episode_0135

Saladin Azak..

As a loyal subject of the empire, he was a man who had sacrificed everything for the empire.

The vast wealth he possesses, and the powerful power he holds in his hands.

He was a body that he had sworn to use for the future of this empire, not for himself… and for his lord, the Padishah, and the royal family, and indeed, ever since he ascended to the position of prime minister of the empire, he has acted in accordance with his beliefs.

He followed the will of his predecessor, the great prime minister Jafar Mahmud, strengthened the foundation of the empire, reorganized the system, and dealt with those who could hinder the empire’s future one by one.

But… even for him who possesses such great wealth and power.

There were dangerous factors that could not be dealt with by one’s own strength.

Dragona Duchy..

A small principality established to check the Kingdom of Hungary to the northwest, a former rival of the empire, and to win over the hearts and minds of the people of the region.

Although its beginnings were insignificant compared to the great national power of the Empire, and above all, the monarch of the Duchy, Duke Radu Constantino Dragona, had been renowned as one of the Padishah’s arms and a loyalist of the Empire since the time of Prime Minister Jafar Mahmud, this country could be seen as a loyal subject and ally of the Empire.

However, as time passed, the small country of Dragona gradually expanded its power with the support of the huge empire.

Eventually, in just a few years, it became so powerful that it surpassed the Kingdom of Hungary in terms of its status.

Of course, there was no need for the Empire to feel threatened by the Duchy of Dragona just because of this.

The reason why the national power of the Duchy of Dragona surpassed that of Hungary was due to their rapid growth, but more than anything, it was also due to the aftereffects of the power split that arose when the previous monarch of Hungary died.

Above all, despite the strengthening of the Duchy of Dragona, Duke Radu still showed his steadfast loyalty to the Empire, and even his prime minister, Saladin, acknowledged this.

However… From this point on, Saladin Azak began to see through the dangers and potential that this Dragona principality held.

No matter how powerful and great a monarch may rule a country, his reign rarely lasts more than 40 years.

Just as the once mighty Kingdom of Hungary was tottering after the death of its former king.

This empire, too, was sure to be shaken greatly after the death of Padishah Mehmeh, who was considered the greatest general of all time.

Although some of his sons showed some qualities that made them worthy of being kings, this could also lead to a power struggle among the successors.

Even if a more capable person appears in later generations and can lead the empire.

In any case, it was clear that the death of a monarch would have a negative impact on the development of the nation, and this had been clearly proven through the history of many nations that had fallen until now.

the other side.

Even in the midst of the surrounding countries being shaken by the unavoidable providence of nature, there was only one place.

There existed a country that was able to maintain its steady pace of development without being affected by that natural law.

Dragona Duchy..

A country where, unlike themselves, beings who have escaped the bonds of life through their ability to manipulate magic occupy the positions of duke and duchess.

For them, the option of the country being shaken by the death of the monarch was almost non-existent, and the children born between them would certainly not have any limitations on lifespan, just like their parents.

Literally…

A country that has the potential to become the perfect nation that people talk about, with a capable ruler who will rule for eternity.

A country where there is virtually no risk of political instability due to the death of the monarch.

The immense potential that these advantages possessed was something that Saladin, the prime minister, could clearly feel through this incident in Hungary.

However, Saladin knew very well that he could not make such an extreme choice right away.

Even Duke Radu, who was the current monarch of this country, was acknowledged as one of the most loyal subjects of the empire.

In this situation, he has not even shown a single ounce of hostility toward the empire, but rather has been indirectly showing loyalty as the monarch of a vassal state.

It would be downright foolish to be hostile to something simply because it had such great potential.

However, it was not possible to continue to rely on just Radu forever.

Although they have no lifespan limitations, they are also beings who can face death for any reason, including war or an accident, as long as they are alive.

And.. when Radu runs into trouble, or when he grows tired of power and hands over his position, who will succeed him..

A person whom the former prime minister Jafar Mahmoud had constantly warned against.

It was clear that they would be the children of Duchess Mina Rosetta Dragona.

Although still young, Princess Ellios and her younger sister Princess Senel are already showing off their talents.

Unlike their fathers, they had no particular reason to be loyal to the Empire, and indeed, this was what the Prime Minister felt when he met them.

And the reason why they grew up like that is…

It was evident that they were influenced by their mother, Duchess Rosetta.

Mina Roseveta Dragona.

A being known as the witch with the strongest military power in both the duchy and the empire.

At the same time, he is a person who has proven his competence by serving as the Northern Governor of the Empire through the grace of the past Padishah.

However, whenever Saladin saw her, feelings of anxiety and worry would always settle in his heart.

This is a fact that he could clearly feel even without Prime Minister Jafar’s warning.

It was about the heterogeneity of this person named Rosetta.

Although, it was clear that she was a capable and strong person, and at the same time, she faithfully followed the orders of the empire without disobeying them.

However, Saladin could tell exactly what her loyalty was.

It’s not the empire she’s bowing her head to…

That is to say, it is limited to Padishah Mehmet, the person who bestowed grace on her.

Of course, loyalty to the monarch could also be said to be loyalty to the country.

However, if the target is the most powerful witch with an eternal lifespan, the story is different.

From her perspective, it’s different now that Padishah is alive…

If Padishah were to die and another would ascend to the throne, then her contract of loyalty would be over.

It was clear that this was the reason why she instilled in her children only patriotism towards the Duchy of Dragona, and not loyalty to the Empire.

‘If Padishah breaks and returns… and if Duke Radu steps down, Duchess Rosebetta and her daughters will surely bare their teeth toward our empire. Or, even if they don’t, they will surely try to take advantage of the empire’s chaos caused by Gungu’s death to gain their own benefits. In the worst case scenario, they could even declare independence from the vassal state’

At the time, about 60% of the population of the Dragona Duchy were demons, and most of them were loyal to the Dragona Duchy that they had established with their own hands with the help of Radu and Rosebeta, rather than to the Empire.

In this situation, if the Duchy of Dragona were to declare independence while the Empire was in chaos and its power was weakened, the process would likely be much easier than that of other countries.

So… Saladin Azak felt the need to prepare a safety device to control the Dragona Principality, which had a very high possibility of running wild in the future.

For this reason, one decision was made.

That’s right… his one and only precious daughter.

It was to marry Cassio Azac to the Duke of Radu.