304. The War of the Puppets (1)
Fernandez took a sip of the wine handed to him by Al Mukapa and looked into his eyes. Al Mukapa already seemed quite drunk, yet he appeared to be enjoying the banquet without a care in the world.
Fireworks exploded in the sky, and dazzling dancers shook their sparkling ornaments as they danced. Al Mukapa’s vassals were either whispering among themselves or laughing heartily as they drank.
“Would you like to step out for some fresh air?”
“Sure.”
The attention that had been focused on Fernandez as a foreign guest gradually faded as the banquet progressed. Al Mukapa’s casual demeanor made Fernandez seem like just a friend of the lord in the eyes of the vassals and servants.
Finally, when no one was paying attention to Fernandez anymore, Al Mukapa whispered to him amidst the drunken revelry of the officers who had lost their senses in the haze of intoxication.
The two quietly rose from their seats and walked toward the balcony. Looking down at the rainy cityscape, Al Mukapa spoke softly.
“The person you requested and the person who wishes to meet you are both requesting an audience. Is that alright?”
“Someone wants to meet me?”
If it was the person he requested, it would likely be Shaksisi. The current Sultan was someone who didn’t trust his own subordinates, and there was more than one Shaksisi infiltrated in each territory. Contacting them shouldn’t be too difficult.
But who in this distant land would specifically seek him out? Fernandez couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.
“Let them in.”
As Al Mukapa spoke with an enigmatic smile, two figures dropped down from the roof. Fernandez reflexively gripped the dagger hidden in his sleeve. However, the two simply bowed their heads and paid their respects to Fernandez.
“This person here is a Shaksisi stationed in this city.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Sir Sernerd.”
“And this person has come from the distant East, risking danger to hear news of you.”
As Fernandez looked at the man kneeling on one knee, the man raised his head slightly and smiled.
“Count Tremule has ordered that you should not face any inconvenience while assisting you. Please command us as you see fit.”
“I owe the Count a great debt.”
“A debt? Count Tremule does not weigh the act of helping a friend on a scale.”
The man was perfectly disguised as a Kirzat native. Only Iron Side could pull off such a feat—infiltrating the deepest parts of an enemy nation of a different race.
This required an enormous amount of labor and capital. To abandon an agent fully embedded in a region just to assist him—this agent could never infiltrate Kirzat again.
This wasn’t mere goodwill. Someone else—say, King Vicente of the Dane Kingdom—might not do this, but if Count Robert had taken such action, it was closer to a transaction than goodwill. He was not one to engage in losing deals.
‘He still sees me as the Emperor’s envoy.’
-This works out well for us.
The broken engagement between Rene Philippa and Fernandez was a secret not announced publicly. Even someone as astute as Robert might not have fully grasped the situation.
If so, all the pieces fit. After Rene Philippa fully takes control of the Imperial Palace, Robert’s position will gradually diminish. Having overthrown the previous Emperor who had turned to demons and rebuilt the current Imperial Palace, the Tremule Count family could become a political focal point for the Emperor.
Robert needed a safety line between himself and the Emperor. Fernandez became that line, and in return, Robert would ensure his safety and information within Kirzat.
“Hmm. I didn’t realize you were acquainted with Count Tremule, Sir Sernerd.”
“It wasn’t my place to reveal it.”
“Then, if I accept you as the Empire’s envoy, would that be the answer to the riddle you mentioned?”
What is he talking about now?
Fernandez frowned and looked at Al Mukapa. Interpreting his expression, Al Mukapa smiled kindly and said,
“If you’re curious about the reasoning… As I’ve heard, you are indeed thorough, Sir Sernerd. After the recent sudden alliance between the Imperial noble who had been active in the Empire and the Elven King, and their secret arrival in our port city, wouldn’t it be too obvious if they tried to contact the Sultan’s intelligence agents?”
“Are you trying to conduct secret diplomacy that cannot be officially requested?”
“What other reason would you have for setting foot in our country?”
Al Mukapa smiled slyly as he spoke. Fernandez glanced at the Iron Side agent, who also nodded as if it were obvious.
Let’s summarize. Fernandez quickly thought. Iron Side believes that Fernandez’s secret arrival is on the Emperor’s orders. Kirzat also thinks the same and has prepared a separate space for secret talks.
If so, his words within Kirzat would now be implicitly accepted as the Emperor’s request.
-Lucky. This is an opportunity.
‘A very… exquisite opportunity.’
Leia probably didn’t anticipate this when she introduced him as a guest, but for Fernandez, this was a result beyond his best expectations.
“My assumption was wrong, Al Mukapa. His Majesty the Emperor sent me to the territory guarded by the most capable lord. Splendid.”
Fernandez smiled as he looked at Al Mukapa. It was a short conversation, but for high nobles like them, it was a smile filled with unmistakable implications.
Finally, Al Mukapa, with a confident—perhaps even boastful—expression, nodded readily.
“It is quite fortunate that the first noble I met in our country is you, Sir Sernerd. For both you and me.”
“I think so too. Now, with the Shaksisi here… we can ensure that this conversation will be directly relayed to the Sultan, right?”
“Of course. As always, the Sultan observes every corner of our country.”
The Shaksisi smiled, drawing their unique sign. The atmosphere had somehow turned into a secret meeting of high nobles from the Great Empire.
Faijashi floated around, laughing like a mischievous child.
-Fools. Hahaha!
‘Let’s see how far we can push this.’
* * *
It was a situation born of astonishing coincidence and a perfect lack of information. Fernandez struggled to suppress his laughter and maintained a solemn expression.
First, Robert still effectively controlled Iron Side. Rene Philippa would eventually reclaim that position, but for now, Robert owned the Empire’s top intelligence agency.
However, due to his preemptive caution against Rene Philippa’s checks, Iron Side was unaware of the internal affairs of the Imperial Palace. Naturally, the Empire’s intelligence agents had no reason to monitor the palace.
Thus, Iron Side believed that Fernandez’s journey to Kirzat was on the Emperor’s orders. After all, there was no other reason to send him to Kirzat unless it was the Emperor’s command.
Therefore, Robert would assist Fernandez. Through Fernandez’s goodwill, Robert would secure a safety line between himself and the Emperor.
They are aiming for flexible political collaboration. Additionally, as listeners of this secret conversation, they will attempt to predict the Emperor’s true intentions and future policies.
‘Very wise. Even considering the lack of information, they have drawn the best possible conclusion.’
-That agent’s judgment is also remarkably sharp. Considering the standing of the Tremule Count’s family, they even risked exposing their own covert identity.
Now, Al Mukapa. This person is also no ordinary figure. Beneath that seemingly warm and approachable expression, dozens of cunning snakes are hiding their fangs.
Confident in his own abilities and judgment, he personally ascended as an envoy to Leia’s flagship. There, he grasped that Leia had unified the Elven dynasty and simultaneously began devising future countermeasures.
Of course, this is a level of insight anyone could achieve. However, Fernandez later reevaluated Al Mukapa’s worth based on his subsequent actions.
He noted that Fernandez was a human noble from the East and that Queen Leia referred to him as a distinguished guest. In his mind, Leia would already appear as someone seeking to ally with the Eastern Kingdoms to begin maritime pressure.
Why would an Eastern human ‘stow away’ to Kirzat, and use Queen Leia to ensure the safety and attention of this stowaway? Only the Empire could pull off such a move, implying that the Emperor wished to engage in unofficial secret talks with Kirzat.
‘If information is lacking, it’s a natural deduction.’
Fernandez smiled inwardly as he looked at Al Mukapa’s sparkling eyes. The fact that the first person to request a meeting upon arriving in Kirzat was ‘Shaksisi’ likely supported his deduction.
Who would dare to meet with experts in sabotage, assassination, terrorism, and information disruption, even agents from enemy nations? Only an imperial envoy seeking contact with the Sultan would do such a thing.
-Eventually, the information will be surpassed.
‘Of course. These guys aren’t dummies.’
The fact that Fernandez was not acting on the Imperial Palace’s orders would eventually be discovered, whether by Ironside or Shaksisi, or anyone else. Each side had already planted enough informants in the other’s nation.
But Fernandez wasn’t concerned. At most, he would leave the country within ten days, and even if his identity was exposed afterward, there would be no way to act against him.
“His Majesty is preparing for war.”
A heavy voice, as if the words themselves carried weight, made the declaration. Fernandez spoke while looking at Al Mukapa. He seemed to be listening without any change in expression, but his eyes were trembling slightly.
Depending on how one interpreted it, this could be taken as a declaration of war.
“What do you mean…?”
“Do not misunderstand. The war with your country has already ended, and the rightful ownership of the wasteland has been firmly declared to belong to the Federation of Beastmen Nobles. However, not everyone agrees.”
At his words, Shaksisi flinched. The Sultan still coveted the magic stone veins buried beneath the wasteland. Even though the Emperor had handed over the land to the Federation of Beastmen Nobles and the Church of the Temple of the Gods had officially recognized their ownership, Kirzat could only feel wronged.
The enormous military losses incurred during the last 50 years of war were not solely the Empire’s burden. Kirzat also had to bear significant losses, which were causing problems severe enough to twist the nation’s foundation.
Thus, the Sultan needed war. To quell internal dissatisfaction and the distrust of local lords toward the central authority, he had to prove the Imperial Palace’s authority. This was similar to the previous Emperor’s logic when suppressing the Beastmen’s rebellion and attacking the Wraith Sovereigns.
“The Sultan…?”
“Your Sultan must think the same. Naturally! Our nations have already shed enough blood over the past half-century. Isn’t that so?”
At Fernandez’s words, Shaksisi couldn’t help but secretly sigh in relief. Now that the meeting’s topic had shifted to discussing the risk of war between two great powers, they had to avoid any verbal missteps that could reignite the fuse.
“Then, what kind of war is His Majesty preparing for…?”
“He is preparing to guard against the White Country Demons.”
“The White Country Demons… you say?”
“Has anyone here heard news of suspicious movements among them?”
Both Ironside and Shaksisi shook their heads. No matter how thorough their intelligence agencies were, this city was a remote rear area far from the White Country Demons’ plains.
Physically, it would take time for any news of them to reach this place. And who would suddenly worry about those bandits? They had never achieved any significant victories in the past… they were just nomads.
Though somewhat rough and uncivilized, they were still people who focused on raising pigs and sheep within their own lands. When their numbers grew too large, they would incite internal strife to thin their ranks until the plains’ resources could sustain them.
“What could those uncivilized nomads possibly be doing…?”
“There are rumors of a Kagan appearing among them. Information suggests they are uniting thousands of gers across the plains and advancing toward fertile lands.”
“!!”
At his words, Shaksisi flinched. The White Country Demons’ plains lie south of the wasteland. They are somewhat distant from the Empire, and the wasteland would not seem like fertile land to them…
Couldn’t it be Kirzat, with its shared border, that is the target? Fernandez’s words were unexpectedly close to a warning.
“But they lack proper weapons and military forces. Could His Majesty be overly cautious due to the burdens of his early reign…?”
“That is why I was on my way to the plains to confirm it myself.”
“Then, does that mean your reason for visiting our country was not to seek secret talks with us?”
“I didn’t say that. I was merely passing through. Lord Al Mukapa. However, His Majesty did entrust me with a message: if this matter proves true, your country must prepare for future invasions, and he promised not to withhold support.”
Fernandez continued speaking without a change in expression. For Diemonica, who could control every muscle fiber and was halfway to superhuman status, this was easy. He had even mastered Heretica’s infiltration techniques.
Of course, everything he was saying now was a lie. The Emperor was completely unaware of this matter, and Karadskar’s rise was only a suspected event with no concrete evidence.
But what did it matter? By the time these people realized the truth, they would no longer be able to pay attention to him.
‘We can’t let Karadskar head toward the Empire.’
Rene Philippa’s Empire still needs stability. Kirzat has no ties to it and cannot exert influence, but Fernandez’s influence within the Empire is immense. If one must be sacrificed, it is right to abandon Kirzat.
It’s a simple elimination method. To achieve the feat of annihilating the Great Demons within at least two years, a solid support base that can be firmly controlled is necessary. There’s no more time to waste worrying about civilized society.
Therefore, Kirzat must become the breakwater that stops Karadskar. Unlike in his previous life, he will entrust that role to Kirzat. By the time the Sultan and Shaksisi realize the truth, the legions of the Great Tethai Empire will already be advancing before their eyes.
‘We must make the most of it while we can.’
Fernandez quietly smiled as he watched the two puppets swallow their saliva, focusing on his words.
Is it the sacrifice of the small for the greater good? No, it’s better to discuss it as the necessity and consumption for achieving the goal. Dark Mages and Priests are akin to kin in this regard, and Fernandez was the first to hold both titles simultaneously.
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