Oh, John Nassen! Hero of the Empire!
Oh, John Nassen! Hero of the Empire!
The news of John Nassen’s victory—no, the Empire’s victory—reached the imperial capital at once.
It was less than a month since Grand Duke Schurellitz and the legion had marched out under the banner of the Coalition.
A month. Barely enough time for a single proper battle, let alone to decide the course of a war.
Yet the report that arrived spoke of the Coalition’s wholesale surrender, the detention of its hardline leaders, and Grand Duke Schurellitz’s request for the Emperor’s will regarding the aftermath.
Swift did not even begin to cover it.
Even with a forced march, even if they had fought the moment they arrived and shattered the Coalition’s main force—one month was simply not enough time for all of it.
How, then, had such a thing been possible? The answer came from the Emperor’s own lips.
“According to Grand Duke Schurellitz, there was no battle worth the name. John Nassen’s people stepped forward first, subdued the Three Heroes, and forced the Coalition’s surrender.”
At the imperial audience the Emperor himself was convening, the ministers nodded.
If that John Nassen had moved and subdued those Three Heroes, it made perfect sense.
They had broken the Coalition’s sharpest sword at the very outset. A Coalition already crushed in spirit losing the will to fight and surrendering was nothing strange.
What followed was the tale of that surrender and the terms Grand Duke Schurellitz had put forward.
First, the Grand Duke demanded the arrest and extradition of those who had masterminded the surprise attack on the Empire.
And Mathieu—who had never once stepped into politics—came forward in person and accepted the demand.
Next came the matter of the mana bombs used in the assault on the Empire: every last one to be collected and destroyed, all research materials shredded, those involved punished—and, most critically, a solemn oath that should anything of the sort ever happen again, they would face the Empire’s full wrath.
“…Unexpected. I never thought those Coalition bastards would fold so cleanly.”
The Minister of War ventured the observation with care.
The bad blood with the Coalition stretched back to the days when the Empire had still been waging its wars of conquest. No truly decisive war had followed, yet friction had flared every year. Neither side had ever intended an all-out war of annihilation, so matters always ended with expressions of regret.
And now that same Coalition had not only dropped to its knees in surrender—it had sworn to wash its neck and wait if such a thing ever happened again.
Whether the words were sincere or merely a lie to escape the crisis of the moment, the mere fact of uttering them was unprecedented and humiliating.
So when the other ministers nodded at the Minister of War’s words, it was only natural.
“I hear Mathieu Philibert of the Three Heroes has taken the front. Most likely he personally drove out every hardliner and filled the ranks with moderates. That would be the decisive reason.”
The Minister of Special Affairs took up the thread.
The Three Heroes—the only Coalition powerhouses said to be capable of matching the Imperial 10 Strongest. How much weight their voices carried within the Coalition was obvious.
“Reports say he was a man who kept his distance from politics. If he is stepping forward out of ambition, that may actually be a good thing, Your Majesty. He is a moderate himself, so it can only help.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs—who had nearly suffered a catastrophic fall over recent events—spoke up. Thanks to the Emperor’s grace he still held his post for now, but his future would be decided by how the war with the Coalition unfolded.
In that light, zero losses and the Coalition’s complete submission to the Empire were nothing short of a lifeline.
I’m saved.
In that moment the Minister of Foreign Affairs wanted nothing more than to thank the people of John Nassen from the bottom of his heart. No—he wanted to rain kisses on them.
Had the Empire taken even the slightest damage, that alone would have been used to drag him from his seat at once. The Foreign Ministry’s real power would have shrunk, and the blow would have reached the Litorio Grand Duchy as well.
And if the Empire had simply crushed the Coalition out of existence, that would have been its own problem. One less task for the Foreign Ministry. Only the south and the east would remain—and the south was a scatter of islands ruled by too many independent lords to count as a nation, while the eastern nomad tribes could never unite. Wipe out the Coalition and the largest polity that still looked like a proper state vanished; the Foreign Ministry would shrink and lose influence, and in the worst case it might even be stripped of its status as a direct imperial department and folded under another.
Fortunately the Coalition surrendered, and His Grace the Grand Duke of Schurellitz moved with moderation. Because of that the Coalition survives, and so does the reason for the Foreign Ministry’s existence.
From now on the Coalition was almost certain to cooperate with the Empire without question. The Foreign Ministry would no longer have to grind itself down negotiating; it would stand as the absolute superior. Workload down, influence unchanged. Could there be sweeter honey?
That was why the Minister of Foreign Affairs could entertain the mad impulse to shower John Nassen with kisses.
“A great achievement. We must be certain about the rewards.”
The ministers nodded at the Emperor’s words, yet their eyes flicked about, reading the room.
The distribution of merit would shape the futures of those involved. Fairness mattered, but the Emperor’s intent mattered just as much.
The Schurellitz Grand Duchy has been quiet of late. Does His Majesty mean to reward them?
The grand duchies have grown too large. Litorio was already pressured over the Foreign Ministry affair, and Bayen was forced to cooperate with war funding. Schurellitz is the one left. If His Majesty means to keep Schurellitz in check as well… putting them forward as first merit may not be wise.
While the ministers spun every political calculation and weighed actual military credit, the first to speak was, surprisingly, the Minister of Finance.
“Your Majesty. In name and in fact, first merit belongs to John Nassen.”
At those words the other ministers—especially those of Home Affairs and Education—widened their eyes. Had they misheard? Or was the Minister of Finance spouting nonsense? Either reaction was understandable.
No one ground their teeth at the name John Nassen quite like the Finance Ministry. Home Affairs and Education had suffered too, of course—but if those two had been doused with a bucket of water, Finance had been struck by actual lightning.
They had drawn up the entire budget, collected the taxes, allocated every coin, even secured supplementary funds—only for the Academy to be half-destroyed overnight and an ocean of money to vanish. Heads had nearly split. Not a single copper could be wasted in the Finance Ministry; every expenditure required paperwork and a responsible officer. And after everything had been finalized and approved, John Nassen had dropped a thunderbolt on it. From the lowest clerk to the minister himself, how could any of them be pleased?
“John Nassen’s people as first merit. Are you certain?”
Even the Emperor regarded the Minister of Finance with a flicker of interest. The man who had hated John Nassen so thoroughly—why this sudden claim?
“Five legions, a mage corps, reserve units, and supply trains twice that size. All of it was rendered unnecessary by John Nassen. Moving those forces would have consumed no less than two-tenths of the Empire’s annual budget. Had the war dragged into a long campaign, more than twice that amount would have been required on top—setting aside every human life the Empire would have lost.”
“Hmm. True enough.”
“Yet thanks to John Nassen, not a single coin of that budget needed to be spent. The time a legion spent abroad was shortened, so the funds for them were cut in half as well. And with the Coalition’s wholesale surrender, the gains that follow… if I calculate those too…”
Even now the Minister of Finance was still doing the sums in his head, striving for the most precise figure possible.
“I can state that it is nearly equivalent to seizing two full years of the Empire’s budget in a single stroke.”
“That much? Remarkable.”
A rare smile touched the Emperor’s lips as he nodded his understanding.
That seemed to be the signal. The other ministers began to voice their views in a rush.
“Grand Duke Schurellitz’s contribution cannot be ignored, of course. But with not a single battle fought, naming him first merit risks unwelcome talk. It would be better, reluctantly, to award first merit to John Nassen’s people.”
“I believe Grand Duke Schurellitz will understand and accept it fully.”
“To leave a deeper fear in the Coalition, putting John Nassen at the forefront this once would not be a bad thing, Your Majesty.”
A grand duchy growing more powerful was naturally uncomfortable for the Emperor. Yet openly checking them made him look like a sovereign who belittled his vassals. In the present case, however, there was nothing to call a check. It was simply the truth.
“Minister of Education.”
Even being summoned to such a weighty council had already left him baffled—now the Emperor singled him out, and the Minister of Education nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”
“I am curious as to your opinion.”
“My opinion… is it, Your Majesty?”
“If you ask what this has to do with you: this was a war with outsiders that erupted just as an age of peace arrived and the generation born into it began attending the Academy. I find myself wanting the view of the man charged with educating the Empire’s future talents. Whom would you prefer to present to the students as the rightful first merit—the vanguard, or the commander? Speak freely.”
There was nothing free about the question; it was pure pressure. Yet the Emperor had asked, and an answer had to be given.
“I too believe first merit should be awarded to John Nassen’s people.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. All the practical reasons have already been stated, so from an educator’s standpoint… a new arrival always makes for an intriguing tale, one that can be admired, does it not?”
“A wholesome stimulus for the talents of the future. Is that what you mean?”
“It is, Your Majesty.”
Whether the word stimulus truly fit was doubtful. Even if someone were stimulated, could anyone else ever repeat what the third son and daughter of John Nassen had done this time? Unless they too were of John Nassen, it would remain impossible even in dreams.
“I have heard your views. Then a decision must be made.”
The Emperor pondered a moment, then raised a hand and summoned the Grand Chamberlain.
“You called for me, Your Majesty.”
“Go and bring the Fifth Princess.”
“The Fifth Princess, Your Majesty?”
“Yes.”
“At once. I shall escort her here.”
After the Grand Chamberlain withdrew, the Minister of Home Affairs carefully opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty. Suddenly the Fifth Princess…”
“I am considering entrusting her with the medal ceremony. The imperial bloodline’s legitimate daughter and a member of the Imperial 10 Strongest offering the congratulations herself—it would make for an excellent spectacle in every respect, would it not?”
“Ah… yes, that would certainly be so.”
And so the scheme of a father who was also Emperor—to forge a definite point of contact while the chance lasted—was set in motion.