Romon carefully examined the territorial blueprint in his mind.
At this point, they were in the second round. The blueprint dynamically displayed various aspects of the population's lives. The maze in the great forest was also under surveillance.
So, what should be the next step for deployment?
Romon opted for stability in the face of change, selecting the option to submit directly and proceed to the next round.
[Second Round Ended! The Princess safely exited the maze, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. She gave a positive evaluation of your territory on behalf of the Royal family...
The Princess and the Royal Knight's representative have officially begun their work, calculating this year's tax revenue.]
[Third Round Begins!]
"That was close, but no harm done."
"Next round."
[Third Round Ended! The Princess and the Royal Knight's representative announced that the tax collection was complete and issued your tax certificate. From this moment on, the taxes no longer concern you. You may now begin preparing for next year's tax collection.]
With this, Romon finally felt at ease.
He immediately allocated the remaining available resources to upgrading the culture of his territory.
After losing three rounds due to the Princess's involvement, he could finally focus on his own priorities.
[Fourth Round: Your territory continues to focus heavily on cultural development. Culture will improve the civilization level, intelligence, and inspiration of your people.]
[Fifth Round: Ongoing cultural research... Your territory receives a gift—books related to the enlightenment of civilization.]
[Sixth Round: The cultural value of your territory increases.]
[Seventh Round Ended: Your guard, the rapid-fire mage Talia, has an epiphany and develops a new form of rapid-fire magic. Your simulation rounds are exhausted. There is a 10-day cooldown.]
"Can cultural value still inspire Talia?" Romon mused to himself.
The thought made him eager to dedicate all of his resources to enhancing culture. Perhaps one day, everyone in the territory would become a sage or master!
Of course, that was merely a thought. What needed to be done now was to put on proper attire and head to the village entrance to greet the Princess.
With the results of the simulation process backing him, Romon felt no pressure, exuding confidence and composure.
Following his pre-established plan, he selected two Centaur girls and gathered all the villagers to head towards the official road outside the village.
When word spread that the royal procession was approaching, the villagers were filled with excitement. After all, the nobles arriving from the imperial capital were the epitome of nobility, something ordinary people would rarely witness.
Romon didn't mention the Princess. His official communication was solely about welcoming the Royal Knight's team to collect taxes, as he hadn't disclosed the Princess's presence in the previous letters.
Revealing such details would undoubtedly raise suspicions. Even worse, the Royal family might scrutinize Romon's loyalty—why would he dare to investigate the royal procession?
At the village entrance.
On the official road.
A golden and silver-adorned procession slowly approached from the distance. The two royal knights at the front wore full-surrounding battle armor, appearing both noble and sacred under the morning light. Their armor was designed to leave only a slit around their eyes, maximizing protection. The warhorses beneath them were exceptionally strong, not only taller than typical horses by fifty centimeters but also possessing powerful musculature in their legs, indicating they were far from ordinary breeds.
Behind the two knights clearing the way was the envoy of the Royal Knight's Order, the King's tax representative.
Romon, from a distance, caught a glimpse of this person through the gaps between the first two knights.
The man appeared to be around sixty years old, with thick short hair and neatly trimmed temples, though streaks of white could still be seen. Having been through the trials of war, he bore a diagonal scar across his forehead. As Romon observed him, the man sharply turned his gaze back toward Romon. His pale blue eyes gleamed with a sharp, penetrating intensity.
Following this man, a land dragon pulled the heavy royal carriage, its crystalline wind chimes clinking with each step of the creature. The carriage frame was made of high-quality steel, with redwood inlays, and its roof was adorned with tassels dripping with jewels. As it rocked, the jewels caught the light, reflecting glimmers in every direction.
"Clink, clink~"
"Clink, clink~"
"Clink~"
The clearing knights halted at the proper position, and the rest of the procession followed suit, coming to a smooth stop.
Romon stood directly in front of the procession, with villagers lined up on both sides of the road. At the front were the two Centaur girls who had been temporarily assigned to the task.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty," Romon spoke. "Having you knights here to personally collect the taxes puts my mind at ease."
Upon hearing this.
The clearing knights did not respond. They sat motionless on their warhorses, their gaze fixed straight ahead. Despite wearing helmets, Romon guessed that their faces bore no expression.
The royal representative behind the knights dismounted.
"Heh." The elderly knight, looking to be around sixty, stepped forward. Dressed in heavy armor with gold trim, he appeared robust for his age. "Lord Thune, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard that the current Thune lord is quite young. On my journey here, I was worried I might not meet the heir of the Thune family."
Romon watched the old knight, his face radiating righteousness, but his words carried an underlying sarcasm.
Romon immediately shot back, "Sir Knight, you look to be around sixty yourself. Have you been cursed by the Goddess of Death, about to reach the end of your days? Why else would you fear not meeting me?"
"Eh?"
The old knight paused for a moment, stunned by the audacity of this young lord daring to speak to him, a royal knight, with such disrespect.
He was about to react when a faint voice drifted from inside the royal carriage.
"Gernilongden, bring the stool."
At the sound of the command, both Romon and the entire ceremonial team turned their attention toward the carriage door.
The most distinguished person present was about to make an appearance.
Even the fully armored clearing knights quickly dismounted and kneeled to the ground.
The old knight, Gernilongden, glared fiercely at Romon before quickly turning and rushing to the carriage door. He carefully placed the stepping stool beside the royal carriage.
"Your Highness, it's ready," Gernilongden said, bowing deeply.
Click—
The door of the carriage unlocked with a distinct sound, and a gentle fragrance wafted out with the morning breeze. It brushed against Romon's face like a soft veil, bringing a pleasant sensation.
The princess opened the carriage door and stepped out, her white boots touching the ground.
With a gentle leap, she descended from the last step and landed gracefully on the flat earth.
The upper part of her thighs, covered in white stockings, was partially exposed just beneath the hem of her skirt.
Which hung long, dragging on the rural ground.
Romon caught a fleeting glance at the princess's slender waist before quickly averting his eyes, focusing instead on her face.
This was the princess from the simulation.
She had long, fiery red hair, dressed in jewels and fine clothing, but this wasn't the royal palace—it was the land of Thune, a countryside territory.
Her bright, sparkling green eyes quickly locked onto Romon.
"You, come here."
Her tone wasn't arrogant, but rather the casual invitation of a young girl. There was no excessive formality, but it wasn't harsh either.
Romon moved around the knights still kneeling on the ground. The village road wasn't very wide, and after the warhorses and knights took up their space, he had to make his way around the side, brushing past the tall grass.
"My princess, your beauty would make even the goddesses jealous," Romon said, his voice flat and lacking any genuine emotion. It was something the noblemen at those childhood balls would say, though it was probably outdated by now. Romon rarely complimented women, and in the moment, he couldn't think of anything better to say.
"Ha! Look at my arms!"
Without any hesitation or awareness of modesty, the princess extended her snow-white arm in front of Romon.
He stared at the jade bracelet on her wrist for half a second, before his gaze shifted to her radiant, pale arm, covered in goosebumps.
"Uh…"
"You learned that from someone, didn't you? Don't say it again," the princess said, pulling her arm back.
"Understood, Your Highness."
"Mhm!" The princess nodded, and then, in front of Gernilongden, she leaned in close to Romon and whispered, "I heard you discovered an A-class large maze here on your land?"
"Yes," Romon answered.
He was certain that Gernilongden had heard her; there was no need for whispers. Knights of that caliber had ears sharper than a dog's.
"Take me there to see it! These past few days, all I've had are servants and knights around me. They're all so smelly and stuffy! I'm about to lose my mind!"
"Well…"
Up until now, everything was still following the simulation's predictions, but there were some details Romon wasn't sure about.
For example, how was he supposed to lead the princess into the wild forest without being noticed by the royal knight's representative?
Just as Romon was pondering this.
The princess noticed a small, burnt-out forest path nearby and hurriedly asked, "Is it here? The footprints lead into the forest. Is this the place? Tell me quickly!"
"Yes, it's definitely here, but inside there…"