Duke joined Aurelia outside the castle to hear the Legion’s report on the city. They had located numerous pockets of survivors that had been in hiding from Chopie and the undead. All told, there were close to 10,000 survivors that had come forward, far more than Duke had imagined that there could be.
After the report, Duke took to the air for a survey of the damage to the city. It was, as expected, extensive. Many buildings had been destroyed and even the more intact ones showed signs of significant damage. He retuned to the castle’s courtyard.
“Aurelia, please have the Legion bring everyone they can to the castle’s marshalling yard. I want to address the remaining population of the city all at once. Gently, I should add. No one is to force people to come but it will be safer for them to be here.”
“As you wish.” She responded with a smirk.
Three hours later, thousands of citizens were gathered in the marshalling yard enjoying one of Baslin’s grand feasts. The delicious food had done much to convince people to come and then proceeded to lift their mood. After eating, a number had run off to gather friends and family that were still in hiding. In all, Duke estimated that there were close to 15,000 people in the marshalling yard when he strode out onto the balcony with Baslin trailing him.
The crowd below was mixed in many ways but there was one thing that was common – they were all dirty and wearing worn-out clothes at best. Duke noted this and how well it fit into his plans but still it bothered him to see his people in such a state. “Baslin, please enhance my voice so that all can hear.”
“The Spell is now active, Your Highness. Your people can hear you.” Baslin responded formally.
Duke began his speech with a declaration. “Chopie’s reign of terror is over. You have all been oppressed and hunted under his rule. I am Duke and I declare you all to be free men and women. As this city and much of the kingdom has been devastated by his insanity, I hereby declare all current monetary and material debts of my citizens to the crown and kingdom to be absolved as of this day. I will not start my reign by following the oppression of my predecessor.”
He paused to let his words sink into the minds of the crowd. He was not sure if others felt the pulse of energy that welled outwards from him at his declaration. At least, at first, he wasn’t but it did not take long for the people below to check their notifications to see what Duke’s words had accomplished. A cheer rose up from the crowd, the positive mood now beginning to truly turn celebratory.
Duke waited for a minute before getting everyone’s attention again. “It is easy to see that Chopie has sullied everything he touched. It is time to CLEANSE the filth of his reign!” Duke activated CLEANSE with a full 700,000 Mana. Although it nearly drained his Mana, he smiled as the Ability washed over the area, spreading even further than he had anticipated due to his Crown adding its Prosperity Bonus to the effect, increasing it by 50%. In all, his Ability covered an area in nearly a 500 meters radius around him and all the people gathered below him.
The reaction was as Duke had hoped, full of wonder and awe. The excited discussions filled the crowd as Duke waited for his Mana to refill. Again, he called the crowd to quiet down, which took a bit longer which was fine with him as it took time to top off his Mana.
“My people, you have felt the CLEANSING power that I bring to this kingdom. I shall CLEANSE the rot from it everywhere it can be found. Corruption shall be sought out and excised. I offer my people the freedom to prosper and will not tolerate those who would unfairly stand in the way. There was a time when this kingdom prospered. We shall return it to that prosperity and freedom, and then surpass it.” Duke paused to wait for the shouts and cheers to die down, feeling his PURPOSE glowing with approval.
He continued. “There is one more thing I wish to say before I bid you to go about reconstructing your lives. Everyone deserves a chance to prosper but not everyone has a skill that helps them to do so. I am opening up training for anyone who wishes to join the city guard. We have several trainers in the Thrice Blessed Legion that are willing to train you. We will provide you with the skills and equipment to do the job properly. But remember this – corruption will not be tolerated. Honor matters. Those who have skills, I ask you to teach others. Take on apprentices. There is much to rebuild beyond just the shattered city around us.”
He paused once again as the reaction from the crowd was somewhat mixed. He decided to leave the crowd with one more “miracle.” “My people, please know that anyone who comes before the crown shall be treated fairly and the crown expects that you all treat each other fairly. No go forth and help RESTORE this city to glory!”
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His Master-rank RESTORE Ability with the full 700,000 Mana was far more potent than his Initiate-rank CLEANSE Ability had been. For more than two and a half kilometers around him, things were made anew. Buildings reconstructed themselves, clothes were mended and, in some cases, completely recreated from scraps. The collective gasp from the crowd was music to Duke’s ears especially when it continued into cheers.
It took some time for the crowd to disperse, even after Duke had departed from the balcony to TELEPORT around the rest of the city, RESTORING buildings and structures. Even when only boosting the Ability by 100,000 Mana at a time, the radius of effect was nearly a kilometer. It took him several hours, but when he was done, the infrastructure of the city had been restored. I may be clueless for a king in what everyone expects, but I sure as hell can fix things up.
When he was done, he returned to the throne room. The pair of Legionnaires who he was wondering if he should now call his royal guards were waiting for him. “Your Majesty, Duke Madrigal has requested an audience.”
“He is waiting outside?” Duke asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Very well, send him in.” Duke chuckled.
When the Duke came in, he bowed to Duke, waiting for permission to rise. Duke did not leave him hanging. “Duke Madrigal, please rise and be at ease.”
“Be at ease, Your Majesty?” He responded.
“It means relax and do without the formality.” Duke clarified.
“Very well, Your Majesty.” The Duke straightened up and was surprised when Duke was standing next to him.
“Come, Madrigal, let’s walk and talk.” Duke led the man around the throne room while speaking. “So, what brings you out here this day?”
“Your Majesty, I witnessed your address to the people earlier as well as the pair of miracles and I must say it is rather unprecedented. The transformation of the city alone is like nothing I have ever seen or even read about in the legends of old. All that, and you forgave uncountable debts. Aren’t you concerned about the financial solvency of the kingdom?”
“A good point, Madrigal. But no, I am not tremendously concerned with the financial well-being of the kingdom. I have freed the people from the past and the prosperity that will come in the future will make us one of the wealthiest kingdoms on the planet. It will take some time, but we have enough reserves to sustain us until tax revenue catches up. You saw the people, they were starving, dressed in rags, and covered with filth. That is not who I want to tax. When they are prosperous, well-fed, and gainfully productive, then we will restart taxation. There are other cities and villages in the kingdom who I will rely on to help restore the kingdom’s finances for now.”
“You truly don’t intend to tax residents of the city?” Madrigal asked incredulously.
“Not to start. You do not kick your own citizens when they are down. You give them a hand getting back to their feet so that they can get back up faster. Then you accept their thanks and ask them to pay you from their surplus. I don’t know how things have run here before, but that is how I am going to run them.”
“You truly are like none before you, not even Estros was that generous. I sincerely hope that this approach does not come back and hurt you.”
“If I get hurt by doing the right thing, I’m not going to stop. If someone opposes me or hurts my people, then they will see my full might and wrath. Trust me, you do not want to see that.”
“I have no intention of doing so, Your Majesty. What I do have to offer is my services in assessing the needs of your people. I will put my restored resources to that task. It is the least I can do.”
“Excellent. I will gladly accept your assistance in this matter.” Duke replied, smiling.
“There is one more thing, Your Majesty.”
Duke responded warily, his Diplomacy Skill letting him know that this was Madrigal’s play all along. “Go on.”
“My holdings have been restored, but I may be the last of my line and I am too old to sire any more children. Might I have access to the Royal Archives to see if there is anything written in there that will tell me about what happened to my family?”
Duke’s heart throbbed at the sorrow in the man’s voice. “Of course. Is there anyone in particular you are looking for? Someone who might have escaped Chopie?”
“Doubtful any escaped. They came for us in the night. The only one who was not on the estate at the time was my sister, Ruathia. But she had no resources to draw upon. It is doubtful she escaped Chopie’s purge.”
“Ruathia you say? That’s quite the unusual name.” Duke’s mind flashed with possibilities. “Wait outside. I shall return shortly.”
One quick TELEPORT later, he was in the square of New Rahmfar. He rushed over to Grandma Ruth’s house and knocked on the door. When she answered, she seemed confused by Duke’s excited expression.
“Hello Duke, how may I help you? Is everything alright?”
“Grandma Ruth, do you have a brother?” Duke was practically bouncing as he asked.
“I did. Madrigal was a great man and would have led our house to tremendous things.” She replied wistfully.
Duke didn’t hesitate before TELEPORTING her along with himself back to the antechamber of the Throne Room. She yelped at the sudden change in perspective.
Madrigal turned around, startled by their sudden appearance only to meet Ruathia’s eyes and nearly pass out from shock. Now that they were together, Duke could easily see the family resemblance.
“After all these years…” Madrigal lost his words as the two rushed together to embrace.
Duke beamed at the pair. “I’m going to leave you two to catch up. I have some other business to attend to.”
Duke stepped back into the Throne Room, his guards closing the door behind him. “I’m done with court business for the day, gentlemen.” The pair acknowledged his words with a bow but still did not leave their posts. Duke was still beamingly happy when he TELEPORTED to check in on a certain new dungeon.