episode_0045

“Kaya, this guy!”

When I returned home, my father, of course, came out to greet me in person.

To be exact, he was trying to scold Kaya for disobeying him and going to war at the age of fifteen.

“Oppaaaa!!”

Then Kaya cleverly hid behind me, rather than behind her mother or the servants of the family.

From Kaya’s perspective, she probably acted that way because she liked me the most.

But I could have kept my father from moving by hiding behind me.

‘Now I am for the Empire. And for our House of Klauwitz. I am the eldest son who went to the battlefield and achieved great success and returned.’

My father is already slowly preparing to hand over his seat to me.

In the meantime, there is no way you would say or do anything that would undermine my authority.

So, since Kaya is hiding behind me, you can’t scold her or ask her to give it to me.

“Kaya. You should hurry up and tell your father that you were wrong.”

“Oh, Mom! I asked for Dad’s permission!”

“He allowed me to join the army, but told me not to fight the enemy directly.”

“Heee… .”

As expected, no matter how much Kaya is, she can’t beat her mother.

Eventually, he sneaks out from behind me and is caught by my mother’s hand.

My father sighed and said, “Who does he take after?”

Well, Father. Don’t you feel guilty when you say that?

*

“Thank you for your hard work.”

As I sat down in the main office, my father patted me on the shoulder.

You have done a truly remarkable thing. It is an honor that is hard to come by in the Klauwitz family.

If my ancestors saw me now, they would all applaud me and say that I am great.

“I’m embarrassed. I just said a few words behind their backs. Aren’t the real heroes those who fought on the front lines?”

“No matter how great the soldiers are, the importance of the person who devises the grand strategy cannot be overstated. That is why this father is even more delighted. Rather than leading a single combat unit, there is a person who can see a huge campaign with tens of thousands of troops as if they were the palm of his hand.”

That’s why I say it’s so burdensome and embarrassing, Father.

I am a person sent from heaven. I am not a human who is like a dragon or a phoenix.

“I’ve heard a lot of good stories already, Father.”

“Um.”

“I want to hear a more sobering part. No one else but my father and the head of this family. The master of this imperial territory.”

Having been in the East for a while, I became indifferent to the situation in other places as well as the domestic situation.

Anyway, since I’m not a soldier, I have to pay even more attention to such details.

“Since you say so, I will also tell you what I have seen and heard about the current situation without holding back.”

“I will listen.”

Let’s straighten up. Father coughs a few times and then speaks again.

“First of all, our Imperial Baekryeong’s territory has more than doubled in size.”

“I was given the entire Neomes region.”

“Just double the simple territory. If you combine the various parts from there, the influence of our Imperial Baekjeong has increased at least four times. Do you understand what I mean?”

Yes, Father. That’s the first thing that comes to mind.

“You’re saying that the balance between the five imperial territories, which were almost similar to each other, has been broken.”

“Yes. In the current situation, one Imperial Count of Berthier can exert the influence of at least two, or at most three, Imperial Counts.”

“Does that mean the other imperial lords are not happy about the growth of our imperial lord?”

My father immediately shook his head in response to my question.

There is no way they would be able to restrain the Imperial Army of Berthier.

My father continued speaking while fiddling with the teacup in front of him.

“The Imperial Hundred is not the problem. The Marquisates are the problem. To be precise, it is the reaction of the noble factions under each Marquis.”

Father’s words continue.

The Imperial Count is not a simple noble.

Before the Great Emperor established the empire, that is, before he ascended to the throne, these were the families of those who had already sworn allegiance to him.

Even though much time has passed since the Great Emperor, they are still the spear and shield of the Imperial Family.

They are different from the nobles who are descendants of powerful families that ruled the provinces in the past.

Although it is difficult to treat the same nobles or imperial nobles as the same people.

Whether the empire is prospering or declining, the imperial lords are only the Hwang family.

These five families stick together to firmly support the imperial family.

It is natural to welcome the growth of one’s power.

“On the other hand, the five marquises are all descendants of kingdoms that bowed to the Great Emperor. Or, they are from powerful families there. They stand in a different place from the Imperial Baekje.”

“But aren’t all five Marquises loyal to the Empire?”

“Yes. They are also loyalists of the Empire. However, there is an inevitable conflict between our Imperial territories and the Marquisates. It is a delicate balance. Which comes first, the Imperial Family, which is the Empire itself? Or the noble families that form the order of the Empire?”

Each of the five marquises has its own noble factions that follow them.

This is of great help in maintaining public security and administrative power in each region.

Because it is a matter of loyalty to the empire, and at the same time, it is beneficial to the nobles themselves.

It can be said that there is a clear difference between the five imperial encyclopedias that unconditionally follow the imperial family.

“This subtle and essential conflict is what has kept the empire stable and peaceful. But when one of the imperial territories suddenly grows several times larger, it is quite uncomfortable for them.”

“It’s not just that our family has grown… .”

“I am worried that His Majesty the Emperor may be trying to suppress the nobles and destroy the order that has been maintained so far. That is what I am worried about.”

Sometimes I think, this is such a useless thing to worry about.

If you look back at it again, you will nod in agreement that it is quite possible.

The reason why they bowed their heads and swore loyalty during the past great emperor era.

This is because their growth and stability are guaranteed in proportion to their loyalty.

This is natural, since they were not generals who followed the Emperor like the first imperial lords.

The most stable relationship between a ruler and his subject is one where each side follows and leads while calculating its own profits and losses.

In the midst of all this, it seems like the lord they have been following is suddenly trying to cast them out?

Unless you are a very small number of subjects, it is natural that you would feel anxious and worried.

“The Empire just won a major victory that tore the Alliance apart across the East… .”

“The timing is indeed appropriate. Taking advantage of this timing, when the empire and royal family’s name is soaring to the sky, the power of the nobles can be completely destroyed.”

Well, if you misunderstand it and say it was too big, the reason is plausible.

But it’s still hard to understand, did the Emperor really think that way?

If that were the case, there is no way they would have openly given such a huge reward to our family.

Surely someone of the emperor’s stature wouldn’t have expected that kind of reaction?

“I need to be more diligent in this part.”

“Your father?”

“Your body has suddenly become huge, so you need to move at least a little to avoid getting hurt.”

“So you’re saying that you’re going to say hello to the noble families that you haven’t had any contact with until now?”

“There’s nothing to worry about. I wonder if the Imperial White Man’s father will create a faction.”

The most important thing for a person is to make one true friend.

It means that having just one person with whom you can exchange friendship is enough.

Conversely, what is important for a group is not to have a single real enemy.

What I’m saying is that even if it’s just a casual relationship, it’s better than having an obvious enemy.

What my father meant by that was that he wanted to avoid making enemies along appropriate lines.

“Of course, the noble factions are not foolish, so if they realize that their worries were unfounded, they will soon relent. So, Kael, you have nothing to worry about.”

“If my father uses his power, I welcome it. But doesn’t my father have more influence in the aristocratic society than I do?”

“Well, I think that’s a thing of the past now.”

My father shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘Next time.’

“There is also some information to be given about the international situation.”

“I will listen as well.”

“First of all, the West is extremely noisy. No, noisy would be an understatement.”

“… Is that it?”

Beyond the western border of the empire. That is, the western part of the continent has always been noisy.

The center has long ago been unified into one great empire. The east has long been divided into three kingdoms.

The North, the home of the Demons and their exclusive residence. The South, centered around the Holy Nation.

This was because the situation was completely different from that of other regions, each with its own order.

“Since ancient times, the West has had military powers that appeared, rose, and then declined repeatedly.”

“Yes. I heard that because of that, wars broke out every year without fail.”

“Then, not long ago, Dedorant began to rise rapidly. To be exact, it was when the third prince there, Georg Sistania, began to show tremendous activity.”

The father’s story that followed was a series of quite surprising parts.

The fact that the originally strong Dedorant army began to run wild after meeting a great commander.

And then there was the story of amazing victories wherever they went.

But the real surprise was just beginning.

“… Huh? Coup, are you talking about a coup?”

“Yes. It is said that he immediately turned his army around and occupied the capital at the order of his father, who wanted to summon him. He killed all of his father’s followers and drove out the crown prince, ultimately executing him.”

“And yet he still hasn’t taken the throne.”

“Isn’t it completely different to strike down your brother and strike down your father and king?”

I thought only the simple group was good at moving, but after hearing this, I think other heads are also good.

He said that he would not let the popularity and support he had built up so far be destroyed by unnecessary actions.

“Anyway. Thanks to the three princes who took over all of Dedorant’s power, the west is in turmoil. The bigger problem is that the southern part of the continent is also in trouble.”

“South too?”

Why are you doing that there?

“You are probably familiar with the Holy Nation located at the southern end of the continent.”

“Yes, Father. Isn’t that obvious?”

The northern part of the continent’s demon tribe that serves the god Anbar. Unlike Novogord.

The rest of the continent, led by the Empire, follows the god of light, Runen.

And the place where this Rune is worshipped is the Holy Land.

“A kingdom that directly opposes this Holy Nation has appeared.”

“You fell in love with me head on? Did you get into trouble or something?”

“Rather, it is a kingdom that is coming out with the argument that those who are involved in religion should only be involved in religion and should not be involved in state affairs at all.”

“Kingdom name.”

“Benito. The Kingdom of Benito.”

It’s just a situation where the whole place is on the verge of collapse or bursting into flames.

For those who want to live in peace, just hearing these words will give you a headache.

“That is why His Majesty the Emperor has given you such a worthy reward, Kael.”

“If the Eastern Front had ended late in this situation, it would have been a great burden for the Empire as well.”

“There’s the North. There’s also Novogorod. That’s where it started. Kael.”

Now that I think about it… hmm. I really was causing trouble everywhere.

I was standing in front of a beehive covered in honey and whining about being stung by a bee!

*

“Are you here?”

Isabelle knelt before the Emperor and waited quietly for his next words.

There must be a reason why he ordered me to hurry and enter the palace as soon as possible.

What important matter could it be? As she remains quiet, the Emperor continues speaking.

“Bell.”

At that moment, Isabel raised her head in surprise without realizing it.

It’s not a title like Second Princess, nor is it a name, but a nickname all of a sudden.

As surprising as this may be, the Emperor then tells an even more embarrassing story.

“Kael Klauwitz. What do you think about that young man?”