Did the East Not Pay Their Contribution Fee?
Did the East Not Pay Their Contribution Fee?
Duke Luvheim and Duke Leonard flew to the imperial palace as fast as their legs could carry them.
Even Duke Orph, whom I expected to stubbornly hold out, couldn't last long before rushing to the palace himself.
The reason?
Well, it was obvious.
With the West and the South converging on the imperial palace faster than speeding bullets, how could the East afford to stay behind?
Who knew what kind of scheme the other three would cook up in his absence?
And so, five people.
The Grand Dukes of the East, West, South, and North, along with His Imperial Majesty, gathered in the audience chamber.
Polite smiles.
Hypocritical words.
And I, too, was armed with those same polite smiles and hypocritical words.
This was the political arena.
If you acted like a thug with vulgar speech here, your reputation would instantly crumble.
In politics, battles weren't fought with guns and cannons.
They were fought with reputation and justification.
"Haha! It warms my heart to see my old friends gathered like this after so long. I have arranged this meeting today due to the conflict between the East and the North."
The Emperor opened the conversation with a smile.
Of course, that was merely a superficial greeting.
From this point on, every single word exchanged in this room had a double meaning.
On the surface, it was a refined forum of negotiation and debate, overflowing with sophistication and courtesy. In reality, it was a cutthroat, cold-blooded calculation of profit—essentially a real-life version of the toxic blame-shifting chat in a MOBA game.
The Emperor's words, delivered with a benevolent smile, could be translated precisely as: [It's me, you bastards. I called you here because that prick Orph is throwing a fit over money.]
"I heard that Duke Orph has decided not to pay the Defense Contribution Fee to the North. The North is responsible for defending against the Magic Realm, after all. If it falls, the entire Empire will be plunged into crisis. It is truly regrettable that you have made a decision so contrary to that of the West."
Our Grand Duke of the West, who looked even more like a rat than actual rat Beastmen.
The rat-faced Duke Leonard spoke with a beaming smile.
Of course, the subtext of his words was: [You son of a bitch. I got shaken down, and you think you can just slide by scot-free? You think I'm just going to sit back and watch?]
Duke Orph maintained his smile, but his eyes turned ice-cold as he looked at me and the others.
"Please understand. The East's financial situation has not been favorable lately. The ten-year war has taken a heavy toll on the entire Empire. The East, which relies heavily on commerce, suffered immense losses. No matter how deeply we consider it, we simply do not have the funds to spare for the Defense Contribution Fee. Thus, out of necessity, we came to this agreement after close discussions with the Northern Duke."
[Fuck off. I don't have the money. What are you going to do about it? You want to go?] was what the Grand Duke of the East had just spat out, wrapped in elegant and polite diplomatic rhetoric.
It was clear the East intended to dig in its heels.
If it were anyone else, they wouldn't be able to budge the Grand Duke of the East once he decided to lay low and play dead like this.
But the people gathered in this room were by no means ordinary.
"Duke Orph. Who here does not know of the contributions you made to the Empire during the war? However, while the East can still endure, the North is currently on the brink of collapse. I ask that you show the same loyalty you once displayed for the sake of the Empire."
The Emperor was essentially saying: [You've got piles of cash hoarded away, and you're being this cheap about it?]
"Even considering the beastmen who fought so loyally for the Empire, such actions seem unreasonable. Duke Orph, as you know, we in the South have entered into a magical contract with the Rat beastmen to guarantee a stable supply of goods to the North. I believe it is time for the East to show similar generosity."
The sultry, handsome middle-aged man.
Duke Luvheim was saying: [Those four-legged bastards cleaned me out. If I got screwed over, you're getting screwed over too, motherfucker.]
Yet, our dear Duke Orph remained unyielding.
"I am well aware of the situations in both the North and the Empire. However, I trust everyone remembers that the East lay directly in the path of the Duchy of Kramkin's advance. Even now, the lingering aftermath of that destruction prevents us from securing proper supply routes. I believe everyone here is in a similar position. I ask for your understanding."
He even had the audacity to reply: [Fuck off, all of you. I said I don't have the money. Are you deaf? I know damn well your territories are in the same shit state as mine from the war. If you've got the balls to fight in this condition, bring it on.]
To reiterate, everyone in the audience chamber was smiling.
However, while the Emperor maintained a perfect poker face with a benevolent smile—befitting a man who had spent his entire life as a politician—veins were beginning to bulge on the smiling foreheads of the daughter-abuser and the rat-face.
"The disruption of supply routes is indeed a common issue across the entire Empire. In times like these, imperial nobles must support one another. The West is more than willing to dispatch our combat engineers to assist in repairing the East's railways and roads. As you know, the Western army was renowned for its outstanding engineering corps during the war."
The rat-face.
Grand Duke Leonard of the West spoke with a chilling smile.
Translated, it meant: [Hey. You want me to actually send my army over? You piece of shit?]
"I believe the Eastern Coalition's primary trade goods include the South's Elixirs. If the East's situation is truly that dire, we can adjust the payment deadlines for the Elixirs to help you secure some liquidity."
The daughter-abuser, Duke Luvheim, spoke in a gentle, flowing tone.
It meant: [I won't send troops. But I might just cut off your cash flow, you dog.]
"Duke Orph. I am under the impression that the railway transporting crude oil from the imperial family to the East's refineries is perfectly intact. If the transport routes and railways are truly in such critical condition, you may use that oil transport line to send supplies to the North. The imperial family will take full responsibility for the delivery."
And then, our polite, Big Brother-like Emperor chimed in with a gentle smile.
What else could it mean?
It meant: [Orph, you bastard! Do you want me to shut down your refineries?!]
Duke Orph's expression was a picture-perfect smile.
But there was no one in this room so dense that they would miss the split-second twitch of his fingertips.
"Haha. I am deeply moved by the thoughtful consideration of Your Majesty and my fellow Grand Dukes. Such loyalty clearly demonstrates the very foundation that has allowed our Empire to endure."
Duke Orph spoke smoothly.
Of course, the underlying meaning was anything but smooth.
It meant: [Are you guys out of your fucking minds?! Why are you giving the Emperor leverage? We should be teaming up to beat down the imperial family, so why the hell are you beating up your own ally?]
Yet, even though the South and the West understood his meaning perfectly, they did not stop their verbal onslaught.
"The West's loyalty to the Empire has always been steadfast, Duke Orph. I have no doubt the East will display a loyalty no less than ours. After all, no one wishes to see the Blood Wall of the North fall and the demonic beasts of the Magic Realm pour down upon us."
Duke Leonard was saying: [That's that, and this is this. I paid, so why shouldn't you? You stupid bastard, Orph. Right now, we have the moral high ground, and you have nothing. You think you can win this?]
"Furthermore, the beastmen are those who risked their lives fighting for the Empire for ten years. The Northern Duke has publicly declared that he will establish a haven for them in the North. This makes it even more imperative that the North does not fall. Duke Orph, I trust you will do your part to support the Empire's faltering shield."
Duke Luvheim was also saying: [The four-legged bastards in my territory ran off with my money, motherfucker. I'm not taking this loss alone. You'd better release the Rabbit beastmen in your territory and send them off with a fat sack of cash too.]
And the Emperor, taking the cue from the daughter-abuser, began to wield it like a treasured heirloom blade.
"Come to think of it, Duke Orph. I heard from the Northern Duke that you have arrested the Rabbit beastmen in the East?"
"Yes, that did happen."
"For what reason did you do so? As the Southern Duke said, the beastmen are heroes of this war. Although the civil rights bill for the beastmen has not yet passed, treating those who dedicated themselves to the Empire in such a manner is somewhat concerning."
A vein finally popped on the forehead of the smiling Duke Orph.
"They were merely detained for questioning due to concerns that they might disrupt the peace and security of the East, Your Majesty. Surely, I would have no reason to mistreat the heroes who truly fought for the Empire?"
"Haha! I knew that must be the case. In that case, this works out perfectly. I ask that you cooperate with Major General Volka to send the Rabbit beastmen to the North. I believe they should at least be allowed to seek out a home. It will serve as a fine consolation while the civil rights bill is delayed."
"Ha... Haha! Of course, I shall do so, Your Majesty. However, as there may be some subversive elements among them, it might be better for the security of the Empire if I release them only after completing the interrogation..."
"Haha! We cannot place such a burden on the East, which has already sacrificed so much for the Empire. As everyone knows, the Northern Duke is a man who understands the beastmen very well. Duke Orph, if there are any subversive elements, you may leave them to the Northern Duke. He will arrest and deal with them splendidly."
Duke Orph was smiling.
There was no longer just one vein on his forehead, but three.
I was witnessing the truly fascinating sight of how a smile could sometimes be a far more intense expression of rage.
"Oh, that is an excellent idea, Your Majesty. The West has also decided to send our Wolf beastmen to the North. I am sure Major General Volka will handle them well. Haha!"
"The Northern Duke also handled the issues regarding the South's Rat beastmen magnificently. I have no doubt he will lighten the East's burden as well, Duke Orph. Haha!"
And with that, the South and the West delivered a flawless assist, dragging him down.
At this point, it was game over.
The dynamic of the Eastern, Western, and Southern Dukes teaming up to pressure the Emperor was gone.
Now, it was the Emperor, the West, and the South teaming up to beat down the East.
Even so, until the very last moment.
The East held out.
"I am relieved by your thoughtful consideration for the East. However, this is an internal matter of our territory. Since the Northern Duke is unfamiliar with our internal affairs, it may hinder the process. It would be best to handle this within the East."
Of course, it didn't last long.
"Of course, I am not forcing you, Duke Orph. If it is too difficult, you need only send the supplies meant for the North to the imperial family via the crude oil transport line, as I mentioned. I will take care of the rest."
"If you require the West's combat engineers to repair the East's transport routes and railways, we are ready to dispatch them at any time, Duke Orph. Since your circumstances seem so dire, we can also adjust the payment terms for the Western manufactured goods handled by the Eastern Coalition if necessary."
"Come to think of it, isn't the majority of the East's food imported from the South? I understand the South handles production while the East handles distribution. I had no idea your situation was so difficult. If needed, we can adjust the volume of Southern grain exports to the East."
Well.
It was obvious what those words meant.
They were just incredibly long-winded ways of saying: [We paid. And we have the justification. If you don't want to get beaten to a pulp, pay up as much as we did, you son of a bitch.]
The Grand Duke of the East, wearing a mask-like smile that completely contradicted his eyes—which practically screamed that he wanted a cigarette—turned his gaze toward me.
"Haha. It seems I have no choice. I did not wish to impose on the North, but I must ask for the Northern Duke's assistance. Of course, I shall pay whatever price is necessary."
I gave him a refreshing nod.
"Let us return to the East, then. My men should already be arriving at the station aboard the armored train, Behemoth. Let us discuss how you will pay the price once we are in the East, Duke Orph."
I approached the Duke, offered him a bright, killer smile, and extended my hand.
"Thank you for your help."
For the first time, Duke Orph's mask-like smile cracked.
Disgust.
A pure, two-hundred-percent concentration of sheer disgust leaked through the gaps of his smile.
But in the end, he had no choice but to take my hand and shake it.
"Anything for the Empire."
If I were to translate the subtext of those words...
[You fucking thug bastard!!!!!!!!!!!]
...would probably be the closest approximation.