A capable lord had to cast aside useless sentiment and put the development and survival of his territory first.
Most lords also began raising heirs. But since Annan was an heir himself, he devoted his energy to Free City's next generation instead.
In an ordinary town, Professionals made up between two and five percent of the population. In Free City, they made up less than one percent—and even that figure was inflated by the Disciplinary Legion.
Free City had advantages of its own, though. Knowledge cost next to nothing, schools placed no restrictions on status, and its lord had money to burn...
But however it was done, developing a territory took time. Unless one resorted to... plunder.
Everyone looked at Annan as if they were meeting him for the first time. They exchanged speechless glances until Idelia gently broke the silence. "You're worried there'll be objections if you offer help outright?"
"Eldest Sister, don't give me away."
Dimon Kingdom, the capital.
Lately, the people of the Kingdom had been worried and delighted in equal measure.
Reports from the northern front poured into the capital like snowflakes, each one weighing heavily on everyone's heart.
Nobles were fleeing. Merchants were fleeing. Professionals were fleeing, and even civilians were fleeing. With the Northern Frontier's cold snap approaching, not a patch of green remained. Everywhere they looked, the city seemed desolate and worn down...
Yet every day, a clamor woke the capital's residents.
They saw an endless line of carriages rolling in from outside the city. Sometimes they carried grain, sometimes brand-new armor, and sometimes a three-meter-tall Steel Golem strode past, making the ground tremble.
And every time, they saw a young woman wearing a crooked felt hat at the front, shouting, "Lord Annan says that if the Kingdom is in trouble, Free