episode_0005

The feeling I felt when I saw Biene Franz for the first time was that of being overwhelmed. Although he is tall, he is rather thin, so he is not a huge man. It doesn’t look that scary. However, for some reason, there was an atmosphere that overwhelmed the audience. And as if I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, some of the drivers even took a step back. Soon, Vinnet Franz, laughing, came forward.

“You won the battle.”

“… ”

“That’s interesting. A victory against a noble family? Aren’t they the two most unsuitable words in the world? Since there are a lot of noble family members, there must be at least one smart person among them.”

“… ”

“It went well. It will be more enjoyable if there is at least one smart person involved, rather than all of them being stupid. Hahaha!”

After saying that, Vinet Franz suddenly turns around and returns to where he came from. The children of other noble families behind me were indignant when they saw Vinnet Franz like that.

“What kind of guy is that… !”

“I have to tell my father and scold him!”

Even after coming this far, I felt pitiful seeing the nobles who could only talk like their fathers. Vinnet Franz is not a person who can play at the same level as the Count and Duke. He is a hero who will raise or lower the country. And you were being targeted by such a hero. I feel pathetic for those who do not realize how serious the situation is.

“Let’s go.”

While the nobles were outraged, I headed straight to my barracks with only my men.

—–

From the top floor of a sky-high tower, a thin man with bronze skin was looking down on the city. To the man, the city was very beautiful. Because it was a city built on a river, it was possible to get around the city by boat, and the moats on all sides of the city not only protected the city’s aesthetics but also protected it from invasions from outsiders.

The so-called [Water City of Batavia] was a commercial nation boasting the world’s largest maritime transportation industry and an autonomous territory recognized by the empire. The skinny man loved this city. Since the empire unified the world 30 years ago, it has been working hard to please the empire and always choosing the right answer in its management skills, which was the name of the ‘Dominion’ that was ultimately won.

The man’s name is Angelo Rubius. It was the actual ruler, or autonomous province, of the Batavia Autonomous Territory, called the City of Water. Although he was nominally a subject of the empire and swore allegiance to the empire, the country was run entirely by his own decisions. Angelo Rubius, who had been looking down at the city as if fascinated for a long time, suddenly spoke.

“So, what is the result?”

Then, a man appeared behind Rubius, who thought nothing was there. The man’s name was Micheletto, a legendary assassin of the Dominion and Rubius’ informant.

“It is a great victory for the imperial army. Moreover, it appears that Reinhard von Eppenstein has been captured.”

“Captured alive?”

“Yes.”

Rubius habitually stroked his smooth chin. It was predicted to some extent that the imperial army would win this battle. But captured alive? Wiene Franz could not think of any reason to capture Reinhard von Eppenstein alive.

“I don’t understand. From Wiene Franz’s perspective, there would be no good in capturing Reinhard von Eppenstein alive.”

“Yes? Aren’t we enemies?”

“Think about it. No matter how much Vinnet Franz is the vanguard of the empire, in the end he is nothing more than a hunting dog. If the rebels disappear, there will be no room for Vinnet Franz to establish a major. Therefore, the wisest thing for Vinnet Franz would be to defeat the rebels in moderation and allow them to regain their strength and attack again. So, I thought they would give me a moderate beating and let me go this time, but I was completely annihilated. Why did Vinnet Franz make this choice?”

“Ah, that’s… ”

The inside story my subordinate told me was quite shocking. It is true that Winet Franz made a major achievement by defeating 30,000 men in this war, but it appears that it was not Binet Franz who pursued and annihilated the enemy, but a nobleman named Georges Brestmaier.

“Georges Brestmaier? Isn’t he the eldest son of the Brestmire family?”

“Yes.”

“That’s strange. I heard that military governors are average?”

“That is also a mystery to me. According to our information network, he was clearly a man of ordinary talent, but after falling from a horse and losing consciousness, his behavior suddenly began to change as if he had become a different person… ”

“Hmm… ”

Rubius thought. Sometimes, people changed after facing the risk of death on the battlefield. It occurred to me that this might be such a case.

“A new master will appear… ”

Rubius has always thought. He said that life is like a huge play with one billion actors. And following Biene Franz, a new leading role began to emerge.

Georges Brestmaier. Although I had known him for a long time, I never imagined that this ordinary, unremarkable eldest son of a noble family would suddenly change like this. If this change continues, he can become a main character in history.

Then what is yourself? Rubius has always been worried. You are not the main character. You can’t be the main character. then…

“Micheletto. This will give the imperial army the upper hand over the rebels.”

“Yes. Your Excellency the Dominion Lord.”

“Reinhard von Eppenstein was a symbol of anti-imperialism. As long as such a person is captured, it is obvious that the rebel army will split into dozens of factions. They said they would become the next leaders of the rebel army. The more this happens, the easier it will be for the Empire to defeat the rebels. It’s difficult. If things continue like this, the empire will win too big.”

“Yes. You are right.”

“Change the flow. Find someone in the rebel army who has the skills, connections, and pedigree to succeed Effenstein. We identify the most suitable person and provide full support. If the rebels rise again and the imperial army and the rebels fall into a stalemate again… ”

“By selling materials and information to both the imperial army and the rebels, the Batavian Dominion enjoys eternal wealth and power.”

“Okay. The Batavian Dominion is a small force compared to the Empire or the Rebels, but sometimes small weights can tip the overall balance. We encourage the fight between the Empire and the Rebels to continue forever. That is the role of the Batavia Dominion.”

“I will follow.”

Micheletto bowed his head and then disappeared, and Rubius nodded in satisfaction. He could not become a protagonist like Biene von Franz. So what could it be? The answer was simple. He was a screenwriter who controlled the scenario behind the scenes.

—–

Magnificent orchestral music flowed throughout the party. The party venue had an extremely lively atmosphere. On one side of the party, nobles and royals from all over the world were gathered together to form friendships, and on the other side, those in power who controlled the empire were discussing politics. The names of those elegantly discussing while holding a glass of wine are, from the left, Minister of Military Affairs Elias von Rittenheim, Minister of Finance Maximilian von Braunschweig, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gottfried von Lichtenrade. In addition, there were Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ebenhardt, Minister of Education Ulrich, Minister of Justice Albrecht, etc. These were people who rose to power through the power of a long-standing family, and there was a high possibility that they would pass that position on to their children. In other words, they are the powerful people who run the current empire. And since every little story of these powerful people was going to become the future direction of the empire, the nobles at the party couldn’t help but pay attention to their every move, even though they seemed to be enjoying the party.

Every action, facial expression, and movement. It wasn’t easy to enjoy the party and check your ears at the same time, but most of the nobles here were able to do it. It was natural. These people had been educated as aristocrats since childhood, and most of them had been in social circles for decades. That’s why he had a knack for judging others.

Meanwhile, there was someone sitting alone and drinking. That is Vinet Franz. A young man with a beautiful appearance that looked as if it had been created by an ancient Greek master was drinking alone in this huge ballroom. No nobleman approached Vinnet Franz. This was because being close to Vinnet Franz itself meant being hostile to the family nobility.

Looking at Binet Franz like that, Georges Brestmaier, or rather Si-Hyeon Lee, was admiring. Just as he didn’t blink when arrows flew at him on the battlefield, he didn’t even blink when he saw death coming at him in the ballroom. Lee Si-hyeon didn’t have the confidence to do that.

“Amazing.”

As I was muttering to myself and drinking, someone spoke to Lee Si-hyeon.

“Mr. Georges Brestmeier?”

I turned around when I suddenly heard a beautiful woman’s voice. There was a familiar face there. It wasn’t difficult to recognize it because it looked exactly like the illustration seen in the game. Sharp cat-like eyes and curly red hair. Katarina von Edelhardt. He was the only one who spoke to the isolated Binet Franz at this ball, and he was an ambitious person who eventually became Binet Franz’s agent.

Although she was an aristocratic family, she was an ambitious person who lamented her family’s mediocre position and wanted to take advantage of the emergence of a new supernova to seize the hegemony of the empire. In fact, that ambition was realized.

‘Then why are you talking to me instead of going to Viné Franz?’

Vinnet Franz was still drinking alone.