Kingdom Simulator: I, a Fallen Noble, Build a God-Level Kingdom!-Chapter 57: A Small Indulgence of Power

The next morning.

Akalaisi hadn’t slept well at all. Still weakened from her injuries, she stepped out with noticeable dark circles under her eyes.

Romon’s morning plans had been set the night before—he intended to personally pay respects to the Goddess of Wisdom and try his luck at boosting his cultural points. Who knew, maybe that would inspire the dwarves to develop a third-generation machine.

No sooner had he stepped outside than he ran into Akalaisi.

"You shouldn’t be up and about yet," Romon reminded her. This queen was a precious asset—if she could return to peak condition sooner, Thune Territory’s safety would be guaranteed. If she failed to recover fully within half a month because she ignored treatment, that would be a real pity.

"It’s all right. After taking the medicine last night, I’m already feeling much better," Akalaisi replied. She couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Romon—after all, the princess’s cries of pleasure had echoed through the halls until late into the night. This man was certainly strong.

"Just a little activity, then get back to bed and rest. Healing is your top priority," Romon instructed again.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Romon. By the way, I asked the girls last night—they’ve all agreed to settle here. As thanks, they’re willing to serve as guards."

"Welcome," Romon replied, already aware of their decision. "You can all have breakfast in the dining hall later. I have to head out for a bit."

Akalaisi watched Romon’s figure as he walked out onto the terrace, then took off, flying northward into the sky.

Human breakfast was a bit different from what the elves were used to; it took Lornis quite a bit of effort to prepare. But even after breakfast, Romon had yet to return.

As a newly settled outsider, Akalaisi felt a bit embarrassed. They’d been rescued by Romon when they were down and out, now enjoying his protection, living in his castle, eating his food—and yet, they’d eaten before their host had returned, which felt disrespectful.

So—

While Lornis was busy washing dishes, Akalaisi quietly packed up a portion of breakfast and slipped out, heading north.

As a high elf long used to reclusive mountain life, Akalaisi was adept at traversing rough terrain. The distance from the Thune Territory castle to the royal manor was a challenge for most, but for her, it was nothing—even in her weakened state, it took her only half an hour to spot Romon from afar, standing beneath the statue of the Goddess of Wisdom.

"Lord Romon!" Akalaisi called out.

At the sound of her voice, Romon turned—and was instantly alarmed.

"I told you not to overexert yourself, and yet you’ve come all this way!" Romon was alarmed. If her injuries flared up again, never mind how the elves would feel—he’d be heartbroken himself.

"Goodness... Akalaisi, how could you walk so far? Don’t you realize you need to take care of your health?" Romon immediately stopped his ritual and hurried over to her.

He gently supported Akalaisi by the arms, and the moment he touched her, he was struck by how much softer her body was compared to ordinary women.

It was a racial trait, after all. High elves were born with exquisite features and graceful figures, and Akalaisi surpassed them all.

"Please don’t worry, Lord Romon. I’m quite all right. Since you hadn’t returned for so long, I brought you some breakfast," Akalaisi said.

Romon didn’t know what else to say. He accepted the breakfast and quickly called Janice, who was in the middle of her prayers, over to check on Akalaisi again.

Janice spent her mornings working here, so it was convenient for her to do a quick checkup. Her hands glowed with a soft white light as she swept them over Akalaisi’s body.

"It’s all right, Lord," Janice reported. "Her recovery is progressing even faster than I expected. She’s just a bit weak—so long as she avoids strenuous activity, she’ll be fine."

Only then did Romon relax. He opened the lunchbox and started eating the still-warm breakfast.

At that moment, Akalaisi gazed up at the statue of the Goddess of Wisdom and murmured, "So, you’re making offerings to the Goddess of Wisdom."

"You too?" Romon asked.

Akalaisi shook her head gently and explained, "Our tribe worships the God of Nature. According to legend, the God of Nature is the child of the Goddess of Wisdom. So, as followers, I suppose we walk the same path."

That kinship of faith made Akalaisi feel even more drawn to this land.

She couldn’t help but step forward, pick up one of the offerings, and kneel in heartfelt devotion before the statue of the Goddess of Wisdom.

Romon instinctively opened his Simulator Blueprint, and there it was—a brilliant flash in the [Culture] stat!

In an instant, it had jumped up by 36 points!

How did that work? Romon was overjoyed as he looked at Akalaisi’s kneeling figure. Her presence was already a pleasant surprise, and now this—one blessing on top of another!

Who says fortune never comes in pairs?

"Akalaisi, the Goddess of Wisdom is especially fond of you—I can feel her gaze upon you," Romon said, sounding every bit the mystic.

In reality, no one present could sense the goddess’s attention; Romon was just reading the [Culture] stat on his simulator. If it increased, it meant the goddess had noticed them; if it didn’t, she was indifferent; and if it went down, that meant some evil influence was at work, and it was best to handle it on the spot.

As far as Romon was concerned, this logic was perfectly sound.

Akalaisi finished her unique ritual and slowly rose to her feet. "Tell me, Lord Romon, is today a special festival in this land? Is that why you’re here so early to make offerings?"

"No, it’s simply that I have a request for the Goddess of Wisdom—not because of any festival. Besides, there’s someone here every day to tend to the offerings."

At that, Akalaisi looked at the offerings on the ground. Judging by the quantity and quality, if this happened daily, how much food would that consume?

Had Thune Territory’s resources grown so abundant?

"By the way," Romon added, "do you have any special offering techniques? When you made your offering just now, the Goddess of Wisdom’s attention was even more intense than usual."

"I... wouldn’t really call it a technique," Akalaisi said after a moment’s thought. "As the leader of the children, I’ve always been responsible for the rituals as well. This is just how I’ve always performed them." She glanced at Romon, noticing how frequently he made offerings, and added quietly, "Perhaps my rituals failed to please the God of Nature, which is why we lost his protection and were attacked by the beastmen."

Romon silently committed both her words and every detail of her ritual to memory. He was determined to test everything, piece by piece, until he discovered exactly what had caused that surge in Culture points.

"Let’s not dwell on sad memories," Romon said gently. "Focus on recovering your strength and improving yourself—that’s what matters now. I’ll have someone escort you back so you can rest."

Knowing Romon was busy, Akalaisi didn’t protest and nodded her agreement.

Romon immediately summoned two nuns to escort her safely back to the castle.

Once she’d left, he wasted no time in mimicking Akalaisi’s ritual—repeating every gesture and word before the statue of the Goddess of Wisdom.

Nothing happened.

That ruled out the ritual movements as the cause.

Was it something about her herself? Or perhaps, because she usually worshipped the God of Nature, and was now offering prayers to the Goddess of Wisdom, the interplay between the two faiths created some kind of "bonus"?

If that were the case, then Janice, who was a follower of the God of Abundance—a known friend of the Goddess of Wisdom—should have triggered a similar result. Yet Janice’s offerings had only ever increased the Culture stat by ten points. Was it because their relationship wasn’t quite as close?

Romon pondered this puzzle. He really couldn’t be sure; theology wasn’t his strong suit, and the logic of the gods was always shrouded in mystery.

For now, he set that line of thinking aside and considered what other unique qualities Akalaisi might have.

"Elf Queen... Queen...," he murmured to himself.

Suddenly, he remembered: the very first time he had personally made an offering to the Goddess of Wisdom, he’d also gained over thirty Culture points!

Could it be that the amount of Culture gained depended on the social status of the one making the offering?

Unlike his previous theories, this was something Romon could put to the test.

At once, he issued a Lord’s decree throughout Thune Territory:

"All highest-ranking officers of each military branch, town mayors, merchant guild leaders, dwarf chiefs, and respected elders—come to make offerings to the Goddess of Wisdom."

If his theory proved correct, he’d be able to farm a vast amount of Culture points, giving the whole of Thune Territory a major leap forward.

And if not—well, there’d be no real loss. He could simply treat today as a new festival for Thune Territory and make it an annual event.

Such was the minor indulgence of power.

It wasn’t long before the first to arrive was Pito, the captain of the archers. As a centaur, his speed was unmatched.

"Lord Romon, I have come as summoned," Pito announced, bowing with gentlemanly grace.

Romon didn’t waste words. He simply pointed to the pile of offerings nearby and said, "Go ahead and make your offering."

Pito nodded. He was not a religious type, but if it was Romon’s order, he’d do anything.

He knelt with all four legs before the statue, placing his offering with both hands.

Romon watched the Simulator Blueprint—no change... still no change... But the moment Pito rose to his feet, the Culture value shot up!

A full 30 points!

It was true—the amount of Culture gained really was tied to the social status of the one making the offering!

This was a game-changer. If he could break three hundred points today, the dwarven factory’s research efficiency would skyrocket!

With a third-generation machine developed, and paired with the hard power of the elven queen, even a king-level priest would stand no chance—he could crush anyone, no matter how formidable.

Next came Pir, right after Pito.

Pir’s status was a bit lower than Pito’s, so his offering contributed 25 Culture points.

What surprised Romon was that, even though Mayus currently held the highest power level, his offering only contributed 15 points—just five more than Janice.

As for the respected elders from among the common folk, some contributed thirty points, while others gave nothing at all!

Romon investigated their backgrounds and discovered that those who contributed thirty points were people who had received great kindness from the Thune family and remained loyal to them to this day. Those who contributed nothing, by contrast, weren’t enemies of the Thune family—they simply trusted no one, served no one, and were loyal only to themselves.

And what was loyalty? Loyalty was the resolve to say, "My lord is in the north; I will not face south, even in death."

It was not the kind of self-serving allegiance that changed with the wind—serving one master today, another tomorrow. That wasn’t loyalty; that was opportunism.