Achieving Nothing, I Can Only Be the Pirate King

"Of course."

There was a glint of malice in Melvin’s eyes. As his face pulled into a smile, he said, "Relax, Sivier, you are my subject and the main leader in resisting the Disaster Pirates. You can speak freely."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I cannot accept the current retraction of the front lines. If we abandon half of our territory, those living there will completely join the ranks of the disaster. We will also lose resources and supply lines, resulting in a slow death!" Sivier said with grave seriousness.

"Enough!"

A nearby noble shouted, "Sivier, it’s because we listened to your strategy, relying on commoners, that the noble Sir Mika was betrayed to the Disaster Pirates by locals upon arriving at a village, leading to his execution!"

Another noble chimed in, "Exactly! And we also have to distribute large amounts of resources to those commoners. They are clearly the people we govern, why should we bribe them? Can’t we operate without bribing them? Are they even Hyrule Kingdom’s citizens?"

"Dutch! Mika! You cannot calculate things this way!"

Sivier retorted, "You know the reputation of the Disaster Pirates. They target you nobles, not the commoners. Previously, our lives were ordinary, but after the Disaster Pirates came, they ruled over them, providing salaries and food. If we don’t distribute resources, their allegiance will change even faster!"

"What you’re talking about is just an isolated case! Sir Mika’s plight is indeed mournful, but we also have more examples of victories. Only when people stand on our side do we stand a chance."

"A chance for you! Meanwhile, we are on the brink of ruin!"

The noble named Dutch shouted, "Sivier! You’re supposed to be on our side! The vast supply of resources comes from our funds! You’re not allowing us to increase taxes, if this continues, I don’t know if we can drag the Disaster Pirates to an end, but we are certainly being dragged down by you!"

"This is a necessary sacrifice, my lords," Sivier said calmly. "Only if we all endure the losses together can we drive out the Disaster Pirates."

"Then why aren’t you enduring the losses! You are an Ability User, right? With the Cheer-Cheer Fruit’s power, couldn’t you exert more effort to ensure that people cooperate with us unconditionally!" shouted the noble named Mika.

Sivier pressed her lips together, "My lords, the ability of the Cheer-Cheer Fruit focuses on the heart. If their hearts cannot be secured, no matter how much inspiration is given, it will be useless. No matter how many slogans are spoken, if they are not connected materially, it’s just like clouds in the sky, blown away easily."

"That’s your problem! Sivier, you work for us, and this power was granted by us; you should consider for us, not those commoners..."

"They’re not commoners!"

The two glared at Sivier, about to continue speaking, but before they could finish, Sivier’s brows furrowed as she looked at them, "They are our citizens, acknowledged by the King personally, our citizens! Not commoners, please refrain from speaking such hurtful words!"

"You..."

The two were just about to curse when suddenly the door outside was pushed open halfway. A man with short black curly hair, sporting a beard, and resembling a knight but donned in civilian clothes stood there holding a spear, looking coldly at them.

"Heinrich! Who allowed you to come in! And you’re not even saluting, do you not regard the King!" Mika shouted.

Heinrich glanced indifferently at the two, then his gaze passed over to the slightly awkward-looking Melvin sitting there. He finally gave a slight bow to him and then bowed deeply to Sivier.

"Saintess, there is an urgent matter."

"Understood."

Sivier nodded and then bowed to the three, saying, "Apologies, I must handle this matter first, all for Hyrule. I cannot agree to the proposal, Your Majesty, please persuade them, I must take my leave."

With that, she quickly walked out the door.

As she walked out, Heinrich, standing guard at the doorway, gave them another cold look. Waiting until Sivier’s figure had gone farther, he said coldly, "We are Hyrule citizens, not commoners."

Slam.

The door was closed.

"How rude!" Mika said angrily.

"It’s too humiliating! King Melvin, this cannot go on!"

Dutch shouted, "If we continue like this, after emptying our warehouses, it will be yours next! By then, will Hyrule still be ours?"

The King is the greatest noble in a kingdom.

Whatever the nobles have, the King has the top tier.

They’re from a Non-Adhering Country, a classic feudal state where the King grants lands to nobles, the nobles pay taxes to the King, and taxes from the territories directly controlled by the King, while how those nobles collect taxes is... of course, collected from those within their territories.

When the first disaster struck, it first took the life of Melvin’s father, the old King.

If it weren’t for the Disaster Pirates being too terrifying, he probably would’ve thanked them for giving him an early ascension to the throne.

However, their aim was a total annihilation of them, forcing Melvin to call upon the nation to resist the disaster, though he had already been prepared to flee.

Unexpectedly, Sivier really managed to hold back the Disaster Pirates and prevent them from fully occupying the nation.

But now the problem is, it’s costing too much.

The war has been funded entirely from the private coffers of these nobles. Initially, they could share the burden with ordinary people, but as the war expanded, for victory, Sivier even ordered a tax exemption for ordinary people, using the nobles’ resources as supplies.

She claimed it’s to prevent the commoners from rebelling...

From their perspective, those folks are naturally governed, why would they rebel!

Moreover, in such a short time, that peasant girl has gained prestige; if this continues, even if they win, it won’t be a win for them, the nobles.

"King Melvin, you see it yourself, Sivier’s follower didn’t even respect us. It’s no longer about whether to continue fighting. If we go on, will you still be the King?"

Mika said, "It might be better to stop the support. If Sivier is capable, let her manage it. Once she fails or perishes, Your Majesty, you can adopt her ideas. In that case, even providing some resources, the credit will be yours."

"Exactly, I have an idea."

A sinister smile appeared on Dutch’s lips, "We can use our own people to lead Sivier into the disaster’s territory. Isn’t that peasant girl respected by the people? As long she’s eliminated, those commoners will certainly be outraged. We can utilize this to rally them, forcing the disaster to withdraw!"

"Yes! Even if we fail, at least we can preserve our assets. It’s not like we’re the only state that failed. King Melvin, a decision must be made!" Mika shouted.

The Disaster’s reputation precedes them, and from the start, they didn’t have hope of winning, planning more on withdrawal; they know some have indeed managed to escape. As long as they flee far enough, the disaster won’t pursue; worst comes to worst, they just don’t return.

As long as they don’t encounter that legendary Noble-Slaughtering Sword Princess, they can survive.

Following their plan, the cost is primarily the lives of commoners. What do the lives of commoners have to do with them? Dead is dead, ideally completely wiped out, leaving just ruins for the disaster.

Aren’t they looking to rule?

Let them rule over ruins!

Melvin lowered his head slightly, his eyes dark and brooding. After contemplating for a while, he nodded heavily, "That’s the plan, but before that... the two of you, send someone to contact the Disaster Pirates and see if there’s a chance to surrender. We could hand Sivier over in exchange for our safety; if terms can be negotiated, all the better!"