Chapter 70: Steps (1)
The look in her eyes as she gazed down at him, who had fallen asleep, was as if she saw a monster.
She still couldnt forget those eyes that had looked directly into hers in the darkness.
And what about him, who had returned after completing the coronation ceremony?
It was as if the expression his whole body was wrapped in divine power fit perfectly, as he appeared with a terrifying divine power.
Then, as he slept, an even greater divine power fluttered around him compared to the daytime.
A fragrant scent and comfortable sensation enveloped her entire body.
Without realizing it, she thought to herself,
I will spend my entire life by his side.
If that happened, this comfort would be entirely hers.
The thought of monopolizing this tremendous divine power that made her feel good just by being near prompted her to smile uncharacteristically.
As soon as morning dawned, Ray immediately ran to the mansions library.
From early morning until noon, many books piled up next to him.
A servant quietly called out to Ray.
Saint, its time for your Holy Communion.
But there was no response.
The servant shook their head as they watched Ray, who showed a frightening level of concentration as he read.
They had tried calling him since the morning, but he remained in that state.
He hadnt moved at all and continued reading, even though his sitting posture must have been uncomfortable.
She had placed the meal on the dining table just like in the morning.
The breakfast remained untouched and had gone cold. The servant quietly picked it up and left the library.
The books that Ray was currently perusing were not related to medicine.
He was perusing books related to the Holy Kingdom without missing a single one.
From books recording the history and climate of the Holy Kingdom and the sources of income of various countries, to the current state of agriculture.
He was literally reading everything he could get his hands on.
He believed that this would surely prove helpful.
And rightfully so, as among the books in this library, there wasnt a single one that wasnt beneficial.
Since this mansion was the residence of the Saint, each book underwent inspection, and only the best selections were placed in the library.
At that time, this place housed the elite of the elite.
His extraordinary memory, coupled with this, created a remarkable synergy.
He extracted what was necessary, combined redundant things together, and made them useful.
As he read and pondered repeatedly, a fairly solid structure for leading the Holy Kingdom emerged.
Fortunately, the Holy Kingdom boasted a good climate for farming and living.
Furthermore, there was a fruit that grew exclusively in the Holy Kingdom.
Its name was the Floen Fruit.
It was a fruit he once saw in Airas library.
Although it was a divine fruit that even an orc would find difficult to eat, it proved quite useful for wound recovery.
Of course, it might seem superfluous in the Holy Kingdom, where there were countless priests who could instantly heal wounds, but if this fruit were to be exported to other countries, that would be a different story.
The Holy Kingdom deemed it unnecessary and was cutting down the trees that bore the fruit, but if these trees were improved upon and utilized properly, they could generate income.
In this other world, many people sustained injuries.
Consider the mercenaries; to treat even minor wounds, they had to purchase potions or hire priests, so they often just endured it.
If they carried Floen Fruit with them, they wouldnt need to buy potions or hire priests, and could simply use it for healing.
Furthermore, the Floen Fruit grew only in the Holy Kingdom.
Although the Holy Kingdom wasnt actively participating in the upper world yet, if they entered the commerce industry using the Floen Fruit as a stepping stone, they could establish a monopoly over the fruit.
But Rays thoughts didnt stop there.
The mercenarization of priests
It was a bit of a gamble, but it seemed worth a try.
A healer on the battlefield held tremendous utility value.
Among such healers, priests, who boasted overwhelming efficiency, were truly nobles.
Turning them into mercenaries and sending them to the battlefield was the plan.
But we had no intention of sending them to dangerous places. If we created a treatment center in the rear, and the injured were treated there, then the priests would be safe, and we would make money.
We could also extort a certain amount of money as a life allowance, and we could pressure the mercenary priests.
The surrounding nations, keeping an eye on the Holy Kingdom, would have had to borrow the mercenary priests, so the Holy Kingdom would not need to worry.
By doing just these two things, the Holy Kingdom would occupy a significant position.
Of course, in the case of mercenary priests, the Holy Kingdom would have had to follow through to some extent.
He looked at the cold food on the table. Now that he thought about it, he was hungry.
He picked up a fork and quickly dismantled the cold food.
After spending the whole day pondering, Ray organized the book he had been reading and left the study.
Now that his thoughts were organized, it was time to take action.
Nobles gathered in a bewildered mood for the suddenly convened meeting.
Since the coronation ceremony had not been long ago, quite a few nobles were present.
They swallowed their saliva at the divine power that was slightly emanating from around Ray.
Is that the extent of the divine power he cant hide
Well, its impossible to put it all into a human body.
Rays divine power was indeed tremendous.
When Ray noticed the attention from around him, he stood on the stage and began to speak.
Today, I have gathered you here to discuss my plan.
A noble asked at his words.
A plan, you say?
Surely he didnt mean cutting out the rotten flesh.
Uneasy glances started to form, and Ray knocked on the stage to refocus their attention.
The plan is to further develop the Holy Kingdom. I would like to hear your thoughts on it.
As he spoke and looked at the door, Euclid and other attendants appeared with several sheets of paper in hand.
The attendants handed out the papers to the nobles, and Rays explanation continued.
Agriculture, commerce, trade, etc. As you can see, the Holy Kingdom is missing out on many benefits. If theres something to gain, we must surely gain it.
The nobles looked at the neatly organized papers and became serious.
Initially, they thought it was a summoning meeting by the Saint to brag about his achievements or changes.
But what was written on the papers was not a mere scribble.
Even when they looked at it seriously, it seemed like they might not be able to understand everything.
One by one, the nobles started to ask questions.
Saint, we are already putting effort into agriculture. But how do you propose to increase the production threefold?
Ray answered the question from the noble with a bushy beard.
We abandon our current farming methods.
Excuse me?
Even though it might sound disrespectful, other nobles also looked at Ray, wondering what he meant.
Our current farming methods are inefficient.
He said and drew a picture on something like a blackboard.
The way we have farmed until now is by growing crops individually at each location.
That is correct.
The noble who asked the question answered on behalf of the others, and Ray smiled at him.
With the current method, we cant grow the same plants in these remaining areas, can we?
He continued speaking without giving them a chance to answer.
But if we grow the appropriate crops, its a different story. For example.
He started to draw the picture again.
If you cultivated something like corn in this way, the surrounding plants would not receive sunlight and would die. Therefore, you could not plant other crops where you cultivated corn.
The Saint silently watched as he spoke about something everyone already knew, then he began to draw another plant in the middle.
But if you planted bean vines that matched the corn here, the story would change.
The picture depicted the bean vine climbing up the corn.
The quick-witted nobles clapped their hands.
That way, both would receive sunlight and grow!
Ah!
Indeed, it was a brilliant idea that deserved admiration.
Of course, this method was not something Ray had thought of himself.
Milpa sola system.
This system, one of the most advanced farming methods in the past world, allowed for practical use of leftover space.
Moreover, if this method was applied in this different world where the concept of fertilizer did not exist, the harvest could be more than triple the current production.
Believing that the Saint had come up with this incredible idea, they experienced a moment of fear.
Hes indeed a 9th Circle Grand Mage What a devilish brain
Although they thought of him as a devil, the Saint was not aware of it.
It was a method that could not have come from the current civilization.
There was no telling what other thoughts existed in the Saints mind.
Beris father, Duke Harold, spoke to Ray.
I agree. If theres something to gain, as the Saint said, we must surely obtain it.
Following him, other nobles nodded their heads.
I agree as well.
What a good idea, indeed. I, Ged, am touched.
Count Grain, Greyans father, clapped his hands and spoke.
Many supported Ray, and he smiled.
But there was a problem later.
Duke Harold spoke with a worried expression.
But, the Saint What exactly does militarization of priests mean?
Ray took a deep breath.
The time had finally arrived. This was the highlight of his plan.
A key to unofficially increasing the national power of the Holy Kingdom was established.
Now, I needed to choose my words carefully.
He had to persuade them to definitely militarize the priests.
Ray looked at Duke Harold and spoke.
It means exactly what it says.
At his words, not only Duke Harold but also other nobles found themselves at a loss for words.
The initial farming method and plan had been excellent. But wasnt this too extreme?
Count Grain spoke with a serious expression.
Are you suggesting we send the priests to the battlefield?
Ray nodded his head.
Yes.
As if they had been waiting, worried voices erupted from here and there.
If thats the case, the death rate of priests will increase, leading to a decline in the national power of the Holy Kingdom.
Furthermore, if priests are militarized, the number of people aspiring to become priests will likely decrease.
Ray firmly responded to their words.
The priests will be positioned at the rear of the battlefield. If we make it known that the wounded can come to them under the name of a healing center, the priests wont be hurt much.
But still, theres a risk. What if they are attacked from behind on the battlefield
Ray interrupted him.
No one is safe on the battlefield. Hoping that all priests will not die is nothing more than an ideal.
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