AWDC Chapter 79

## King’s Enthronement

However, there was another obstacle to Prince Raphael becoming regent.

It was that Tareem’s mother, Margaret, who would become queen, was not expected to readily agree.

Toma met with Hofer. He asked Hofer to get Margaret to approve the establishment of a regency.

“Why are you asking me?” Hofer questioned Toma, who had requested such mediation.

“I am not acquainted with Margaret. I believe that the devout Margaret would not dismiss mediation from the church.”

Hofer didn’t take all those words at face value. (If that’s the case, why did he talk to me directly? Is there an ulterior motive?)

Hofer was sharp and adept at deciphering people’s hidden intentions. He was able to see through people’s lies and betrayals, preventing the church from suffering significant damage.

This enhanced his position in the church and made him even more suspicious.

“I don’t know anyone from the church other than you,” Toma said, preempting his suspicions.

“Understood. I will speak to Margaret about it.” (Even if Toma is plotting something, he shouldn’t be hostile to the church at this point.) Hofer decided that Toma had no ulterior motives.

Conveying the idea of the interim government would strengthen his own position, so he acted proactively.

It was Toma’s request, but it was a good role for Hofer.

If he could get Margaret to approve the establishment of a regency, the church would receive significant compensation from Raphael and the great nobles behind him.

That would further strengthen his position within the church.

“If a regency is established, won’t Raphael’s power increase?” Margaret’s concern was valid.

“No, it is clear that the authority of the king is above that of the regent.” He persuaded Margaret that if Tareem became king, the authority of the king would not change, and even if there was a regent, their position would not be weakened.

“If the interim government continues without a king being decided, its power will become impossible to ignore.” Hofer emphasized the power of the interim government.

“Are you saying that the interim government will gain power?”

“The chaos caused by the Bawa Roma is subsiding. The interim government is gaining a good reputation in the capital. If this continues, it cannot be denied that there will be a growing voice wanting the interim government to continue, and it cannot be said for certain that the number of people who think they don’t need a king won’t increase.”

“Are you saying that Tareem becoming king will be delayed? I understand. If Tareem is to become king, I will approve Raphael’s regency.”

Hofer had fulfilled his role. (With this, I have also gained a connection with Toma.)

Hofer held Toma’s abilities in high regard. In Toriholi Village, Toma was seen as a reincarnated individual who had started new things like paper. However, he defeated the large Bawa Roma army with only a small force. He seemed to have used magical tactics there. And his administrative skills in the interim government were remarkable. He restored the chaotic capital in a short period of time. It was not a lie that he told Margaret that Toma had a high reputation; Hofer had heard it himself.

If Toma moved the government and demonstrated high abilities, the world would not leave him alone. It was necessary to strengthen their relationship before Toma’s fame increased.

The towering gate of the Grand Cathedral, which stands in the center of the capital square. Shining brightly in the sunlight, the large bell in the steeple swayed and rang out loudly.

Crown Prince Tareem was enthroned as king. The Brandelk Cathedral, which had been hastily rebuilt for this day, showed no signs of the chaos.

Lined up were the royal family, nobles, church leaders, and even delegations from neighboring countries who had come for this day.

Prince Ramur stepped forward in front of the attendees.

Above the prince’s head, the highest authority of the church presented the crown and sword.

Prince Ramur, who had just turned 10 years old, declared haltingly.

“I have ascended to the throne as king.”

At once, applause and cheers arose.

“Long live His Majesty the King!” The people gathered in the square responded.

When the cheers subsided, the king said,

“I appoint Raphael as regent.”

The faces of the crowd gathered in the Grand Cathedral’s square were filled with hope and joy.

With this, the chaos that had begun with the sudden death of King Michael would finally come to an end. Everyone wished for it.

With Prince Raphael’s decision to take over the administration of government, those who had once been involved in government work returned.

They took over the work from those who had been dispatched from both ducal families.

Moreover, Richter, who became Minister of Home Affairs, was familiar with government work and personnel affairs. Compared to when Prince Tzukira had been conducting personnel affairs with bribes, the personnel changes were extremely fair, and the work began to proceed smoothly.

Government ordinances became widespread, and those who pursued vested interests went into hiding.

The capital’s commerce became active, and the restoration of dilapidated buildings was underway. The sound of hammers repairing houses echoed from everywhere in the capital.

Gregg kept a close eye on domestic security. If the hearts of the people, which had been devastated by the chaos, regained their composure, security would improve.

Above all, it was significant that criminals were now being strictly controlled.

(If that’s the case, you should have done it together from the beginning in the interim government.) It was such a splendid job that I wanted to say that.

Somehow, those two seemed confident that even if I, as prime minister, made a mistake, they could always redo it.

That’s why they pushed me, the third son, to be the interim prime minister.

Regular meetings with lunch were now being held. These meetings were held by Prince Raphael once every 10 days, bringing together the three of us.

Without any special agenda, each of us would report and share future policies.

“The delegations from neighboring countries have decided to return.” The delegations from various countries that had attended the enthronement of the king had participated in several celebrations associated with the enthronement and had remained in the country for nearly 10 days.

Gregg was in charge of responding to these delegations and conducting foreign affairs.

Although he was a military man, he was the perfect person for such diplomacy.

Whether it was the tradition of his family or an innate presence, he was not shaken no matter what diplomatic envoy came.

“Didn’t any of the neighboring countries intend to invade our country, taking advantage of the chaos?” Regent Raphael was concerned about conflicts with neighboring countries.

“It is safe to assume that they did. If the Bawa Roma had continued to make noise for another year, Jamal would have invaded, not to mention Belgar. We received information that Jamal was trying to gather troops.”

“So, you’re saying that we managed to avoid a major incident,” Richter muttered.

“That’s right. Neighboring countries will always take advantage of us if we expose our weaknesses. We must not let our guard down in the future,” Elliot said gravely.

“Are the farmers working?”

As I said before, fearing the Bawa Roma’s tyrannical behavior, the farmers near the capital fled and entered Toriholi Village.

Certainly, no one was running away now, but many of the abandoned fields remained as they were.

“I think even those who participated in the disturbances should be made to work in the fields.”

When I said that, the two dukes looked grim. They had obtained a large number of prisoners. They intended to enslave most of them, which would more than offset the damage caused by the recent chaos. Naturally, they were reluctant to give it up.

“No, I’m limiting it to those with particularly light crimes, and those who are unlikely to run away.”

I didn’t want to argue with the two of them either, so I didn’t make any further demands.

In any case, although there were occasional conflicts of interest like this, the new government was running smoothly.

Repair work also began on churches other than Brandelk Cathedral.

The church that Hofer had been hoping for was also being rebuilt little by little. Even if it wasn’t exactly as he wished, I thought I had contributed to it to some extent.