Chapter 147: Secret Meeting with Shen-kun
After hearing about the situation from Ignat, who had gone to his family home to get information, I decided to ask Mei to investigate the Empire’s condition.
Starting with verifying the story Ignat heard, focusing first on the extent of the Strange Disease’s spread.
I’d heard they couldn’t move their troops because of it, but the problem was to what extent.
Then, even though I had just asked, Mei immediately projected several images into the air.
It seems she had drones hidden in various places related to Ver-san.
She was apparently controlling them and sending real-time footage.
What was displayed were scenes of villages and towns being burned in various locations.
The situations varied.
Sometimes it was just one house, sometimes sections were cordoned off and set on fire, and sometimes entire villages.
But all of them were gruesome sights, without a doubt.
There were even scenes of soldiers and villagers, armed, surrounding and pushing those trying to escape back into the flames.
When I asked, “Is this really happening right now?” she answered curtly, “Yes.”
“We can’t help them with this either, can we…”
The fact that there’s an easy way to cure it made me feel even more helpless, and the words slipped out.
“No, I suppose not… They are an enemy nation, after all.”
Yuri, her face pained, replied softly.
She probably felt the same way about wanting to help. She didn’t look convinced.
“I see. You’re right… It’s sickening, but I guess we have no choice but to accept it,” I said, steeling myself. “Alright. Then let’s at least help Ignat’s people,” I replied to Yuri.
“Yes, let’s,” Yuri replied, her expression also changing, then she looked at Mei. “What about that other matter?”
There were other things we’d heard from Ignat.
When prompted for an answer to that question, Mei spoke immediately.
“Lloyd and Honoka are officially listed as killed in action, but based on the movements of the soldiers Lloyd led, the higher-ups have concluded in a meeting that the two deserted in the face of the enemy.
Currently, with two generals now siding with the Marquis Ignat family, which is causing problems, they are simultaneously approaching King Nagira for cooperation.”
The Emperor, apparently quite mentally cornered by the thought, ‘I might have been deceived into killing my own parent,’ has supposedly been holed up all this time.
Currently, Prime Minister Hyde is making various moves, but having lost the Temple Knights, he only has a few thousand soldiers he can mobilize.
It’s said there’s only one general left in the Imperial Capital, and they’re short-handed in every respect.
Originally, King Nagira was supposed to suppress Yamato by dispatching Divine Soldiers, but that promise hasn’t been fulfilled, and the Church is now petitioning King Nagira.
If that comes to pass, they could supposedly mobilize five generals and about twenty thousand soldiers, but they say that’s truly all they have.
“Wait, wait! How can they even think of crushing Shen-kun’s territory with that!”
No matter how you look at it, that’s impossible!
If they’re going to push such a foolish accusation, there’s a minimum amount of power they should possess, right?!
“The Pope schemed that they couldn’t afford to worry about appearances to answer the divine command, and the Prime Minister backed him, leading to its execution. Their original plan was to capture the Marquis in the Imperial Capital and take him hostage, but Marquis Ignat’s Knights far exceeded their expectations, so it didn’t come to pass.”
So they tried to capture him through a sneak attack and he escaped, huh.
Their actions were so despicable I was almost at a loss for words, but I managed to swallow my anger and asked what happened next.
“I heard he tried to negotiate even after returning to his own territory, stating he had no rebellious intent, but what about that…?”
“It seems they couldn’t back down after declaring him a traitor to the country in the Emperor’s name, mobilizing even the Royal Guard to engage him, and the Pope himself declaring him an enemy of God. Therefore, they decided to approach King Nagira for cooperation and are proceeding with it.
They were confident he would act immediately, but King Nagira has even refrained from sending Divine Soldiers to the north, so for now, the situation has reached a stalemate.
The Divine Soldiers that the main Ark ship shot down the other day are being rapidly manufactured as replacements, so the total number hasn’t decreased by even ten percent. However, he has always approved of the earthly population decreasing.”
What’s with these guys…
Every single one of them acts in a way that makes it hard to believe they’re educated people.
They just started wars with both the north and south, lost, and suffered massive damage.
On top of that, the Marquis Ignat family, who currently possesses the most military strength, was willing to yield, and they seriously kicked that offer away?
And the one I understand least is King Nagira. What is he really thinking…
He understood from last time that he couldn’t win on his own, right?
If he’s thinking of relying on the Ancient Race, then the Empire’s stability should be essential.
Don’t they think their pride is more important than the survival of their country…
Even though they’re in a position where they’ll be killed if the country collapses.
It’s to the point where I think they might be so foolish there’s a huge gap even compared to me.
They were just that lacking in thought.
In the first place, a sneak attack on a faultless vassal just to seize their troops… There’s no way that vassal’s soldiers would follow them after that. Normally, the one attacked would think of revenge.
Besides, other nobles would stop showing loyalty too, you know?
If they carelessly step forward, they’ll think it’s their turn next.
In that case, they’d become suspicious of everything and only think about protecting themselves.
Ah, I’d heard about that kind of vicious cycle before.
Most of that seems to stem from the Church, so is King Nagira the root cause after all?
That old man seems to think all surface dwellers are enemies, so maybe I’m just overlooking something and things are going according to his plan…?
“By the way, how is Ver-san doing?”
Over the past six months, I’ve seen a lot of his past and present, and since he has a personality that makes me feel a sense of closeness, calling him Ver-san has stuck.
When I asked about his movements, it seemed there had been a slight change.
“He seemed to have grown tired of the unchanging festivities and slipped out to stroll around the Imperial Capital today.
No particular problems occurred, and he has now returned to the mansion provided for him.”
“Huh, he slipped out?! …So, does that mean we might be able to make contact?”
“If someone were already lurking there beforehand, it might be possible, but it would be difficult for a human to go there and evade surveillance. No matter how foolish they are, I can’t imagine the Osaka forces would neglect monitoring an Ancient Race.”
Ah, right.
King Nagira may not be a match for the main Ark ship, but he does possess the technology to fight its drones.
But, if I can talk to him, I want to.
I have a feeling that if it’s Ver-san, we could understand each other if we talked. Seriously…
“If it’s difficult for a human to go, does that mean communication is possible?”
“Yes. Security within the mansion is tight, but it would be possible when he has slipped out.
As long as the Ancient Race doesn’t mind, a simple call should be possible.”
Hearing that, I asked if we could try it, but she said that with an unscanned target, there isn’t enough information, and the accuracy would be quite low.
However, Mei says that even with the current data, the probability of him harboring hostility is low.
“I’m relieved to hear that. Honestly, the current Empire isn’t scary at all.”
“Yes. I have no anxieties either. Though I am a little dissatisfied that the man who targeted Rui is now on our side.”
Ah, Lloyd the Swift, huh.
Well, if we were to fight him, he’s troublesome enough that one of us would have to deal with him directly, so if he’s not an enemy, I prefer it that way.
But it’s true that once you’ve crossed swords on the battlefield, it’s hard to feel like getting friendly.
It even took time to trust the sincere Ignat, after all.
As I muttered that, Yuri gave me a sidelong glance, as if to say, “Rui? The issue with Ignat was for a different reason, wasn’t it?”
“No, um. I’m sorry. I’ll try not to get jealous as much as possible anymore.”
“Huh? No, um… I actually want you to be a little jealous…”
“Eh… If it’s okay to be jealous, then I naturally will be…?”
And as Yuri and I were gazing at each other, Mei cleared her throat.
Thus, while being pulled back to reality, we continued to hash out the details.
“A communication request has come in from Shuperu-sama. It seems the preparations are complete.”
That’s quite fast, I thought, as I sat up straight and faced forward.
When the image appeared, it showed the brothers sitting side-by-side.
I spoke first to Shen-kun, who was looking this way with a tense expression.
“It’s been a while. I heard what happened. You’ve been through a lot, huh.”
“It has been a long time, Your Highness, Crown Prince Rui.
I apologize that it’s always about such matters when I meet with Your Highness…”
“No, no, if it weren’t for situations like this, we’re in a position where even conversation would be difficult, so it can’t be helped.”
“I am grateful for your consideration, Your Highness, Crown Prince Rui.”
As he bowed deeply, I replied with my usual line, “No, no, it’s just us, so there’s no need to be so formal,” while also asking Shen-kun about his future plans.
How he planned to survive this situation.
“We have no choice but to fight. For now, I have made arrangements to resist.
Although the information I received from Your Highness made me realize that my preparations are still far from sufficient…”
He said that all he can do now is defend his own territory.
While doing so, he has no choice but to endlessly continue strengthening his domain until the enemy gives up, he says.
He explained that if he continues to surpass the Empire’s growth rate in both development and military strength, he should naturally be able to survive.
It’s not an easy task, but right now, the Empire has been hit so hard by the Strange Disease that it’s not an impossible story.
“Alright, first, let’s talk about defense. Right now, the Church is making various moves—”
I relayed the information I had Mei investigate earlier to Shen-kun.
Shen-kun’s eyes widened as he heard the follow-up to the information he himself had provided.
“Eh… Your Highness, how do you know so much about the Empire’s internal affairs?”
“Fufufu, that’s a secret. I’ll tell you when you, Shen-kun, join our side in both name and reality.”
“Th-that means to surrender to Belfast…?”
“Eh, no, no! It’s when our countries get along and we become friends.”
I shook my head vigorously, saying I couldn’t decide something so important on my own, but he looked surprised by that response too.
“Eh… You’d recognize us as a country?”
“Well, if you’ve become independent, you’re a country, right? I don’t really get the whole ‘recognize’ thing.
Pops also said he’d want to get along if things stabilized, so it’ll probably turn out that way, don’t you think?”
“Ooh!! That is! That is truly welcome news!”
He, who must have been anxious before, half-rose from his seat, his joy evident.
I calmed him down, saying we’d talk about that once things settled, and finished explaining the current situation.
“So that’s what was happening in the shadows with factions I didn’t even know existed… I knew something was off with the Church, but to think we were being deceived by those who falsely invoke God’s name…”
“Yeah. They probably showed off advanced technology, like what we’re using to talk via video right now, to make people believe them.
Well, from my perspective, either way, I can only say those Church folks are crazy.”
“Ahaha, you’re absolutely right!” he continued, emphasizing his words as if to say he’d found someone who understood.
After that, while mixing in his grievances against the Church and the Emperor, he talked about the future deployment of his troops and such.
Naturally, if they weren’t going to invade, it would be a defensive battle when the enemy attacked.
So, basically, their only option was to hold them off at the outer wall, which served as their territory’s border, along the three routes where well-maintained roads extended from the Imperial Capital.
In the meantime, Shen-kun would apparently work hard on internal affairs.
“We’d like to be constantly prepared for an attack from the north as well, but we just don’t have enough soldiers.
It seems our only option there is to keep a close eye on the movements of the soldiers who were fighting Yamato and the Imperial Capital’s soldiers, and try to deceive them.”
“Ah, well then, I’ll let you know if they make a move. Naturally, we’re keeping an eye on them too.”
“Oh, that’s a great help!
It’s something I’d very much like to request, so I’d like to ask about the compensation…”
“Eh… Ah, well then, Ignat, you decide the price for my assistance.
It’s your family home, and I’ll just say I only need the bare minimum.”
“Yes, sir!” Ignat replied, for some reason with a formal, outward-facing response, but then he seemed to fall into thought and didn’t answer.
“What’s wrong?” I tilted my head, and he finally spoke.
“Well, I can’t find a single item among what Shen can offer that would please Your Highness…”
“No, no, Brother!? That can’t be true, can it!?
Even for His Highness, to have absolutely nothing he desires in this vast territory… You’re joking, right?”
“It’s no joke. His Highness possesses wealth, fame, and power—all of it.
Moreover, he has the ability to easily create even more than he currently has.
I thought perhaps something in the way of luxury goods… but there’s nothing.”
No, I don’t have all of it, you know?
Right now, it’s just that I’ve gained power, isn’t it?!
Ah, but I do have a lot of money now.
But not enough to make a Marquis’s family envious, you know?
Not that I need it.
Also… I denied it, saying, “At least I don’t have fame, right?” but Yuri gave me an exasperated look and said, “Rui, how could you not have it?”
No, no, where do I have it!
When I asked seriously, she began to speak gleefully.
“Rui, you don’t know enough about yourself!
If you were to announce yourself before the people in Belfast, you’d be met with great rejoicing. You are the Hero of the Nation, after all!
Your bravery and wisdom have reached Lestall as well, and you’re the talk of the town, you know?
Aren’t you even on the verge of being worshipped as a god by the people of the enemy Empire!”
St-stop it…
Many things are unpleasant, but that ‘wisdom’ part, please, absolutely stop that…
I’m aware that I’m a bit of a disappointing prince myself. The thought of me having ‘wisdom’ is just embarrassing.
“Ah, um, well then, how about this.
Once things settle down as a country, give the residents we took in due to the Strange Disease a chance to call their families over.
As I said before, we can’t send back those we’ve welcomed, but it’s pitiful for them to be separated from their families for life.”
I asked if that would do as compensation.
“Eh, that’s perfectly fine, but is that all?”
“Hmm, I really don’t have anything else I want.
But in these kinds of situations, you’re supposed to receive equivalent compensation, right…?
Then how about a thousand Large Gold Coins?”
When I asked that, he smiled in relief and bowed his head, saying, “Thank you very much.”
After that, we discussed how our participation would be covert, and I asked what kind of people Lloyd and Honoka were.
Apparently, they weren’t as bad as I thought.
He said that this applied to most of the generals—they had unusual upbringings and many were eccentrics, but about half of them weren’t inherently evil, and those two were on the more sensible side.
He particularly mentioned that Honoka leaned towards being a good person.
Then we chatted a bit more, and when we ran out of things to say, we ended the call, agreeing to contact each other if anything else came up.
I told Ignat that I’d given him authority over the Airship, so he was free to travel to and from the village as he pleased.
I figured it would be necessary since he’d left Natalia-san without saying anything directly to her.
He probably wouldn’t want to take her with him since Lloyd and the others are there.
Well, I’ve given them both communication devices, so they can contact each other anytime.
They’re such a lovey-dovey couple that they can’t be satisfied unless they’re by each other’s side, after all.