Settlement (4)
Settlement (4)
"Are you telling me to endure this right now, Leonius...!"
Thump! A loud sound echoed through the Grand Duke of the Southern Sea's office as his hand—the one not holding the letter—slammed against the table.
"The enemy isn't visible...? The danger of a pincer attack from Norden...? Merely, merely over something like that...!"
It could hardly be "merely over something like that." There was no way he didn't know what would happen if he started a civil war, only for a nation he thought was an enemy to ally with his foe and launch an attack against him.
Even so, ever since he heard the news of Semele's tragic demise, he was in no state to exercise sound judgment.
That was why he had been gathering an army.
He had more than enough justification.
It wasn't simply, 'I'm going to find the culprit who killed my daughter.'
The Grand Duke of the Southern Sea, Hannibal, was not just Semele's father; he was also the maternal grandfather of the current Emperor, Julian.
No one could possibly stop him from leading an army to the capital to protect his grandson instead of relying on the untrustworthy Lord Protector.
Through that, he could seize control of the imperial capital and corner the Lord Protector.
Of course, marching an army to the imperial capital would take at least six months.
"Huu... huu... huu...!"
Even so, Hannibal had intended to do it. But Leonius—the very man he had sought to ally with—had personally stepped in to stop him.
And by having Leonius himself carry out what Hannibal intended to do, no less.
Of course, it wasn't impossible for Hannibal to still march his army.
However, his justification had grown far too weak.
Hannibal's strongest pretext was, 'I cannot leave my grandson alone in such a dangerous place.' But now, Leonius would be right at Julian's side.
If it was still considered dangerous even with the man called the empire's strongest Swordmaster by his side, then where on earth could possibly be safe?
Furthermore, Hannibal already knew.
He knew just how dangerous it was that Norden and Maximilian might be in a state of cooperation.
And above all, he knew that the Gate Grand Duke, Dietrich von Rosencavalier, was not someone who would meekly yield the way.
A place where wealth concentrated the more chaotic the empire became. Thus, from long ago, the House of the Grand Duke of the Southern Sea referred to him as the Golden Duke.
Since such a man would never step aside, six months was an optimistic estimate—he could be blocked for up to a year. If that happened, it was obvious he wouldn't gain anything he desired.
Not only that, but the Lord Protector might have used Hannibal's armed arrival as an excuse to confine Julian under the guise of "protection," manipulating the empire as he pleased.
He understood.
Yes. His mind understood it well.
"Damn it!!"
It was only his heart that found it impossible.
"Hanno!! Are you there, Hanno!!"
"Yes, Your Grace, I am here."
As Hannibal called out someone's name irritably, a man immediately responded and opened the door to enter: Hanno. He was Hannibal's son.
"Damn it... bloody hell... Hanno, stop gathering the troops. Disband all those mercenary bastards, too. Hand them some cash and they won't complain."
"Yes, Your Grace. Understood."
As Hanno quietly closed the door and left, Hannibal collapsed heavily into his chair.
When he closed his eyes, he could still hear it vividly—the voice of his daughter, Semele.
She was his beloved eldest daughter. The child over whom he had held his breath the day he first took her tiny hand, terrified he might break her if he squeezed too hard. He hadn't wanted to send her to the imperial house. Unless it was to someone who truly loved her, he hadn't wanted to hand her over for political reasons.
Yet Semele herself had stepped forward, declaring she would go to the imperial palace. Hannibal couldn't stop her. Because more than anyone else, Hannibal was weak when it came to Semele.
But he shouldn't have allowed it. He should have stopped her. No matter what, he should have stopped her. That regret spilled out past Hannibal's lips.
"How could you leave your father behind and pass away first...?"
The words spilling from Hannibal's mouth as he bowed his head reached no one.
"I will not move... Yes, I will not move for now."
Therefore, Hannibal made his decision. The southern army would not march to the imperial capital.
Hannibal pulled a few sheets from the pile of documents on his desk. He checked the contents written there several times.
"Hanno! Are you out there! Hanno!"
"Yes, Your Grace, I am here."
"Hey, Hanno. How are the southern finances these days?"
"They are booming, better than ever."
"No, no. The merchant guilds might be booming. I'm talking about the southern treasury."
Hannibal lifted his eyes from the documents and looked at Hanno. Meeting his gaze head-on, Hanno felt his legs nearly give out for a moment, even though the killing intent wasn't directed at him.
"The South is suffering from a severe deficit lately. Yes. The ports need extensive repairs, and the coastal defenses are quite inadequate. It will probably be like this for... about ten years. Right?"
"...Yes, of course, Your Grace. I was mistaken. Currently, the southern treasury is facing an unprecedented deficit."
"Good. Pass that along to the imperial capital."
This time, Hanno bowed his head deeply and left to handle the matter.
"...Remember that the southern balancing of accounts is heavier than gold. Maximilian."
Therefore, the South closes its gates.
＊ ＊ ＊
During the 30 days declared as a mourning period following my mother's death, there was nothing I could do.
State affairs proceeded normally, but all private gatherings and banquets were strictly prohibited.
Because of that, my lessons were paused, and I couldn't gather my playgroup. Even the few means of movement I had were completely halted.
It might not be much of a substitute, but Leonius ended up staying at the imperial palace continuously from that day on.
Since he wasn't officially my Imperial Guard yet, he couldn't guard my bedchamber, but it felt like he was by my side almost constantly throughout the mourning period.
And so, today, the mourning period finally came to an end.
"In the name of the Rotaria Empire and His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, we hold the investiture ceremony for the surrender and re-investiture of the Eastern Marches!"
Thump, thump, thump. Three times. Once the sound of the staff striking the floor subsided, those words came from the Grand Chamberlain's mouth.
The investiture ceremony had begun.
"His Excellency, Eastern Margrave Leonius von Chrysoricos, enters to grant an audience to His Imperial Majesty!"
The grand entrance doors of the audience hall opened slowly.
Through the open doors, Leonius and his retainers filed in.
They didn't come right up to me immediately. Entering through the doors, they stood in front of the knights lined up to the left and right of the central aisle.
"Eastern Margrave Leonius von Chrysoricos, step forward before His Imperial Majesty!"
Only when the Grand Chamberlain called his name did Leonius finally move.
Leaving the retainers who had accompanied him in place, he advanced forward alone.
Passing the knights lined along the long red carpet leading to the dais, and passing the nobles holding their respective places, he stepped forward a few more paces before coming to a stop.
Then, dropping to one knee, he paid his respects to me.
Seeing Leonius kneel, the Grand Chamberlain spoke.
"Taking into account the peace of the Emperor and the Empire, Eastern Margrave Leonius von Chrysoricos voluntarily surrenders into the hands of His Imperial Majesty the Margraviate and its attached rights and privileges held from the Emperor and the Empire, and begs that Asterion von Chrysoricos be accepted as his lawful successor!"
When those words ended, all the nobles except Leonius looked at me. The Lord Protector also glanced at me slightly and nodded.
"Margrave, is what was just read your true intent?"
In the typical monotone recital of a young child, I recited word for word what the Lord Protector had instructed me to say.
"It is so, Your Majesty. I wish to return into Your Majesty's hands all fiefs and rights I received from Your Majesty and the Empire."
"Then, execute the surrender."
As my words fell, one of Leonius's retainers standing at the back walked down the aisle holding up a long banner.
Reaching Leonius's side, the retainer turned the banner he was holding and presented the pole toward me.
Stepping down from the dais on my behalf, the Grand Chamberlain received the banner.
"We accept the surrender of the Margrave of Chrysoricos."
The Grand Chamberlain then climbed back onto the dais and set the banner received from Leonius behind me.
He then moved again to receive the remaining items related to the Margraviate brought by Leonius's retainers.
Various items, such as the Margraviate's seal and the deed of fief grant, were handed over from Leonius's retainer to the Grand Chamberlain.
Once all items related to the Margraviate were finally surrendered, Leonius unbuckled the sword tied at his waist.
"I return to Your Majesty all command authority over the Eastern Army entrusted to me by Your Majesty."
Saying so, just as he had done during the council that day, he placed his sword on his palms and held it out as an offering to me.
"We accept the return of your command authority."
With this, from this very moment, Leonius von Chrysoricos lost both his power as the Eastern Margrave and his authority to command all eastern troops.
A brief, yet complete vacuum was created in the Chrysoricos Margraviate.
Having returned all authority to the imperial family, Leonius stood up, bowed to me, and turned around.
He did not go to the area where the nobles stood. He headed toward the empty end position below the dais.
As Leonius moved, his retainers moved as well; seeing this, the Grand Chamberlain summoned Leonius's successor.
"Asterion von Chrysoricos, lawful eldest son of House Chrysoricos and petitioner for the fief of the Eastern Marches, step forward before His Imperial Majesty!"
With those words, Leonius's son opened the doors and entered.
A man who appeared to be in his mid-to-late twenties, striking with silver hair more vibrant than Leonius's and red eyes resembling his father's, walked the exact same path his father had taken moments ago.
Walking to the designated spot, he petitioned for the investiture of the Margraviate; after I accepted it, everything received from Leonius was handed over to him.
The seal, the deed of fief grant, the banner, and the Sword of Chrysoricos.
Finally, Asterion finished his homage of obedience and oath of fealty to me before heading over to the position of the Eastern Margrave among the other nobles, which had been vacant until now.
Normally, it would have ended here.
But for me, the most important part still remained.
"Leonius von Chrysoricos of House Chrysoricos, step forward before His Imperial Majesty!"
Since he was no longer a Margrave, he was summoned only by his family name, deprived of the courtesy fitting a Margrave.
Yet Leonius moved from the end position below the dais and stepped out to the center with a stride even more dignified than when he had walked in as a Margrave.
He stood at a spot even closer to the dais than when he surrendered his title moments ago.
Then, I stood up from my seat.
Step by step, I walked forward.
Descending the steps slowly, one by one, I stopped with a single step remaining.
This exact spot aligned my standing height perfectly with the top of Leonius's head.
As I stood in place, the Lord Protector brought a sword forward.
Supporting the sword with both hands, he politely presented it to me.
Grasping the hilt of the sword, I pulled it toward myself, sheath and all.
The Lord Protector had opposed me taking this sword directly.
He had wanted to convey a certain political message to the nobles by involving himself from beginning to end.
But I shut all of that down. When I refused under the pretext of being a young child obsessed with playing swords who wanted to hold the sword himself, even he couldn't force the matter.
Perhaps things would have been different before, but right now at least, he had no choice but to hand the sword over to me meekly.
Holding the sword, I looked at Leonius.
"Are you willing to leave behind your territory and army to become Our person, serving by Our side?"
Leonius answered without a moment's hesitation.
"With my sword and my life, I shall serve Your Majesty, guarding Your Majesty's safety and the honor of the Imperial House."
I nodded at those words and drew the sword.
It wasn't an actual weapon. Even if made of iron, it had no blade edge, and even the tip was blunt.
Holding the ceremonial sword with both hands, I placed the flat of the blade onto Leonius's right shoulder.
Tap. The flat of the blade rested on Leonius's right shoulder.
Then, raising the sword, I passed it slowly over his head to the other side. After that, I repeated the action on his left shoulder.
When I finished that action and returned the sword to its sheath, the Lord Protector, who had approached beside me at some point, took the sword back and placed a medal in my hand instead.
After receiving the medal, I looked at Leonius.
"Recognizing your loyalty, We appoint you as the first knight of the Imperial Guard, the Imperiani."
I pinned the medal directly onto the left side of Leonius's chest.
Though the garment looked stiff to the eye, I could feel the soft texture of top-grade velvet.
With this, the Imperial Guard, Imperiani, was officially formed.
A knightly order under my direct command, bypassing the Lord Protector. True subordinates who answered only to my orders.
After pinning the medal on Leonius, I walked back to my seat.
"Leonius von Chrysoricos is from this moment an Imperial Guard Knight, tasked with the duty of guarding the Emperor's palace and safety!"
Only when I sat upon the throne did the Grand Chamberlain proclaim those words. Having truly become an Imperial Guard Knight, Leonius slowly stood up, climbed the steps of the dais, and took his position to the front-right of me.
A spot noticeably close even to onlookers. In terms of distance alone, it was almost as close as the Lord Protector.
This distance, allowing him to act as a wedge to keep the Lord Protector in check—this was precisely what I had been aiming for.
And finally, the investiture ceremony concluded.
The Grand Chamberlain's closing announcement echoed throughout the audience hall.
As I walked out, Leonius followed slightly behind to my right.
This was enough.
...For now.