The Death Mage that doesn't want a fourth time

132 Is there anyone equivalent to an A-class adventurer present?

The Amid Empire's army that was occupying the Sauron region was troubled by the fact that the process of normalizing the new government system was not proceeding at all.

"What shall we do, Duke Marme? At this rate, our position in our homeland..." said a military civil official, inside the conference room of one of Duke Sauron's army's forts that had been seized by the Amid Empire's army.

A vein surfaced on the forehead of a middle-aged man whose hairline had receded to the top of his head. "Damn it, I don't need you telling me to know that!" he shouted hysterically, pounding his fist against the thick, round table.

He was Duke Marme... the cousin of the Amid Empire's current emperor, Marshukzarl.

Duke Marme had assumed the position of supreme commander of the Amid Empire forces occupying the Sauron Duchy in the spring of this year.

The political measures for occupation hadn't progressed for multiple years after the Sauron Duchy was occupied, and Duke Marme, the head of the Marme family of dukes that possessed a sacred bloodline, being connected to the imperial family of the champion Bellwood, took this position in high spirits, thinking that he would make the political measures progress rapidly.

However, he had come to the end of his rope soon after taking up this new post.

All of the "improvements" and "political measures" that Duke Marme and his retainers could come up with had already been tried by his predecessors. And this had led to the current situation.

Even when they were exempted from paying taxes in full for a period of time, or the infrastructure to maintain the highways were put in place, the people of the Sauron region would not yield to the Amid Empire. No matter how much time passed, they referred to the Amid Empire's army as the 'occupying army,' supported the resistance behind the scenes despite not showing any signs of rebellion on the surface, and they were waiting for the return of Duke Sauron's children, who had fled to the Orbaume Kingdom.

The political measure of discriminating against Vida's races like Beast-people and Titans, which were completely normal in the Empire, would not be applied for a long time due to the orders of Emperor Marshukzarl, and this had not caused any problems, at least on the surface. However, other political measures had caused problems to surface.

Trying to do something about it, the army that Duke Marme had brought with him were throwing themselves into things and running about, but the situation had only worsened.

"The people have a deep-rooted resistance to the construction of a Church of Alda and religious conversion, so we cannot gather workers. In fact, there have been conflicts between the people and the soldiers trying to recruit workers, devolving into bloodshed..."

The national religion of the Amid Empire, the faith that placed Alda, the god of law and fate, at the highest position – commonly known as the Alda religion. The political measure of converting the people of the Vida religion, which had flourished in the Sauron region, had not progressed at all.

"Again... It may be overbearing, but if you gather a dozen more armed soldiers, the commoners won't riot so easily. You should have received permission from His Excellency the duke, and you should have enough soldiers gathered. So why are you not doing this?" asked the grand chamberlain of the Marme family of dukes.

"No, that is... the first ones to act violently were the soldiers, the ones that belong to Duke Marme's army..." the civil official said.

"What?! Are you saying that those who belong to the duke's army conducted such behavior?!" the grand chamberlain shouted, seemingly having understood the situation now.