Ch.378The Men and Women of the System

[ Leopold’s Office ]

Leopold was certain.

If the emperors of the Empire were lined up in order of misfortune, he would definitely rank among the top five.

It wasn’t because he had to endure criticism for taking a young woman as his wife, yet couldn’t lay a finger on her.

After all, he had married Adelheid for political purposes and harbored no impure desires toward the girl.

‘She’s a woman I mustn’t touch. If she were to become pregnant with a male child, Lord Wien would become my enemy.’

The masters serving under the Duke who currently acted as his bodyguards would transform into assassins as easily as flipping their palms.

From the moment Adelheid gave birth to the next emperor, Leopold himself would be nothing more than a political obstacle to Lord Wien.

For this reason, Leopold had not even consummated his marriage with Adelheid.

Unless Lord Wien fell from power, he had no intention of doing so in the future.

In any case, the golden drizzle of sweat now trickling down Leopold’s forehead had nothing to do with her.

It was because of the Empire’s future.

Despite enduring years of hardship and seizing the divine luck granted to him to achieve his revenge and ascend to the throne, chaos erupted everywhere immediately after his coronation.

Both inside and outside the Empire, everything had fallen into terrible disorder.

Public safety had deteriorated due to civil war, and monster appearances were increasing in frequency.

With only the soldiers and knights of the 3rd Legion available to subjugate them, the troops were suffering from extreme fatigue.

The lords of various regions had also depleted many of their private soldiers during the civil war, making it difficult to even defend their own territories safely.

The vile witch Isabella had been eliminated… but it would take a long time for the wounds she left on the Empire to heal.

However, the world seemed unwilling to grant the Empire such time.

In the north, the Werebeasts had destroyed the northern wall and annihilated two legions, while the eastern border remained in a state of tension, never knowing when the Ka’har armies might attack.

Additionally, diplomatic relations with the Holy State had deteriorated over issues related to the archdiocese, and further west, Alvheim had completely broken its peace treaty with the Empire and was advancing on Himmel, causing natural disasters along the way.

‘A fire giant that melts entire fortresses? Things that should only exist in ancient hero tales, appearing at a time like this…!’

According to reports, it was questionable whether even five Baron of Median could defeat them. It was truly a bleak situation.

He had thought that at least the south, with only human nations, would be free of problems….

—-

“What did you just say? Dane?”

Leopold furrowed his brow and pressed his throbbing temples as he looked down at the subordinate prostrating before him.

“Yes. We have confirmed that warriors from Dane have been secretly entering and leaving the palace of Panam.”

The man, keeping his head bowed, continued his report on the situation in Panam in a grave tone.

He was an utterly unremarkable man with no distinguishing features whatsoever.

Just as Dane had spies infiltrating the Empire, the Empire likewise dispatched spies to gather intelligence on other countries.

The subordinate now prostrating before him was one such agent, an intelligence officer stationed in Panam.

“Dane, Dane… warriors from Dane in the Panam palace…”

Leopold muttered, and the intelligence officer offered no response.

His role was merely to report the facts. Making judgments was beyond his authority.

‘First that arrogant letter, and now they’re openly meeting with Dane… Has King Danon gone mad?’

Secretly inviting warriors from another country into the royal palace. And not just any country, but one that had rejected the Empire’s order.

Anyone could see this was an act full of anti-imperial intent.

‘Does he intend to break the alliance with the Empire and side with Dane? What value could that small country possibly have?’

Even though the Empire’s power had greatly weakened, it hadn’t declined to the point of being comparable to Dane.

Once the situation stabilized, the Empire could handle both countries attacking simultaneously. It hardly seemed like a wise decision.

‘There were no reports that King Danon of Panam had lost his mind. True, he was obsessed with women… but he should still have enough judgment to distinguish between profit and loss. This means… there must be something in Dane. Something valuable enough for King Danon to risk hostility with the Empire. We need to strengthen our intelligence personnel in Dane.’

Having reached his conclusion, Leopold addressed the still-prostrating intelligence officer.

“So, how is Eleonora faring now?”

Eleonora.

His sister who had been sold off to the King of Panam under the pretext of a political marriage, due to Isabella’s machinations.

Though he didn’t show it much, Leopold was deeply concerned for her well-being.

Now that Panam was openly taking an anti-imperial stance, Eleonora, a former imperial princess, would be more like a hostage or prisoner than a queen.

“About that…”

The intelligence officer hesitated, seemingly unsure how to broach the subject.

It was an unusually hesitant response that surprised even Leopold.

“Your answer is delayed. Since when did you have the authority to judge the importance of matters?”

Leopold, perplexed by the intelligence officer’s hesitation, urged him on.

‘Is it something so difficult to tell me? Surely she hasn’t died?’

Under Leopold’s stern rebuke, the intelligence officer bowed his head deeply and hastily reported what he knew.

“I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty! Please excuse my error!”

“I will forgive you, so report. What has happened to Eleonora?”

“Yes. Princess Eleonora is currently secluded in Panam’s separate palace. More precisely, she is forbidden from going out under the pretext of seclusion.”

“…Confinement, then. Yes, that sounds like something King Danon would do. But is that all? If that were the extent of it, you wouldn’t have hesitated to answer.”

The intelligence officer bit his lip tightly and spoke in a trembling voice.

“According to my deputy’s report… the… the Dane warriors who visit the palace… at night they head to the separate palace where the Princess resides…”

– Crack!

The quill pen in Leopold’s hand shattered into pieces.

His breathing became rough, and veins bulged at his temples.

“Is… this… true…?”

Leopold asked through gritted teeth.

A fury hot enough to make fallen hair grow back again was heating up his mind.

Warriors secretly visiting the princess’s chambers at night.

Leopold was not naive enough to misunderstand what this meant.

“…Yes. It is.”

The intelligence officer understood the implication as well.

King Danon had thrown his wife, an imperial princess, to the warriors of Panam as an entertainer!

It could only be described as madness.

Whether it was because he had grown tired of Eleonora, or an expression of perverted desires, was unknown.

“I see. It’s true. So that’s how it is. That madman Danon, that old fool, dared to do such a thing…!”

Before the emperor who was displaying volcanic anger, the intelligence officer could only tremble in fear.

Emperor Leopold the Radiant.

Due to his apparent manipulation by the noble faction led by Lord Wien, many had forgotten, but Leopold’s close associates remembered.

That he was a man who, from the precarious position of a crown prince who could be eliminated at any moment… had turned all his enemies into dew on the execution ground and ascended to the throne in just half a year.

All those who had hindered his ascension to the throne, all who had been his enemies, had ultimately been defeated and perished.

Though it didn’t receive much attention due to the chaos of the northern wall’s collapse, the families connected to Isabella currently had not even children remaining.

They had all been executed or assassinated.

The nobles of Leopold’s faction thought it was orchestrated by Lord Wien, but in fact, it was Leopold himself who had ordered that not even a fetus be left alive.

“…Mobilize all agents in Panam to prepare to secure Eleonora’s person. It seems old Danon has grown tired of life, so as his brother-in-law, I should properly help him.”

It was the moment King Danon’s assassination was decided.

=======[ Lacy ]=======

The Archbishop’s office in the Extrashafel Cathedral.

The office that had originally been used by the Archbishop of Trier naturally became Lacy’s property after he transformed into a burnt pig.

Lacy had completely gutted the interior of the office and renovated it into her own room through construction.

Her reason was that even the air in a space inhabited by such a vile person was dirty and impious.

‘A month… that’s too long.’

Lacy put down the letter she had been reading and let out a light sigh.

A month. Considering the distance between the east, the islands, and the Holy State, it would actually take about two months to reach the Holy State.

It was far too long a time.

The movements of the Holy State were extremely suspicious, and the war in the west was intensifying by the moment.

Being beyond the border, she couldn’t obtain detailed information, but even the fragmentary reports were enough to make her skin crawl.

‘It’s like… the return of the Age of Heroes.’

Giants of fire, rock, and lightning controlled by fairies.

It was like something straight out of ancient legends, from the Tales of Carlos the Great.

Lacy took a sip of holy water to suppress her rising impatience.

She wanted to head to the Holy State immediately and propose an attack on Alvheim’s expedition, but… she knew well.

Without Haschal’s protection, her chances of surviving a journey to the Holy State were not particularly high.

So now she had to wait. There was no choice.

While martyrdom for faith was one thing, causing failure through impatience and dying a dog’s death would be utterly disrespectful to Elpinel who had chosen her.

Having set aside her lingering thoughts, Lacy rummaged through the old documents she had placed beside her desk.

Books and manuscripts recording history from 800 years ago or earlier.

She had thoroughly searched the cathedral’s library to gather these documents.

How could the fairies have become so powerful? And so suddenly at that.

To find out the reason.

Incidentally, she also intended to properly interpret the ancient phrase that Haschal had asked about before.

She hadn’t been able to pay attention to it until now because she had been so busy.

‘Alföðr… the notation itself is similar to ancient Dane language… Alfur? Alforor?’

Lacy tilted her head and carefully read through books about the ancient Dane people.

Some of them were designated as forbidden books, but there was no priest in the Empire who could stop the Archbishop from reading them.

And then she found it.

/…The men who identified themselves as Dane had a completely different faith from ours. They claimed that there were only four true gods in this world…/

‘Four gods. Similar to the impious ancient god faith.’

The four ancient gods designated as heretical faiths by the Church of Eleven Gods.

Ymir of the Heavens, Nerthus of the Earth, Wodanaz of War, and Skadi of Winter.

Lacy frowned at the passage reminiscent of them and read the next page.

/…Their chief deity was a god who presided over war, considered a great guardian who granted people the strength to face their enemies. The Dane people I met called this god by this name: the father of all things, Alfodhr. It was a name I had never heard before./

Alfodhr (Alföðr).

The word matching the phrase Haschal had shown her was written there.