How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 1

For those whose crimes were minor, if they repaid the money they embezzled, and relinquished the family headship to another member of the family, their house would be allowed to continue, but for those whose crimes were great, all of their assets were seized and their house would be destroyed.

Of course, the sort of people who would engage in such corruption could not be expected to quietly acquiesce to the destruction of their houses. They took their personal forces and assets and attempted to flee.

However, because Souma and Hakuya could easily see their intentions, the borders were sealed, and they could not carry their assets out into other countries.

Unable to remain in their lands or flee to another country, ultimately, they headed for the duchy of Duke Carmine. They went to Georg Carmine, who was hostile to the king, and waited for an opportunity to rebel.

The central city of that Carmine Duchy was Randel.

While not as great in scale as the royal capital Parnam, it was still large compared to other cities, with a large enough population to become a city-state on its own.

General of the Army Georg Carmine’s castle was here, and a castle town had grown up around it. However, past generals had been indifferent to the city’s management and so, unlike Parnam which could change greatly with the direction the king chose to take it, the town had a nostalgic feel to it, probably the same now as it had been 100 years ago.

On a street corner in that city of Randel, a single carriage was parked. Inside the carriage was a beauty in her mid-twenties. Any man who saw her would, almost certainly, have let out a sigh of admiration.

Even wrapped as it was in a kimono that was similar in style to the ones worn in Japan, her voluptuous figure was still apparent. However, the reptilian tail which stuck out from the buttocks of her kimono and the tiny antlers that sprouted out from beneath her blue hair made it clear that she wasn’t just an ordinary human.

From inside her carriage she was listening to the hustle and bustle of the town around her. There must have been a tavern nearby, because she could hear a group of drunkards grumbling quite clearly.

“Seriously, that new king… Just who does he think we are…? Hic!”

“Indeed. It is we who have supported this kingdom for so many long years.”

“But the king goes and ignores us, pushing forward policies on his own!”

“Why did King Albert leave the country to that whelp…?”

“His retainers are no better! They’re a bunch of inexperienced novices, too! What’s with that gloomy black-robed jerk?! What’s with that human pig?!”

“Heh heh heh, I’m sure he only values those’re good at flattering him.”

“The young are prone to such things! He throws out experienced people like us, only listening to people who’ll flatter him. A king like that won’t last long.”

“That’s right! Let’s take this country back with our own hands!”

“Yeah! For the kingdom we love!”

“““For the kingdom we love!”””

For the kingdom, is it…? My, how they do like to run their mouths. The woman in the carriage sighed. Even that sigh was alluring.

You people are the ones who betrayed the country with your illegal acts. When it came time for you to face the law, you fled, so it certainly takes some gall for you to say the king threw you out. And the king only values those who flatter him? Were you not watching when he gathered personnel? That king would use even those who were dissatisfied with him so long as they were worth it. He uses Sir Hakuya and Sir Poncho because they are capable. The reason he doesn’t use you is because you are not.

Since they didn’t even understand that much, she couldn’t bring herself to even bother ridiculing them.