Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Chapter 32: Tripartite Alliance (1)
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"We've hired two thousand mercenaries from the Far East Archipelago. Their transport fleet is currently on its way back to the homeland, so with a little time, we can deploy them to the Black Mountains for combat."
The white-haired man whose face appeared in the communication orb was Ridius, the king of the Lisbon Maritime Kingdom. The one exchanging magical communication with Ridius via the orb was Calvern, the king of the Edriger Kingdom.
"That must have cost a pretty penny."
"Compared to you lot facing the Philius Empire on the front lines, this is hardly a significant expense."
"If you see it that way, I've no further complaints. By the way, could you tell me the name of this mercenary group?"
"It's no trouble at all. The Golden Glory Mercenary Corps."
Calvern let out a small gasp of admiration at Ridius's response. The Golden Glory Mercenary Corps primarily operated in the Far East Archipelago, but their fame had spread even to the continent.
They weren't the sort that could be hired simply by throwing money at them, so it was easy to infer that the Lisbon Maritime Kingdom had put in considerable effort this time.
"The Golden Glory Mercenary Corps... You must have gone through quite a bit."
"Don't even get me started. We even had to dispatch diplomats to secure them."
Whether from exhaustion or not, Ridius's voice carried a deep weariness, yet his expression was bright. He was clearly satisfied with his achievement of hiring two thousand from the Golden Glory Mercenary Corps.
"All we need now is time, then..."
Calvern murmured, almost to himself, but his voice reached Ridius through the communication orb.
"Exactly. Time is what we need right now."
The Golden Glory Mercenary Corps boasted exceptional combat prowess. They were even rated as more elite than the Free Isiria Kingdom's heavy cavalry charge units. With their two thousand joining, allied casualties could be greatly reduced, so they needed to buy time until a full-scale war broke out.
"I'll discuss it with Selion and send an envoy to the Philius Empire. As long as the envoys are staying, a full-scale war won't erupt."
"That's a fine idea. In any case, this mess has worn me out—I need a break for a while—so I'll leave the envoy matter to you and Selion."
The Far East Archipelago was a lawless zone. Different powers had settled on each island, with varying allegiances. The mercenary banks held the most influence, but even they were tricky to deal with, so it was understandable that Ridius was on the verge of a headache.
"Understood. Selion and I will handle the envoy issue as you wish."
"Much obliged."
The magical communication ended. Calvern straightened his uniform and summoned the top-tier mage managing the communication orb.
"You called for me, Your Majesty?"
"I need to make another magical communication. Connect the line to the coordinates I provide."
"Yes, sire."
As the top-tier mage channeled mana, the darkened communication orb regained its glow.
"Well done. You're dismissed."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
At the order to leave, the mage bowed and exited the chamber. Calvern leaned toward the orb.
"It's been a while."
He spoke with utmost courtesy to the orb, a tone he rarely used even with the Lisbon king. Who could it be? The emperor of the Highfel Empire? But the face that appeared was entirely unexpected.
"The end is nigh, Calvern."
The man in the black mask was one of the magistrates, the upper echelons of the End Society.
"I'll report on recent events."
The magistrate nodded slowly at Calvern's words.
"The Tripartite Alliance is sending an envoy?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The foreign minister bowed slowly as he answered Raymond's question.
"They're sending an envoy all of a sudden?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The Tripartite Alliance's foreign minister contacted us directly."
"The Tripartite Alliance's foreign minister himself..."
Lisbon, Edriger, and Free Isiria. Though each kingdom had its own diplomatic organs, official diplomacy under the Tripartite Alliance banner was handled by the allied foreign ministry. Thus, direct contact from the alliance's foreign minister meant the ministry itself was mobilizing.
The allied foreign ministry only acted with unanimous agreement from all three kingdoms.
"Dismiss the foreign minister."
His voice laced with deep contemplation, he issued the order to leave.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Once the foreign minister withdrew, Raymond let out a short sigh amid the complicated situation and rose from the throne. He then headed to the emperor's private communication room adjacent to the audience chamber.
"Hail to His Majesty the Emperor."
After greeting the Imperial Army knight guarding the room, he entered to find the waiting top-tier mage jumping to his feet and bowing.
"Connect me to Count Denitz of the Belpiang Imperial Territory."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Mountain Duke's former domain, Belpiang Duchy, had been redesignated as an imperial direct territory. There had been significant backlash within the domain during the process, and unrest lingered, but Count Denitz's capable local management had prevented the worst outcomes.
"Connection established."
"You're dismissed."
The top-tier mage bowed and left the communication room.
Raymond's gaze turned to the orb. Count Denitz's face appeared, gaunt from managing the volatile Belpiang Imperial Territory on the brink of explosion.
"Count Denitz, you don't look well."
"The situation here is worse than anticipated. There have been two assassination attempts on me in the past week alone."
"That's why I assigned you the Shades, isn't it?"
"I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty. Without them, I'd already be in the afterlife."
Count Denitz spoke with a grim expression. Even with Shade protectors, the threat of assassination was far from pleasant. He'd anticipated it when taking on temporary administration of Belpiang Imperial Territory, but experiencing it firsthand felt like walking on thin ice every night.
"Two days ago, during the regular report... Connecting via magical communication again like this suggests something has happened in the capital."
Once the Mountain Duke's closest confidant and now a key brain of the fully reformed Philius Empire, he was quick on the uptake.
Raymond relayed the foreign minister's report exactly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"They're buying time."
Count Denitz stated firmly.
"I've received word from Count Potas that a Lisbon Maritime Kingdom transport fleet has departed the Far East Archipelago. They're likely carrying a mercenary corps back."
The Tripartite Alliance, especially Lisbon Maritime Kingdom, thought they'd controlled the information, but concealing a mercenary force of over two thousand and their transport fleet was impossible.
The old Philius Empire Central Intelligence Agency might have been fooled, but things had changed. Bolstered by gold from the Valencia Imperial Territory, the agency was vastly improved.
"Your Majesty, we need time as well. Just enough to match what they need. Though the Mountain Duke is dead and we've taken Belpiang Duchy as imperial direct territory, it's not stabilized yet. We need a bit more time."
Count Denitz spoke coldly. Raymond nodded in agreement. He'd confirmed the instability through multiple regular reports.
"But Count Denitz, they need time too." If given enough, the Tripartite Alliance would surely ready for war and send armies to the Black Mountains.
"However, Your Majesty, we cannot engage in full-scale war with the Tripartite Alliance while burdened by the instability of Belpiang Imperial Territory."
Count Denitz advised in a quiet voice.
"How much time do you think we need?"
"We're rooting out and executing the reactionary elements. It won't take long."
"Handle it as quickly as possible."
"Since Your Majesty entrusted me with full authority, I shall meet those expectations."
The purge of hidden remnants was progressing faster than expected. Raymond nodded with satisfaction.
"You must resolve it as swiftly as possible."
"Of course. In the meantime, Your Majesty can use this envoy visit to demonstrate to all that the imperial family and Philius Empire stand strong."
Including those awakened from the sanctuary recently, the Royal Guard now numbered nearly a hundred—comparable to the peak ancient era when the Philius Empire dominated.
True, there were no grand dukes or dukes among the current Royal Guard, but purely in numbers, it approached the ancient Philius Empire's strength.
"That sounds good."
Raymond nodded.
"Indeed, Your Majesty. I too will wrap things up here as quickly as possible and join you."
"Skirmishes at the Black Mountains may decrease, but with Lisbon Maritime Kingdom transporting mercenaries from the Far East Archipelago, we must resolve this swiftly."
"No need for concern, Your Majesty."
"You may withdraw."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I shall do my utmost."
The magical communication ended. Raymond exited the room with a calm expression. He then summoned Attendant Alex.
"You summoned me, Your Majesty?"
Alex Tiringger, descendant of the Tiringger family and once a 5th Prince's Palace attendant who endured beatings during Raymond's wastrel days, had risen to the formidable position of palace attendant general through the trust built with Raymond.
Raymond trusted Alex, who had been with him since the 5th Prince's Palace, more than even the chief attendant, keeping him close as attendant general.
"Inform the foreign minister that we accept the Tripartite Alliance's proposal. And notify the palace internal affairs as well."
"I shall obey."
"We're holding a victory celebration. Have them report the required budget and personnel."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Alex bowed politely and withdrew. The solemn imperial decree reached the foreign and internal affairs ministries, who sprang into action to avoid disappointing the emperor.
The foreign ministry connected magical communication to the Tripartite Alliance to relay the emperor's words, while internal affairs estimated funds and manpower for the victory celebration. Two days later, the internal affairs minister entered the audience chamber at Raymond's summons.
"Your Majesty! I have come at your call!"
"Report, Internal Affairs Minister."
He didn't elaborate, but the minister knew exactly what was expected. Tense, perhaps, he wiped sweat from his brow with his sleeve. Staging a celebration on the emperor's desired scale required vast funds and manpower, making the minister hesitant to speak.
"Report at once."
Urged repeatedly by the emperor, the internal affairs minister finally detailed the necessary funds and personnel.
"No issues with proceeding, then."
"Yes, there will undoubtedly be strains... Pardon?"
The emperor's response defied expectations. It was no small expenditure. Though much gold had been secured from Valencia Imperial Territory, reinforcements to the Central Intelligence Agency, rearmament of the Northern Central Army, and repairs from the civil war with the Mountain Duke had consumed plenty—leaving the minister wide-eyed.
"Do you worry about the imperial treasury, Internal Affairs Minister?"
"To be frank, yes, Your Majesty."
"No need to fret over funds. Count Denitz did splendid work yesterday."
Raymond recalled the report from yesterday's magical communication, a smile spreading across his face.
"Your Majesty, may I, as Internal Affairs Minister, inquire further?"
The minister asked politely and cautiously. Raymond often handled matters discreetly through close aides, warranting care.
"I planned to inform internal affairs today anyway, so no issue."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"We've discovered the Mountain Duke's secret vault."
Only then did the internal affairs minister understand why the emperor's expression hadn't changed despite the massive projected expenditures.
"Might I ask the scale?"
"Apparently, three times the gold in Duke Valencia's secret vault."
Raymond spoke plainly, though inwardly he quelled his rage.
Valencia Territory, rich in gold mines and port cities, was ideal for amassing secret funds. In contrast, vast Belpiang had few such resources.
Yet hoarding over three times Valencia's gold in secret revealed how brutally the people had been squeezed—a depth hard to fathom.
Thus, Raymond's first order upon Count Denitz's report: use a portion of the gold for the territory's people.