Even if it's a Hypocritical Government
Ren's administration is gradually spreading throughout Nord. According to Ren himself, it is hypocritical politics aimed at gaining popularity, but it is an undeniable fact that it has brought good results for the people. The people praised the new emperor's administration. At the same time, the contributions of the demons and elves are also being recognized.
Although there are still some prejudices against the demons, they have put them aside and have come to the point where they can honestly express their gratitude for the benefits they have brought. Compared to the first time when they looked at them with suspicion no matter what they did, this is a big improvement.
When good government is recognized, more and more people are willing to cooperate with it. As the number of human resources increases, the national government will accelerate and the people will realize the benefits.
It is such a virtuous cycle that Ren himself is perplexed. Even if it is true that the original situation was so bad.
Ren has no reason to be cheerful about it. The more things are going well, the more cautious Ren's character becomes. He was even more diligent in his political duties, looking for any problems or things that needed to be done.
And after all, the biggest problem for the Nord Empire is the shortage of human resources. As a result of the completion of the assessment of the original bureaucrats, this problem has become even more serious. The fact that no talented people could be found there.
"...Who wrote this?"
"Did you find anyone of interest?"
"A few."
"Understood. I will call the person."
In order to secure human resources, Ren took a measure. It was to ask for personnel in the field. It is nothing special. If there is no one among those who serve the country, he has no choice but to seek out talent in the field.
However, the method is a little different. They do not ask for general education. They will be judged solely on the basis of the measures they propose. The first method of recruitment was further refined to focus only on ideas.
Although the conditions of the appointment were designed to lower the hurdles, in reality, the opposite was true. They are not looking for knowledge acquired through education but for the power of innate inspiration. In other words, they are looking for geniuses.
Although the hiring process began as a desperate attempt, the response has been positive. Even if most of them were just requests rather than proposals for measures. That's useful because it gives them an idea of what the people want. Ren made sure to read through all of them.
And today, for the first time, he found a proposal that caught his attention. Unfortunately, it was not that of a genius. It was a proposal within Ren's knowledge. Still, it must be someone he would like to promote.
He waited with anticipation, looking at other materials, to see what kind of person would appear. Eventually, a person appeared. It was more than Ren had expected.
"Young. How old are you now?"
"I'm sixteen"
"Not only do you look young, but you are actually young?"
As one would expect, Ren did not expect a sixteen-year-old boy to appear. In this world, he is a man, not a boy, because he is an adult, but to Ren, who has not lost his sense of his original world, he is a child.
"So how did you like my policy?"
"You were properly educated, weren't you?"
"……Yes"
The man's language is clearly not that of a commoner.
"Did you write the letters yourself?"
"Yes. I can read and write a little."
"A little."
It is a proposal on politics. There were many difficult words in it, so it was more than just a little.
Ren could see what his identity was.
"This topic. Why did you choose the subject of preventing bureaucratic corruption?"
"Because I knew about it."
"But you couldn't have been in government. How did you get the knowledge?"
"...My father used to serve the country."
"Are you saying that you imitated your father's knowledge?"
"Yes"
"Even if it was your parent, as long as it wasn't your own idea, it would be illegal, though?"
"That's……"
"Are you prepared for that?"
There's no way he doesn't understand the meaning of Ren's question. Still, he admitted without hesitation that it was his father's knowledge. In other words, he wants him to recognize his father, not himself.
"Father has knowledge that could be useful for the country. He also has the ability to do so. By all means, let him serve the emperor."
"Where is your father now?"
"That's……"
"First of all, I should ask your name. May I ask your name and your father's name?"
"My name is Robert Rickard. My father is... Keynell Rickard."
"Lautrec. Do you know him?"
He didn't need to hear the answer. Surprise spread across Lautrec's face.
"…He is the son of Castro Rickard, who was the late minister."
"It's also bigger than I thought."
As expected, Ren did not think he was that great a person. The former three ministers were major criminals in the empire. If he was the son of a former minister, he must have been guilty of a certain amount of crimes.
"Unlike my grandfather, my father is an upright person! Ever since he served the country, he has been worried about whether he could do something about the corruption of officials! It is wrong that my father should be punished!"
"Really?"
Ren asked Lautrec if Robert's words were true.
"......Yes. His son, Keynell Rickard, was in some way opposed to his father. I have seen him admonish him many times myself."
"I see……"
"Then my father!?"
"But he couldn't stop him."
"Eh?"
"I hope he is a stranger. If he is a good person, I will promote him immediately. But your father is not a stranger. That's why he couldn't stop your grandfather's crimes."
"But!"
"Can I ask you one thing?"
"What?"
"Didn't your father and you receive any favors from your grandfather? Didn't your father get rich because of your grandfather? Didn't you live in luxury because of your grandfather?"
"…………"
Robert cannot deny Ren's question. He was blessed, there was no doubt about that.
"The fact that you received it is an accomplice. At least you have the sin of being extravagant with the money he earned illegally. You understand this, right?"
"Yes……"
His father's sins were never forgiven. Thinking that, Robert dropped his shoulders in dejection.
"Lautrec"
"Ha"
"Check the statement of Keynell Rickard. Did he admit his guilt or not? It would be fine if he admitted his guilt and touched on the fact that he could not stop his father and that he himself was also enjoying the benefits. His prison term will be over and he will be allowed to return to his official position."
"Ha!"
"T-thank you very much!"
After listening to Ren's words, Robert thanked him.
"It is not yet decided that he will be reinstated."
"My father always admits his crimes. So he will be reinstated for sure."
"I see. By the way, you passed the exam too."
"Huh?"
"You're the one who applied. That's why you passed. We'll see what you can do. For the time being, Ralph. I'll put him under you. Take care of him like everyone else."
"Yes. However, his position will be that of a civil official close to His Majesty."
Ralph and those with him are apprentices, but in reality, they have access to a great deal of the country's politics. They are in a position where they can be called Ren's close associates.
"Is there a problem? He's not a sinner to begin with. No matter what kind of job he takes, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Certainly. Understood."
"Excuse me?"
"You say your name is Robert Rickard. I am Ralph Jungling. You'll be working for me as a civil official with the Emperor until your official assignment is finalized."
"With the emperor... at His Majesty's side!?"
"Yes. Learn various things there. But even learning is not easy. Be prepared."
"Y-yes!"
"Ralph, don't scare him. He's just an apprentice."
"There's nothing to be gained from thinking that way."
"Heh, you're kind to those below you."
You can work on Ren's side. If you are not satisfied with that, there is no future for you. On the contrary, you'll just be off the hook soon enough. Ralph's harshness is with Robert in mind.
"Your Majesty. To be honest, I didn't think you would promote me."
"Yeah. It's not about kindness. If they knew that even the sons and grandchildren of the three ministers could be reinstated if they were recognized as excellent, I thought there would be more applicants."
"...You don't have to say it in front of me."
"It's better if you know. Listen. I didn't acknowledge your ability. I just called you here because I was curious to see what you had to say about the measures, but the content is lacking and inadequate."
"Yes……"
"If you want to be recognized for your ability, you have to work a little harder."
"Y-yes!"
For Ren, it was just a little follow-up to see how depressed he was and to see if he had said too many harsh things to the kid.
But for Robert, who received it, it was a direct word of encouragement from the emperor. Ren still didn't understand the weight of being an emperor.
Regardless of that, Ren's intentions were to succeed. Even the most culpable of the three ministers' bloodlines would be forgiven. Knowing this, the relatives of those who had been punished and driven out of their positions began to apply for the position one after another.
Of course, some of them harbor grudges against Ren. However, for those who had been destitute without jobs, it was more important to earn a living, even if it meant putting aside their resentment.
From among these people, the honest ones were selected and promoted. The replenishment of civil officials was to proceed at once.
On the other hand, there was an unexpected situation with regard to the appointment of military officials. Unlike civil officials, there were far more applicants for military officials. The reason for this was something Ren had not expected.
"...If such an existence exists, could you tell me first?"
"I am sorry, but it was two hundred years ago. We were indeed unable to grasp it."
"The lineage of the knights that was severed 200 years ago? I didn't know they still cherished such a thing."
The Nord were forced to disband their army after their defeat in the last war. The only military force allowed was the formation of a security force to maintain public order in the territory.
Many soldiers lost their jobs. The effect on knights was especially great. The very existence of knights was no longer permitted.
Although it was a small country, the Nord Empire had a good number of knights. The percentage of knights in the military was much higher than in other countries. The reason for this was that the Nord Empire, which had been working to strengthen its military power, had taken the method of increasing the number of professional soldiers, in other words, increasing the number of knights.
The knights were dismissed en masse as part of the postwar process. They were not promoted to civil officials. Those who had lived only by the sword could not do that work. Even if there were those who could, they would not be hired unless they were very good at it, which is not an easy task when the national government has to reduce its workforce due to downsizing.
Thus, the dismissed former knights chose to give up the sword and live as farmers in order to survive. There were many such farmers in Nord.
The appointment of military officials is an opportunity for them to revive their families. Those who were related to the former knightly families applied for the military all at once. Along with a letter appealing for the achievements and glory of their family in the past, which Ren should never have known.
"Now, what should we do?"
"Aren’t they going to take the exam? I don't know to what extent, but some of them may have been trained as knights in the art of swordsmanship."
"That's not the problem."
"What do you mean?"
"The army I'm thinking of doesn't need knights."
"What is an army without knights?"
"Officers and soldiers. That's the short version."
"Aren't knights and soldiers the same thing?"
"Yes. From among the soldiers, those who have excellent leadership skills will be made officers. They will be grouped into five groups and will be corporals. Those five groups will have 20 units. The person who organizes the whole unit is the centurion. We can put those troops together and... anyway, something like that."
"An officer of a hundred or a thousand is a knight's official position, isn't it?"
"That's why I raise them from soldiers instead of knights. How do I explain this?"
Ren had an ideal form that he had been thinking about in his own way for a long time. It was the result of studying the structure of the knight order and armies of various countries and considering applications from there.
Ren is a complete amateur in military affairs. As a student, Ren is an amateur in other fields as well, but he still has some knowledge as a student. If he had studied on this world, he could have come up with applications from his knowledge of his original world. However, he has no knowledge of the military. He doesn't even know what the military is like.
That is why Ren studied the military so thoroughly. And not just through books. He even left the capital to visit the armies of other countries. Because he had gone through so much hard work, he was obsessed with military affairs.
"Do you see what I mean by this? The ideal is for anyone to be able to lead an army."
"Anyone?"
"...A failure. Right. If the centurion has been defeated. It would be troublesome if the troops were unable to move because of that. In my army, when the centurion is defeated, the second-ranked person will immediately lead it as the centurion. If that person is defeated. Then, the next person."
"Such a thing"
If the commanding general is killed, that unit will most certainly try to flee the front line, if not collapse. No soldier wants to stay in a place where people are killing each other.
What Ren is talking about is changing the mindset of these soldiers. He doesn't think that's an easy thing to do.
"That's why I'm starting with the soldiers. There is no distinction between knights and soldiers. We want the soldiers to learn to lead their troops. By doing so, I want to make each soldier understand the behavior of the troops and the army, so that the army will be able to do as it pleases."
"...I finally understand a little. But"
It's not easy to do that with a drafted soldier. They just call them soldiers, but they are professional soldiers just like knights. Now that he understood this, Lautrec could see the shape that Ren was aiming for.
"You understand? Thorough education is necessary. That is why I am concerned about human resource development. Education is not only for civil officials. I believe that those who are involved in the military also need basic education."
"I see."
"In this ideal, the privileged class of knights is only a hindrance."
"Are knights a privileged class?"
"That's right. Military talent does not descend from generation to generation. Even the best army will lose if it is led by a foolish general. The existence of knights pretends not to see this obvious thing."
"Your opinion is harsh."
"I'm not denying everything. They were born into a family of knights and continued training from an early age to be worthy of a knight. I approve of that way of being. But that means leaving everything to the family. Do you think that will always produce excellent knights?”
"Does His Majesty think that the country should nurture it?"
"Yes, and it is not limited to military personnel. Well, this is also an ideal. To realize it, it requires a huge amount of money. Only a very rich country could afford it."
"……Yes"
If this whole continent were one country. Lautrec never said the thoughts that came to his mind. Because he knew Ren's answer.
Someone else can do it after his own revenge is over. That was not what Lautrec wanted to hear.
"Well, we've gone off-topic. A former knight's family... or they could just give up once and for all."
"Is that all right? These are the people who took the trouble to gather."
"We must not be so caught up in the immediate gain that we forget what we are here to do. I just don't like knights in name only. I have no intention of taking such a person as a vassal."
"...If His Majesty thinks so."
This would put an end to the appointment of military officers. Lautrec thought so.
Lautrec still didn't understand Ren. Ren's charisma, and Ren's art of hypocrisy.
◇◇◇
The military officer candidates standing in a row were shocked by the sudden appearance of His Majesty the Emperor. Some of them have already bowed like knights, but there are very few of them.
In fact, there are only a few who were raised as knights, even though they know that they come from a family of former knights. Most of them were raised as sons of poor farmers.
"First of all, I would like to thank you for coming all the way to apply for a military officer position. Thank you."
Ren's greeting began abruptly. The fact that the emperor was thanking them made the crowd more and more formal.
"But along with the thanks, I must apologize to everyone."
With the next words, the turmoil spreads again. There is one thing that comes to mind that would be an apology in this flow. It means that they can't apply.
"I hear that there are many descendants of people who were once treated as knights in the Nord Empire in this place."
The next reaction is confusing. They don't know how this conversation is going to turn out.
"I can only say that it is admirable that you are willing to serve as a knight again after two hundred years."
Also, a compliment. This time, the joy spreads only in the ex- knight's house.
"But I can't answer that thought."
And suddenly discouraged. People are repeating joy and sorrow with each of Ren's words.
"This country doesn’t need knights. Therefore, I will not take you as a knight just because you come from a family of former knights."
The dissatisfaction appeared on the faces of several people who had probably inherited the position of knights for 200 years. They can't accept that they were told that they don't need the knight they've been proud of.
"What is a knight in the first place?"
That dissatisfaction fades with this question, and they begin to think in search of the answer. It's the same with others.
"I thought it like this. A knight is a warrior in their own right, and if it is lacking, it is someone who can use their life for their Lord."
They begin to think about the meaning of Ren's answer.
"A knight is a person who is recognized as a knight only for his power and loyalty. It is not a person who is recognized for his family name or simply for having the title of knight."
Groans could be heard from everywhere. Some were ashamed of themselves for trying to be promoted on the basis of past glory. Others feel empathy for Ren's words. Their feelings may vary, but they are all convinced by Ren's words.
"I can't give everyone the title of knight. I don't think such a form is necessary. A knight is not a title, but a deed. With that skill, with that heart, if there is someone who wants to prove that he or she is a true knight, I want them to serve me. I always see that behavior. I promise you that as the one who is in charge of everyone's life."
Saying this at the end, Ren turns his back and leaves.
A moment later, a loud cheer erupted from behind.
"Long live the emperor! Long live the Nord Empire!"
Followed by the shower of voices, whoever started the chant. The chant was repeated over and over again, eventually spreading to the surrounding area and echoing throughout the castle.
"Who was it?"
The chant reaches even inside the royal castle. Hearing that, Lautrec faced Ren with a complex expression that was a mixture of surprise and amazement.
"No, I didn't think the reaction would go this far. Was there an admirer in the mix?"
"Is that so?"
"That's what it is. Well, I can't speak for Shizuku either. Hypocrisy is also hypocrisy. Do you think it makes for a better country if you cheat your subjects?"
"...I've been thinking this lately."
"What?"
"Even if it's hypocrisy, it's good for the recipient. If the recipient feels it is good, then it is not hypocrisy, but good."
"Hardly. Well, I'll take it gratefully. Might make me feel a little less guilty."
"That's... no, I think it's fine if that's the case."
Hypocrites don't feel guilty about being hypocritical. Ren is heartless and ruthless. And yet, still has goodness inside him. Lautrec is gradually beginning to see the better side of Ren's duality.
He is now beginning to understand that it is not a duality at all, but rather an inability to express his innermost feelings.
The Nord Empire, with its Emperor Ren, an overwhelming presence that could not be compared to the self-proclaimed emperors of past empires, achieved astonishing development.
The miracle of the people's united efforts took shape without being known outside the country. Until the new Nord Empire made a name for itself in the world.
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