Enlightened Empire

While Alcer watched Sawo and Rimaq trot away in defeat, Kyunya stepped up next to him.

"Good. That's what they deserve," he said, still in a huff. Yet when Alcer turned to look at him, he finally saw a relieved smile on the young craftsman's face. Even his stubble had been shaved off for today's occasion. For the first time since Alcer had met him, Kyunya looked happy. Though before he could say anything in response, Mallku squeezed between them and put his arms around their shoulders.

"Yeah, this has been a blast. Let's do it again sometime."

Of course, Alcer could understand Kyunya's relief. After all, he had suffered greatly at the hands of Rimaq and Sawo, and hitting them where it hurt the most — their wallets and their pride — surely must have relieved much of his frustrations. In comparison, he thought that Mallku's reaction was too thoughtless and rude, as usual.

"Honestly, I don't feel all too happy about this," Alcer said, and threw off Mallku's arm, before he stared out the open door of the theater's foyer. As Alcer looked at the dejected backs of his opponents as they walked away in defeat, a frown formed on his face. Seeing others distressed because of his decisions didn't feel good, no matter how righteous his new coworkers felt.

"Still, the matter's over, no matter what I think about it," he concluded his own thoughts. "At least justice was served... I think."

Again, Alcer sank into contemplation. His thoughts spun in circles, around the people he had hurt with his actions. However, before his self-guilt could build too much, Kyunya dissipated the storm clouds in his mind.

"That's right. And now, we finally get to show off our new company. No more hiding. From today on, we are a cooperative."

Right, I can't just look at the past.

As he thought about their future, Alcer realized that he would have too many responsibilities from now on. He couldn't waste all his thoughts on his competitors, could he? Just as he was about to reply, his thoughts were interrupted yet again.

"Hey, do you boys still need me?" Killari shouted over from the entrance. He was still holding the baton in his hand, slowly twirling it around.

He really likes that thing, huh?

"No, thank you," Alcer replied. "As always, your support has been greatly appreciated, friend. And as always, I owe you another favor."

In keeping with their usual routine, Alcer's frank and generous words were dismissed with a mean harrumph.

"Just remember in the future that I'm not your private guard," Killari said. "Although I could somehow explain this since there was an ongoing investigation into Rimaq, I was really skirting the limits of my job this time. And unlike you, I like my work. So I'm not doing something like this again."

"Of course not. Don't worry, I won't involve you again," Alcer tried to comfort his friend. Truly, now that he was an established presence in the city, he wouldn't need Killari's help for everything anymore. In fact, as his influence grew, he was sure that he could repay the favors his owed in due time. Clearly, Killari saw it the same, since he didn't belabor the point.

"Right," he just said, before he peeked over to Kyunya and Mallku. For a few, uncomfortable seconds, he held them in his police stare. Only when the tension between them was thick enough to cut even with a blunt baton did he continue. "Just be careful in the future. You're too good-natured, and there's always plenty of people who want to take advantage of you."

Thus, Killari turned around and exited the theater as well. However, his words had left behind a bad aftertaste.

"What's his problem?" Mallku complained, but Alcer wouldn't deal with it, not right now. Rather than focus on suspicions between his friends which didn't matter, he was more eager to look ahead to the future. Kyunya was right: It was finally time to stop hiding their achievements.

"Let's just go meet your new co-workers," he thus said. "They've waited long enough."

Before Mallki could complain, Alcer put his arm around the blacksmith's shoulder and guided both him and Kyunya out of the building, where their future was already waiting for them.

Seven days earlier, inside Saniya's Veterans' Affairs Office

"I want to make things right. Not only for Kyunya, but for everyone. Just you wait. Maybe soon, your veteran's office will have a whole lot of work all at once," Alcer concluded his little speech.

"In that case, I'll be looking forward to that," Berrat said with a smile, and picked up some document on his table, to get on with his work, or to signal that the conversation was over. However, Alcer wasn't quite done yet.

"Yeah, so let's finally talk about my business," he said. In response, Berrat looked back up. He held his confused stare for a few seconds before he found his words again.

"Wait, I thought you didn't come for your business," he said.

"I lied." Alcer allowed himself a laugh, but when he saw a frown form on Berrat's face, he quickly disarmed the official's rising anger. "Well, not really lied, so much as I wasn't quite sure yet."

"About what?" Berrat asked, for now more curious than angry.

"I wanted to start my business together with Kyunya. You know, the guy I asked you about?"

"So your little speech about helping him was a lie?" Berrat asked as he crossed his arms.

"Well, no. I really do want to help him. Still, it's true that I also got something out of the information. But Kyunya will benefit more than me. Now that you've confirmed his character, I can confidently work with him."

"So he should thank you." Now Berrat had a sneer on his face. This wasn't going well.

"Look, I did nothing to be ashamed of. I didn't lie, and everything I'm doing will be only help Kyunya. The man lost his work, lost his reputation and he spends all his days drinking. I'm offering him a second chance. Maybe I wasn't totally upfront with you at first, for that, I apologize. But I needed an honest opinion, without bias. That's all. Please believe me."

After a few more seconds, Berrat's crossed arms returned to his sides.

"Very well," he said, though now his tone was a lot more formal than before. "So what is it the veterans' office can do for you?"

"I want to talk about loans."

"Loans? For that, you should talk to a bank. We don't have enough money to play around with you." Once more, Berrat looked unhappy. "And we are not miracle workers. We cannot solve every problem you have in life. I have already helped you more than any other veteran."

"But Kyunya told me I should go here," Alcer still insisted, and revealed his trump card, though he didn't know if it would help. "I was planning on starting a worker cooperative, if that changes anything."

"A..." For a second, Berrat stared and processed again, before his eyes opened up in shock. "Wait one second!"

Thus, the official dove down below his desk and started to rummage through the drawers by his feet. Finally, after a minute of searching, Berrat pulled out a piece of paper.

"I apologize for my earlier anger, sir. It has been a stressful day," he said, as his eyes flew over the paper's contents. All of a sudden, his attitude was completely different to before. "You really want to start a worker cooperative?"

"Is it that unusual?" Alcer asked, confused by the strong reaction.

"I'd say," Berrat said, while continuing to read the paper. "You're the first to come here with that kind of request. I heard the crown really cares about the worker cooperative project, but it isn't going all too well. The villages in the countryside have been mostly converted already, since they already had a similar structure ever since the last land reform, but the guys in the city just don't care. Or rather, it seems like no one understand how the new system works, really."

"Neither do I, but that's why I'm here. Can you help me?"

Again, Berrat looked frustrated. Maybe he had been so moody with him because he had been stressed by difficult requests from up high. Thus, Alcer tried to be informal in his request. Yet, again, the reaction was stronger than he had expected.

"Of course." Berrat beamed. "This will be good for me as well. Getting the first self-founded cooperative will be a great achievement for me. So go ahead and confide in me. What do you need, exactly?"

"Well... how do I start?" Alcer asked as he scratched his head. "I know very little. So how about you first explain to me how the loan business works for these things?"

"For a loan for the cooperative project, you'd need to talk to the central bank people directly," Berrat read off the paper, before he looked up to present an enthusiastic smile. "Don't worry, I'll write you a referral, so no one will make trouble for you over this matter. However, since it will just be you, this is not really a veterans' issue. This way, I cannot do much more than inform you on some issues that need your attention."

"Well, I was planning to start this cooperative together with other veterans. Would that help?" Although Alcer wasn't sure it would, the official jumped out of his seat as if he had been bitten by a snake.

"Divines above, you're like a friendly spirit, sent to solve my problems," Berrat shouted into the bewildered Alcer's face. Only when he got no reaction for a while did he clear his throat and sit back down again. Although he had somewhat calmed down, the smile was still all over his face. "Since this is a veterans' issue now, I can get you some additional funding, probably. And there might be long-term tax benefits too, if I can help it." Thus, Berrat sat and thought for a second, before he mumbled to himself: "I'll have to do a lot of paperwork."

After this final comment, he once more disappeared beneath his desk. However, after just one second, his head popped back up.

"Say, you're not interested in reconstruction bonds, are you?" he suddenly asked.

"What?" Alcer replied to the nonsense question in the most coherent way he could. At least Berrat explained himself after the fact.

"Another government order." The official sighed, back to his frustrated self from before. Maybe this official Berrat was just quick to change his mood, Alcer thought. "The basic idea is as follows: You buy a piece of paper, printed with the kingdom's seal and the amount you paid for it. You can use it in the kingdom as legal tender, same as our bank notes or Sila coins. However, if you hold the paper for a few years, you can exchange it with the central bank for a tidy profit. Although I am unsure how it will work in detail, the money will supposedly be used to rebuild the cities which were destroyed during the war. Thus, it is called a reconstruction bond."

"Sorry," Alcer said. "Before I get that loan, I barely have enough money to feed myself."

Although this reconstruction was a cause close to Alcer's heart, all he could do was feel bad about his own inability to help people again. Quietly, he determined that he would buy some of these bonds once he had money on hand, if only to make himself feel better.

"Of course, I apologize. I was just excited because you managed to solve all my other issues as well," Berrat explained, with his head down. However, he once again perked up right away to rant about his problems. At least he was working on Alcer's papers again as he ranted. "You see, every department has been tasked by the finance people with selling a certain number of these things. But most people who come to this office come here because they need money in the first place, so what are we supposed to do?"

"That must be tough," Alcer replied mechanically. Luckily, Berrat seemed to pick up on his disinterest and didn't speak up again until he was done with his work.

"Here's your referral for the central bank," he finally said, and handed him a stamped piece of paper.

"Thank you." Alcer stored it in the depth of his clothes where he couldn't lose it. Only then did he remember that he still had another request to ask of Berrat. Although he had already received a lot of help today, his plan would be impossible without this step, so he had to ask: "By the way, I'd prefer if you could keep this whole matter about me founding a cooperative hush-hush for now."

"What do you mean?"

Immediately, Berrat's anger had returned.

"Don't worry, I won't take away your achievement," Alcer tried to alleviate the official's concerns. "Just, I still need to take care of some things. If I want those to go smoothly, I can't have people knowing that I'm founding a cooperative. It won't be for long either. A week at most. After that, you're free to tell as many people as you want."

As quickly as it had come, Berrat's anger disappeared again.

"That's fine then," he replied as if he had never really cared that much in the first place. "Do you need any help with those 'things' of yours?"

"No, I can handle it myself."

"Alright." Again, Berrat worked through his papers, before he seemed to spot something.

"By the way, how many people will your company have?" he looked up again and asked. In response, Alcer thought for a while, since he himself wasn't too sure. The answer would be at least four, himself included. However, he wanted to clear something up first.

"I heard from Kyunya that you get more money if you have more people when you start your cooperative. Is that true?" he finally asked. If they could get more money, they could support more people. This way, his plan would become a lot more extensive, and potentially a lot more successful. Luckily, Berrat replied in the affirmative.

"Your friend is well informed," he said. "Though you'd have to find reliable workers first."

"That won't be a problem. At least in that regard, I already have found several avenues for recruitment."

The following day, Alcer was back in his home. This day, he would have to travel around a lot, to recruit workers, or rather, to collect his future partners.

"Hey Kichka," he greeted his temporary roommate.

"What is it, captain?"

"You know any other guys like you?" Only when he saw Kichka's empty stare did he realize that he had to specify a bit. "I mean veterans who have been struggling after the war, and who might be looking for work?"

"Sure, there's plenty of those down at the docks."

"Great. In that case, could you get some of them together? I'd prefer people we can trust, who have a good character, and who don't mind hard work. If they're craftsmen it would be even better, but the last one is not necessary."

"Understood, captain. I can get you at least ten people together by tomorrow. But what is this all for?"

"Those will be our new coworkers."

"Hey chief! Looks like you were right about the rain."

"Good morning, neighborhood hero! How goes your patent business?"

"In regards to that, I actually have a favor to ask of you. Do you know any veterans from the neighborhood who might want to work with me?"

"You mean, as workers in your manufactory?"

"No, I mean as partners."

"Hey, Mallku."

"Yepp, boss?"

"If you still know guys from the steel mill who are interested in our worker cooperative, you should call them over now."

"Are we starting? That can't be! How did that drunkard convince you?"

However, an elated Alcer ignored the metalworker's nonsense. Today wasn't a day to fight, it was a day to celebrate.

"The company will be founded tomorrow."

__________________

Back at his home, Alcer had been waiting for the workers others were recruiting for him, to weed out the bad and keep the good. Yet when he opened the door, he was shocked to see not Mallku, Kichka, or the chief, but the weather-beaten face of an old woman. Anka was really the last person he wanted to see right now.

"I hear you've been recruiting people to work in your new workshop?" she shot before Alcer could say anything.

"Ah, yes, that's right, Aunt Anka," a bewildered Alcer replied. "Did you talk to the chief?"

Rather than reply to his inquiry, the old woman took a menacing step forward.

"If you are hiring people, then why not take my niece in as well?"

"Aunt Anka, I'm only recruiting veterans."

"So you're saying my girl isn't good enough for that workshop of yours? You've invited Hamka from next door, didn't you? What makes him so special? That guy eats his own boogers. Or are you now a big shot who forgets his roots? Remember, when you were away to fight that war of yours, who took care of your house? Who always sneaked you food when you didn't have enough back then?"

In response to Anka's guilt trip as well as her bony finger's persistent taps against his chest, Alcer could only give in.

"Fine," he said, after an exasperated sigh. "What can your niece do?"

"Oh, she can do anything," the old woman beamed. "She's really smart, and a fast learner. Just give her a chance."

"Fine, in that case, I'll see what I can do."

The following morning, on the last day of spring in the seventh year of Strife, forty-seven veterans, a drunkard, and the neighborhood shrew's niece quietly came to the Central Bank of Medala, where — without anyone's knowledge — they went on to found the 'Veteran Arms Company'. Only three days later — a day after the government's great manufactory auction — was this knowledge made public and caused a sensation. Though only two people were truly troubled by this new company's founding: One lonely banker, and the highest ruler of the kingdom.