Chapter 153
The Battle
of Those Left Behind ⑤ - The
Fifth Arrow: Empire
Intervention
Translator : PolterGlast
A little before the
Eastern Border War began, a suspicious figure visited Gryphin, the imperial
capital of the Gryphonia Empire.
"Your Highness, I
am utterly honored to be granted a direct audience with you this time."
The eerie old man
bowed himself in greeting.
"Nonsense. In the
last war, we fell for your honeyed words and were thoroughly humiliated.
Although this is merely entertainment for me, I shall personally take your
withered neck and offer it before the graves of those who died."
"Heh heh heh,
such a short temper would surely make Your Highness lose this precious
opportunity for imperial succession."
"Is that all you
have to say? Then, take the honor of my sword to hell with you!" Saying
that, the First Imperial Prince drew his sword.
"Your Highness,
wait! Before you strike him down, it would be well to hear his proposal."
Another man in the
room hastily rose and restrained him, who was about to swing his sword.
"Harley, you!
Very well. Your life has only been extended slightly. If you have a suggestion
worthy of stopping my sword, speak it!"
The old man remained
completely unmoved by the previous exchange. That, to the First Imperial
Prince, was even eerie.
"First, thank
you, Sir Harley. And Your Highness, we believe your current position is very
precarious. In the North, the truce agreement with Kyle Kingdom has effectively
curbed your initiatives. On the other hand, in the South, the stagnant war with
the Principality of Sura has been moving increasingly in the Third Imperial
Prince's favor. If you simply sit by and let time pass, the Third Imperial
Prince's imperial succession will surely be confirmed soon."
"I know that
without you telling me! I am already devising countermeasures and plans!"
"Is that so...?
Is it a plan to shoot arrows into your allies' backs on the southern
battlefield? Such an act would incur accusations of cowardice, and even if you
were to defeat the Third Imperial Prince, would the imperial succession proceed
smoothly? Sir Harley knew this, which is why he stopped Your Highness's blade,
I believe."
"Guh..."
The First Imperial
Prince was struck where it hurt, and his words failed him.
"I believe this
information is as valuable as Your Highness's blade. Soon, a large-scale
internal rebellion will break out in the southern part of Kyle Kingdom. The
names of the participating nobles are listed here. They include Count families,
several Viscount families, and Baron families, with forces exceeding 5,000. The
nobles along the border, who are complacent about the truce, will surely be
thrown into disarray by this uprising. And the crucial Royal Capital Knights
will, at that time, have most of their forces deployed to the eastern border war."
"What?! Is that
true?!"
"Yes, this is the
oath of loyalty from the rebelling nobles to Your Highness. The Istoria
Imperial Kingdom is currently preparing a force of 30,000 to invade the western
border and will soon move their army. It seems they learned of the Empire's
truce agreement and were exasperated. They have formulated tactics focused on
not losing. Probably, no, certainly, the battle at the border will proceed in
the Istoria Imperial Kingdom's favor. If that happens, who will gain the
windfall for all the hardships Your Highness has endured?"
"Duke Harley,
isn't this a grave matter?! You knew about their movements, didn't you?"
The Duke nodded
silently.
"Your Highness
need not pick chestnuts from the fire. First, you observe the situation at the
border with Kyle Kingdom. Then, after observing our arrangements, if you see an
opportunity for victory, you can advance your army from the border. The rebel
army, no, those loyal to Your Highness, will break the truce agreement and
launch a feigned invasion across the border. Your Highness will have detected
that information beforehand and deployed troops to the border. And compelled by
circumstances, you will break the truce agreement and advance your army across
the border to repel the invading Kyle Kingdom army. This will give you a just
cause. If you give them a letter expressing your gratitude for their loyalty,
they will be at your command. This will surely be useful in the battles
ahead."
"Hmm..."
The First Imperial
Prince pondered. If he were only deployed his army without crossing the border,
there would be no problem. The border was entrusted to an eccentric young man,
and his main force was primarily infantry, only about 5,000 men.
"Furthermore, in
this rebellion, the border defense forces, our common enemy, will likely number
less than 3,000. Margrave Hastburg and his subordinate nobles will each be ambushed
from the rear and be unable to move from their territories. One who repels the
enemy forces who broke the truce agreement and brings peace to the Empire. One
who, by incorporating hostile nobles from the border into his command,
establishes a large bridgehead within Kyle Kingdom. Would these achievements
not be enough for Your Highness to demonstrate your qualifications as the
imperial successor?"
"..."
First Imperial Prince
Glorious closed his eyes in contemplation. Indeed, it wasn't a bad proposition.
Even if he didn't gamble and act himself, he could simply observe from the
border until the situation became decisive.
"Very well, for
the time being, I shall entrust your life to you, and you shall attend to the
border defenses. However, there is only one point that I cannot accept. Why do
you, and those nobles, rebel against your own country? I cannot trust those who
lack loyalty."
"We are... the
descendants of the People of the Demon Realm, clans who had their land taken by
the first King Kyle in the distant past. That country despises those of us who
inherit the blood of the People of the Demon Realm, and the country is
monopolized only by those who inherit the blood of King Kyle. Our kin spread
throughout the country, Mages who inherit the blood of the People of the Demon
Realm, are treated as mere spectacles, as clowns in the Kingdom. When I first
met Sir Harley, I received his word that he would respect the rights of us
Mages. For us, that is more than enough reason."
"So you Mages
also swear loyalty to me. Is that right? And I shall liberate the Mages. You
have that expectation?"
"Yes, Your
Highness. Please, save us..."
"Harley, I shall
lead my troops to the border. You arrange for the reserves. If it becomes a
full-scale invasion, whether to maintain the bridgehead or to launch a
full-scale invasion, I want another 20,000. If the truce agreement is broken,
there will be a just cause to deploy the Imperial Capital's forces."
"Understood.
First, I will organize the army and await good news from Your Highness."
Thus, they forged a
new secret alliance and began preparations, solely for their respective
objectives.
『Hmph, I don't believe in such an archaic revenge. I'll
use them only when necessary, and when they are no longer needed, I'll discard
these disloyal individuals. I won't repeat past mistakes.』
The First Imperial
Prince swallowed the words he had thought, concluding that he would not trust
them, but merely use them.
※
And time returned to
its original flow. While Takuhir and his forces were fighting on the Eastern
Border, a man in the northern frontier of the Gryphonia Empire was troubled by
unsettling information.
"Hmm... as I
thought, there's something going on with both of them. The movement of
supplies, judging from the information, isn't normal."
He had utilized the
truce with Kyle Kingdom to revitalize the activities of merchants who traded
across the border. He had favored and protected merchants with various
policies. And he himself had joined that distribution network, securing profits
through trade and arranging contributions to the Third Imperial Prince's
faction.
His decision to
convert a portion of the ransom during the prisoner repatriation into a massive
amount of sugar had a hidden motive.
In Kyle Kingdom, which
had obtained a large quantity of sugar for next to nothing, the price of sugar
naturally plummeted temporarily. As a result, sweets made with sugar in the
Kingdom became considerably cheaper compared to before and spread throughout
society. Once they tasted it, they would crave it again. That was human nature;
unable to resist the temptation of sweetness, those who knew the taste and were
captivated continued to buy expensive sweets even after prices returned to
normal.
Events unfolded just
as he intended. He created a trend and a trade route, then proceeded to
dominate the sugar distribution. Large quantities of sugar—confiscated during
the Third Prince's expansion of his dominion along the southern border, and
sugar purchased cheaply locally—were sent to him. He then subtly sold these
vast amounts of sugar to merchants at the northern border. At his suggestion,
the procurement of sugar within the Empire became a direct operation of the
Third Prince, meaning there was no competition to begin with.
Merchants eagerly
procured sugar from him and sold it in various regions beyond the borders, such
as the Kyle Kingdom and other foreign countries.
By simply procuring
sugar at the Empire's northern border and transporting it to Kyle Kingdom and
other foreign countries, it could be sold at a high price. There was no need to
risk going to dangerous production areas in conflict zones or transporting it
long distances. Merchants eagerly jumped at this low-risk profit opportunity.
Sieghart was able to
earn a sufficient profit margin even by selling the sugar he supplied to
merchants at a fair price. As a result, he secured two things: war funds for
the Third Imperial Prince and the goodwill of the merchants. The merchants, to
gain his favor, brought him information as a byproduct. Thus, as he had
planned, he utilized the distribution information as part of his intelligence
activities and was able to grasp developments occurring in distant lands
through the trade network.
"The Imperial
Capital's movements are also unsettling, and I really don't want to work
overtime. What's more, I'd definitely rather avoid incurring resentment by
being accused of laying hands on a prince who's a candidate for the imperial
succession, and then being purged for it..."
Saying this, he
carefully examined the map of both nations along the border, then muttered
again.
"I really don't
want to do this, but... with this strategy, I might be able to hinder the First
Imperial Prince without harming anyone. Hey, you there! Sorry, but quickly
gather the main merchants and the representatives of the populace."
After telling his aide
this, he turned back to the map and began muttering to himself again.
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