Chapter 50
If I were just an ordinary human, letting the kings of each nation live would, in the long run, be an incredibly foolish choice.
They may currently tiptoe around the Empire and call themselves its vassals, but the moment the Empire shows the slightest weakness, they will declare independence.
For instance, if the Emperor’s life were about to end and a succession battle began…
But can I even die of old age?
No, I cannot.
Just look at the World Tree—she’s been alive since ancient times. And even the Grand Duke, we have no idea how old he is.
Not long ago, out of curiosity, I asked him his age. He got angry and refused to answer, so I never learned the exact number.
Anyway, one day I might retire of my own accord, but I’ll never relinquish the throne because my lifespan has run out.
When I do pass on the throne, it will be to someone I personally designate. Whenever that time comes, there won’t be any fracturing of the Empire.
Or, who knows—I might just keep ruling for a thousand or ten thousand years.
“Should I let them live?”
There are, of course, definite advantages to letting those kings live.
Their subordinates, structures, and administrative systems would all remain intact, which would save the Empire’s already limited manpower.
Naturally, those people would fundamentally remain loyal to their own king rather than the Empire, but my goal is to bring every kingdom into my sphere of influence so that I, too, stand above death—and above the gods—within their lands.
Even if I don’t immediately gain anything direct from these kingdoms, the mere fact that they formally swear allegiance to me will change many things.
What the Empire lacks right now is manpower, not resources, so it’s an option worth considering.
The only regret is Haeon.
Jer and Anon seem like it would cause more trouble than it’s worth to dismantle them and rebuild according to my taste—so if they just surrender quietly, I’ll accept them and let them save face.
But Haeon… I kind of want to rip it apart entirely.
To be honest, Haeon is in worse shape than even the Grepa Marquisate.
The only difference is its connection to the Tower Master—but he didn’t even lift a finger when Edelvine was in turmoil. Why would he do so now, for Haeon? He’d have to be insane.
“Your Majesty.”
“Hmm? Minister Dia.”
“Duke Verde of Haeon has expressed a desire to meet with Your Majesty.”
Oh?
“Duke Verde, is it? Summon him. In the meantime, organize the related documents and bring them to me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
***
“Reno Verde greets the ruler of the Empire.”
“Welcome, Duke Verde.”
After reviewing Minister Dia’s report, I learned that the one effectively ruling Haeon wasn’t the king but the duke.
He wasn’t some manipulative minister who cut off the king’s arms and seized power. Rather, he was a man who tried to assist an inept king and keep the nation running.
According to those I planted within Haeon, he boasted confidently that the Empire would never actually attack Haeon and planned to strike some kind of deal with me. Yet, seeing him now, he doesn’t appear to be in a mood for negotiation.
“Though it’s late, let me congratulate you on your victory, Empire.”
“Thank you. It wasn’t an easy war, but we won again. Duke Verde, do you know who was the true leader of the enemies we fought this time?”
“…Wasn’t it the beastfolk’s chieftain?”
Judging by the scale of the involved forces, it’s understandable to assume the beastfolk, being the largest, were the main threat.
But I shook my head to deny it.
“That isn’t so. They were nothing but puppets controlled by their god, who was captured and turned into a barren husk. The real mastermind was a survivor of Edelvine. Duke Verde, have you heard of Edelvine?”
“I know a bit about it.”
The moment I mentioned Edelvine, the duke’s expression darkened considerably.
I paid no mind and continued speaking.
“One of my imperial predecessors once raised an army to punish Edelvine. But through the negligence of those under his command, a single survivor escaped. He was deemed so insignificant that no resources were spent tracking him down. As a result, that survivor grew powerful and returned.”
I paused for a moment to take a sip of tea, then offered some to Duke Verde as well.
“Please, have some. It’s tea the Tower Master once sent to the Empire. It has a wonderful aroma.”
“…Thank you.”
It’s true that this tea was sent by the Tower Master. Of course, it wasn’t sent to me personally, but to one of the past emperors several generations ago. It’s been in storage until now.
“So then, Duke Verde, I’d like to know why you wished to see me.”
“…Your Majesty, though in my later years I’ve been shuttling between palace and estate, fighting with paperwork, I’m really more of a knight at heart—one more used to a sword than a pen. So please forgive my directness.”
“I shall.”
“Please spare our king.”
Hmm.
That is more blunt than I expected.
Not ‘Please don’t wage war,’ but rather, ‘Please spare the king.’
“You want me to spare your king? You’ve skipped ahead so much that I’m not sure how to respond.”
“Your Majesty is preparing for war—a war against all the kingdoms on the continent. Surely Haeon will be no exception.”
“Go on.”
“To speak my true feelings, Haeon cannot stand against the Empire. Still, as a duke of my nation, I can’t just sit and do nothing. Hence why I’ve come here.”
He’s honest, perceptive, realistic, and still courteous—and clearly capable.
I found myself growing more and more impressed with Duke Verde. I gestured for him to continue.
“Our king has no intention of stepping down from the throne. If Your Majesty tries to seize it, he’ll resist until a blade is at his throat.”
“And if your king commands you to fight, will you comply?”
“My aging body, my house, and all the vassals of our kingdom would give up our lives. If there were even the slightest chance our king could keep his throne by sacrificing us, we would do it.”
“And?”
“…I cannot order so many people to their deaths for a cause that cannot be won.”
Good.
I’ve made my decision.
“Duke Reno Verde.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I shall entrust Haeon to you.”
“…Pardon?”
“I will grant you an imperial title and give you all of Haeon as your domain. From now on, you will serve me.”
“That is…!”
“Only that…!”
I cut off Duke Verde’s attempted protest and continued.
“Only that. That is the only way you can save your king. Nothing else can keep that fool breathing. I hear you’ve been in contact with the Holy Nation.”
“…!”
“Duke.”
I spread a wide aura of royal purple, revealing my full presence—
majesty, authority, or perhaps something even higher.
Though Duke Verde had reached the level of a master, he couldn’t defy my power and lowered his head.
“I am no longer afraid of Kiriya.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Even if the Holy Nation tries to protect your king, it doesn’t matter. If I will it, he will die.
Neither the gods nor the heavens above will watch over him.”
Kiriya may be righteous and kind, but that doesn’t mean she loves all equally. If she wanted to fight me, she’d first have to sacrifice every believer in the Holy Nation. There’s no way she’d do that for the King of Haeon.
“I’ll give you time to think. I’ll call for you again at tomorrow’s supper, so make your decision by then.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
***
“Thank you all for gathering here.”
Although the Imperial Council had concluded, the nobles of princely rank remained: Duke Fael , Marquess Grepa, Duke Triell, and the newly elevated Count Pell.
“It’s an old tradition for us to discuss important matters of the Empire together, is it not? Until now, circumstances forced me to act somewhat unilaterally, but from this point on, let us work together.”
“Come now, Your Majesty—why not just admit you don’t want to do everything alone?”
“Haha, it seems even you, Your Majesty, find it difficult to manage the entire continent by yourself.”
My dear cousin took the lead, and Duke Fael chimed in.
I let out a small chuckle in response.
“Ah, so you’ve seen right through me. With everyone here so wise, the Empire’s future is bright indeed.”
Unlike the previous Duke Triell, who was more of a political rival, these individuals are strong companions and loyal vassals.
Alongside Xian, the only people I could truly call friends might be these dukes and the Grand Duke.
Though I once regarded them with caution, I’ve since realized there’s no need for that.
Duke Triell also let out a quiet laugh, hand over her mouth, while the newly appointed Count Pell alone seemed tense, carefully gauging the atmosphere.
“In any case, the reason I’ve called you all here today is to discuss how we’ll rule the continent going forward. As Fried mentioned, the land is far too vast for me to govern alone.”
“Still, once all the kingdoms are made to bow, Your Majesty’s accomplishments will be recorded in history forever.”
“Well, yes, there is that. Oh, although I trust you all know this already, allow me to make it clear here and now: the Tower and the Holy Nation are not enemies of the Empire.”
“Um, Your Majesty, if it isn’t rude to ask, may I know why you’ve excluded those two powers?
I’ve thought it over on my own, but I worry Your Majesty might have another reason in mind.”
“Of course, Count Pell. Let’s start with the Tower. Aside from rare exceptions like me, almost every mage in the Empire once studied at the Tower. Their mentors, classmates, and seniors or juniors are still there. Over seventy percent of the mages in the Imperial Mage Corps—and even our commander, Sir Croul are affiliated with both the Tower and the Empire.
I don’t believe that if I declared war on the Tower, they would immediately betray me. Still, it would create a seething undercurrent of discontent. In the long run, the Empire would lose many talented mages, and that would be a huge loss.”
“Also, there’s the Tower Master’s power to consider. If a war broke out with the Tower and the Tower Master decided to launch personal raids like some roaming strike force, there wouldn’t be many people who could stop him.”
If the Tower Master personally took the field, top-tier masters like Duke Fael and others would have to join forces to oppose him, or Xian, the Grand Duke, or I would have to step in ourselves.
And even if we managed to kill the Tower Master, that, too, would be problematic.
The Tower isn’t large in territory, nor is it particularly rich in resources. Its influence hinges on the Tower Master and the Elder Council. If we removed them, there’d be little for the Empire to gain.
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