288. The Key to the Nine Thousand Miles (4)
Peace had come to civilized society.
Some monarchs hid their disappointment, while others swallowed their relief and thought so.
The civil war that had swept through the empire like a storm had ended, and the allied forces of the Eastern Kingdom had demonstrated their strength by overthrowing the Duke.
The territories of the secular monarchs were groaning under the chaos brought by the new borders. Of course, it was just a temporary noise. From the people’s perspective, nothing had changed except the name of the monarch.
It was a year when the empire’s influence over the Eastern Kingdom waned, discord among the Dukes grew, and the pride of the empire’s citizens was shattered.
For the empire, it was an utterly terrible time.
And the bell announcing a new era was ringing. Here in Paltennoia. No, at this very moment, in all the major cities of the empire.
-Ding! Ding!
After eight chimes, a brief silence. Then one more chime. Traditionally, this meant that one emperor had ascended among the eight Dukes.
The empire’s citizens bowed halfway sincerely towards the capital, showing their respect.
May peace reign in the new emperor’s reign.
* * *
“Awakened amidst the widespread evil and its resulting calamities, may the light follow. May the Temple of the Gods protect us.”
The emperor’s coronation traditionally takes place in front of the ‘Lion Gate,’ facing the bronze statues of past emperors, and under the attendance of the seven Dukes, the emperor crowns himself. However, the Lion Gate had been destroyed, and the newly ascended emperor prepared the coronation ceremony according to a new ritual, ignoring the Dukes’ agreement.
No Duke opposed this.
There was not a single Duke without a blade at their throat, and Rene, lurking in the shadows, held the reins of the other Dukes.
It was a bizarre scene created by sophisticated political maneuvers, some agreements, and the tragedy of the previous emperor. The absurd procedure of the Pope of the Temple of the Gods personally crowning the emperor was formed.
“What do you think, Duke Tremule?”
“Duke Grimor.”
The Pope, addressing the citizens gathered in the plaza with a magic-amplified artifact, was visible. Grimor clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“It’s ridiculous that the one who declared not to interfere in the secular royal affairs is now blessing the secular royalty, and it’s equally absurd that the emperor of the empire, who never once submitted to the church’s power, is kneeling at the Pope’s feet.”
Grimor spoke without hiding his disgust. It was not the truth. Rene was now practically on equal footing with the Pope, only slightly bending one knee during the ceremony.
No one would think the Pope was above the emperor. Neither the church, nor the nobles. Not even the people watching this.
In their lives, it was not uncommon for priests to bless nobles.
Even the Pope, who supposedly bows to no one under God, showed respect in front of the emperor’s ceremony. It was the best etiquette the church could officially display, a sign of respecting the emperor’s authority.
And that… was also an action hinting at the political intimacy between the emperor and the Pope. There was a thorn in Grimor’s words.
“What does your daughter think?”
“That’s sudden.”
“I don’t enjoy beating around the bush. I’m not accustomed to the noble speech of Paltennoia.”
Grimor whispered quietly while looking at the Pope’s face. Not accustomed to the capital’s noble speech? Robert chuckled at his words. The political implications of that statement were severe.
The Grimor family is the royal family of Jaclyn. And Jaclyn, being an inland region with very few maritime trade routes, suffered little damage from Robert’s privateer fleet.
From the Grimor family’s perspective, the Tremule family was an attractive match.
Although the previous emperor was judged a heretic and caused the empire’s internal strife. The current Count Tremule is a remarkable figure who, with astonishing political sense, rebuilt the family’s fortunes that could have easily collapsed.
He was young and unmarried. Finding a young man like this was not easy, even if you searched the entire continent.
“Unfortunately, marriages among Dukes are impossible.”
“If we follow the empire’s laws, hasn’t our emperor already deviated? There’s always a way for everything.”
“Haha. Duke Grimor…”
Robert chuckled at the old noble’s words. It could be seen as a rude action according to etiquette. He quickly bowed his head slightly, covering his mouth, and whispered quietly.
“Do you want to die?”
“…What, what?”
“I don’t want to die. Since you said you’re not accustomed to noble language, I’ll do the same. It’s very rare for me to speak my mind. So, keep your ears open. I don’t want to die.”
Grimor’s face stiffened, and he opened his mouth slightly, then hurriedly bowed his head as he met Robert’s fierce gaze.
He had forgotten. The seemingly pleasant young man before him had ruled over the empire’s top intelligence agency since his boyhood.
“What… do you mean?”
“I have a sister.”
“I know that. Isn’t she just a nominal daughter? I heard she’s been ranting about using the family fortune to help the poor…”
“Given her personality, that’s absolutely impossible. But when she said she would do that, I gave her the gold I had personally accumulated…”
He poured it out without hesitation. Why do you think that is?”
At Robert’s words, Grimor closed his mouth.
“I know that the reason she genuinely wanted to do something as noble as helping the poor was because of one man. Duke Grimor, do you know who that man is?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Let me tell you. He’s an excommunicated priest. Belonging to the Inquisition Office, whether you know it or not. He was an agent who had been secretly active for many years as the head of an organization called Religiosa Diemonica.”
“What does that mean? If he’s an excommunicated priest, isn’t he just a commoner… just a lowly person?”
“Look at that.”
At Robert’s gesture, Grimor raised his head. The Pope was smiling benevolently as he placed a laurel wreath on Rene’s forehead.
Ding—! The bell rang, and soon the citizens gathered in the plaza began to cheer and shower flower petals. The Pope patted Rene’s shoulder twice and then stepped back.
To anyone watching, it seemed like a genuine celebration of the young Emperor’s coronation.
Watching the scene, Robert whispered.
“The Pope and the Emperor have joined hands. If the Duke of Carvelier has an heir, that child will be devoted to the Vaitas Church. Whether it’s sincere or not.”
“That would be the case…?”
“And my sister is now saying she wants to arrange a marriage with a priest of Vaitas. Whether it’s her true intention or not, what it signifies is clear.”
A woman stripped of her political power, having handed over the title of Countess Tremule to Robert and pushed out of power. This was Everiz’s public image. But Robert knew her true capabilities and intentions.
She was the only thread holding the Imperial Cabinet together amidst the Emperor’s missteps. She was a talent who was never lacking, both politically and as an administrative noble.
And in such a situation, the partner she found was an excommunicated priest?
“Everiz, the child born between her and the priest will aim for the succession rights of the next Count Tremule.”
And at that time, the Pope himself will support the succession battle. He has already shown his ambition for secular politics. He won’t miss the perfect opportunity to plant two ecclesiastical electors among the eight electors.
Hearing this, Grimor’s face turned pale. Only then did he fully understand Robert’s words.
He didn’t want to die.
Now, even the powerful elector who holds the Empire’s top intelligence agency in his hands is wary of assassination threats.
It’s only natural. Since Carvelier has ascended as Emperor, he won’t leave the position of the head of the Imperial Cabinet, especially the head of Iron Side, to another elector indefinitely.
For a moment, Grimor looked at Robert with the eyes of a death row inmate granted a reprieve. From the beginning until now, his complexion hadn’t changed at all.
“Shh.”
Robert smiled softly and raised his finger to his lips. Grimor felt a chill run down his spine and quickly turned his head.
In the distance, he saw the Pope looking down at them from the podium.
It was a very brief exchange of glances. The smiling eyes of the two men brushed past each other.
Grimor was looking at the monsters created by politics. He took a step back.
“Glory to the Divine Leviathan Empire. Long live His Majesty the Emperor.”
With a calm face, Robert said so and applauded Rene, who stepped forward wearing the laurel wreath.
* * *
-What about that little Count Tremule going crazy?
‘Scenario numbers 13, 87, and 102. We can handle it.’
Fernandez muttered as he looked out at the sea from the watchtower. It was his first outing in a while, a break to pull himself together, but he couldn’t stop thinking.
-What if Emperor Carvelier becomes corrupt?
‘Scenario 77. The probability is too slim, and even that can be handled.’
The research he conducted in a situation where the end was unknown and the research he conducted after experiencing the end to prevent a second end were of a different nature.
‘At this point, honestly, I could bring the world down myself, couldn’t I?’
An abundance of human and material resources and background incomparable to his previous life. The situations of the various factions he had built up so far, and the 185 ‘doomsday scenarios’ he had been racking his brains over for the past few days.
It was impossible to come up with a better plan than this, so the cause of the end must be hidden within his research materials.
Now all that’s left is to eliminate the 185 doomsday scenarios one by one and remove the cause itself.
-32 scenarios that cannot be prepared for, 121 scenarios that can be prepared for, and 42 scenarios with such slim possibilities that they are almost meaningless.
Looking at the probability distribution, it can be reasoned like this.
One big task is done.
Eliminate the causes of the 32 unpredictable doomsday scenarios, ignore the scenarios that can be prepared for now, and just eliminate the remaining problems one by one.
Fernandez thought with a rather refreshing feeling as he bent his waist. There’s nothing as enjoyable as things going as expected.
“Now all that’s left is those guys.”
Looking beyond the horizon at the huge island, Fernandez smiled slightly.
-Ding ding ding ding ding!!
There was an island in the distance. Along with the numerous griffins flying around the outskirts and the small ships floating on the sea.
From the moment the island came into view, warnings erupted from all the warships of the Guimerin Royal Family.
The Guimerin ships did not stop. The island was gradually growing in size. The island was approaching faster than the flagship’s sailing speed. The meaning was very simple.
That was not an island, but a ship.
“Jeronen of the Nine Thousand Heavens.”
The ships of each faction spread out widely and took up defensive positions. Jeronen’s warships were not numerous, but in terms of the size of the flagship alone, it surpassed even Leia’s.
If Malerun’s ship was like a kind of huge fortress, that was literally an island.
A small mountain peak and the fortress, city area, and port spread out below it could be seen.
“Let’s see what you know.”
A small speedboat waving a yellow flag from the mast was approaching. The first diplomatic activity between the elven kingdoms that had parted ways a thousand years ago was now beginning.
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