Chapter 2: Chapter 2 – Territory

Duke Fawkes was responsible for a massive portion of territory that comprised an entire quarter of the Verlenium Empire. 

There were three other Dukes of the Empire that managed the other three quarters. And within his own territory, there were smaller Countys that were managed by a few Counts and border territories managed by a couple Marquesses. 

As a Duke, Charles Fawkes was treated as superior to even the Imperial Princes and Princesses, of which there were a few. In that way, his children were only lesser than the Imperial children. 

At least, that was on paper. In reality, the status and treatment heavily depended on the Duke’s own opinions on his children, as well as their own power within the family. 

The heirs obviously had more influence than those at the bottom of the barrel. 

For this reason, I suppose I wasn’t surprised by the news my father had for me once I finally went to go and see him after recovering. 

Upon entering my father’s study, I wasn’t spoken to for several minutes. 

Instead, my father shuffled through a few large maps. When he finally chose one and laid it out on a table, he turned around, facing out a window behind his mahogany desk. 

“You will choose a piece of my territory. A small city will be the limit, and a small town the minimum. What you choose is what you will travel to and rule over from this day forth.”

“...”

I was silent. 

It was a sudden command, but I had a feeling that this wasn’t something he just suddenly came up with. 

I was 22 years old, and I had made nothing of my name. I studied just enough and acted just enough to get by. I was neither amazing nor an embarrassment. 

I was invisible in the family. I hardly ever spoke to either my father or mother, both of them busy interacting with important figures and my older siblings who were fighting for fortune and favor. 

And my father didn’t resent me, just like I didn’t resent him. We were neutral to each other, more than strangers, but not much better than acquaintances. 

What he was doing now was actually quite his style, and in reality, this could be considered a huge gift. 

It was his way of both kicking me out and giving me a chance. 

Not a chance to become his heir or anything of the sort, but a chance to make something of myself. 

If I managed a small piece of land well, then I could set myself up for the rest of my slow life, living relatively comfortably without having much to worry about. 

I could just sit on the sidelines, maybe marry a girl or three, and watch as the empire went through its various phases. 

Honestly, for one who wanted a peaceful and fulfilling life, this was the dream, even though it also meant a dead end. My father was being amazingly generous in this way. 

I was touched. 

Or, the me who was Six was touched. The me who was Audius wouldn’t be able to realize the depth of this gift. He might even be flustered, scrambling to understand why his father was kicking him out. 

But now, we were both the same. I had enough time to process this merging of two people. 

But, I also had time to think about what I was going to do with my life. 

And this gift, this opportunity…

I couldn’t have asked for anything more. 

I was thrilled as I calmly walked over to the map, gazing upon its detailed lines and dozens of landmarks. 

My father’s Dukedom extended all the way out toward one border, so he, along with the Marquesses under him, maintained a large standing army. Not just that, but his land was rich in resources, making him powerful even amongst the Dukes. 

The north of his territory was bordered by a mountain range, and the south was bordered by a Sea. To the east was the rest of the empire, and to the west were open borders neighboring another empire and one kingdom. 

There were all kinds of rivers, mountainous terrain, lakes, and rich forests. There were also countless villages and small cities operated by Barons, most of which surrounded the major cities operated by the Counts.

I had to choose a spot to inherit. It was definitely difficult, especially since I hadn’t studied the geography much. 

But, what I did know was enough to make an educated decision, meaning I wasn’t just taking a blind shot. 

I had a few criteria. I needed hard resources, a water source, and the position needed to be advantageous both politically and militarily. 

Also, the place needed to have a good amount of people, meaning I wanted the largest established city I could get. 

With all that factored in…

There were only two spots that I could choose from, and neither of them had significant enough mineral deposits to get marked. 

So, I asked. 

“Father, may I ask a question.”

“That depends.”

I could tell. He was evaluating me with every word I spoke. Recalling Audius’ memories, I knew that he was always like this, though Audius didn’t know it. 

If I didn’t ask the right question, he wouldn’t answer. If it were a stupid question, like asking why he was doing this, then he might choose a small town for me and send me out. 

But I wasn’t worried. 

I pointed to two spots on the map, both spots on opposite ends of the territory. 

“Do either of these places have unearthed or abandoned mineral deposits?”

“...”

After taking a few seconds, my father actually turned around. I looked him in the eye, not shying away from his sharp gaze. 

My father, despite only being in his fifties, already had greying hair. He was a hard working man, an upright one. He was someone that I respected, both as Six and Audius. 

He was cunning, smart, ruthless, yet generous. You couldn’t ask more from a leader, it was why he was a Duke, though as a son, you might want him to be a bit more connected. 

Regardless…

He looked at me before looking down. After taking a long look at the two spots, he responded. 

“Why do you want to know?”

“I’d like to do more than just get by as a small administrator. I was thinking that, at least with a mine, I could sell minerals to you and contribute to the family. Or perhaps, you could think of it as me taking care of Grace.”

“...”

My father was silent, but he didn’t seem unapproving. Looking back down, he pointed to one of the spots. 

The spot was a small city, a place located near a mountain, yet also near the border. There was a major river there, and it was generally in a good position, hence why I chose it. 

“This place has an average sized Iron deposit not far from it. Since it has been idling there for years, I will give you the rights to that barren land. In exchange, I shall send an administrator with you who will be responsible for managing the daily affairs of your new territory, and I will own 40% of all iron that you excavate and smelt. I shall also give you a small sum of money as a loan that will help establish the mine, one that you will be responsible for repaying.”

My father laid out a few additions to this little agreement we were making. 

In this way, he was giving me more of a chance to prosper. With an iron deposit, I could make far more money than normal. It held enough potential to make me a sizeable trading partner. 

Of course, that was if I played my cards right as a competent ruler. And this was the purpose of the spare administrator and the loan. 

My father wanted to keep tabs on me and my spending to see if I would really develop myself. This loan would be the tool he used to measure my ability, along with the administrator who would no doubt report to him. 

It was a form of surveillance, but I didn’t mind. 

So, after he laid out the few conditions, he looked to me for confirmation. 

Normally this would be too complicated for Audius to grasp. But, I was no longer just Audius. 

I nodded to him. 

“I’ll do my best with what you give me.”

“Mm. I look forward to your results. I will give you four days to leave.”

“I understand. Thank you, father.”

“...”

With that, I turned and left the study. I could feel my father’s gaze on my back as I did so.

I headed back to my room. When I arrived though, I saw Grace outside my door. 

She looked concerned as she noticed me.

“Audius.”

“Grace.”

“What did father want you for?”

Worry laced her question. Perhaps rumors of me awakening as a Sorcerer had her thinking that father was going to do something to me. 

But not even she could’ve guessed the reality. 

“Father has given me a small city to rule over. Within the next four days, I am to leave the house and take residence in my new territory.”

“New territory…”

She was quickly shocked by my words. 

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“What?! Father… he’s kicking you out?”

“Yes and no.”

“You… you seem calm about this. You do realize what he’s doing right? He’s placing you on the road to a dead end.”

Grace was a bit panicked as she tried to explain the implications. And it was true. Even with the mine, this was basically a death sentence to any kind of ambitious career I’d ever hope to embark on. 

But she didn’t know what I knew. 

“Grace, it’s okay. I mean, did I ever plan on competing with our brothers and sister for the seat of heir?”

“...No.”

“Then there’s no reason for me not to take this offer. Besides…”

Suddenly, I glanced around, making sure there was nobody in the hallway. Then, I pulled Grace close, putting my mouth near her ear. 

I whispered softly. 

“Your guess about my awakening as a Sorcerer may not be off the mark.”

“...What?”

I could feel her shake a bit.

“But you said…”

“I just didn’t know how to explain it. It seems to be something with my mind. I don’t know the details myself yet. Still, I’ve made plans to explore this while in the territory father has given me.”

I backed away with a small smile. This was the best way I could cover myself when the time came to develop things with my Tool.

Grace stood there for several moments, processing the weight of my words. Then, she looked at me with a determined gaze. 

“I’m coming with you.”

“I don’t mind, but you should tell father.”

“I will.”

Saying that, she immediately marched off to father’s study. 

I knew father would agree. After all, Grace wasn’t unlike me who blended into the background of the family. Normally she would be close with our mother, but our mother was always focused on the eldest daughter who was fighting for the position of heir. Grace wasn’t spared a single glance. In that way, our mother was even worse than our father. 

We were the outcasts, and we stuck together. That was one thing I couldn’t suppress when becoming Audius. 

I cared for Grace deeply. She was the most important person to me in this life. 

So I was happy when I heard that Grace was going to start packing. 

With that, we prepared to leave our home. 

………

……

Neither our father nor mother were there to see us off. 

There were only three carriages along with a small armed escort of knights. Grace and I were in one carriage while the administrator my father assigned was in another. The last was for a few guards. 

Other than that, it was quiet in the early morning. It was rather lonely. We really were being kicked out, and neither of our parents were even willing to pretend to care about our departure. 

Not that we needed their goodbyes. Grace and I had been on our own for plenty of time now. I was neutral with my father, and Grace was estranged from our mother, who was arguably worse than our father in terms of parental love. 

So perhaps this dull send off was appropriate. 

Without delay, our items were packed, and we were on our way. 

………

……

There are two ways to rule. 

As a tyrant, or as a lord. 

A tyrant retains absolute control of its people. Nothing happens without the tyrant’s hand in the middle. Trade, production, military, education, development. All these things are managed directly by the tyrant and those that comprise his eyes, ears, and hands. 

A Lord, on the other hand, merely manages the general affairs of his people and leads them toward prosperity. While the Lord would have his place in the aspects of its society like production and trade, he would only be there for the purposes of facilitating it, establishing the channels and guidelines to go about trading with others. 

It was the difference between the people working for their government and the government working for its people.

Of course, there were many other details one had to consider. Many specific laws and doctrines could affect these things and determine just how free the people were to do as they wished. The technological level of the society also greatly affected the modes of production and trade, creating and destroying industries, and changing how people needed to be managed. 

My dilemma was precisely over these particulars. 

As Six, I was educated for years and taught things from just about every field there was in education. 

From government, to science, to tactical combat. I was taught everything, and I would need to use everything in this other world. 

After all, we were sent here as agents who were required to establish not just a foothold, but an empire of our own. Preferably, we were meant to take over the world, but sometimes that wasn’t entirely possible. 

Nevertheless. 

We special few had to choose the best system of rule to use in order to establish ourselves. 

Normally being a tyrant was the easiest and most effective way. By using our Tools and developing impossible technology on these often primitive worlds, we could easily take control of the masses and use them as nothing more than cattle to perform labor. 

Being a Lord was a bit harder, but its results had the potential to be far greater than that of a tyranny. 

While Grace and I made our way to my territory, I thought long and hard about how I was going to run things. 

And I immediately decided that I wasn’t going to be a tyrant. 

There was no need to be. I was a free man. There was no parasite to control me and no Council to determine my fate. This was a new life for me in a new world. I had no attachments to my past, only bad memories and resentments. 

If I was going to become a ruler, which I was, then I was going to make sure that my people were prosperous and grateful to their lord. None of us who were in the running for a Matter-Tool were ambitionless. We all had grand thoughts of vast empires that we sat at the top of. We all had our own deep philosophies. 

I wanted to enjoy my life, so my philosophy was that of unbridled fortune. 

But unfortunately, certain things that I would be doing had to be a bit tyrannical. 

For instance, technology. I controlled the endless knowledge of technology and science that was hundreds and thousands of years ahead of this world. In that way, I was a tyrant who would be controlling the technological development of my empire. There would likely be nothing that happened without my intention. 

But, those kinds of things were unavoidable. I wasn’t going to wait 300 years for things to advance naturally. 

As for the little details, those would be implemented as I needed them to be. 

……

Our trip took around 11 days. My new territory was close to the border and the Duke Fawkes estate was not so close to the border. 

Luckily, just about every day we were able to settle at a village or city for the nights. This also allowed me to evaluate this world’s technological era. 

The iron age was already long past, and this place was at minimum making its way beyond the middle ages. 

One major landmark in a civilization’s development was the creation of cities. A large city meant that farmers had enough technology to not only grow vast amounts of food, but transport them to the cities. 

There weren’t any vehicles beyond horse drawn carriages, but there were a few things I saw while within the cities that made me realize this world was headed in the right direction. 

For one, the cotton gin and the printing press. I personally saw these two items after searching for them in the two cities we passed through. I was pleasantly surprised. This meant that this place was at least on the verge of entering an industrial revolution. 

And this was just in the cities we passed. Neither of them were major capital cities, which would have the best technology. 

It was comforting knowing that this world wasn’t in the middle ages and was advancing nicely. However, there was still one outstanding issue that I would have to decide on in the future. 

Sorcerers. 

These people were supernatural, and also represented another branch of technological, or magical, development. 

From my memories I knew that most global powers did not like these Sorcerers. They were seen as the spawns of what this world thought of as the devil, only, unlike witch trials and such which were unfounded power trips, these people really did possess amazing and exotic powers. 

It was something new, something beyond pure technology, that could vastly warp this world’s future. 

Unfortunately, because of the conflict between the ordinary and the magical, this world was still in a kind of deadlock. They were beyond the middle ages, but they weren’t quite pushing into the industrialized era. 

This world naturally had its religions, and there were three major religions that Audius knew of. 

The people of this world still needed to push into the age of reason, realizing that science didn’t contradict religion, and working on wholeheartedly advancing technology. 

But the religions and the issue with Sorcerers kept that from happening. These two groups warped the public, hampering them from progress. 

It was likely an issue I would need to tackle myself, if I was going to play as ambitiously as I wanted. 

“We’re entering the city.”

Suddenly, on the final day of travel, Grace alerted me. 

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