"Eloise. Sit down. We have a lot to discuss. First, where are we with the finances and the Bank of Angaria? We just gave a large loan to the Black Raven Kingdom, but we can't make it public, but we still need to expand operations. And where are we with the plans for the delivery system? I also need you to draft a proposal for a secure trade route between us and the Black Raven Kingdom, as I took your advice and proposed just a trade deal with them. Yes, taking a step back was best. Next, we also have to see how much we gained from the Olympics, and future plans for the Olympic betting house. I mean, why not use it throughout the continent? Also, we have the citizen ID cards -"
After teleporting to the room in which Eloise was waiting, Daneel started pacing around while listing the million things on his mind.
The advantage with the Olympics had been that he had been able to put many things aside while concentrating on it fully.
However, now, with it over, he had to come back to them all, and when he did, he realized just how many there were.
He was going to continue, but he suddenly looked up when he felt two soft hands on his shoulders.
There was Eloise, standing with a small smile on her face and looking into his eyes while shaking her head.
Seeing him halt due to her putting her hands on him, she said, "Daneel. Calm down. You're going too fast. Don't you feel like you're in over your head?"
Hearing her spell out his exact problem, Daneel felt like someone understood him for the first time in a long time.
Nodding, he helplessly sat down.
It seemed that Eloise had only planned until stopping him, as she now seemed a bit flustered after seeing that her action had actually worked.
Taking a moment to think, she took out the bottle from the cupboard and poured wine into two glasses.
"You are the king. But that doesn't mean that you do everything by yourself. If you try, you would just go mad, and you'll never be able to concentrate on what's important. Instead, leave it to me, or anyone else that you think is capable. I'm here for you - I mean, Ahem, I'm here for the kingdom. Whatever you throw at me, I'll manage. And I'm sure the others like Kellor will, too. Just take a moment, take a deep breath and prioritise."
For once, Daneel just listened.
As he did so, he realized that that meeting with that grey robed man who had cut off all those limbs in front of him had actually affected him in some way.
It had put in him the sense of urgency that these six months were crucial.
However, just like she said, if he kept thinking about everything hastily, he would get nothing done.
Hence, calming down, he started to prioritize.
Indeed, he did have a lot of things going on, but that didn't mean that he had to give stuff up.
No, taking care of some on his own and delegating the others would be enough, as all of them were necessary for his grand plan of defending Angaria by uniting it.
As Eloise saw that the King of Lanthanor had actually listened to her and was now thinking deeply with his eyes closed, she smiled to herself and poured herself another cup of wine.
Meanwhile, Daneel was already halfway through his list.
First and foremost, he had the upcoming visit to the Hidden Kill Sect which was very crucial.
The Hidden Kill Sect was just too strong of a deterrent force. If he could just get it on his side, the tables would really turn.
Next up would be finalizing the trade deal with the Black Raven Kingdom, so that it would begin to slowly increase the satisfaction level of the kingdom.
After that would be his plans for Axelor and Arafell, and also the goal of coming up with a plan to unite with the Kingdom of the Elves next, after making that banner.
And of course, how could he forget the need to grow strong enough somehow to keep himself alive after six months.
Just like the Big Four in the continent, these were the Big Four issues troubling him.
Hence, he made a tough decision.
"Call Norcet over here."
This man had really impressed him with his act of exposing those vile people from the big four, and also with his decision of not taking credit for it, which was very smart.
His gut told him that he could trust him, and he had also found out from Luther that this man had an excellent track record in trade.
Norcet was already in the Palace, as he had been promised a job by the King for his services.
He had expected that he would be assigned after a few weeks, after things had died down, but seeing himself called so suddenly, he was surprised.
Yet, the King's words after he entered the room and sat down surprised him even more.
"Norcet, I trust you. But I don't know if I trust you enough with the responsibility that I want to give you. First, I want you to know that you still have the other option of getting another job in the Palace. However, my proposal to you is that you swear an oath to me, after which you will be placed in charge of a few major operations that the Kingdom of Lanthanor will be conducting. You will be operating under Eloise, who reports directly to me. There is no one else in between. I will give you some time to make your decision."
"There is no decision to be made, My King. I am ready to swear the oath."
After everything that had happened during the Olympics, Norcet and the Mage had already been infected by that blind belief in the King of Lanthanor that his son had had.
Now, seeing that there was actually a shot at him obtaining more than he had bargained for, he was not foolish to hesitate to take this decision.
He had trusted the king before to save them all during the crisis with those golden mosquitos, so there was no reason for him to think that he could have ulterior motives against him.
These words from Norcet surprised Daneel, but also delighted him.
He was really in need of someone he could trust right now, and seeing that this man had stepped up for the job, he was very happy.
The oath was done in a minute, after which Daneel continued to speak.
"Eloise, you are my right-hand person, and he will be your right hand. Norcet has a very impressive track record, and I think that he will be of great help to you, especially because you will have a lot of work on your shoulders. Starting from now, you are responsible for all the major operations in the Kingdom. I'm giving you the authority to practically rule the kingdom, as I will be going to closed-door training soon which will take a long time. During that time, you are responsible for everything. You take the decisions. You represent me. The bank, the network, the ID cards, the trade deal, the school, the Raven's Perch, the Healer's Academy, the Olympic betting institution, et cetera et cetera. You need to handle everything. You can consult with me if you have any momentous decisions to take, or if there is any important news. But other than that, I'm delegating all of them to you. Are you up for it?"
Hearing this long speech from the King, not just Eloise, even Norcet dropped his jaw.
This was practically… The governance of the entire kingdom!
Norcet had been to many kingdoms, but he had seldom seen a ruler who trusted his subordinates enough to hand over almost everything to them.
Indeed, oaths were powerful, but they didn't stop one from making bad decisions that could ruin everything.
Either this Eloise was so capable that she could handle everything, or the King really had no other choice.
Now, seeing the shocked expression on her face, Norcet wondered whether it was the latter.
Eloise was at a loss for words.
She had been handling a lot of things for the king, but he had been there through it all, ready to support her if the sky fell. She had practically been responsible for everything, but it hadn't felt so scary before.
Then, she could function because she had the king to back her up.
Now, she would be representing him, and he would be in closed-door training?
What if she messed things up? What if she caused disasters? What if she caused catastrophic losses that could set the king's plans back by years?
As Norcet was in the room, she resorted to communicating with the King through the oath stone.
"Daneel, are you sure? How can you trust me so much with all this? What if I fail? What if I do something and it's too late to fix it afterward? What if…"
"You let me down?"
"Yes."
Hearing this, Daneel sighed.
Since coming to this world and becoming king, he had been putting so much on his shoulders and running around and doing most of the stuff himself.
He knew he had to delegate, but he had never truly done so until now.
So far, this hadn't led to any disasters, but now that he was backed into a corner, he had no other option but to do so.
And in fact, he felt relieved that it was happening.
It was time for him to take a back seat and just direct things while letting someone else do the majority of the work.
"You won't, Eloise. I know that you will do your best, and your best has never let me down. I will still be directing things from the background, so don't worry too much. Just… Do what you were born to do. Go back to being the little girl who chased behind the Business Administration Professor for extra classes. You can do it. I believe in you. Kellor and the commanders will help as much as they can. Now, I have a special plan for you. Something that might sound crazy at first, but believe me, it'll work out."