La_Boule
Author, please, no matter what do not have nobility in the MCs Empire. Nobility is a horrible system. A modern like selection system wouldn't be possible because of illiteracy and no paper. But MC doesn't have these problems with his people. So, he can do away with nobility. Centralisation is key to survival in a harsh world. Please follow the example of "Release that Witch" and study from historians and political scientists how horrible nobility is. It is inefficient and cruel towards people. As I know a bit of political science, if I had to choose a country with nobility and centralized dictatorship where positions are selected by exams and only noble is the king or queen, I would always choose the centralized one.