Next Life – Chapter 34

Queen Hordia, Asteria, announced that she had purged the disloyal nobles who had been monopolizing state affairs by using her as a puppet.

“I pretended to be insane for a long time to protect myself. I know this may be hard to believe, but from now on, I intend to govern for the good of my people. As proof, though it may be presumptuous, I will reduce the tax rate to five-tenths of the previous level. I will also refund a portion of last year’s taxes. These are promises made in the name of Asteria, Queen of Hordia.”

The Queen’s emotional speech, delivered with tears, deeply moved the audience, who had considered her beautiful but mad.
Coupled with the tax reduction, Asteria’s popularity soared.

“The nobles who oppressed Her Majesty have paid the price! Long live Her Majesty the Queen!”

“Long live Her Majesty the Queen!”

Surprise turned into joy, and the citizens praised their Queen.
No one bothered to ascertain who had shouted “Long live” first.

“I offer my full apologies to Filat. I am also willing to offer reparations. I hope you will all do the same.”

This statement was also met with favor.
It was undesirable to make enemies of all the nations on the continent due to the perfidious nobles.
Unaware of the truth, they did not find the Queen’s explanation suspicious.
Even if they had, they would likely support the Queen if she lowered taxes and protected their livelihoods.
All the disloyal nobles were either killed or captured, and their families, private soldiers, and anyone else complicit in their misdeeds were apprehended and reduced to slavery.
The number of such individuals was approximately 130,000.

“I thought it would be closer to 150,000. Perhaps I was overly optimistic.”

Asteria gave a wry smile.
She would have to reward those who assisted in capturing those “complicit in misdeeds,” and she had promised to free the slaves.
With the disappearance of a large number of nobles and administrative officials, many found themselves overwhelmed with work.
When it was announced that slaves would be used to fill these positions, the public was first surprised, then resistant.

“Those involved in administration hold a certain status. They should not be entrusted to mere slaves.”

This was essentially the argument of the objectors.
Asteria, however, had no intention of accepting this, as she wished to break the tradition of privileging officials.

“There are aspects in which slaves are more trustworthy than officials.”

While officials who committed offenses might only face confiscation of property or dismissal, slaves often faced the death penalty for even minor crimes.
Therefore, slaves would strive to perform their duties diligently, and if they knew they could become commoners based on their performance, they would be even more motivated.
Furthermore, those who would offer bribes would likely find it foolish to bribe a slave compared to an official, and thus would not attempt it.
They were far more reliable than officials.
Most importantly, there was an absolute shortage of personnel, and anyone who could read, write, and calculate, except for criminal slaves, would be welcomed.
The public grudgingly accepted Asteria’s reasoning.
Slaves were, in some ways, more trustworthy than the arrogant officials they had previously known, and the severe shortage of personnel was undeniable.
This event later became the prototype for the “bureaucratic system.”

Other nations watched Hordia’s sudden changes with astonishment.
While the commoners might have accepted the Queen’s pronouncements at face value, the upper echelons were not so naive.
The sheer decisiveness of the actions led them to suspect that the Queen’s faction was the mastermind.
However, with a formal apology to Filat, the delivery of the nobles’ heads, and an offer of reparations, the matter had now escalated into an issue between the two nations.
Filat had no choice but to engage in discussions, given the circumstances.
The public, meanwhile, was completely sympathetic to Asteria.

“We’ve been outplayed…”

Bernhard III groaned.
It was clear that Asteria was behind it, but there was no concrete evidence.
Due to unwritten rules, large-scale espionage to obtain evidence was not feasible.
He suspected that the timing of the attack was precisely for this reason.
Although Hordia should be in considerable turmoil now, they could not intervene.
The month-long cease-fire on either side of the Demonplay was also merely used by Filat to solidify Asteria’s position.

“But this only extends our lifespan, doesn’t it?”

Bernhard III nodded at Marius’s question.
Even if the pretext disappeared and the cease-fire period ended, they would simply find another reason to attack.
While the public might be sympathetic to Asteria now, it was a temporary sentiment and could be overturned.
She could be portrayed as a villain through propaganda, or their current sympathy could be exploited in other ways.
Even if Filat did not attack, other nations might.
Kings who readily broke unwritten rules between states, even to kill their own people, could not be left unchecked.
The upper echelons of every nation harbored similar thoughts, but they had all been momentarily blinded by Asteria’s drastic actions.
They had failed to consider that Marius, with his heroic-class power, would provoke the demons into taking serious action.

“I see. So, Marius Tuban possesses power comparable to their former enemies.”

“Yes, Rubens-sama.”

Gerik, a mimic demon, nodded at the demon leader Rubens’s statement.
He, who had brought the once-powerful Seraeno to ruin, had used his abilities to gather information on Marius.
Upon receiving Gerik’s report, Rubens fell into thought.
Their objective was the revival of the Demon Lord, and by extension, the Evil God Tindalos.

“Although their objective was to protect mere humans, the fact that they could bring down a fortress with a single spell is undeniable proof of their power being on the same level as those individuals. If we underestimate them, we’ll suffer more than just burns.”

“Is that so? Gerik, you’re lower in combat strength, so you feel that way, don’t you? Destroying a human-defended fortress with one blow is something most of us can do.”

Albert, a higher-ranking demon, questioned Gerik’s assertion.

“Indeed, it’s rare for those who *can’t* do it. Ah, I’m not trying to put Gerik down. Your abilities are valuable.”

Franklin, while being polite, agreed with Albert.

“Then someone should fight them. If they’re weak, eliminate them. If they’re strong, eliminate them. If they’re too strong, they’re prey for the Demon Lords. That’s all there is to it.”

Rubert calmly stated his opinion. The other demons also agreed with Rubert.

“That’s right. We’ve always done it that way… Sammuel, I entrust this to you. Go and test your strength at this ‘Demonplay.’ I’ll leave the method to you.”

“Understood.”

One of the demons nodded and disappeared.

“Rubens-san, why are you letting that one go? I wanted to go myself?”

Rubens replied to Albert’s question in a gentle tone.

“I chose someone who wouldn’t pose a problem even if defeated. You all need to search for Auraniess-sama’s sealed location.”

The sealed locations of Zagan and Decarabia had already been found, but they had no clue about Auraniess.

“It wasn’t in Seraeno, and it wasn’t there either. Perhaps it’s around Ranleo?”

Gerik, who had also struck Seraeno while searching, questioned this, and Rubens responded.

“Well, in any case, be careful not to destroy any nations. Don’t forget that someone was once erased by Zagan-sama for accidentally destroying a country.”

“If we’re going to do it, we need to revive at least a Demon Lord and get permission. Everyone other than Zagan-sama is probably fine, though…”

Demon Pal chimed in, and the others nodded.
Zagan was known to be cruel and strict, even towards demons.
Their true desire was for Auraniess, who was more tolerant of those who were stronger and showed deference, to be resurrected soon.

“Alright, disperse.”

The demons scattered to various locations.