"You're a disgrace!"
"I have dozens of proofs of your corruption!"
The nobles continued yelling at each other, each one vying for Justinian's attention, each one disappointing him even more.
None of them seemed to have any skills to deserve their position as nobles in his lands.
Other than one.
Calmer than the wind, as soft as a feather, and as enchanting as a fairy tale.
Darius Invictus Reinhardt
The most grandiose and over-the-top name possible, and one that completely flew over Justinian's radar, until now.
'...?'
'Isn't that...?'
Justinian ignored the verbal abuse being hurled across the room and instead focused on that one noble in particular.
And especially his role in the novel.
He was a minor character, even lesser than Lucan, Cassia, and Matthias, but the way he was described was anything but.
Serving as the MC's biggest rival in the novel in terms of pure skill and talent, and the MC's personal knight in the later parts of the novel, but died early after an ambush.
A forgotten character, but at this point, he was still alive and kicking, and it seemed like he was as skilled as the novel described him to be.
A full-on Gary Stu.
Darius noticed the piercing stare Justinian was giving him, blinking twice before awkwardly smiling at him.
He was also the definition of pure nobility itself.
'Oh Snowkeep... for such a minor duchy barely even showed in the novel... You definitely had the weirdest and most competent gathering of characters possible...'
Justinian chuckled to himself before raising his arms, silencing everyone.
"I have decided."
The nobles froze, sitting back down as they awaited Justinian's orders. This was life or death, and with the way he was staring at all of them.
They already knew it wasn't gonna end well.
'These fools just gave me each other's dirty secrets... enough for an arrest and patrol them around the capital.'
Justinian tapped the table once, smiling.
"Darius Invictus Reinhardt..."
His voice rang out, catching the nobles by surprise. He was the only one neutral to the entire argument after all.
"You're the only one that passed... congrats..."
As Justinian delivered his answer, the knights moved, immediately restraining all the other nobles in the room, for they had the full right to do so; they had already revealed their dirty secrets.
And Justinian didn't want to waste time on politics; if his government is already corrupt, then he'll just strongman his way into change rather than follow the law.
"Unhand me!"
"You're making a big mistake!"
"Please reconsider!"
They all yelled out, being subdued by the knights one by one, and now with Darius the only one sitting left at the table along with Justinian, his face filled with nervousness.
"Uhmm... thank you... My duke?"
Justinian smiled, tilting his head.
"You're welcome."
He replied jokingly.
"What should we do with these criminals, my lord?"
A knight spoke, his sword pointed behind a noble's neck, keeping him in place.
"March them along the streets and reveal their crimes..."
The knight nodded, looking at his other brethren as he left the room first, the rest following suit, as now Justinian, Cassia, and Darius are the only people remaining in the council.
"Won't arresting them all at once create a major... power vacuum? And well... great inefficiency?"
Darius asked, hesitant to voice his concerns, but he held knowledge; he knew how to fix it, but only if Justinian granted him that power.
"What a good question... precisely why I picked you."
Justinian replied, causing Darius to choke slightly on his saliva as he attempted to clear his throat.
"Excuse me?"
Cassia, meanwhile, only stood silently beside Justinian, confused as well. This was another case of Justinian being unusually omniscient; there was no way he could have known Darius would be competent from just a short and dysfunctional meeting.
But she didn't voice it; this was Justinian's way after all.
"I've seen your records, you've been a great ruler to your lands... not only that, the people love you, probably second only to Matthias."
Justinian answered him; he was making stuff up on the spot, but it was general enough to be accurate.
Once again, weaponizing ambiguity.
"Aha... I see?"
Justinian frowned, disappointed in his hesitation to take charge.
"What I'm saying is... I'm granting all their lands to you, right here, right now."
"Won't that take some... paperwork?"
"You can handle it... can't you?"
Justinian confidently replied, leaning back on his chair as he crossed his legs.
"Y-yes..."
Darius replied, he can't really disobey the duke; he wasn't like the other corrupt nobles. If Justinian really is giving him power, then that means he could use it for the better.
"Very good then... I'll assign my personal study to be your new office, you can start now if you wish."
"Justinian!"
Cassia disagreed, caught off guard by Justinian's immediate handing off power to a random noble whom she didn't even know about.
"Doesn't this kind of decision need more... thought put into it?"
"I've already done my research."
'He's done his research?'
Cassia was bewildered; she was with Justinian the entire half day yesterday, and today she was literally by his side since they woke up.
When could he have done research? When was still isolated in his room and neglecting his duchy?
"I... I apologize for my rash words; it seems I have misjudged you, Justinian."
She backed off. Justinian hasn't done anything terrible from what she had observed, so his statement of doing his research was trustworthy.
More than trustworthy, even.
[Army Swordsmanship - Increased]
"You may go now, Darius. I expect the citizens to be better off."
Darius laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck at the sudden huge responsibility that was given to him without him being able to even argue.
Justinian's words made it absolute.
"O-okay... my lord... I will ensure the capital will prosper."
Darius nodded before standing up from his chair and leaving, a stressed look on his face.
"I'm not sure if this is a promotion or a demotion..."
He whispered as he left, realizing the huge amount of work Justinian had just passed onto him.
In truth, Justinian didn't just want a new competent worker, but also one who could lessen the workload of Matthias; even the most competent fantasy novel characters have limits.
"This was a very successful meeting, don't you think, Cassia?"
"I'll take your word for it... But I haven't seen much of this, Darius's ability."
"You'll see soon enough."
Justinian laughed it off, sighing in relief as he had resolved a tense meeting so efficiently without much issue.
[The Book of War Responds]
+100 Prestige
'Looks like I can already afford the hundred elite men... and with prestige left to spare as well.'