Chapter 461: Special Discount for the Royals

Previously, the artillery corps had been stationed on the walls of the outer castle, where hardly anyone could see them, but since the civil war, their treatment had changed like night and day. For Schneider, a lesser noble, it must have been a huge step up.

"Long time no see, son-in-law!"

"Father-in-law, have you been well?"

"Hahaha! I heard the news. You broke that arrogant Count of Basel’s nose, didn’t you?"

"I didn’t just break his nose. I left his whole land in ruins."

"Kahahaha! That’s so satisfying! Truly satisfying!"

My father-in-law laughed heartily and pounded my back with a hand the size of a pot lid. Whoa, he was as strong as ever. Michael hadn’t changed either. The only difference was the dark circles under his eyes.

"Sigh, after you were gone, brother-in-law, all I had was work."

To make matters worse, Ulrich, who had been backing him up so reliably, had returned to Breisburg with the crown prince, so the entire workload had fallen on Michael. Margareta must have been delighted by that.

"Even after we arrived in Dellingen, Father had me get a detailed grasp of the territorial army."

"Isn’t that something the head of the Military Department should naturally do?"

"Damn it, Dellingen has been famous for gambling since way back!"

I’d heard that Dellingen was Beren’s greatest pleasure city, but I never even took a look around. Far from visiting its pleasure quarters, I stayed quietly in a monastery village and then left. Hmm, that reminds me of that blind nun.

"But is the rumor really true? I heard you not only captured Basel’s regional lords but also defeated the Count of Basel’s army of over 2,000 with a handful of cavalry. How is anyone supposed to believe that?"

"It’s true. If you go ask the Count of Basel, he can give you all the details."

"Good Lord. It’s really true? No, how is that even possible?"

"My men say it’s because I’m a knight blessed by the Lord."

"That actually makes more sense! There’s no other way to explain it!"

When the grand duke heard the rumor, he took it in stride, saying it was well within the Gale Knight’s abilities. The nobles praised his magnanimity, but I learned that the princes had grown even more wary of me.

"The western princes won’t always take your side, brother-in-law."

"I’m so sick of politics. If you stay out of it, the sneaky bastards stab you in the back, and if you dive into it, you risk being swallowed up by power."

"But what can you do? Look at the way the Judicial Minister is glaring over here. Until recently, he was friendly with us, but as soon as the Administrative Department and the Finance Department were pushed aside, he bared his claws. How can we not pay attention to politics after seeing something like that? We’d be better off stabbing those bastards in the back first."

Politics is like a living, breathing creature.

It’s exhausting and dirty, but it’s something you can’t run away from.

Apart from us, clusters of nobles had gathered here and there throughout the audience hall. The imposing presence of the formidable western princes, including Count Euz, the Count of Essenbach, and the Count of Belfort, seemed to weigh on the room.

In addition to the Judicial Minister and my father-in-law, the Administrative Minister and the Finance Minister, who had been swamped with rebuilding Breisach, were present as well. Adelbert gave me a subtle nod, quietly signaling that we were still on friendly terms.

Nobody knew how the tangled web of relationships among the factions in this hall would shift after the meeting. That was just how repulsive a creature politics was: sides changed in an instant, depending on who stood to gain.

"Since everyone is here, I will announce the first item on the agenda."

Grand Duke Karlus hadn’t changed. There were rumors that Elisabeth, the Wittelsbach princess, had him wrapped around her finger, but I couldn’t say whether that was true. Both of them were as sly as snakes, after all.

"I have received official permission from the Pope for my divorce from Gwendirente."

A wave of shock rippled through the audience hall. The divorce from Queen Gwendirente had already been a foregone conclusion; what shocked everyone wasn’t the divorce itself, but how quickly the Pope had granted permission.

"I expected it, but this fast?"

"Hmm, he must have paid the Pope quite a bribe."

"There may be a deal we don’t know about."

The nobles whispered among themselves, sharing their opinions. The current Pope was known for his attachment to worldly things, so a considerable bribe must have been involved. Perhaps the grand duke had poured the entire war reparations into it.

"This fall, I will send the Duke of Altringen to Austria."

The burning question was which nobles would be chosen to accompany him. For the nobles, the chance to build connections with the imperial nobility mattered far more than escorting the Duke of Altringen.

The names of the accompanying nobles were called out one by one.

Hmm, prominent high-ranking officials had been chosen from each department.

"I appoint the Baron of Rosenheim as captain of the Duke of Altringen’s guard. The baron shall lead the Gale Knights and protect the Duke of Altringen well so that nothing unfortunate happens."

All eyes turned to me. Some were jealous, but given the outcome of the Rosenheim-Basel War, even they had to admit I was the best man for the job. Personally, I would have preferred that someone else be chosen.

"I heard the Baron of Rosenheim is close with the imperial crown prince. Is that true?"

"I haven’t seen it myself, but they do seem to know each other."

"The last item on the agenda is the crown prince’s marriage. On the day after Easter, once Lent is over, we will proceed with the marriage of the crown prince and Lady Rudelich as planned. It will be a truly joyous day."

Many nobles married on the day after Easter.

They hoped to receive the feast day’s blessings and begin their lives as a blessed noble couple.

After the grand duke’s announcement, the nobles got busy. Anyone hoping to win the crown princess’s favor, even at this late stage, had plenty to prepare. But Lily was no ordinary girl, so it was doubtful any of it would work.

After the audience ended, I was about to head back to Rosengarden when the palace chamberlain stopped me. The grand duke had summoned me to his office. I had a feeling something troublesome was about to happen, but I could hardly refuse his summons.

"The streets are buzzing with rumors that the Gale Knight cut off the ibex’s horns. When I heard the report that war had broken out between Rosenheim and Basel, the first thing I worried about was the Swiss Confederation."

The grand duke poured the wine himself and handed me a cup.

Damn it, this isn’t Rosenheim wine, it’s Boden wine.

"Tell me. What were the Count of Basel and the Swiss Confederation after?"

"Their goal was to get rid of me, since I stand in their way on the road to Breisburg."

I told the grand duke everything.

When he heard how absurdly their grand strategy had been exposed, he burst out laughing. He praised my retainers for having figured out, before anything else, the surest way to tick me off.

"All of this is thanks to the Lord’s grace upon you, Baron. The Count of Basel, on the other hand, is certainly unlucky."

"Now that even his own vassal lords have turned their backs on him, Basel won’t be able to make a move for a while."

"Well done. Thanks to you, the conflict with the Swiss Confederation should quiet down."

The grand duke looked genuinely relieved, as if an aching tooth had finally been pulled. Then he asked me a few questions, starting with how the gunner corps had performed in terms of firepower and tactics. I answered as sincerely as I could, based on what I knew.

"Enough to stop a heavy cavalry charge, huh? So you used a pike formation as a wall to buy the gunners time to reload. The gunners must have played a big part in defeating the Swiss mercenaries, too."

"But the biggest problem is that gunpowder is hard to supply and manage."

"I suppose that’s also why you invested so heavily in Vintenheim, to secure a steady supply of gunpowder?"

"If we can mass-produce saltpeter, gunpowder, cannons, and firearms, the ducal army could be equipped with firearms too."

"And you’d make an enormous amount of money, Baron."

"I’ll give the royal family a special discount on deliveries."

If I didn’t do it, someone else would. So I got there first and claimed it. It took an enormous investment, but an arms dealer can earn back far more than he puts in.

As long as Beren and the surrounding powers that threatened it, Burgundy among them, kept one another in check, weapons development and armament would remain linked in an unbreakable chain. In the dog-eat-dog world of the Middle Ages, calls for peace were nothing but empty words.

"I can’t make a decision on tariffs right away, but I am considering a partial reduction. So the first order of business is to find an arrangement that benefits both sides."

"Understood. If Breisburg and Rosenheim form a customs union, the other princes might change their minds too. If that happens, it could even spread throughout Beren."

"No, the princes will never accept lower tariffs."

The grand duke was adamant. I suppose it really was still too early. When it came to tariffs, lords didn’t want both sides to profit; they wanted to profit alone.

That’s why wars broke out so often over tariffs. Once the customs union was formed, I planned to bring in Basel (Hagenhausen, Wischelbach, and Landschaft) and start by running it as a three-way alliance.

Lent was drawing to a close, and Easter was near.

It was already April. Before I knew it, spring had arrived.