Joseph POV
When I returned to Duloc, I was greeted by Oliver and Thelonius, who wasted no time in delivering the reports while I was away. When I saw Oliver's reports, I could already see the headache I would have because of this wave of "Banditry" on the Northern borders.
We currently have a maximum of 100 Soldiers in the Northern region, excluding the 75 from the reserve who are going there, which would leave us with 175 soldiers. Small numbers, I know, but for a Lordship that has only one Medium-Size Medieval City and 5 villages, these are surprising numbers, even more so if we count the soldiers from the borders of the other regions, leaving us with a total of 475 soldiers.
"Oliver, what is your biggest bet? Do you think it's the Principality or the Duchies?" I ask Oliver seriously, looking him in the eye.
"My Lord, it's too early to point the finger at anyone, but if I had to bet, it would probably be the Principality, as this territory has been in economic trouble lately caused by Prince Galius, who has been spending a lot lately to increase his Army and has been in some conflicts with the Duchies... as for the Duchies, their financial situation is good and they can deal with the Principality without any problems, besides we have several merchants and businesses there" Oliver said as he placed a hand on his chin, thinking deeply about the situation.
Hmmm, I see... probably out of desperation to try to get sponsorship for his campaigns, Prince Galius wants to use fake bandits or criminals sponsored by him to plunder the Lordship to get some riches, he must have seen how much we are developing, and must be wanting to take a piece of the pie for himself.
This brings an opportunity for future military actions in retaliation, but unfortunately not for now, we will only be able to defend ourselves for now, as we need to finish developing Duloc to be able to have better transportation of supplies and troops, as the carriages that will travel via dirt roads may take longer if it rains and all the roads turn to mud.
"I want the troops there to be prepared for the attack of these bandits, if they attack it will be a great opportunity to test our firearms, in addition to serving as a Baptism of Fire for our troops" I order Oliver, this was an opportunity we could not miss.
"Also increase the fortifications, we cannot let this Scum have any chance of entering the Lordship's lands, for the good of Duloc!" I say as I punch my desk, with Oliver nodding and giving a military salute.
"Jawohl, Mein Herr" Oliver says to me before bowing and leaving my office to carry out my orders, leaving me alone in the office to think seriously about the situation.
While I want to be a Warmonger, even I know that a war right now would be the worst possible situation, I hope that after the first failed attack they have the Principality will not dare to attack us again.
Leaving that aside, I take some papers that Thelonius had given me involving the criminality of Duloc, which was under control, besides the case of the bar involving the 3 Little Pigs, this being the first case involving people from Fairy Tales.
Knowing that this could happen more often, I would have to create a specialized Police Force, hmmm... that would be a good excuse to create something similar to the FBI or the German and Austrian counterpart Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), Thelonius would like such an agency.
The Bundeskriminalamt besides being an investigation agency, would also have the job of dealing with the Magical problems within Duloc, mainly those from Fairy Tales.
I may not be the original Lord Farquaad who wants to exile all magical beings, but I won't trust them easily anyway. Who can guarantee that a fairy won't try to turn someone into a frog because she's PMSing? Or who can guarantee that the Big Bad Wolf won't try to cause trouble because he wants to go after a little girl or the 3 Little Pigs?
...I need to put this wolf on the list of people who need to be watched, for everyone's sake.
"Well, each thing in its own time" I say to myself, sighing before grabbing some other papers and reading them before signing.
???? POV
I walk through the Palace corridors seriously, with my servants carrying parchments for me. His Royal Majesty requested that his words be written down to be sent to the other surrounding territories.
Since my King sat on the Throne, everyone knew that he wanted the Moors, but even so, he knew what needed to be done. Now he has focused his entire being on restoring the economy of his domains and his vassals, which were in tatters because of the former King, who I hope rests in peace, but everyone knew that the man was a terrible Ruler.
When I arrive at the throne room, I see King Henry sitting on the Throne seriously, the crown weighing both on his head and on his being, knowing that he had the obligation to restore this Kingdom to greatness.
"Aaah, you're finally here, Duncan. Prepare the ink, because we have a lot to do," King Henry said calmly, looking at me seriously.
I nod and order my servants to start writing what he want.
"From this moment on, I, King Henry, Seventh of my name, King of the Kingdom of Arstiin, declare that we will once again open our trade with the other territories. Merchants from anywhere, as long as they comply with the laws and do not sell what is prohibited, are accepted in these lands and from my vassals to trade, in addition to being protected by the laws, as a sign of good faith from my government towards the honorable men who make the economies go round." Said King Henry as he looked at my servants, who were already writing what he wanted, he then looked at me.
"I will also speak with my advisors to invest more in the infrastructure of the capital and surrounding areas... I heard about the Lordship of Duloc, which has been developing a lot lately, it is an example that must be followed if we want to restore our economy, giving work to the Commoners." The words that were said by my King are true, that would be great to do.
And to think that a small Lordship like Duloc was developing so quickly, even though it was small, you could see the efforts of all the commoners and Lords there. Many said that the so-called "Lord von Farquaad" was a Half-Dwarf, but according to my sources, that was not the case. It was probably said to defame the image of that Lord.
But I also learned that they began to transform into an extremely warlike society, with even the city and village guards receiving soldier training. They were not mere militias, but fully disciplined men who knew how to fight even unarmed, if some sources are to be believed.
This is very suspicious. Why would a simple Lordship be doing this? The region has been quite "peaceful", except for the Principality of Razia, which was having skirmishes with the Duchies on their borders... I wonder if there is some plan behind this?