Ch.802Disposal of Remains

The issue of the airship crash could be passed off as the Magic Tower’s responsibility, but the reports that followed were troublesome even for Leopold.

‘What family heirloom could she possibly be looking for in the vast Sky Mountains….’

After successfully completing the dragon subjugation he had requested, she was free to do whatever she wanted, wherever she wanted… but he still found it difficult to suppress a sigh.

Haschal’s absence. It meant that all the scheduled events requiring her attendance would have to be postponed.

Ludwig Wilhelm von Landenburg’s funeral, negotiations with the Church of Astraea, the official recognition of Landenburg’s independence, and the redrawing of borders. None of these matters could proceed without her presence.

‘I thought I was controlling her independent movements… was that just my delusion?’

In truth, Leopold had been able to direct Haschal according to his will until now. At least, that’s what he believed.

Since Haschal showed little interest in politics, domestic affairs, or diplomacy, she tended to accept Leopold’s explanations and solutions at face value whenever such issues arose.

However, her current actions clearly deviated from that pattern.

The usual Haschal would have returned to the capital immediately after defeating Nidhogg to handle the backlog of scheduled matters. This time, however, she had postponed all pending matters to embark on an indefinite search for some family heirloom.

‘…What is she thinking?’

Leopold tried to run his fingers through his hair out of old habit, but the unfamiliar sensation of the fake hair caused him to feel an emptiness somewhere in his chest.

In reality, what was empty wasn’t his chest but his hair follicles, but still.

‘Starting to act independently at a time like this. And with such an absurd pretext of exploring the Sky Mountains to find some family treasure or whatever. I simply cannot fathom her intentions. What could she possibly be after…?’

With fingers trembling from mental anguish, Leopold adjusted his crooked wig and tried to understand why Haschal was behaving so differently from before… but no matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t find an answer.

Countless hypotheses flashed through his mind, but each one seemed more implausible than the last.

‘No, surely… surely not that.’

Except for one possibility.

‘They say she’s a woman who cares about nothing but war and subjugation, but even so. Surely she couldn’t have forgotten about her stepfather’s funeral….’

If, by any chance, Haschal had completely forgotten the reason why she needed to return to the capital immediately, it would explain why she was rummaging through snowy mountains at a time like this.

Leopold didn’t want to believe that the Empire’s strongest warrior and future queen could be so scatterbrained, but…

As is often the case in life, the truth is usually closest to what we least want to believe.

In reality, Haschal had long since completely forgotten about Ludwig’s funeral.

Not because her character was so twisted that she wouldn’t show even a modicum of respect for the death of her nominal stepfather, but simply because she mistakenly assumed that Leopold would have already taken care of the funeral arrangements.

—-

The remains of the Earth Dragon recovered by the Empire were distributed according to Leopold’s orders, proportional to the contribution to its subjugation.

Four-tenths went to Haschal and the Five Swords as the primary contributors to the subjugation. One-tenth went entirely to Asha, who had severed the dragon’s waist with artillery fire at a critical moment.

Of the remaining five-tenths, two-tenths were donated to the Holy State, which had dispatched the Holy Corps to support Haschal’s group, and the remaining three-tenths were reclaimed as imperial property.

It was a satisfactory reward for everyone except Floheta, who received only bills instead of dragon remains and collapsed while clutching the back of his neck.

“How do you intend to dispose of the remains?”

“What do you mean, how? We’ll keep what we need and sell the rest. Aren’t there people all over the world who would pay any price for dragon remains?”

In response to the question from Lord Wien, who had developed permanent dark circles under his eyes since being appointed Chancellor, Leopold sipped his wine and smiled gently.

“We’ll keep one-tenth for the records, and distribute the remaining two-tenths among the Dragonic Kingdom, Himmel, and the nobles within the Empire. For an appropriate price, of course.”

The Empire had secured 30% of the total remains.

Leopold planned to keep only 10% and sell the rest, replenishing the depleted treasury while also seeking political advantages.

Three percent would go to the Dragonborn who called themselves the Orthodox Faction, and one percent to those who called themselves the Heterodox Faction.

This ratio was designed to placate the Heterodox Faction, which had lost much of its strength, while also emphasizing to the Orthodox Faction that opposing the Empire would only result in losses.

Additionally, if the Orthodox Faction, who would receive three times more remains, used this advantage to suppress the Heterodox Faction, that would be perfect.

“I doubt such results can be achieved with merely four percent of the total remains…”

“We cannot provide any more than that. Unlike dwarves, who would use dragon remains for engineering purposes, the Dragonborn are known to be able to enhance their military power through dragon remains.”

That’s why only 4% of the total remains would be provided to the Dragonic Kingdom.

Even if they offered enough gold to fill the imperial palace and more, Leopold had no intention of providing any more remains.

“Whether that’s actually true or just their superstition, I cannot say… but if such a possibility exists, we should avoid strengthening a potential enemy as much as possible.”

If they were to hand over massive amounts of remains only to have Dragonborn warriors comparable to hero-class knights emerge, the Empire would regret it bitterly.

—-

“Half of the remains left after selling to the Dragonic Kingdom will be auctioned to our domestic nobles. The remains of an Earth Dragon subjugated by the Saint of Order herself—people will line up to buy them if we put them up for auction.”

This was a method to legally reclaim the nobles’ wealth and fill the imperial treasury.

If they tried to increase taxes to boost the treasury, all the lords would unanimously oppose it. But if they auctioned off the bones of a dragon subjugated by the Saint, not only would there be no opposition, but the nobles would be begging for more.

In truth, dragon remains were of little use to individual lords.

At most, they could display them as decorative souvenirs or craft a few weapons and pieces of armor.

But aren’t nobles precisely the type of people who cannot resist such luxuries?

For a piece of bone from a dragon subjugated by the Saint—something with no practical value but immense symbolic significance—they would gladly open their wallets wide.

—-

“Himmel wants technical support rather than treasure in exchange… I’m not sure if those stubborn dwarves will agree. What do you think? I’d like to hear your opinion as Chancellor.”

“…It’s difficult to give you a definitive answer. However, considering their cooperation in the production of airships, I cannot say the possibility is entirely non-existent.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Leopold nodded in agreement, then pulled out a document from the pile on his desk and handed it to Lord Wien.

It was an appointment letter bearing the royal seal—a certificate delegating all negotiation rights regarding dragon remains with Himmel to Lord Wien.

“I’ll leave the negotiations with Himmel to you. Try to break the dwarves’ stubbornness with the dragon remains.”

“Yes. As the Empire’s Chancellor, I will devote myself to achieving the best possible outcome.”

Lord Wien bowed his head while uttering these perfunctory words. His eyes, looking down at his feet, were clouded with fatigue rather than the ambition of before.

For Lord Wien, whose life goal was to elevate his family’s status and power, obtaining the position of Imperial Chancellor was an unparalleled joy, but…

That joy was short-lived.

The position of Chancellor, once attained, was not about enjoying power but shouldering responsibilities so heavy they could bend one’s back.

Perhaps it would have been different in the peaceful and powerful Empire of years past, but the current Empire was like an old tree on the verge of collapse, worn down by all manner of hardships.

What awaited Lord Wien upon becoming Chancellor was nothing but mountains of paperwork and the responsibility to somehow stabilize the faltering Empire.

He couldn’t abandon his duties. The House of Wien was now essentially sharing its fate with the Imperial House.

He himself was the Empire’s Chancellor, his daughter the Empress, and his future grandchild would ascend as the next Emperor.

If the Empire regained its former glory, the House of Wien would also grow stronger; if the Empire fell, the House of Wien would collapse as well.

So what choice did Lord Wien have but to work day and night to stabilize the faltering Empire?

Unconsciously touching his increasingly expanding forehead, Lord Wien inwardly heaved a deep sigh and prayed.

That he would not be visited by the “Blessing of Radiance” like Leopold.

A few strands of hair from the back of his head were caught by the wind and floated high into the sky like dandelion seeds.