Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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His eyes firm, Dale made his choice, and the world slowly went back to its normal pace.

Everyone was silently waiting for his response, so Dale gave them his opinion:

"Since we're already here… I think we should go all the way and reestablish Resko's old leadership model… The Monarchy."

""!""

His words caused all to open their eyes in surprise, even Sarferato seemed somewhat taken aback by his take.

"Out of all options… Are you certain that this is best course of action?" Tina asked calmly as she faced Dale

Instead of immediate agreement or refusal, Tina was waiting for his reasons as she believed Dale wouldn't say such serious things without putting some thought into it.

And she would be right, even though, from her perspective, Dale was replying immediately to them despite the fact he spent many minutes thinking about it.

"I'm certain. When we put everything in perspective this choice becomes the most fitting one."

"I don't understand, how is putting everything in the hands of that snobby mustache going to resolve anything?!" Barme asked with a frown, visibly upset

"Because he is right… And because of what Nobility actually means for us and the people that came from afar." Dale replied frankly

"Even if Winthrope becomes a Monarch, that is no more special than him just being the Mayor, because there is nothing here that could strengthen that position nor anything he could use to... Rule over us like most Monarchs would."

"But by being declared Lord, we can completely solidify his position as a leader and let him manage the city without problems, because, for the people that only heard of Nobles as far distant tales, they'll see him with a great deal of respect, because people will be unaware of his actual powers and abilities, which in truth are no greater than theirs."

"Having a Lord rule over Resko would also do well during our conversations with outsiders such as the merchants."

"The reason why there was some degree of conflict when we first met was exactly because we had little way of showing any degree of our proof of leadership, as such, to them, we were only Villagers ruling a broken city in the middle of a desert."

"However, with a Lord, this broken City turns into a 'Recovering Territory'."

"It seems you're looking quite far ahead, everything you said only matters in the long run." Ophelia interjected from the side in a low but certain tone

"That's right, I'm looking at the future when there is a direct line between us and the North... No matter what we all believe, one day it'll happen, and on that day, we'll have to deal with the consequences of not having a Monarch."

"We may not mind about what the world outside thinks of us but I certainly wouldn't enjoy being cursed and looked down upon by all, much less when that can lead to them mistaking our lack of care for fear or something of the likes, leading to conflict."

"And once we topple whatever they throw at us, they'll be entitled to further action because from their perspective, we'll be a bunch of refuges living in the ruins of the property of the Empire, and by resisting, they'll be able to justify themselves whenever way they can."

"That... That seems very specific." Ophelia replied as a bead of sweat fell from her forehead

"... It will happen." Sarferato replied as he crossed his arms

"Maybe not this year, maybe not even in the next decade, but as we interact with people that cruise the borders between North and South, we'll eventually harder attention from others, including the families that abandoned the city in the past."

"Like when the city was constructed, they will believe we'll have no future because Resko was already thoroughly explored, but as we grow in power and the city starts to develop again, their greed will take over them again and they'll approach us for their own self-interest."

"And since their own families already won the bet of trusting Resko's potential once, they'll definitely be willing to bet in us again... But we have no space for them, something they'll definitely not take willingly."

"If as of now we strengthen the position of a Monarch, things change."

"No matter who it is, unless the entire world decides to antagonize us, then we'll have the upper moral ground."

Despite his words, both Testros and Dale looked at each other with a deep gaze, one Erile shared...

"..."

The others didn't say much, so Dale took this chance to continue:

"Aside from that, it would be best if you all distanced yourselves from the government."

"That story about Skill again?" Barme asked with a grunt

"That too, but it isn't the focus of what I'm trying to say..."

"For one to rule... And properly at that, then he must acquire the attention of his people, with the most healthy form of attention originating from Respect and Adoration."

"And it's true that the Villagers respect all of you… But that only extends to the original 100 residents, we now have close to 2000."

"People that never met or saw any of you, these children didn't grow with you by their side... They don't trust us."

"Wrong... They do trust, but only some." Tina corrected Dale

All of the Elders already knew of what they experienced outside, both Tina and Testros had already shared the story with them while Dale was unconscious.

With Dale being the most respected, being seen as a Hero even, Testros was already a figure they could recognize with Tina being someone only a few were more or so aware of due to how she didn't participate in their Side Expedition.

"But that is only a detail, and in the context of the whole, you are very much correct."

With that said, she gave Dale a nod for him to continue.

"As I was saying, the extra time you'll have to spend dealing with all sorts of misconceptions while also trying to gather their respect and attention is too great, we cannot afford it."

"If you waste too much time in there you won't be able to keep up with the changes and before we know it, instead of a stable and healthy fusion between both groups, we'll just be devoured."

"For example, there aren't that many smithies in Resko, we're still in the middle of repairing a shop, so if a more proficient smith appeared, would you give up control of your shop to them so they could work?"

"..."

Barme's expression darkened.

"There is nothing wrong with learning from those with more experience than you or just exchanging knowledge between two fellow smiths, but you can't let them take your willingness for weakness and walk all over you."

"There are hundreds of personalities in the group we just welcomed, and not all of them will be simple and clear, most will likely be murky and gray."

"They just came from an extremely desperate situation, so their mood and way of thinking may still be one of survival as a main priority."

"We need a stable situation where everyone can settle down and one where we can focus on our own activities, and for that, we must leave it to someone else, that's all."

"It doesn't matter if we're not actively participating in it, we just need to leave our point across so that we can opine whenever there is a large decision to make, and I don't need to say anything about serious circumstances, we'll gather as per usual."

"Winthrope is a leader for the common people, but if a Dragon descends from the sky, that is in turn something we should resolve."

"And we'll make that clear to him don't you worry, no, he should already be aware of that." Sarferato added in between Dale's sentences

"That's obvious, or at least, it should've been." Dale said as his eyes sharpened a little

"His presence here isn't to affect us negatively but to complement our work, this is what we must aim to achieve."

"At least, that is my opinion."

/Silence... Thinking.../

"... Although you threw a few punches at Winthrope, you are very much correct kid." Sarferato said as he tapped Dale's shoulders

"Either way, it's not like this matter is resolved, we have all the time in the world to properly discuss things over and come to an understanding."

"That is, if the others agree." He added as he turned to the other Elders

"I agree with this decision, for the same reasons I stated before." Edimund said with his arms crossed without any hesitation

He had already decided to comply midway through Dale's words, maybe even from the moment he decided to stick with the Monarchy.

Honestly, he hadn't thought about that but the more he thought about it the better things became.

It may be a bit strange to name a Monarch after the land you used to live in, but the positives outweighed the negatives, which were pretty much his pride.

"... I still feel a bit sour for the words he gave us but little Dale is correct, let's just follow it through with this and call it a day." Tina said as she raised her head

"It doesn't matter if we have a Mayor or a Lord, in the end, his house will be just as decadent as ours so he'll have to put in some work to renovate it." She added with a smirk as she thought about Winthrope digging through the sand with a shovel

"... Truthly speaking, I wasn't really working as an Elder at all." Testros said as he sat near the counter

"All I did every day was train, and whenever there was a problem, I went to a meeting, gave my opinion, then back to training…"

"I couldn't see myself doing anything else."

Testros never believed himself to be fit to guide others, at least not on such a large scale.

He had been giving his best to somewhat train Dale, but with the arrival of Sarferato, those days might've already come to an end.

After all, to someone who knew so much more than himself, wasn't he more fitting to teach?

"Aren't we all? Wasn't that all of the entire issue?" Adamant said with a scoff

"There rarely were any problems in the Village and for the most part, we ruled ourselves, each in their own little box, we worked together in the fields, took care of ourselves, heard our own troubles..."

"But we cannot do this anymore, at least not as freely."

"And between all of you, I won't take a pen and write rules, my calligraphy is horrendous."

In truth, Adamante didn't even remember when was the last time she wrote her own name... Was it 4 years ago when she wrote a small letter to the Mercenary Guild to have someone fix her broken cabinet?

Jyter did do it since he was the sole 'good' Carpenter of the Village but...

/Nod…/

Most of the elders seemed to agree, each with their own reasons and circumstances.

But amidst them, one felt a bit off…

"Urg… I hate this." Barme replied as he looked at the ground

"Are you still bothered by his words? How long will you sulk over it?" Tina asked as she turned to him

"I just… I just think we're giving this up too easily."

"All arguments are right… Everything seems okay… But just because we're crawling in the desert and a traveler offers us a cup of water, we're supposed to drink it?"

"I… Hate this." He said he kept looking at the ground, unwilling to say anything else

He knew his opinion was the only diverging one, and such, things would progress regardless of his wishes.

But he wanted to leave his point across, at least now that they asked him of it.

Barme wasn't interested in causing a rift between everyone, yet he wanted to at least leave some sort of opinion behind.

At least... He would be the voice of disagreement, to remind everyone that there is always another side.

Well, nothing that fancy anyway, he would forget about it all later once he held onto the hammer, as always...

There was still much to do and say, but for now, a consensus had been reached.

What now?

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Notes

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