Chapter 100: Interlude – Those Who Stray from Their Path

For that man…

Success could only be attained by walking a different path from others.

Endlessly pursuing novelty, endlessly stoking his ambitions.

That was the method to grasp what he defined as success.

And as a result, he came to possess things beyond the imaginations of those who had started from the same circumstances.

Having spent his youth as a minor nobleman in Bohemia after losing his parents, he never let any opportunities to change his life slip by once reaching adulthood.

It began with marrying a wealthy widow – deemed an unsuitable match for a young man – thereby inheriting her vast fortune.

People dismissed it merely as a stroke of luck… or perhaps the consequence of excessive greed.

Yet despite attaining a life of comfort others would be content to settle for, he found no satisfaction in it – the very notion of complacency utterly foreign to him.

Lands and wealth sufficient to sustain his descendants for generations.

Merely five years into his marriage, he unhesitatingly sold it all upon his wife’s demise, promptly embarking on his true ‘venture.’

One that would eventually grant him wealth and power beyond imagination…

It was inextricably linked to a particular policy enacted by the newly-crowned Holy Emperor.

A decree stripping all heretical sect leaders and lords within the Holy Empire of their lands and properties – to be sold at bargain prices to the Church’s faithful.

Openly reflecting the Emperor’s resolve that any who refused the Church must forsake everything, this policy took effect across his dominions and Church strongholds.

The areas most devastated were the Bohemian territories and central regions once dominated by heretical factions – the first to capitulate before the Emperor’s might.

Per the decree, countless holdings were forcibly seized by the state and rapidly put on the market at rock-bottom prices.

From the Emperor’s perspective, it achieved the dual purpose of subjugating the reviled heretics while funding his military’s reinforcement to restore domestic order.

Yet the individual who truly reaped the greatest windfall was ‘him’ – one who had keenly anticipated this very opportunity.

Born and raised a Bohemian heretic himself, he had embraced the Church’s faith during his upbringing. Swiftly ingratiating himself with the Emperor, he purchased all the bargain territories until vast swaths of the heretic-controlled central Empire passed into his possession.

However, even such resounding success brought him no contentment.

With his newly-acquired vast, fertile domains…

Rather than mere agriculture, he established factories mass-producing goods not just for the Empire, but exports across the entire continent.

Amassing wealth unimaginable to ordinary lords.

And utilizing this immense fortune, he ventured into further unprecedented endeavors.

With capital resources rivaling a nation’s treasury at his disposal…

He constructed armament factories, recruiting a private workforce dedicated to producing everything from bread and rations to pikes, swords, shields, armor and even magic staves.

Arming this workforce under his command…

He patiently bided his time for the moment to etch his name into history’s annals.

That man…

Alfred von Wallenstein steadily cultivated his strength, awaiting the destined hour to make his grand entrance.

The Dragonian Empire.

The continent’s supreme power dominating the eastern realms, its sphere of influence ever-expanding westward.

Yet in this very moment…

To the woman named Sophia Cazeros, this great nation felt suffocating – a stifling cage barely fit to contain her restless spirit.

“Haaah…”

Within the opulent confines of her quarters – rivaling a royal palace in grandeur – Cazeros exhaled a weary sigh while clad in the crisp attire of a Paladin Knight.

Observing her in this state was another woman bearing an uncanny resemblance, save for ruby-red eyes in place of Cazeros’s sapphire gaze. With palpable concern, she addressed her:

“Just how long do you intend to carry on like this? I shall reiterate – no matter how stubbornly you persist, it shall avail you naught. The Emperor will never permit it, nor shall I.”

“Then release me from this place. If that is unacceptable, I have no further reason to remain here.”

“Again with such talk… Cazeros, I implore you once more – accept who and what you truly are. You are no mere Paladin serving that vile Church! The bloodline you carry is…”

“His Majesty has always preached that each being’s merits and abilities alone should determine their rightful privileges, has he not? Regardless of my lineage, it matters not. Having read the sacred texts and glimpsed the Lord’s divine mercy, I am entitled to walk that exalted path.”

“Haaah…”

Heaving a weighty sigh, she firmly grasped Cazeros’s hands, her voice tinged with desperation:

“…Please, let us put an end to such talks of faith. Have you not already been excommunicated by the very Church? Surely you must realize how empty those notions of piety and devotion ring by now. Why still cling to such delusions?”

Though her imploring held great urgency, Cazeros’s expression remained stoically resolute as she responded:

“…True, I have grown disillusioned with the Church and relinquished any attachments to it. Yet I still have one I can believe in and follow – one who genuinely walks the path, unlike the hypocrites of the Church…”

“Enough, you speak again of that Bohemian man? I shall say it once more – renounce him. No matter your feelings, his existence runs counter to the Empire’s interests.”

Her tone stern and unyielding, prompting Cazeros to raise her voice in vehement refusal:

“I cannot do that. To forsake him is something I could never accept, even at the cost of my very life! Even you, Mother, should under…”

“You and I are in completely different circumstances! At the very least, my marriage to your father never jeopardized the nation!”

“I care not for such things, nor do I wish to shoulder such obligations. Have I not already made myself clear? Consider your youngest daughter dead to you!”

“Cazeros!”

Enraged by her transgressive words, the other woman’s furious shout triggered an explosive burst of mana rippling through the chamber.

Yet Cazeros did not flinch, rising from her seat to meet her domineering gaze.

“I shall state it once more – I have no desire to remain your puppet any longer. My very presence here was solely for his sake. I shall live my life as I choose, so cease your interference. Am I understood, Duchess?!”

With that defiant declaration, Cazeros stormed out – leaving the woman powerless to dissuade her relentless pursuit of any chances to escape.

She…

Catleena Sophia Raimonde, ruling duchess of this ancient Dragonian capital and second city of the empire…

Could only watch her obstinate ‘daughter’ with profound exasperation, as always.

‘Truly, where did that mulish streak come from? He claims it was inherited from me, but I was never so incorrigible in my youth…’