The target of Kashi's call hesitated, staring at the daeben in confusion as if to say, 'Me?' To their surprise, Kashi did not look elsewhere, but instead, waved them forward as he once again called out, "Asha, come here."

Asha pointed at herself as she stared at Kashi in utter disbelief. What the hell? King? Or rather it should be Queen, right? How could she be a queen? She was the furthest thing from noble-born! How could someone like her suddenly become a ruler? She wasn't worthy!

As if sensing Asha's doubt, Kashi said as he rose to his feet, "Do not doubt yourself." He held her gaze, his voice carrying to the entire room as he assured her, "You are more than qualified to ascend the throne. You protected and found a way for the nigh-extinct felur races to survive through the greatest perils of their lives; You've displayed uncommon courage and wisdom to lead your people into battle. Also, you've exhibited humility to accept your wrongs and seek alternate solutions, which is more than I can say for many leaders." Kashi paused, and then added, "But perhaps, most importantly to the world, you have the recognition of the East Claw." Seeing Asha's confusion, he explained, "There is a reason Brock sent you as the East Claw's representative. It was to send a message. In his eyes, you are more than qualified to make decisions on behalf of the East Claw."

"With the East on your side, all you need is the goodwill of the South, Aygorzi and the West Claw." Kashi looked at King Xafier. "Does Aygorzi have any objections to Asha ascending the throne?"

King Xafier glanced at Asha, "My sources tell me it is thanks to you that we do not have to fear Orthana's retaliation. Is this true?"

"That is not entirely correct," Asha replied, her tone neither servile nor overbearing. The slightly subdued demeanor she had when talking with Kashi was nowhere to be seen as she responded to King Xafier. "Uncle Brock was the one who personally ended her life."

King Xafier nodded, pleased with her honesty. "That may be so, but you are the one who motivated him to interfere. That makes you just as, if not more responsible for her demise. And for that, Aygorzi will forever be grateful." With a smile, he looked at Kashi and proclaimed, "Aygorzi has no issues with this appointment. We fully stand behind it, and will do our best to ensure smooth and blissful relations between our kingdoms."

"Thank you," Kashi said with a grateful nod, and then turned to King Parissius. "The Merriheim's Southern Territory is currently under Rosendun's flag. As such, the future King or Queen needs your input at the moment. Do you agree to Asha's appointment as Queen?"

King Parissius revealed a brilliant smile as he looked at Asha. "No objections here. Ms. Asha, if both Kashi and Leila are willing to vouch for you, then, coupled with the reports I have received, there is no better candidate at the moment." The King nodded and then declared, "With the gods as witness, as long as you accept, I will ensure you are crowned Queen this very moment."

Asha swallowed hard, unable to weather King Parissius' powerful gaze. It seemed to be peering into the very depths of her soul, stoking the flames of her spirit to rise to the occasion. However, despite this being an opportunity many would kill for, the young chetah woman found herself overwhelmed. Could she really do it? Rule over an entire country? Up till now, she had only focused on ensuring the survival of the felur race.

This, in comparison, was an astronomical jump both in scale and severity. She did not believe she was ready. After hesitating, she finally looked at Kashi and started, "Can I have some ti—"

"There is no protecting those you love without strength," Kashi interrupted before she could finish. "If you do not have power, the lives of your loved ones will always remain subject to the whims of those in power." The daeben's eyes drilled into Asha's, provoking the Protector within her. "But Power comes with responsibility. If you want the power to protect your people from harm, you must be ready to bear the harsh responsibilities that come with it."

Asha's gaze flickered as something sparked within her heart. This did not go unnoticed to Kashi, who immediately pressed the advantage he'd created. "What are you so afraid of anyway? You think you don't know enough? News Flash: Most Kings don't. The best surround themselves with intelligent individuals who have the country's best interest at heart, and soak up as much knowledge as they can while on the throne." Kashi placed his hand on her shoulder, a smile akin to a devil's spreading on his lips as he said, "Think about it. You've fought a dragon. What's a few annoying ministers in comparison?"

A few ministers coughed and let out wry smiles, but ultimately did not disagree with the daeben's assessment. No one knew better than ministers themselves just how annoying they could be.

Meanwhile, Asha's gaze strengthened, revealing a deep-rooted determination that was missing a few moments ago. Yes, the responsibilities of a Queen might be frightening, but when had she ever cowered in fear? All this time, she had wilfully risked life and limb to ensure the safety of her people. All things considered, this was just another battle she had to win.

And win she shall!

Asha suddenly locked gazes with Kashi, painfully familiar flames burning in their depths. "I'll do it."

"Splendid!" praised King Parissius as he rose to his feet. "Now to fulfil my end of the bargain." The king left his seat, and to the shock of everyone present, walked over to Kashi and Asha. King Paris glanced at Kashi, a small mischievous smirk at the corner of his lips as he stretched out his hand and said, "Sword. I know you have a couple on you somewhere."

"You do know I'm an archer, right?" challenged Kashi with a raised brow. However, King Parissius' knowing smirk only deepened as he gestured with his hand for the sword. In response, Kashi playfully rolled his eyes as a golden sword appeared in his right hand.

The king's smug grin pissed Kashi off, so he defended himself, "What? You never know when you might run out of arrows. I learned from an Archer that, under the right circumstances and training, swords could make excellent arrows."

King Parissius chuckled, mischief in his eyes as he replied, "I never said anything, did I?" Then, without giving Kashi time to offer a rebuttal, turned to Asha and said, "This is but a formality. In the near future, we will accord your coronation the proper ceremony it deserves." He then raised the sword, and said as he tapped the flat of the blade on her shoulder, "In the name of the Rosen Kingdom, in the eyes of our ancestors long passed, and with the gods as witness, I hereby dub Asha of the Chetah, Queen of Merriheim. So it shall be, now, until she has fulfilled her term."

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The atmosphere's solemnity was ruined for Kashi as several prompts rapidly sprung up at the same time. However, this was neither the time nor place to read scan the prompts, so he quickly deleted them. He could always read through the prompts when this was over.

Asha, meanwhile, placed a hand on her chest, face flushed as an unfamiliar heat gushed from her heart and then stormed through her veins to every corner of her body.

King Parissius smiled as he observed Asha's discomfort. "You feel it, do you not?" he teased. "That is the belief, hopes, and dreams of your citizens pouring through you. Their desires give you strength. The strength to protect them, and make their dreams a reality." The young king's smile dampened as he then warned, "But be careful. If you prove to be wholly incompetent, those dreams can also turn into a curse, ridding you of your strength, or cursing you to illness."

By his side, Kashi remarked with a loose grin, "No pressure of course."

"Of course," King Parissius agreed with a teasing laugh. "No pressure."

Asha glanced at both men, and couldn't help but release a chuckle. "Thank you both. I will try my best to live up to your expectations."

"That's what I like to hear," King Parissisus stated with a delighted nod. He then gestured toward the table and said, "As a Queen, you must sit with the rest of us. Nothing we can do about your ministers though. I apologize."

"It's fine," assured Asha with a shake of her head. "I am honored. I doubt anyone saw things playing out this way."

Almost by instinct, Kashi and King Parissius turned to look at a certain wisben stood within the round table, and then at each other.

"Yes. No one could have seen this coming," King Parissius said with a strange light in his eyes as Kashi suddenly found an interest in the ceiling décor. Choosing not to push the subject, King Parissius gestured escorted Asha back to the table where a new chair had been added just for the new Queen.

Kashi took his seat as well and then nodded at Leila.

Leila returned the nod with one of her own, then turned her attention to the rest of the room. "Now that we have discussed both the structure and succession rights, the next item on the list we need to agree on is the issue of tax."

As soon as this topic was mentioned, every eye in the room turned sharp and attentive. Taxes were the bedrock of every nation. Any nation's finances would destabilize without an easily understandable, functioning tax system. So, no one dared to miss this proposal.

Leila, noticing the sudden uptick in attention, said, "We already discussed this in Rosen earlier, so I will keep this short. There will be a progressive imperial tax of 8% – 45% depending on civilian income bracket. The higher a person's income, the greater the tax they will have to pay. The details of the tax brackets are in these files," Leila said as Miote took out sheaves of papers from his inventory and then passed them around the table. "You will also find that a 13% sales tax, and fixed 20% business tax. This is to encourage the growth of business in the country. These taxes might seem high at first, but they exist to ensure everyone in the country can afford free healthcare and education."

"Finally, and most importantly, all taxes will first be sent up to the imperial treasury. Only after which will funds be redistributed back to each state," Leila explained. "As you would expect, there is no guarantee that a state would receive the exact amount of funds given. This is because some states, especially developing ones, require more funds for their upkeep than others."

King Chu Tianjo nodded, his eyes gleaming as he sighed inwardly. Indeed, this was a brilliant idea. If Serisis had been using this model, then all the wealth trapped in the hands of wicked feudal lords could have been distributed to less thriving zones to further development there, and raise the nation as a whole. Honestly, the only people who would be averse to this tax model were the rich feudal lords who made coins off the people's taxes.

Fortunately, in this Imperial system, the concept of feudal lords would be erased for good.

Leila looked around, surprised by the unnatural silence. She had been expecting similar vehement opposition to the one she'd received at Rosendun. However, the room was quiet, save for King Parissius, who tapped the table with a pleased smile. The wisben, choosing to err on the side of caution, looked at each person and tentatively asked, "Are there any objections to the tax model?"

"Not an objection, but a question," said King Xafier. "What did you mean by free education and healthcare?"

Leila nodded, "We plan on building academies in every state, where anyone, regardless of social standing can attend to learn vocations, trades, and basic lessons. The government will also fund health clinics and apothecaries in every city to ensure every citizen's health needs are taken care of for free."

"Knowledge is Power," commented King Chu with a glint in his eyes. "You are willing to share this knowledge with the masses? Are you not afraid they'll attempt to rebel after acquiring this knowledge?"

Leila shook her head as she coldly remarked, "It might seem that way at first, but the truth is: it's much more difficult to entice an educated man to rebel than a fool. A nation of intelligent men and women is the strongest foundation upon which an Empire can build. The uneducated, however, are like shifting sand, easily blown whichever way by enticing winds."

"Ha! Shifting sands you say," King Xafier exclaimed with a bright grin. "Good. As a dwarf who was taught the ways of the hammer from the moment I can walk, I can attest that your words are true. I am glad to see this Empire is to be built on such strong foundations. I hold no objections! In fact, I will personally see to it that these academies are built as quickly as possible."

King Chu Tianjo chuckled as he said, "Xafier has already said everything I wanted to say. I too hold no objections. Let us proceed as you proposed."

There was a slight pause, and Asha started as she realized they were waiting for her. "Uh... I do not object."

"Excellent," Leila said and then stated, "With these issues cleared, the final contentious point is the issue of the Police and Army." Leila's gaze turned cold as she stared into the kings' eyes. "You will not like to hear this, but all current armies will be disbanded immediately the Empire is formed, to be reintegrated and redistributed according to the Empire's wishes." Once again, the room's temperature froze, but the wisben continued undaunted, "No Empire will permit having armies that fly a different flag from its own. A soldier's flag represents who they will die for: their priority. It does not matter if the state is entirely loyal, as long as the flag is not of the Empire, then a soldier can one day turn his blade against the Empire at the state's behest. As such, all soldiers must be sent to Rosendun for training and assignment."

Leila then softened her stance as she said, "However, the states cannot go unprotected, which is where the police force comes in." Seeing the confused expressions, she explained, "The police force will be a separate, civilian peacekeeping force that will be in charge of enforcing the laws in each city or village. The states will take charge of their respective police forces, subject to veto by the Empire – this will almost never happen though. Finally, to prevent the rise of a possible militia force, the limit of the police force present in each city will be set by the Empire."

Leila's cold eyes pierced into the eyes of everyone present as if daring them to challenge her proposal. "Any objections?"

One or two ministers initially wanted to raise their hands, but faced with Leila's oppressive aura, coupled with the fact that their kings had remained silent, the ministers ultimately remained silent.

Leila took one look around the room and nodded. "Good. Now, let's cover the last few items on the list..."

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Vinland Saga Episode 9 Review

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