episode_0051

Damn. I almost choked on my tea. Wasn’t this just a fan meeting?

I never thought I would be interfering with state affairs again so quickly.

This isn’t even a battlefield, and yet things have turned out like this!

Menwa tribe. Ultra-hardliners. Just hearing the name makes my head spin.

I don’t know if it’s something that happens within the empire. It’s something that has to do with other countries beyond the borders.

You guys should take care of your own business, why are you asking me that?

“Please don’t feel too burdened, Prince Kael. This is purely my personal opinion, Charloa Estania.”

If you look at someone like that and tell them not to feel burdened, anyone would feel burdened.

No matter how much you emphasize the part that says, “It’s a personal matter,” it still feels awkward.

“… I wondered why Novogord’s delegation was in such a hurry, but it seems they didn’t come with the purpose of inspecting the interior of the empire.”

I never would have guessed that it would be camouflaged not just twice but three times.

A delegation sent on the surface to celebrate the empire’s victory.

However, the entire empire judged that Novogord had hidden ulterior motives.

Perhaps it was to observe the internal situation of the empire after the Eastern Campaign.

But Novogord used even that to obscure his real purpose.

“By now, the representative of the delegation must have secretly delivered the news to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Are you ignoring the high and low officials of the empire?”

“Please understand, Your Highness. If this news were to be revealed to the Empire, the atmosphere would surely turn cold.”

“That is―”

“From the Empire’s perspective, the Eastern Campaign has only just concluded, so wouldn’t it be too much of a burden for even an Empire to raise another large army?”

“… !”

Charloa, you said. That demon woman is much sharper than I thought.

Is it not for nothing that she is the only daughter of the chairman who leads the council?

It reminds us of something we had briefly forgotten while we were all drunk on the Empire’s victory.

The Imperial Legion is a virtually invincible force. Although they have lost battles over the years, they have never lost a war.

Wherever he went, he eventually planted the flag of the empire’s victory and shared its glory.

The problem is that the imperial legions are bound to become even more money-eating hippos.

“The reason Novogord sends me this secret message is the same reason I ask for personal advice. One side is in a hurry or the situation is difficult. I don’t want the tower of peace we’ve been building to collapse because of that.”

Although I find Charlois and Novogord’s actions absurd, I also somewhat understand them.

With the moderates in control of the parliament, any friction with the empire would be tantamount to suicide.

There are many internal and external problems with raising an army to eliminate the hardliners there.

Simply piquing the Empire’s vigilance is not all they worry about.

The use of force gives hardliners who have been bowing down internally a reason to rise up.

It’s similar to the Empire. They weren’t purged, they were simply pushed out.

That is why we should not see the picture of moderates beating up one of the hardliners.

Hardliners and neutrals other than moderates must step forward and trample on ultra-hardliners.

That’s exactly what Charlois is looking for advice on.

‘The problem is, why me? There’s the Emperor and the Crown Princess. There are even many officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! Why on earth!!’

“… Miss Charlois. Prince Kael can answer that. That’s what she thinks.”

“The rest of the delegation would probably ask for help from somewhere else. The Imperial Foreign Office, or somewhere else. But the first person that came to mind was Kael Klauwitz. That’s him.”

Not only me, but also the princess just fiddled with her teacup without saying a word.

This is my personal advice. I want to make sure that there are no words like, ‘Other countries intervened. We allowed intervention.’

Oh my, you’re giving me such a difficult question. As expected of a demon, you must be evil!

“Miss Charleroi.”

“Yes, Prince Kael.”

“Tell me more about that Menwa tribe.”

Then Charlois nodded and continued explaining about the Menwa tribe.

“As I said, they are the most extreme hardliners among the various tribes of Novogord. They are the ones who always insist on a decisive battle with the Empire.”

“Do they have support from other hardliners?”

“It used to be like that, but not anymore. Rather, it was because of that extreme that the moderates were able to drive out the hardliners.”

In short, they are the great sinners who laid the foundation for a reversal.

It’s a blessing in disguise. I thought I had the support of the hardliners again.

If this happens, it will be a problem not only for moderates but also for hardliners.

“Then, when they said they were sending a delegation this time, they became even more sharp. In the end, they even broke the lion’s peace.”

“Hmm. Isn’t digging up graves something to be condemned regardless of the country?”

“That’s true. The Menwa tribe’s territory is quite large.”

It’s like saying that even though they went bankrupt, they’re still a rich family and can last for three years.

It’s quite annoying, but it can also turn you into quite tasty chunks of flesh.

Listening to Charlois’ story, I could clearly feel the seriousness of the matter.

It’s been just two weeks since the entire Eastern region was completed.

Although it was a victory for the Empire, it was not without its share of damage.

Both the 7th and 12th Legions suffered considerable casualties, as did the other Legions.

But the bigger problem is that they spent a huge amount of money on the military.

A total of five legions were mobilized, totaling nearly 100,000 troops.

So how much money did it cost? How many materials did they consume?

It would have been impossible to cover only the eastern part of the empire. The entire empire would have had to come forward.

‘Meanwhile, the situation across the western and southern borders is said to be dire.’

If trouble breaks out here in Novogord, the Empire will have to go on another expedition.

The burden of military spending will double. Then, the fighting between the various factions within the country will intensify again.

I put the well-being of my family and our clan above all else.

And all of these are possible only if the stability of the empire is maintained.

So even if people misunderstand me as a genius or a bookworm, I just stay quiet.

Early termination across the East. Still two noisy borders.

So it’s best for Novogord to remain as is.

It is right not to give the hardliners a reason to oppress the moderates.

“… Even so, it is difficult for me to give an immediate answer right now. Miss Charloya. As you well know… .”

“Of course I understand. Rather, I feel burdened because I feel like I’ve asked too much. As I’ve already told you, please don’t feel burdened. This is just a ‘personal request’.”

Let’s stop talking about heavy topics for now. As he said that, Charlois suddenly brought something up.

As I was looking at it, wondering what it was, the answer immediately came out as ‘The King’s Gift’.

‘… No, wait a minute. Whose gift is this?’

Great King? Great King?? There is only one person in Novogord who can be called the Great King?

But that great king was a demon who lived at the same time as the great emperor of our empire.

There’s no way someone who ascended to heaven a long time ago would appear in a dream to give a gift.

So, as I was watching quietly, Charlois placed something on the table.

“This is….”

“The blessing that the Great King bestowed upon Novogord.”

What appeared with the words, “Try it once” was none other than potatoes.

To be more precise, it was a potato chip that was thinly sliced, fried in oil, and sprinkled with cheese powder on top.

Only then did I understand why it was called ‘The King’s Gift’.

“Aha. Come to think of it, a long time ago, the Saxon King Novogord introduced a potato variety that could grow well even in the barren lands of the north.”

“Your Highness the Princess knows very well. That’s right. Across the North Sea, whales, and under the northern lands, these potatoes. We the Demons call these the Great King’s Gifts.”

You might say, “The King’s gift is just potatoes?”

But when I listened to the explanation more closely, I realized that this potato was no ordinary potato.

It is resistant to pests and diseases, grows well in any soil, and its eggs are very large.

Even in the northern part of the country where it is difficult to plant crops right away, it grows well anywhere.

It’s not for nothing that the demons call this potato the gift of the most respected person.

‘Fried in oil and sprinkled with cheese powder… isn’t this just a potato chip?’

Oh my. I never thought that the developer of this other-worldly food would be in the Demon World, not the Empire.

Why doesn’t the Empire import such delicious snacks when they were developed long ago?

“This is… better than I thought?”

The princess also seems to like the other world’s potato chips, a specialty of Novogord, also known as Made in Novogord.

I think this was because the Empire secretly ignored Novogord, so things like this didn’t come across well.

Oh, what a treat. These potato chips are a universal product, no matter where you are in the world!

“Hoohoohoo. I’m glad you two like it. I’m sure the King of Saxony will like it too.”

“It seems that he respects the King very much.”

“It’s the same as respecting the Great Emperor in the Empire. Sometimes with strong force. Sometimes with kind words. He was the first to unite the demon tribes who were busy killing each other. ”

I remember reading a passage in a book once that said, “Just as you can’t talk about an empire without talking about the Great Emperor, you can’t talk about the Demons or Novogord without talking about the Great King.”

In the early days of the founding of the state, the Grand Duke concluded a treaty with the Grand Duke of Saxony to stabilize the north and then turned his attention elsewhere.

Thanks to this, he was able to conquer many kingdoms in the eastern and southern regions without any worries.

Meanwhile, the Great King of Saxony devoted all his efforts to uniting the demon tribes with force and words.

‘It’s funny when you think about it.’

The Saxon King, who was so revered by the demons, was actually closer to being a moderate.

Although he was not always obedient to the empire, he was willing to join hands with it.

I don’t remember anyone saying anything like “ultra-hardline” or “imperial surprise attack” like they do now.

How did the people who pursued only practicality end up becoming those who are full of pride?

How can he be so confident when he knows that if he makes a proper alliance with the Empire, Novogord will most likely be destroyed?

I think everyone ends up like that if they live in a place where it snows a lot and is cold.

Let’s see. If I remember a similar environment from my past life, it would be a country crazy about vodka.

Otherwise, there are those who roam around everywhere, calling for Valhalla.

Here, there exists a race of aliens who chew on potatoes and whale meat and do not avoid combat.

When the Great Prince of Saxony, who had maintained a relatively good relationship with the empire, saw this, he sighed several times… .

“… Uh.”

wait for a sec.

“Miss Charleroi.”

“Yes, Prince Kael. Go ahead.”

“That Menwa tribe or something, they said they disturbed the grave this time.”

“Yes. He played a very important role in cooperation with the Empire. In Novogord, he was considered somewhere between a famous person and a great person.”

“And yet you say you touched the grave.”

Charlois smiles bitterly at my question.

They say that they are in an awkward position because there are so many hardliners who go this far.

It’s even more problematic because other hardliners aren’t trying to stop them, but are secretly watching them.

“They say that the moderates have taken over the National Assembly and politics, but they have not yet taken over public opinion.”

“Okay, Miss Charlo. Then get ready.”

“Huh? Uh, what do you want me to prepare… .”

“You didn’t come here to ask for advice, did you? You should prepare to receive it.”

How dare you disturb the graves! How dare you disturb the rest of the dead!

Even though it is a memory from a past life, it is something that provoked the Confucian Taliban!

“Let’s do this. Some of the hardliners who hate anything that cooperates with the Empire have lost their minds and are now secretly spreading rumors that they are even daring to touch the Great King’s tomb!”