episode_0082

As I said, Charlois is a woman with quite a keen sense of humor.

Who would say she’s the only daughter of the chairman of the council? She has that kind of sense.

And as soon as he heard me, he immediately got what I wanted.

“Does asking to shed blood with the Empire mean that you are not simply expressing your support or standing under the Empire’s shadow, but rather literally participating in the war?”

“Yes.”

Then Charlois looks very embarrassed.

It makes sense, since he was offered something very strong in return for his advice.

There’s a whole different level to fighting as a friend who just listens to the Empire.

There will be another clash over command issues, and if by any chance they suffer significant damage, they won’t be able to handle it.

Internal problems are a problem, but if the Empire takes advantage of Novogord’s weakness and pressures him, it would be a big problem.

Politics is all about fixating on possibilities, even if the Empire promises it will never do so.

The moment you have that kind of expectation, going to war will be seen as similar to hanging yourself.

“Miss Charleroi.”

But my next piece of advice will take care of that.

“What you’re worried about right now is that the hardliners of Novogord might fall for Atria, or more precisely, the whispers of Dedorant behind them, and get excited, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Even the derby and the hardliners won’t give up easily with a simple rejection.”

Dedorant is somehow forcing the Empire to fight a two-front war.

Novogord’s hardliners are looking to regain their political power.

If the conditions of understanding are intertwined, no matter how much you block it, it will keep coming in. No matter how much you reject it, it will keep shaking.

The moderates, the President of the Council, and Charleroi would find that quite annoying and unpleasant.

Why do you keep abandoning your dependable imperial brother and trying to stick with some strange thug?

But if we were to report this to the Empire, it could spark controversy among the wronged.

“There is only one way.”

Yes, there is only one best way in this case.

It is to make enemies of the two groups that are trying to join hands with each other.

Growling at you so you never even dream of that thought again.

And I know a good number to use for that.

To be exact, let’s say that it is a part that came out while searching through memories from a past life.

“Nogogord is very close to Atria.”

“Huh? Oh, yes. There is an imperial territory in the middle, but it is a very small area.”

“They often meet at sea, right?”

“Right? Right now, to avoid the Empire’s surveillance, all people are sent by sea.”

That’s enough. That’s enough. There’s plenty of room in the garage.

“Create a dispute.”

“… Yes?”

“Any trick. Any cowardly trick. It’s all good. Just make sure there’s friction and conflict between Novogord and Atria.”

I said just that and picked up the teacup that was in front of me.

Hmm. After all, the tea served at our house is the most fragrant in the world.

I’ve been treated to better teas in palaces and government offices, but I’ve never felt this way.

“… .”

In front of me like that, Charlois said nothing.

I just keep thinking deeply about something and worrying about it.

What if the princess was here?

Most likely, you would have asked, ‘How do you create a conflict? In what way?’

Then I’ll just keep struggling inside and eventually find the answer.

But Charlois is different. There is no reason to tell her all the answers.

You said it was advice. Then it should be advice only to this extent.

The rest is up to the woman to figure out and find the answers herself.

‘And… this woman seems like she could do that.’

What should I say? Yeah. I guess I should see them as being in the same category as me.

If the princess is someone who is a little more pure and noble than me, and who is in a more shining place.

Charleroi feels like he’s walking in a slightly darker shadow than that.

I don’t mean this in a bad way. I’m not trying to be mean or insulting.

It just means that they are a group of demons who are good at coming up with strategies and tactics.

It makes sense, honestly, that you have some experience in politics, right?

“Number of cases… Disputes… Friction… .”

Look at that. He’s been thinking hard and thinking hard about it.

Even if you don’t tell me the answer, I think I’ll get it after a while…

“As expected. I guess it was a good idea to come to Prince Kael.”

“Yes?”

“Actually, it’s not that I didn’t have similar thoughts. But…what should I say? I wasn’t sure? I wasn’t sure. More than anything, I wondered if this was really right.”

“… .”

“But if you, of all people, had been thinking that way all along, then I guess I was right. Haa. Coming here was really the best choice.”

He said that and laughed, saying, ‘Hoo hoo hoo.’ It was a little scary, but it was brief.

It’s even more awkward when that kind of woman keeps making surprise worship attempts.

“With the advice of Prince Kael. I have something in mind. Would you like to hear it?”

“Now that you mention it, it’s quite interesting.”

“Because I’ve been studying Prince Kael’s schemes for a while now. Well, I’m going to start like this.”

Land can be used to draw direct borders, but the sea cannot.

Since the boundaries are invisible, each side’s claims will always be different.

If this discomfort builds up, it can turn into a big problem!

“I plan to cause friction over the territorial waters issue. There has been a difference between what Atria has been arguing and what Novogord has been arguing.”

“Dedorant has annexed Atria, but such problems are likely to persist.”

Maybe Dedorant is more sensitive than the original Atria.

Because they were desperate to secure even a single inch of land.

“It’s impossible to stand still like on the ground. So your vigilance is also greatly reduced. There are some fishing boats that sneak in during this gap. It could be Atria or Novogord.”

“But if you get caught, it’s a big deal, right? That’s why most of the crews on fishing boats are lightly armed. So that they can resist and escape if they encounter the coast guard.”

“A lot of things happen in the process. In the meantime, Atria’s fishing boats may sneak over and attack Novogord’s guards who approach while catching fish.”

A repertoire that makes both humans and demons turn the faucet equally.

It’s a kind of reckless behavior where the other person is at fault but the guilty party uses violence.

In the process, it becomes very important who gets hurt and how much damage is suffered.

“The naval commander in the area happens to be a moderate figure. His family is also all intertwined with them, so it’s almost impossible for him to betray them.”

“Trick them into thinking that those things happened.”

“To be exact, you have to act realistically, right? For example, pretending to be from Atria and using our navy.”

It’s a self-directed play. Is it the one that the political thugs use whenever they’re at a disadvantage?

First of all, one effect is certain. It is an act that touches the pride of the demons.

Even though I treated it gently because it was a fishing boat, it hit the back of my head and ran away.

It would not be surprising if public sentiment towards Atria became fierce.

“But there is a risk of being caught if you do it yourself. If you do it, how are you going to deal with the consequences?”

“So we need to prepare more thoroughly. Even if it’s not as good as Prince Kael, so that this wonderful plan can succeed.”

“One more thing. That alone won’t be enough to light a fire in Novogord. Maybe heat.”

Charloa smiles at my words and says.

“The excitement means possibilities have opened up. Those who like to talk will help.”

“Um.”

“And in fact, Atria and Novogord aren’t on very good terms.”

If you act like this, Atria will probably react in some way.

Indeed, even if the Dedorants were merged, it would be nearly impossible to eliminate the original remaining emotions.

How would the Atrian people who hate Novogord react if you told them, ‘Atrian thugs attacked Novogord’s navy and fled!’

Should I say, ‘Oh my! These bad guys! We need to find out who they are and catch them right now!’?

“The people of the Kingdom of Atria will be emotionally delighted. Lady Charlois.”

“It is not a pleasant thing for Dedorant, who merged that place, to think about future plans. Prince Kael.”

“Therefore, Dedorant and Atria leadership will express regret to appease Novogord―”

“―Conversely, the people of the Atria Kingdom expressed their discontent by asking why we were apologizing.”

“Those parts stimulate Novogord even more strongly.”

“As a result, anti-Atria sentiment and anti-Dedorant sentiment are growing rapidly.”

After talking up to that point, Charlois and I looked at each other.

Then, without saying who would start, they both burst into laughter.

It was strange. It was amazing. I didn’t see it much, but I didn’t know it would fit so well.

All I did was give him some brief advice, and in that short time he had put together the entire play.

What’s even more amazing is that I was also thinking about something similar.

A method of separating those who do not trust each other and are trying to become entangled because of their conflicting interests.

If you hit them hard with their pride issue, they’ll just go crazy.

As I said last time, the logic of loss and gain can never win against the logic of pride.

“You did some research on me. That’s pretty impressive.”

“What? Rather, if it weren’t for Prince Kael’s advice, I wouldn’t have been able to use it because I wasn’t sure.”

“For something like that, it came out so smoothly.”

“Huh huh huh. Is that so?”

After that, I talked about various things with Charlois.

It wasn’t a personal topic. It was all about the current situation and the future.

If you ask me if I have feelings for him, well, I guess it’s more like a feeling of wariness than a feeling of affection.

When I meet people of a similar type to me, it is only natural that I become suspicious.

It’s also possible that positive feelings about this are actually just acting.

“So in my opinion!”

I continued exploring Charleroi, playing along appropriately.

I was wondering if there might be something suspicious that I missed in the moment.

*

Charlo was in a good mood. And not just any good mood, but too good.

Because I’m having this conversation with Kael, who I thought was so great.

When was the last time we talked for so long on such a deep and profound topic?

‘As expected from a genius bookworm. That judgment. That insight. Ah! I want to talk about it all night long!!’

In contrast to the suspicion flashing in Kael’s eyes.

In Charlois’ eyes, the feeling of respect was growing stronger.