CH 220

Children's Party (3) - The King's Plan

Translated by Raizu

In my previous life, when I was a student, my favorite subject was world history.

Originally, I didn’t like it that much because I thought it was just a memorization subject. However, one day, I realized how interesting it was when the terms that I had been stuffing in my head were connected and became a single story.

The cycle of cause and effect, the charm of the drama woven by people… In other words, the joy of discovering the footprints left by the main characters of the previous game in the sequel.

Anyway, I liked world history. One of my favorite historical events was the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire and the fall of Constantinople.

Protecting the rapidly declining empire is a three-tiered castle wall that evokes the glory of the past. In addition to the desperate difference in the number of soldiers, from the walls that are trying to protect the capital from the new weapon Orban Cannon prepared for the capture, you can feel the will of someone trying to go against the flow of the times.

The Ottoman fleet’s crossing of the mountains was a quirky plan that appeared in that historical decisive battle.

The Ottoman army, who found it difficult to break through the castle walls, turned to the weakly defended Golden Horn Bay to break the stalemate. However, the entrance to the bay is blocked and a frontal breakthrough is impossible. Therefore, the fleet was brought in by land and over the mountains.

The dynamic strategy of the ship climbing the mountain, the morale of the soldiers collapsing in contrast to the walls that still did not escape, and the Emperor, who was prepared for his downfall, jumped into the enemy army and disappeared with the history of Eastern Rome…..

It’s like watching flower petals fall, and I think it’s a complete story of destruction.

…..Aside from my favorite historical episode, there is no Ottoman army, no Ottoman fleet, much less the Eastern Roman Empire on the Eruo continent.

A momentary tremor was transmitted to my fingertips, and the fork rubbed against the plate making a small sound.

[…..The Ottoman fleet? I’m not familiar with this unit, but where did the anecdote come from?]

It was Novalf who said that.

Sadin and Dunkel, who were having a conversation with him, were slow to respond, so he probably followed them. It was a very natural response, so I could predict that bringing up this topic was a preparation by Kalmia and Novalf.

[Ah, pardon me. There was such a story in the book that I read before. Ufufu ]

I felt like Kalmia was looking at me. She may have noticed the small screech that I made with the fork earlier.

I wonder if it’s because she imitated Crowne by coming in with such a surprise attack story. It seems that the two of them had a meeting with reference to the afternoon exchange meeting.

However, I regained my composure by listening to her remarks.

The possibility that Kalmia Adellahan is a reincarnated person from Earth like me has decreased. Because I know how she learned the word Ottoman fleet.

[Do you know Wilk-dono? It’s an anecdote that appears in a book published in Newnelly.]

Here we go.

Of course I know it, but let’s be careful and not to immediately say aye.

The only card that has been opened yet is the keyword “Ottoman fleet cross over the mountains”. It’s dangerous to jump to the conclusion from that alone.

[Oho, a book published in my Newnelly? What is the title of the book if I may?]

If I knew the title right away just by hearing one or two words that were written in the book, others would think that I’m an unbelievable bookworm.

[Oh, pardon me. It is a book titled 『History of Another World』. Apparently it is a series, and is still currently being published. Do you know about it?]

You know, I don’t think it’s just my imagination. Kalmia should be asking with some degree of certainty.

[Ah, that book. I do know about it.]

If I don’t, what kind of author would I be?

The history of writing that book, 『History of Another World』, can be traced back to immediately after I was born.

When I first reincarnated on the Eruo continent, I couldn’t help but want to write notes. I was afraid of losing the memory of my previous life.

It’s not like there was a concrete precursor to worrying about forgetting things. I just felt like I was going to forget something. [The memories of those tumultuous days have faded over time, and now I can’t recall them in detail. But, there are things that never get lost. That’s right, important feelings are certainly still in my heart…] . Should I say that I was afraid of the violent flow? Reincarnation, altering the past, it’s a common development in the epilogues of such stories.

It doesn’t matter, but I don’t like how the story ends. If I met the heroine at the end, and had a happy ending, I would have loved to keep the memory intact, but…no, there was no heroine in my story during the Earth age, so it’s irrelevant.

Even now, I still remember the Earth age, so in the end, my worries were unfounded. However, at that time, I was afraid of losing my past memories and ego. I wasn’t prepared to forget everything and live as Wilk Quordenze.

Around the time I was 3 or 4 years old, I pretended that I wanted a drawing tool and obtained a writing utensil, and I single-mindedly wrote down the memories of my previous life. In Japanese of course.

Now that I think about it, it would be pretty eerie if a small baby started writing in a mysterious language with a steady hand. I should be grateful to those around me who warmly watched over me.

At first, I devotedly wrote down the history of my previous life, and at the same time I wrote down all the knowledge of the natural sciences. It took more than a year for me to branch out into my hobby, history.

By the time I started writing the world history of Earth, I had also started writing in Eruo.

There was no shortage of learning materials for listening, speaking, and reading. All the people nearby were native speakers of the Eruo language, and the servants read as many books as I wanted.

The writing was a bit of a problem. That’s why the civil officers and servants who act as teachers prepare sentences in Eruo, and I copy them. If I was a real baby, that study method might be fine, but I was a native Japanese reincarnated person. Once I got used to it, it just became a task of copying letters, and it didn’t stimulate my brain well, and above all, it’s boring.

When I was wondering if there was a good way to study, I found a pile of notes written in Japanese. I thought it would be a good study to translate this.

However, I decided that I shouldn’t translate my past life history and scientific knowledge into Eruo. This is because it may be read by someone other than myself. Personal history aside, there is nothing good about scientific knowledge leaking out.

As a result, I ended up using Earth’s world history notes as the subject of translation. When translating, I would focus on great people and their historical episodes, while trying not to touch on technology as much as possible.

I’m not originally good at foreign languages. That’s why I put a lot of effort into studying writing. I was so desperate since I didn’t want to be thought of as a child who couldn’t even speak Eruo.

As a result, the number of Earth history texts translated into Eruo increased day by day.

One day, a handmade book was delivered to me.

Apparently, the servants saw me as “a child who plays and writes historical stories about fictional worlds”. I wonder if it’s like a subspecies of a child who likes drawing. The thoughtful Tesh ordered a civil officer to compile the translations so far into a book.

However, this is just a collection of sentences. Rather than reading it as a book, it can be said that it is a gift with a strong reward element that shows that you have studied so hard.

Tesh said that if I wanted, I could publish it as a proper book, so I thought about having people read it, review the composition, rewrite the poorly written sentences of the past me, and make corrections.

This is how the book 『History of Another World』 came into being.

[There are several book authors in the castle town. The book 『History of Another World』was written by one of them.]

…..what I said just now was the official setting.

It is not uncommon for Nobles and Knights to patronize wise scholars, fine artists, and skilled craftsmen. It is no surprise that novelists are among them.

I’m just a person who likes reading stories.

[Oh, I see. But, is that all?]

[Pardon me?]

[From the pen name, I thought that the book was somehow related to Wilk-dono.]

[Oh, so that’s what you mean. I did help to decide the pen name for the author of『History of Another World』. I guess it’s pretty easy to tell, as it’s something from many years ago…]

The pseudonym used for History of Another World is a very simple anagram of Wilk Quordenze.

There were three reasons for this.

In Eruo and ancient languages, it’s very rare to play with anagrams, so it was one thing that I thought nobody would notice.

For the second reason, I thought that the circulation would be small, and at most it would only be circulated among those involved in Quordenze.

And the biggest reason is that I knew that the content was silly. Unrealistic and boring. Knowing the terrible pre-reputation, I thought that no one would want to read it.

However, contrary to my expectation, the History of Another World circulated past the Quordenze region.

Since it was written by their Young Master, people related to Quordenze started reading it all together, and it was recognized as [A popular book among government officials] among the merchants and upper-class citizens who had many opportunities to come in contact with them. It seems that owning it has become a status symbol. Even now, it is sold in small amounts to the extent that it does not become a deficit.

But of course, I can’t simply confess that I was the author, and I don’t think anyone would believe that it was written by a 5-6 years old kid in the first place. Therefore, the official setting was that Wilk Quordenze helped create and allowed the pseudonym to be used by the author.

[Wilk-dono, you must have been familiar with calligraphy since you were a child then.]

While giving a nod to Kalmia who was smiling, I thought about why she noticed the anagram.

I think Eruo is a language that emphasizes beauty. It is also related to the existence of meaningless character strings called decorative characters. One might say that people have a strong awareness of looking at words and sentences as a whole, or that they have little interest in individual letters… I think there is a tendency to think that it is not beautiful to dismantle a finished product. Maybe that’s why people didn’t like the game of anagrams. I’m not a linguist, so I can only speak for myself.

Among those involved in Quordenze, there were some who noticed that the pen name was an anagram. But, there was one thing that these people had in common: they were knowledgeable about ancient documents.

Newnelly is a historical city that has existed since ancient times, and not a few books written in languages other than Eruo or in ancient languages still exist. There are scholarly people who investigate this kind of literature as a hobby. Such people may have a different way of interpreting character strings than most people.

Kalmia’s hometown of Zareazeria, which is now the home of the Adellahan family, is also a city that has existed since ancient times. Many rulers have historically used this city as their base. Until the conquest of Zareazeria by the Holy Army, it was ruled by tribes with languages ​​that were neither Eruo nor the ancient languages.

I don’t know the details either, but there are probably some ancient documents left, and just like in Newnelly, there may be scholars who investigate them. Kalmia seems to have a hobby of reading, and it seems possible that she was often surrounded by such people. The possibility that she guessed the anagram from that connection is fully conceivable.

Kalmia Adellahan. I can’t afford to say anything careless in her presence.

After thinking so far and setting up an interception system in my brain, I decided to answer her first question.

Acting like I just remembered, excessively to the point that it feels artificial.

[The Ottoman fleet crossing the mountains… Ah, I remember. If I remember correctly, it was a battle that destroyed one half of the country divided into east and west.]

I remember describing this area in some detail, partly because it’s a historical event that I personally like. The mountain crossing episode is also described firmly.

[I see. Certainly, just as Kalmia-dono said, there are some similarities with this strategy.]

In order to break the stalemate, the only similarity is that the ship is brought in. I guess the reason why she’s been making somewhat abrupt jokes like this is that she’s trying to gauge the other person’s way of thinking and thoughts based on the books she likes.

In that case, let’s use this to get my thoughts firmly understood.

[Come to think of it, in the old days, there was a plan to transport ships during the Bermana War. If Rona-dono is here right now, she might be able to tell us more about it…]

The pure scriptures of the Zeth religion also include a war record regarding the conquest of the Bermana region. The so-called Bermana War is basically a battle that ends with Zeth and his children as peerless victors.

However, during that battle, Zeth’s subordinates rushed to move their soldiers on their own. In order to break through the strong defenses of Maguaose City, they thought out a surprise attack plan from the river side and carried the ship to the position. In the end, this strategy failed due to lack of good coordination, and after that, Zeth froze the Ovieto River with freezing magic, allowing the entire army to cross the river, leading to a successful assault.

[Rona-dono? Too bad that she’s not with us right now.]

By daring to bring up the example of the failure to carry in the ship, I imply that I have an opinion against the strategy proposed by the King. And Rona, who should know the story best, should’ve explained the ridiculousness of trying to invade the Holy City with this strategy.

Since she had previously said the opposite, it was decided that repeating straight words here would be a little excessive.

Perhaps Kalmia was satisfied with that answer, as she began to wrap up this straying story.

[…Maybe it’s not something I should talk about now, but have you read the continuation of that book, Wilk-dono? I’ve only read up to Volume 5…]

[Yes, I have. Everytime a new book is published, a copy will be sent to the castle. …..To be honest, I was more surprised that Kalmia-dono managed to get your hands on one copy. I thought it was only circulating in Newnelly City.]

It is partially the truth, but I was actually surprised that she actually read the serialization properly. The people around me who are looking forward to reading the History of Another World are really a minority. Did she read it for the purpose of investigating the Quordenze family?

[…Ah, the latest book should be volume 6. If you don’t mind, I will send a copy to you after I return to Newnelly.]

[I would appreciate it. It’s a quite well-written story.]

After closing the conversation, Sadin asked a short question.

[What an interesting story. I haven’t read the book. Is it that interesting?]

Kalmia then gave a thoughtful gesture before answering.

[Interesting…or rather, it’s mysterious. Is it because of the author’s way of thinking? A fantasy story dreamed by a pessimist, or perhaps I was fascinated by the somewhat contradictory way of thinking.]

As for Sadin, he probably wanted to prioritize his own talk rather than digging into this story, so he didn’t go into detail about Kalmia’s answer.

The topic returned to the plan to invade the Holy City.

[…Either way, the scale of the mobilization will be unprecedented. I think there are many concerns about that.]

[Not at all. Can the Levios family afford to spend time with priests?]

Kalmia gave a bland opinion, and Kilord gave a harsh evaluation.

Orshian was picking nuts on a small plate. The way she eats is adorable.

Dunkel saw me as I was looking around.

[Yesterday, my father told Marquis Quordente about the future policy of the Kingdom. Do you know, Wilk-dono?]

I wonder how long it took for the other family to find out about the plan. The Quordenze family only heard the King’s proposal yesterday, so it can’t be said that they had enough time to scrutinize its contents.

[Yes. I heard from my father last night.]

[Is that so? What did you think of that proposal, Wilk-dono? Opinions for and against, as well as strategy, and general policy?]

…..I don’t think there are many questions for me.

However, Prince Dunkel, who seems to be in political conflict with his father, King Levios, may be able to cooperate with the Fanny embargo. I felt that it was not good to follow Kalmia’s lead and give a vague answer.

Why don’t I try to appeal with my knowledge here.

[I’ll summarize the conclusions at the end, so is it okay if we talk while confirming in order? After all, it’s a proposal that I just heard yesterday.]

[Of course.]

[Please let me know. If you have any questions, I’ll answer them.]

Both Sadin and Dunkel responded when I showed them my attitude.

[They say that conquering the Umon Islands will open the way to St. Navempos, but…]

The Nobles of the Umon Islands receive support from some Nobles of the Free Cities. The goal of the supporters is to obstruct the southward movement of the Zeldomitra family.

The plan to invade the Holy City this time will go south via Zeldomitra territory. If the Umon Islands are left unattended, there is a danger that the Nobles of the Umon Islands, who have received more support than ever before, will stab the Kingdom’s Allied Army in the back.

By taking control of the Umon Islands as a preliminary preparation, we will be able to launch a safe and secure aggression war without worrying about the future. I can understand it in theory, but it’s a little cunning on the Zeldomitra family’s part, as they will gain a lot as a result.

[…Isn’t it quite conceivable that the operation will be over just by opening the way? If the island invasion is prolonged, the situation on the continent may change.]

[Regarding the invasion of the Umon Islands, if we can prepare a fleet of ships, the invasion itself will take a few months at the most, and if it is just a simple suppression, it will take less than a year.]

Judging from Sadin’s way of speaking, it seems that he has considerable confidence in conquering the islands. Since they have been hostile for many years, do they know each other’s abilities already?

[For my Zeldomitra, the most important thing is to wipe out hostile forces from the Umon Islands. Of course, even if the plan fails halfway through, I intend to thank each family for their cooperation in providing the fleet.]

The Zeldomitra family has promised to relinquish control of the Umon Islands if the plan stops during the preparation stage. After the current Marquis Zeldomitra handed over the position of the head of the family to Sadine, it seems that a new Noble family will be established with the Umon Islands as their territory.

In order for the Zeldomitra family to possess the Umon Islands alone, the plan must be completed.

The current Marquis Zeldomitra is the younger brother of the former Marquis Zeldomitra. Sadin is the biological son of the former Marquis Zeldomitra, so from his point of view the current Marquis is his uncle.

As with the Quordenze family when we lost my grandmother Cassia, when an unexpected replacement occurs, Nobles did not suddenly make their young master as the next head of the family, but sometimes made a family member with a name value the interim head of the family. It’s to buy time as a surrogate family head so that they won’t be underestimated by those around them.

The current Marquis Zeldomitra, along with the former, had made quite a name for themselves in the war of aggression against the Free Cities. If a young Sadin suddenly became the head of the family, the restraint on the Free Cities would weaken, so the current Marquis became the head of the family temporarily. In a few more years, Sadin should become the head of the Zeldomitra family.

If a new Noble family launched by the current Marquis Zeldomitra were to possess the Umon Islands, they would likely come into conflict with the Zeldomitra family in the future. King Levios must have thought about that and dared to set up a contract that would incite the division. It’s an insurance that seems to be inspired by the period when the Levios family had an internal conflict with the Milendorva family.

Even as the current Marquis Zeldomitra, if he cuts corners, his ambitions for independence will be questioned, so he may work diligently for the success of the plan.

However, even taking those things into consideration, the Zeldomitra family plans to make a lot of money in the short term. Well, it’s natural to say that because they would be the founders.

Since there’s no point in complaining about this, I decided to move on.

[After getting rid of the worries of the future, we will raise an allied army of the Royal Nobles and crush the influential Nobles of the Free Cities. The independent Noble who has a close relationship with the militant priest faction is also the target to hit. …..Although there are many small and medium-sized Noble families, they are those who survived the war so far. I believe they will have a trick or two down their sleeve…]

Dunkel was the first to reply to my comment.

[Certainly, they are people who are good at surviving. However, the fact that they accepted the intermediation of a ceasefire in response to the call of the militant priest is also a big part of the exhaustion from the prolonged battle.]

And Sadin, clearly siding with the Prince for the moment, added in.

[The current situation is that due to the Yersinia Calamity, they are also greatly reduced in strength. We will explain in detail later, but we have already grasped the number of the Highlords of the Noble families who we have designated as enemies. There is no doubt that if we raise an Allied Force, we will be able to overwhelm them with numbers.]

Even though it’s the Nobles of Free Cities, can such information actually be obtained? Then again, they won’t propose the plan without proper preparation.

[We will not accept surrender, attack thoroughly, and annihilate the family…I have heard that this is the strategy.]

The two agreed to that question.

By savagely destroying several Nobles who are allied with the militant faction, they will show the Holy City. Like saying “It’s your turn next”. The killed Nobles will be shown as an example.

While I was thinking silently for a while, the Prince moved on.

[After destroying several independent Noble families with the Allied Forces, we will advise the Holy City to surrender through the religious priest faction. They will most likely submit, because the current Holy City has not regained the strength to intercept the allied forces of the Kingdom. …..However, at this point, the blade of the Allied Forces has not yet reached the Holy City. There are many independent Nobles left in between. I should only think of it as a threat…]

So, I return my words.

[However, the pragmatic priests would not want the squabble to continue. Fearing the Allied Force of the Kingdom, the independent Nobles will be the first to distance themselves from the priests. If that happens, the Holy City will be isolated from its surroundings, and the people will dry up. If that happens, there will be no recovery or anything.]

The pragmatic priests who are active in domestic affairs and the economy would absolutely hate that situation to continue. Even so, I don’t think they have enough brain cells to think about a counter-invasion of the Kingdom. They would always look for compromises.

The Prince looked at me with a slightly surprised look, perhaps because he was going to explain the economic attack himself.

[Yes, it is exactly as Wilk-dono said. And if that happens, the pragmatic faction will have no choice but to approach the religious faction. The point of contact for negotiation will be Rona-dono, who is in exile on our side. …However, the Kingdom-resenting militant faction will be bolstered in number as there will be priests who convert to their side.]

Of course, since Saint Navempos was not actually captured, unconditional surrender is not an option. The terms of surrender will be created in such a way that the pragmatists can have some hope.

[The conditions for surrendering were the deprivation of the post of a militant priest, the demand for hostages, and interference with the Holy City… I would like to hear the details.]

[Of course.]

It is only natural that the militant priests should be stripped of their authority. …..The pragmatist and religious factions, which make up the majority, will probably win, but the militant factions with connections to the Holy Army won’t easily fall. It might be a good feeling to fall together….or rather, I feel that King Levios wishes for that to happen.

And although it is said to be a hostage request, it basically means to give us the female Highlord of the priest’s family. The Royal Nobles’ Highlords have been greatly reduced in number due to the Yersinia Calamity, and they want to get their hands on female Highlords so much that they can get their hands out of their throats.

Because they will be hostages, the female Highlords won’t be accompanied by her aides who will interfere unnecessarily, and thus we can do whatever we want, including having sex with them.

If it is okay to send the hostages from any priest’s house as long as there are enough of them, the flow will naturally be to send them from the house of the militant priests who are in the minority. This condition of surrender would also become a focal point for stirring up internal conflicts in the Holy City.

[What exactly do you mean by interfering with the Holy City?]

[Father doesn’t ask for particularly strong authority in the matter of interference, because it doesn’t mean to actually conquer the land of St Navempos.]

As I heard from my father, the interference in the Holy City seems to be nothing more than a bonus.

The Holy City will be confused and exhausted by this operation. However, in the end, the Allied Forces are planning not to enter the Holy City until the end, so it is difficult to interfere greatly.

According to Dunkel’s view, he would simply say, “Do politics that prioritizes religious factions”.

[Will the pragmatic faction really abandon the militant faction?]

I tried to say that, but I feel like I’m cutting it off.

To put it bluntly, the faction full of people that the Levios Kingdom will never allow is a hindrance even for the same priest. Rather than burning with such a thing, it seems that it is better to focus on domestic affairs and aim for a stoic and efficient reconstruction.

To be blunt, if the Kingdom of Levios promises not to invade the Holy City when it surrenders, it seems likely that the Holy Army will be slimmed down. Despite the influence of the turbulent times, the current Holy Army seems to have grown in size. You’d rather spend your resources on rebuilding than recruiting.

In that case, it would be more rational to aim for the restoration of the Holy City after driving out the militant faction, which is a faction that is in the way.

It’s unlikely that they will unite with the militant faction. Even the religious sect will probably put up a thorough fight, so there will probably be some internal strife…

[If they want to sit back and be hostile, that’s fine. Once the Umon Islands are conquered, the southern area will be within reach at any time.]

[That’s right. Let’s stick to harassment this time. We’ll never lose in an endurance battle.]

Dunkel and Sadin let out a bad smile.

When the Levios Kingdom becomes a real threat to the Holy City, the Holy Army will need to maintain a sense of tension from now on. If that happens, military expenses will naturally rise, and the militant priests will have a stronger say than they do now.

On the other hand, the Zeldomitra family began harassing the surrounding Free Cities with plenty of time to spare, and even started plotting. If this happens, sooner or later the Holy City will go bankrupt.

Even if they hold out, they’ll end up in a full-scale war with the Kingdom. If defeated, the Holy City will be trampled without a trace.

[…I see. By the way, I haven’t heard about it, but what kind of policy will the Zeldomitra family move after the Holy City surrenders?]

I thought I would be lucky if there was an answer, so I asked that, but Sadin answered with a slightly troubled expression.

[In King Levios’ proposal, once the Holy City’s surrender is established, our Zeldomitra is also planning to revise its expansion route.]

According to the King’s plan, after the Holy City’s surrender, the independent Nobles of the Free Cities will be put under the Kingdom’s umbrella. Apparently, the Zeldomitra family seems to have made arrangements behind the scenes.

If the Holy City yields, the eyes of the independent Noble of the Kingdom will change. The impact brought about by the fact that we controlled the Holy City was very large. The prestige that was lost due to the disaster of Yersinia should be restored at once.

[Is it okay for King Levios to focus on the strategy of the Free Cities? Rather than oppressing the Holy City?]

Dunkel answered yes to my question.

I see. In the end, the King doesn’t seem to be seriously thinking about suppressing the Holy City. It can be seen that the main purpose is to make the Free Cities become a part of the Royal Nobles.

When the Holy City eventually regains its power, it will become quite troublesome if independent Nobles are populating the southern part of the continent like they are now. If we put them together as Royal Nobles, we can create an easy-to-understand composition of Nobles vs. Priests.

As long as the family belongs to a Kingdom whose national policy is the self-reliance of the nobility, any priest who tries to interfere with it will become an absolute enemy. By making them share the same philosophy, they may be trying to counteract the coming revival of priests.

And even if the Zeth Holy High Society were to be destroyed, the fertile land of the Bermana region would not vanish from the planet. In that case, it is possible that they thought it would be easier to manage if a known power called the priest existed as a hypothetical enemy country. The Levios family hates priests, but that also means they know priests well.

…..Or rather, if the priesthood were to disappear completely, one of the reasons for the existence of the Kingdom would disappear. It honestly doesn’t look very good.

The cause of [Self-reliance of the nobility], which has lost its place to go, may eventually turn to the Kingdom and the Royal family. It may be the most desirable result for the Levios family to have a group of priests with moderate power left.

[My father, King Levios, proposed an invasion of the Holy City like this. Is there anything else you would like to ask?]

His frank way of speaking sounded like a declaration that if there was anything we wanted to ask, he would have the answer.

In that case, let’s confirm what I was worried about.

[There was no mention about how Mammushred and Rickarga region will be treated, but what is going on in that area?]

This is the part my father didn’t particularly ask.

[We haven’t had any particular contact with the emerging Rickarga Allied Nations so far, and we have no plans to do anything with them in this operation. We may consider how to handle it when the Holy City surrenders.]

Well, in the current situation, it can be said that there is no point in thinking about it because it is far away and there is barely any contact.

Will it be possible to consider the response after the phase when the independent Noble families of the Free Cities begin to merge to the Kingdom?

[And it’s the same with the Mammushred Federation. Also a distant land blocked by Lake Meo and the Angata Mountains.]

This one seems to be neglected, just like the priests and Nobles up until now. He is completely indifferent to the fact that if the occasional special product is delivered through trade, he should do whatever he pleases.

I had expected it, but it seems that they don’t really care about these regions.

My father didn’t care either, so he didn’t ask the King, and the King didn’t care either, so he didn’t tell. Rather, it’s strange to worry about such things.

[…..I see. Understood.]

[That was good. So, what do you think of this plan, Wilk-dono? Could you give me your frank opinion?]

[Well… I think the strategy itself is easy to accept. If you are a very common, ordinary Royal Noble.]

The invasion of the Umon Islands will basically be carried out by the Zeldomitra family alone, and the Levios, Milendorva, and Evenafis families will only lend their ships. If a large number of warships were to be lent out from Hartinos Port, it would require some kind of support, so the Quordenze family would also have to work hard.

In other words, as far as the capture of the Umon Islands is concerned, it is still in the preliminary stages of the operation, and from the perspective of the Royal Nobles, they are just watching. There should be a lot of people who think that they can do it on their own.

The mass assaults on the independent Nobles after that will be led by the Levios and Zeldomitra families, so it’s a story that will end if you put out your face and soldiers for the time being. Putting aside the enemies with similar power, if it was a one-sided lynching, there would be no reluctance.

To put it bluntly, there is almost nothing to do for ordinary Royal Nobles. It costs money to send troops, but depending on the negotiations, you can get female Highlords, and you can also sell your favor to the Levios family.

[I’m curious about one thing, what is the cause of this war?]

Even though the Levios Kingdom has lost some momentum, it is still a group that makes people yell at them. If you are on the strong side, you can stick to it as much as you want.

In fact, my father said that King Levios didn’t talk about it. It seems that yesterday’s meeting was mainly about policy explanation, strategy commentary, and profit adjustment.

Dunkel smiled and looked at me as if to question me.

[Self-defense against the threat of priests who are regaining power beyond our expectations, a check to prevent the spread of destructive activities by priests that have occurred in our Levios territory in recent years, and the Kingdom’s national policy, priests. Any conquest is fine. It would be nice to expand the interpretation and application of the joint retaliation agreement. But perhaps, it should be something that encompasses them. It may be a grandiose thing that my father thought up. …..if it’s you, Wilk-dono, what kind of cause would you uphold?]

No matter how nominal the story is, the Prince is quite frank.

Even so, I see, it’s an exaggeration. Based on what I’ve heard so far, one thing comes to mind.

[One last thing. What do you plan to call the Allied Forces of the kingdom?]

[It’ll be the Levios Kingdom Army.]

I grinned at that answer, and then answered the Prince’s question.

[In that case, the cause is the end of the turbulent world. Wouldn’t it be interesting to launch it on a massive scale?]

[…..I see. That sounds like a good cause.]

This is just my opinion, but I think King Levios’ ultimate goal is to bring an end to the turbulent times.

It’s self-evident when you think about what will be left if this plan is successfully completed.

The Zeldomitra family will abandon aggressionism, and the Free Cities in the south will come under the Kingdom umbrella as Royal Nobles. By belonging to the Kingdom, the independent Nobles of the Free Cities, which had been in a gray position until now, will distance themselves from the Holy City. Almost everything except St. Navempos will be painted in the colors of the Kingdom.

Since there is a pact of non-aggression between the Nobles of the Kingdom, war will disappear from the eastern and southern parts of the continent.

At the same time, this means that preparations for the threat against the Zinkaen Empire are complete.

Until the Quordenze family defected from the Empire, the Levios family was frightened by the threat of the Zinkaen Empire. A monolithic power with the Emperor at the top was nothing but a threat to the Kingdom, which was nothing more than a collection of Nobles.

The reason why they are trying to make a record of the operation of the “Levios Kingdom Army” is probably because they haven’t forgotten their fear. When something happens in the future, being able to say, [At that time, the Royal Nobles united and formed the Royal Army and defeated the enemy] is extremely important. In the future, if the Emperor with leadership stands in the Empire and bares his teeth against the Kingdom, the King can bring up this precedent and appeal for unity.

…..However, it will be a challenging task to realize the “Levios Kingdom Army” this time.

In any case, if the King’s plan succeeds, the power map will become interesting. The Kingdom will be much larger than the Empire.

Even if the Emperor has the intention of invading, he will hesitate to invade the Kingdom that is more powerful than himself. On the other hand, it is difficult for the Kingdom side, which should be dominant, to unite for aggression, let alone for self-defense. It is only natural that the independence of the nobility is the national policy.

Even if the Kingdom gains the upper hand, there is still a subtle lack of solidarity, creating the possibility that war will disappear from this continent.

Achieving this will require excellent political and diplomatic skills, a sense of balance and coordination, and above all, a strong will.

I am interested in King Levios, who is thinking about not only the restoration of the Royal family’s prestige, but also the future of the Kingdom and the future of the continent. Yes, King Levios is a tough politician.

If the plan succeeds, in other words, if the “Great Levios Kingdom” is born, the Nobles of the Kingdom will stop fighting. Not going to war means that there is no room for expansion of territory.

However, there are exceptions among the Royal Nobles. The Levios family and the Adellahan family.

These two families are free to carve as much as they want of undeveloped land that is not owned by any Nobles.

Earlier, the Adellahan family said that there would be some merit in following the King’s proposal. I suspect this is about them advancing into the Mist Lands.

The city of Zareazeria borders on the Mist Land across the Wacold River. It is a “frontline city” that has been attacked by mature demonic beasts many times. If the land across the river can be fortified, it should serve as a shield to protect the home base. Even though the land is corrupted, if it continues to be protected from demon beasts, it will eventually be naturally purified and become a land where people can live. It can also become a place to prepare for famine.

Yes, the Adellahan family is already at a dead end where they cannot expand their territory. In order to obtain large lands suitable for food production, there is no choice but to secede from the Kingdom and attack and destroy neighboring Royal Nobles, or to develop the neighbor Mist Land.

The Levios family has dispatched troops to the Mist Land many times in the name of the Great Northern Expedition, and they are quite active in the development of the Mist land.

Separately, the Levios army is not dispatching to provide people like me with elf sex slaves. They are surveying the land and subjugating rebellious locals. This is because they have the will to develop and govern this land in the future.

The Adellahan family may not be involved in the northern expedition, but what if the Levios family proposes joint northern development here? The result will be the Levios family, the Adellahan family, and a few Noble families facing the Wakold River can monopolize the Mist Land.

This is not an immediate benefit, but if you think about keeping the house as a Noble family for a long time, it will be a very attractive proposition.

If the Empire were the only real threat, the Levios family’s cultivation of the Mist Land would proceed at once.

…..This might be used as a bargaining tool to persuade the Milendorva family. Surrounded by Royal Nobles, the Milendorva family is also in a dead end.

King Levios is truly a tough politician.

Because he understands well that a future without war is where his family can develop.

[Then, will this plan succeed or fail? What do you think? Kalmia-dono.]

It seemed that my silence caused the conversation to diverge again. Kalmia answered Sadin’s question.

[As far as the operation itself is concerned, I think it’s fair to say that the success or failure of the operation is 50/50. Of course, there are many concerns, but Rona-dono, who is the key to the operation…]

I didn’t think she was such a crazy person…all the attendees immediately understood what Kalmia wanted to say.

[…but if you ask me, whether we’ll suffer a big loss if we fail, that’s not the case.]

Kalmia summed it up while still muddying her words.

Well, the only ones who would lose would be Zeldomitra and Levios. The prestige of the Royal family, which had recovered a little through socializing in the Royal Capital, could be in tatters.

However, even so, the damage is small when viewed from the Levios family point of view. As a Royal family, they could only take so much damage.

After all, what this strategy does is to beat the weak to death in groups and blackmail those around them.

And even from Kalmia’s way of speaking, I could see that the Adellahan family was relatively enthusiastic about the idea of ​​invading the Holy City. I don’t know if that was her own idea, or if it was Marquis Aterahan’s, or even Crowne’s idea.

Even so, I don’t think that’s the essence of this proposal, or the main problem. I’ve already confirmed this with my father, so I can speak with confidence.

I feel like I’ve been talking too much since earlier, but it would be easier for me to take the initiative if I earn money by speaking when I can.

I lightly cleared my throat to attract attention, and showed a slightly backward gesture.

[Isn’t it too fast to think about whether it’ll be a success or not? The most concerning thing is not that at all.]

Surprisingly, Novalf was the first to react.

[What is it about? What do you think is the most concerning matter, Wilk-dono?]

I don’t think he really understands what I’m saying. But, the reply was a really good pretense.

.I dared to declare as if to show my confidence.

[That, of course, if the plan never begins.]