Chapter 54 - 50: Polygamy

Chapter 54: Chapter 50: Polygamy

"According to the Holy Empire’s covenant, no one may provoke a civil war. A war between Territories is also classified as an imperial civil war."

Alex Pool said gravely.

Lian nodded slightly. "Yes, which is why His Majesty the King’s attitude is crucial."

"As long as we have a just cause, His Majesty the King will choose to turn a blind eye. He doesn’t want to see Lady Mary of Rose Territory continue to grow stronger, but he also can’t disregard their past relationship and personally order sanctions against her. His Majesty the King is a man who cares a great deal about his reputation."

Minister of Internal Affairs Karel Dennis said, fanning himself.

Omari Hani nodded in agreement. "What would be considered a just cause?"

"To reclaim everything that belongs to my fiancée, Catherine—the successor named by Old Lord Jackson himself in his last will. That is our just cause."

Lian said with a smile.

The three ministers finally understood Lian’s intentions. While the plan was still fraught with risk, they now agreed it was the best course of action.

Taking the initiative was always better than sitting back and waiting for their demise.

Though the Empire Times had named Green Shade Territory one of the three poorest territories for five consecutive years, its armaments and population made it a coveted prize.

A population of two million and an army of 200,000—that ratio alone was enough to intimidate anyone.

Even when facing the most dangerous Extraordinary Witches, a large enough army could use sheer numbers to drain a Witch’s Magic Power and push her to the point of Bordering on Loss of Control.

Of course, the most coveted prize in Green Shade Territory wasn’t its 200,000-strong army, but the Gifted Item Sequence Six Eye of the Future.

Who wouldn’t want the ability to see the future?

To prevent the King from swooping in to claim the spoils like the proverbial oriole, Lian would not be the one to provoke the war.

"Lord Lian, you are making such a great sacrifice for Green Shade Territory,"

Minister of Finance Omari Hani said with a sigh.

Karel Dennis and Alex Pool also felt that Lian was making an immense sacrifice.

After all, this would be Lian’s first wife.

And since Catherine was from Blue Moon Territory, she must have been infected with the Red Itch Plague. That meant her face was surely ruined.

Forcing a man from the Moria Clan to marry a disfigured woman was considered the greatest possible torture for one of its sons.

The three ministers recalled once suggesting that the notoriously philandering Old Moria marry the daughter of a wealthy Duke. The young woman’s only "flaw" was a small scar on her face, the result of a youthful misadventure with a sword.

But even so, Old Moria had refused to marry her because her face was "marred."

Yet here was Lian, willing to marry a "scar-covered" Catherine for the sake of Green Shade Territory. If that wasn’t a great sacrifice, what was?

Lian narrowed his eyes as he took in their pitying looks.

He recalled Anna and Annie’s reactions and could guess what these men were thinking.

"Miss Catherine is very beautiful. You don’t need to worry."

"You don’t need to comfort us, Lord Lian. We should be the ones comforting you. Fortunately, imperial law supports polygamy. As a Lord, you can take many wives."

Karel Dennis said.

Alex Pool and Omari Hani nodded in agreement.

The polygamy recorded in the laws of the Holy Empire was genuine polygamy, meaning one husband could marry multiple wives. However, the status of any wife after the first was far inferior to that of the primary wife, similar to a system of wives and concubines, though they did not use the term "concubine."

In matters of inheritance, if the husband died, the primary wife was the first in line to inherit, a privilege not extended to the other wives.

This was why Old Moria had 33 wives, not including his mistresses.

Of course, even in the hundreds of years of the Holy Empire’s history, you couldn’t find another man who had taken as many wives as Moria.

The law even offered protection to registered mistresses; for example, property law required that at least 1% of an estate be divided among them.

This was originally intended to protect the rights of the King’s mistresses, but it later spread to all the Nobility. All mistresses benefited, leading to a surge in the practice of keeping them throughout the Holy Empire, and the lives of the aristocrats became even more extravagant and debauched.

Lian decided to stop trying to explain his fiancée’s beauty. They would find out for themselves when they finally met Catherine.

"Lord Lian, what do you need from us now?"

Alex Pool asked.

"Level the Bone Forest. It’s the natural Barrier that stands between us and Blue Moon Territory. Once we level it, our army can escort Miss Catherine back to Blue Moon Territory unimpeded."

Lian said with a smile, the scent of freshly ground coffee reaching his nose.

Anna placed the coffee on the table, and Lian and the three ministers each picked up a cup.

Blue Moon Territory and Rose Territory were separated by Yusofa and Holloway. Both of these small territories were now under Mary’s control, so she had a clear path to Blue Moon Territory.

But Green Shade Territory and Blue Moon Territory were separated by the perilous Bone Forest.

If Green Shade Territory only wished to live in seclusion, the Bone Forest might serve as a protective Barrier. But now that they wanted to go on the offensive, there was no longer a need for it.

"Leveling the Bone Forest is no simple task,"

Alex Pool said, frowning.

"That would require the Guardian Witch to expend a massive amount of Magic Power. But our Guardian Witch has already been in service for six years. It would be pushing her too hard."

Karel Dennis also looked troubled.

"You’re underestimating Sophie. A clearing of this scale won’t cause her to lose control."

Lian paused before continuing. "Besides, we don’t have to rely solely on brute force. The Tree Monsters and Corpse Monsters, which we can’t communicate with, must be wiped out to the last one. But the Goblins and Skeleton Monsters are capable of communication. We can leave them be, and they might even help us fend off an enemy wave at a critical moment."

"So you mean to recruit the Goblins and Skeleton Monsters, and wipe out the Tree Monsters and Corpse Monsters?"

The three ministers asked in unison.

Lian gave a slight nod. He picked up his cup of rich, fragrant coffee and took a sip. "Yes."

"Why not just incite a war among the four of them? We could save a great deal of manpower that way,"

Omari Hani suggested.

"Omari, you clearly don’t understand the world of monsters outside our territory. Those four types of monsters occupy the southern, eastern, western, and northern regions of the Bone Forest, respectively. They’ve followed a rule of ’live and let live’ for many years, coexisting peacefully. Even when they have disputes, they’re just minor squabbles. They would never start a major war on their own and give humans an opening to exploit."

Minister of Foreign Affairs Alex Pool said.

"That’s right. The leaders of the Goblins and the Skeleton Monsters possess a considerable degree of Wisdom. That’s exactly why the Bone Forest remains in balance. They won’t be so easily provoked."

Karel Dennis said.

Lian traced the exquisite pattern on his coffee cup, a slight smile playing on his lips. "That’s even better. My only fear was that they wouldn’t understand me."