“All right,” I said, basking in the midday sun. “We’re here.”

We’d left the city walls, and stood upon lush green plains that stretched for miles. These were flat, and bisected by a road winding off into the distance, though it was less a road and more a dirt path wide enough for carriages.

Far to the south, I could see the snow-capped Caltan mountains looming over the forests at their foot, but rolling hills blocked visibility to the west. It smelled fresh and grassy, a far cry from the polluted acridity of Earth. Despite the openness, both Hana and Duke Kalvin had advised caution, wary of monsters or bandits waylaying their new monarch.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t worried at all. I’d sent Cannara through Larm to spread word of my summoning—and maybe some hope along with it—but the other three accompanied me, and I couldn’t see them having problems with any bandits. Monsters probably wouldn’t venture this close to the walls, either, but what did I know?

The Royal Guard was non-existent, and the City Guard a shadow of its former self. Relas had sent for some of his soldiers, but they’d take several days to arrive—the vast increase in our Military Strength was reassuring, but it hadn’t been bad in the first place. That was presumably due to Hana and Shia. Both were like battalions by themselves.

“With all due respect, sire,” said Duke Kalvin, his head on a swivel, “why have you brought us here?”

“To demonstrate.” I stomped down on the packed dirt. This was true, but I also wanted to see outside of the city. I’d seen maps, of course, and the paperwork had taught me much about the kingdom’s structure, but that was no substitute for viewing the lay of the land myself.

Trade had almost ground to a halt. Within the borders, most products were in scarce supply, and so people had begun to hoard. While this was crippling, it also meant we were unlikely to be bothered, so I’d jumped at the chance.

“Demonstrate what?” asked Shia.

“Before I answer,” I said, “Duke Kalvin. Yesterday, you asked me how I intend to bring this kingdom back to working order, and disagreed with my answers. What would you advise me to start with?”

I knew his answer, of course, but this discussion would be necessary for the demonstration.

“The military,” he said instantly. Shia rolled her eyes, and Hana remained impassive. “Duke Ribera has always kept a small force unto himself, and the aggressions of Tanar have grown stronger of late. I don’t think the Beastmen have forgiven us for King Theo’s raids.”

Whoa, hold up. Beastmen? There was another race besides humans and elves? I started imagining cute girls with cat ears, but quickly shook myself out of it. Eyes on the prize, Oliver.

“Interesting theory,” I said. “But what if I told you our military was already fine?”

“I would be inclined to disagree. With the state we’re in, our neighbours must be licking their lips in anticipation, ready to encroach upon our land. We may have natural defences against Antira and Kavsta, but the western borders are protected only by my men, who are spread thin.”

“What about Zaleria?”

“That leads me to my next point.” His gaze turned downward, his expression contorting. “After a certain event twenty years ago, the Kalvin family has maintained a non-aggression pact and tentative trade agreement with Zaleria, but many things have changed since then. Despite our agreements, they may have ambitions of expansion nonetheless.”

I quirked an eyebrow. Something he’d said piqued my interest. “What do you mean, a ‘certain event’?”

“The coming of the Demon Lord,” he said, his lips quivering. “At the time, we’d been engaged in skirmishes with Zaleria for several decades over contested land within their borders. On that day, however, our battlefield became a killing field for a horde of monsters and demons.

“In the midst of all that, I was unfortunate enough to encounter him myself.” He took a deep breath, casting a guilty glance in Shia’s direction. “Tenma. A masked demon with the power to butcher a battalion in a heartbeat. My squad was wiped out, and I only survived due to the sacrifice of one of my brothers-in-arms.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

My heartbeat quickened, and disappointment dragged at my shoulders. If there was a Demon Lord, why couldn’t I save people by fighting him, instead of inheriting an absolute shit-storm from a worthless King?

And why had no one mentioned it until now? I scrutinised Hana, who stared at her feet. Shia’s features twisted in sadness.

I guessed it was a taboo subject, but I still needed to know.

“Why is this the first I’m hearing of it?” I asked.

“Tenma has not been witnessed since that day, sire,” said Hana. “I did not believe it as pressing as the many other issues we face.”

Well, she was probably right on that one. If the Demon Lord was absent, the problem was peripheral, at best. We had more important things to focus on.

“Don’t be fooled,” said Duke Kalvin, clenching his fist. “The lifespan of a demon is much different to that of a human. Once, in my days as a Sergeant, I—”

“Enough of your bloated recollections!” said Shia, folding her arms. Somehow, this motion was enough to send her careening to the floor, landing on her face. She rose, her nose bloodied, and regarded me. “Tenma eviscerated an army, and obliterated my family, but Hana’s correct. Having read every book in the library of the Royal Academy, I believe the solution to your inquiry is the one you gave yesterday.”

“Show some respect!” said Relas, curling his lip. “I have raised you, and I—”

“What did I say about drama?” I sighed—that was becoming a habit around these people. “I get that a Demon Lord’s a big deal, and so are the neighbours, but you’re wrong, Duke Kalvin.” Stomping again, I smirked. “This road is the priority.”

They all gaped.

“Sire,” said Hana, “have you hit your head?”

“How does a road help for anything but trade or troop movements?” said Relas.

“Easy,” I said. “First, we make it the highest-quality road you’ve ever seen. That way, people will naturally want to use it.”

“And the tolls will generate income?” asked Shia.

“There won’t be any tolls,” I replied. “This is where it gets fun—to build it, we need a hell of a lot of workers. With so many unemployed in the kingdom right now, I bet they’ll jump at the chance to be able to make some money.

“When they do, they’ll find themselves with disposable income. And what do people with the least money do when they finally get some?”

“Save it,” said Duke Kalvin.

“Spend it,” said Hana and Shia.

“Score one for you two.” I clicked my fingers. “Most people prefer short-term luxury over long-term efficiency. So say they go out and buy themselves some drinks in a tavern after a hard day’s work, or some toys for their kids. All of a sudden, the brewers and toymakers have to cope with a higher demand for their product.

“Naturally, they have to employ more people to keep up with it. With that, even more people have disposable income, and go out to spend it. Rinse and repeat until eventually, the economy gets moving.

“Where I’m from, we called it ‘fiscal multiplication’.”

I left out that it was how one of history’s most infamous dictators had revitalised Germany after the Great Depression. Even dickwads stole good ideas sometimes.

“Would this not encourage the producers of necessities to merely increase their prices?” said Duke Kalvin.

“Maybe,” I admitted. The greed of merchants had been the basis of an entire societal system, back on Earth. “But that’s where we come in. If we cap the prices they can charge, they won’t be making any less. They’ll still make more, in fact, since we’d be lifting so many out of poverty.

“If it comes down to it, we can subsidise the food vendors so they can still afford the supply, but charge a lower price. And as the taxes start coming in, we can afford to import food.” Our lack of goods to trade was a major blow, but this should help puff up the national treasury.

“In other words,” said Shia, “you’d be lubricating the economy so it gesticulates quicker?”

“It would require arms to gesticulate,” I replied, “but yes.”

“What about the current shortage?” said Hana. “I believe your method will work in the long-term, but the problem persists now. People cannot work if they are hungry.”

“I’ve thought about that.” Most of our fertile land was in the east, and the areas in the Larm duchy were too developed for any dedicated stretches of farmland. “We’ll just have to import for now.”

“Which presents the same problem as your original proposal.” Duke Kalvin frowned. “How are we going to pay for all of this?”

“Ah.” Yeah, that one was kind of a massive hole. “That’s the next thing we have to figure out.”

Ding!

As we began the trek back, I jumped out of my skin upon realising a new quest had presented itself.

Quest unlocked: Begin Work on 2 Infrastructure Projects! (Incomplete)

Progress: 0/2

Rewards: 100 XP, 20 SP, +5% ECN

This… just gave me shit based on my actions, didn’t it? Even when the System appeared to be helping, it was still making me figure it all out for myself.

I raged at it. It may have also presented the economic boost as a quest reward, but that was just a natural consequence! How could I begin anything without any damn money?

I huffed. Knowing the System wouldn’t help, I guessed I’d just have to find some.