Chapter 254: Don't You Think I Know That? (3)
Chapter 254: Don't You Think I Know That? (3)
He owed him a debt of gratitude.
It was King Darius who had recognized his talents and appointed him to a high position when he had been considering leaving for another country after failing to make a name for himself in the Harbor Kingdom.
Duke Krupa felt a sincere sense of gratitude toward the King—so much so that he had thrown his own body into the fray to protect him while the King was being pummeled by Patrick.
"Tell me. What will it take for you to spare his life?"
Though he was intoxicated, Duke Krupa’s eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity. Patrick spoke.
"If you grant my conditions, I will not only spare King Darius but also guarantee the continued existence of the Harbor Kingdom."
"The continued existence of the Harbor Kingdom, you say?"
"How about it? Isn't that an exceptional offer? It’s all because I’m such a nice guy..."
"You aren't ready to swallow us whole yet."
"..."
"Am I right?"
"No, you're not."
Patrick denied it, but his gaze flickered away for a moment. Duke Krupa gave a thin, knowing smile.
"The Atronia Kingdom and our country share no borders. To use the northern land route, the Magellan Kingdom stands in the middle. To interact directly, one must use the Denver Sea Area for maritime trade... but oops, neither side has a port capable of moving large quantities of goods and personnel. Ho ho ho."
"..."
"In such a situation, it would be quite difficult to annex and govern a territory so far away. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Tsk, this is why smart people are so hard to handle."
It was true. Duke Krupa had pierced right through the very issue Patrick was agonizing over.
Even if he completely annexed the Harbor Kingdom, governing this land smoothly would be no easy feat. The geographical conditions were simply too unfavorable.
The Magellan Kingdom was an obstacle for land travel, and for sea travel, neither country possessed a suitable port. Furthermore, wasn't Patrick’s home, the Schneider fief, located at the absolute eastern edge of the Atronia Kingdom, adjacent to the Great Forest?
To rule a land that could only be reached after traveling far to the west and crossing the sea? It was a logistical nightmare in many ways.
‘In the first place, it was because of these conditions that I only brought a thousand elite troops.’
Winning was one thing, but conquest was another. It was a fresh reminder of how different things were. War between nations and power struggles between martial sects were vastly different in many respects.
And that was why...
‘This meeting is all the more important.’
Patrick used his internal energy to flush out the alcohol as he spoke.
"Even if conquest is impossible, I can still turn this place into a wasteland if I have to."
"..."
"Now that the Dwarves are gone and the 7-Star Knights have all fled into exile, if I strip the Harbor Kingdom of everything I can take, do you think the surrounding nations will just leave you be?"
Duke Krupa let out a sigh. In truth, this was something he was well aware of.
‘He’s not entirely naive.’
One to one. They had each struck a nerve.
The negotiation table fell into a stalemate. Duke Krupa, who had been fidgeting with his glass, finally spoke.
"We will pay war reparations. We will acknowledge Prince Dawson’s blunder and offer a formal apology. In exchange, help us preserve the royal bloodline."
"How, exactly?"
"We will cede the territories along the eastern coast of the Harbor Kingdom as reparations."
"You’re paying with land instead of gold?"
"And we will change our status from a kingdom to a duchy."
"..."
This was surprising. Duke Krupa was suggesting a voluntary downgrade of the nation's status. This was an even more radical statement than conceding territory.
"In return!"
Duke Krupa set his glass down firmly.
"You must promise to protect the Harbor Kingdom and ensure its survival."
Hearing this, Patrick fell into thought. He tried to decipher the hidden intention behind those words. After a moment of reflection, he reached a conclusion.
"Are you lowering your status to a duchy to gain me as a shield?"
"..."
"And giving up territory is so that I can station troops there, allowing for rapid support in an emergency. As you said, there are no decent ports, so there’s a limit to how many troops I can bring across the sea."
At Patrick’s words, Duke Krupa gave a bitter smile.
"We are in an era of war. In times like these, the priority isn't winning—it's surviving."
Duke Krupa was boldly cutting away parts of the Harbor Kingdom for the sake of its ultimate survival. By lowering its status to a duchy, he created a justification for protection, and by handing over the western territory, he provided a base for a garrison to stay.
This was so that even if another nation attacked the Harbor Kingdom, they could receive immediate help.
The best part of this proposal was that Patrick had nothing to lose.
‘Gaining territory isn't easy. Setting aside how I’ll negotiate with the Atronia royalty, opportunities like this are rare.’
The western coastal region of the Harbor Kingdom accounted for a staggering quarter of its territory. It was enough land to establish a small country. If he received it as war reparations, he would gain far more than the amount he had originally intended to collect.
Though, having to protect the Harbor Kingdom was a bit of a nuisance.
"I have one condition."
"What is it?"
Patrick stated his one condition. Duke Krupa initially looked troubled upon hearing it, but after a long internal struggle, he spoke.
"Give me time to think."
"I can't give you much."
*
A middle-aged man with a face that was still swollen. Though he was still technically the ruler of the Harbor Kingdom, this man was King Darius.
Even if a king was being detained, a minimum level of etiquette had to be observed. Thus, he was confined within the royal castle, which had originally been his home. As long as he was accompanied by guards, his movements were relatively free.
Duke Krupa came to visit him.
"Oh, Alexander. How did it go?"
"The general conditions have been accepted."
"That is a relief amidst our misfortune."
The conditions Duke Krupa had proposed in the meeting with Patrick—from downgrading the nation to a duchy to handing over the eastern coastal regions—most of them had already been coordinated with King Darius.
The King had been reluctant because the terms were so extreme, but he had consented after Duke Krupa persuaded him that the kingdom could not survive otherwise. In the first place, no matter how much authority he had been delegated, the terms were too radical for Duke Krupa to have decided on them alone.
"At least we'll survive. Phew..."
They had succeeded in avoiding the worst-case scenario instead of finding the best possible way. King Darius let out a sigh of relief at the result.
Watching his lord, Duke Krupa felt a surge of bitterness.
‘Your Majesty...’
It shouldn't be like this. Even though it had gone according to his plan, the result was that the Harbor Kingdom had been relegated to a duchy, and King Darius’s status would drop to that of a Duke, having lost a massive amount of territory.
And the first emotion he felt in this situation was relief?
It shouldn't be. As a ruler, the first things he should have felt were humiliation and rage. But...
‘He is far too soft.’
To Duke Krupa, King Darius was a grateful benefactor who had scouted him and trusted him implicitly. The loyalty and devotion he felt for the King were sincere. But on the other hand...
‘I suppose I am only human after all.’
Duke Krupa knew. The wars breaking out sporadically across the continent were still nothing more than a prelude.
The Overlord of the Northeast, Sierion Baisus Yuzef.
The Supernova of the Southeast, Patrick Schneider.
Two heroes had distorted the long-standing balance of the continent. And the full-scale clash between the two great powers—the Empire and the Holy Kingdom—had begun.
Future historians would describe the current era as a whirlwind of upheaval. And since he was born into such an era, he wanted to leave his mark on the world as an advisor. That longing and desire existed vividly within Duke Krupa.
And that...
‘...will be impossible with this man.’
King Darius might be a good friend to Duke Krupa, but he could not be a great lord. If King Darius had shed tears of blood, wailed, and screamed in resentment, he might have found a glimmer of hope...
"Hahaha. You've worked hard. As expected, there is no one I can trust but you, Alexander."
There wasn't even a sprout of hope to be seen. Duke Krupa gently brushed away King Darius’s hand as the King patted his shoulder in praise.
"Your Majesty, in exchange for accepting the conditions, the Double Dragon added one more."
"What is it?"
"...He has offered to recruit me."
King Darius’s face instantly froze.
"You?"
"Yes."
King Darius hesitated. He wouldn't have agonized much if they had asked for more territory. But to demand Alexander Krupa?
He knew. The reason he, an ordinary man, had been able to manage as a king was because of the advice of an extraordinary talent like Duke Krupa. Even though they had lost the war and suffered great losses, his trust in Duke Krupa hadn't cracked in the slightest.
In fact, at this point, it shouldn't be called trust; it was simply dependence.
"Is there no other way? Why does he want to recruit you? You are my subject, are you not?"
"Your Majesty..."
"Alexander, find a way. I can lose everything else, but I cannot lose you."
Tears even welled up in King Darius’s eyes as he clung desperately. An ordinary subject might have been moved to tears, feeling how much the King cherished them. But Duke Krupa and King Darius had spent decades together; they knew each other inside and out.
Those weren't tears shed out of sorrow at the thought of losing him. Those were tears of dependence, like a child anxious at being abandoned by a parent.
Seeing that, Duke Krupa realized something. The relationship between himself and King Darius, which he had thought was bound by absolute trust, was not as ideal or beautiful a bond between lord and subject as he had imagined.
‘I was not a good subject.’
A subject should serve under a king and help him realize his vision. But Duke Krupa had done the opposite; he had realized his own vision through King Darius. He had strengthened the royal power and created a powerful centralized system to hand over to the King, but King Darius’s own will was nowhere to be found in it.
The King had merely opened his mouth like a baby bird and eaten the food Duke Krupa brought him. He didn't even know what was going into his mouth. He just ate because it was given to him, growing only in physical size.
"Ha... Hahaha..."
He laughed at the absurdity of it all. Now that he had let go of everything and looked at himself objectively from a step back, he couldn't lift his head for shame.
A capable yet treacherous official. No matter how kindly he framed it, that was the extent of his identity. He thought he had been assisting King Darius with all his heart and soul, but he realized he had only been ruining the King further.
Duke Krupa hardened his heart and spoke to King Darius.
"Your Majesty, I will go as a vassal to the House of Schneider."
"Alexander!"
"Though I am leaving your side, I will offer one last piece of advice for your sake. Although we have been downgraded to a duchy and our territory has shrunk, the home country still has enough potential to aim for a comeback. Please, build up your strength and wait for the right time."
"But for that, I need you! How can I do anything without you..."
"Stop speaking so weakly!"
"..."
Duke Krupa suddenly roared. King Darius was startled by the loud voice. That surprise soon turned into shock.
"Are you... abandoning me? How could you do this to me..."
Duke Krupa’s heart felt like it was tearing as he looked at King Darius. But he couldn't stop. He knew now. Even if the Double Dragon hadn't made the offer, he had to leave King Darius’s side. As long as he remained, King Darius would forever rot as a half-measure of a man, never able to spread his wings as a true ruler.
Duke Krupa steeled himself and said, "Thank you for everything, Your Majesty."
"Alexander! Alexander! Don't go! Please don't abandon me!"
He turned his back coldly and walked out. Behind him, he heard King Darius’s voice calling out to him in desperation, but he forced himself to ignore it. Only after he had closed the door and stepped outside...
"Your Majesty, please do not forgive this incompetent and disloyal subject."
...could he fall to his knees and wail.
In his youth. Back when he harbored grand dreams and sought to display his talents, only to be frustrated by the cruelty of reality. Back then, the one who had reached out to Alexander Krupa was King Darius, who was a prince at the time.
[I hear you're this year's valedictorian of the Law Faculty? Why haven't you found a position yet?]
[What? You were pushed out by factions? How absurd. Then why don't you enlist as my personal secretary? Ah, you're asking who I am?]
[For now, I'm the First Prince of this country. If things go smoothly, I'll probably be the next king.]
At that time, King Darius had passion, regardless of his ability. He always kept his ears open to find talent to assist him, personally seeking people out and verifying them with his own eyes. Duke Krupa was a diamond in the rough, discovered through Prince Darius’s passion.
But as time passed, King Darius lost the passion to strive. And Duke Krupa also lost the purity of wanting to assist his King and realize a shared vision.
If they had held onto that youthful passion and purity, their present might have been different.