episode_0019

A few weeks before Ismail heard the news.

The Doge’s office in the Helvetian Republic.

“Another new work? [Leviathan], a unique name.”

Once the ruler of the Helvetian Republic, and now with a significant portion of the peninsula in his grasp, the Doge.

Enrico Dandolo smiled as he looked at a book.

His voice tries to sound solemn, but he is subtly excited, clearly showing his delight.

It wasn’t wrong, actually.

He was genuinely looking forward to this book coming out.

More precisely, the new work by the author Ismail.

‘After teaching about the nation and conscription, what knowledge will he gift me this time?’

All of Ismail’s works published so far have greatly aided the Helvetian Republic and his power.

The Prince and Social Contract Theory helped the republic build a strong army despite its weak physique, and improved its war-fighting capabilities.

Even guys who usually hated fighting were filled with fighting spirit and clamoring for war. Getting help from fellow national states was a bonus.

Thanks to that, even with a considerable number of soldiers dead and huge amounts of money spent, Helvetia was able to continue the war without problems.

Can you believe it? Just one pamphlet and two books fundamentally changed the country’s tenacity, physical strength, and diplomatic relations.

‘The Art of War was truly revolutionary. No matter how many times I read it, I’m amazed.’

That’s not all.

The Art of War that followed was also amazing.

He must have thought the content wasn’t worth selling, as he only received a few copies as gifts, but he felt that was a good thing.

Prioritizing priorities in war, devising means to destroy the enemy’s combat power, and learning tips for efficient tactical judgment.

The Helvetian Republic, which was close to being a weak country, had collected the essence of knowledge that was difficult to learn.

It was full of military secrets that could only be acquired after experiencing several battles and accumulating rich experience.

In a sense, it was a collection of information more valuable than a thousand gold pieces.

‘I heard the generals stayed up all night reading it after it was distributed.’

Thanks to that, the Helvetian army’s win rate has increased considerably since the book was distributed.

It used to be around 40%, but now it’s around 60-70%. The exchange ratio has also increased, so now the enemy dies two or three times as often as we do.

So, what kind of content will be included this time?

Blueprints for new weapons? A grand strategy for future victories? Or the untold inside story of the enemy?

Whatever it is, it will be beneficial to this country. He wouldn’t try to screw me over now, would he?

The Doge, who already trusts Ismail through his past experiences, opened the book with a pounding heart.

[The state is like an artificial human stronger than a natural person. Sovereignty is the soul that gives life and movement to the whole, politicians and other administrative officials are the joints, rewards and punishments are the nerves, and individual wealth and property are strength.

And the monarch is like the brain that controls all of this. A country without a righteous monarch can never last long.]

[Without the means of law, anyone can break a contract based on their own advantages and disadvantages, and inevitably national chaos is triggered. The only way to escape this chaos is to firmly punish violations of the contract through the control of law.]

He read silently from beginning to end in his seat.

Carefully, without missing a single letter or word.

It took him about half a day to finish reading.

The Doge closed his eyes and pondered the contents for a moment, then after much deliberation, barely uttered a word.

“Radical.”

It was the first time he’d seen a book that advocated for the need to strengthen royal power and centralize power in this way.

Usually, they argue for legitimacy by borrowing the authority of God (divine right of kings), but they don’t even think about the perspective of contracts and human nature.

“The clergy might foam at the mouth if they saw this.”

Those who try to interpret everything in the world through faith and belief probably won’t accept it.

They’ll say that the Goddess appoints the dynasties of each country and cares for humanity, so what kind of contract are you talking about?

They’ll throw a fit, calling it heresy and blasphemous forbidden book.

[We humans have never given the leaders of the church coercive power. The power we have given them is only the power to make known the words of the Goddess, to persuade people to obey those words, and to teach with teachings and advice how to go to heaven.

Priests and bishops are teachers, not commanders, and their teachings should be remembered as helpful advice, not law.]

He even attacked them openly like this.

The tone is polite and does not criticize religion itself, but the content is nothing short of a sore spot for the privileged clergy.

There’s no way they’d accept the argument that their power should be limited.

Enrico Dandolo, who didn’t have much faith, could see quite a few expressions that were seriously dangerous.

If he went around talking about this carelessly, he wouldn’t just get scolded by the priests, he might be dragged to the Inquisition.

‘But this is useful. It only contains things that benefit me.’

However, it was different from Enrico’s point of view.

He is a lifelong dictator elected through indirect elections.

Although he has some authority, he does not have the legitimacy that comes from sanctity or lineage like a typical dynasty.

Even if he goes outside, he is respected as the leader of the country, but he is not treated as a noble.

Therefore, there was no reason to care about the divine right of kings or the Goddess’s recognition.

In the first place, there is no connection and it is impossible to obtain it.

But, from the point of view of wanting to create a hereditary dynasty someday, he needed a basis to justify his accession… who knew such a windfall would come along.

‘A throne established through the support of the citizens and social agreement, huh. Not bad.’

All that’s needed is to be properly endorsed.

No help from the clergy or recognition from the Goddess is needed, it’s over once the people acknowledge it.

Opposition from republicans and external opposition can also be repelled under the guise of the will of the people.

“I should start building my reputation from now on.”

Now that he has a good logic, it seemed necessary to gradually build up.

He needed to gain support not only from this republic, but also from the seized Holy Emperor Territory and the Haikal Kingdom. He would need to make his name known and gather fame in advance.

First of all… shall we change the name of the position?

The Helvetian Republic uses a dialect, so some words are different from standard Helvetian.

Considering this, if the Doge’s title were changed…

“Duce.”

The great leader of the Helvetian Republic, Duce.

That was Enrico Dandolo’s new title.

* * * * *

“He’s doing all sorts of strange things. Does he want attention?”

“Perhaps. According to local reports, he has a great desire for honor and fame.”

I was a little surprised to hear a familiar name suddenly, but when I thought about it, it wasn’t a big problem.

He didn’t overturn the system, he just changed the name.

Whether Enrico will become like Mussolini or not is something we can keep an eye on.

“Instead, please tell me about other countries. What are the reactions in the Elaine Kingdom or the Kram Empire?”

“Surprisingly, it doesn’t seem too bad. It’s not mentioned publicly because of the sensitive expressions, but…”

Leviathan didn’t cause the same heated reaction as the pamphlet I wrote for the first time or the 115-article rebuttal.

Nevertheless, it seems to have had some political influence.

Apparently, in the Elaine Kingdom, royalist nobles are using the logic of the book.

Since they are at odds with the Holy See due to the war, they seem to be using it to defend the monarch instead of religion.

The Holy See is constantly issuing critical statements, and if they only insist on the divine right of kings, they may soon be in trouble.

Regardless of faith, there’s no harm in creating an emergency insurance policy.

“Navarre is very agitated, though.”

“I thought they would be.”

On the other hand, the Kingdom of Navarre is almost having a fit.

The king himself is a fervent follower of the Goddess, and since he is on the same side as the Holy See, he has taken the most active steps to reject it.

I heard that the king received the book, read it once, and tore it to pieces.

In the first place, the contents of Leviathan are directly opposed to the anointing by the church (divine right of kings), so it couldn’t be helped.

“The book should have just arrived in Artiom, so we’ll have to wait for the reaction.”

“It’s okay. There’s plenty of time. I can guess how they’ll react.”

They’ll probably try to use the book as propaganda against enemy countries.

They’ll say that they were so immersed in their false beliefs that they forgot who gave them power.

Wouldn’t they make up words they don’t mean and use them for slander?

He’s supposed to be a professor of political science, so he knows this without looking.

“Ah, and the results of the investigation into Hispania are out.”

“The place next to the Kram Empire? I was wondering why those guys didn’t participate in the war.”

“Yes. As it turns out, their internal affairs are serious.”

Callia said that and handed me a thin stack of documents.

When I opened it, I couldn’t help but sigh briefly.

“Oh my. Was it because of the flood?”

These guys, they suffered from floods and their economy and people’s livelihoods were destroyed as a set.