Chapter 518: The New Journey of Magic Hand
It was a bright, clean day in King’s City—perfect weather for a sentencing.
A cannon fired from the square every hour. Each report meant another formerly “prominent and important” figure had received his verdict. The convictions had already been decided long before today; the public process existed as propaganda—a systematic condemnation of the Church and Timothy for conspiring against the crown, for stealing the throne. After a week of preparation, the evidence against them was complete and irrefutable. Roland had not, in any meaningful sense, given them the chance to argue.
Only a handful of nobles were hanged. Beyond Timothy, his key henchmen, the Prime Minister, and the judge, the sentenced men were overwhelmingly Church members. The church in King’s City was uprooted completely, every individual who had played a role in spreading the demonic plague given exactly what they had earned.
The crowds will cheer when they’re brought to the gallows.
“Aren’t you going to watch it yourself?” Nightingale stood at the window, the city laid out behind her.
“Iron Axe and Theo will manage.” Roland didn’t look up from the desk. Public trials had been effective in Border Town—they had excited and unified the people there. But the dynamic here was different. Killing Timothy would not automatically transfer loyalty to Roland, just as Timothy’s survival after King Wimbledon III and Gerald died had not automatically made the citizens loyal to Timothy. He didn’t have that foundation here yet.
There was also the matter of security. Sylvie had eventually located the gem list Roland had been looking for—Timothy had concealed it in a hidden compartment in his closet. But the list contained twelve more names than gems, four of whom were still in King’s City. Their orders from Timothy were unknown; they might not be assassination orders, but Roland saw no reason to be careless. Execution grounds were too chaotic. He had no interest in watching men die. He had more pressing work.
The army, for instance.
The final casualty count from the capture of King’s City had come in: the First Army had lost thirty-three men—their worst single engagement. They had killed far more enemies than that, but the numbers revealed something Roland couldn’t ignore. The street fighting had exposed flaws in his tactics, particularly in the clearance of buildings. Most of the First Army’s casualties had come from enchanted soldiers bursting out of civilian houses in sudden rushes. If his men had been equipped to use rifle grenades or blasting cartridges against suspicious structures in advance, the losses would have been lighter.
The army’s size was also a problem. Three thousand men had been enough to take the entire Kingdom of Graycastle, but not enough for everything beyond. He would have to leave at least five hundred in King’s City to maintain order. After Fallen Dragon Ridge and the Southernmost Region fell, the remaining force would be too small for peacetime security at the scale he intended. Expansion was necessary.
Roland wrote out plans for death benefits and army expansion, sealed them, and handed them to his guards. The plans would travel by boat to the City of Neverwinter, where the City Hall would carry them out.
Then he turned his attention to the lesser nobles.
They held little political power, but almost all of them were educated, and they wanted advancement badly. The senior nobility had been gutted—exiled, stripped, or sent to the mines in Neverwinter—leaving countless administrative vacancies. The most efficient solution was to put these men to work. Barov had years of experience in King’s City and would know which of them were reliable enough for a temporary governing structure. Give them responsibility, and their eagerness would rise to meet it.
Yorko had been Roland’s first test of that principle.
“Oh God, you really killed all the Church scoundrels!” Yorko swept into Roland’s office before the door had fully opened. “I never would have imagined they’d spread the demonic plague—I couldn’t believe my ears when High Priest Ferry confessed. What a disgrace to the gods! The crowd on the square right now is shouting your name, saying you saved them six months ago.”
Roland smiled. Theo had dispatched the Rats to spread that story, connecting the executions today with the refugee camps from half a year ago. It had clearly worked. The part about crowds shouting Roland’s name was probably Yorko’s embellishment.
He didn’t challenge it. Instead he handed the man a neatly folded piece of lambskin.
“Take a look at this.”
Yorko opened it—and his eyes went wide. “You’re—you’re making me the ambassador of the Kingdom of Graycastle?”
“Yes. Permanent appointment.” Roland nodded. “Official letter of appointment, scepter, and seal included. You’ll reside in the City of Glow, in the Kingdom of Dawn. What do you think?”
This position had required considerable thought. As King’s City’s famed “Magic Hand,” Yorko carried a reputation that made a conventional appointment impossible. The nobles were no strangers to brothels and bars—but they kept such things private. A man who openly cuckolded half the city’s husbands, given a visible post in the City Hall, would send every nobleman into quiet panic about his wife. Roland did not need that kind of distraction.
Foreign posting solved everything neatly. Kingdom ambassadors held authority comparable to earls; foreign kings treated them accordingly. It was prestigious by name, important-sounding by title, and required no land grant—which meant no competition with the existing nobility. Let him go to the Kingdom of Dawn. Roland had heard the noblewomen there were striking and distinctive. Yorko would find his footing.
He clearly understood the logic. Yorko dropped to one knee without hesitation, practically trembling with eagerness. “I accept—my lord!” As though he feared Roland might reconsider.
“Then it’s settled.” Roland smiled. “A ceremonial officer will brief you on protocol before you leave.”
Beyond Yorko, he would need to dispatch several of his own men to the Kingdom of Dawn as well—to watch developments with the neighboring kingdom, and to begin building an alliance against the Church.
Chapter 518: The New Journey of Magic Hand
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
It was a bright and sunny day in King’s City, making it perfect for a sentencing day.
A cannon would sound on the square every hour, signaling that another formerly “prominent and important” figure received his deserved verdict.
Their convictions had actually already been decided, so this process was mostly used as a propaganda for the citizens. It especially condemned the church and Timothy for conspiring against the king and stealing the throne. After a week of preparation, the evidence collected against them proved their guilt without a doubt—of course, Roland did not actually give them a chance to argue for themselves.
Only a few of the nobles were sentenced to hanging. Besides Timothy, his henchmen, the Prime Minister, and judge, all the other sentenced men were the church believers. Even the church of King’s City was completely uprooted, and Roland made sure that everyone who was involved in spreading the demonic plague got what they deserved.
These scumbags will surely be met by cheers from the audience when they’re brought to the gallows.
“Are you not going to watch it in person?” asked Nightingale, standing by the window.
“Iron Axe and Theo will take care of everything,” replied Roland without even raising his head. Public trials helped excite and unite the subjects in Border Town, but they would not have the same effect here. The people would not automatically side with Roland as soon as he killed Timothy, just
like they did not side with Timothy after King Wimbledon III and Gerald died.
He did not have enough support among the citizens here.
He was also concerned about his own safety. Sylvie eventually found the gem list Roland remembered, which Timothy had hidden in a secret compartment in his closet. However, there were twelve more names than the gems there, four of which were hidden in King’s City. It meant that they had all received Timothy’s orders. Although they were not necessarily the assassination orders, Roland still kept his guard up. Execution grounds were too disorderly and unsuitable for him to visit, and he had no interest in watching executions.
He had much more important things to deal with.
For example, the army.
The casualties in capturing King’s City were finally calculated, revealing that the First Army lost 33 men, which was their worst loss so far. Although they killed a much larger amount of enemies than that, Roland still noticed many flaws in their street battle tactics, especially in house demolition—most of the First Army’s casualties were caused when enchanted soldiers surprised them by leaping out from civilian houses. If his soldiers could use rifle grenades or blasting cartridges to demolish suspicious houses in their way, there would definitely be lighter casualties.
His other concern was the size of the army. The First Army could take on the entire Kingdom of Graycastle with its 3,000 men, but it was not enough to conquer everything in his sights. He would have to leave at least 500 men behind to maintain order in King’s City, and after conquering Fallen Dragon Ridge and the Southernmost Region, the army would be too small to maintain a peace war. He needed to expand his army.
Roland wrote down the plans for death benefits and army expansion and handed them to his guards. He ordered them to take the plans back to the City of Neverwinter, where the City Hall would carry them out.
After that, the prince directed his attention to the lower-level nobles.
They did not have any substantial political power, but they were all welleducated and desperately wanted to be promoted. All the great nobles in King’s City had already been cleared out. They were either exiled from the territory or sent to the Neverwinter mines, leaving many vacancies in the office. In order for King’s City to run normally, the most effective tactic was to have these lower nobles work for him.
Barov had years of experience in King’s City and definitely knew some of these men, so he would be in charge of organizing a temporary ruling system.
These men were willing to serve him, so giving them greater responsibilities would increase their eagerness. Yorko was Roland’s first try.
Over the past few days, he finally decided where he should assign his “old friend”.
…
Yorko shouted as soon as he entered Roland’s office, “Oh God, you really killed all of the church scoundrels! I would never have guessed that they spread the demonic plague, and I couldn’t even believe my ears when High Priest Ferry confessed to it. What a disgrace to the deities! Right now, the crowds on the square are praising your name and saying that you saved them six months ago.”
Roland smiled. Theo had ordered the Rats to spread this news to corroborate the refugee camps from six months ago. It seemed that it was quite effective. However, Yorko probably made up the part about praising his name to flatter him.
He did not question his words and handed a delicate lambskin letter to Yorko.
“Take a look at this.”
Yorko opened the letter, glanced at it, and widened his eyes. “You’re, you’re making me the ambassador of the Kingdom of Graycastle?”
“Yes, and a permanent one,” said Roland with a nod. “You’ll have an official letter of appointment, scepter, and seal, and you’ll reside in the City of Glow in the Kingdom of Dawn. What do you think?”
This position had taken a great amount of consideration—as the famed “Magic Hand” in King’s City, Yorko had a bad reputation, just like Prince Roland did in the past.
No one wanted to be made a cuckold, including the nobles. While their wives cheated on them with other men, instead of simply catching them in the act, the husbands also meddled in brothels and bars—but it was all in secrecy.
If Yorko was given an important position, or if Roland openly gave the Magic Hand a job in the City Hall, it would have an unimaginable influence… All the nobles and merchants would be worried that their wives would begin to openly pursue Yorko, and the women that Yorko had slept with would all try to take advantage of him. Roland did not want this to happen.
His best option was to place him in a foreign country. Kingdom ambassadors were different from traveling emissary delegations, and they had similar authority as Earls, so even foreign kings treated them with respect. This was an important-sounding title that was perfect as a promotion. He also did not have to give him any land, and he would not worry any of the other noble.
Let him go bother the Kingdom of Dawn. I heard that their noblewomen are exotic and outstanding, so he might be able to make a new name for himself there.
Yorko obviously also realized this point. He knelt down without any hesitation and replied excitedly, “I accept… my lord!” He was so eager as if he was worried that Roland would regret his decision.
“Then it’s decided,” said Roland with a smile. “Before you leave, I’ll have a ceremonial officer to train you.”
Besides Yorko, he also needed to send some of his own men to the Kingdom of Dawn, so he could keep an eye on his neighbor and also form an alliance with them to fight the church.