

“Not as busy as you’re Highness. Yet, I still asked you to interrupt your studies at Saint Noel and rush home. Coming here was the least I can do.”

Ludwig knelt and bowed as fit for a vassal.

“I’m glad to see you in good health, Your Highness.”

“The same to you. You haven’t seem to have changed much.” Mia then narrowed her eyes. “So, what do you want to discuss with me?”

Ludwig paused for awhile before replying.

“Before we get to the main topic, there are a few things I would like to report.”

It wasn’t easy to bring her back to the Imperial Capital, he might as well as her for guidance. She is, after all, the Wisdom of the Empire. Her vision and intellect greatly surpasses his.

“First of all, the food stockpiling that Mia-sama ordered is progressing smoothly. At present, even if there is no harvest for a year, we have enough stock to keep the entire nation from starving”

This is just a speculation. It is not clear as to how much each noble has stockpiled in their region. So the accuracy was unclear.

“Furthermore, if we calculate the amount purchased from the Forkroad Company, it seems that we can deal with a considerable scale of famine.”

“Hmm… It’s going well.”

Looking at the parchment handed to Mia, she nodded slightly.

“And the wheat will soon be harvested, but this year’s harvest is likely to decrease a little.”

“It will decrease… by how much?”

“It’s a rough estimate, but there are reports that it may decrease by about 10% compared to last year.”

“10%… hmm…”

Mia put her hand on her cheek and tilted her head slightly. This amount is not that dire to be considered a problem. If that is the case, the next year’s harvest will be enough to make up for it. Also, in the first place, a decrease in harvest was a common occurrence in the Tearmoon Empire. Looking down on farmers was a pastime for imperial nobles anyway.

Originally, this land was suitable for agriculture, called the Fertile Crescent. After sowing seeds, all it took was regular watering and weeding to see bountiful harvest. People had usually called it “the land of effortless harvest.”

And there lived simple natives. They lived a peaceful farming life, never starving or having to fight. Then, a powerful invader, a nearby hunting tribe, attacked. The hunting tribes, the ancestors of Tearmoon, used force to reduce the natives to serfs and made the land their own. That was the beginning of the Tearmoon Empire.

The first emperor, the chieftain of the hunting tribe, regarded those who were excellent in martial arts as nobles, and despised the indigenous people who engaged in agriculture as slaves or cowards. By doing so, they legitimized their sovereignty.

This evil ideology took root as a Tearmoon identity. Tearmoon people are contemptuous to farmers who they believe are too stupid to make a living doing anything else.

The system of serfdom is long gone. Farmers are no longer systematically treated unfairly. It is a proper profession, and farmers are no longer oppressed for being one. Therefore, the problem was rather serious.

If there is a problem with the system, the system can be changed. If the status is unfairly low, then the status can be improved. If there is violence, then eliminate violence.

But it is hard to correct assumptions that originated from emotions rather than reason. “Somehow I don’t want to do it” “I don’t like it” “I don’t know why, but it’s not good.” Such unconscious beliefs are still rooted in people’s minds and affect various actions without realizing it.

The self-sufficiency rate of the Tearmoon Empire tends to be difficult to increase due to the irrational prejudice cultivated historically without any rational reason. And Ludwig… even sensed something like malice there. It’s as if this empire is heading towards its own death…

It’s as if the curse of the slain natives of this land is about to kill the entire empire. For some reason, Ludwig couldn’t shake off such imagination, even though it was groundless and fictional. In fact, the distribution of food within the empire was quite a tightrope act before Mia took action.

“… Finally, it is here.”

Mia’s words brought Ludwig back to reality.

“What-what do you mean, Your Highness?” He asked carefully while fixing his glasses lightly. “The reason for decreased harvest seems to be bad weather…”

Of course, it is not possible to lose all the farmland, so each noble has been issued a notice to keep the farmland in the territory above a certain level. Also the nobles are aware of impending crisis, so it is safe to assume that they are abiding directives.

“If it’s just bad weather, it’s possible that the yield will recover after a year…”

“No, unfortunately that won’t happen. This is just the beginning. Next year’s harvest will be worse.”

Mia quietly asserts. Then, with a quiet gaze towards Ludwig,

“If you feel the need, withdraw from the stockpile and distribute wheat. I’ll leave the decision to you.”

Ludwig identifies himself as a rationalist. Therefore, he thought that he should admonish Mia’s unfounded worries, but…

Mia’s face was so full of confidence that this famine was happening. Therefore, all Ludwig could do was silently nod back.

“That’s all for the reports. And the main subject…”

Ludwig said without breaking his serious expression.

“It’s about the academy town project for Her Highness Princess Mia. At this rate, we may not be able to open the school.”

“…Huh?”

Mia blinked her eyes.