Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem-Chapter 577: But

"I…" Zach started saying after taking a moment or two to think about it. But the Emperor interrupted him before he could continue.

"You are the only one who can assume this position, Zacharia. Out of everyone, whether it be from the Empire or the Steppes, you are the only one who has shed their skin like a lizard. You are not just someone from the Empire, a traitor, or affiliated with any other sides. Your ties to the Empire are as solid as your ties to the Steppes.

"It is the one solution that everyone can agree with without too much fuss." The Emperor glanced at Maura, the nobles of the east and the central region, and the representatives of the people. Zach followed his gaze. All of them nodded along with the Emperor's words.

Zach had never done anything administrative on the scale of an entire territory before. They weren't expecting him to do the job well. But they trusted him to do what was best for the territory and its people, whether it be the Empire's citizens or the Sesha.

Zach wasn't humble. He knew he would struggle at first, but if he really put his mind to it, he was sure he could lead the restoration of the East and help it bounce back and flourish. But…

"I am greatly honored that everyone thinks so highly of me," He said with a light bow toward the Emperor and everyone else.

"But I can't accept this," He answered flatly without giving an explanation. The nobles who didn't know Zach well thought he was being humble and recognizing his station now that his family was no longer one of four ducal families. The ones who knew him well also knew that couldn't be further from the truth.

That included the Emperor.

"I understand. You're young. You don't want to be tied down to a territory already." The Emperor nodded in understanding. It wasn't just that Zach didn't want to be tied down to a territory. He didn't have any interest in managing it. But Zach wasn't going to correct the Emperor. He wasn't stupid.

"But you aren't against the idea of owning the East, are you?"

"I mean…"

"One option would be for you to be the owner in name. We or you can assign a proxy—someone to manage the territory for you. Since they'll be under the entire Empire's scrutiny, there's no need to worry about picking someone trustworthy."

After thinking about it for a moment, he nodded. He didn't have the best memories of his childhood, but the East was still where he spent it. It was his home. It would be nice to have a place to go back to when he was taking a break from exploring the world or whatever it was he ended up doing after this.

Almost instantly, he felt the intense stares of his family from a corner of the room.

He could understand what that meant.

He could assign Nymur as his proxy and return the East to the Evandiel family. Since the Emperor had said he could choose a proxy, he wouldn't go back on his word, even if Zach chose his father.

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But Zach wasn't going to.

They had already proven that they didn't deserve it. The dissatisfaction of the people would also be immeasurable.

"Your Majesty, how will we choose a proxy? The bar—Sesha will never agree to someone from the Empire. We will never agree to a bar—someone from the Steppes," one of the nobles kindly pointed out from the side. He received a clamor of agreement from his neighbors.

Maura ignored it, but she wasn't the only representative of the Sesha present. Several others loudly disagreed.

Everyone was silenced as soon as the Emperor raised his hand.

"Now, now, there's no need to get ahead of ourselves. We still haven't heard from Zacharia. Maybe he already has someone in mind, assuming that nod was an agreement to the suggestion." The Emperor looked at Zach, putting some pressure on him. It wouldn't do to reject the Emperor's gift three times.

"It was. And I have. To be specific, I have two people in mind, one from the Empire, and one from the Steppes. That should be enough to keep everyone happy, right?" He shot the noble in the stands a look. He didn't get one back as the noble avoided his gaze.

"That it will. Perfect, Zacharia. What are their names?" The Emperor asked.

"Derot Gaville and Borso of the Ugri tribe."

Derot should have managed to take over the market with the alchemist guild and the potions they made. There shouldn't be much left for him to do in that area. It would be a shame if he were free enough to put on a bunch of weight again.

Zach also knew that he could trust Derot. That sneaky merchant was greedy, but he was also smart enough to control it and see the bigger picture. He wouldn't fall for temptation, at least not easily. He would see that the best way to fill his pockets would be to enrich the East as much as possible. The richer the East was, the more money would flow through Derot's hands.

It wouldn't be easy, but Zach knew that if anyone could do it, it was Derot.

At the same time, the Sesha needed a hand in the game. Zach didn't know many he could trust that would agree to it other than perhaps a couple of crafty chiefs. But they had their own tribes to tend to.

That left someone somewhat trustworthy with a decent head and a willingness to grow and adapt to his surroundings.

Zach didn't think Borso could measure up to Derot, but he would keep a close eye on Derot for the Sesha.

A lot of people recognized Derot's name. He and his guild had become famous following the war. Their potions and products had helped heal many injuries that would have otherwise led to death.

If he agreed to it, he was an acceptable candidate.

But almost no one had heard of Borso. They had, however, heard the name of his tribe. It was one of the two major tribes that fled following their betrayal and failed attempt to help the Hydra.