Thurin had faced many challenges within the Empire. In the early days, alone with Carian, he had broken down, letting the tears flow and easing the weight of his responsibilities, if only temporarily. Yet, in public, he followed his father's stoic example, scrutinizing every issue Carian presented with cold detachment.
He approached every decision with a dispassionate logic, weighing profits and losses without empathy. He believed that if he could please the majority, he would be seen as a savior, even if it meant sacrificing his relationships with the nobles or depleting the treasury.
The late Emperor had left a substantial budget, but the ongoing war against the barbarians drained it quickly. As the months passed, the stress and expectations transformed Thurin. He became a shadow of his predecessor, a change that worried Carian. Despite Carian's encouragement to embrace his emotions, Thurin buried them deeper, just as his father had.
The burden of his people's suffering and the greed of the nobles ignited a fury within him. But he knew that letting his emotions rule would lead the Empire to ruin. He had no clear plan to manage the nobles—any attempt to crush them would only fuel further rebellion from their heirs.
Balancing power among the factions was a delicate and headache-inducing task for both Thurin and Carian. Suppressing his emotions seemed the only way to navigate these treacherous waters, even if it meant repeating his father's mistakes.
Carian would have accepted Thurin's approach if not for Lucas's observations. Lucas reported that Thurin struggled to sleep, experiencing emotional outbursts in private. While strange, Lucas did not want Thurin to collapse, for his own power was tied to the young Emperor's stability.
The only issue were the nobles groups, both factions weren't supporting Thurin and were debating if they should dethrone him. Both the Royalists and the High Aristocrats, or Nobelists who believed they should govern themselves, were against the idea of letting Thurin handle all that power.
Even with the frustrated nobles, Thurin was still capable of being an Emperor for quite some time now thanks to the remaining two large factions supporting him. Having two thirds backing him was enough for now to work on the internal affairs.
The Scholars were on his side thanks to Carian and Lucas convincing them. The Senate also supported Thurin thanks to the accomplishments Thurin made in battle, his strong armor also proved that he was flexible in his thinking and actually made a few people of the Senate come into contact with the Scholars to create a standardized spell for it. The Scholars on the other hand refuted that an armor strong enough to handle their weapons existed.
Sitting in the Emperor's office, Thurin was diligently reading over some papers to educate himself further on the issues in the Empire. For the last few months he had done nothing but eat, sleep and study, his previous way of living thrown out the window. His free time evaporated as he focussed on his work.
Lucas found it a good change, the faster you dedicate your life to something, the quicker you become an expert in those matters. But Carian was more worried than anything. They were doing some good work, making a few mistakes along the way. Dedicating all his time to his work truly made him quite proficient in coming up with solutions, with guidance from Carian and Lucas from the sidelines made him grow incredibly.
"I wonder why the Royalists aren't on our side, they were so loyal to the Royal Family.", Carian wondered as he placed a few new papers on Thurin's desk. They were summaries of people and other issues related to them. The amount of information was way too much to understand in a single read through, not that Thurin had any choice.
When he researched the Royalists they all worked hand in hand with the Emperor against the other nobles and seemed to be good dogs. Yet now, they were denying Thurin's throne and inheritance, going against the previous Emperor.
Lucas looked at Carian with a strange look. Having the Senate and the Scholars behind you wasn't enough. In the end, the country ran on an economy and a currency changing hands. The problem was that most of the money was in the hands of the aristocrats.
"Don't you think they were loyal to the previous Emperor because of his strength? Followers are drawn to powerful people."
"Then how do you propose we handle them? We need one of the groups to support us. They bring in most of the budget for the war against the barbarians. If they were attacking right now, we could pressure them into supporting us in order to save our Empire. But now..."
"Can we go and talk to them?", Thurin interjected. He was focussing on the papers in front of him like the last few weeks, yet couldn't block the conversation of Lucas and Carian out. They had supported him a lot and knew that he should also do his part even if he had done most of the work already.
Carian looked at Thurin and shook his head for a second, "I would love to, but you need to handle the issues of the agriculture first. Due to the war, a lot of our food stock has been depleted, and we need a new buffer for safety reasons. Besides that, many of the fields were ravaged in the war, making them pretty useless now. The Rainzone has moved as well, making certain places incapable of creating enough produce."
Under the Stars, there weren't any clouds or seasons, only a constant evening that lasted forever. The only thing that changed were the so-called Rainzones, places where water dropped from the Stars. The water kept falling without stopping, making it somewhat difficult to handle. So entire irrigation systems were established. This was also how lakes turned into seas over time if they weren't handled correctly.
Lucas listened closely and while he didn't understand everything, he pointed out what he knew. "Just because the fields have been turned upside down, doesn't mean that they are useless."
Carian stared at Lucas for a moment, he should know what a battlefield looks like, or that was Carian's preconception of the Starborn at least. "The earth isn't just scrambled, there are bodies on the fields."
Lucas simply shrugged, "Bodies of people can be buried in the ground and should turn into fertilizer in a good month.", to which Carian made a confused look, to use the fallen as fertilizer was so unrespectful, he didn't have the words for it.
"These people are soldiers who died fighting for our Empire, we need to give them a proper burial."
"What's more respectful than dedicating their entire life to the Empire. Shouldn't they be glad to know that even their dead bodies helped to rebuild the Empire they so love?", Lucas grinned, letting the sarcasm flow through his words.
Thurin let the men continue their little squabble for a bit longer before making a decision. "Carian, send a group of Scholars and soldiers to the different places mentioned in the report. Take the dead bodies of our soldiers back and bury them near the Temples and give them a ceremony. Give the families compensation according to the law. The barbarians will be used to fertilize the fields and have the soldiers help reform the fields."
Carian and Lucas looked at Thurin in surprise, his decision would be respectful to the Senate, while also helping out the farmers and preparing for the coming war. Lucas nodded that this was a good choice, Carian on the other hand still had doubts since it wasn't suitable for the remaining group.
"Thurin, we can't send Scholars to the farmlands, no Scholar would bother to do so. While they might be supporting you, Scholars still have a big ego that can't be forced. They won't take it so kindly if they have to go visit the lower lands."
"Form a group and bring them here, we'll talk some sense into them.", Lucas said with a smile. Carian held back a sigh before leaving the office, leaving Lucas and Thurin alone.
"Thurin, I can tell you're stressed, but as long as you can keep your face straight, it'll be convincing enough."
"I'm not stressed.", Thurin said with a calm tone. The image of his stepfather appeared in his mind, he was capable of handling every single problem without any issue. His own emotions were always locked behind a vault. Thurin tried to do the exact same since it helped a lot with his work.
'He truly changed a lot, and this is only a couple of months. It's amazing to see how someone can change so drastically in such a short time. I wonder how he will perform in a year or two.'
'Yes, but actually, no. Look at his legs with willpower.', part of Lucas was done with his research, now just waiting for him to try it out. Spreading his willpower, he found Thurin's legs to be constantly wiggling, but you couldn't see it thanks to the desk that was in the way.
Lucas grinned and was glad Thurin was capable of such growth even if there was room for more.
"They're Scholars, I know how they do their debates. They'll start out with simply refusing to do any kind of task like that. Stroke their ego by complimenting their intelligence and how important it is that they go to the farmlands to "bless" the people there. Then they'll be a bit more open to the idea. All that's left is to give them a reward, and they'll be on board."
"I can't give them a reward, the budget is already tight with the compensation for the families of fallen soldiers. I'll have to think of something else. Most of our funds went to the war and the rebuilding of the area's ravaged by the barbarians. Now we're relying on the patronages of the aristocrats for the war and using the remaining treasury for internal operations. Since the nobles have dried most of their donations, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place."
Seeing Thurin speak so clearly and calm as if he was trying to be a machine. Lucas was glad to see how rational Thurin had become, instead of his emotional past. Still, something inside him said that this might be an issue later on. 'Oh well, that's not our problem.'
"I see, if a reward isn't an option, then I can step in if it's necessary.", Lucas and Thurin had already dealt with a lot of people in this office. Sometimes, Lucas had to show some of his bloodlust to convince certain people.
"No, I want to deal with it myself.", to which Lucas lifted his hands. He was living his best life at the moment. He was given a clean quarters, the power to act on his own digression and free daily meals while also having an income. It was the best place he had been since his birth.
With all the free time, Lucas had been working on something else, the second Trial. He had access to it, but didn't start it yet out of fear of being unprepared. The first Trial gave him some serious problems and while he had both arms now, he was afraid he might not be strong enough.
So the past few weeks Lucas had been talking to the Scholars and the Senate to learn about their spells and building up a relationship. The Scholars loved him since he was open to critique but also brought his own arguments and ideas, sometimes even combatting the senior Scholars.
The Senate loved his spells and firepower, and frankly, that was already enough for the Senate to support Thurin, a lot easier than he first expected. Not that he minded it. Since he could debate with the Scholars to build a relationship, he joined the training the soldiers went through to get close to them as well.
It didn't take that long before Carian brought a group of Scholars into the room. Lucas was sitting in the back on a couch reading some book about the Empire's legal system. The group was led by a man in his late forties, his chin lifted arrogantly as he looked down on the Emperor, a clear sign of disrespect, but Thurin remained unperturbed.
"We greet the Emperor," the group of Scholars bowed, though their leader's bow was barely more than a nod. Carian stood near the door, heart tight with anticipation.
"Welcome," Thurin began, his voice calm. "I'm sure my advisor has already mentioned my orders for you."
"Yes, and while I understand the need for this task," the leader began, his voice dripping with disdain, "you expect us to go to those lowly lands and work for free? It's completely ridiculous!", the man shouted his opinion as if he was debating with another Scholar, showing no regard to the difference in positions.
Thurin's expression remained stoic, though his legs started to move a bit faster. "Our Empire has suffered a great loss against the last fight against the barbarians a few months back. Our food stock is low, and the farmers are having trouble to continue their work, yet you call their honest work nothing but lowly?"
"I never said their work was lowly! But it's not the place of Scholars to perform such tasks. We are not laborers!"
"Scholars was originally a group that was created in order to spread knowledge and help the common people. Are you saying you are against aiding others and go against your reason for existence?"
"Blasphemy! I never said I didn't want to help! But even if we were willing, we can't work on empty stomachs. Without proper compensation, how can we undertake such a journey and live on the goodwill of others?"
Thurin stood up from his chair and handed the man some papers. "There are military bases near the farmlands, you can stay there and live off the rations. The locations are stated on the map. The soldiers will transport you to each of the places, and I'll reward you depending on your performance. Now, fulfill your orders and leave as soon as possible. We don't have time to be sitting around and doing nothing."
The Scholars' faces darkened, and the leader opened his mouth to retort, but Carian's firm grip on his shoulder stopped him. The group exited the office, their expressions sullen and rebellious.
Being separated from the Emperor and his advisors, the Scholars commenced their typical debates, if one had to call them that.
"Tch, how dare he! He's not even the real Emperor!"
"Exactly, giving us work without any compensation, we're not slaves!"
"Yet he treats us like dogs, a terrible human being!"
Their grumbling grew louder until a voice cut through their complaints like a blade.
"You better perform well if you don't want things to go from bad to worse."
A voice appeared behind them. The Starborn had followed them outside. The Scholars knew about Lucas, a proper man, even if there were rumors that he was an insidious monster.
"Starborn, what do you mean with that?", the leader of the group said as he suppressed his anger at his current assignment. He was certain to write a complaint and force Carian to find someone else.
Lucas's smile was devoid of warmth as he opened his book. "Failure to properly introduce oneself upon meeting the Emperor, demonstrating disrespect towards the Emperor, questioning the Emperor's orders, showing disdain for the assigned tasks..."
With each accusation, the color drained from the Scholars' faces. They knew the laws well enough to recognize their transgressions.
"...disparaging the common people's work, refusing to comply with orders, demanding unreasonable conditions, accusing the Emperor of blasphemy.", Lucas shut his book with a loud thud. "Are you aware of the penalties prescribed for these transgressions?"
Complete silence followed. The Scholars knew Lucas wasn't exaggerating. Even if they tried to contest the charges, the Emperor and his advisors had witnessed everything. They were trapped.
In the end, the Emperor's words were law.
"Apparently, you'll have the choice of being stripped of the Scholar title or exile. If we're being generous, of course, in actuality, the death penalty is more likely.", Lucas's smile widened, enjoying the visible fear in their eyes. It was then that the Scholars knew that the rumors about him weren't so wrong after all.
The Scholars swallowed as both things weren't that desirable. "We.."
Lucas shut them up before they could say anything, turning his gleeful appearance into one of an angry monster.
"Don't bother answering me." Lucas's expression turned from gleeful to menacing. "Just remember, your lives are in our hands."
As he let a fraction of his aura seep out, the Scholars felt their bodies freeze, their minds overwhelmed by a vision of an endless sea of blood, fire and corpses being eaten by mosnters. The terror was palpable.
"If you don't follow your orders, you might find yourselves at the frontlines for 'training'. Should you fall in battle, it would merely be due to your own incompetence. Understand your position. Don't disappoint us."
Lucas said as he stepped back and entered the office, not giving them any room to refute anything. His terrifying image and appearance vanished in the wind.
The Scholars looked at the door with sweat forming on their back. They kept silent as they exchanged fearful glances. They started to realize that while the Emperor might be young, easily pushed around, his advisors were forces to be reckoned with.
Carian was known as the only Scholar to go fight on the battlefield and fight with his life on the line while the other was a Starborn, just his mere presence almost made them choke to death.
The leader of the Scholars cleared his throat, his earlier arrogance completely morphed into something entire different. "It's like the Emperor said, the farmers need our guidance to continue their work. We will be responsible for feeding the future generations of the Empire. We should be grateful to help them."
"E-Exactly, let's go and meet up with the soldiers.", another Scholar stammered. Everyone here knew what could happen if they did a shabby job now, Lucas made that abundantly clear.
If they screwed up, their lives would be in shambles. The stories of Lucas had already spread far, and this simply added fuel to the fire, "A Starborn is truly a Devil in disguise.", the leader muttered under his breath. His textbooks were right in the end.