The door opens. A well-groomed, rich-looking middle-aged man enters.

「Minister Vindict. Good afternoon.」

He bows slightly with his hand across his chest.

「Yeah, have a seat.」

With his boots still on the desk, Straf shrugs with his arms crossed.

「Well then, pardon me…」

The man says, pulling the chair out a little to sit down.

「So, who are you? What do you do?」

Straf asks with a nod of his head at the man.

「I am Baron Hauser. Perhaps you have heard of me, perhaps not… I hold a barony in the now restored lands of Lady Ostris.」

He replies as he introduces himself with a nod. Though appearing dignified and clearly as a noble, his body language is visibly deferential to Straf.

「Millie, huh?… I wonder if she's already on the「Brother, but we are siblings!」stage.」

Straf looks up as he idly thinks about Millie and her non-blood related brother.

「…Pardon?」

Baron Hauser tilts his head with his brows furrowed.

「Ah, no, never mind me. I'm just thinking about some really sick bastard. Go on.」

Straf waves his hand in front of his face, shaking his head before giving the baron an encouraging nod.

「Ahem. As I have said, I hold a small barony. When I have heard the news, I knew what had to be done. My subjects are very close to me, and the queen's idea of her kingdom resonates very strongly with me.」

「Uh-huh…」

Straf nods his heads, looking at the man with bored eyes. He continues.

「I do not deem myself a better man than my subjects, but I am the best suited man to lead them. They are honest and hard-working people, and I know them by name. I can tell you what they're good at, and what they're bad at…」

「You pay them?」

Straf abruptly asks as Baron Hauser drones on with his hand on his chest.

「What?- Yes, of course. I tax them, too. The tax money is used to provide what they need for prosperity. I used to be on a first name basis with Baron Ostris… My land provided his with food, and his mine with gold. It was a good partnership. 'Tis a shame what happened…」

The baron sighs, looking down and aside as he somberly nods his head.

「Right. So suppose you win, what do you do next?」

Straf asks, spreading his unbroken hand.

「I have come here to tell you about this, minister!」

He reanimates, staring into Straf's eyes with conviction and a smile.

「I am going to draft experts of all ranks to whisper into my ear the problems of the people that they represent! The peasants, the craftsmen, the adventurers, the mages… Nobles, too! Then, we will come to a solution that will solve their problems!」

Baron Hauser leans in, grinning as if he said something genius.

「Huuuh… And what if the peasants' problem is the nobles?」

Straf asks with his mouth aslant.

「Pardon?」

The baron tilts his head again.

「You don't expect every problem to be solvable, right? What if it's a tug o' war with conflicts of interests? Whose side do you tug?」

Straf asks, rocking slowly in his chair.

「Well- Well, I'd come up with a solution that satisfies both sides?…」

Knocked out of his rhythm somewhat, the baron awkwardly smirks as he replies with clear lack of confidence in his answer.

「You'd try and satisfy both sides, and end up satisfying nobody. And then everyone's at each other's throats.」

Straf says, looking at the baron with a tight-lipped grimace. A brief, uncomfortable silence begins.

「…Well, but hear me out, minister! I have a novel idea myself!」

The baron excitedly leans in with his finger raised.

「Yeah? Well, let's hear it…」

Straf sighs, rolling his eyes somewhat.

「If there is a controversial decision as you have said, why not let the people decide on it? Like the upcoming vote for a ruler, I'd let the citizenry rule on a decision!」

Baron Hauser spreads his hands, grinning contently at Straf.

「Hmmm…」

Straf humms as he nods his head with a tight-lipped grimace.

「Isn't that a great idea!? Let the people rule themselves!-」

「…So what if there's a conflict of interest?」

Straf stops rocking in his chair, and asks.

「…Pardon? Well, they could just vote on it?-」

Confused by the question, the baron spreads his hands with an awkward grin on his face.

「What I mean is, what if one side stands to lose something bad? What then?」

Straf asks with a nod of his head, still staring at the man with bored eyes.

「…Isn't that just the will of the people manifest?」

He throws his hands up a little, dropping them onto Straf's desk in defeat.

「Hmmm… The will of the people, huh? Hey, let's vote to put all the nobles to the guillotine!」

Straf says, and raises his hand high above his head. Baron Hauser furrows his brows at Straf.

「…They wouldn't do that. Are you saying the queen's plan is flawed from the start?」

He asks with his eyes squinted, and his face serious.

「Hm… It can work, under certain circumstances. You're right that the peasants might not be that bloodthirsty, but they're the majority, you know? Hey, who wants to take the nobles' money and give it to ourselves!?」

Straf says, and raises his hand high above his head. The baron quietly grunts and groans in discomfort as he looks at Straf's hand.

「Hey, who wants to live in the palace for free? Hey, who doesn't want to be drafted for the military? Hey, who wants the government to pay for the booze?」

Straf keeps asking and lifting his hand up, grinning wider and wider each time as the baron becomes more and more frustrated.

「Hey-」

「I get it! My core idea is flawed…」

Baron Hauser interrupts Straf with his voice raised, and he hangs his head down with his elbows on Straf's desk, locking his fingers together.

「Hahah, nah, your core idea is working exactly as intended. You just came up with the tyranny of the majority.」

Straf chuckles, grinning at the baron as he takes his boots off his desk to lean in closer.

「…Maybe my idea could still work if each vote had a different weight. A noble's vote would be worth more than-」

「Then you're just doing monarchy with a few extra steps, buddy. Thanks for playing.」

Lazily slumped on his desk with his elbow, Straf scoffs, chuckling quietly at the baron. He groans in discomfort again, keeping his head lowered, then sighs heavily.

「…I think I may not be cut out for this after all, minister.」

Baron Hauser says, getting up from his chair. He slides the chair closer to the desk, and turns to exit.

「And you really came all the way here to figure that out?」

Straf asks with a bored expression, as his and the baron's eyes meet when he looks over his shoulder.

「Excuse me, minister. Thank you for your time.」

Barun Hauser replies without turning to face Straf, and exits through the door, leaving it open.

「Next.」

Straf calls out, loudly placing his boots back on the desk…

…

After quick in-and-out interviews with rather unremarkable candidates drawing from the city's citizenry, the door opens again as Straf awaits another candidate.

A grim-looking man with a mustache enters. The moment he sees Straf, he salutes.

「Minister Vindict!」

Thump!

His military boot stomps heavily on the floor with his salute.

「I am an officer of the kingdom's forces, Gunther Albrecht, sir!」

He introduces himself to Straf, still frozen in his perfect salute. His military uniform is pristine, and is the kingdom's standard issue for sergeants and lieutenants.

「…Okay? You don't need to salute me though-」

Straf says, nodding slowly with his brows raised.

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「No, I insist, minister! You are the Minister of War, and therefore my superior! To not salute would be an insult!」

He rapidly replies back, still saluting. His thick mustache shakes as he speaks, unaware of the concept of an indoor voice.

「…Alright. Well, take a seat.」

「Thank you, minister!」

Straf points his palm at the chair in front of him, and only then the military man thaws from his stiff salute. With a quick step, wasting absolutely no time, he yanks the chair out from the desk and rushes downward to sit down on it.

「So, you're a military man…」

Straf says, slowly nodding his head at the officer.

「Yes, minister! Proud of my 18 consecutive years of service to the kingdom!」

Gunther powerfully nods his head in response.

「Say, you're aware that I'm the Minister of War. That's not exactly secret, but it's not common knowledge either… How do you know that?」

Straf takes his boots off the desk and leans in as he asks.

「I have contacts everywhere, minister! I have studied enough terrible defeats and glorious victories to know that information is power!」

The military man replies, still unable to speak in an indoor voice. Perhaps refusing to. He nods at the end of his statement again.

「Right. So you're a long-serving military officer… What will you do if you win?」

Straf asks the standard question, and the officer nods in reply as soon as he hears it, allowing him to finish.

「It goes without saying, minister…」

Gunther lowers his head, abruptly speaking at a normal volume.

Thump.

「…I will strengthen out forces! Harden the weak! Prepare the industry! And then, when it is all ready, I will finish what our late king has started!」

He returns to his nigh-shouting voice as he thumps his chest with his fist, keeping his head held high as if delivering a rousing speech to an audience. Straf shrugs his shoulders.

「…And what was that? The thing that he started?」

Straf asks with his brows raised, leaning in closer.

「War preparations, minister! It is obvious to military men, who were in the thick of it all like me! His plans were sundered by the treacherous count, but I am a reliable man, and I know what the king wanted!…」

「Uh-huh…」

Gunther speaks, staring off into a distance behind Straf with his fist clenched and held up high.

「…War, minister! The king was about to expand the kingdom! If not for that rat's betrayal, we would have had borders stretching as far as the frozen north, to the sands of Temuria! But rest assured, minister!…」

Gunther leans in, twisting his mustache left and right as he stares Straf dead into his eyes.

「…Should I win, the kingdom will expand like the most vicious slime! It'll hungrily devour its neighbors like Redwing! We will punish Rankor for his unprovoked attack! He will join the kingdom under the queen's boot, or that will be the last of his dynasty!」

「Uh-huh.」

Straf leans back, crossing his arms and nodding his head while attentively listening.

「We will take the north! We will take the south-west! We will take the north-west and put the squandered beastman lands to use! We will put the elves under our heel to serve our purposes!」

Gunther shouts, getting increasingly more agitated as he shakes his clenched fist.

Slam!

「And we shall take the east, too! All shall fear, but none shall stand before the might of our kingdom!」

He declares, slamming his fist into Straf's desk, breathing heavily. With a not-disapproving but not-entirely-convinced grimace, Straf nods his head in approval.

「…And what about the people? What if they don't want to go to war?」

Straf asks, shrugging his shoulders.

「The people!? The people serve the kingdom! Besides, does the prosperity of the people not increase with wars won!? Do they not love to greedily gulp down the nectar of wealth, bought for them with the blood of men braver than them!? They have no say in the matter!」

「Uh-huh.」

Gunter says, wagging his finger at Straf, erratically waving his hand around as he speaks. Straf keeps nodding as he listens.

Slam.

「When I am told to charge, I charge!」

Slam.

「When I am told to kill, I kill!」

Slam.

「When I am told to hold my ground and die for my king, I kill until they stop coming!」

Slam!

「And when I am told to lead my men, I say with pleasure!」

Gunther slams his fist on Straf's desk over and over, breathing heavily as he shouts.

「Ahem… The peasantry has no say in this! Those peace-drunk idiots… I'll have them join the storm troops! When they break through the ranks of five enemy units, then they can go back home, and rot in their peace! They will contribute to the war industry, then!」

He pauses his shouting to catch a few breaths, and clears his throat before resuming his loud war pitch.

「Right. So, summing it up… Aggressive expansion and war until we physically can't expand anymore?」

Straf asks, rubbing his chin as he looks at Gunther.

「Yes, minister! When we run out of enemies, then we can think about peace! I will deliver the king's will to his daughter! Her majesty's kingdom will swallow the continent like a dragon!」

Gunther proclaims, crushing all his enemies in his fist before him.

「…I think you're my favorite candidate so far.」

Straf snaps his fingers and points at the heavily breathing officer.

「Thank you, Minister Vindict! Your words will be my mark of honor!」

He replies with a powerful nod.

「Right. We're done here. I still need to give one more guy a go, but I think you have it in the bag.」

Straf says, shrugging with his unbroken hand. Gunther rapidly rises from his chair and takes two equal steps back.

Thump.

「Thank you, Minister Vindict! Please extend my regards to her majesty! And please put in a good word for me with her, and work your magic so that the kingdom receives the leadership it deserves!」

Gunther's military boot thumps on the ground again as he salutes. He turns about-face and marches to the door, opens it, and exits.

「…Man, this guy is really hard to beat. Next!」

Straf calls out, and the maid sticks her face into the room.

「Minister Vindict… That's the last candidate.」

She meekly says.

「What? Wasn't there one more?」

Straf furrows his brows, rubbing his chin with his thumb and finger.

「Indeed, there was… But he declined the invitation, sir-」

「He fucking what!?」

Straf shoots out of his chair, and stomps over to the maid. She takes a step away from the room, visibly frightened.

「Ah- Aaahh… H- He… He declined the invitation to meet with you, s- Sir…」

Looking down at her feet, the maid replies as Straf stomps up.

「Yeah, I heard. Why the fuck did he do that? Who is that asshole!?」

Straf spreads his arms, and the maid finds some courage to look up at him.

「…He said that he has no time to meet you, and that he will win regardless. It's Sir Vinis, the winery magnate. He's likely in his estate near the city's park…」

The maid meekly explains as Straf glares down at her.

「That little fucking cocky prick… He doesn't want to come to meet me? Alright, then… I'll go and fucking meet him myself. Where is his fucking place?」

Straf grumbles to himself out loud, before asking the maid a question.

「It's on the opposite side of the lake. It's hidden behind the park's trees, but there is a path leading right to the gate. It's very hard to miss, sir…」

The maid says, as Straf stretches his back and twists his torso left and right.

「Riiight… Man, sitting on my ass for so long isn't good for me… I'll go take a warm bath, and then hound that bald, fat prick down.」

He says, walking away towards the guest rooms.

「Ah- Shall I prepare the bath for you!?」

The maid calls out towards Straf.

「I'm a big boy, I know how to do it myself.」

He scoffs in reply, shaking his head…

…

A few moments later, Straf arrives at a peculiar door. The signage on it portrays a circular tub with steaming water.

「This ought to be here.」

Straf says, and partially walks in as he opens the door.

「Straf?…」 「Minister?…」

Lily turns her crimson eyes towards Straf, who is standing in the door. Both she and the maid are somewhat surprised by his unannounced entry, as the maid is in the middle of wrapping a towel around Lily's body while she's keeping her arms spread to the sides.

Slam!- Crrrash!

As soon as Straf catches a glimpse of Lily's bare shoulders, and her wet, loose, golden hair behind her neck, he forcefully throws the door shut. The immense wind pressure caused by the door causes Lily's hair to flutter, and the window behind her to shatter into pieces sailing outward.

《…Okay, never mind, then. I don't have the time for this anyway, I need to keep the pace snappy.》

Straf thinks, snapping his fingers over and over with a tight-lipped grimace on his face as he walks away…