Ch.653Leopold’s Day

“The Wall of Berengaria has collapsed!?”

Leopold, who checked the condition under his wig five times a day, felt a chill run simultaneously down his spine and across his scalp when he heard the news brought by the messenger.

For a moment, he felt dizzy.

Whether it was due to the hair follicles that had just collectively chosen death, or because of the news that the wall that had stood firm for hundreds of years had collapsed, he himself couldn’t judge.

“It wasn’t completely destroyed, but rather a portion was deliberately collapsed. I heard they planned to trap and eliminate Orhan, the leader of the Ka’har, beneath it.”

Fortunately for Leopold, the report about the wall’s collapse didn’t mean it had fallen to enemy forces. Rather, it was the opposite. Though it was still shocking news.

“Good heavens, Ludwig…”

Leopold sighed. Even if it was to eliminate the enemy leader, resorting to the extreme measure of collapsing the wall was a strategy that was excessive, even by excessive standards.

‘Was Orhan such a dangerous enemy? Enough to warrant destroying the wall protecting the Empire with our own hands?’

Moreover, it seemed they had failed to eliminate him despite this.

“You say they planned to eliminate him, which means they failed. Even after collapsing the wall…”

“Yes. Orhan lost his left arm during the battle with Lord Median but managed to escape. According to Lord Landenburg’s speculation—”

Leopold listened attentively to the messenger’s report with his chin resting on his hand.

About the possibility of the Ka’har bypassing the wall to target the Empire’s mainland, and the estimated scale of damage if that happened.

It wasn’t a report conducive to good mental health. As usual.

‘So… the ones they tried to stop even by collapsing the wall. The ones against whom even Haschal and Ludwig couldn’t guarantee victory in an open field battle… are now marching toward the Empire’s mainland.’

Just thinking about it made his hair follicles wither.

Receiving the worst reports was already familiar to Leopold. Since his ascension to the throne, messengers bearing good news could be counted on one hand.

However, familiarity did not lessen the shock and stress.

His hair had already declared a permanent strike, and lately, he had to gulp down recovery potions like stomach medicine three times a day.

“…I see. I understand. You may withdraw now.”

“Yes!”

After dismissing the messenger, Leopold rose from his throne in the office as if pushing it away and approached the window. He couldn’t bear his stifling feelings.

The view of the imperial garden below the third-floor window tempted him. It seemed to beckon him to jump from the windowsill and embrace it, promising liberation from all his worries.

It was truly a dizzying temptation.

‘Great Carlos, please protect your descendant…’

Leopold closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and turned away from the window.

He had no intention of giving in to the impulse of free fall. The struggles he had endured so far and the sense of responsibility weighing on his shoulders held him firmly in place.

To prevent him from giving up, even if he might fail.

“Hah…”

Leopold sat back on his throne and began reading through the pile of documents one by one.

Now was not the time to despair and escape reality, but to contemplate solutions to the various problems thrust upon him. As the one responsible for the Empire.

—-

‘Radical elements from the Dragonic Kingdom have invaded Alvheim… fortunately, it proceeded according to plan. It seems some Dragonborn attacked the Holy State’s borders instead, causing disturbances.’

As Leopold himself had planned, the Dragonborn group known as Safa began attacking the northern border of Alvheim, burning forests as they advanced.

That was at least some good news. Even though it was only a portion, now that the Dragonic Kingdom had attacked, the elves would have to deal with a two-front war against both Dwarves and Dragonborn.

‘If elves have any sense, they won’t turn humans into enemies too, creating a three-front war.’

Leopold was confident of this.

‘Were all the Dragonborn who attacked the Holy State repelled? That’s fortunate as well.’

Some Dragonborn from Safa invaded the Holy State’s borders instead of Alvheim, but they were all eliminated by the Paladin Order led by Ceylon of the True Gold.

Since it was the independent action of some extremists, it didn’t escalate into a full-scale war between the Dragonborn and the Holy State.

This was a truly satisfactory outcome for Leopold. Enough to somewhat alleviate his stomach pain.

Leopold took a sip from the teacup on his desk and looked over the next document.

The second document was a response to the asylum offer extended to the Dwarves.

[While we appreciate the Empire’s goodwill, the situation in Himmel has not reached a level where asylum needs to be considered, so we must respectfully decline your offer.]

Though written in a courteous tone, it was a firm rejection, typical of the stubborn Dwarves.

‘A rejection… does this mean they still have strength left? Whether it’s bluff or truth, I’ll need to wait and see.’

It was regrettable that he couldn’t bring the Dwarves into the Empire, but if they could continue their war against the elves, that alone would be satisfactory.

In any case, the possibility of elves attacking the Empire and the Holy State had decreased.

‘Still, there was some progress.’

Leopold’s eyes moved to the bottom of the letter.

In a postscript below the main text, it stated that while they had to decline the asylum offer, they were positively considering the second proposal to expand trade items.

Since the council of great houses had eased export restrictions to foster goodwill with the Empire, while firearms sales were prohibited, limited sales of non-military machines would be possible.

There were conditions such as abolishing tariffs and prohibiting disassembly and reverse engineering of products, but that was enough to satisfy Leopold.

If they could obtain the power engines that the Dwarves called “engines,” it would accelerate the development of airships that had been stagnating due to power issues.

‘Floheta will be pleased. He’ll say we can now set aside the power problem.’

The Archmage Floheta had been racking his brains to develop power sources to keep massive ships afloat in the air, so he would undoubtedly welcome this news.

The researchers at the magic tower who had been dedicated to developing power engines using mana stones might despair that their hard work and research results had become meaningless, but…

‘There’s no reason to care about the circumstances of mere researchers.’

Just as professors are indifferent to the cries of graduate students, Leopold had no interest in the despair of ordinary researchers. Neither would Floheta.

After stamping the imperial seal on the letter he had finished reading, Leopold moved it to the corner of his desk and immediately picked up the next document.

While the first two documents dealt with foreign affairs, the subsequent documents mostly reported on events and issues within the Empire.

Reflecting the Empire’s struggle with war, there wasn’t a single piece of good news.

Leopold quickly reviewed the documents, wrote down alternatives, stamped them, and sorted them repeatedly.

—-

[Two high-level monsters, Deathknights, appeared. Baron Dorens’ domain annihilated.]

‘…I should request cooperation from the General Diocese and dispatch the 4th Knight Division. If there’s no heir to succeed the barony, the assets should be returned to the national treasury.’

Since monsters wouldn’t covet gold and treasures, the wealth accumulated by the baron would remain intact.

After eliminating the monsters and purifying the barony, recovering the wealth would more than cover the costs of dispatching the knights.

[Expected expenditure of the Imperial Army this year, 68% increase compared to the previous year.]

‘As for the budget issue… I’ll bestow the position of Chancellor to Lord Wien to handle it. He’s ambitious but not the type to embezzle from the treasury.’

Lord Wien, though ambitious for power and status, thoroughly carried out his duties due to his pride as a high noble. There was no better person to serve as Chancellor.

If the budget fell short, he would even dip into his personal funds to supplement it.

[Installation of 80 Dragon-Slaying Crossbows on the walls of Extrashafel completed. Effectiveness verification needed.]

‘Verify effectiveness…? How?’

The Dragon-Slaying Crossbow was the name of a special large crossbow created on Haschal’s advice in preparation for dragons appearing in the skies above Extrashafel.

It was a weapon designed to penetrate dragon scales or at least tear their wings to make them crash, but whether it could actually bring down a dragon… couldn’t be verified unless a dragon flew over Extrashafel.

‘As for power and accuracy, we could verify by loading the Dragon-Slaying Crossbows onto carriages and using them experimentally in monster subjugation… but whether this weapon can bring down a dragon won’t be known until a dragon appears.’

Leopold could only hope that the opportunity to verify the effectiveness of the Dragon-Slaying Crossbows would never come.

It was better for the weapons developed and mass-produced at great expense to be treated as useless decorations than for dragons to fly over Extrashafel and burn the islands.

[Flying monsters, about seventy spider-birds, occupied the Berond Forest. Lord Demian and Lady Millia eliminated them. Area purification needed.]

‘…They eliminated seventy spider-birds just the two of them? Indeed, like master, like servant. Despite their young age, they’re remarkably capable… I was right to bestow the greatsword.’

Demian and Millia were staying on the islands, filling in for Haschal’s absence by eliminating monsters appearing near the islands.

Millia’s achievements, in particular, were dazzling.

A master-level archer, unprecedented in the Empire’s history. She was literally like a walking siege weapon.

Even the Knight Order, which had despised archery as a soldier’s role, was now considering developing knight forces specialized in archery.

‘I should consider establishing an archery department at the Academy. Now, what’s the next document… ah, this one.’

[Kamain Forest purification completed. Relic investigation team has begun excavation.]

The Kamain Ruins. The dungeon where the monster named the Knight of Ruin emerged and was subsequently reburied due to the aftermath of its emergence.

‘Haschal’s fire magic was power obtained from those ruins, as was the power wielded by the Knight of Ruin.’

The ruins that bestowed magical power upon Haschal, who had no talent as a mage.

Since the Dane’s magic warriors were also presumed to use magic similar to Haschal’s, it was worth investigating even with considerable manpower.

If they could discover how to bestow magical power upon non-mages, it could solve the Empire’s military power shortage at once.

[Illegal erotic book targeting the Marchioness of Median discovered. All involved arrested. The General Diocese requests the transfer of the criminals.]

Leopold read the report again, doubting his eyes.

‘An erotic book? Of that woman…? They’ve lost their minds. What kind of people would do something so reckless…’

Leopold shook his head and signed the General Diocese’s request.

If the authority to dispose of the criminals was handed over to the Church, they would die after a “purification ritual” prepared with the utmost dedication by the inquisitors, but even if not handed over, their fate wouldn’t be much different.

Leopold also intended to execute them.

It was a wiser choice to kill them before Haschal found out, rather than dealing with her rage upon learning about the erotic book made about her.

—-

Thus, Leopold spent the entire day locked in his office, reading piles of documents one by one, writing responses, until night fell.

It was a daily routine no different from usual.

His hair, too, was falling out gently, no different from usual.

Lack of sleep, overwork, excessive stress, and overuse of recovery potions.

It was an environment where hair follicles couldn’t possibly survive.