CH 359

Chapter 359 – Diplomatic Masterpiece(4)

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This era was thoroughly a hierarchical society.

Being branded as not a slave but a sex slave was a dishonor that could not be washed off. Nobles and even commoners didn’t treat sex slaves as people.

There have always been suspicions about Laura being an illegitimate child since the past. This basically made it so that the Empire was requesting a young girl who was once an illegitimate child and a sex slave to be appointed as a duchess. People would most likely treat this as a ridiculous request.

This was a splendid response from the Kingdom of Sardinia. You won the argument.

But you are fools. You forgot that victory and defeat are only secondary issues in arguments.

Our Empire had done our utmost. We utilized all sorts of methods for the continent’s peace and to preserve the reconciliation between races. Despite all this, your nation made a shameful personal attack and disregarded all of the consideration we had shown you…….

People will most likely understand where Sardinia is coming from with their statement. They couldn’t possibly give a sex slave the peerage of a duchess. They’re right about that.

However, the people could not help but scowl. Is it truly right to disregard the potential unity between nations and races? She is only a single slave. Could they not overlook this matter just this once for the sake of a greater cause?

Setting aside whether this was right or not, Sardinia looked incredibly petty. They were narrow-minded and short-sighted. They couldn’t erase this negative impression…….

This was quite literally taking a step back to take two steps forward. The Empire lost the argument, but they gained the favor of the people.

Now the only thing left to do was to wrap this up.

I borrowed the Emperor’s mouth to perform for the public. Emperor Rudolf wrote a long declaration and sent it to the embassies of the other nations. Government officials read the declarations out loud in the city plazas.

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– I announce this to all people. Lawbreakers who have been sneaking around our continent like ghosts, heed my solemn vow.

– Let it be known that, henceforth, the great Empire of Habsburg proclaims the complete emancipation of all individuals who have been enslaved through unlawful means. Any and all documents of ownership that have been unlawfully stamped without following the proper protocols shall be rendered null and void.

– Listen carefully, Kingdom of Sardinia. Your treatment of the families who were vanquished in your recent civil strife was beyond reprehensible. Even if one were to accept the execution of elders and infants for three generations, what sort of barbaric behavior would lead you to traffic a daughter of a noble duke as a sex slave!?

– The honor of nobility may ultimately reside with the King, but it has been a long-standing tradition to uphold the dignity of nobles, even if they have committed treason. They should be afforded the respect to live and die with their nobility intact.

– However, it is with great regret that I must ask for the forgiveness of the Goddess Mnemosyne, for some have forgotten the very basics of respecting nobles, let alone their fellow humans. During the Chrysanthemum War, the House of Farnese fell, and its youngest member, Laura de Farnese, was only a mere fourteen years of age.

– Despite her having no involvement in their quarrel, you ruthless individuals seized her and turned her into a sex slave, driven by your own petty grudges.

– To this day, you still refuse to make amends and instead respond with anger and hostility, leaving me at a loss for words at your shamelessness.

– I am not one to shy away from anger, and I shall make it known that I am proud of my indignation in the face of such depravity. May the Goddesses themselves bear witness to my vow to bring justice for the innocent victim, Laura de Farnese.

– Listen well, you savages who committed a heinous act of violence against an innocent child under the guise of authority. As the sovereign of the Empire, I issue this stern warning to you.

– It is imperative that the Kingdom of Sardinia issues an official apology to Lady Laura de Farnese and bestows upon her the prestigious title of duchess without delay. Additionally, I demand the swift return of the region of Parma to its rightful ruler, the House of Farnese. Lastly, let it be known that Earl Pavia must make a personal apology to me for his reprehensible slander of the Empire’s esteemed acting general.

– This is my ultimatum to you, and it shall not waver.

– Take heed of the fates of those who disregarded the warnings of our Empire. If you cannot learn from the lessons of history, then let history bear witness to your own downfall!

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The declaration had an immense impact.

There were several weighty subjects covered in the declaration. The fact that the Empire was going to thoroughly regulate illegal slave auctions, the fact that the Emperor of the Empire had publicly condemned the Kingdom of Sardinia’s royal family, and that the two nations were now in a highly volatile situation…….

As expected, the true essence resided in gaining the favor of the people.

The idea of elevating a former sex slave to the rank of duchess may seem ludicrous, but it is equally absurd that a duke’s esteemed daughter was subjected to sexual slavery in the first place!

People were now split into sides. One side still insisted that a former sex slave should not be made a duchess while the other side condemned Sardinia, saying that they were the ones at fault for turning her into a sex slave in the first place. Their thorough sense of class distinction was what ended up dividing them.

—However, neither side held a favorable opinion of Sardinia.

Shall we organize the situation?

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First, Sardinia was right in the fact that they couldn’t elevate a former sex slave to the rank of a duchess.

Second, it was, however, also Sardinia’s responsibility for having turned the esteemed daughter of a duke into a sex slave in the first place.

Third, despite the clarity of who held the most responsibility, Sardinia disregarded the peace of the continent and the unity of races as they continued to not acknowledge their mistake.

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The nobles of every nation quickly came to a conclusion. Most of their anger came from the second matter. Even if a noble turned out to be a traitor, selling a duke’s daughter off as a slave was going too far.

The Empire had lost the argument at first. However, by gaining the favor of the people and the sentimental support of nobles, the Habsburg Empire managed to take an advantageous standing.

Now then.

This was checkmate.

The Kingdom of Sardinia was now only capable of choosing between accepting or refusing the Empire’s ultimatum.

I deliberately phrased the Emperor’s declaration in a rude tone. The reason was simple. Even if they wanted to accept the proposal, it would probably be impossible to compromise because of how arrogant and impudent his tone was.

Doing so would make the royal family of Sardinia appear like cowering dogs that scurried away after being scolded by the Emperor. The royal family’s honor would hit rock bottom. It was quite literally an ultimatum. A proposal that absolutely could not be accepted.

In the end, the sequence of events was predetermined.

Whether he wanted to or not, the King of Sardinia had to come out strong. He claimed that the Empire has lost their wit due to being old and diseased and that they are going around like senile old men spreading their distaste for everything around them.

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– The Empire must apologize for their disrespect to us before we apologize to Laura de Farnese.

– We will reinstate the House of Farnese as an earldom, two ranks lower than that of a duchy.

– Earl Pavia had simply stated the truth, and, although it is possible for him to give a personal apology, an apology from the Kingdom is not possible.

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In short, they were telling us to fuck off.

I let out a snort as I read the document sent by Sardinia.

“No matter how I read it, this appears like a declaration of war, Marquis.”

The person who came to personally deliver this diplomatic document was the same envoy as before, Marquis Rody. He kept wiping the sweat off of his forehead as he observed my reaction.

Some sincerity could at least be seen in the fact that they were willing to reinstate Farnese as an earl family. This was probably their attempt to find a way to maintain their royal family’s dignity while also satisfying our request. The issue was that it was far too lacking.

The royal family of Sardinia still believed that they had a way to save face.

I will teach them that their belief is baseless and comes from megalomania.

“Count Palatine, His Excellency the Emperor of Habsburg had disregarded the honor of our nation far too much…….”

“Honor? Did you just say ‘honor’ to me, Marquis?”

I smiled coldly.

“I will tell you what honor is. Honor is refusing to overlook injustice. Honor is sincerely apologizing for an injustice that has already passed. The only honor your nation’s royal family possesses is one that has been picked up off the street like a dog and is filled with disrespect.”

“You are going too far!”

I took out a scroll from my coat and tossed it to the Marquis. The Marquis was taken aback as he caught the scroll that landed on his chest with both arms.

“Count Palatine, what may this be?”

“There is no such thing as going too far between us now. Marquis, that is a declaration of war.”

The Marquis closed his eyes and despaired.

“O Goddess…….”

“His Excellency the Emperor predicted that your nation would refuse to give a sincere apology. How can a country that cannot care for a single girl’s honor possibly care for another nation’s honor? That is what His Excellency stated.”

I reached for the small bell on a desk and rang it, the clear sound of which brought Daisy into the reception room.

“Did you call for me, Father?”

“The Marquis is about to return to his nation. Please kindly escort him to the palace entrance!”

This was a clear dismissal.

The Marquis aged about twenty years in an instant. He almost looked like he had become a hunchback with the way his strength was drained from his body. He left the reception room with aimless steps.

I went to the window and watched as the Marquis left the palace. The Marquis stopped once to look back at the palace. He soon covered his face with his right hand and stayed like that for a while before continuing on his way with lifeless steps.

“Saintess Longwy.”

I activated the communication orb that was on the desk after I confirmed the Marquis’ departure. A blue fog soon started to flow out from the orb. Within the fog was the appearance of Saintess Jacqueline Longwy.

“The declaration of war was just given. Please make preparations.”

– So a war is really happening in the end. Are you happy that things are going your way?

Saintess Longwy let out a forced laugh.

She was a master at raising the ends of her mouth to taunt other people. Although her smile had enough destructive power to make a grown man grab at his hair and roll around in anger, I never felt particularly angry with her ever since we drank together that one time.

I instead returned her taunt with a pleased smile.

“Yes, I am quite happy. I will be able to give you a gift thanks to this. I do hope that it is able to satisfy you.”

– ……Tsk.

Saintess Longwy visibly clicked her tongue. Is it really okay for this woman to be a saintess? I’m starting to suspect that the Temple of Athena is filled with nothing but masochists.

– All right. I will get in contact with the Queen.

“That isn’t all. The Habsburg Empire has formerly denounced the illegal trading of slaves, and the selling of slaves is something the temples have always disapproved of.”

– ……Are you telling me to make our temple publicly announce its support of the Empire?

“There is no reason for it to be a formal announcement from the temple. It will most likely be difficult for a temple to openly denounce the trading of slaves. However, it should not matter if a saintess were to offer her ‘personal’ support.”

Saintess Longwy furrowed her brows. A beautiful woman furrowing her brows was still beautiful.

– A saintess’ statement itself is already an extension of their temple. A saintess cannot possess a statement that belongs purely to them and them alone. Are you not aware of something as simple as this?

“It is fine. Even if it is not formal, we simply have to make it become formal.”

– An informal formal statement?

I smiled.

“Did we not give the temples free land during the negotiation with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth? It may have only been in name, but that still increased the amount of territory under the control of the temples. Would they not have to repay us for this?”

– ……I see. If they can pay back their debt through a saintess’ personal supporting statement instead of making a formal one themselves, then that would benefit them as well…….

“Exactly.”

Saintess Longwy let out a sigh.

– You truly are awful. I am praying to the Goddess in the hopes that you will one day fall dead in the middle of a road soon.

“The Goddesses love me, so I doubt that they will grant that prayer.”

Saintess Longwy let out a snort before ending the communication there.

The next day, the Habsburg Empire officially announced its declaration of war on the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Saintess Longwy also announced her support of the Empire’s stance on slave trading.

The other saintesses also announced their support as if they didn’t want to lose to the Saintess of Athena. This support inevitably made it appear as if they supported the Empire’s declaration of war. I’ll give Sardinia my condolences beforehand.

Give up now. Your opponent just happened to be a bit malicious.

Think of this as stepping on some dog shit in the middle of the road. Of course, you’re also slipping on that shit and cracking your skull…….