"How powerful is this Duke Savalu exactly?" Marco asked Jude aboard the Crow Express.
"Extremely powerful. Nearly half of the southern region belongs to the Jurenoru family's fiefdom. When combined with other major nobles, they control most of the south. That's why everyone aligns with them—they're an old aristocratic family with centuries of heritage." Jude spoke with a grave expression.
If not for such overwhelming influence, he wouldn't have had to offer so many benefits to secure Fairy Tail's support—he couldn't handle it alone.
"Tsk—" Marco clicked his tongue, finding it absurd.
Having lived in a nation with a long tradition of centralized rule, Marco found this medieval feudal system utterly alien.
The classic phrase, "The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal," was unthinkable in a unified state.
Here, the retainers of major nobles owed no allegiance to the king whatsoever, ignoring royal decrees and swearing loyalty only to their immediate liege.
How could this resemble a nation at peace?
The nobles' fiefs were effectively private property—inheritable, transferable, and even sellable.
The king could only reclaim land by force.
Issuing an order to confiscate territory was pure fantasy; no one would comply.
Unless a lineage died out completely, leaving no trace of heirs, the king had no chance of reclaiming anything.
This was little more than a loose tributary system: local rulers pledged nominal loyalty to the king, provided troops during wars, and otherwise governed autonomously.
Marco could hardly fathom a nation operating as an oversized tributary state—it was utterly abstract.
Phenomena like the Holy Roman Empire's "electoral system" or French kings losing half their realm over a divorce were even more incomprehensible to a centralized mindset.
Yet this was simply how their system worked.
The Fiore Kingdom was slightly better off, with many major cities under direct royal control.
Take Magnolia, for instance—its mayor answered directly to the king, though the position wasn't appointed but locally elected.
The king was essentially just an alliance leader.
This explained why royal decrees struggled to take effect in the south.
Deep-rooted local powers could openly rival the crown.
They wouldn't defy the king outright but simply wouldn't comply, leaving him powerless unless he resorted to war.
"Once the railway network is complete, centralization could be strengthened," Marco remarked.
After all, railways drastically shortened the distance between regions and the capital, greatly facilitating centralized governance.
Orders could be transmitted swiftly, and issues addressed promptly.
If the king had the capability, he could completely abolish these local nobles and establish a more modernized nation—at least one that resembles a proper country more than the current state of affairs.
"These words shouldn't be spoken carelessly."
Beside Marco, Jude was already drenched in sweat.
How could such a thing ever be realized?
How was this any different from asking the Kingdom of Fiore to revolt against itself?
This would mean opposing every noble in the entire kingdom, and when that happened, the entire nation would rise in rebellion.
The military of Fiore would stand no chance against the combined forces of all the nobles.
At that point, the royal family might even be overthrown outright.
"Hmm, the king is indeed in a difficult position." Marco pondered.
This wasn't the same as an emperor weakening his vassals—after all, an emperor had legal justification and usually possessed a stronger, if not overwhelming, central military force.
But none of this applied to the Kingdom of Fiore.
First and foremost, if the King of Fiore tried to weaken the nobles, he would be branded a tyrant.
None of the nobles would support him; they would all rise up in rebellion against a ruler trying to seize their lands.
Secondly, while the king's territory was the largest and his military the strongest, it still paled in comparison to the combined might of the other nobles.
Changing the current state of this country certainly wasn't possible just by building a railway.
"Marco, it's best not to get involved in such matters."
Seeing Marco lost in thought, Jude offered a word of caution.
Matters like these could easily backfire.
"Don't worry, I was just speaking casually." Marco replied with a smile.
These were indeed not concerns for mages to dwell on.
Meddling in "secular" wars would stir the interests of all parties involved and could easily escalate into conflicts between Magic Guilds, as these guilds were essentially "local powers" themselves, with intricate ties to regional factions.
And wars between Magic Guilds were strictly forbidden by the "Magic Council"—an absolute prohibition.
'Unless one possesses the power to suppress everything.' Marco thought to himself.
In the end, it all came down to insufficient strength.
With enough power, none of these trivial issues would matter.
Soon, the "Crow Express" landed, and the two arrived in Balerona.
After the meeting, Jude decided to prioritize constructing the railway from Magnolia to Balerona—a route that would stretch diagonally from the southeast to the southwest of Fiore.
At the same time, coastal railway construction would begin from the port city of Hargeon, primarily connecting the cities along the coastline.
Although the southern heartlands under Duke Savalu's control had yet to yield, the regions closer to Fairy Tail had already surrendered without hesitation.
"Start the construction as soon as possible. Work boldly and don't be afraid of Savalu—I'll deal with him."
Marco encouraged Jude, urging him to give it his all.
Every bit of Jude's effort would bring Marco one step closer to the Gold Cloth!
"Don't worry, I won't back down!" Jude declared firmly.
He had long been prepared to face all of this.
In fact, the current situation had already exceeded Jude's expectations.
Initially, he thought they would be stuck in endless negotiations for a long time.
Who would have imagined they could start work directly now, with the local power players even cooperating enthusiastically?
"Don't worry about your safety. I'll leave crows by your side for protection. If those bastards dare send assassins, that would be even better—I've been itching for an excuse to deal with them." Marco continued, reassuring Jude with his words.
Of course, Jude was concerned about his personal safety.
Given the arrogant and domineering attitude of Duke Savalu and his ilk, targeting him seemed like child's play.
If they didn't dare touch Marco, would they really hesitate to go after a mere merchant?
"I'll also send crows to protect your home." Marco went on, laying out his arrangements with meticulous clarity.
His earnest attitude moved Jude deeply.
He never expected Marco to support him so wholeheartedly!
"Thank you so much, Marco! I won't let you down!" Jude solemnly made his promise.
With Marco ensuring his safety, he could now throw himself entirely into his work, striving to complete the southern railway network as soon as possible!
'Poor Lucy... this really is my fault.'
Watching Jude's burning enthusiasm, Marco silently apologized to Jude's daughter in his heart.
With Jude now fully immersed in work, he would have even less time to spend with her.
But there was no helping it—everything was for the sake of the Gold Cloth!
...
In the following days, Jude indeed lived up to Marco's expectations, working tirelessly and hardly ever returning home.
He shuttled between cities like Magnolia, Balerona and Hargeon, closely overseeing the construction progress.
At the same time, he was already preparing for the next phase of railway construction—extending the tracks right to the doorstep of Duke Savalu's territory.
Marco was naturally very satisfied with Jude's dedication.
As the railway inched forward, it felt like watching the progress bar of the Gold Cloth slowly filling up.
Yet, even amid such favorable circumstances, there were always those who sought to stir trouble.
"That bastard Jude really doesn't take us seriously! He doesn't even bring a single mage bodyguard—is he truly unafraid of death?!"
After having Jude tailed and observed for some time, Duke Savalu found it baffling.
Did Jude seriously misunderstand their methods and moral standards?
Where did this man get his confidence?
How dare he show his face so openly without proper protection?
Anyone with eyes could see that in the partnership between Marco and Jude, the latter and his Heartfilia conglomerate were the ones doing the actual work, while Marco and Fairy Tail merely provided backing.
This meant that if Jude were killed and the Heartfilia conglomerate thrown into chaos, the railway project would undoubtedly grind to a halt.
Logically, Jude's security should have been tight—after all, no one would be foolish enough to think they could scheme against Marco, right?
Even if they dared, few Dark Mages would take such a job.
Did they really think the "Star Rose God" was a joke?!
"Send someone to deal with him. Make it quick."
No matter what Jude thought, Duke Savalu had already reached his limit.
The railway from Magnolia to Balerona had been successfully completed.
If they were allowed to continue construction unhindered, even the remaining nobles who hadn't surrendered would begin to waver.
To put it bluntly, Duke Savalu was backed into a corner.
Everyone else was waiting for him to take action, waiting for him to deal Jude a crushing blow.
If he failed to implement any countermeasures, it would be perfectly natural for others to pledge allegiance to Fairy Tail.
After all, why would they follow House Jurenoru down a path of no return?
Therefore, Duke Savalu had to demonstrate his iron-fisted methods.
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