Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 17

The carriage in which they travelled was spacious enough to accommodate six adults in relative luxury, and both Frianne and Dimoiya had spent the first few minutes of their ride listening to Countess Wagner showcase its features.

High-class coaches were frequently employed by the wealthy elite of the Baharuth Empire, with the finest being those used by the Imperial Household. They were exorbitantly expensive affairs that used many enchanted components while also being made of the finest materials and mundane craftsmanship available. The feeling they gave off was very different from the vehicle that they currently rode in, however.

While well-made and generally pleasing in appearance, this carriage did not attempt to project the prestige of its occupants. If Frianne was to describe it, it would be that it gave off the feel of the larger transports used by the itinerant courts of the rural nobility. Indeed, it even had the features to match: the interior could be converted into a small office, dining space, or bedchamber. This was already excellent enough to make Frianne wish that her family had a few of them, but of greatest interest to her were the methods employed in its construction.

The Baharuth Empire prided itself on being the regional leader in many fields, including technological and magical artifice. Barring the Slane Theocracy – which had a four-century head start – an imperial citizen could expect their nation to have the best of nearly everything. The industries found in a former territory of Re-Estize could certainly not compare to the fruits of imperial ingenuity and expertise…or so she thought.

As Lady Wagner went through her presentation, the gap between her expectations and what was laid before her was made quite clear. A valedictorian of the Imperial Magic Academy, Frianne was perhaps one of the foremost experts in the integration of magic into all aspects of a nation. From the simple showcasing of a carriage from the Sorcerous Kingdom, however, she had been introduced to industrial technology and magical applications that challenged her perception of what was possible.

To top it all off, it was insanely cheap. The cost-effectiveness and long term efficiency of everything forced her to recalculate where exactly the Empire stood in the pecking order of things…or, more accurately, how much more advanced the Sorcerous Kingdom was relative to the rest of the region.

Up to this point, her broad impression was that the Sorcerous Kingdom was simply stronger. Stronger magic casters. Stronger soldiers. So monstrously strong that nothing could be done to oppose them. The entire region’s innovations were built upon the pillars of Tier Magic and professional craftsmanship, and nothing suggested any new paradigms coming into play. As such, Frianne assumed that the Sorcerous Kingdom simply did everything on a larger scale with the vast amount of strength at its disposal, employing techniques that were fundamentally the same as those used by the rest of the region.

“Question!” Dimoiya raised a hand as if she were still in an Academy classroom, “Will these new products you described be made available to the Empire? Just going by what you’ve said so far, many of our industries will have to adopt them or lose their competitive edge…”

“They’ve already been made available to our allies,” Lady Wagner replied. “Vehicle frames like the one this carriage is mounted on are overdoing it for the type of loads and speeds that the imperial highways are designed for, but we have other models for that. Our merchant companies already use those for international shipping and our costs for vehicle maintenance have been slashed down to nearly nothing. As for the various machines being offered…Undead serve as the motive force.”

Dimoiya made a face, twirling her pen between her fingers.

Using magical sources to power machines and provide everyday convenience was a luxury, even in the Empire. Constructs such as Golems required a significant investment of time, talent and resources, so could not be easily mass-produced. Maintaining summons was not as simple as casting a spell whenever one felt like they had mana to spare: industries required consistent labour over long periods, which would lead to magic casters selling their services in that manner to feel something like being a mana slave.

It was better for a magic caster to quickly conjure commodities to sell so they could do something else with their time. Additionally, rates for mundane labour or fuel for those tasks were far cheaper than rates for mana, so there was no economic incentive to regularly employ magic casters in such a fashion.

The creation of Undead servitors through Necromancy was the most efficient option, but resistance from the Temples kept Undead labour from being put to practical use.

Students of the Imperial Magic Academy like Frianne and Dimoiya were raised to view the Temples from a secular perspective. As such, they did not see them as an institution that saw to the spiritual needs of the people, but rather the principle provider of divine magic casters. Everything else that came with the Temples was a necessary evil – they were competitors for the hearts and minds of the people capable of impeding the Empire’s progress.

“The prospect of Undead labour is attractive when viewed from certain perspectives,” Frianne said. “There are probably many who see things that way…but what about cultural and religious resistance? If you don’t mind my asking, how is it that you came to adopt Undead labour in your territories?”

As one, Corelyn, Wagner and Gagnier turned to look at Zahradnik. The stern-looking Frontier Noble frowned. Though Countess Corelyn was likely the most dangerous between them, Frianne was the least inclined to speak to Baroness Zahradnik. She was of an age with her, yet gave off the feeling of an ornery old border Noble. She was the type that her cousin was best at dealing with…or maybe ‘putting up with’ was a better way of describing it. Frontier Nobles tended to be supremely reliable, yet immovable as mountains.

“Labour shortage,” Lady Zahradnik said.

And brusque. It was as if the two words explained everything. Well, perhaps they did, which was what was annoying about Frontier Nobles. They often only said what they wanted to say, which was barely enough. Frianne could almost imagine the woman wishing that she was back out in her fief slaying Goblins.

To her right, Lady Gagnier let out a snort. Then she burst out into laughter. Lady Wagner started laughing at nearly the same time. Shortly after, Lady Corelyn joined them. Lady Zahradnik’s frown deepened.

“What?”

The laughter grew even further at her question.

“This…this is too much,” Lady Gagnier wiped a tear from her eye. “She’s just like her father!”

“Zahradnik isn’t usually like this,” Countess Corelyn said. “But whenever she feels that a situation demands a certain degree of formality, she turns into a grump.”

“I don’t turn into a ‘grump’,” Baroness Zahradnik grumped.

“Y-you mean she’s not mad at us?” Dimoiya asked.

“Who knows,” Lady Wagner answered noncommittally. “She’s probably just daydreaming about slaying Goblins in her demesne.”

Dimoiya collapsed into her seat, resting a hand on her breast and breathing a sigh of relief.

“I was not.”

“Yeah? Then what?”

“I was thinking about Glasir.”

“Oh.”

Silence fell over the cabin. Lady Corelyn’s hand went over to squeeze Lady Zahradnik’s. Maybe this was an opportunity to become more familiar with these Nobles on a personal level.

“Is Glasir your child?” Frianne asked.

“Daughter,” Lady Wagner answered. “She was born at the beginning of this month.”

Frianne examined Lady Zahradnik. Nothing about her indicated that she was a new mother.

“I see…” Frianne smiled, “then I suppose congratulations are in order. If I may ask, who is your consort? Another Noble from the Sorcerous Kingdom?”

There wasn’t any news about it in the Empire. He couldn’t be from Re-Estize, could he? Going by Lady Zahradnik’s exotic accent, it might have been a match from the Theocracy or a nation further to the south.

“That’s a good question,” Lady Wagner said, “who would it be?”

Huh?

“Hmm…it should be Lord Mare, yes?” Lady Gagnier’s voice was thoughtful, “It was his tree, after all.”

Should be? Who was Lord Mare? And was he so well-endowed that they referred to it as a ‘tree’?

Dimoiya’s pen scratched away.

“You’re giving Lady Frianne strange ideas,” Lady Zahradnik said. “It was indeed his tree, but there are plenty of other trees that it could have happened with.”

“I think Lord Mare is very sweet,” Lady Gagnier said. “He’ll make a fine father.”

“He’s 77,” Lady Zahradnik’s voice was flat.

Frianne turned her gaze out the window. She knew that relations between aristocrats could become strange and complicated – especially with the wealthy and the powerful – but this was far beyond her. The Sorcerous Kingdom was truly more advanced than the Empire on many different levels.

As she watched the scenery roll by, a distinct change drew a furrow over Frianne’s brow.

“We just crossed into a third-class district,” she said. “Are we going in the right direction?”

“Wagner wanted to get breakfast from a certain place,” Lady Corelyn told her. “We’ll be on our way to today’s destination after that.”

There were a few establishments in third-class districts that were known for their fare and Frianne had a number of acquaintances that favoured them. They had more of a local reputation, however – only city dwellers would frequent them without someone first making a specific recommendation.

They continued onwards and the scenery grew more dreary and ubiquitous. Rows of drab housing went by and a sense of nervous worry crept into her awareness.

“How far are we headed?” Frianne asked.

“The southern fourth-class district,” Lady Wagner answered.

Dimoiya shifted beside her with an uncomfortable look outside.

“A-are you sure? That’s the…”

She fell silent with a swallow. Arwintar was divided into security zones, with the First-Class District having the best housing, infrastructure and security. Within it was the Imperial Palace, most of the government buildings – including the Imperial Magic Academy – and the residences of the Empire’s elite.

The second-class districts contained the temples, central markets, artistic venues and the upper-class housing of many well-to-do regular citizens. Though they did not have the same level of security as the First-Class District, patrols were still regular and incidents were nearly unheard of.

After that, the presence of the First Legion’s patrols dropped drastically. The third-class districts had sparse patrols but were generally considered safe for foot traffic as assaults and robberies were rare. Still, it was not a place where people would want to walk around alone at night.

Finally were the fourth-class districts, which might be called slums or pauper’s quarters in other cities. The First Legion’s presence was nonexistent save for when major incidents occurred – usually after major incidents occurred. Any security beyond that was hired muscle for private interests, most of which would not be considered reputable by Frianne’s measures.

Furthermore, as the wind blew from north to south in the region, the lowest-value sections of any city in the Empire were the southern ones. In short, they were headed for the worst of the fourth-class districts. Infrastructure was decrepit, the buildings equally so, and she had no idea why Lady Wagner wanted to get breakfast there.

The four Nobles from the Sorcerous Kingdom did not close the curtains as they crossed into the southern fourth-class district: they simply watched everything in silence. Frianne’s stomach churned. Rationally speaking, it was nothing she should be ashamed about – the destitute existed in every nation and this scenery must have been much worse in similar sections of foreign cities. Still, as an official of the Court Council and a member of the Imperial Dynasty, Frianne struggled between trying to defend what they witnessed along the way and trying to keep pride from getting the better of her.

“Lady Frianne,” Countess Corelyn said, “how many people live in the fourth-class districts?”

“There isn’t an exact count,” Frianne replied, “but the third and fourth-class districts should house about eighty per cent of Arwintar’s population between them.”

“I’ve only seen one knight patrol since leaving the second-class districts,” Lady Zahradnik said, “and it was near where we left the second-class districts.”

“It may have just been bad timing. Aside from that, the disposition of the First Legion should be as you’ve seen it.”

“I see,” Lady Zahradnik did not look away from her window. “A Legion is ten thousand soldiers. Arwintar has roughly a hundred thousand citizens. The First Legion is housed at the Imperial Army Headquarters in the First-Class District, so that means that you have ten thousand of the Empire’s best soldiers providing security for your ten thousand most important citizens. The other eighty thousand are mostly left to fend for themselves.”

“That’s…”

She should have dragged Lord Anoch along. Military matters were not her speciality. Was the true purpose of their detour to take her out of her comfort zone? To test her reactions?

Lady Zahradnik turned her gaze away from the surroundings and levelled it at them. Beside Frianne, Dimoiya started to tremble as a tremendous amount of unseen pressure was brought to bear against them. After a moment, it vanished so suddenly that Frianne wondered if she had merely imagined it.

“Once the new security forces are integrated,” Baroness Zahradnik said, “things should improve considerably for these districts, yes?”

“New security forces?” Dimoiya scrunched up her brow.

Frianne winced internally. Dimoiya was a junior official of Foreign Affairs so not yet privy to the information, but it still looked bad that a member of the department didn’t know what was going on.

“The First Legion has a thousand on highway patrol and related duties outside of the capital,” Lady Zahradnik explained. “Three thousand are stationed on the walls and at the gates. Two thousand are deployed for each shift of the city watch. It is reasonable to have a thousand in the First-Class District to stand against threats directed against the heart of the Empire. Reacting only after such a threat appears would be quite foolish, after all. Each member of the new security forces, however, is powerful enough to devastate an entire regular Legion. How will the disposition of the First Legion’s forces change in light of this, Lady Frianne?”

Lady Zahradnik was implying that, since the Undead forces leased to them of the Sorcerous Kingdom were more than enough to defend the First-Class District from major threats, the First Legion troops stationed there could instead be deployed to the third and fourth-class districts.

It was not a novel idea by any stretch of the imagination, but, truth be told, no one on the Court Council wanted the ‘new security forces’ anywhere near the capital. At best, a few would be hidden away just in case they were needed. It was considered a gesture: the Empire was baring its throat to display its subservience to the Sorcerous Kingdom. With this being the case, it was unlikely that anything would change.

“Such a decision is the purview of the Field Marshal and his general staff,” Frianne said. “They are the best Commanders in the Empire, so I trust that they will make optimal decisions in light of the results from the integration of their new forces.”

Though there was little information on these noblewomen’s activities outside of the Empire, she did know that Lady Zahradnik would be serving as liaison officer to the Imperial Army for the first phases of the leased forces’ integration. Frianne’s reply to her question deflected the responsibility back to her, but the Baroness showed no reaction to her riposte.

“Um…” Dimoiya raised a hand, “I still don’t know what these ‘new forces’ are.”

Lady Zahradnik smiled slightly, gesturing at something beyond her window.

“Something like that.”

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