248. The Edge of Winter (1)
248. The Edge of Winter (1)
- 1 -
The morning after the dawn raid.
The royal capital Hayrash was thrown into chaos.
"Regina... Countess Regina of Berno has been murdered?"
The whispers of the people filling the streets swept through the city like a fierce wind.
Everyone was in shock at the news that Regina, one of the three knights of the Heisen royal family and their pride, had been brutally murdered in the palace gardens.
The faces of the crowd gathered in front of the execution platform were a mixture of anger and sorrow.
They mourned Regina's death and waited in the cold dawn air to see the killer's final moments.
"Regina... Ah, Regina en Berno. You were surely our pride, Heisen's pride."
At the main gate of the royal castle, where people had gathered, King Luihardt Heisen of Heisen recited a eulogy for Regina.
"Countess Regina en Berno was born to the House of Berno in the County of Krash in the north of the kingdom, walked the honorable path of a knight, and dedicated herself to the kingdom, slaying countless barbarians and monsters..."
The gathered crowd stirred restlessly.
The news spread that the knight who was Heisen's hero and pride had been found with her throat barbarically cut and her heart torn out.
It was a disgraceful incident in the capital, following the recent uprising of the fanatics.
It was an event that unsettled the people of the capital, who had believed that only glory lay ahead for Heisen, the 'superior nation'.
The king needed to calm their tempers.
"Oh Regina! Ah, Regina! Why have you left us behind? Hero Regina! Here we raise the head of the one who caused your death, so may you rest peacefully in the warriors' heaven!"
Fortunately, even her death was a testament to how she had protected the capital, she who was the captain of the Expedition Knight Order and the realm's most famous knight.
She deserved the king's mourning.
Fortunately or unfortunately, there was someone who witnessed her final moments, and the culprit had been identified.
Now all that remained was punishment.
When the noon bell rang, a man was dragged onto the execution platform.
"From this moment, the execution of Prince Yi Jeong of the Han Empire, the murderer who killed a knight of the Heisen royal family, shall be carried out!!"
The voice of the executioner rang out.
The prince's face was contorted with pain and despair.
But his eyes remained cold.
"Do you have any last words?"
Luihardt, who had climbed onto the platform himself, spoke.
There was not a trace of sympathy in his voice.
"Kkeuk..."
Jeong, whose tongue had already been cut out by Libertas, could not answer.
Only the hatred in his eyes served as his final expression of will.
Beside him, four surviving martial artists were kneeling.
The mark of 'slave' shone clearly on their necks.
- Kill him!!
- Bring Lady Regina back!!
Below the platform, the people of Heisen looked at him with cold eyes.
There was no pity or mourning in their gazes.
They were merely enjoying this moment of settling their grudge.
"Carry out the sentence."
The axe was raised high, then came down in an instant.
Tang!!
It was the moment Heisen's isolation began.
- 2 -
The atmosphere of the grand council held in Heisen's central meeting room was extremely grave.
"This is something we can never overlook."
Adhenbar's voice broke the silence of the council chamber.
His usually gentle face was already set coldly, and his eyes foresaw the situation ahead.
"Of all things, it had to be committed by a prince of the Han Empire..."
At King Luihardt's sighing words, Grisella interjected sharply.
"This is an opportunity, Father."
Her cool gaze swept over the crowd in the council chamber.
"The prince infiltrated at night without any formal permit and murdered our hero. It's a situation where they cannot hold us accountable."
Murmurs of agreement came from among the nobles.
It was now clear that Heisen would be cut off from its giant western neighbor.
But their eyes held more anticipation than fear.
"With this incident, Heisen's position has become certain."
Grisella rose from her seat.
Her golden hair shone brilliantly in the sunlight from the window.
"Relations with Zenota in the west are already severed due to the aftermath of war, and we are hostile to the Norn Empire in the east. Now even the Han Empire, a great nation of the Western Continent..."
"So you worry about isolation, Princess."
At Luihardt's words, the nobles' gazes all turned to him.
Surprisingly, there was no sign of deep concern on the king's face.
"In this situation, Your Majesty looks so composed."
Adhenbar furrowed his brow.
At his words, Luihardt slowly shook his head.
"Sometimes, when fate seems precarious, it can actually be an opportunity. You know that too, Prince."
The king's eyes held a dangerous glint.
"Though one star of the kingdom has fallen, we are on the verge of merging with the small kingdom of Kiza. The integration of Heisen-Kiza will establish another great power in the central continent..."
He stood and looked out the window at the Narcissus Palace.
There it was.
It was the crystal formed by the Sphere of Fate that had subjugated the small kingdom of Kiza.
It was his 'daughter,' Yurena.
"This is not isolation."
Luihardt slowly turned to face the nobles.
His voice, laced with frenzy and conviction, echoed through the council chamber.
"It is the beginning of a new hegemony!"
The muscles writhing in his wrinkled hands were like those of a young man.
This too was an outcome of the Sphere of Fate.
It was the result of terrible experiments conducted on demons, monsters, and sometimes humans.
Thump!
"Brave sons of Heisen. Do not fear the coming crisis."
The nobles stirred as they watched Luihardt's vigorous figure pounding the podium.
Excited energy emanated from among them.
"We are Heisen, who will raise our flag high in the center of the continent and hold the order of the Eastern Continent in our grasp! Like two dragons rising from the center, we will bite the older dragon to death, and finally become the only dragon remaining!"
The faces of all the nobles and royalty listening to Luihardt brightened.
"We shall stand tall on the continent! Though we were not the first to become an empire, we shall be the most powerful empire! This is but a trivial crisis on that path!"
- Heisen! Heisen! Heisen!
- Long live His Majesty Luihardt!
Listening to the cheers rising from the nobles, Luihardt raised both hands and savored the reaction.
"Let us go forth! Brave sons of Heisen! To an empire!"
A rosy future was painted before the eyes of the excited nobles.
They never doubted that they would gain greater benefits from negotiations with the Han Empire and enjoy even greater wealth and glory in the great nation to be born from the merger with the small kingdom of Kiza.
Of course, that was because no one here knew.
"...What fools they are."
There was someone clicking their tongue as they looked down on the council chamber through magic.
- 3 -
"What fools they are."
When the magic cast to watch Heisen's royal council chamber ended, the surface of the Titable returned to ordinary glass.
"It seems they are deluded into thinking they achieved all this through their own power."
As I held the tea Eve had handed me, Ran, who had been watching the chamber beside me, spoke coldly.
Her eyes held a sneer for the nobles.
"The sight of them looking away from their growing isolation is amusing."
As Ran had said, I was cutting off Heisen's limbs one by one.
Among its neighbors, Heisen had always been hostile to Norn in the east, but recent conflicts with Zenota in the west had brought it to the brink of catastrophe.
Here, two more barriers would be created.
"What about Echidna?"
"She is said to have completely established control over the Gang region."
Eve came forward and answered, pouring tea into a cup.
Several of Heisen's southern counties were in my hands, and the Gang region to the south was also under Echidna's control.
This vast trade route was practically mine as well.
"If you wished, Master, we could temporarily restrict all trade at any time."
Eve's calm voice flowed out.
Her green eyes held conviction.
"If we had justification, we could do so for a longer period."
"Right."
I touched my lips and fell into thought.
If the southern trade route was blocked when Heisen was in chaos, the nobles would have no choice but to turn suspicious eyes toward the royal family.
Because the foundation of their luxurious lives would be shaken.
"Saya."
"It seems the Han imperial family has decided to focus on domestic affairs."
Saya answered while still prostrated.
Her pink eyes met mine as she lifted her head.
"While trade with the Eastern Continent involves enormous vested interests in various goods, the Han Empire has its own production capabilities, so it's not worth risking their lives over."
I tapped my chin and let out a sigh.
"It's a bit disappointing. I thought we could gain negotiation rights at the cost of the prince's head."
"For that, Prince Jeong committed too many mistakes. Of course..."
A smile drew across Saya's lips.
"They were all mistakes we created."
"Indeed."
Her face shone with adoration for me. I answered by stroking her head.
The severance of diplomatic relations between the Han Empire and Heisen was something I had wanted, but it had also come about partly unavoidably.
If possible, I had intended to turn the maintenance of this trade into an accomplishment for Yurena and make it one of her powers.
"I suppose it can't be helped."
Now that the Han Empire had abandoned the prince, he had only one use left.
He was a temporary adhesive to keep Heisen from being completely torn apart until I was ready.
Still, it wasn't a bad result, so a smile hung on my lips.
"What about Elena?"
"No problem, Master..."
Shue answered softly and slowly.
"Though she lost her actual lordship by handing over the occupied territory to the royal family of the small kingdom of Kiza... her standing within Ironfield is at its peak... Now all that's left is to separate that land from the royal family..."
Her red eyes sparkled.
It was as if she anticipated the coming war.
"If the Heisen royal family loses power, Ironfield will change its thinking too."
"What if the margrave gets greedy...?"
As Shue had said, Elena's father, Margrave Frederick en Ironfield, could have advanced his army toward the capital while the royal family was in chaos.
Because loyalty to the royal family and the desire for power were compatible emotions.
"Then it can't be helped."
In that case, Elena's greater, selfless resolution would follow.
It was impossible for Frederick to gain greater justification through a victory in war.
To claim he would purify the royal family or stabilize it—such a justification would soon lose its power.
Because I was here.
"Elena won't hate me for stealing her prey, will she...?"
"She'll be fine. She'll understand."
"You'll talk it out well, Master..."
And that was exactly the situation Shue wanted.
It meant running wild amidst the wars of humans who could be killed freely, and drawing power from their blood.
Because her power grew permanently stronger the more blood she saw.
"It will be soon. My lord's plan will be complete."
"Indeed."
At Ran's words, I looked down at the garden one last time.
It was a garden full of purple narcissus and black lilies in full bloom.
There, Yurena was taking a walk with Esther.
The child who had been the secret weapon of the Heisen royal family had now become one of my most powerful political cards.
She possessed the legitimacy gained from a princess and the influence of a saintess's name.
When they spoke, Heisen would be completely isolated.
The deeds of the Heisen royal family and high-ranking nobles carried that much weight.
"Then, the remaining relations with the north will also be severed."
As Eve had said, Heisen would soon be completely isolated.
Heisen's power had been conducting most of the goods trade going from north to south, and sometimes south to north, in the central Eastern Continent.
'And there can't be a trade nation whose neighbors are all hostile countries.'
These people seemed to have thought that power would be in their hands forever, but...
"Then the current king's downfall will become an established fact."
I took another sip of tea without erasing my smile.
If there were a nation that could replace Heisen, there were Elieniessi and Hilsa to the east of Heisen, but their trade routes were not perfectly established.
Hilsa had fought the Norn Empire for a long time, and Elieniessi had only recently started building roads.
This meant they could not wield influence comparable to Heisen.
"Elena's western kingdom, Amelia's southern duchy, and Yurena's central-northern kingdom..."
"Ultimately, Heisen will be divided into three pieces. The small kingdom of Kiza will be kept as is."
I nodded at Ran's words.
Heisen, divided into three puppet states, would no longer be the center of the Eastern Continent, but a part of my demon realm.
The moment when the central Eastern Continent and its lifeline fell into my hands was approaching.