Chapter 109
Chapter 109
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 109
"In exchange, annihilate the main force of the North Roselin army."
"......."
Baron Bels had changed his stance. Unlike his initial opinion to merely harass the outskirts, he was now demanding an aggressive offensive.
"No."
The answer was simple. So simple it was almost deflating. Baron Bels was visibly flustered.
"I understand what you mean, but we don't have the leisure, the time, or the desire. Let's just help each other to a mutually beneficial degree. All Baron Bels has to do is relay this to the South Roselin main camp. Tell them to launch a joint attack when we strike."
For Jin-cheon, a single show of force in the rear was sufficient; there was no need to turn it into a major operation.
But Baron Bels needed to keep them tied down. If they pushed the enemy's main force just once, as Jin-cheon intended, the conflict could turn into a protracted war. The problem was, if it became a protracted war, North Roselin would commit fully and throw its strength back into securing the rear.
And their troop numbers would undoubtedly be replenished.
After all, the annihilation of a twenty-thousand-strong force due to fierce rear resistance was enough to instill a serious sense of danger and alarm.
In short, it was like smacking a sleeping tiger across the jaw and then running away. Ultimately, North Roselin would respond with a thorough, grinding offensive. That would lead to a certain, if time-consuming, occupation, placing South Roselin's very existence in even greater peril.
"Please, help us just once more."
"I already helped you."
When Baron Bels bowed his head and pleaded, Jin-cheon shot back before the words were even finished.
He wasn't wrong.
The Battle of Vihanen Fortress had undeniably sown unease within the North Roselin army. Baron Bels did not know the full extent of the capabilities of this nation or group called Gauri, which he had never heard of before, but in the current situation, they were absolutely necessary.
Baron Bels pleaded earnestly once more.
"This is for the sake of justice! Can you truly stand by and watch North Roselin, propped up by that vile Holy Empire, go unchecked? Is this the justice of the nation called Gauri?"
Baron Bels's words were laced with provocation. He had decided to appeal to the pride of this seemingly brutish group by invoking their nation.
"Heh."
The corner of Jin-cheon's mouth twisted.
"Heh heh heh heh."
A strange laugh.
An incomprehensible, eerie laugh flowed from Jin-cheon. Watching Jin-cheon burst into that strange laugh, Baron Bels cried out again.
"Please, let the Gauri army show those curs of North Roselin that justice still lives on this continent! If we fall, a crisis will one day come for your nation of Gauri as well. Even for a nation hidden away in the Reganza Mountains."
It was a mixture of flattery and threat.
He didn't know Gauri's exact location, but by using his soldiers, he could probably figure out that they were situated in the Reganza Mountains. It was both a threat to reveal that information and a persuasion that they were essentially in the same boat.
"Impossible."
Jin-cheon's laughter stopped.
Baron Bels swallowed hard. Jin-cheon slowly rose from his seat. With his arms crossed, glaring at Baron Bels, he spoke slowly.
"Justice, you say. It's horseshit."
"......."
At Jin-cheon's assessment, Baron Bels's face contorted.
'Is that something a ruler would say?!'
Though Baron Bels did not recognize them as a nation, he did acknowledge Jin-cheon as the commander leading an army of a certain size.
'Is he merely a brave general?'
Knowing all too well how dangerous a half-baked ruler who possessed only military force could be, Baron Bels looked away from Jin-cheon. Just then, Jin-cheon's voice began to slowly seep into his ears.
"The justice of the powerless is nothing but a feeble thrashing."
The words drove themselves into Baron Bels's mind. The same was true for Baron Gowin.
"The powerless cry out, begging for justice to be protected."
"......."
Baron Bels's clenched fists tightened.
"What you are speaking of is not a plea to protect justice. It is begging for justice."
Baron Gowin's eyes began to waver.
"Remember this."
Any sense of leisure or apathy had long since vanished from Jin-cheon's voice.
Every single word carried weight.
Slowly surveying his surroundings, Jin-cheon proclaimed with commanding authority.
"That justice is not obtained through compromise and begging."
"Salute!"
As Jin-cheon's voice rang out, Hwi-garam, Buru, Uru, and Risel had already descended from their chairs and were kneeling on one knee.
"Engrave it in your minds!"
Jin-cheon's voice echoed again.
"Do not expect someone else to protect it. True justice is upheld by our own strength and the dignity that comes from it!"
Jin-cheon's words flew at Baron Bels like a dagger, turning his mind into a blank sheet of paper.
In contrast, Baron Gowin had dropped to one knee without realizing it and remained there in silence. Having felt this lesson most bitterly, Jin-cheon's theory of justice was, for him, the ultimate answer and the path forward.
This was the justice of Jin-cheon and the Empire of Gauri.
Chapter 29 - Gerard's Conspiracy Theory
Whooosh!
A white wake of foam stretched long from the ship's stern, cutting through the sea.
A flag embroidered with a blue dragon, the symbol of the Maritime Empire, fluttered against the azure sky. Befitting the Maritime Empire, the magnificent warships displayed a majesty that vividly showed they were the rulers of the sea.
However, the face of the middle-aged man standing at the ship's railing, holding a glass of wine, was far from bright.
"Damn it! Those goddamn lapdogs who don't know the first thing about diplomacy."
A curse unbefitting his station flew from the mouth of Marquess Heize von Dog.
The reason the marquess had personally taken action was the recent attack on the Holy Empire's transport fleet.
But the attack itself wasn't the only problem.
Whether it was sheer bad luck or by design, the admiral of the Holy Empire's 1st Fleet had drowned in that raid. And in that incident, one sunken ship on the attacker's side was identified as belonging to the Slegian Maritime Empire.
"Goddamn...."
The problem was that the warship and soldiers in question had already been reported missing two months prior. If so, had they all gone mad and deserted en masse?
That wasn't the case. An investigation at their base confirmed they had clearly been attacked by other pirates. They were already getting headaches from a new pirate faction that had emerged, but who could have known that the missing troops would strike not a Holy Empire merchant ship, but a warship?
But no matter how much Marquess Dog explained with clear evidence, the Holy Empire refused to believe it. The Holy Empire demanded nothing short of unconditional compensation.
"Just who in the world...."
Marquess Dog was thinking about the forces behind this scheme. At the very least, it wasn't the Holy Empire. Not only was there no reason for them to drown a high-ranking noble and wreck a perfectly good warship to stage such a ploy, but their attention was entirely focused on the Roselin War, making it even less likely they'd stir up trouble.
'Could it be the Federal Empire?'
Marquess Dog soon shook his head. The Federal Empire had no reason to concoct such a scheme.
* * *
"Of course. The Federal Empire isn't stupid."
With his ministers behind him, the young emperor of the Holy Empire, Shau Hwan Millior, wagged his index finger left and right.
"The point is, what matters is that this could ultimately benefit us."
"That is correct, Your Majesty."
Emperor Millior turned his head back and gave his senior ministers a sinister smile.
"But still, it pisses me off."
"Your Majesty, we shall surely hunt down the vile perpetrators."
"Naturally. Unless you're fond of losing your heads."
Despite his bright smile, Emperor Millior's chilling words caused cold sweat to trickle down the backs of his ministers.
They were well aware that the Slegian Maritime Empire likely wasn't responsible. But even so, no one was about to say, 'Oh my! You've come a long way. It seems our high-ranking noble had the misfortune to die. Ha ha ha, it must look like a frame job, right?'
And even if such a person existed, no idiot would entrust diplomacy to them.
"Troublesome. Everyone out except Duke Schung."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Even at that voice, which sounded almost like a child's tantrum, the ministers said nothing more and withdrew.
Inside the now quiet Imperial Hall, Emperor Millior stood, taking the glass of wine poured by an attendant and offering it to Duke Kailen von Schung.
"Still, you wrapped things up well for now."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Duke Schung bowed his waist toward the emperor, who was a good deal younger than himself. No duke of any empire would normally behave in such a way.
But this man was not flattering. Emperor Millior possessed power. The bold, bloody purge he had carried out upon ascending to the throne at a young age had only strengthened his authority, earning him a reputation as one of the most outstanding emperors in history—all at the age of just thirty-two.
And Duke Schung, despite being 62 years old, was the man who had first aligned his will with Emperor Millior.
"So, if we just shut the Federal Empire's mouth, we can intervene and quickly wrap up this Roselin War, right?"
"Precisely. As a result of this incident, we've created a pretext to neutralize any intervention by the Slegian Empire even if we exert our power in the Roselin War."
"On top of that, we received generous compensation, so it'll be the Maritime Empire whose blood is boiling."
They were no fools.
All the corpses found at the scene had drowned.
Furthermore, when the sunken ship was salvaged, the ship was packed with soldiers whose positioning suggested they had been deliberately trapped and killed, rather than combatants who had fallen overboard and drifted away dead.
It was a sloppy, half-baked plan.