Herald of Steel

Amenheraft knew this was coming but he was really reluctant to just kill all these good, strong men.

Adhania had been devastated by the drought and was facing acute manpower problems, especially because almost all able-bodied men had decided to join the military as that was the only service that could give them at least some consistent source of food.

And after the two-year war with Tibias, the country was left with a massive manpower vacuum.

"I understand the need to show reverence to the gods. But I am god on earth. And I need these able-bodied men. The war has left us with a severe shortage of men and if we can't find replacements soon, most of our farmlands will be left unattended." Amenheraft surprisingly said this in a way that almost sounded like him explaining himself to his followers.

Because he knew even he could ignore his retinue collective desire to appease the gods.

"Your Majesty, I am not ignorant of the country's plight. There are reports that during the war, driven mad by hunger, scores upon scores of peasants, disobeyed orders and. repeatedly charged head-first into well-fortified Tibias fortifications, just because they thought those garrisons had some food. I very well understand our tender desire to feed, clothe, and nurture your subjects." Manuk seemed to empathize with his king.

"But, please remember, the person who is truly responsible for feeding your subjects. The person who is truly responsible for clothing, nurturing, and protecting your subjects. That person is your divine father Ramuh, who has blessed you in his stead. And we must please him.

"It is because he has decided to end the three-year drought by blessing us with rain, thunder, and lightning at our most critical time can we have the luxury to talk and debate about cultivating our farmlands and feeding our people."

Then Manuk asked a question, "Ask yourself this Your Majesty, if someone a few hours ago offered you the condition that he could win you the war and secure your throne, but in exchange, you would have to give him all the captured soldiers, would you have agreed?"

The question was rhetorical and everyone present knew the answer.

'I would have agreed in a heartbeat.' Amenheraft spoke in his heart.

But the issue was he had mostly secured his throne now and next he wanted o turn his focus on keeping it.

Amenheraft thus tried again, "Everyone here knows if I was given such an offer a few hours ago today, I would have taken it without a second's consideration. Because at that point my main goal was to just get my throne back and nothing else. But now that goal has mostly been. Now we have to turn our attention on how to keep it."

He looked around to see his followers still hanging to his words and said, "These past few weeks have been eye-opening for me. My eyes have been opened to who are my friends and who are my enemies. My eyes have been opened to those who are competent and those who are incompetent. And my eyes have been opened to the suffering of my people."

Then in a melancholic voice, he recalled, " I remember seeing children fighting over scraps of food with dogs. I remember mother's having no breast milk to feed her infant and I remember men too weak to even stand and walk, only laying beside the road, eyes half closed as vultures circled above them waiting for their rotten feast."

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Amenheraft's voice turned shaped as he questioned his followers, "Is this the country you all want to rule? A sick, decaying country where its people are too weak to even work? A country with no vitality? A weak country ripe for the taking by the Tibiasians? By Cantagenans? By the barbarians? When did we become so weak to be bullied this like?"

These hard questions caused jolts in the minds of many of Amenheraft's followers.

Many felt their egos bruised and though most of them didn't care one hoot if these peasants lived, died, or suffered, being intelligent people they did wonder things like, 'If this country falls what will happen to my family?' and 'Can we maintain our lifestyle if these peasants don't work?' and 'Can we maintain your lifestyle if we are conquered or if the peasants have nothing to pay taxes with?'

Thus Amenheraft's speech seemed to sway the people to want to enslave and not outright kill the prisoners of war.

Among them, Kefka, being among the highest echelon of the ruling class and a part of the royal family decided to speak up for the king, "Manuk, we believe the king is in the right here and that his will should be followed. None of us here would ever dare claim to be disrespectful to the No we should always show how grateful we are. That is a must. But we also believe we should look at reality."

"We? Who's this 'we' you talking about You speak only for yourself." Suddenly Manuk interjected with a deep growl, anger simmering in his voice.

Kefka expected this much.

After all, although Manuk was very reasonable when it came to civil matters, he was a completely different beast when it came to matters regarding religion.

Dogmatic, extremist, and fundamentalist would be apt adjectives to describe his beliefs, and trying to reason with him on religious matters was as useful as talking to a block of wood.

But nevertheless, Kefka decided to use his silver tongue to try and change his mind, "*Sigh*, I believe what His Majesty is trying to say is that Ramuh has blessed and saved us because he cares about us and he cares about this country. But without these slaves, we risk losing our country even after winning the war. Our peasants are too few and too weak and without these slaves, we won't be able to cultivate all our land. That means the food shortage and famine will continue even after the drought has ended. More of our people will then continue to die and we will continue to become weaker. Can you accept such an outcome archpriest?"

It needed to be pointed out that Kefka being so eager to argue with Manuk and defend the king was not purely altruistic.

A large part had to do with the fact that Amneheraft had just said that in the last few weeks his eyes had been opened to those he found competent and those incompetent, which Kefka took as a direct jab at him.

Thus Kefka was eager to win back some favor.

Manuk was ready to retort back Kefka's question, when an enthusiastic voice from the side rang out, "Your Excellency Kefka has made some great pints."

This was one of the few nobles still loyal to Amenheraft who hadn't been arrested by Ptolomy.

That man said, "We are in September, the prime season for planting wheat. Our much-awaited autumn rain has come but we must hurry. But over the three years of drought, most of our farmland has been left empty and uncared for. We need as many men as possible to quickly prepare the field, till the soil, and start planting seeds. Time is running out and the faster we plant the better. Archpriest Manuk, we need these slaves. We need them to live." He implored.

But extremists and fundamentalists are called extremists and fundamentalists for a reason. They are blind to logic.

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Manuk was getting irritated at having to repeat time and time again the same thing. So he lambasted, " Everything you have now and today is due to the blessing of the gods. Now that you are out of danger all of you want to just shirk your responsibility? Because it's too inconvenient for you? Because it's too hard for you? You ungrateful, backstabbing curs!"

Manuk roared out the last sentence in indignation.

*Silence*

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the archpriest who seemed to have lost his mind.

For a priest of the temple to go as far as to call the king, who was also the head of the temple such words so openly, was blatant blasphemy!

His soul had no way of redemption.

p This little scene seemed like a replay of Beihrut's little episode just a few hours ago.

Guess hot-bloodedness ran in the family.

Amennheraft also felt a tinge of anger rising through him as he was running out of patience for dealing with this unreasonable fool.

The only reason he was even arguing about this and did not simply decree his decision was because he respected Manuk and valued his opinion.

But that felt increasingly hard to do as Manuk seemed to be in no mood to be reasoned with.

Just as Amenheraft decided to ignore Manuk and decree his decision, the deep booming voice of his royal guards captain bellowed out,

"Stupid brother, what nonsense are you spewing out of that mouth of yours? Has a single victory gone to your head, you pig with muscles for brains?"

Beihrut cursed a saying often Manuk threw at him.

And this was probably the first time in Manuk's whole life that Beihrut ever scolded him, usually, it was always the other way around.

And this weird, comic happenstance calmed both Manuk and Amenheraft down.