Chapter 458: Forbidden
Being the sole ruler of a hidden nation was a job description that often got glossed over in power fantasies. In the video games, people built bases, assigned a few generic NPCs to resource nodes, and went off to fight the boss.
In reality, or whatever version of reality this world was, governance was an endless stream of logistics.
Many weren’t aware that leading the Hidden Light Village—and by extension, the shadow operations within the Land of Birds—was vastly more complex than Arthur’s time as the heir to the Water Country’s feudal lord.
In that country, he had been a figurehead with influence by navigating established bureaucracy. Here, he was the bureaucracy.
Everything was properly handled because he had four other versions of himself keeping things in check. They acted as a perfect cabinet.
Ryugetsu dealt with the spiritual and cultural; Hoshikaze managed training facilities; John handled the military operations; Kaito had kept close eyes on Akatsuki affairs; and Arthur was left to manage infrastructure and intelligence.
Because of such help, he was allowed to travel outside the borders for weeks to gather artifacts or manipulate geopolitical events while his nation ran like a well-oiled machine.
Now, the clones were gone.
Arthur was alone, piloting a borrowed body, with the weight of an entire civilization resting on his shoulders. He couldn’t leave whenever he felt like it. Neither could he go out and venture the land if it wasn’t business related.
Right now, his duties were to the throne.
The doors creaked open as Toki entered. Her silk kimono rustled softly against the polished floor as she neared the center room. Then she deeply bowed.
"My lord..." She rose and pulled a scroll from her sleeve, walking forward to hand it to him. Arthur took it as she explained, "The new proposal for the agricultural zoning laws. Some citizens desire to change them. There’s also a request for clarification on our international stance."