Chapter 285
(Kyle Calendar Year 513: Age 20)
Double-Tongued
Translator : PolterGlast
Having concluded negotiations with the Kyle Kingdom
in the land of the Southern Gate, the Third Prince and Sieghart
surrendered the Southern Gate Fortress to Knight Commander Gouras
of the Kyle Kingdom and withdrew their army into Imperial (Griffonia Empire) territory.
Then, leaving an army of 10,000 near the Imperial border, they entrusted
command to Count Astray and returned to the Imperial Capital Griffin
leading the remaining soldiers.
Yes, because they still had a major task left to solve.
Making the Imperial leadership, especially the nobles of the First Prince
faction, accept the negotiation results...
Hearing that negotiations with the Kyle Kingdom had
concluded and the Third Prince who led them had returned to the Imperial
Capital Griffin, the leaders of various factions, including Imperial
minister-class officials, the First Prince faction, and the neutral faction,
hastily gathered in Griffin.
And their internal battle begins...
At the beginning of the meeting to share the situation, the
Third Prince's faction shared the progression of the war situation this time,
the return of the First Prince who lost the battle and became a prisoner,
various conditions related to that, and the results of negotiations with the Kyle
Kingdom.
"I would like to ask Your Highness Grat! To
begin with, why did you return to the Imperial Capital shamelessly while
leaving His Highness Glorious with the enemy?"
At the seemingly humiliating negotiation results, a person
from the First Prince faction began to denounce fiercely.
"Hmph, you say amusing things. I merely returned to the
Imperial Capital because funds are necessary to get him back."
"We have heard that Your Highness's army is intact, and
furthermore, you were winning locally. Yet why did you discard such an honorable victory, abandon the battle, and return? We
dare ask for an explanation."
Those of the neutral faction also did not hesitate to voice
their own doubts.
Sigh... dealing with fools is exhausting. Can't these
people see the current situation? Aside from Harry, is everyone else so obsessed with the appearances of the
giant country called the Empire that they've degenerated into an ignorant mob?
Thinking so, the Third Prince dared to answer them.
"Do not speak nonsense. Abandonment or whatever, the
war became the Empire's loss due to Glorious's blunder. Do you still not
understand that? I dare ask you! Must I save Glorious even if it means
annihilating my own army?"
"Now Your Highness Grat is the successor to the
throne acknowledged by everyone. Do you not think it stands against reason to
leave a subject behind on the battlefield? Moreover, is His Highness Glorious not Your Highness's elder
brother?"
Talk all you want. To begin with, didn't he refuse to become
a subject and start a useless war to kick me down? Bringing up brotherly affection here is completely
beside the point.
"There is no way the Imperial Army would lose. No, we
cannot afford to lose. We would like you to consider the face of the Empire as
a great power too. I believe we should request a new army from His Majesty the
Emperor while Your Highness is engaging the enemy, and execute a rescue operation."
Are these guys out of their minds? Is everyone at the core of the Imperial Capital trapped
by the illusion of this giant monster called the Empire? Ignorant of the
hardships of those who actually fight...
"Then I dare ask you. I have no intention of listening
to the opinions of those who cannot answer these questions clearly. First: how do you prepare an army of over 30,000? Do you think
soldiers spring out of the ground if you wish for them? Second: do you think you can win with a ragtag
mob?"
"But... the Empire has an army of 200,000 in the
standing army alone, does it not!"
"Are you making fools of us? Glorious mobilized
30,000 in the end, and we inevitably mobilized 30,000 to maintain the battle
line, resulting in 60,000. That’s 60,000
out of 200,000! Do you understand what this means?"
Unfortunately, or rather, as he expected, the reaction of
the opposition faction was slow, and they did not seem to understand its
meaning. Spilling a sigh, the Third Prince continued.
"If we mobilize more soldiers, what about the other
borders? The Imperial territory is vast, and the defense range of the borders
matches it. If we mobilize all soldiers in each territory other than the
borders, how will we maintain public order within the Empire? Don't tell me you
mean to move His Majesty's Royal Guard
stationed in Griffin to protect His Majesty the Emperor?"
"That is... if we pull out little by little from
various places in the Empire, we should be able to gather about 30,000. With that, somehow..."
"The Left Wing he commanded was utterly crushed despite
being an elite army of 30,000. Are you saying you can win with a hastily
assembled 30,000? Or do you want to say we lost because he was exceptionally
incompetent?"
"No, that is not so. We were hoping to entrust the
command of the Left Wing to Your Highness Grat. Including the rescue operation of His Highness Glorious...
We believe it is necessary for Your Highness to lead this battle to restore the
Empire's honor."
These guys are hopeless idiots. Why must I do that?
Appalled by their arguments, Grat nudged the
detestable man yawning next to him from under the table. 『I
am at the limit of my patience. I leave dealing with them to you.』Grat said so with his eyes and stopped dealing with them.
"Umm... I would like to ask everyone, the esteemed
heavyweights of the glorious Empire."
From an outsider's perspective, it was abrupt; for the man
himself, it was done with great reluctance. Sieghart began to speak, but
every word was delivered in a flat, emotionless monotone that made it clear how
bothersome he found it.
"Should we prioritize His Highness Glorious's honor as the First Prince and fight again to protect the
Empire's pride, resulting in His Highness choosing death rather than becoming a
shield for the Kingdom? Or should we prioritize His Highness's life above all else, endure
temporary shame, and make the best efforts we can? Which do you gentlemen
prioritize?"
"Wh-Wh-Why does fighting again lead to His Highness's
death!"
"We would be launching another attack against the
Kingdom that currently holds His Highness Glorious
captive and was in the middle of negotiating a truce and his return. This would
be tantamount to declaring that we do not care for His Highness's life, would
it not?"
"Then we simply need to win that battle. Whether we
destroy them or capture the King or the Kingdom's key figures. Then His
Highness would naturally be returned to us, right?"
"Can you win? Alongside His
Highness Grat's direct troops, His Highness Glorious's
Royal Guard was the strongest in the Empire, you know? By all
means, I would like you to teach my untalented self that strategy and capture
method."
Saying so, Sieghart glared at them. He was implicitly
asking how they could definitively claim they would win or 'just need to win'
when they possessed no concrete strategy or tactics.
"Well... we cannot... "
"The Demon Territory Count's domain where His
Highness is imprisoned is on the Left Wing side. If you insist so much, please
go and conquer the Left Wing yourselves. The territory of the Demon
Territory Count, possessing that impregnable defense and Annihilation Magic
capable of annihilating us one-sidedly and instantly. So that you may focus on
the conquest with peace of mind, we will secure the rear as reserves."
"W-Why should we! "
"I return those exact words to you. To begin with, 'Why
should we?'"
Saying so, Sieghart smiled coldly. This was a
precursor to his sharp tongue becoming severe.
"You possess the strongest military power in this
Empire. Moreover, under the great cause of saving a brother, isn't it natural
to stand at the forefront this time too!"
"Everyone seems to have forgotten something very
important. His Highness Grat and His Highness
Glorious are political enemies fundamentally at odds over the succession
to the throne. Why must we bear the obligation to take the initiative and save
a person who objected to His Highness Grat's
confirmed succession and started a pointless war in the first place just to
drag us down?"
"..."
Sieghart casually laid bare what everyone knew but had been too
afraid to voice in this setting, and continued his speech.
"We also do not say we would fight and lose. But the
opponent is a formidable enemy. If we fight, we will lose many soldiers, and
danger will even reach His Highness Grat himself. Between the person of the future Emperor whose succession
is confirmed, and a person who caused a pointless war out of self-interest and furthermore lost the lives of
many officers and men and the Empire's honor; which do you say is more
important?"
"Th-That is..."
"Being unable to answer clearly, it is unavoidable even
if interpreted as harboring treasonous intent toward the Empire."
"No, such..."
"Then you should understand what I am saying. Returning
to the topic, which do you consider more important, the Empire's face or His Highness Glorious's life?"
"No need to ask! His Highness's life is prioritized
above all."
"Then why do you desire to fight again? Why do you not
listen to us, who proceeded with negotiations valuing His Highness's
life?"
"Th-That is..."
"Then, let us return to the discussion of His
Highness's return through the payment of compensation. Is that acceptable?"
"But... isn't that compensation too large?"
"What is large? There's no way the ransom of the First
Prince of the glorious Empire, a candidate for succession to the throne, could
be light!"
Hearing Sieghart's words, the Third Prince almost
burst out laughing. He had just been relentlessly thrashing the First Prince,
and now, before the spit could even dry on his lips, he was inflating his
value.
"Is this 'face of the Empire as a great power' everyone speaks of only
worth that much?"
Here, Sieghart
began to corner them by twisting their own words against them.
"We, starting with His
Highness Grat, are making efforts cutting our own flesh by scraping our
own territories to save His Highness Glorious.
On the other hand, what will you all
do to save His Highness?"
"To begin with, you bastards went and accepted
unfavorable conditions on your own..."
"Silence! Are you speaking with the understanding that
'you bastards' includes His Highness Grat? If so, I must strike you down
in this place. By the sin of insulting the one who will become Emperor and
slighting his decision... are you prepared?"
"Eek!"
Saying so, Sieghart ostentatiously put his hand on
his sword and leaned forward; seeing this, the one who made the careless remark
turned pale and tumbled from his chair. At this point, seeing the Third Prince
silently and gently reach his hand to the side, Sieghart bowed, sat
down, and continued the story as if nothing happened.
"It seems you all fail to grasp His Highness Grat's profound foresight, so allow me
to elaborate. Rather than striking an enemy holed up in an impregnable
fortress, isn't it far easier and less costly to strike an enemy that has been
lured out by bait and exposed its soft underbelly?"
"..."
"What is foolish about a strategy that uses bait to
lure them out of their hole, and
strikes them when they are full and cannot move?"
"That is..."
"But there is no precedent in our history of the Empire
losing territory! How can we ignore not just our dignity, but the efforts of
our predecessors?"
Unable to watch his peers at a loss
for words, another noble joined the debate.
"Oh? If my memory serves me right, there is a precedent
of the Empire losing territory in the past, isn't there? I
believe there was a history where the southernmost city and its surrounding
area were occupied by the Sura Principality a dozen years ago... Have
you all forgotten?"
"That was... because the Principality cowardly broke
through the border and invaded out of nowhere! Besides...
the stolen land was recaptured by His Highness Grat.
As a result, it returned to Imperial territory, didn't it?"
"Fufufu, that is exactly my point. We just need to let
them take care of and cultivate the bait we give them. We can simply harvest it
later when it has sufficiently ripened. Does this not equate to 'returning to
Imperial territory as a result'?"
"But... overlooking another country obtaining fruit
from our land under our noses is also..."
"We are not overlooking it; we are having them
cultivate it. Regarding the 'face of the Empire as a great power,' if the land
ceded this time returns, there is no problem, right? Moreover, it even comes
with interest—being enriched by their hands through development. Well, that's
how it is. No matter how many elites they gather, how will they protect that
vast territory spreading left and right?"
"May we understand that this is your intention?"
"That is exactly why there is a 25-year ceasefire
agreement. During this time, we will be able to turn our army southward with
peace of mind. The Empire will become more powerful. You understand the
magnitude of this meaning, right? And then, we will be able to face their newly
acquired territory—which is full of vulnerabilities—from an overwhelmingly
advantageous position."
Here too, the Third Prince, making a solemn face and just
nodding, was desperately suppressing a laugh. Because he knew Sieghart's
true intention, he was half-exasperated by this blatantly opportunistic double-tongue...
Sieghart himself
has absolutely no intention of fighting the Kyle Kingdom side again in
the future.
And after a quarter of a century, generational change will
progress, and the old men complaining now will almost all disappear from the
front stage. Conversely, Grat will be on the throne, holding absolute
power in his hands, and can easily discard such a story. Ultimately, he was
just making empty promises to them.
"Someone said earlier that this is 'unprecedented in
the Empire's history,' but has there ever been such a disgrace in our history
as an Imperial heir—or anyone including the Emperor—falling into enemy hands
and becoming a prisoner?"
"I-I-Insolent! Pointing at His
Highness Glorious!"
"Which of us is being insolent? If tarnishing the
honorable Empire's face and forcing it to pay a massive reparation isn't a
disgrace, what is! Setting aside His Majesty the Emperor, even as a Prince, one
cannot help but doubt his command ability and strategic vision. I am saying so from the standpoint of the Empire. In the
meetings held every year, didn't everyone yourselves make such statements as
qualifications for succeeding to the throne?"
"A mere Viscount..."
"That's right. Even we, 'mere Viscounts,' are trying to
save His Highness's life by scraping our own territories. Conversely, what are
you doing? All you do is raise objections and loudly condemn His Highness Grat's grand scheme. Which of us is truly insolent!"
"But there is a limit to what we can do..."
"Just moments ago, you were all advocating for His
Highness Glorious's rescue
regardless of appearances, fully knowing the unreasonableness of it. Here is an
opportunity for you to prove that those words were sincere. For the sake of
your beloved His Highness Glorious."
"You don't mean..."
"Yes, we would like you to bear a part of the wealth
accumulated over many years, as we did with vast territories. Even we, 'mere
Viscounts' and Counts, offered more than half of our territories. We are
watching with keen interest to see just how much loyalty everyone,
prominent distinguished families in the Empire, will demonstrate."
"But... 1 million Imperial large gold coins is..."
"That's right! Where on earth are we supposed to
squeeze out 1 million large gold coins from!"
At that voice, Sieghart laughed fearlessly. As if
such a thing was perfectly obvious.
"If everyone also offers half of your territories
equally to us, or equivalent wealth, I believe it will be more than enough."
"No... that is..."
Sieghart stopped
provoking and steered toward a settlement point at once here.
"Please let me tell a small story. Of His Highness Glorious's 30,000 Royal Guard,
only 5,000 returned safely; nearly 25,000 were lost or taken prisoner. How much
do you think just their salaries amount to every year?"
His logic was simple. Even estimating the Royal Guard's salary at an average of 20 Imperial large gold
coins per year, for 25,000 people, it's 500,000 coins. Thinking so, it wouldn't
be an amount they couldn't squeeze out.
"Squeeze out about half from the military expenses
managed by His Highness Glorious, and the remaining half from
everyone. Of course, I will report the amount offered by each family to His Highness Glorious too. As an opportunity to show
everyone's loyalty... In the unlikely event there is a shortfall, we will have
no choice but to rely on His Majesty the Emperor."
"Guh..." "That is..."
Those who were raising their voices fell completely silent
at once. Because if it's the Emperor, who is now tired of political affairs and
holed up in the inner palace...
『We
don't need such cold-hearted and unreliable nobles. Abolish them as disloyal,
and it's fine to atone with that wealth.』
There was more than enough possibility he would say so
indifferently.
Duke Harry, who once fought together as a direct
subject and backed the succession to the throne, is also a prisoner, and
Marquis Bradley, Margrave
Goth,
and others are already dead.
Now there was no one in this place who could intimately
advise the Emperor.
"W-We will ask you to leave this matter to us. We will
decide the distribution through discussion and prepare 500,000 coins, so please
refrain from disturbing His Majesty's peace of mind."
A person from the First Prince faction said so with a pale
face.
"I thank you for everyone's decisive judgment. With
this, the lives of His Highness Glorious and many
officers and men will be saved."
"But... is this fine? There is a possibility the Kyle
Kingdom will get carried away."
Among the neutral faction, there were still those
unconvinced.
"We stopped fighting, but we didn't abandon it. From
now on, the battle with the Kingdom continues."
"What nonsense..."
No one could understand the meaning of Sieghart's
words.
"The war washing blood with blood with the Kyle
Kingdom is temporarily a ceasefire, but the battle fiercely competing in
the field of commerce is just beginning. We will continue to fight in the war
called economy with the objective of achieving victory. So the Kingdom, elated
with victory, does not 'get carried away'..."
Showing a spine-chilling smile saying so, Sieghart
looked over everyone again.
"We sincerely look forward to everyone's participation
in this battle."
With Sieghart's words said with a smile, the meeting concluded. Just as they intended...
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