𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕥 {𝕍𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝕩 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣}

-Chapter Thirty- Laplace's Angel

/you, could you take a look at me?/ am i bad, am i bad, am i bad, am i really that bad?/ ooh, whatever you think of me/ if you were in my shoes/ you'd see i wear the same size as you/

-laplace's angel(hurt people? hurt people!), will wood

Their citizens didn't seem particularly excited about the announcement.

They hadn't yet revealed the purpose of their assembly, but nine people stood on a wooden platform constructed in the town square, having been originally used for the Science Expo. Y/n had found it gathering dust in storage and managed to get it out for further use.

On the stage, organized symmetrically, were Y/n, Varian, the Saporians, and the king and queen. The king and queen stood in front, Andrew on one side, Varian and Y/n on the other, with the four remaining Saporians lined up behind them.

They'd decided to make their announcement in the town square, rather than the palace. They needed to make sure that everyone heard what was coming next.

"Citizens of New Saporia," began the king, looking out over the nervous crowd assembled before the stage, "a new law has been drafted. As of this moment, your citizenship of this kingdom is not guaranteed."

He stepped forwards. "In order to retain your citizenship in this kingdom, each and every one of you must fulfill a daily quota. This quota will consist of a mineral found in New Saporia's mines. My advisor, Varian, will explain the details."

Varian gave Y/n a reassuring grin before he stepped up to the front of the stage.

It was easy to see how the crowd's mood changed from confused to furious when Varian took the stage, but no one could say a word with all the Saporians behind him- and, credit where credit was due, Varian could be plenty scary on his own.

"These minerals can be easily identified by a faintly luminescent, pale green appearance." Varian announced, pulling one such mineral from the pocket of his coat and holding it out. "They are crystalline, and resemble a gemstone in structure."

He put the mineral back in his coat. "They're plenty abundant in the kingdom's mines. Each and every one of you will need to harvest two barrel's worth of the mineral per day."

A collective murmur of disbelief went through the crowd, and Y/n frowned. They'd done the calculations- if their experiments worked, that was how much of the mineral they'd need to fully disperse the new compound through the kingdom. It really wasn't worth complaining over- their citizens wouldn't need to do it for long, anyway.

"The products can be taken to the castle and received by the king's advisors." he stated, staring straight ahead. "If this quota isn't reached..." Varian hesitated, his voice trailing off as his eyes flitted over to Andrew.

"Um. Reach it." he finished, and quickly returned to Y/n's side.

"...Yes." The king concluded with a confused look at Varian. "This quota will be enforced, for the good of New Saporia."

He gave a somewhat confused smile to the crowd. "I trust that you have the capabilities to support our kingdom. Good day to you all."

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

Y/n had been delighted to discover that (H/n) was still alive and well when she returned from her months on the run.

The creature, despite her fiery demeanor, seemed to have missed her princess.

Now, Y/n rode on her back across the kingdom's gleaming ivory bridge, crossing the gap from the mainland to the island where the palace had been built.

Most of the group had elected to return in a carriage- Y/n, however, had missed the feeling of traveling on horseback, even if only for a short distance.