Chapter 365
Chapter 365
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 365
Chapter Title: Whirlpool (3)
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Crops harvested from granaries across the entire empire were heading toward Guir. This was the result of Empress Carbellier's "humanitarian relief" policy and the loyalty oaths sworn by the various electors during the imperial civil war.
The crops were steadily piling up on Leia's flagship. The Gaimeurn flagship had a capacity equivalent to that of a national fortress, and calculations showed that just two trips could cover the winter needs for the entire eastern region.
Transportation and food supplies were already more than sufficient. Yet Leia's flagship still floated majestically in the seas off Guir's coast, unmoving.
"Your Majesty, an envoy requests an audience."
"Who is it this time?"
"It's the envoy sent by King Leon of Varas."
"Let them in."
Rene pressed her weary eyes shut and gestured. The door soon opened, and a man in shabby attire walked in. Spotting Rene at the door, he dropped his head to the floor without taking another step.
"May the Lord bless us, long live the Holy Revaunter Empire! I pay my respects to the ruler of thousands of domains, the great Empress Carbellier!"
"Enough. I am busy. Get to the point."
The envoy seemed unprepared for Rene's temperament. He paled, wondering if he had misspoke.
The chamberlain, unable to watch any longer, whispered in his ear.
"Her Majesty despises empty flattery and pompous praise."
"Oh...! That humility is the true virtue of a sovereign! Ruler of the earth, Empress Carbellier, may you live ten thousand years!"
"...Is this fool deaf?"
Rene furrowed her brow, and the envoy let out a sharp gasp. Before he could drag on further, Rene waved him off.
"Speak quickly. I meant it when I said I was busy."
"Y-Your Majesty. If I may humbly report... It has already been ten days and three since Your Majesty promised aid to our kingdom... The east is now rife with starvation and disease from the wars of the ruthless and the ravages of bandit hordes. Yet..."
"Stop. So you're wondering when the ships will set sail?"
"T-That's..."
"Return to your country and wait. That's all I can tell you."
"B-But Your Majesty...!"
"Do you see the empire's grain as your rightful claim?"
Rene's eyes grew icy cold. She rose slowly from her seat and approached the envoy prostrated by the door.
"Or do you think my mercy and compassion are your inherent right?"
"I-If you would only allow our transport ships to dock in this harbor... Just a small mercy for our desperate people..."
"Leave. Before I change my mind."
The envoy retreated, trembling violently. Even as he departed, he bowed repeatedly toward Rene.
The door to the office closed. Rene let out a deep sigh and leaned back in her chair. The ill-fitting play dragged on.
"Your Majesty..."
"I'm fine."
The chamberlain gazed at Rene with concern but couldn't bring himself to say more. Having served House Carbellier as steward since Rene was a child, he knew she was acting.
She was a child with a softer heart than anyone. She was never the type to hold starving hundreds, thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—hostage to squeeze better terms from petty kingdoms.
Yet she had no choice. She was no longer the young lady of House Carbellier; she was the empress of the empire. When the empire opened its granaries to feed foreign famine, there had to be corresponding gains.
*Father... I never wanted to be empress.*
Rene toyed with her pen in her hand, lost in thought for a moment. The reason she became empress. The man who made her empress.
What that man desired. What she must do as empress.
The secret pact made before he left, at the gathering of elves, northerners, and imperials.
* * *
"You're insane."
"Uh... I'm sorry, Duke Cerned. But this is just..."
"...Fernandez. Are you serious?"
In what might one day be called the "Pact of the Three Sovereigns," a historic moment, the three rulers had united in questioning him.
It was just before the pact was sealed, due to the future strategy Fernandez had announced. Aeren, Rene, and even Leia stared at the man before them in stunned silence, forgetting to even set down their glasses.
"Indiscriminate plundering of civilian areas? Well... It's not bad for us, but... I wouldn't be able to face my ancestors."
Aeren gave a bitter smile. The north's situation was far from good. This expedition needed to yield profits and minimize losses. Yet she hadn't wanted this kind of battle either.
The north's savior had requested troops. For Aeren, it was something she couldn't refuse. Her claim to power was the purification of the north. Factoring in internal unrest, pulling able-bodied men outward might even be preferable.
But Aeren was also a northerner. She had fought shoulder-to-shoulder with her ancestors against demons in past battles. She and her warriors took pride in being descendants of the great Einherjar.
No one lives forever. Only glory endures. That was the northern creed. Indifferent to death, yet obsessed with honor, glory, and gold.
"Once this expedition ends, no one in the north will starve this winter—only freeze, perhaps."
"Of course. If we can scrape together all that overflowing southern wealth..."
Aeren was a northerner, but also their queen. As queen, she had no choice but to nod reluctantly. Personal honor weighed less than the nation's survival.
"I oppose this."
Rene shook her head with cold eyes.
"If northern famine is the issue, humanitarian food aid within reason is possible. But wholesale plunder on a massive scale? I can't agree to that strategy."
"And if that 'humanitarian aid' goes to the east instead of the north?"
"Even if the same amount of food is sent, what of the refugees and casualties from the plundering? Even if everything aligns perfectly, how many easterners will die in the ensuing unrest?"
Rene's resolute gaze fixed on Fernandez. That was the difference between Aeren and Rene. Or perhaps between a poor minor nation and a wealthy superpower.
It was a noble ideal, but Fernandez could distinguish it more coldly. It wasn't hypocrisy—good intentions were sometimes mere luxuries.
Even in this half-ruined state, the empire could care for its people. In a few more months, its economy would recover enough to aid foreign nations again.
That was the empire's strength. Even the humblest leaders occasionally indulged in luxury and pleasure upon witnessing such superpower status. In the name of "goodwill"—immaterial extravagance.
Rene was a case in point. Fundamentally good and a great hero, she had fought to the bitter end to protect a crumbling world. Worrying for foreign peoples in this situation was instinct for her.
"How about this: In exchange for northern troops, the empire supplies food to the north. A mercenary deal. With the empire unable to deploy directly, Queen Leia's fleet supports the eastern seas, and Queen Aeren's warriors bolster the Dane Kingdom front."
This plan would perfectly protect areas from plunder damage. Rene nodded firmly. But Fernandez shook his head.
"That won't align with the timeline."
"I agree the initial push will be overwhelming. But this isn't a one-battle war, is it? If Fairn's army lands on Dane's coast and advances, our forces can land later and pursue from nearby coasts."
"Dane's settlements will be looted by Fairn anyway, and the petty kingdoms with intact troops and supplies will join from winter onward."
Fernandez traced lines on the massive map.
"Block all petty kingdom reinforcements while dislodging Fairn's entrenched main force with minimal troops? Delusion. The war will devolve into isolated battles; a prolonged conflict is inevitable, and war refugees unavoidable."
Even if northern warriors refrained from plunder, securing war supplies would mean looting petty kingdom or Dane civilians alike. And those looters wouldn't minimize civilian harm.
Better for Aeren's forces to do it—they could be controlled. At Fernandez's words, Rene bowed her head gravely.
"Or is it that you don't want blood on your hands?"
"That's not... No."
War blurred good and evil. It inevitably involved killing, and no good man could deem himself pure amid it.
What of the leaders signing declarations of war? They bore only the weight of a pen. They could remain "good" if they wished—at least in their own eyes.
That was Fernandez's point. Want to stay "good"? Signing the plunder order meant no honor or goodwill remained in this war.
But it was hypocrisy. The minimal hypocrisy to avert greater evil.
*If they're to be plundered anyway, better to dirty your own hands to minimize the damage.*
A conclusion unreachable by normal thinking. Yet morally and logically unassailable—save for the burden of evil deeds.
Meeting Rene's troubled eyes, Fernandez changed tack.
"And the empire owes Dane's royal house."
"Right. Three times."
"Once at La Mertion. Twice in the Great North Advance at Caradscar. Even if Dane requests aid, the debt is too great to evade. Starting food aid to the east post-war lets us collar both Dane and the east again."
Recent events and the empire's fluctuations had the east drifting from imperial influence. Regular tribute had ceased; Dane alone had aided during the civil war.
Dane's fall wouldn't benefit the empire. To secure eastern sway, the empire had to step in now—civil war aftermath be damned.
Moreover, the east's production base was on track for total ruin, costing the empire unilateral resource diplomacy sovereignty for decades.
Fernandez was telling Rene now: Destroy the east's resource base via northern plunder, then re-collar it.
*Better to control one great power than many states.*
Depending on how ruthlessly Rene steeled herself, that vast region of dozens of nations could remain imperial vassals forever. Vicente was righteous but hard to control. Rene was not.
Meeting Fernandez's eyes, Rene swallowed dryly.
"You... weren't from Dane Kingdom?"
"Seeing me as a traitor now?"
"True, you've never represented any one nation's interests."
Rene nodded reluctantly. Thus, she too agreed to Fernandez's plan. Fernandez turned to the last sovereign present.
The elf queen's eyes smiled thinly.
"When do you think we'll die?"
What did she mean? As Fernandez narrowed his eyes, Leia grinned.
"About 200 years at most, if we're lucky. That's my take. No plans for eternity."
"Considering half-elf lifespan, that sounds right."
"200 years from now! Ha..."
Leia offered her glass. Dark honey-colored distilled liquor rippled thickly in the crystal.
-Clink.
Ice rattled as their glasses met. Leia took a sip and said,
"I hope Hell's hot enough in 200 years."
With that, the three queens signed off on Fernandez's operation outline. Northern troops, imperial food, elven transport. Goals: flatten the east, halt demonic stirrings, colonize the region.
Publicly, it was just a massive northern invasion.
Coincidentally, the eastern kingdoms were then plunging into civil wars, lacking the capacity to resist.
Future chroniclers would record it thus. At best, as the three sovereigns' greed.
Fernandez gave a wry smile and downed the glass he'd shared with Rene in one gulp.