Chapter 191 : Chapter 191

Chapter : 191

“Thank ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍you for Your Grace’s generous judgment!”

“Blessings ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍upon the Margrave—no, upon the rightful ruler of the County of Campania! This is our token of sincerity. Please accept it.”

The ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍southern nobles were remarkably quick to read the market.

No ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍sooner had I made my proposal than they banded together, assembled an envoy, and sent word that they would surrender—along with a staggering “token of sincerity.”

-SHIIIING.

Perhaps ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍because it was a region that had traded with the Eastern Empire across the sea since ancient times, the offerings overflowed with rare goods and gold and silver treasures.

“Ho. Is this that Eastern porcelain? It is truly beautiful.”

“Meheheheh! My lorde. Gold. Gold. There is a mountain of gold. Mehr.”

At the wealth the envoys brought, everyone’s eyes went wide. It was that rare, that splendid. As for me, though, I was indifferent.

‘Mm. I have seen plenty of this before. It is certainly flashy. Still… it is a little crooked, almost crude….’

It was beautiful, but I had grown accustomed to perfectly straight products made with the advanced manufacturing techniques of modern civilization.

So whenever I looked at those subtly warped crafts, I could not help feeling faintly amused.

“Very well. Then you are saying you will accept my proposal? In that case, an administrator and troops to support him will be dispatched together.”

“Yes, yes…. We understand, Your Grace.”

In truth, it meant stripping the local lords of their authority. But the southern nobles seemed to have their eyes on something else.

“However… Your Grace.”

“Hm? Do you have something you are curious about?”

“You said that you would create something called a national assembly to govern the County of Campania, and that we southern nobles would participate as representatives in the newly formed court…. Is that truly so?”

A newly created assembly, and governance through it.

They were fairly wealthy, but they likely wanted to manipulate the entire County of Campania rather than remain sidelined in the southern cities that had been pushed out of the mainstream.

No wonder they surrendered so easily.

Everyone is so interested in scraping up the gravy that it is convenient in more ways than one. If that is the misunderstanding they choose to have, I will gladly accept it.

“Yes, that is right. You will exercise governing authority over the County of Campania through the assembly. Of course, the final decision will be made by the delegate I dispatch.”

“Oh! Is that so? How benevolent. Margrave of Bellua!”

“As one who believes in and follows God, benevolence is always with me. Is it not better governance to rule you with words rather than with the whip?”

“Indeed, you are entirely different from that treacherous Emperor.”

“That is right!”

“Haha. Calm yourselves. Calm down.”

At their fervent reaction, I smiled and soothed them. They looked even more moved. It was the backlash from how the Emperor had ruled the County of Campania through Count Steffen with sheer terror.

Of course, Magician Agpiel, who knew the truth behind this policy, could only stare in horror.

“…You truly are astonishing at wrapping your insidious intentions in pretty paper. Remarkable.”

“Now, now—smile, Magician Agpiel. We are smiling together.”

“I am smiling as much as I can.”

Mm, with the way the corner of his mouth was trembling, perhaps he truly was.

---

In any case, with the southern nobles’ surrender, the County of Campania began to stabilize at an extraordinary pace.

Administrators trained in my domain spread everywhere, and by actively hiring talent recommended by the nobles of each region within the County of Campania, I steadily tightened my grip on the land.

-The Margrave’s skill is too great.

-Is he not taking control far too quickly? Even if the Margrave of Bellua is aligned with the pro–Holy See faction, this is worrisome.

-Still, he is our ally….

-But who is to say he will not become our enemy someday? There is no such thing as an eternal alliance!

As a result, within the Holy See, worries and suspicion poured out regarding my rapidly expanding influence over the County of Campania.

But it only lasted a moment.

When I asked the Holy See to recommend members to seat in the Campanian Assembly I had created by embracing the southern nobles, their wariness vanished at once.

Rather—

-See? The Margrave of Bellua is not a man who looks after only himself.

-He is a being sent down by God to support our Holy See! We must support the Margrave.

-Indeed! We must raise him as a clear counterweight to the Emperor.

The suspicion dissolved, and I received tremendous support.

The Holy See began to provide every human and material resource necessary to govern and normalize the County of Campania.

Now, within the Holy See, the internal balance had shifted completely into a pro–Margrave of Bellua camp.

“Heh heh heh. You see, one really should live kindly, Magician Agpiel.”

“For you to call yourself ‘kind’ is… somewhat difficult. Still, you are better than the Emperor, so perhaps you are kind? Even so, you are closer to ‘insidious’ than ‘kind.’”

Magician Agpiel scolded me as I grinned, but I did not care.

Either way, things were going even better than I expected. Since it was territory across the sea, relationships with neighboring great powers mattered, and yet their guard had lowered this much.

It was a good thing.

At this rate, the County of Campania would surely grow steadily without any major upheavals.

“Ahem. In any case, how do you think Count Steffen will surrender? Last time, you said he refused outright…. I would like to hear your thoughts, Magician Agpiel.”

“Hm….”

Magician Agpiel fell into thought for a moment.

“If one could pinpoint a person’s heart in a single stroke, that would be a god.”

With that preface, he continued, showing the clear insight worthy of a Great Sage for the first time in a while.

“However, Count Steffen is beginning to waver, little by little.”

“He is wavering?”

“Yes. Considering how the Holy Empire’s Emperor has treated his subordinates until now, it is not hard to see. When he thinks someone has lost their usefulness, he discards them without mercy. That has always been the Holy Empire’s Emperor.”

“Then Count Steffen must be worried that he will be treated the same way.”

So if I waited a little longer, would he collapse on his own and surrender? But Magician Agpiel’s next words shattered that expectation.

“Exactly. But it is only worry. The Count Steffen I have observed is not a man who will let such fears sway his judgment. In his heart, a strong loyalty to the Emperor is still vividly present. Unless you turn worry into certainty, he will endure to the end.”

“Hah….”

By all accounts, he sounded like a tyrant without equal, so I had no idea what charm could inspire that kind of devotion.

Still, it was too soon to be disappointed.

Magician Agpiel’s final line—

Turn worry into certainty.

“Then there is an opportunity.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Did you not say it yourself, Magician Agpiel? Turn worry into certainty.”

“Do not tell me you have received another miracle? A revelation about the future?”

“?”

What nonsense was this man spouting?

When I looked at him with an exasperated expression, Magician Agpiel coughed awkwardly.

“Ahem. Ahem. You talk about such uncanny things so often that I tried making a joke.”

“It sounded sincere…?”

“Enough! Why is a man so talkative? So, have you thought of a way to make Count Steffen surrender?”

Honestly, he had quite the temper for someone scolding me.

I chuckled at Magician Agpiel and shrugged.

“Of course I have.”

“What is it?”

“The stream of victory reports coming from the north. The greatest pillar of the northern noble coalition fighting the Emperor is the Archbishop of Cologne, is it not?”

“Surely not?!”

Only then did Magician Agpiel seem to realize what I was getting at.

“But would the Holy See really retreat like that when the victory is all but secured?”

“A war that drags on is unfavorable to both sides. It is not a good time for war when everyone lacks food because of The Great Famine.”

“Indeed…. It is plausible. If a suitable offer arrives, the Holy See will likely be willing to compromise.”

An unfavorable war situation.

A battlefield that kept expanding.

A financial condition deteriorating to the extreme.

The Holy Empire’s Emperor would need time, even briefly, to catch his breath—so that he could swing the blade of revenge once more.

And for that—

“He is highly likely to abandon this land, which he already considers lost.”

“Heh heh heh…. Then Count Steffen is the one to be pitied. He will lose both his domain and his loyalty, will he not?”

Anything that became useless would be cut away at any time. That was the Holy Empire’s Emperor’s method of rule.

As Magician Agpiel said, it was pitiful indeed—

For Count Steffen, personally.

But separate from such private sympathy, there was work to do.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, Margrave of Bellua! Give the order!”

With the Dwarf Engineer Corps, I prepared a gift to help Count Steffen reach his decision more quickly.

“Good. Then begin.”

“Uwahaha! Understood. Just trust me.”

It was a trebuchet attack.

“You slow worms! Fire! Launch it now!”

-THOOM!

-WHIIIIIIIIIIIII!

-CRRRRUUUUMBLE!

A massive boulder slammed into the wall, shaking it as if it might collapse at any moment.

And it was not just once. More boulders followed in rapid succession!

-WHIIIIIIIIII!

-WHIII!

-WHIIIIIIIIIIIII!

-THUD! CRRRUUUMBLE! THUD-THUD!

As the boulders struck the same dense section again and again, thick cracks began to spider across the heavy stonework.

Watching it all, the dwarf engineer commander laughed with delight.

“Uwahahahaha! Behold! This is the sacred iron mace of the Margrave of Bellua!”

“Could you please stop using that name…?”

“What? Why would you tell me not to? This is Your Grace’s honor—!”

“I am embarrassed.”

“Ghk?!”

At my words, the dwarf engineer commander looked utterly shocked. But really, was it not a bit much to shout my name in such a mortifying way every time we attacked?

I quietly avoided the dwarf engineer commander’s teary gaze, which seemed to accuse me of saying something monstrous.

“With this, will he be able to make his decision very clearly when the time comes?”

“I do not know…. Is this not too excessive for a gift? If he hears that the Emperor is going to discard him and becomes so angry that he refuses to surrender, what then?”

“Oh, come now. Surely he will not do that.”

At Magician Agpiel’s words, I shrugged.

And then, all of a sudden—

‘Wait. Surely he is not actually going to do that?’

An unpleasant thought crept in.

There is no way.

---

The capital city of the County of Campania, the inner castle.

-BOOM!

-CRASH!

Even though it was a fair distance from the outer wall, every time the siege engines struck, the ground itself trembled—as though a great earthquake had erupted.

That was how precise, and how enormous and powerful, the Margrave of Bellua’s bombardment was.

It was hard to believe where such technology had come from.

And so, today as well, Count Steffen had to begin his day with a throbbing head.

“What news is there from the Emperor?”

“Still none of note. The Margrave of Bellua has erected palisades all around this area, blocking the routes of passage. Exchanging letters is taking an extraordinary amount of time.”

“Ghh….”

At his vassal’s report, Count Steffen rubbed his head. Ever since he had been trapped inside this castle, nothing had gone his way.

How had he ended up like this…?

“Um… Count.”

At that moment, one of the vassals cautiously continued, watching his expression.

“What is it?”

“There is a rumor that His Majesty the Emperor is negotiating with the Archbishop of Cologne in the north.”

“Oh? Really?”

Count Steffen brightened.

If the north was settled, would they not be able to send him troops at once? But what followed crushed his hope mercilessly.

“B-but… the terms are somewhat strange. They say that, as a condition for an armistice in the north, he will hand over the County of Campania to the Holy See.”

“What did you say?!”

Count Steffen erupted in rage. What kind of nonsense was that?

“It is absurd!”

“The man who returned as a messenger says so. He says the atmosphere at court is turning in that direction.”

“Enough! That means His Majesty the Emperor is abandoning me! How could he do such a thing? His Majesty will not abandon me! Count Steffen!”

Count Steffen shouted, his anger flaring.

How could it be?

Was he not the Emperor’s right hand?

How could the Emperor continue the war after discarding him?

“However—”

“Silence! Before I tear your mouth apart. And execute that messenger at once. Daring to spread such a baseless rumor!”

At the blood-soaked command, the vassals flinched.

Count Steffen swept his gaze over them, then sank heavily into his seat.

After venting his anger, his temples throbbed again.

And yet—

Count Steffen knew, in his heart.

‘If it is the Emperor…. If it is the Emperor…. He is more than capable of doing it.’

That the vassal’s words were likely true.

It was, in every way, a bleak day.