episode_0059

The situation in the South was even more chaotic than expected.

Let’s exaggerate a bit and say that it feels like the empire is embroiled in war.

“We must help the Holy Nation and punish Benito immediately!”

“That’s right! The excommunicated royal family is no longer a royal family!”

“You are the ones who dare to declare war on the place where the miracle of Runen has been marching. This is an act that is a challenge to the order of light that has continued for hundreds of years!”

Most of those who said that they should help the Holy Nation were followers of Light.

They were arguing that the Empire should immediately raise an army and punish Benito.

If we keep silent about this, there will be no reason to serve Rune until now.

The Empire has also believed in Rune for a long time. It follows the doctrine of light.

Although it is not as faithful as it was in the early days, its power still remains.

So it is natural that they fiercely criticize Benito for daring to declare war on the Holy Nation.

“Please refrain from making reckless remarks. Didn’t Benito just declare war on the Empire?”

“Other southern kingdoms are already arranging mediation and reconciliation. Let’s wait a bit.”

Those who argue that it is premature are those who traded with the various southern kingdoms.

If the Imperial Legion were to advance south, the atmosphere would become extremely tense.

They shouted out their opposition to the power projection, saying that their only source of income could be cut off.

At first glance, the former’s argument seems much more advantageous.

Benito declared war on the Holy Church and was excommunicated for it.

And the Empire is a nation that believes in Rune, just like the Holy Nation.

It would be unpleasant for a foreign country to invade the place where the miracle of Rune had been performed.

But surprisingly, the two claims were kept in a tight balance.

“Moving the Imperial Legion again is a burden. Am I right?”

I nodded at the princess’s words.

As he said, the Empire has spent too much on its military over the past year.

I heard that the two corps that moved towards Novogord alone cost quite a bit of money.

Especially since we have to prepare the platoon that follows and the reserve force that remains in the rear.

But soon the entire eastern region erupted.

Five whole legions were deployed here. It’s nothing compared to the North.

How much tax money would be spent there… oh my. It’s hard to even imagine.

‘That doesn’t mean the empire gained much from it.’

In the past, you could somehow make up for your losses by conquering here and there.

But not now. They are only mobilized to maintain order in the empire.

They say they received some compensation from Burkhay, but it’s not enough to cover the cost.

This is why many people are negative about moving the legion again.

Let’s assume that the East was at least declared war.

But the South is not even that. It is completely ‘another country’s war’ itself.

It would certainly be burdensome for anyone to pour their hard-earned tax money into it.

“Still, I don’t think it’s a situation where they won’t intervene at all. If that were the case, neither I nor Kael would have been relocated to the south.”

“I’m worried. The situation in the West is also not good, so we need to turn our attention to the South.”

“What can I do? Right now, the south is more directly affecting the empire than the west.”

The southern part of the empire developed through maritime trade with various southern kingdoms.

But the scale is much larger than you can imagine.

The importance of trade can be seen just by looking at the size of the cities that were immediately located on the coast.

The importance of the taxes we collect from the South cannot be overstated.

In such a situation, the southern kingdoms are caught up in war? It’s quite tiring.

Even the Imperial Legion intervenes and the atmosphere towards the Empire becomes tense? This is truly a disaster.

It is no different from having to bear the damage that you don’t need to see.

“Haaah… That damn money, money, money. Seriously… I’m getting neurotic.”

“I understand, Your Majesty. But what can we do? From individuals to huge nations. In the end, all sorts of things happen because of that one money.”

“I understand you now, as I did a while ago. From the perspective of the peace faction, the astronomical amount of taxes would be collected every time the Imperial Legion moved. It would have been much more profitable to use that money for other national projects. ”

As she was saying that, the princess suddenly looked at me and tilted her head.

“Kael. Why are you laughing?”

“Ah. Sorry. So I… um. This may be a bit rude, but I was happy because Her Highness the Princess seems to be growing. ”

When I first stood in front of the Crown Princess, I saw that she was lacking in many ways compared to my older sister.

I didn’t feel like he was trying to listen to the arguments of those on the other side and understand why others supported them.

It’s not because I’m stubborn, narrow-minded, or lacking in room for comfort.

It’s just that I haven’t yet developed that kind of vision. I just haven’t had the experience to see things more broadly.

And that’s exactly what is now starting to fill up little by little.

“Hmm. That’s right. Certainly, as I follow Kael around and experience various things, I can definitely feel myself changing from before.”

“How could it be my fault? It’s all Your Highness the Princess… .”

Ugh. It was the princess who covered my lips with her hand again.

“Sometimes when I see it, I wonder if it’s done on purpose.”

“Huh?”

“Kael’s humility. Even in moments where he doesn’t necessarily need to be humble. When he says it like that, it actually touches the listener’s heart.”

The princess took her hand away and looked at me before continuing.

“Kael needs to be more positive and think highly of himself.”

“That’s too much praise. I’m just saying… .”

“Use it!”

*

“Meet Her Royal Highness.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Marquis Lylas. How have you been?”

“I’m always the same, aren’t I? Hahaha.”

This time, for some reason, I can’t do that.

The man who added the following is Marquis Lylas, the richest man in the southern part of the empire.

I know that he is classified as a neutral person, neither a pro-war nor a pro-peace person.

But, from what I heard from the conversation between him and the princess, it seems like they are quite familiar with each other.

“Kael. Marquis Lylas. Marquis Lylas? This is the famous bookworm.”

“Wow. I’ve heard a lot about you. I heard you were very impressive in the East.”

The Marquis approached and suddenly extended his hand to shake hands.

When I politely shook his hand, he burst into loud laughter.

Who wouldn’t say he’s a Southerner? He has a boldness that is second to none.

“Nice to meet you. Yes, I was already having a headache because of Benito and the Holy Nation, but His Majesty the Emperor sent me the right person!”

“Hahaha. A person? I still have a long way to go to hear such words from His Majesty the Marquis.”

“He seems like a young guy, but he’s so humble for his age. I wish my son was like that.”

I briefly chatted with the Marquis about various things in a bright atmosphere.

But as soon as we got back to the main topic, the atmosphere changed in an instant.

“The situation has become very strange, Your Highness. I think I know why His Majesty sent You here.”

“Are you saying that you want to prepare the military for the eventuality?”

“Perhaps so. The princess’s appearance throughout the eastern region has already spread to all the legions in the empire. The princess, who wants to comfort the legion soldiers even though the battlefield is right in front of her. What could be more touching for the soldiers?”

Let’s not forget, this is not a democratic society, but an obvious monarchy. No, an imperial system.

Most people are moved and say, “Oh my!” when nobles pass by and treat them kindly.

How could the princess, one of the most noble women in the world, personally visit the legion?

The battlefield is right in front of them. He’s comforting them with his pure white hands and telling them to cheer up?

Without even going far, the 7th Corps, whose momentum had been greatly weakened, suddenly stood up as if exploding.

“But… will the Imperial Legion really go forward? I heard there are a lot of problems.”

“The southern kingdoms won’t be too happy about it. The southern nobles of the empire won’t be too happy either. They’ve tried to minimize interference so far in order to create a pro-imperial attitude.”

“There was no indication that the Holy Nation had any intention of punishing Benito separately from the Empire.”

“That part may be possible because there are various political factors involved… Anyway, I heard that there is ongoing discussion about that part in the system.”

The Empire will also be facing many difficulties in many ways. It is a similar predicament to that of the West.

There seems to be too much to lose right now if we intervene.

But if we leave it alone, the possibility of losing it looms before our eyes.

The only difference is that in the South the Empire has a justification for intervention.

It was the excommunication of Benito, or more precisely, the excommunication of the king from the church.

Since there is no legitimate ruler, it can proceed for the reason of wanting to prevent chaos.

‘The problem is, if the Imperial Legion wants to get to Benito, they have to pass through at least one other kingdom.’

Any country in the world unconditionally rejects the presence of foreign troops within its territory.

It’s not a question of whether or not you trust the other person. That’s something your pride cannot allow.

This is especially true because the people of the kingdom may lose trust in their supporters.

“… There are kingdoms that have not taken any significant military action even after Benito was excommunicated, so they cannot just evacuate their borders.”

“You saw it well, Prince Kael. That’s exactly why you can’t move recklessly even though there is a justification for excommunication.”

The situation in the West is not good enough, so who would have thought that we would be held back by the South?

After much deliberation, I held several meetings with the princess, the marquis, the commanders of the legions, and the nobles, and then relayed the conclusions to the system.

[Request for redeployment of Eastern Corps]

[ Additional support needed in the southern region ]

There were also opposing opinions and those who wanted to be more cautious.

But one crucial point led to this conclusion.

There is nothing more tiring than the Holy Nation falling into the hands of another kingdom.