Ch.159The Eve of the Storm

“Our Mishkar will support Amurtat.”

Today, yet another supporter of Tiberius and vassal state of Amurtat has been added.

Like a tumor and cancer cells burrowing into flesh, Tiberius’s aggressive expansion policy made the vassal states of Fahrenheit feel threatened. However, with war not yet declared, acting rashly now could result in being discarded like a used tool as punishment for unilateral action.

Therefore, both Amurtat and Fahrenheit were still focused on absorbing the remaining neutral countries into their spheres of influence.

While resources and manpower could never be enough, they had already gathered supplies for at least ten years of war. What remained was finding allies willing to risk their lives to conquer this vast northern region.

“If you pledge loyalty to Amurtat, you can reestablish your country’s system and structure from the foundation. Imagine it: subjects and soldiers moving in perfect unison, and your people enjoying prosperity under such rule.”

“If you fight for Fahrenheit, you will become a guardian of freedom and diversity, one of humanity’s greatest values. Our fate should be determined by us, not by factory smoke drifting from distant lands.”

For the roughly hundred neutral countries that remained, it didn’t matter which side they chose.

Either way, the chances of victory were fifty-fifty, with only the scale of damage varying in the process.

However, Tiberius cleverly added ideology to the War of the Throne, and neutral monarchs were prepared to send their subjects to death according to their own beliefs.

“Our Dubellas will fight alongside Amurtat! For a more prosperous future and a thriving North!”

“Corsia will stand with Fahrenheit! Awaken for those who desire today to be like yesterday, and for those who seek peace and tranquility!”

Soon, the number of neutral countries slowly began to decrease, and in the process, each country’s war preparations became increasingly thorough.

Troop movements, supply logistics, tactical planning, operational execution, strategic formulation…

Perfect plans to defeat enemies were created, revised, and discarded using every scheme humans could devise, and the chimneys of forges never ceased smoking.

War would soon break out, and when that time came, victory would belong to whoever held even a handful more troops and weapons, whoever had formulated even one more strategy.

*

The War of the Throne.

This was the term for the war waged to seize the position of Grand Monarch.

The frequency of these throne wars varied by region. Except for the central region where extinction-level conflicts beyond total war occurred regularly, in other peripheral regions, such wars were only seen once every few hundred or thousand years.

The position of Grand Monarch wasn’t just about a change in title; it carried great symbolic significance that the monarch of that country held hegemony over the region.

For example, just as China comes to mind first when thinking of Asia despite how great Korea and Japan might be, when people from other regions are asked which country comes to mind when thinking of the “North,” one hundred out of one hundred would shout “Fahrenheit.”

In this world severely fragmented by core nuclei and barriers, the Grand Monarch was the only being who could unite a region, and furthermore, served as the vanguard when interacting with other regions.

Simply put, ordinary monarchs were like daimyo or hatamoto. Among them, powerful monarchs were like shoguns. And the Grand Monarch was like the Emperor who held real power.

This naturally leads to the question:

“Can’t they just take turns being Grand Monarch peacefully?”

It’s a fair and reasonable question, but the answer is simple.

No, they cannot.

The reason is as follows:

In this world where monarchs are not succeeded through bloodlines, becoming a monarch required the spilling of much blood.

Finding a suitable successor was like trying to catch a star from the sky.

First, to find a monarch’s successor, you need to find a successor candidate, but this is completely random, meaning literally everyone must be tested one by one.

The problem is that there’s no systematic approach—anyone who claims to see ghosts or has similar abilities must be tested.

Moreover, even after finding a monarch’s successor, problems remain.

If these candidates have the aptitude, they could just consume a core nucleus and become monarchs themselves. Why would they bother serving another country?

When a monarch dies, their core nucleus can never be used again.

A new core nucleus might grow in the same place, but it would be an entirely new entity, completely different from the previous one.

In simple terms, state succession isn’t impossible, but it’s extremely difficult.

However, considering that even immortal monarchs can fall under curses or sustain injuries that put them in terminal conditions, it would be extremely dangerous not to consider succession at all.

When I first possessed this body, my head was physically blown off, causing all my retainers to pace anxiously in distress.

If that much chaos ensued in a small city of just 10,000 people, imagine the unthinkable confusion if the monarch of a great nation with millions of inhabitants suddenly dropped dead.

And this is where the Grand Monarch’s authority comes into play.

The Grand Monarch can designate successors for all monarchs in their region, and those monarchs have no right to refuse.

Of course, since such successors are extremely rare, there were only about twenty in this entire northern region.

To succeed to a monarch’s position, one must first receive a blood transfusion from the contracted monarch, then enter a deliberate coma state to have a brief conversation with the core nucleus, and finally form a preliminary contract with the core nucleus as the official successor.

And all ceremonial costs and other miscellaneous expenses for this procedure had to be paid by the Grand Monarch.

Additionally, the Grand Monarch has both the duty and right to directly identify the cause of conflicts within the region when they escalate and to suppress such conflicts.

It was somewhat like a watered-down version of the UN, which might not seem advantageous at first glance, but for those on the receiving end, it was truly maddening.

This is because while the UN is cautious, the Grand Monarch is not.

For example, imagine a situation where you’re on the verge of obtaining a coveted item from a certain place after subtle machinations. Just as the neighboring country tries to interfere at the last moment, the Grand Monarch appears with an army, calls “Stop right there,” takes the item for themselves, and then leaves both countries to fight it out.

That was the Grand Monarch’s method of conflict resolution.

And for this reason, the Grand Monarch had to be replaced through war.

If there existed a force strong enough to oppose the Grand Monarch, then the position would lose its meaning.

If one possesses overwhelming military might, shouldn’t one rightfully wield it?

There could only be one strong ruler, while the weak were many.

In this world, that was “common sense.”

*

Year 100 of the Amurtat calendar.

At last, Amurtat’s population exceeded 10 million.

To be precise, 10.14 million permanent residents. If floating population were included, we could have reached the 10 million mark back in the 80s.

“Your Majesty. Congratulations.”

“””Congratulations, Your Majesty!!”””

The civil and military officials, led by my advisors, prostrated themselves before me as I sat on the throne.

Yes, this feeling.

The pleasure of having everyone bow before me.

Almost 100 years have passed, but I clearly remember my life on Earth.

Memories of bowing to others, being mindful of their reactions, and even swallowing my pride just to earn money somehow.

Enough time has passed that I should have forgotten by now, but those memories remain like burnt residue stuck to a frying pan—neither easily erased nor weathered away.

Therefore, I decided to acknowledge it.

This is my fundamental nature.

It’s like an indelible mark that I, born on Earth, must bear until death.

But what difference does it make that I’m from Earth?

I am a monarch, and 10 million subjects live looking only to me.

And soon, I will become the monarch of monarchs, carrying the aspirations of tens of millions.

Today is a day when the wind of the North blows warmly.

From tomorrow, this wind will be mixed with the smell of gunpowder and blood, and children born and raised in war will only understand what the scent of the wind truly was at the end of the conflict.

Just as it is most calm before a storm breaks.

Today was a very quiet day.