episode_0006

Katarina von Edelhardt. Although he comes from the aristocratic Edelhardt family, he is a person who walks a different path from the aristocratic clan.

As a person with extraordinary abilities and extraordinary ambition, the reason she participated in today’s ball was for political advancement.

That was to break up with the clan nobles and start a new line. The line called Binet Franz. But why are you in front of me instead of going to Viné Franz?

“Isn’t this Mr. Georges Brestmeier?”

“That’s right.”

“Ah, that’s right. Otherwise, what should I do? Is this the first time since you saw it when you were fifteen?”

Did you see it when you were fifteen? Since I’m not Georges Brestmeier, I should be able to tell if I saw it as a child or not. First of all, should I just keep my mouth shut here?

“… ”

As I stayed still, Katarina seemed embarrassed and continued to talk to me.

“I heard you decided on a major this time. Moreover, the commander’s strategy was effective. The knights have a great reputation. It was said that his commanding ability was comparable to that of Binet Franz.”

“Is that so?”

“In fact, it is much more of a political victory than a tactical victory. Think about it. Why didn’t Vinnet annihilate the rebels? It’s obvious. If all the rebels disappear, there will be no need to focus on your own. That’s because the way to become more successful than our central nobility is disappearing. Because it is more advantageous for Biene Franz to keep the rebels’ line alive longer.”

“Hmm… Really?”

This is my first time hearing this. Now that I think about it, it seems like it might be true. Did you say Tosagu top? They say that when the hunt is over, the hunting dogs are eaten. Just like Han Xin from Cho Hanji did.

“So I sent the rebels alive on purpose, but Mr. Georges… illustration. Lord Breastmire annihilated the retreating rebels and even captured their leaders. So, from Biene Franz’s perspective, even if he pretends to be calm, he will still feel sick. A perfect victory was right in front of us, but that perfect victory was reduced to a half victory. The other half… ”

“I shared it.”

“Yes. That’s how it happened.”

Indeed, in the game’s story, he is said to be Vinnet Franz’s trickster, and he seems to be smarter than I thought. In my case, even though I was good at games, I wasn’t particularly good at politics, so I had no idea about this area. Thanks to Katarina, I found out some good information.

“For Biene Franz, it must be heartbreaking. Because we have to share the cooked rice. From the perspective of us central nobles, we feel like we want to hold a festival. I’d like to open some champagne, but should I do that after the prom is over?”

“… ”

This is a little different from what I expected.

“Wasn’t Vinnet friendly to Franz?”

weird. In the original history, this woman became Binet Franz’s only ally and gave him strength.

“Yes? Me? Why?”

“That’s right, Vinet Franz is a hero of his time… ”

“Uh… It’s true that I thought about that a little bit. I am a central noble, and if possible, it would be better for other central nobles to join hands, right? If we feel that there is a desperate lack of talent among the central nobles, we should at least take Binet Franz’s hand, but we also have a talented person named Brestmire, so is there really a need to hold Binet Franz’s hand?”

“So, you won’t join hands with Binet Franz?”

“Shall I write a memorandum?”

Her expression looked so serious. It didn’t seem like it was a lie.

“No. That’s it.”

Even after that, she didn’t really approach Vinnet Franz. Vinet Franz emptied his drink alone until the end. It was going completely differently from the original history. Did you say it was the butterfly effect? My small actions were bringing about big changes in history.

While I was thinking that, the emperor appeared accompanied by gorgeous music. All the nobles in the room knelt on one knee and bowed their heads towards the emperor. After the Emperor’s formal greetings, the Chamberlain called Vinnet Franz’s name.

“Your Excellency Count Binet Franz!”

After the Chamberlain’s name was called, Vinnet Franz approached the front of the throne, stepping on the luxurious red carpet that hundreds of technicians had woven over decades. Everyone’s eyes were focused on Vinnet Franz. The men’s gaze was stinging, and the women’s gaze was hot.

The Emperor looked at Vinnet Franz’s face for a long time. When some nobles were worried that the emperor might be a homosexual, the emperor spoke up.

“Looks similar.”

“Yes?”

“Looks like Countess Franz.”

Countess Franz refers to Ecdel Franz, the older sister of Vinnet Franz. Ecdel Franz became the emperor’s concubine when she was young, and she still enjoys the emperor’s favor. Of course, no one can know whether you are satisfied with your situation.

Vinnet Franz bowed his head at the emperor’s words. The emperor and other nobles accepted it as a sign of gratitude, but the reality was different. Vinnet Franz was furious. The emperor almost kidnapped Ecdel. Still, he wanted to sew up the mouth of the emperor who said he looked like Ecdel.

Viné Franz’s eyes seemed to be burning. However, because he immediately lowered his head, no one could see Binet Franz’s expression.

And when Wiene Franz raised his head again, his expression was feigning serenity.

“I am very sorry, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor and Vinnet Franz chatted for a while. Most of the time, it took the form of the emperor asking about Binet Franz’s recent trends and Binet Franz answering. And before long, we got to the point.

“Count Binet Franz.”

“Yes.”

“What do you want, a title or a rank?”

A title refers to one’s status as a nobleman, and rank refers to one’s rank in the military. The emperor was asking now. Would you rather succeed as a nobleman or a soldier? And Binet Franz’s answer was decided from the beginning.

“I want rank.”

What Biene Franz wants is revenge. That was all there was from the beginning. That’s why I didn’t want anything like territory or protocol from the beginning. What he wants are soldiers who can move right away. Therefore, what he wanted was actual power within the military.

“Bine Franz. Since your major is big, I’ll give you both. I will promote you to duke and promote you to captain in the imperial army. I will also assume the position of commander of the eastern sector of the empire.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty!”

The nobles shouted, but the emperor raised his hand to stop them. It was such an unconventional greeting. It can be said that it was promoted to the Duke of Duchess. Promotion to captain can also be like that. However, entrusting the eastern sector to the army was no different from entrusting one-fifth of the imperial army. Now 20% of the imperial army was under the command of Biene Franz.

‘Is this part going according to history? ‘

Lee Si-hyeon thought. This part was said to be the same as the original history. In the story of the game, Vinet Franz becomes commander of the Eastern Army with this victory and takes control of 20% of the Imperial Army. And that 20% mark was the beginning of Binet Franz’s full-fledged career.

However, there was something that Lee Si-hyeon did not know.

“Georges Brestmaier.”

The emperor called Li Si-hyeon’s name. Lee Si-hyeon, who was dazed for a moment, tried to get up late but tripped and almost fell. Some nobles couldn’t hold back their laughter, but soon realized they were on the same side and composed their expressions.

“You… He is planning to inherit the dukedom from his father. If we add an operation committee here, the balance of power will not be right.”

I feel anxious. Still, even though I made a major, it doesn’t mean they won’t give me anything, right? If it doesn’t work out, I wish they would at least give me money.

“But if you don’t give any awards, you’re saying the major you achieved is great?”

When the emperor looked at the chamberlain, the chamberlain whispered in the emperor’s ear.

“Captivated a man named Reinhard von Eppenstein. This man is the leader of a vicious rebel army that has been rebelling against the empire for five generations. Now that someone like this has been caught, the morale of the rebels will drop significantly.”

“A person like that was caught… You probably need a big prize. Then let’s do it like this.”

The emperor paused for a moment and spoke.

“We appointed Franz as the commander of the Eastern Army, so let’s appoint Georges Brestmaier as the commander of the Northern Army.”

“Yes?”

“That can’t be possible!”

This time the nobles were surprised in a different way. This is because the Northern Army, like the Eastern Army, was an army with 20% of the imperial army. Rather, in terms of combat power alone, the northern army could be seen as stronger.

Moreover, from a logical point of view, Viné Franz was originally a lieutenant general, so it is not strange that he was promoted to general and commander of the Eastern Army. But Georges Brestmaier was different. He was a person with no particular rank in the military. That’s because he didn’t graduate from a military school like Wiene Franz, nor did he play an active role at the front. His only performance was this one, where he led the family’s private army out and captured the leader of the rebel army. But what about the commander of a local army? Isn’t this not only an unconventional greeting, but also a ridiculous greeting?

“Dissatisfied?”

Nevertheless, none of the nobles expressed any dissatisfaction. Rather, it was a welcome gesture. This is because Binet Franz was of the opposing faction to the clan aristocrats who controlled the empire’s cabinet, and Georges Brestmaier was of the same faction as the clan aristocrats. Only Vinnet Franz glared at Georges with a bug-bitten expression, and the other nobles said nothing.

“If no one objects, let’s proceed like this. In this battle, Vinnet Franz, who made a major achievement of defeating the enemy through a surprise attack, was appointed commander of the Eastern Army, and Georges Brestmaier was appointed commander of the Northern Army. Let the two generals continue to work hard for the empire.”

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

And until Lee Si-hyeon left the ballroom, Viné Franz, who became the commander of the Eastern Army, glared at Lee Si-hyeon, who had become his new rival.

—–

“Your Majesty. Where would you like to pay?”

“Go to Aries Villa.”

“Would you like to go see Countess Franz today?”

“Should I hear from someone else that my younger brother has succeeded?”

The servant thought. Rather, he said it might be better to hear it from someone else’s mouth. Countess Franz did not like the Emperor. The only one who didn’t realize that fact was the emperor.

And while the carriage was moving for a while, the emperor suddenly asked:

“Do you also find my choice surprising?”

Although it was a sudden remark, the servant was able to clearly understand the emperor’s intention. That’s because the emperor has been serving it for over 50 years since he was a teenager.

“I understand.”

“Is that so? That’s it then.”

The emperor had a vague idea. The fact that Vinnet Franz hates himself. Nevertheless, the reason he did not get rid of Binet Franz was because he loved Binet Franz’s older sister, Ecdel Franz, so much. This is because it was obvious that the moment Beene Franz was eliminated, Ecdel Franz would be hated.

Therefore, the emperor needed a counterpart to keep Binet Franz in check while promoting him. And at that moment, the person who appeared was Georges Brestmaier.