It was a fine day for execution with clear skies and bright sunshine over the capital.

Roughly every half hour, a cannon blast would echo from the plaza, signaling that another "influential" figure had received their due judgment.

The charges had already been determined. The whole process was more for public display, especially the tale of the Church colluding with Timothy and plotting to harm the king and usurp the throne. After nearly a week of sorting and preparation, the evidence presented was complete, leaving no room for argument—not that Roland would give them the chance to argue anyway.

In general, not many nobles were sentenced to hanging. Besides Timothy and his followers, the Grand Duke and the Minister of Justice, the rest were followers of the Church. Now that the capital's church had been uprooted, Roland spared none who had participated in the Evil Plague incident.

Presumably, this scum would receive a "warm welcome" from the onlookers as they were pushed onto the gallows.

"Aren't you really going to watch?" Nightingale asked, standing by the window.

"Iron Axe and Tassa will take care of everything," Roland replied without looking up. The public trial in Border Town was to inspire the people's will and enhance the loyalty of the populace, but the conditions here were not conducive to such an event. People wouldn't suddenly side with him just because the false king Timothy's head fell, just as they hadn't immediately turned to the false king after Wimbledon III and Goron's deaths.

He didn't have enough of a mass base here.

Another major concern was security. Sylvie finally found the gem list from his memory. Timothy had hidden it in a secret compartment in the bedroom closet, but Roland discovered that there were twelve fewer gems than names on the list. Four of them were lurking in the capital, which meant they had all received orders from Timothy. While it wasn't necessarily a direct assassination order, caution was still necessary. A place like the execution ground was crowded and chaotic, not suitable for spectating—and he had no interest in executions anyway.

He had more important things to deal with than that.

Such as the army.

The casualty results from the capture of the capital finally yielded a detailed statistic. The First Army suffered a total of thirty-three deaths, the most severe loss since its formation. Although they had defeated an enemy several times their size, many problems were exposed in the street fighting. The main one was insufficient demolition power—most of the casualties were caused by berserk guards suddenly rushing out of residential buildings on both sides of the street and attacking the ranks. If they could equip themselves with grenade launchers or demolition tubes to demolish suspicious houses while advancing, the casualties would definitely be reduced.

Another issue was the number of soldiers. A three-thousand-strong First Army could now sweep through the entire Graycastle, but occupying each place after taking it was quite a stretch. At least five hundred people had to be left behind to maintain order after capturing the capital, plus the upcoming Dragonfall Ridge and the Southernmost Region. The size of the army was clearly insufficient to cope with the security war... Further expansion of the army was imperative.

Roland wrote down the compensation and expansion plans and handed them to the guard outside the room, ordering him to return to Neverwinter with the instructions. The City Hall would complete everything else.

Then the prince turned his attention to the group of minor nobles.

They didn't have the strength to influence politics, but each of them could be considered a modern intellectual, and they also craved opportunities for promotion—a large number of ministers in the capital had been cleaned out, either expelled or sent to the Neverwinter mining area to serve their sentences, leaving a large number of positions vacant. Letting them work for him was the best way to save manpower if he wanted the capital to continue to function properly.

Barov had been in the capital for many years and must have known many people here. It would be much more effective to let him organize a temporary management organization than to choose them forcibly himself.

Of course, entrusting the minor nobles who were determined to join him with important tasks could also increase their enthusiasm. Yoko was the role model that Roland had chosen.

These days, he had finally considered the whereabouts of this "old friend".

...

As soon as Yoko stepped into the room, he exclaimed loudly, "Heavens, you actually got rid of all those clergymen without leaving a single one! I didn't expect that the Evil Plague was actually released by these guys. I couldn't believe it when Archbishop Feller confessed in person, it's simply a disgrace to the gods! Now the masses in the square are praising your name, saying that it was you who saved them six months ago."

Roland smiled. This was all information released by rats that Tassa had arranged in advance, which echoed the rescue of the refugee camp six months ago, and would surely have a good propaganda effect. As for praising his name in unison, it was most likely Yoko's flattery.

He didn't point it out, but instead pushed an exquisite parchment letter in front of the other party.

"Take a look at this."

Yoko unfolded the letter. After only looking at it for a few seconds, his eyes widened. "You... You want to send me as the Graycastle Ambassador?"

"That's right, a permanent one," Roland nodded. "The letter of appointment, scepter, and seal are all complete. The residence is in Radiant City, the capital of Dawn. What do you think?"

This was an answer he had arrived at after much deliberation—as the "Magic Hand" who was quite famous in the capital, it sounded incredibly cool, but in reality, it wasn't a good reputation, just like the Fourth Prince in the past.

No one wanted to wear a green hat, and neither did those nobles. Their wives had affairs with other people. If they didn't catch them in the act, then so be it. Who told them to have fun in brothels and taverns? It was just that all of this was done in secret.

If Yoko was placed in an important position, or if the Magic Hand was openly allowed to enter City Hall, the impact would be unpredictable... All the nobles and wealthy merchants would probably have to worry about whether their wives would openly throw apricot branches at Yoko, and those women who already had affairs with Yoko might take this opportunity to climb up along with him. These were not what Roland wanted to see.

So sending him abroad was the most appropriate choice. The Kingdom Ambassador was different from the mobile delegation. His status was equivalent to that of an earl, and the other king would treat him with courtesy. The title was prestigious and the propaganda effect was first-class. He didn't need to bestow fiefdoms, and he wouldn't make others worry.

Let him go and harm the Dawn. It was said that the noble women there had a unique charm, and women were particularly outstanding. Maybe he could create a new world for himself.

Yoko had obviously seen this point as well. He knelt down without hesitation and replied excitedly, "I... No, your subject is willing!" as if he was afraid that Roland would go back on his word.

"Then that's settled," Roland said with a smile. "Before you leave, I will arrange for a master of ceremonies to train you well."

In addition to placing Yoko, he also needed to leave his own people in the Dawn in order to understand the situation of the neighboring country and urge them to fulfill the alliance and fight against the Church together. (。)