Published at 8th of November 2026 9:43 am

Chapter 7616: The Question of Leadership

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The question of whether the Larkinson Clan needed to take over a state or several states did not have to be answered right away.

In any case, the clan already spent many years doing fine without owning lots of territory. There was no need to hurry up all of a sudden.

When Gloriana heard that Ves actually took this kind of stuff into consideration, she expressed a predictably bold opinion.

"We have earned the right to hold territory. We have contributed so much to the development of red humanity that we deserve a greater stake in our society. Let the unworthy make way for our rule. If the Polymath is allowed to build her own empire, then I see no reason why we should be left out. We can do so much more if we have the manpower and resources of an entire state at our disposal."

Ves shook his head in disagreement. "You are too invested in the fantasy of crowning yourself as an empress. Don’t you see how many obligations we have to put up with if we take over a state? Our future will become tied to the fate of an immobile piece of territory. If anything comes and threatens the safety of our new subjects, then we are duty-bound to defend it to our deaths if need be. That goes against anything that I have worked for since I founded our clan."

His wife merely smirked in response. "Then do not assume direct responsibility. Have you forgotten the power of delegation? Instead of ruling the state directly, you can pass on the responsibility to a trusted subordinate or a daughter organization. For example, we can create a new branch called the Mildew-Larkinson Clan and have its leaders assume leadership over a state. All of the rights and responsibilities associated with defending and governing the new territories will solely go to the Mildew-Larkinsons."

"What about the main clan?"

"We get to access a portion of the benefits in exchange for providing high-value goods and services that the Mildew-Larkinsons cannot produce themselves. We will not be able to benefit as much if we ruled the state directly, but this alternative proposal successfully bypasses most of your objections."

Her idea actually had merit. He hadn’t thought to play the game this way.

Of course, he could recognize plenty of flaws in her plan. The connection between the Larkinson Clan and the so-called Mildew-Larkinson Clan might become tenuous or frayed over time.

The latter may eventually come to regard the former as oppressors rather than brothers and sisters of the same greater family.

Ves also doubted that the members of the Larkinson Clan would be willing to stand aside and watch the Mildew-Larkinsons get exterminated.

"Your idea is worth considering." He admitted. "I still have my doubts, though. This sounds like it could get very complicated very quickly. I do not have much stomach for complicated vassal relationships. A Larkinson should hold common respect with other Larkinsons. Creating an artificial hierarchy will ruin this basic sense of decency."

"That decency never existed in the first place, Ves. We have always maintained a hierarchy. You just sat at the top for so long that you never really grasped its existence. People listen to you much more than others. The Saint Commander has recently climbed up to your level as well, but for a long time, our clansmen valued your opinion more than Casella’s. This is the true reality of our clan. Do not deny that members of our main branches hold much more weight than the members of the side branches. The Larkinsons who remain planetside simply do not matter in your opinion."

She got him. Just as she said, he could not deny her accusation.

There were simply too many Larkinsons who only contributed to the clan in a marginal sense.

"To be fair, those landbound Larkinsons can always earn my respect if they transfer to the expeditionary fleet or the Premier Fleet." He pointed out. "I am not disregarding the contributions of clansmen who work at factories and other places, but those who fight the good fight are what earns us the greatest amount of rewards and prestige."

"Exactly. You are ranking our clansmen based on their supposed contributions to red humanity. I am not criticizing your approach. I just want to remind you that you should delude yourself into thinking that every Larkinson is equal."

He shrugged. "Whatever."

As husband and wife debated with each other, Marvaine toddled up to his father and climbed up to his lap.

"If you become a king, will I become a prince?"

Ves blinked at that question.

"I have no interest in kingship. Becoming a king is stupid. There may be people out there who dream of becoming a sovereign and yearn to set up a hereditary line of succession, but I have always thought that was a lazy way of deciding who should lead. If we ever take over a state and have the power to decide its governance structure, I personally prefer to set up a republic. Leadership should never be taken for granted. That is also why I chose to make way for Casella when our fellow Larkinsons chose for her to become our next leader."

To be honest, Ves did not care too much about this subject. He was a mech designer, after all. He just possessed an inherent fondness for republics and a bias against monarchies due to growing up in the Bright Republic.

He had also become well-traveled enough to witness both good and terrible states no matter whether they took the form of republics or kingdoms.

Marvaine naturally lacked that knowledge and experience.

"I want to become a prince!"

"I wouldn’t mind becoming princess myself." Andraste commented as she tossed a squishy ball that Lucky raced off to fetch. "I already get treated as such by everyone, but it would be nice if I have the title for real."

Ves smiled and patted his youngest child’s head. "Titles are empty if you haven’t actually done anything worthwhile to earn them. Instead, they can weigh you down with undesirable expectations. As my children, the two of you will get stuck with some of them regardless of what you do. I am sorry for that. I hope that you won’t get caught in them. You should build your own futures. People should acknowledge you based on your own accomplishments. Your mother and I will support you in whatever you set out to do, but we cannot and should not do your jobs on your behalf."

That sounded a bit too complicated for the two kids.

While Marvaine fell into thought, Andraste thought of an interesting scenario.

"What if... I want to become a princess, no, a queen?"

"...Well, I personally would not recommend it, but... if you are truly set on it, we can pave the way, I suppose." Ves reluctantly said. "I can give you a chance to become a head of state, but I would never put you directly in this position. You need to earn that right yourself, whether through winning a challenge or an election. If you cannot overcome this hurdle, then maybe you do not deserve to crown yourself a queen in the first place."

Andraste looked undaunted by this demand. She looked confident in her ability to succeed in such a challenge!

However, her enthusiasm quickly faded when she put a little more thought into the reality of ruling over so much people and territory.

"Forget it. Big Sister Aurelia is more suited for this job than me. I would be happy enough if I could fight the aliens with my mech and sword. It is better to leave the boring stuff to the professionals."

The red-headed girl possessed an unwavering passion for glory and combat.

Sitting behind a desk and spending hours on reading and signing reports sounded like the polar opposite of what she wanted in her life!

"That is a sound opinion." Ves approvingly said. "Back when I was still a patriarch, I always got swamped by paperwork. Even if I have dealt with all of the acute issues, there are always more matters that demand my attention. Work never truly ends. The less time you spend on assuming your responsibilities, the more guilty you feel for neglecting your constituents. I can tell you that I am more than relieved that the Saint Commander has taken over this particular burden of mine."

"You have less control over the direction of our clan than before." Gloriana said with a disapproving expression. "You have already complained several times about that. Casella may be a better leader than you, but her views and decisions are not completely aligned with yours. That leads to occasional frustration."

That was merely the price that Ves paid for absolving himself of his leadership responsibilities. He felt completely fine with this tradeoff.

"Casella still respects my opinions. I do not truly feel that I have lost all control. I am merely leading the clan in a more indirect fashion."

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