Chapter 423: Late Afternoon Studies
Damian dried himself before changing into a fresh set of robes, after which William led him toward his private study. If he intended to govern this realm properly, then he first needed to understand it. Otherwise, he would have no choice but to leave its administration in the hands of others.
Naturally, that was the last thing he wanted.
The study was quieter than the rest of the Violet Palace. Towering bookshelves stretched from polished marble floors to vaulted ceilings painted with constellations Damian had never seen before. Ancient tomes, rolled maps and leather bound ledgers filled every shelf, while a massive window overlooked the endless capital below. Warm violet light poured through the stained glass, illuminating the enormous oak desk positioned at the center of the room.
Damian leaned back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, absentmindedly spinning a feather pen between his fingers as he stared at the mountain of books William had ordered brought in.
"...You’ve got to be kidding me."
William stood opposite him with his usual composed posture. His thick ledger rested beneath one arm while a long wooden pointer occupied the other.
"I assure Your Majesty, this is merely an introduction."
Damian slowly shifted his gaze from the books to William before rubbing his forehead in resignation. Without another word, William walked toward the far wall where an enormous map nearly twenty feet across hung upon polished black stone. The parchment had been reinforced with thick leather around its edges, every mountain, river, fortress, province and realm painstakingly illustrated in remarkable detail.
William tapped the center of the map.
"This... is the Imperial Capital of Velmora."
His pointer rested upon a vast city marked by the emblem of a black nine tailed fox. Damian rose from his chair and approached the map, his curiosity immediately replacing his earlier reluctance.
"It looks... enormous."
"It is."
William nodded, his eyes remaining within the borders of Velmora.
"The Imperial Capital alone houses over four million citizens. The Violet Palace sits at its heart. Every major ministry, military headquarters and royal institution operates from here."
His pointer slowly moved outward.
"Velmora itself consists of ten provinces."
One after another, he tapped each region.
"The Imperial Province. The Northern Highlands. The Eastern Greenwood. The Western Trade Corridor. The Southern Plains. The Azure Coast. The Blood Marsh. The Ashen Frontier. The Frost Ridge."
"And finally..."
His pointer came to rest upon a vast region painted almost entirely black.
"The Dark Frontier."
Damian narrowed his eyes as he stepped even closer to the map. The Dark Frontier was not located within Velmora. Instead, it occupied what appeared to be a massive sphere of darkness situated beyond the Underworld itself.
He slowly circled the map while William stepped aside, allowing him an unobstructed view.
There were nine great realms forming the Underworld, each bordering another like neighboring kingdoms upon a continent. Opposite them stood Heaven, made up of thirteen separate realms. Between Heaven and the Underworld floated the immense sphere of darkness known as the Dark World.
Together, these occupied the very center of what resembled a colossal tree.
Its trunk stretched endlessly into the unknown while countless branches, leaves and roots reached toward distant galaxies that in turn connected to innumerable solar systems.
"This is... the universe?" Damian muttered beneath his breath.
William nodded.
Despite wishing to focus solely upon Velmora, there was no avoiding this explanation.
"Everything within existence is connected to the Tree of Creation. Every realm is linked together through it. That is why we travel from one realm to another using Realm Gates."
He paused briefly.
"Except the Dark World."
Damian frowned.
The first time he had ever heard of the Dark World had been during his encounter with Hagrid, whose mysterious ability supposedly originated there.
"What is the Dark World?" Damian asked.
William rested the pointer upon the black sphere.
"The Dark World serves as a gateway to a realm we believe exists beyond this universe."
His voice remained calm despite the unbelievable statement.
"It first appeared roughly thirty thousand years ago and has since attracted countless powerful beings from every corner of creation because of the unimaginable resources hidden within."
Damian slowly nodded as he quietly studied the map.
Only now did he truly comprehend the scale of what he had inherited.
Compared to this, Earth, the planet he had fought so desperately to protect was little more than a speck of dust.
"Sire. Please focus on Velmora."
William’s voice broke his thoughts and lowered the pointer.
"That is where Your Majesty’s problems lie."
Damian smiled faintly before returning to his chair. William continued before Damian could interrupt again.
"Every province is governed by a Provincial Governor appointed directly by the throne. Each province is divided into prefectures. Each prefecture governs several counties. Each county oversees numerous towns. Every town governs multiple villages."
Damian folded his arms.
"So the chain goes... Prince, Provincial Governor, Prefect, County Magistrate, Town Mayor and Village Elder."
William nodded.
"So if I wish to change something in one village..."
William answered before Damian could finish.
"It passes through five separate layers of administration before reaching Your Majesty."
"...That’s disgusting."
Damian frowned as he leaned farther into his chair.
William merely adjusted his glasses.
"It is called governance."
Damian let out a long sigh.
"No wonder kings go insane."
William neither agreed nor disagreed.
Instead, he moved his pointer toward another section of the map where banners replaced provincial borders.
"Civil administration and military administration operate independently."
Damian raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
William traced several colored lines stretching across the realm.
"Velmora is likewise divided into military commands."
"The Imperial Capital Command."
"The Northern Command."
"The Southern Command."
"The Eastern Command."
"The Western Command."
"And finally.. The Dark Frontier Expeditionary Command."
He lowered the pointer.
"Each command possesses its own supply lines, forts, officers and logistical network."
Damian’s eyes gradually widened.
"So even if I replace the governor..."
William immediately nodded.
"The military remains completely unaffected unless Your Majesty also replaces the commanding general."
Damian slowly rubbed his chin.
"...Wonderful."
William calmly turned another page inside his ledger.
"The current population of Velmora is estimated at approximately sixty million."
He looked toward Damian.
"The overwhelming majority are Fledglings."
"Fledglings?"
Damian raised a brow in surprise and William nodded.
"Fledglings are comparable to ordinary civilians upon Earth."
He thought briefly before adding another explanation.
"To put it differently... They are demons who have never been trained to use Demonic Force."
Damian’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.
That meant Olaf the old diner owner he had met earlier had actually been powerless as he suspected. No wonder the old man was so clumsy and fragile.
He found it difficult to imagine willingly remaining weak in such a dangerous world. If nothing else strength alone was worth pursuing simply to survive.
"There are really helpless demons in this world?" he asked.
William slowly shook his head.
"Not necessarily helpless. Every demon possesses the potential to awaken Demonic Force."
He continued.
"It is similar to several nations upon Earth where firearms exist, yet civilians are prohibited from possessing them unless they belong to a recognized military or security organization."
"The principle is identical. Any citizen who chooses to awaken their innate talent for Demonic Force must swear lifelong service to a crown."
Damian remained silent.
The logic behind such a law became immediately apparent. If every citizen possessed the ability to manipulate Demonic Force and freely cast demonic spells society itself would collapse into chaos.
"But can you really stop people from secretly awakening their Demonic Force?"
Damian had to ask.
He had lived long enough to know that laws had never prevented determined people from doing as they pleased.
William shrugged casually.
"Of course not."
"There will always be lost sheep who desire power without accepting the responsibility that accompanies it."
His expression remained unchanged.
"However... It is considered a capital offense. Anyone discovered violating that law is immediately neutralized."
He closed his ledger with a soft thud.
"That is why it has never become a widespread concern."
Damian slowly nodded.
Unlike firearms, demonic Force could not easily be concealed. Unless someone possessed an artifact specifically capable of hiding their aura there was simply no way such an individual could remain unnoticed for long.