Ch.21Prosnak’s Eastern Advance (2)

# Chapter 21: Prosnack’s Eastern Advance (2)

[Pause Released]

“…What are you saying, Minister of Execution?”

My words must have been quite shocking, as the massive conference room was instantly gripped by a heavy silence.

“As I just stated, our Empire should not participate in this war.”

When I delivered the follow-up… no, the finishing blow, all sorts of exclamations erupted from the mouths of the imperial council members who had been stunned by the shock.

“WHAT?!”

“Losing one’s faith is tantamount to death itself…!!”

They howled like chimpanzees trying to crucify an orangutan—truly the arrival of madness incarnate.

Unfortunately for these lunatics, there was someone here who could restrain them.

“Everyone, silence.”

-Snap.

As the imperial decree fell from the Emperor, the supreme dignity of the Empire, even the foaming-at-the-mouth fanatics all fell silent.

“Hmm… Minister of Execution, do you have reasons for this?”

But even Emperor Artraia, with that adorable face, wore an expression full of questions.

And to those questions, I nodded and…

“Oh, then let’s he—”

I immediately activated the pause.

‘…Damn, I forgot because I was nervous.’

Of course I would be, since I had spoken out against participation despite personally thinking that joining the war would be beneficial.

And the reason for this was none other than…

[Event: Prosnack’s Eastern Advance]

[The Kerzin ambassador has come all this way to encourage participation in the war.]

[However, war is something that must be carefully considered with thorough calculation of benefits.]

[Also, depending on your choice, the future of the Empire will change dramatically, so please pay attention!]

[Choice 1: Participate in the holy war! -> Automatic participation in the Kerzin Federation-led alliance, diplomatic relations with the Prosnack Union severed]

[Choice 2: We will not participate in the war -> Decreased trust from the Kerzin Federation toward the Holy Sebelli Empire, subsequent linked events will be generated]

It was because of the event choice that had appeared before my eyes—something that rarely showed up recently, but used to pop up all the time in the original game.

Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough reason for me to oppose a motion that everyone else was trying to approve.

Honestly, with what immediately came to mind, there was no reason not to wage war against Prosnack.

But the moment I saw the choices, I had no choice but to raise my voice in opposition.

The phrase ‘diplomatic relations with the Prosnack Union severed’ was emphasized in thick, bold red letters.

By the original game’s standards, this was a warning that the player’s empire would pay an unbearable, tremendous price.

In other words, the system was essentially telling me that even in a 4:1 war, defeating Prosnack would be impossible.

‘Is this for real?’

So here I was, in this neatly paused space-time, racking my insufficient brain to somehow prevent war participation in this imperial council meeting.

‘Does this make any sense? How could we possibly lose in a 4:1 fight?’

The problem was what evidence I could present to counter the overwhelming pro-war opinion.

To be blunt, it was impossible to use sympathy as an argument against aliens who turn other species into soap and food.

And using numerical arguments was out since I didn’t know enough myself…

‘What am I supposed to do here?’

If not for the paused situation, I would have been pulling my hair out in frenzy by now.

But thanks to the pause, I had more than enough time.

So I held onto my mental stability as best I could and mobilized all the information and status screens I could remember.

‘…I’m not sure if I’m a minister of Sebelli or a spokesperson for Prosnack…’

Although I questioned my identity during the process, such mental wandering was just part of the flow within the pause.

———————–

Finally, having found my own logical framework and counterarguments, I released the pause and prepared to begin my response.

[Pause Released]

“…let’s hear what you have to say.”

Hearing Artraia’s imperial voice that felt like it had been a week, I stood up to begin my explanation.

“Yes, Your Majesty. First of all, there is no reason for us to fight Prosnack in this war right now.”

“…???”

Of course, this statement drew so much aggression in the Sebelli Empire that I was immediately bombarded with countless hostile glares.

“Not right now? What do you mean?”

“To be more precise… we need to observe the current trend of the war a bit longer.”

As I brought up the cautious approach first, I could see the heads of the existing supporters of prudence nodding slightly.

“Minister! Isn’t that statement simply defeatist talk?!”

“Indeed! Prosnack is our mortal enemy!”

Of course, for the hardliners who believed we had practically reclaimed the northern territories already, this was just another reason to attack me.

“Everyone seems to be forgetting that, regardless of the reason, we actually have no legitimate claim to reclaim the northern region… the current western region of Prosnack.”

“What do you mean, Minister?”

With factual evidence, I took the controller from the moderator and manipulated the briefing screen.

“When our Empire was at war with the Janiradian Republic, it was Prosnack who attacked and seized the Kingdom of Irtelan in Janiradian’s rear.”

“But afterward, Prosnack did not retreat despite Ztrach’s fleet!”

“That’s right, Minister! It was we who developed and seized the star systems beyond!”

Naturally, my words drew fierce criticism from council members who were presumably on the front lines at that time.

“…However, regardless of the process, Prosnack’s fleet ultimately succeeded in annihilating Ztrach’s guerrilla forces and recapturing the former Kingdom of Irtelan.”

After saying this, I manipulated the screen again.

“And because of that, the only corridor connecting the northern region and the mainland… or rather, the territory of the then Janiradian Republic, fell into Prosnack’s hands.”

With my words, the screen displayed the Empire’s ever-expanding territory suddenly being split apart.

“Hmm…”

“Moreover, our fleet was in tatters after the decisive battle with the Janiradian Republic, making a military push impossible. In contrast, Prosnack brought their entire intact main fleet after peace negotiations with the coalition led by the Kerzin Federation.”

When I pointed out the reality of that time, the council members could not refute it.

“Do you think that then or now, with the Empire’s unstable state, we could manage a distant colony that isn’t even physically connected to us?”

As I subtly pointed to the Empire’s only exclave within the Riksi Parliamentary Realm, the silence in the council grew even heavier.

“That’s why the previous Emperor, though it was truly a difficult choice, agreed to cede all the northern territories we had seized in exchange for the promise of Adar system and other territories of the former Janiradian Republic that Prosnack had occupied, plus additional compensation.”

“But Prosnack never delivered the promised compensation!”

“That’s right!”

Seeing the council members ready to pounce on any weakness, I shook my head and said:

“That’s true, but that’s not what’s important right now.”

I then directed the briefing screen’s map to the border region between Prosnack and our Empire.

“As you can see, by joining the Treaty of Irtelan, we have relinquished any territorial claims to Prosnack’s domain.”

“…”

“The same applies to Prosnack… frankly speaking, we have no legitimate claim.”

The Treaty of Irtelan—which had earned us all kinds of curses and deteriorated diplomatic relations with neighboring countries.

As I brought up this issue to show that we had no legitimate cause, everyone present, including Artraia, let out groans.

“But…”

“Even so…”

Despite this, the hardliners continued to cling messily to their position, but…

“Sigh, for now regarding this matter… let’s observe the trend for a while.”

When even the Emperor, who had unintentionally received the strongest blow (to his pride), conceded, what could a mere official say?

“…The Minister of Execution is right. Starting a war without legitimate cause is not a good idea.”

“Thank you for listening to me, Your Majesty.”

However, for the Kerzin ambassador watching this scene, it was apparently quite displeasing.

“…It seems the Holy Sebelli Empire has no intention of participating in this war yet.”

The Kerzin ambassador muttered to himself, deliberately loud enough to be heard.

“I thought you had changed quite a bit, but it seems indecisiveness still remains in Sebelli.”

“…Isn’t caution better than rushing in thoughtlessly?”

“Indeed, so that’s what Sebelli’s caution means.”

As I continued to emphasize prudence toward the ambassador, he showed quite a sharp reaction.

“I look forward to seeing what happens after we deal with that evil Prosnack in this war.”

“…”

“Then, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now.”

With that, the ambassador departed with much less courtesy than when he arrived, and the imperial council once again descended into chaos.

“What are we going to do about this, Minister!”

“In trying to avoid war with Prosnack, it seems we’re now headed for war with the Kerzin Federation!”

‘Yeah, damn it, what am I going to do?’

Having not anticipated this situation, I could only close my eyes and remain still.

‘Don’t expect too much from an ordinary person’s intelligence, alien friends, please.’

Just as I was about to wait it out, thinking things would resolve themselves in time…

“Y-Your Majesty! An envoy from Prosnack has arrived!”

“…What?”

‘???’

Faced with another unexpected situation, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.