Chapter 155 (1/2)
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State of Affairs
When Emperor Kaglai received word that Einbeast was raising an army, he quickly convened all senior personnel. Until a while ago, the Empire was under attack by Ponsonia's army. Those who loathed the Kingdom believed that Einbeast was superior, but military personnel who fought against Lawrence directly had a different opinion.
「I don't see that Master Swordsman losing…」one said.
「I want your opinion on this matter. Should we take part in this war or no?」Kaglai asked, snugly sitting in his chair. Being a Man Gnome, he was short, but none present looked down on him.
Most of the people objected to partic.i.p.ating in the war.
「Your Majesty. Even if Ponsonia won, their power would be severely reduced. There would be ma.s.sive outflow of funds, food, and even talented people. It'll be our chance to absorb them all.」
「What if Einbeast won?」
「Then all the more so. Einbeast wouldn't lend a hand to Prince Austrin for free. There has to be an ulterior motive. Perhaps they'll kill the Prince the moment he leads them into the capital, and take over Ponsonia. If Austrin resisted, there would be a battle between Austrin's troops and Einbeast's army. In that case, it's all the same. We can take advantage of the outcome.」
「Hmm, yes…」
「…Your Majesty?」
It wasn't only the Prime Minister who thought Kaglai's vague answer strange.
「With all due respect, Your Majesty. It's easy. We'll profit while others fight.」
「Indeed. Just let them duke it out, while we sit back and watch.」
「This is Ponsonia's punishment from the heavens. Their King died and now a neighboring country is going to attack them.」
「Retribution for daring to invade our Empire. They had it coming.」
「Hear, hear.」
While the rest of the people were cheerful, Kaglai was deep in thought.
「Everyone, listen.」the Emperor finally said. 「This war is a big opportunity for our Empire.」
Everyone nodded. He finally understood our point. I don't even know why he had to mull it over. That's what they thought.
「But the opportunity I'm referring to is different from yours.」
「…What do you mean?」the Prime Minister asked, sensing something wrong.
「I hear Princess Kudyastoria is a wise lady. She has the support of the valiant Margrave Grugschilt and the mighty warrior Lawrence, too. Even up against the combined forces of Prince Austrin's men and Einbeast's army, I do not think they will lose that easily.」
「Do you think the Princess will win?」
「Yes. It is only but a hunch. But I intend to make it happen.」
「Your Majesty, please give it to us straight so we understand.」
The Prime Minister was getting impatient. Alarm bells rang incessantly in his head.
「This is an opportunity for us to join hands with Ponsonia. With the Empire's support, Ponsonia will not lose. We will forget our long-held grudges. This is the perfect chance for us to forge a friends.h.i.+p that will last thousands of years.」
Men screamed, some turned pale, a few even fainted. The people of the Empire despised Ponsonia that much.
Isn't that right, Unken?
While the conference room was in a state of chaos, Emperor Kaglai saw something else.
The heavens didn't will for the King to die or Einbeast to attack. This is all the work of man. So I will open up a bright future for those who put their lives on the line for the Empire.
Kaglai's determination was firm, and he quickly shut down anyone who objected to his decision. He then sent a messenger to Princess Kudyastoria.
His decision would bring a drastic s.h.i.+ft in the Empire's history. But hardly anyone knew that it was a lone a.s.sa.s.sin who sparked the change.
Word of the war also reached Forestia's capital, Forestzard. Queen Marquedo was studying the information together with the Prime Minister Zofira.
「Ahh. A war in this s.h.i.+tty winter season?」
「Language, please. If you keep saying that, it might slip out when you talk in public.」
「I can't help it, okay? Did you see my schedule? I'm swamped with work!」
Forestia's winter was also called the season of politics. The first snow already came in Forestzard. Marquedo's schedule was packed from morning to evening—conferences, visits, appeals, dinner meetings, tea parties, and b.a.l.l.s.
「But you were delighted about the exciting events we have this year.」
「Well, yeah. I suppose. Thanks to Zubura coming down hard during the Foundation Anniversary, things will start to change.」
The student alliance aside, the ma.s.s wedding was sending huge ripples throughout the country. For Silvester—Zubura's next representative and proponent of the plan—the student alliance might be more important since he would be a part of it, but ultimately, it was only a campus-wide organization. News of the ma.s.s wedding, an event that affected the general public, spread quickly like wildfire.
That only meant that there were many couples who couldn't marry their partners because they came from different places. Day after day, people sent applications through the service counter that the government set up. As of the moment, the only counter was in Forestzard. The plan was to serve the citizens in the suburbs and regional towns as well. No doubt that more and more applications would be submitted.
「The wedding's next spring, right? All right. I'll give them the best blessing they'll ever get!」
「Are you out of your mind? Everyone will only get nervous if the Queen barged in uninvited. It's a once-in-lifetime moment for them. Don't ruin it.」
「What? No screen time for me?」
「Why would you have one?」
「You told me there would be plenty of wedding-related agenda in the meetings!」
「Well, of course. There are many decisions to be made that affects the balance of power between the seven regions. With that in mind, we can't use existing wedding halls or church, so we have to raise money to build a new one. We need to decide who will manage the whole affair as well or if we need an actual position for that.」