Reincarnate as Prince: Change Magical World with Industry

19 Dinner II

Their dinner was the same as before --  silent at first.

Just as Janus suspected, none of his two brothers were in attendance. Amys said that they were now in another campaign on the Northern borders, battling an orcish siege. Looks like the Kingdom has been busy with war lately. If not for the goblins in the manor, they would have never been able to forge those tools.

The food had slightly upgraded from the last dinner he had. The bread was much better. It wasn't as fluffy as "The Prince Janus" but it had a bite to it that was satisfying, a huge improvement from the old bricks that they had to bite into too hard.

The soup had better flavoring in it too, with a couple of vegetables added in. The roasted meat was glazed in a good sauce. Janus recognized potatoes, beets, pepper, and leeks. Some of which were only produced in the manor. It must have been Mr. Rufus who taught them these recipes.

A string of nerves crept up to Janus. His influence was reaching the castle after all.

Finally, after a few moments, the King spoke.

"Janus, it looks like you've had a good year. I see you have made a lot of progress since you were last here. Who could have known, a small inspection operation would last you a year or so, you even forgot that you had a three-month ultimatum on your head."

Janus was stunned at this that he wasn't able to respond, but then the King laughed.

"But who am I to complain? Ten times the yield per acre? Just from learning through your books? Thanks to you the campaign in the north is strongly supplied, and your brothers are there, displaying feats of bravery and strength."

"It is my pleasure, Father. I only hope to be of service."

"Of course, then there's the matter of what you're going to do for the rest of your life. I see that you are capable of improving production in the farms. Who knew you had it in you? But are you sure you want to be a lowly farmer? You'll be too overshadowed by your two other brothers by that."

"I wouldn't mind it, Father, let them take all the glory. All I wish is to atone for my past sins and keep a low profile. I plan to be a scholar of knowledge and enroll in the Opal Tower with the finest Masters and Professors. With the end goal of reaching out to other nations and learning about various cultures and traditions."

The King's eyes grew wide with curiosity.

Janus waited for a response, but he was caught off guard by Yvaine.

She smirked. "I have another suggestion."

"But--" Janus tried to say something but he was held off by the King.

"Let him speak Janus. Yes, go ahead Yvaine." He said.

"Father, I believe Janus is capable of something greater. Something he doesn't see in himself. We know that the Gracewood Manor was the least productive of all the estates owned by the crown. It had a bad reputation of producing the lowest yield while having problems with workers always protesting and uprising. Now it has turned into the most productive. Outperforming all of the other larger estates in just a year."

"That's just luck and a few books in the library." Janus intervened, but Yvaine just kept on going.

"I admit I had low expectations at first, but from the first time I stepped into that manor, I knew something was different. The overseers and the serfs were working together to save Janus who was trapped in a goblin cave. Not only did he improve the production of the farms, but he also united his men towards the same goal. Imagine that? Those men wouldn't look at each other in the eye before, and now they were uniting to save the Prince that was tagged as the failure among our family. That is not a coincidence. There is something in Janus that he isn't aware of."

"And that is?" the King asked.

"He is a capable leader Father, more capable than any other leader I've seen in my many years of diplomacy. Not only did he produce and engineer better tools and industry for his men, he also sheltered them and gave them food. He constructed a society of camaraderie and cooperation that I've never seen pulled off in other kingdoms and military groups. Save for yourself of course Father. The way I see it, he is a better leader than Marcus or Anders combined."

Yvaine, what are you doing?

Janus was in a tight grip.

So much for keeping a low profile.

#

"Janus, I'm sorry brother but you have to stop selling yourself short. Someone as idealistic as you are is an asset that's good for the Kingdom. If you can accomplish such an impressive feat on a run-down hole like the manor was, who knows what you can do if you were to lead a larger group?"

"I think you're thinking too highly of me, all of those improvements were because of the men who all helped along the way. Master Oswald, Master Ringo, Rufus, and Arthan."

"Who wasn't really doing any better when you weren't there. Think about it, no deaths from any workers during the winter. Higher yields and even a reclaiming of the land back to its glory days. Then there's the matter of the goblins--"

"Yes, tell me about these goblins." Said the King. A curious addition to the manor indeed. Master Oswald filled me in on the details but I want to hear it directly from you."

"They were refugees," Janus said, treading lightly.

"Yes, I've heard."

Janus told him about being kidnapped, then getting rescued by the knight and the workers. He told him about the deal that they made with the goblins, careful not to spill any details of how much freedom they have and about their lessons.

"And no trouble among them so far? No uprising? I've heard those little creatures can be savage."

"Not at all!" Janus and Yvaine spoke at the same time.

She smiled for a second, and let Janus continue.

"Well... there were a few fights here and there. But it's nothing that Arthan and the guards couldn't manage. And having in-house blacksmithing and ironworking has really paid off."

"And with the matter of taxes? It is all accounted for I assume?"

"Yes Father, they are paying 60% in taxes. More than the men and women, in compliance with the laws of Galedon and the Holy See."

"Goblins. Who would have thought?" The King chuckled. "One thing that bothers me about this affair, why were there so many stray goblins roaming around near the manor? It seems suspicious to me. The manor is a long way away from the fjords and mountains. A thousand miles away from any bordering goblin settlement. If they came from there, why weren't they spotted by citizens and guards from miles away? How did they creep deep into human territory and not get noticed? Or am I missing something?"

Janus looked at Yvaine, she looked as tense as he was. He had no choice but to spill the truth.

"They were slaves under Lord Padron. They escaped from his clutches after working for him their whole life as slaves. After their escape they had been living off the land, thieving and pillaging on whatever they can find. I let them in because we were in need of ironworking, something they were quite good at."

"I see. Lord Padron eh? Now that's interesting, it was he who first reported of goblins looting and stealing from his township. Did you know that his estates were the highest-earning and tax-paying in all of the kingdom?"

"Yes Father, but not since the last few seasons."

"Yes, and that's thanks to you. A very interesting course of events. Looks like I'm inclined to agree with your sister, you do make a fine leader and I'm looking forward to seeing where that will lead you."

Janus' heart was beating out of his chest. He didn't like where this conversation was heading.