The Onyx Of Yore

The National Budget

"The issue with the most priority now is the Mili........"

"Count Turent, next document!" Mila cut in, snatching the document from him. Like I thought, the military was definitely an issue. I stretch my hand to Mila, asking for the document. 

"Mila, please hand it over"

"Your Majesty, it is not yet time to deal with issues like this"

"If we continue to ignore it, it would become a problem too big to handle. Hand it over"

She's reluctant but she gives it over. I glance over the first few pages. The content is surprising. The kingdom is not in any threat of war. Why then, was the military so active?

"Count Turent, can you please tell me why as large as 40 percent of the national budget is going to the military?"

Everyone in the room freezes and turns to me like I'm an i***t. 

"Pardon me, your majesty, it has been like this for a long time"

"What the.....? Bring me the national budget allocation for this year"

Count Turent snaps his fingers and a worker runs out. I look over the document and the more I read, the more the vague sense that something was horribly wrong became clearer. It was no wonder the kingdom was scared of military rule. As it turns out, it was already slowly happening. 

Allowing the military so much power, what was the old king thinking? No wonder he was so easily killed. 

"Your majesty, I have a feeling you just thought something disrespectful"

Mila's senses were god-tier as always. 

"Still, the matter you're about to dabble in is one that has confounded the royal family for generations before your own. You shouldn't try too hard to........"

"You want me to give up?"

"It would not be a terrible idea"

There were people in the room. Normally, that sounded a lot like treason. But all they did was look away. The issue was that severe. 

"I'm not going to give up"

The room erupted in murmurs and gasps. The faith they had in me, I swear.......

"Sooner or later, they would come back to complete what they failed to do. Rather than sit and wait for my death, it would be better to fight back and die trying. I'm sure that's what the citizens expect too"

Mila was shocked speechless. I knew she didn't have any faith in me, only a duty-bound caretaker. But I liked that about her. Someone like her reminded me of my own mother. My mother was committed to her work more than she was to her own family but in the end, she cared about all of us. 

She would be sad to learn of my death. 

Mila chuckled and did a half bow. 

"I wish you luck, your majesty"

"Thank you"

The workers arrived about an hour later when we had gone on to other documents. They weren't easy but I managed to sort it out. Even if they only needed my stamp of approval, I read through everything. 

It was easy for powerful men to fall into traps of their own guile. I refused to stamp my death warrant with my own hands. 

I opened the huge book containing the national budget and was immediately annoyed when I found Agriculture only got 20 percent of the budget and education got 3 percent. In fact, I suspected the national budget was a farce. 

"What is this nonsense? Pardon my language but how exactly has this kingdom been existing for this long as a 'great' nation?"

"What do you mean, your majesty?"

"Tell me, Count Turent, how much of the population is educated?"

"A-About 30 percent, your majesty?"

"That small of an amount and you all are proud? Don't tell me, we only have military schools?"

"No. We have schools for the nobility"

The frustration I felt then was endless. 

The bedrock of any nation was its citizens. The nation revolved around them. For them to be uneducated, it meant they were firmly under the control of the nobility. 

You're telling me I have to deal with this nonsense?

"Fine, I'll fix this. Mila, is there any such thing as an absolute decree?"

"Hmm, no, not exactly. There is something similar. If you write a bill to the parliament house, get 50 percent to approve, then you can pass it as an absolute decree"

"Interesting. I think I have something that would force most of them to agree. Bring me a parchment. You'll help me write it correctly, Count Turent"

"M-Me? O-Okay, your majesty"

The bill I wrote basically went like this;

'By the order of the King, all members of the high ranking nobility, including the generals, have to send a main family member to the palace to serve the king. This order cannot be reversed by anyone but the king and it is absolute. Failure to comply would lead to a loss in title and banishment for treason '

"Your majesty, this is bound to cause some fierce counter-attack"

"As long as the parliament house agrees, we can easily rest on their influence. Besides, I asked them to send a member of the main family. I didn't ask for their sons or daughters, I didn't specify. I asked for hostages but they can just send useless ones like their bastards. It would offend them, but not too greatly"

"Ah, I see. His majesty is wise"

"Thank you. Send this message to the church and a gift. I do not know if it would reach the High Priestess but it carries my goodwill"

"Y-Yes, your majesty"