The meeting had ended. The air in the hidden base still crackled with the sheer audacity of my declaration. King Shouyo Morisaki. Rimuru City. The titles felt foreign on my tongue, heavy with responsibility, yet exhilarating. I watched my team disperse, each tasked with monumental responsibilities. Miles, beaming with the weight of his new dukedom and prime minister duties, began coordinating the immediate defenses. Asuna, grimly resolute, was already planning the restructuring of our nascent army. Lindsy, a flicker of excitement in her guarded eyes, started mapping out new intelligence networks. Stanley, ever pragmatic, was already outlining potential diplomatic overtures, while Elara began to assess the village's health needs. Even Feron, the former bandit, strutted with a newfound purpose, barking orders to his men, embracing his role as Minister of War.
My father, Kirito, had left quietly, a profound mix of grief, pride, and perhaps a touch of bewildered hope in his eyes. He had passed the torch. Now, the flame was mine to tend, and to fan into an inferno.
But how to begin? The immediate threats – the bandits and mercenaries – were dealt with. But the true enemies, the noble houses, were still out there, lurking in the shadows, pulling strings. They wouldn't send another Grimo or Valerius; they would send something far more insidious, far more destructive. War was inevitable, but a kingdom, even a fledgling city-state, couldn't survive on warfare alone. It needed a foundation. It needed an economy.
My mind, the Kakeru part of me, immediately shifted gears. I remembered late nights in my past life, poring over market analyses, supply chains, negotiation strategies. I had built a corporation from nothing, understood the flow of capital, the art of creating value where none seemed to exist. This was different, certainly – swords and magic, not stocks and bonds – but the core principles remained. Kutsilyo, or rather, Rimuru City, had resources. Mana stone, special-grade materials, a strategic location for trade. These were our assets.
"Rai," I called out, as he was leading Steve and Marlow away. "Bring them back. I need to speak with them."
Steve, the middle-aged merchant-spy, and Marlow, his sharp young apprentice, looked surprised to be ushered back into my presence. They stood nervously before me, their eyes wary.
"Steve, Marlow," I began, my gaze steady. "Rai tells me you were involved in… logistics and information gathering for Grimo. More specifically, you handled his illicit trade and knew how to operate in the shadows of the market."
Steve cleared his throat. "We simply did what we had to to survive, Your… your Majesty." The new title felt strange, even to them. "We have contacts, we understand trade routes, supply and demand. And yes, information flows where coin flows."
"Precisely," I nodded. "Grimo is gone. Valerius is gone. Rimuru City now stands. And it will be a city of commerce, of innovation. But to do that, we need people who understand the underbelly of trade, who can navigate the legal and illegal markets, and who can do it discreetly."
I leaned forward. "Steve, I am appointing you as the Minister of Commerce and Covert Trade for Rimuru City. Marlow, you will be his Deputy. Your task will be to establish and manage all trade for this city-state. Legal trade, for our sustenance and growth. Covert trade, to acquire what we cannot openly buy, and to fund our shadow operations. You will build a network of contacts, analyze markets, and ensure our city prospers."
Steve's eyes widened, a flicker of genuine shock, then an undeniable spark of ambition. "Minister of Commerce? Your Majesty, with all due respect, my background is… unorthodox."
"And that is precisely why I chose you," I countered, a faint, Kakeru-like smirk touching my lips. "You know the risks, the tricks, the subtle ways to get things done. You understand that profit often lies in the shadows. Your life was survival through cunning; now, you will apply that cunning for the survival and prosperity of an entire city. Your payment will be a share of the city's profits, a legitimate title, and a chance to build something truly grand, instead of simply scavenging for others."
Marlow, usually quiet, spoke up. "And the information, Your Majesty? The spy networks?"
"They become ours," I said, my voice hardening. "They will serve Rimuru City. You will use them to gather market intelligence, but also to monitor the movements of those who still wish Kutsilyo harm. The noble houses. The Count."
Steve looked at Marlow, a silent conversation passing between them. This wasn't a bandit leader offering a few scraps; this was a king offering a true position of power, a chance to legitimize their talents, and to build something substantial. The opportunity was too immense to refuse.
"We accept, Your Majesty," Steve finally said, bowing deeply, a glint of genuine excitement in his shrewd eyes. "We will make Rimuru City prosperous, even in this wasteland."
The work began immediately, a relentless, methodical application of my past life's expertise. I spent hours with Steve and Marlow, outlining market strategies, discussing supply chain logistics for mana stone and special-grade materials, and even delving into the murky waters of black markets for rare resources or information.
"We need to refine the mana stone at the source," I instructed, recalling a conversation about early resource extraction from my past life. "Pure, unrefined ore is heavy, difficult to transport, and its value isn't maximized. We build small refining stations near the mines. That increases our product's value and reduces transportation costs."
Steve's eyes lit up. "Brilliant, Your Majesty! And the special-grade materials… if we can process them into usable components, even better. The demand would be astronomical."
Marlow, with his sharp memory, began compiling lists of potential buyers and sellers, tracking rumors of demand in distant kingdoms, identifying potential trade partners who might be willing to deal outside of the established noble-controlled routes. He was surprisingly adept at identifying gaps in existing markets.
Our first real challenge came from an unexpected quarter: the King's Customs Agents. A small, seemingly innocuous group of royal guards appeared on the outskirts of Kutsilyo a few weeks after Valerius's defeat, quietly observing our movements. They were not here to fight, but to assess, to report back to King Leo Von Delgado about the sudden, alarming silence from a territory that had been a constant source of trouble.
"They're here to check on the situation," Stanley reported, having discreetly observed their approach. "To see why Grimo and Valerius stopped sending their usual bribes. They'll likely try to re-establish royal authority, or at least investigate what happened."
My blood ran cold. This was it. The Crown was stirring. This was a challenge to our newfound independence.
"No open conflict," I declared. "Not yet. We are a sovereign city-state, but we are fledgling. We need time to build, to fortify. Steve, Marlow, this is your first true test. Can you bribe them? Mislead them? Convince them Kutsilyo is still just a chaotic, lawless village, not worth the King's full attention? Or better yet, that it's still under the firm, if brutal, control of some new, uninteresting warlord?"
Steve's eyes gleamed. "A challenge, Your Majesty. I like it. Marlow and I will begin spreading disinformation. We'll make it seem like a new, even more unpredictable bandit lord has taken over after Grimo and Valerius wiped each other out. We'll offer them small bribes, enough to suggest cooperation, but not enough to seem like weakness."
As they began their intricate dance of deception, I focused on the fortifications. The Theodosian Walls. My dream. Asuna and Feron, surprisingly effective working together, began organizing the villagers. Stone was quarried from the mountains, timber felled, and the foundations of the mighty double walls began to take shape. It was slow, arduous work, but the villagers, now with a purpose, with hope for a true future, labored tirelessly.
Then, an opportunity. Stanley, using his network of contacts and his knack for foreign affairs, intercepted a discreet message: a delegation from House Bellwether, a powerful, neutral merchant family from a distant kingdom, was planning a trade expedition through a dangerous mountain pass, seeking new sources of mana stone. They were hesitant to enter the King's territory directly, especially a region as unstable as Kutsilyo. This was our chance to establish a legitimate, external trade route, bypassing the very kingdoms and nobles who sought to control us.
"Steve, Marlow," I said, showing them the intercepted message. "Prepare a trade proposal. A safe passage, guaranteed prices for their mana stone, and an exclusive deal on our special-grade materials. Stanley, you will make the initial contact, discreetly. This is our chance to show the world that Rimuru City is open for business, and that we are a force to be reckoned with, without drawing the full wrath of the Kingdom just yet."
As I spoke, the ground beneath us vibrated slightly. The villagers, working tirelessly on the walls, had struck a new vein in the quarry. It wasn't just stone. It was a faint, luminous blue. Mana stone. A pure, rich vein, far larger than any we had anticipated. My unique ability, humming faintly in the back of my mind, confirmed it. This was an opportunity far beyond my initial hopes. But it was also a magnet, a beacon for every greedy noble and desperate warlord in the continent. The King's Customs Agents were still watching. The noble houses were still scheming. And now, we had discovered a treasure that would ignite their true avarice. The real challenge of building Rimuru City, and keeping it, had just begun.