A few days passed after the commotion in the Northern Town subsided.
The dignitaries were gathered in the great hall of Razek Amamiya’s castle.
This was to award rewards to those who took action in this matter.
By the way, Mia’s punishment had already been decided at this time, and it had been communicated both internally and externally.
The same applied to the punishments of those involved in the commotion, other than Mia.
Most people were surprised that Mia was involved in this matter.
However, upon hearing the details of her punishment, those close to Mia were convinced, though they did not show it outwardly.
It was common knowledge that Mia had been interested in managing the Tower since her student days.
From this, they had even inferred that Towa and Mia had conspired and acted together in this incident.
Of course, they would not go out of their way to publicize such matters.
Even if they told someone, Mia’s punishment was an undeniable fact.
Moreover, since they could imagine that the person who received the punishment was the happiest, they felt no need to mention it.
As rewards were handed out one after another, it was the turn of Doroteo Grevilleus, who had made the greatest contribution to this matter.
Doroteo is the biological son of Lucas Grevilleus, the former lord of the Northern Town.
This time, he had used his connections to detect the movements of the rebels.
Naturally, he had also made significant contributions in other ways, thus becoming the greatest contributor.
Amidst the attention of all those gathered, Floria announced the reward to Doroteo.
“Doroteo, you have been recognized as the greatest contributor in this disturbance. Therefore, your reward shall be ○○ gold coins.”
“Yes! I humbly accept.”
At Floria’s words, Doroteo bowed and received the certificate.
However, some of the surrounding people who were watching his demeanor wore doubtful expressions.
It could be said that it was inappropriate to not hide one’s expression in front of the Queen, but very few people rebuked him.
This was because the reward Doroteo received was less than they had expected.
It was even less than that of the captain of the Royal Guard, who had commanded the direct capture of the criminals.
Floria seemed to be well aware of this, as she nodded once and continued.
“Don’t make that face. Doroteo’s reward is not just this. But that will come later. For now, there is something else that needs to be done.”
When Floria said this, those gathered responded in unison, “Yes!”
Floria confirmed their response from her throne and continued.
“As you all know, Doroteo will be the greatest contributor in this matter. However, there might be someone who has contributed more than him?”
When Floria said this, those present exchanged doubtful glances.
“You don’t understand? He is standing next to me?”
Floria added, and finally, their gazes fell upon Towa, who was standing next to Floria.
Upon confirming this, Floria nodded once.
“That’s right. My son, Towa, also made the greatest contribution in this matter. Therefore, I will abdicate the throne to Towa in recognition of this achievement!”
At Floria’s declaration, a momentary look of surprise swept across the faces of those present, before they immediately prostrated themselves.
They had been thinking that it was about time.
To have the throne passed on based on the greatest contribution made in the commotion in the Northern Town could indeed be considered a perfectly timed event.
This incident had proven Towa’s capabilities were sufficient.
Of course, that alone was not enough to be king, but that could be remedied in the future.
Besides, Floria herself did not have any physical problems.
If anything were to happen, they could rely on Floria.
However, Floria herself had no such worries.
In any case, not a single person gathered here objected to the transfer of the throne to Towa.
“Since there appears to be no opposition, this decision is final. The detailed handover will be later, but for now, we will have a simplified ceremony.”
Floria said this and looked at Towa.
Towa immediately stepped forward before Floria.
Floria, seeing this, placed the crown she had been wearing on Towa’s head as he bowed before her.
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Towa took the throne in place of Floria.
Although it was a simplified ceremony, as Towa now held the throne, no one dared to question it.
Towa, seated on the throne, confirmed this and spoke.
“The former Queen has decided that I shall be the next King. I look forward to your continued support.”
This was Towa’s first address as king.
Upon hearing this, those present straightened their postures and bowed their heads in unison.
“Now, I intend to begin my first task as king immediately.”
When Towa said this, everyone looked at him with doubt.
They had thought that since he had just ascended the throne, there would be no major tasks.
Towa, understanding their thoughts perfectly, continued without hesitation.
“Don’t you understand? The reward for Doroteo has not yet been presented, has it?”
When Towa pointed this out, the assembled people looked as if they had just remembered.
Due to the abdication to Towa, it had completely slipped their minds.
“Doroteo, I hereby appoint you as a Baron of Razek Amamiya. This is a formal appointment from the Royal Family!”
When Towa declared this, the hall fell silent for a moment, and then a murmur arose.
Normally, this would be considered disrespectful behavior in front of the King, but neither Towa nor Floria reprimanded them.
This was because the impact of the announcement was so great.
It was understandable, as the appointment of a peerage from the Royal Family was unprecedented in Razek Amamiya.
Even if it was a barony, Doroteo would now be the most powerful figure in Razek Amamiya, excluding the Royal Family.
Those gathered were merely civilian officials sans titles or hired knights.
In such circumstances, Doroteo had achieved the greatest advancement.
“Doroteo will be the first titled noble of Razek Amamiya, but remember that similar opportunities may arise in the future based on your contributions.”
When Towa said this, those gathered bowed their heads.
“Now Doroteo.”
“Yes!”
“I intend to grant you land as a noble.”
When Towa said this, the hall stirred further.
It was natural for nobles to manage land, but Razek Amamiya had very little land.
To be precise, it could be said that there was no land that could be managed due to the prevalence of monsters.
“Y-yes?”
Doroteo seemed to have thought the same thing, his eyes widening as if he couldn’t help it, despite being in front of the King.
“I am considering granting you a portion of the Third Floor. What do you say?”
When Towa said this, a chorus of “Ooh!” rose from the surroundings.
No one had thought of it, but the floors of the Tower were also recognized as royal property.
Furthermore, the Third Floor would be much easier to develop than unclaimed lands within the Central Continent.
Despite living within the Tower on the Fifth Floor, none of them had thought of this.
More than ten years had passed since Razek Amamiya was founded, yet the floors of the Tower were still not widely recognized as habitable land.
In response to Towa’s words, Doroteo bowed and said, “I humbly accept.”
With this, a noble title was officially established in Razek Amamiya.
It was not yet clear how this would affect future governance.
After all, with so many firsts, the future remained uncertain.
However, the appearance of the first peerage would have significant implications for external relations.
The abdication to Towa and the birth of the first noble title.
There was no doubt that Razek Amamiya had taken another significant step forward as a kingdom.
I wanted to write about Towa’s abdication, but somehow it turned into writing about the creation of a peerage as well.
Writing on impulse is not good, is it?
Anyway, can we say that Razek Amamiya has now truly begun to advance as a kingdom in the truest sense of the word?
Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is unknown.
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Today, I updated my Activity Report regarding the book publication.
Please check it out.
