Five days passed since Tim had provided his too drastic plan to the duke to process and it seemed he had agreed upon it. Many meetings were held but Tim was not invited anymore. Wilhelm personally told him not to interfere in the meetings as he would just try to kill them for their senseless objections.
So, Tim obliged to his words and did not interfere. In the meantime, he learned more about this empire and magic, while the little conferences continued.
And finally, today, Wilhelm called him to inform about the next set of instructions he needed to follow.
"You know Leon, most people are not happy with your plan." The duke spoke calmly, organizing some papers, scattered through his desk. "They say, it is beyond risky. We can lose everything if we question too much about the least amount of help we are getting. Our benefactors are generous enough and to question their kindness won't do any good."
"Kindness…" Tim snorted. "Give me a break." He mumbled looking towards the window, where the rays of the setting sun shone upon. "They are just afraid. They fear that, if we question their integrity too much, they won't be happy and attack us, which won't happen in a day. Both parties will take losses and I know no one is prepared for that. Emperor is not that dumb."
"He literally provoked the North Coalition without telling us or to his most trusted vassals." The duke added with a sigh.
"Well… he is dumb then."
"And an egoistic bastard."
"All in all, he is dumber than I think." Tim corrected his words. "And the Council is too afraid to provoke that moron. They are all cowards."
"Yes!... Still, we are going forward with your plan. There is no stopping now. Can't lose everything in fear. If they want war then be it. I am not going down without a fight."
"Don't worry father. It will never happen." Tim smiled. "And tell me what you guys are going to do?"
"Yes… So, all the areas surrounding the mines operated by the Arlets will be under our direct control and two companies of soldiers will be guarding them without any break. Everything will be reported to this office. And like you said, the cause for all this is to provide protection from the nonexistent bandits."
Tim nodded saying nothing and Wilhelm continued.
"Next the convoy sent by Carlstones will be guarded by ten knights and guards in lands and by two frigates in water, when it moves through our region. Thus, we eliminate the so-called attack from pirates and bandits in one go."
"Good"
"Everything will be weighed again after reaching our port."
"And don't forget to tell them to give an exact count and weight of supplies they are sending before it leaves their port. Or send one of your trusted, to be present during shipping and loading. No chances can be taken." Tim said, leaning on the chair.
"Very well. We will do that." Wilhelm shook his head in agreement. "And to increase our farming capacity we are devising a plan to provide incentives for the ones who want to do farming."
"Make that incentive a little too attractive to get some major attention. Like, give them cows, a small house or free food as long as their crops don't grow." Tim said, leaning forward.
"I will keep that in mind."
"Also order every lord in our region to reduce taxes on the peasants. It will give them more money to spend and our economy will move forward."
"Yes"
"And tell the merchant guilds to lower the prices a little. In return we will do the same with their taxes."
Wilhelm said nothing to his son's ideas and he continued.
"Force Arlets to provide the required amount or just cancel the contract."
"But…"
"I know it will cause problems, but they won't listen if we act too soft. They are taking and paying us. In other words, we are selling them and they are buying. If they can't pay the price then tell them to fuck off. We can find other buyers."
"That won't be easy son. They are one of our biggest buyers. We can't just say no. It will be a direct blow against Trinity." Wilhelm was hesitant like his advisors because of the accumulated risk they were taking and one wrong move could destroy everything.
"Don't say no. Just act on your own. Tighten the rules and start talking with other parties." Tim waved off the tension in one go. He had handled matters like these a million times where he had to break promises to save the company. In the grand scheme of things, these minorities never mattered. At least for him.
"You want us to go big with international buyers. That can work but the journey is too long and the problems with pirates is just another topic."
"This duchy has one of the biggest Navy in the entire empire, right?"
"Yes…"
"Then use them. What's the point of paying them salaries when they are just going to sit around? Use everything in your power to make the trade and journey smoother. That's how business works. It is not just about the item you are selling but also about the way you are selling them. Give them a discount, give them security in waters and they will come running for the next deal. It will be costly and not profitable in the beginning but trust me, in the long run it is the solution."
The duke leaned on his cushioned chair with a smile on his face. For the first time in years, he was feeling proud of his son's ideas. His words were accurate without any nonsense. He spoke the truth just like he wanted. But when did he become so smart? Why did it seem like he was talking from experience?
"Leon, when did you become this intelligent? My son will never approach me with ideas like yours. He is an idiot. Even if I asked, he would say some random bullshit and leave. But you are trying to make this work as if your life depends on it. Why? Tell me. It just doesn't match your personality."
Hearing the words of Wilhelm, a soft smile appeared on Tim's face. "Tell me father, why does a man fight?"
"For his beliefs. For his virtues. For his pride. There are a million things."
"Why don't you go a little deeper, a little personal."
"Personal?" The duke's eyebrows twitched.
"No matter what you believe in, you fight for a reason. You fight for something you can't risk losing. And for a man like you and me, the only thing we can't lose is our family. Because that is all we have. Like they say a man can even fight the Gods if it is the price, he needs to pay to save his loved ones. And I am doing just that. I am fighting to save my family cause if I won't do anything today then everything will be gone tomorrow."
Tim had lost his world once, but not anymore. He had again found a family who loved him, cared about him. And there was no way in hell he was going to lose them. He was helpless when he lost his family, but now, he was more powerful than he could ever be. It was the time for him to act. For his new family and for his own peace.
"Yes!" Wilhelm chuckled. "Yes, you are. But why now?"
"Well, sometimes everyone needs a little push and this problem I accidentally stumbled into, was a huge push. It was a straight slap in my cheeks to wake me up. Now I am awake." Tim's tone was a little sarcastic but it was the truth. That little accident forced him to act. If not then he could have still tried to enjoy his time here, in the eyes of the approaching storm.
"That was a weird way to put it but good job. If you stay like this, then I won't have any doubts for you to succeed me."
"I will try but solving this mess comes first." Tim's voice again turned heavy. "Don't expect the Arlets or Carlstones to hold onto their side of the contract for too long. I know they won't. We have to be prepared.
Remember the duchy of Esper needs to be self-reliant to solve all her problems but the Trinity is always in the way. It is abundantly clear that this contract was made to stop us from achieving our best. We were made dependent to stop our growth. But not anymore.
We must stop it. We must stand on our own legs. Then we can walk towards a better future."
Leon's voice resounded through the stone walls of the room as Wilhelm looked at his son with a surprised look in his eyes. It was the first time in his life he saw him say something with that much sincerity. It was both confusing and pleasurable for a father like him to see his son, finally using his brain to get something done.
"We will be both prepared and self-dependent. As long as your brain works like this, I don't think we have anything to worry about." The duke laughed a little to ease the tension and Leon did the same.
"And yes, I forgot to apologize and express gratitude for saving me from that shitstorm I had created. I promise it will never happen again." Tim was guilty of his own doings and it was the best he could do, to atone for the jeopardy he caused.
"No worries Kid. You don't need to thank your father. I just did what any father would do. No matter how old you become, you are still my son, and risking my life for my son is part of my duty." Wilhelm let out a deep breath, and smiled gently. "I hope you will do the same in future and will stop being reckless."
"I will." Tim replied in a firm tone and the duke chortled.
"Yes, you will."
---
Leaving the duke in his office, Tim went towards his room with a cheerful look on his face. He was in a good mood for accomplishing his goals, for which he had taken every possibility into consideration and it worked out. There was no way in hell he could fail. Now was the time to wait and watch.
Tim reached the room but just before he could open the door, he heard someone calling his name and it was none other than Adeline who drew closer with two of her attendants tailing behind.
"Need something?" He asked in a bored tone, scratching his neck.
"Nope. I am here to deliver news from mother."
"And that is…"
"Go meet her as soon as possible. She is waiting for you in the office." Adel answered in a courteous manner with a wide grin plastered on her face.
"Office? I just came back from there." Tim wailed.
"Then go again." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Yeah, yeah!"
Adel left on her way and Tim went to the office with a sigh. He just came back and was going to the same place once again. If he had waited another five minutes then this entire round trip could have never happened.