Episode 160: Interlude (A Certain Duke)
Amadio Salmon, no, Duke Amadio Silverhead, was working tirelessly.
He was concerned about the future of the Repuytari Kingdom, his own domain.
Currently, the Repuytari Kingdom was growing at an unstoppable pace. This was largely due to the power of its expanded navy.
Compared to neighboring countries, the Repuytari Kingdom’s naval power was exceptionally high, standing head and shoulders above the rest. In terms of Technological Disparity, it was estimated to be over 100 years ahead.
This estimate came from that superpower, so its analysis was likely correct.
Therefore, the kingdom continued to grow through the one-sided plunder of wealth from neighboring countries.
However, that momentum would eventually plateau. Simply taking would not be sustainable.
It would be fine for another 10 years.
For 20 years, they could manage with their accumulated wealth.
But what would happen after 30 years?
A nation that had sucked the wealth out of its neighbors, becoming bloated, would only starve to death once its supply lines were cut.
Therefore, Duke Amadio Silverhead decided to take action.
With his power, he could do anything with the navy alone. However, the country was not run solely by the navy. The army, which was the cornerstone of national defense, the various government agencies responsible for domestic control, and the police organization that maintained law and order. The healthy operation of the state depended on the organic cooperation of these elements.
And above all, free commercial transactions protected by order were the most important thing. Without a functioning economy, sustainable growth was impossible.
The first thing he needed was enough power to push through reforms forcefully.
Therefore, Duke Silverhead colluded with influential figures in the navy to control the noble families within the country. He restored the Centralized Authority, centered on the royal family, by taking back the dispersed powers.
Originally, the power of the nobles in the Repuytari Kingdom, which had begun to modernize, was waning. The heads of the noble families, understanding this situation, readily submitted and were incorporated into an organization with the royal bloodline at its apex.
Nobles who resisted were crushed by the power of the navy.
Or rather, to be precise, Amadio Salmon crushed them single-handedly. Mobilizing the navy would attract too much attention, and there was a possibility that the army, guards, or even the nobles’ private soldiers would be dispatched, so the navy itself was only hinted at. In reality, Amadio Salmon went in almost alone, physically threatening the heads of the families to swear allegiance.
It was a so-called raid.
Or was it?
Well, in that way, he brought the major noble families to heel, and as a result, the royal family was able to regain the dispersed powers. The fact that the power of the nobles themselves was declining within the Repuytari Kingdom was one of the reasons why this series of events was successfully resolved.
The next step was to persuade the royal family.
Originally, the current king had been enthroned by Amadio Salmon and his companions, mainly the current naval officers, during the kingdom’s past turmoil.
The prince, who was a boy at the time, had grown into a fine king with correct views, and above all, he felt grateful to Amadio Salmon.
As a reward for Amadio Salmon, he created the title of Duke of Silverhead.
He also granted permission to confine him to the frontier, listening to his wishes as he was tired of power struggles.
This time as well, he was supporting Duke Amadio Silverhead’s actions with a full understanding. Well, since his own power would be expanded, there was no need to openly oppose it.
The only concern was that the kingdom would be manipulated by Duke Silverhead, but it was considered more problematic to treat a great man who had played such a significant role in the founding of the nation with hostility.
In this way, the foundation for Centralized Authority was prepared.
For practical matters, measures would be taken by promoting the domestic railway construction project. Once the railway was open, the speed of information exchange between the regions and the center would be greatly improved.
In addition, since it would be possible to collect and redistribute goods, the domestic distribution function would also be dramatically improved.
Amadio introduced the power of super-science here.
To be precise, he sought advice from Paraiso, and under their guidance, he succeeded in developing large-scale heavy machinery and machine tools.
Mass production of groundbreaking civil engineering heavy equipment that could complete in one hour what 100 people could do in a day.
Construction of factories to manufacture highly durable rails and metal parts such as various screws and nails.
Technological capabilities that would normally be built up through various trial and error processes were forcibly improved by knowledge from the outside.
In this way, the reform of the domestic industrial base was also carried out, and the Repuytari Kingdom was finally advancing on the path of modernization.
This industrial growth was led by the naval forces led by Duke Amadio Silverhead and the merchant association alliance under the umbrella of the nobles.
Naturally, their influence and financial power expanded at an accelerating rate.
The ones who suffered were the merchant association alliances that had distanced themselves from them and were enjoying a honeymoon period with the army.
Or rather, it was natural that the kingdom was moving to cut them off.
Soldiers who interfered were crushed each time, and the assassination plot against Amadio Silverhead, executed with a do-or-die spirit, was perfectly thwarted, and many of the perpetrators and their associates were convicted.
It was rumored that ＜Paraiso＞ was greatly involved in this large-scale roundup.
The old guard group, the legendary Senate, whose hands and feet had been cut off, persisted for quite some time, but eventually, one by one, the members disappeared, and it dissolved as if by natural causes.
Although they had enough power to interfere with the king’s will, they were no match for a duke who had the power to distort even the king’s will in the first place. That was the situation.
Incidentally, it seemed that there was a merchant association that sent its private soldiers to the village where Amadio Silverhead had lived in order to suppress his Achilles’ heel, but nothing in particular happened, and only the private soldiers disappeared.
Amadio heard about this from the crushed merchant association, but of course, he had not received such a report.
He was sufficiently wary of the common tactic of attacking his weaknesses, or rather, his surroundings, so a guard隊 had also been dispatched from the navy, but there had been no particular disturbance there either.
There was only one thing he could think of, but when he asked them, they said that they didn’t know about that story, but they did say that they had crushed armed groups that were interfering with their activities, so he wisely kept silent.
Apparently, they had already infiltrated the country.
Moreover, something with the power to erase dozens of people without leaving any trace.
There was nothing he could do about this, so he had no choice but to give up. In the first place, it seemed that they were operating not only ships but also aircraft. Although he had not been able to confirm it directly, he had heard rumors of moving objects shining in the high sky and mysterious distant rumbling.
It was easy for Amadio, who had knowledge, to connect this phenomenon, which had begun at the same time as their appearance.
◇◇◇◇
“Good evening, Amadio-san.”
“Ah, good evening. Do you have any interesting stories for me today?”
“Hmm, let me see. I’m continuing to analyze magic, but to be honest, it looks like it will still take a while. How about your side?”
“Well, let’s see. I guess the only thing is that the pre-production model of the large Steam Engine using that Burnstone you’re selling us has finally started operating.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, you said something like that last time too. Is it going well?”
“Well, yeah. The purity of the Burnstone is sufficient, and the rest is a matter of our manufacturing precision. And that can be sufficiently secured with the steel and parts supplied by you. Really, thanks to ＜Paraiso＞.”
“I see, that’s good. If you have any problems, please consult with me. We’re fellow transmigrators, so I’ll give you a discount, okay?”
“What, so you’re going to charge me?”
“Of course. There’s nothing scarier than free aid, right? I’m giving you a big enough discount, so it’s fine, right?”
“…Hmph, well, that’s true. From my point of view, it feels like I’m just receiving. If you say so, then I’ll leave it at that.”
“Hey, what’s with you? At least, we’re not losing anything, so you don’t have to worry about it like that.”
“Is that so? No, I’m sorry. That’s right, let me say thank you as always. If there’s anything I can do to help you, please tell me. I’ll do everything I can to accommodate you.”
“Really? Oh, in that case, I’ve decided to send my daughter to your side next time. Would you mind keeping her company?”
“…Daughter?”
“Yes. Well, to be precise, it’s an Android equipped with AI, but it’s a good opportunity for her to accumulate experience. ＜Ringo＞ also gave her seal of approval that the security is not a problem over there.”
“Security…? No, the Royal Capital is still noisy, but is it really okay?”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll send her with guards, and I want to let her out soon. I can’t move yet, but at least those kids can.”
“…I see. Well, if you say so, leave it to me. I can assign attendants, and if you want, I can even prepare a mansion.”
“Really? Then, I think I’ll ask for that as well. Well, I’ll tell you the details next time. No, perhaps I should make a proper request through diplomatic channels.”
“Understood. It would be strange for me to bring it up, so please go through a diplomat. I’ll take care of the preparations here.”