I sat on a platform on a dragon flight, leaning back in my seat. My retainers were by my side, and we had first-class seating. In fact, I made sure that we were separate from the other people on board and that this platform had unusually thick walls. And I had Joanna put an enchantment on them to muffle the sounds we make to anyone outside. We had potentially confidential information to discuss.

And yes, I got on a dragon flight the moment I got back to civilization. I needed to be fast to get the jump on Motteburh. Speaking of that...I turned and addressed my retinue.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to enter a trade war," I said. "Any questions?"

Dr. Minos raised his hand.

"Yes, Dr. Minos?" I asked.

He held up a sign that read: what's a trade war?

"A very good question. I suspect that the rest of you are wondering similar things," I stated. "After all, the concept of a trade war does not exist in this world. But to give an example, think of a siege. You all know what happens in sieges, right?"

Astrid let out a light sigh.

"I know you're just trying to not assume anything, but sieges are common knowledge. In most sieges, what happens is one side waits outside the other side's castle until they surrender from starvation," she said.

"Exactly, and a trade war is a bit like that, but with an entire kingdom," I explained.

Then, I shrugged.

"Well, that's oversimplifying things, and I don't intend to fight a traditional trade war in my world. As far as I'm concerned, most of those don't go anywhere. And I'm trying to pressure our enemy into pulling off large-scale reforms," I stated.

Joanna spoke up.

"Gustav, is this something you've talked about with His Majesty?" she asked.

"It is," I answered. "To an extent. I haven't told him my full plans yet, mostly because I've planned out more of them since I last talked to him and they're too risky to reveal over crystal balls. Needless to say, I won't reveal my full plans here either."

I doubted any information I said would get out. However, there wasn't any reason to take needless risks.

Joanna gave me a smile.

"I haven't said this before, but I'm proud of you, Gustav. You managed to get His Majesty's favor," she stated.

A blush crossed my face.

"Umm...thanks, but I think you're making this out to be something that it isn't," I replied. "Anyway, moving on, you're the main person I need to talk to here, Astrid."

The girl blinked in shock. Worry crossed Johannes' face. Then, a look of realization crossed their expressions.

"By the gods, Motteburh is the kingdom we're going to trade war with!" Astrid said. "It has to be, right?"

"There's no other kingdom that's fitting," Johannes stated.

I nodded.

"Yes, it is Motteburh," I confirmed. "I'm going to use economics to force them to implement reforms to start treating commoners better. This is in the interest of Greenrivers too. There are hidden ideological conflicts going on between us and Motteburh with how commoners are treated being at the core of them."

"Alright. How do you want me to help?" Astrid spoke without hesitation.

I blinked in shock.

"That quickly?" I asked.

"If it was anyone other than you, Gustav, I would tell them that reforming Motteburh is impossible," Astrid answered. "But you've done a few things that I would say are impossible. I know you can do this, just tell me how I can help."

I nodded.

"Alright. First, do you have any contacts in Motteburh?" I questioned.

A hint of nervousness flashed through Astrid's eyes. She shifted about in her seat.

"I'm not su...I might have some, but I don't think any of them would be willing to side with you. They'd either be too afraid to or too loyal to Motteburh," Astrid said.

She shook her head.

"And it's been years since I've last seen them. I don't know if they'll even want to do anything to do with me. Especially if they find out that I've sworn fealty to a Greenrivers noble. Some of them might even call me a traitor," the girl pointed out.

Wait...

"You swore fealty to a foreign noble, so doesn't that actually make you a traitor?" I asked before swiftly clarifying. "I'm not blaming you for betraying Motteburh. With how they treat commoners, I'd have less respect for you if you stayed loyal to Motteburh. I just want to know if their accusations are true or not."

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Astrid shrugged.

"Technically, not really. I'm a bastard daughter and half noble and half commoner. So, under Motteburh law, I'm not a subject of their crown. I'm an outsider. I can't legally commit treason. But that's only because the King of Motteburh or any of his family could legally kill me for any reason."

Gods, I fucking hate Motteburh!

"So, as far as a lot of people in Motteburh are concerned, I am a traitor. Even if legally, I'm not," Astrid concluded.

I nodded.

"But will your contacts, the ones without much loyalty to Motteburh, consider you one? And will they care?" I questioned.

"I'm...not sure," she replied. "Like I said before, it's been years since I've seen them. They might or they might not."

"Well, if you haven't seen them in a while, that changes what I'll need to say to them," I said. "When we get to my family's castle, Astrid, I need you to write a few letters. I'll tell you what information to put in them, just make sure it's in your own words. Is that acceptable?"

"That depends on the information you ask me to put in them," Astrid stated.

I shrugged.

"Fair enough. You'll find out what it is when we get to my family's castle," I sighed. "Unfortunately, we won't be able to stay for long. After I get a few things done, we'll need to travel to the capital. I need to talk to His Majesty, in private."

We landed in the dragon port in Blitzburg, exiting the place with swiftness. Our first destination was my family's castle. After all, it had been a while since I'd last seen my parents.

Sure enough, they came running over...oh, wait, walking over when I showed up at Castle Blitzburg. Their limbs were hanging listlessly at their sides. My parents' eyes had circles under them. And these circles had circles under them.

"Mother, Father, are you alright?" I asked.

"H...hello, Gustav," my Father said. It's good to see you again. It is been a while, hasn't it?"

Worry started assailing me.

"It is, but are you alright?" I questioned. "You look like you haven't slept in weeks."

My parents shared a look of utter exhaustion. They let out deep sighs.

"Come inside, Gustav. We have a lot to discuss," Mother stated.

Soon enough, I was sitting in my family's solar. My parents' eyes were drooping with incredible heaviness. It was deeply concerning, to put it mildly.

"Gustav," Father sighed. "We appreciate everything you've done for our family."

"But..." I started.

"No buts. We appreciate it. Keep it up, despite our condition," he said.

Guilt blasted through me like a giant gorilla throwing a rock.

"This is my fault?" I asked.

Mother put a hand on my shoulder.

"No fault," she answered. "We're just adjusting to the new workload we've had."

That did not bode well.

"What workload? Does this have something to do with Cinnamon?" I questioned.

"Y-Yes," Mother nodded.

Father put his head in his hands.

"Your dragon...insurance company, was it? Well, anyway, that plan worked perfectly. Now, dozens of merchants have moved to Blitzburg in hopes of getting a chance to have a dragon guard them on dangerous, long-distance trades."

A servant entered the room. He placed several cups down, and then he...pulled out a teapot and poured tea into them...what the fuck? I've never seen tea in Blitzburg before!

Father gestured to the drink.

"This is something called tea. A particularly ambitious merchant convinced Cinnamon to carry him to the far East, where they drink this commonly," he explained. "Before now, only a few lucky saint sailors in our continent had the opportunity to drink tea."

Them and the dark elves, but there aren't many people who know about that. Well, at least our tea was fantasy Chinese, not fantasy English. No, wait, the dark elf tea was just normal English.

I fought down the nausea that welled up in my body. Just the thought of what I had to do made me sick to the stomach.

"Dammit, Gustav," Dʰéǵʰom sighed. "It wasn't that bad."

"Yes, it was," I thought.

Then, I spoke.

"And let me guess: the new merchants moving to Blitzburg came with a flood of paperwork, ordinances, tax records, and other things for you to fill out, right?" I asked.

"Yes. We have a lot of incoming tax revenue. However, that does not change the increased workload," Father explained.

"At least, this should handle our money problems," Mother added. "With this influx of tax revenue, we won't have to worry about those for a while."

Well, it seems that my plan worked with flying colors, but...my parents weren't used to this level of work. Honestly, I think most people in Greenrivers aren't. They were my main priority with their current condition.

"You two need some help," I said. "Someone to assist you, to lower the workload. If I didn't have business with His Majesty, I'd stay longer to help."

Mother waved it off.

"Do not worry about it. There is no refusing His Majesty's orders. We know that as well as you do," she stated.

"And we have been looking for a steward. However, we couldn't find anyone truly reliable," Father added.

I gave him a smile.

"You don't need to worry about that! I have someone perfectly reliable in my retinue, and he is more than capable of helping you two handle our family's finances," I explained.

Father blinked in shock.

"I didn't know you had someone like that," he said.

"Well...he'll need some minor training and help," I replied. "But he'll pick things up quickly. He is a doctor, after all. Not a medical doctor, but someone with a doctorate."

Dʰéǵʰom's voice entered my head as my parents' faces grew dejected.

"Oh, I know exactly who you're talking about," the deity said. "And he's a good choice."

"Well, my parents clearly don't because they'd be happy otherwise," I thought.

So, I gave my Mother and Father reassuring smiles.

"You don't have to worry about anything. Dr. Asterios Minos will stay here and do his best to help you deal with your new workload. And I'll also help through crystal ball calls," I said.

Sighs of relief escaped my parents' mouths.

"Well, at least one part of that isn't concerning," Father replied.

A hit of disappointment pulsed through me. Still, I hid it well.

"It seems my parents have more faith in Dr. Minos than they do in me," I thought.

"No self-awaareness," Dʰéǵʰom sighed. "Well, look on the bright side. At least things are going well with your family."

"Yeah, there's at least that," I nodded before speaking. "There is one more thing I need to do while I'm still in Blitzburg. Is Cinnamon in the city?"

Father shook his head.

"He isn't, but he should be back in a few days."

Well, that wasn't too big an obstacle. Just a small one, I'd say.

"Good enough. I need to have a meeting with the city's merchants, or at least a lot of them. And it needs to be somewhere that no one will listen in."

Father nodded.

"I can arrange that. Just be careful. The merchants are a tricky..." he shook his head. "What am I saying? You probably know more about the machinations of merchants than I do."

"That is one thing I know well, at least, even if I don't know much else," I said.

Dʰéǵʰom facepalmed.

"Well, at least that's more self-awarness than you've shown before," he muttered.