The Fourteenth Research - The Final Road (4)
The majestic human empire of the Tirenia people.
Commonly known as the Empire, it was an undisputed superpower. Thanks to their efficient system and strict martial spirit, they waged endless wars of conquest. Today they ruled over vast territories spanning three continents.
“Are you saying the time has come for the Empire to contact us?”
Tellorian gave a single nod.
“We are the kind of talent the Empire, which preaches humanism, would covet. Individuals who displayed exceptional prominence at a young age, and pure-blooded humans with no mixed blood from other races.”
The Queenmaker Tellorian had elevated a remote count’s family to the throne in just two years and reached the rank of Magister at a little over fifty. The Warrior Queen Belladia was no less impressive.
“Then they will propose we swear allegiance?”
“In the long term, yes.”
But.
“For now they will declare their desire to remain on friendly terms. Once enough goodwill is accumulated they will suggest an alliance. After fighting several wars together, they will offer citizenship and a seat in the Senate.”
Belladia spread a continental map across the table and calculated the shifting tides of power. She had been born clever, but Tellorian’s tutelage had sharpened her into a mind of formidable intellect.
“The Empire seeks the complete conquest of the western continent, correct?”
“Precisely.”
“What are their chances of success?”
“Roughly fifty percent.”
The Empire operated on an entirely different civilizational level from the medieval backwaters of the central kingdoms. They employed gunpowder weapons, appointed talent based on ability regardless of birth, and above all possessed a true national identity.
Tirenia Empire
Experience +10
Lore Points +1
10/100 until Level 38
Lore Points: 13
“What exactly is a ‘citizen’?”
Her Majesty the noble Queen tilted her head at the unfamiliar word. The dictionaries of the central kingdoms contained only the term “subjects.”
“The people who constitute a nation are its citizens.”
“How can the common masses form a nation? A kingdom is founded by a king chosen by the gods, is it not?”
Humans create gods, and gods bestow kings. Through that process the king, though human, is reborn as a being resembling the divine.
But.
By rejecting that very consciousness, citizens are born.
“Were you placed upon the throne by the gods’ blessing?”
“No. I ascended through the endorsement of the nobility.”
“Then what reason is there that the common people could not endorse you?”
“...”
Belladia wanted to spit at the repulsive notion of citizens. That ragged, starving vermin could constitute a nation? Did that mean a country was nothing more than an anthill or beehive? What an idiotic idea.
“Still, I can see the underlying logic.”
“The Empire is a nation built on the premise that the people themselves form the state. Therefore it guarantees every citizen certain rights and duties. Thanks to that, it has advanced far beyond the central kingdoms, which must govern solely through nobles.”
Through that advanced development they conquer ever more territory, assimilate the conquered peoples, and incorporate them as citizens. That was the secret behind the Empire’s rise to supremacy across three continents in merely five hundred years.
“How did a flock of sheep like the common people ever unite as one?”
“Create a common enemy and it becomes possible.”
“...Hmm.”
The Empire’s agitators declared that the reason the people were ragged and starving was the conspiracy of other races.
“The masses are inherently hostile toward heterogeneous beings. That is why the Empire’s propaganda always strikes its mark so effectively.”
The long-eared ones intermarry with kings and dukes to seize political power. Dwarves dominate the economy with their superior craftsmanship. Orcs raid at every opportunity, plundering and slaughtering. The common people’s feelings toward other races had never been favorable to begin with.
“At that point, the elders who have cared for the people like their own children step forward. They declare that the current kings and dukes are nothing but puppets of the other races, and that the people should sweep them away and join the true nation of humanity.”
When internal rebellion throws society into chaos, the Imperial legions arrive. They punish the wicked other races and welcome the starving masses as [fellow citizens]. Justice is realized.
“This ideology is called humanism.”
“A great many people must despise it.”
“Correct. The Empire accepts only pure-blooded humans as [citizens] and either exterminates or domesticates every other intelligent species. That is why antipathy toward the Empire runs especially deep in the north, where other races hold strong influence.”
Humanism
Experience +10
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20/100 until Level 38
Lore Points: 14
“Teacher.”
“Speak.”
“What if we submitted to the Empire as well?”
Belladia imagined plundering the vaults of dwarf bankers and turning beautiful young elf boys into sex slaves. The mere thought sent a thrill through her.
“It seems like a rather fine ideology, does it not?”
“I dislike it.”
“Why?”
“Just as there is no particular reason for hating demons, there is none for hating the Empire. I simply detest it.”
Tellorian frowned, revealing a visceral disgust. The humanism of this world was far too different from the humanism he remembered.
“The Empire’s humanism may sound sweet at present. From a long-term perspective, however, it is utter foolishness. It eliminates any possibility of allying with non-human entities and limits one’s friends exclusively to humans.”
This was a world inhabited by more than a thousand races. To interact with only one of them was to discard nine hundred and ninety-nine possibilities for the sake of a single one.
“In any case, even if you submitted, you could never become emperor. At best you would be empress, and even then you would merely attend to the emperor’s needs.”
Tsk.
Belladia clicked her tongue in disappointment.
“That said, there is no reason to distance ourselves from the Empire immediately. Maintain a friendly attitude and present yourselves as potential allies. If you can even secure reinforcements for the Great Mountain Range expedition, so much the better.”
Still.
He did not expect much.
The Imperial delegation would be no pushovers.
...Belladia performed her role far better than expected. When she first faced Senator Quintus she maintained a solemn and dignified bearing. But once the official ceremonies concluded, she invited the senator to a private chamber and began to confide the matters she had been unable to speak of during the formal banquet.
“My kingdom finds itself in unprecedented calamity.”
“I would be most interested to hear what has occurred.”
“I have heard that the intelligence capabilities of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau rival those of the Church’s Inquisition...”
When the queen displayed a look of disappointment, Delegation Leader Quintus, eager to prove his influence, began to share a wealth of information.
“O-of course I am aware!”
“...Hmm.”
“Heretic cults are currently rampant within your kingdom while mountain orcs invade from without. Your Majesty took out a loan from the Golden Bank to mount a counteroffensive, but in exchange you were forced to surrender various rights...”
Senator Quintus was no fool either. At the very least, he possessed the discernment to protect vital secrets even while boasting.
The Empire’s conquest of the western continent is imminent.
Yet Belladia possessed the ability to synthesize these fragmentary pieces of information and infer the ultimate situation they implied.
The Empire has three objectives in conquering the western continent. First, the fertile plains of the central region. Second, the abundant resources of the east. Third, the dissolution of the [Northern Alliance] that constantly interferes with the Empire in every matter.
Coincidentally, the Essil Kingdom she ruled was one of the central region’s pivotal states. Whether the Empire wished to pacify the center or invade the north, they would need either the kingdom’s cooperation or its destruction.
To summarize:
The Empire was the strongest nation dreaming of world conquest.
The greatest obstacle to world conquest was the Northern Alliance.
To destroy the Northern Alliance, they must pass through the kingdom.
But we cannot side with the Empire.
Because her teacher loathed the Empire.
And because she herself could never become emperor.
If the emperor monopolized all power, the position of empress might be acceptable, yet in truth the Empire’s real authority rests with the Senate and the legion commanders.
Inference.
She could not join the Empire.
The Empire was favorably disposed toward her.
Conclusion.
She would simply exploit the Empire’s goodwill and discard them afterward.
“The Empire will gladly provide assistance for Your Majesty’s expedition. When facing man-eating monsters, it is only natural for fellow humans to join forces.”
Senator Quintus thumped his chest and promised reinforcements. Dispatching troops to a nation without a formal alliance was rare, though not unprecedented. Quintus would have to exert considerable effort.
“Is that so?”
When the queen smiled radiantly, the senator’s own face brightened. It made self-justification much easier.
“I shall trust only in the delegation leader.”
“Leave everything to me, Your Majesty the Queen!”
“Then since this tedious meeting is over, shall we go hunting? The men of House Lucius are renowned as fine warriors. Let us see your skill!”
He knows of our family?!
Does that not mean he has taken an interest in me as well?!
“Understood! I shall demonstrate my prowess!”
Belladia engaged Quintus in a hunting wager and toyed with him completely. Feigning narrow defeats required delicate control, yet watching the senator gradually lose his composure filled her with satisfaction.
At the same time, the unfortunate Quintus was thinking:
If I successfully forge an alliance with the Essil Kingdom, I will gain a distinctive political stature in the Senate! I could even contend in the next imperial election!
An ordinary senator was expected to maintain appropriate distance from the ruler of an allied nation. But if he became emperor, enjoying a closer relationship with the queen of an allied country would pose no problem whatsoever...
Thanks to this, the Warrior Queen Belladia set out on her expedition against the mountain orcs with powerful reinforcements in tow. Ten thousand elite royal troops were mustered, joined by dwarf rangers specialized in mountain combat—heroes among their kind also known as dragon hunters.
“Out of the way, you dwarf shit-brushes!”
“So the arrogant Imperial dogs have come as well...”
The Imperial forces had joined them as well. Though their numbers were only three thousand, they were elite soldiers equipped with iron discipline and devastating gunpowder weapons. Belladia bestowed generous gifts upon the Imperial officers to display her wealth. Of course, the funds had been borrowed...
“Hmm.”
Yet what Belladia truly relied upon was not the army. The expedition’s real objective was not the mountain orcs but the Black Dragon Karvenalore who protected them. Against a dragon, the number of soldiers armed with spears and swords held no meaning.
But.
There was Tellorian.
“You intend to step forward openly this time?”
“Hiding my presence any longer would only arouse suspicion.”
Tellorian had already risen as one of the most significant figures in the central region. Many therefore wished to witness the true extent of his power.
“I will show them the strength they desire.”
“Then why did you conceal the great demon incident?”
“A mage who trapped a great demon sounds too unrealistic. But a mage who defeats a young dragon is a perfectly plausible existence.”
There had once been an age when the dragon race was called absolute. Yet just as the elves had lost their majesty and become synonymous with slave races, the dragons too had lost their supremacy and been reduced to living treasure vaults.
“And there will be plenty of witnesses to testify at the perfect moment.”
This is going to be an interesting expedition.
Since I no longer need to conceal my power.