"We have finished writing the names and ages down as ordered, Lord. My group of people consists of one-hundred people in total, with most of the people in the group being in their mid-thirties. I would say that more than half of them are excited to serve, while the rest seem confused about the whole process more or less. However, there were a few people getting rowdy during the process but Henry and Josh, who were within the crowd itself, were able to calm the individuals before anything got too hectic." Lana said as she pointed toward a group of eight individuals who had gathered behind the two groups of five at the table already.
I assumed that these were my officers since the numbers matched up, but to be honest with you, I couldn't tell them apart from the rest of the people present this was because of the 'default character' looking clothing that literally everybody had on. The only people who stood out were the ones who choose to keep their armor when this whole process began earlier today.
"That's good, and thank you for reporting this to me, Lana... You will be rewarded for your diligence once we get things settled here. How did your side fare, Aimee?" I asked the woman after nodding in affirmation at Lana.
"Everything went according to plan, Lord, and there were no hiccups along the way." Aimee said while side-eyeing Lana which reminded me of the petty arguments that one would hear back on Earth all the time. I gestured for her to continue, which she did with haste albeit with a bit more confidence in her tone.
"There are two-hundred people in total within my group plus the six other officers who met the age requirements for joining the 'youth' group, so one hundred and forty-six to be exact. All of these individuals are ready and willing to serve the lord." Aimee finished up her report with a bow, which kinda irked my nerves but I let slide simply because I didn't want to give either of them any ammunition to use against the other.
"Excellent job, Aimee. There will certainly be rewarded waiting for you as well once stuff fizzles out around here. I think we can all agree that you two make a great team, so try not to let this little 'rivalry' between the two of you affect your work too much. The competition aspect will certainly come in handy but I don't want to see a break in communication between you two..." I said while patting both of the women on the shoulders.
"Of course, Lord." "As you will, Lord" Both of the women gave varying responses to my statement while bowing so I could only assume that they were genuine but only time would tell.
"Great. In that case, we can consider the moving process complete and we can now move on to the next phase... Gather up your assigned people as well as the officers and tell them to quiet down the two groups so I can speak to them all. Once I begin speaking you two can take your papers and your agents to Zoe in the great hall before introducing yourselves to her, and her alone. Y'all are under her command from now on so I expect you to treat her words as if they were my own... Alright, I'll see both of you later, and once again great job today." I said before accepting another bow from the women which I completely ignored since I was more focused on the structure I was currently building.
The civilian sector was relatively easy since all I had to do was assign people who were the fit best at the moment, plus since none of these people were here for the gold I didn't have to worry about paying them a salary or anything like that, or at least this was the case for the time being. I was more focused on the military side of things because of the conflict that will inevitably happen between myself and the nobles, who have already set their eyes on the properties that were previously owned by Leon. The threat that they posed to me right now was significant so if I wasn't succinctly prepared I would easily be swept away by their combined might, which is no doubt greater than my own at the moment.
And I haven't even mentioned the literal nightmare that is probably making its way toward us as I'm thinking this currently, The Accord...
*sigh*
However being nihilistic will get me nowhere, so I should either put up or shut up... And currently shutting up is simply not an option since Lana and Aimee have already completed their task of gathering the two groups of people and were in the process of shushing them at this very moment.
"Hey, Rallo. Are you alright? You look like seen a spirit or something... I know you might be a little worn out from all of this but I am sure you get things to how they need to be. Hell, even grandma placed her bet on you with all she had seen throughout her life, so you must have something good going for you... And although we have not spoken about our situation since that time in the forest not too long ago, I can assure you that me, the twins, Zoe, and even Luca will follow you, even after the mother meets the abyss." Kai said while giving me a firm slap on my black which honestly hurt me more than it encouraged me to move on, but I still understood the sentiment he was trying to get across.
"Thanks, Kai... I'm glad I didn't lose you all back then cause only go-- the ancestors would know what I would be doing if that were the case... What I will say is that if the mother ever does begin to fade within the abyss then I will simply find another for us to settle on." I responded before chuckling at my own joke. Kai chuckled once or twice as well before he realized what I was suggesting.
" *chuckle*... Wait a second... Are you saying that there are other mothers within the abyss? That is silly talk, Rallo, nothing can exist outside the bounds of the mother. Don't you remember the stories of the mothers who tried to do and failed horribly, before coming back home in anger and striking the mother?" Kai asked while shaking his head as if I was a fool for thinking otherwise.
I nodded my head aimlessly while searching through the memories of this world's version of me before I came into the picture. I found the story he was talking about pretty quickly but I came to a conclusion on what it was about even quicker... Meteorites and Asteroids, obviously.
"Of course, I remember these stories, but simply put, these stories are completely wrong. And I say this knowing full well that grandmother was the one presenting these stories to us. I wish I could have shown her the truth of the matter but I guess the ancestors had other plans... I will just have to show this proof to you, Zoe, and the others instead." I said while looking toward the sky
"You sure will. Cause you sound insane right about now..." Kai stated before basically slapping my back once again in the same spot as last time. This caused me to try and rub the area but it was to no avail since I couldn't quite reach the spot that was sore.
My actions did lead to me leveling my head towards the crowd though, which allowed me to see the several hundred people in front of me staring blankly in my direction whilst waiting for me to begin the speech they had all gathered for. Once I noticed this, I took a few steps forward so that I would be within range of all the people in the back before I began speaking to the crowd.
"Hello everyone. Firstly, I have thanked my officers for their efforts in helping me stabilize this very delicate situation that we find ourselves in currently. I also want to extend that thanks to those of you that ventured out in order to convince your relatives to join us in this new era. We will achieve great things together, mark my words... Now to the newcomers, as you might have already figured out, I am the Lord of this castle and my name is Rallo. And before anyone even asks, yes, I am only sixteen years old..." I said before pausing for a few seconds to allow the chatter around my age to die down before continuing.
"This is quite young I know, but whether you believe it or not, it really does not affect my ability to lead in any way, shape, or form... For those of you who can't see past this fact, I will extend the same offer that I made to the people who left the castle earlier. That offer is for you to leave the castle, simple as that, either you follow my lead or you leave... So if this applies to you, then go ahead and take your leave, and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors." I stated while scanning the faces of the people present. Not one person within the crowd made a move towards the gate which was a good sign in my book but I did notice other things.
Besides the majority of the people who seemed to accept these terms at face value, I did notice a few people within the crowd who looked to be skeptical of my abilities to lead them for one reason or another. But this was a given since they only had my words to use as a reference... I'm sure that I can change their minds through my actions though as was the case with a smaller group of people who chose to stay behind me in the first place but it will undoubtedly take a bit of time since I did only have my words right about now.
"Good... I am honestly quite glad that none of you decided to leave since I do have plans that involve all of you. Each and every person you see present are essential to our future successes, and you will be treated as such under my lead... We do this by first stripping away all previous titles, ranks, and ranks placed on you by the nobles who ruled over you before. From now on you will no longer be considered peasants that should be ruled over, you will, instead, be known as citizens who choose their own destiny in life. What all of this means in simple terms is that all are equal under my leadership, so there is no room for the existence of things such as nobles or the like, since we can all probably agree that they are basically useless, greedy bastards, who live off the achievements of those who came before them." I spoke while gesturing towards the general direction of the noble castles within the town, which was roughly northeast of here if I am remembering correctly.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"Don't forget corrupt, Lord!" "Yeah, and arrogant too!" "Exactly!" "He is not wrong..." Was some of the responses I could pick out from the several hundred voices that sounded out. I nodded my head along with these voices although I couldn't quite catch what they were saying since I knew they shared my sentiments regarding the group of people in question. I then continued speaking to the crowd of people once they lowered their voices once again.
"Your grievances with these leeches are completely justified, and you should know that I do have plans to get rid of these pests, but I would rather you focus your energy on securing your new home. We will strike the iron once it gets hot enough, but first, we must get our forge setup... We have already started this 'setting up' process before most of you joined us so let me first help you newcomers get up to speed. Within the castle, there are three different departments with several more branches within those departments that you can choose to join if you are over the age of twenty-five. Those departments are the..." I went on to explain the various departments that were present already, while also pointing out the few leaders that had already been selected for said departments when I came across them in the explanation process.
This led to a bit more space being created around people such as Karl, but it happened around Sam and my cousin Luca as well since there were quite a few people near them and the oven we constructed before they showed up. Luckily, none of the people were interested enough in the oven to go messing, plus with me pointing out Sam and Luca as leaders within the castle, the newcomers around them inadvertently took a few steps away from them and the oven that they were guarding, very poorly albeit, but guarding nonetheless.
I spent the next hour rehashing everything that I said earlier when I first set up these departments* but I held off redoing the selection process this time around simply because there were too many people for everything to go right. Instead, I explained that they would have the night to think it over before making their own decision on which department they would join. I also advised that it would be wise to follow your heart when making the decision since it would help make sure that they chose the job that they truly wanted.
Once I finished explaining the departments that they were able to join, I noticed that the one-hundred or so people who were twenty-six or older were noticeably more quite than the younger group of two hundred, who were twenty-five or younger. The latter group had been relatively quiet up to this point which is probably why I noticed the sudden switch between the two groups. I also ran into the same problem as before which was that I couldn't hear what was being said by the individuals in question since there were simply too many of them. But just like last time, I could assume the general sentiment that was shared by the group, which was "what about us?" if I had to sum it up.
Therefore hearing this group grow louder and more unanimous in their questioning, I decided to give them a teaser.
"Alright... Alright, I hear you. Don't think I have forgotten about you all simply because I haven't mentioned you yet. Haven't you ever heard the saying 'saving the best for last'? Your parents and older relatives will focus on civilian matters, so as mining, farming, and the like. But you and those you are closest in age to you will focus on the military side of things... For the time being, all you need to know is that you will start your training tomorrow morning at first light. I expect every person between the age of fourteen and twenty-five to meet me here tomorrow morning and those who don't show up on time will be disciplined. Unlike your parents, you have no choice in the matter since I am asking nothing else of you in regard to staying within the castle. In other words, if you are between the age of fourteen and twenty-five and you want to stay here, then you have to attend the training sessions. No ifs, and, or buts about it... You will find out more about your roles within this department tomorrow, but for now, let's move on..." I said with as much authority I could muster, which wasn't much considering this is my second day on the job, but it did the trick nonetheless as the group of 'youths' who were originally pretty talkative had quickly turned docile in response.
I continued speaking since I had a few more things to add related to this group but since it wasn't military matters, I was much more open with what I had in mind.
"For the kids who are younger than fourteen, well they are kids so they should be educated, and fed so that is what will be done. After attending their daily lessons and eating lunch, they can tire themselves out by playing within the castle grounds. I will probably put together a 'council of mothers' or something like who will oversee the kids as they play along with the few teachers we have currently. The mothers who get selected for this group can also participate in any of the education courses if they want to further their own knowledge, it will be up to you though... Let's see, am I missing anything? Oh yeah, the elders... For you elders in the crowd, meaning those older than forty-nine, y'all don't have to do any of the physical labor if you don't want to but I do hope that you will use the expertise you have gained over your life to help advise and manage those that are doing the work. There will be a meeting in a week's time to determine the leaders of each department, so use this week to establish yourselves within whatever department you end up choosing. This statement can be extended to all of you though since work ethic is the factor that will determine who gets what position... So, do any of you have any questions or statements you want to make before we begin this journey together?" I asked while focusing my attention mostly on the adults since I assumed they would have the most to say given the situation of me basically conscripting their children into my army, and there were a few people here and there who looked as if they were about to speak up and say something, but nothing came of it in the end.
However, I did hear a commotion coming from the younger group of people which surprised me at first but after thinking it through I figured it kinda made sense given that they were the ones being conscripted. Seeing that this was the case, I redirected my focus towards the younger group of people in the crowd in order to answer whatever questions they had, within limits of course.
"Okay... I'm hearing a bit of commotion coming from the younger folks, so I assume one of you has something you wish to ask. Whoever it is, come forth and ask away, and I will do my best to answer you." I said while sifting through the sea of faces, all of whom either dropped their head or looked toward the actual source of the question.
After about ten seconds of searching, I noticed a small parting within the sea of faces as a shorter figure made their through the crowd and toward the front of the group in compliance with my orders. Once the figure made its way to the front of the crowd, I was met with a face that was younger than even my own.
"So it was one of our youths then... What's your name, lil bro?" I asked the dude who was really too scrawny, even for this time period...
"My name is Cora, Lord. My brother was selected to be one of the lord's officers earlier." She said while ignoring the pure shame that was present on my face.
"Well first let me apologize, lil sister... It was an honest mistake. What was your question?" I asked while hanging my head, trying my best to ignore the snickers coming from Kai behind me.
"I am willing to fight for the lord's cause but I wanted to ask how can I be of any use. I can not even hope to beat girls my own age, let alone boys who have outgrown even my brother. This is my question, Lord." Cora stated before bowing at her, something that her brother must have taught her when he went to retrieve them from outside the town walls.
I was expecting this type of question, but I would be lying if said that I was expecting it to come from one of the youths present. Honestly, it is a good point to make, and taking a quick glance at the people present told me that a majority of the people had this same question on their minds. Unfortunately for all of them, only of few people are privy to such information so that we can minimize the risk of leaks appearing. But I did have an answer to give them that would hopefully quell their worries.
"Well, you have answered your own question then, Cora. You are willing to fight. As long as you are willing then all things are possible. You keep your will to fight... And you adults should keep your will to provide. You elders keep your will to guide... And I will keep my will to lead. If we do all of these things then nothing, not even the mother herself, will be able to stop us from achieving our goals. Got it?" I asked rhetorically and was shocked by the explosion-like response that came from the crowd in front of me.
"YES, LORD!!!"
Their response resonated as it echoed between the walls of the castle grounds, giving me my only real taste of authority between the one-and-a-half lives I had lived. I could only relish in the moment for a few seconds though before I remembered that I had another meeting lined up after this, so that brought me back down to reality. I also noticed that quite a few of the kids within the crowd were starting to get restless, which made me want to wrap this thing up even quicker because no one wants to hear a baby cry.
I did this by first calling out some of the notable figures present such as Karl, Sam, and my cousin Luca, all of whom served as leaders at their respective branches, but I also called people out of the crowd such as Eva, Arthur, Ellie, and Max. I then asked for the eight officers present to join me as well since they would also play a major part in this upcoming meeting...
I then told everyone else present that they were dismissed for today and that they should spend tonight relaxing with their relatives. I then stated that they were free to use the kitchen in order to prepare a grand meal for everyone within the castle while also mentioning that all the rooms except the ones on the third floor of the castle were vacant, so they could have their have their choice there. However I also said 'the elderly and children get priority, so don't be a dick' so hopefully, we won't have any troubles on that front.
After spewing out a few more common sense stipulations, I said my farewells to the crowd of around three-hundred people before asking the fifteen or so people still nearby to join me in the great hall where we will be having our final and perhaps most important meeting that will take place today.
I was about to establish the military structure that will hopefully secure my place within this town and eventually this world as a whole after all... So you know, easy work... No pressure...
*sigh*