episode_0081

“What do you think about Deodorant?”

The moment those words came out of Charlois’ mouth, I came to my senses.

There’s no way she’d bring up such a topic for no reason.

Just a moment ago, he was praising me so much.

That means the main topic starts now.

Why did you show up here and want to meet me?

It means that there is a reason that cannot be stated directly.

“Hmm.”

Of course, you should avoid revealing your true feelings here.

Look at your opponent first. They may not be your enemy, but they are not your complete ally either.

We need to figure out what this woman is thinking right now.

“What answer exactly are you looking for?”

“What are you saying, Prince Kael?”

“Is this the answer I should give as the successor of the Imperial Hundred? Or is it something I should give based on my extremely personal opinion? I want to know that. Lady Charlo.”

The current Imperial leadership clearly views Dedorant as a future enemy.

So the Emperor, the Crown Princess, and the First Prince gathered together and talked about this.

But that is only an unofficial part. It should not be revealed.

For now, we need to create an atmosphere where we can laugh and seek peace.

Right now, in the North, East, and South, the Empire’s display of force has been too much.

If we keep doing this and start hearing things like “great aggressor nation” or something like that, I’ll get really tired.

So I ask. As the successor to the Imperial Crown, do you make such cliche-like remarks?

Or is this just my personal opinion? Do you want to hear meaningless words?

“Prince Kael.”

There, Charleroi drew out my answer in a very different way.

“My father sent me some top secret news a while ago.”

“If you say father. The chairman of the Demon Council… .”

“I heard that Atria has been sending people to Novogord recently.”

The moment I heard those words, I reflexively looked at Charleroi.

Is this woman playing a joke on me right now?

Are you some kind of pervert who enjoys other people’s reactions by saying strange things?

All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind, but soon I was able to confirm it when I saw her expression.

That news is true. It answers my question.

“… As expected of an obvious enemy of the Empire, they were using such tricks.”

Next, we need to figure out the intention. Why did Charlois say that?

As far as I know, even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unaware of such information.

In other words, as Charlo said, it is the most secret of the top secrets.

This means that Novogord is gritting his teeth and hiding it.

“But at the same time, I’m worried that Novogord might also be similar to that kind of dedorant.”

“Why?”

“While having such secret conversations, you kept it a secret from the empire that promised peace. And in the meantime, you, who must never reveal secrets, are telling me such things.”

Charlois betrays Novogord and joins the Empire?

There is absolutely no chance of that happening. There is no reason for that woman to do that in the first place.

Betraying one’s country can only be explained if there is a suitable cause for it.

Whether it’s anger. Or greed. Or a twisted sense of patriotism.

But Charleroi is not included in any of these cases.

In other words, even telling me such absurd news could be a trap.

“I mean, Prince Kael. The moment I saw Dedorant standing up, I felt a strange chill.”

“It’s cold.”

“We have a saying in Novogord. A beast that has tasted the blood of a demon will never be spared.”

“There is a similar saying in the Empire.”

“Then the story will be fast. That’s what Dedorant is like. They will never stop. No… .”

“Like a wild beast that can’t stop. Is that what you mean?”

Charlois nods slowly.

A beast that has tasted human blood. That is certainly true.

Dedorant has completely fallen in love with growing simply through conquest.

The mindset is that even if you suffer a loss, you can repay it by fighting a war of conquest.

Actually, I have done that so far and it has helped me in many ways.

“I hoped it was just my delusion. But the news I heard afterward was just proof.”

“Forced takeover of the Jugel region. Annexation of Atria. Attack on D’Galle and acquisition of western territories. Now allied with Benito and exerted some influence in the south.”

“The Empire must already be thinking of going to war with Dedorant. That’s why they’ve quietly withdrawn their legions from the south and started making thorough preparations for the next one.”

Sharp. Even though he is not an imperial person, he knows a lot.

Afterwards, Charlois said that he had just received news from the east and that the empire was indeed very lucky.

“Dedorant isn’t just expanding the land. Prince Kael, as you know… .”

“To create a new order in the West. Maybe to build a new empire.”

“And someday, I will prepare to fight the Empire.”

“Connecting with Novogord through Atria is one of the ways to do that.”

After saying that, I looked at Charleroi quietly.

To be honest, I’m not sure why she made this choice.

A head-on confrontation with the Empire would be madness, whether it be Novogord or Dedorant.

But if those two unite, if only the South could join in.

That madness turns out to be quite possible.

It doesn’t matter even if we don’t win the battle against the Empire.

Because if we just maintain the current status, we can successfully block the empire’s monopoly.

You could think of it as creating some kind of giant anti-imperial coalition.

The empire has spent too much power and too much money in recent times.

No. I could at least handle those parts somehow.

The real problem is that the Empire could lose too much legitimacy.

The Empire is clearly the most powerful nation, but it is difficult to suppress the discontent that arises from all sides.

It might be possible temporarily. We could station troops and suppress them by force.

But that’s just a stopgap measure. It won’t last long. In the end, it’s just cutting into my own flesh.

“Looking at the situation that is going around, I am certain of two things, if not others. First, the Empire is not the kind of person who would take back the line they made first and then hit you in the back. Second, Dedorant is very likely to do that.”

“Why do you think so, Miss Charleroi?”

“They started everything by calling for the glory of the Deo people and they are doing it on a grand scale. Merging Atria, attacking Degal. Gaining influence in some parts of the South after the alliance with Benito. And unifying the West.”

Charlois pauses for a moment and stares at me.

“Will those people keep their promise to Novogord? Will they give up what they promised and keep it forever when the Empire’s influence is reduced as they wish?”

Dedorant is the one who took away the Jugel region that Degalé rightfully received by pushing in his own logic.

Later, when he attacked the west of Degalé. Later, when he allied with Benito and took up residence there.

They used to say ‘I don’t know’ while pushing forward with reasons that were obviously far-fetched.

Charlois was wary of that very thing. It was a feeling of unbelievable certainty.

“There are people in the world who you can trust at least once, and people who you absolutely cannot trust. Foolish people are blinded by immediate gain and join hands with the latter, but I have no intention of doing that.”

“So that’s why you gave out such top secret information. It could be embarrassing.”

“I thought it was right to show this much sincerity in order to convince you, the best strategist in the Empire. And anyway, with the power of the Imperial Special Services Agency, you’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

After hearing that, I slowly began to sort out the situation.

Dedorant is trying to seduce Novogord. He wants to join his side.

They said that if they helped them keep the empire in check, they would share in the profits they would gain.

I don’t know the details, but it seems like he’s a little shaken by that kind of suggestion.

Meanwhile, Charlois is convinced that Dedorant will not keep his promise.

Those who are so straight-forward that it is almost excessive.

Will those who only shout about the glory of their own people really share it?

I wonder if it’s not a wild beast that will strike you in the back of the head at any time if you mess up later.

‘If Dedorant and Novogord join hands…’

I hate to think about it. The northern front will be reopened any moment now.

You will have to fight a battle with a fighting race that is on a different level from the East or South.

The western and northern parts of the empire are already very close regions.

Dedorant and Novogord. If you deal with both of them at the same time, you will eventually find an opening.

“Prince Kael. I want Novogord to survive, be peaceful, and prosper.”

“Is that so?”

“The hardliners say they can fill it with war. Many of the demons believe so too. But if you really decide to do so, we will face you again.”

“… .”

“And just like the three kingdoms in the east and Benito in the south, they will become a bunch of idiots who only chew on the past glory that has been shattered into pieces.”

Charlois looks at me and speaks with a tone that says, “I’m one hundred percent sure.”

If it seems like there’s a faint fear in those eyes, am I mistaken?

“I would like to know why you told me this first.”

“Although I am a moderate and pro-imperial, I have no intention of betraying Novogord. I know what would happen if I made this official.”

“I understand.”

“So. I want you to give me advice like last time. We will listen to your advice. The Empire and Novogord. Novogord and the Empire. I want to know what will be beneficial to both of us.”

You don’t just want to hear things like, ‘Ignore all the humans coming from Atria.’

That’s such an obvious and easy answer. It’s something that Charlo would have thought about too.

Now she’s asking for something a little more advanced than that.

“What does the Empire gain by giving me advice?”

“Same as East and South. You’ll get more staunch supporters from the North.”

I just smiled silently at Charlois’ answer.

That means that that alone is not enough. There needs to be something more.

Charlo also seemed to notice my feelings and opened his mouth.

“What more do you want?”

“It’s simple. I want the demons to bleed along with the empire.”

If you just say you’re friends, are you really friends? You have to go through hardships together.

In fact, all the advice I thought of was taken into consideration.

Whether you like it or not, if you shed the same blood over the same opponent, aren’t you comrades?