The Price of Sovereignty

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"I heard Dapan is huge in the Empire."

"If they're here, the product must be worthwhile."

"We should raise the basic tariff."

"How about 20%?"

"Too low. Make it 30%."

It was almost laughable how quickly they agreed—like pigs squealing in harmony.

But they didn't know the full picture.

If Abel wanted to, he could just move the spirit tree production elsewhere.

Not that he planned to.

But that didn't mean he'd let them squeeze him for 30%.

He looked at them all and thought, You're about to learn who you're dealing with.

"Of course we have to pay tariffs. But opinions like 20% or 30% are too excessive."

"It's like strategic material, isn't that obvious?"

"Do you even know what that is?"

"Huh?"

After one strike, the momentum of Basix Soltree was completely broken.

Abel looked around at the officials and smiled crookedly.

"You are all so mistaken. Let me ask you one thing. Was the area beyond Mount Berkal part of the Duchy of Crawford?"

"Of course."

"Really? Did you know that a Specter was appearing there recently?"

"There could be monsters roaming around."

"Then what about the rock climber?"

"The same goes for spirits."

"There's not a single person living there, and you call that the Duchy of Crawford?"

"...."

The three elements of a nation are territory, population, and sovereignty.

But can you claim a place you have no control over as your own country?

There may be many controversies in modern times, but the territorial issues of this world were clear.

Why do the lords of each region occasionally raise armies and tour their territories?

The purpose is to defeat monsters and, at the same time, to establish that you are the master of this land.

But the Duchy of Crawford simply left Mount Berkal alone.

In fact, the people of this country probably didn't even think of it as their land.

What kind of territory are you claiming when you can't even approach it?

It wasn't a place with much history, though.

It's just an abandoned land that can't be developed.

"You can't even exert influence, but you're just talking nonsense. For someone who is a high-ranking official of a country, these remarks seem too trivial."

"Keuhhhhhh!"

It must have been quite embarrassing, as coughs kept erupting from all over the place.

If Abel had pushed a little harder here, he could probably have gotten a surrender right away.

But he didn't necessarily take such a hard-line approach.

There was no need to do that, and he had to give something to the Duchy of Crawford.

"The tariff is 8%, as is customary with the Empire. In return, the Dapan Group will provide various support, such as developing Mount Berkal, so you will not suffer any losses."

"What if imperial people come and live here and claim territory?"

"That is a matter for His Majesty the Emperor and the Duke to resolve. But if the Empire decides to come in, can we stop it?"

"Of course...."

The Empire and the Duchy of Crawford were quite close, with a kind of blood alliance.

However, it wasn't just blood that was connected.

Although the Duchy of Crawford was a small country, it still offered its own advantages.

Because it served as a shield so that the Empire did not have to worry about its northwestern border.

But if Emperor Charon's eyes turned away, a small country like this...

What Abel meant was,

'It means to be moderately annoying.'

As he smiled broadly, the officials' faces became pale.

It seemed like they realized once again what his intention was behind those remarks and what kind of person he was.

"Let's conclude the State Council meeting here."

There was no way for them to win, whether by logic or force.

Ignoring the gloomy atmosphere, Abel tried to get up from his seat.

But that was just then.

"We have the next item on the agenda, Your Excellency the Prime Minister."

"Oh, really? You didn't tell me in advance."

"I just heard about it."

Basix Soltree Serijang gave a meaningful smile.

Abel thought it would be better if he just took care of the accounting side, but he wondered why he meddled in so much.

'I guess that's the only way.'

Because the Duchy of Crawford was nothing less than the world of the Soltree family.

Anyway, since there was another agenda, Abel decided to go in and take a look.

Basix Soltree rose from his seat and shook his head with an elegant movement,

so that the gray-white wig fluttered.

It was so embarrassing to see a pot-bellied old man doing that.

"This morning there was a serious incident at a construction site at the foot of Mount Berkal."

"Interesting."

Abel hadn't even seen or heard of this yet, so he wondered how the man knew.

Because the construction at the foot of Mount Berkal was undertaken by the Dapan Group.

But the story that followed was shocking.

"They say that a man named Yannick died while trying to help a man named Devante."

It was quite difficult to judge.

Because they may never be able to clearly determine the true intention behind the attempt to help.

It was something that had to be judged based on the usual reputation of those around them and witness statements.

But why were they bringing this to him?

This country had a separate judicial officer.

As soon as Abel looked at him with that kind of gaze, Basix Soltree's mouth opened.

"As you just said, it is not clear whether Mount Berkal is part of the Duchy of Crawford. Furthermore, the construction is managed by the Dapan Group. So wouldn't it be right for the Supreme Judge of the Empire to judge it rather than the Praetor?"

"...."

For a moment, Abel felt speechless.

Was this the reason he started building up from the beginning?

'It's simpler than I thought?'

Would you like me to summarize this chapter as well?