episode_0028

At this time, a faction arose in the Krusenstein family. It was the Torgenberg faction.

It was a faction made up of port chiefs from the Duchy of Torgenberg and could be seen as equivalent to the previous pro-royal faction.

Among them, Adelheit von Ignati received 120,000 grains of wealth for obtaining the princess. It was a huge amount of territory that could accommodate approximately 3,000 soldiers.

As a result, the status of Franz Mayer, who recommended Adelheid, also increased, and above all, the influence of the entire faction seemed to have become stronger as the Torgenberg faction made great achievements.

The moment Adelheit obtained the princess through his exploits, the family’s path of advancement was decided. To the heart of the empire. That is, to the west.

If the Krusenstein family invades the capital of the empire without permission, it would be an act of usurpation and treason. However, if he invaded with the princess, it would be an act of loyalty to the new emperor.

‘Now that we have the princess, we have the political upper hand. The real problem is military superiority, not political superiority… ‘

Politically, Kruzenstein was the closest to the world’s loser, but militarily, Kruzenstein had three mountains to overcome. They were the Ambrosia family in the central region, the Carter family in the west, and the Albrecht family in the east.

There are other dark horses, but it can be said that these three families have stronger national power than Kruzenstein right now.

But Franz Mayer knew. In the future, Leona will defeat all three of these families and become the loser of the continent.

However, the quest given to Franz Mayer was not ‘to become the loser of the continent’ but ‘unification of the continent’. It means that we have to go further than the original story.

‘It is not enough to follow a predetermined future. ‘We have to change the future that has been decided.’

And to change the future, power is needed. More and more power than now.

—–

“Master.”

Leona von Krusenstein called me from the garden of Krusenstein Castle. Instead of wearing her usual armor, she was wearing only a thin nightgown and fanning herself with a fan. Her face was red from the unseasonable heat.

“Ah, Sir Franz. Are you here?”

“Yes.”

Because this was a garden, there were no other subjects. There were only a few escorts and maids. A glimpse of Leona’s white skin was visible through her thin pajamas. I couldn’t help but be nervous. In many senses.

“It’s a hot day and you’re wearing that kind of armor. Isn’t it hot?”

“I just thought that since I had ascended the castle at the command of my lord, I should wear the appropriate attire.”

“It’s hard. The Setia family may not know this, but the Krusenstein family does not like such ostentation. To begin with, the Krusenstein family was not that prestigious and was an ordinary clergy family during my great-grandfather’s generation. If it weren’t for the difficult times, he wouldn’t have been able to become the great lord he is now even if he died and woke up. So don’t be so hard when dealing with me.”

At those words, I looked around without realizing it. I was wondering if anyone had heard it. But Leona was laughing.

“Why are you so surprised? It’s not even a secret. Could it be that the Kruzenstein family thought that people believed the political propaganda they were making to the public that we were a collateral branch of a prestigious family?”

“Master, refrain from speaking.”

“Avoid speaking? That’s interesting. Hello! Everyone listen! The Krusenstein family is actually a family of priests!”

“Lord, lord!”

I shouted, but Leona didn’t stop.

“However, it is the current Kruzenstein family that rose to prominence by repeatedly winning the civil war that broke out in their great-grandfather’s unit! Does everyone understand?”

“… ”

“Look at this. No one reacts. Everyone is not stupid. Even if you don’t study history, everyone knows that much.”

“But there is such a thing as family respect.”

“For face.”

She sat down again.

“How long are you going to stand there? Sit comfortably.”

“But where… ”

“Put your butt anywhere around the grass there.”

“… ”

I sat down roughly anywhere. I felt like my clothes would get dirty, but I couldn’t help it since it was my master’s order.

“Franz Mayer. If you’ve heard the rumors, you’ll know that I hate ostentation. Pretentiousness and pretense cannot save the world. It’s just a device for those who have nothing to be proud of other than their family to feel superior.”

“… ”

I don’t agree with what Leona said. But I know very well why she thinks that way. Leona’s mother and younger sister, who discriminated against and hated Leona since she was young, placed great importance on etiquette, which is why she hates etiquette. However, the person who won in the end was the one who developed his skills rather than being vain and pretentious, so how much antipathy must there be?

“Face, etiquette, seniority. That doesn’t help you win. Those who are capable are promoted and those who are incompetent are dismissed. That alone is enough for the family to run efficiently.”

This directly contradicts what I have been taught. But I couldn’t refute it. Because she is my lord? no. Because her life proves her words.

“But you are too stiff. Things like that happen, too. The Mayer family is also a prestigious family and must have received a lot of education. But realize that things are different now. You are no longer a vassal of Setia, but of Krusenstein. That means you are mine now. so… ”

She approached me. Very slowly. And he put his hand on my face.

“Dye with my color. If you do that, you will receive my favor even more.”

“… ”

“… ”

The silence for a while made the atmosphere awkward. Her face was redder than before. It must be because of the unseasonable heat.

“Hmm, hmm. Well, that aside. Now let’s get to the main point.”

“Yes… Yes.”

She adjusted her clothes for a while. He seemed concerned that he was in pajamas. Then wouldn’t it have been better to change into regular clothes from the beginning? I had that thought, but I didn’t say it out loud. And she opened her mouth.

“The Krusenstein family defeated Setia, their long-time rival. There are no more forces around here that can threaten us. What should we do now?”

“We must invade the occupied territories to prevent rebellion and win the hearts of civilians.”

“My thoughts are the same. But yeah. The problem is what specific internal actions to take. Krusenstein and Setia have very big differences in policy. Setia is conservative and strict about order, while Krusenstein is open and practical. Which of the two completely different regions should we focus on and in what direction should we induce change? That is the current problem.”

Is it a joke? It’s a difficult problem. It’s not difficult if you just recite what Leona did in the actual game. That alone will get you a pretty good score. But I had greed. I had thought of a plan for this time.

“First, limit the church’s interests.”

“Church?”

“Yes. The Church is deeply embedded in the Duchy of Torgenberg. The reason is simple. This is because Henrik von Setia, who had no power base at all, brought in church forces to strengthen his power base and weaken the Ignati family. However, Leona already has the ultimate power called the imperial family. There is no need for help from an external force called the church.”

“… That’s right.”

“Cut off a lot of support going to the church, and abolish the existing power structure where the church and the nobility collected taxes together, so that all taxes go to the Krusenstein family. That alone will significantly increase the production capacity of the Duchy of Torgenberg.”

She nodded. It was an air of admiration. In fact, this had to be the correct answer. Because this is what she actually did in the game’s story.

“Next… ”

“What next?”

“Please move to the capital.”

“Transfer?”

“Torgenberg Castle is a natural fortress protected by the natural environment. Thanks to this, the Setia family was able to block Leona’s powerful attack even though it had a weak army with many numbers. But what if Leona, who has strong military power, is confined to Torgenberg Castle? No one in this world will be able to target Leona.”

“Hmm… That too. Moreover, since this war of conquest was successful, I would have to hand out a lot of territory to my vassals as a reward, and then naturally the direct territory of the Duchy of Krusenstein would decrease and my territory would be divided into Krusenstein and Thorgenberg, so I would rather have Krusen. Your intention is to give away all of the territory of the Duchy of Stein to your vassals, and then move to Torgenberg and make all of the surrounding territory a direct territory?”

“… !”

Honestly, I was surprised. I hadn’t even thought about it that far, but after hearing it, it turned out to be true. It was just a list of things she chose to do in the game story.

“You are quite thoughtful.”

“Thank you.”

But from here on, the time has come to show my true potential. I’ll show you. I’m not pretending to be possessed in vain.

“This is the last plan.”

“What was it?”

“That’s… ”

I told her the plan I had thought of in advance, and Leona, who heard all of my plans, had an admiring look on her face.