Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Chapter 18: Founding Festival (4)
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Let's keep it moderate.
Martin relaxed his mind and opened his mouth.
“Three hundred years ago, the governments of each nation officially abolished slavery. In doing so, they declared that elves and dwarves must never be enslaved. It was decided then: elves and dwarves were no longer humanity's enemies.”
That agreement marked the point when nations ceased direct confrontations with elves and dwarves on a state level.
Of course, slave hunting hadn't disappeared even after three hundred years, which continued to be a problem.
“Of course, as the proxy house lord says, we can no longer regard them as public enemies. But certifying them as adventurers, permitting dungeon explorations, and allowing them to grow stronger is a different matter. What if they use that newfound strength to target dungeons again?”
“If they were truly seen as a threat, the Adventurer's Guild charter should have included a clause barring elves and dwarves from becoming adventurers.”
“That is…….”
“And the guild branch master who approved the ones I brought as adventurers is an official of the Adventurer's Guild. In other words, we have formal permission from the guild. So it's hard to understand why anyone would raise objections. I see it as just a few people who dislike me making noise.”
Don't mistake the loudmouths for the general opinion.
Attacking me with those guys is pointless.
Martin didn't say it outright.
But Nicholas clearly read the sincerity in his words and furrowed his brow slightly.
It was then.
“Even if we set aside the Adventurer's Guild, what about the protests from other countries?”
Jürgen Ferdinand spoke up.
Seeing this, Martin barely suppressed a laugh.
‘The First Prince's faction aiding the Second Prince's faction. Who would've thought?’
Just to be sure, he glanced at the Klaus family members.
They all seemed utterly indifferent, as if they couldn't care less.
Beyond mere bystanders—they were outright ignoring it.
‘The empire really runs itself well.’
He thought the empire was somehow holding together remarkably.
But contrary to his inner thoughts, he maintained a calm facade.
“Since when has our Alteria Empire paid heed to the words of the five kingdoms? No matter what they claim, interfering in imperial affairs is meddling in internal matters. Past emperors and the heads of the three great houses have said so themselves. Do you intend to betray their will now?”
“We haven't ignored them entirely. The agreement we made three hundred years ago proves that.”
“So what can they do about it? They're too busy infighting among themselves.”
The kings of the five kingdoms all harbored the same ambition in their hearts.
To somehow devour one another and elevate their kingdom to an empire.
And then defeat the Alteria Empire.
“That concludes my remarks.”
As Martin finished, Richard spoke up.
Naturally, all eyes turned to him.
“As Acting Patriarch Adalbert said, the Alteria Empire ignores any interference from foreign powers. Moreover, since the elf and dwarf adventurers have followed Adventurer's Guild procedures, I see no reason to make an issue of it.”
No one opposed Richard's words.
Not even Nicholas, who had brought up the agenda.
The heads of the three great houses showed disinterest, and there was no need to escalate over a handful of elves and dwarves entering dungeons.
And so, the first agenda item wrapped up simply.
Nothing particularly noteworthy followed.
The high nobles of each faction didn't step forward at all, leaving only barons and lesser nobles to raise minor issues.
As a result, no one engaged actively in the meeting, and time simply passed.
Normally, it would end there, and everyone would rise from their seats……
“I have one question.”
But that didn't happen.
Werner von Klaus suddenly spoke.
Just that made the air heavy enough to choke on, and the lax atmosphere tensed like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Swoosh.
Karl von Ferdinand's eyes snapped open, his heavy gaze fixed on Werner.
Anyone else would have felt immense pressure from that alone.
But this time was an exception.
Werner remained utterly composed.
‘I never expected him to step up.’
Martin stared at Werner, keeping his composure as best he could.
A man whose heart had already left the empire.
His mere attendance at this grand assembly was surprising enough.
For such a person to speak out.
He was truly curious what he would say.
* * *
Thump, thump.
Richard felt his heart pounding wildly.
It trembled more than when he had staked his life fighting in a dungeon, which struck him as absurd.
“……Please speak.”
Only after steadying his breath could Richard finally respond.
“I wish to know His Imperial Majesty's condition.”
“He has yet to regain consciousness. However, he has grown more frail of late, so only I, my siblings, Marquis Maiyas—the captain of the Imperial Guard—and a few healers attend him.”
“Is that true?”
Werner looked alternately at Theodore and Claudia.
The two, meeting his gaze, trembled but tried not to show it as they spoke.
“It's as brother says.”
“We check on him one at a time, morning, noon, and evening.”
“So in the end, only you siblings and Marquis Maiyas have seen His Majesty.”
Werner's tone remained impassive.
But no one present was dull enough to miss the subtle implication.
“……What are you trying to say?”
“It's been quite some time since His Majesty collapsed. Yet lately, the only ones claiming to have seen his face are you three and Marquis Maiyas, who is always at his side. That makes me wonder: is His Majesty truly still alive?”
“What gain would we have in deceiving those gathered here and the empire's citizens? The moment the truth comes out, we'd lose our succession rights and face utter ruin.”
“It's not as if there's no gain. For starters, it prevents the three great houses from officially withdrawing.”
Smirk.
Werner grinned menacingly.
‘To openly defy imperial authority in this palace…….’
Clench.
Richard gripped his fist tightly under the table.
But Werner wasn't done.
“That's not all. Though I hesitate to say it in front of Acting Patriarch Adalbert, it also halts the imperial family's sharp decline in power, doesn't it?”
“Hmm.”
Suddenly targeted, Martin gave a wry smile.
‘He's not wrong.’
The imperial family and three great houses could reign at the pinnacle of power because they consistently produced 10th Circle powerhouses through their overwhelming innate abilities across generations.
Without such powerhouses, their influence would inevitably wane sharply.
And if it dragged on, they could even collapse.
As the Adalbert family once had.
“You've gained more. Before His Majesty fell, you had no political power whatsoever. But after he lost consciousness, you divided up official duties, used that as a pretext to gather followers, and successfully built your own faction. The result is the three factions.”
“……Everything the duke has said so far is true. But that's where it ends. To conceal His Majesty's life or death just for that much power is absolutely impossible.”
“Then let me see His Majesty. I'll leave once I confirm he's alive.”
“As I said earlier, His Majesty is frail. Contact with a 10th Circle absolute's power could cause serious issues. That's why even Duke Ferdinand, his relative, cannot visit.”
“It's true.”
Karl responded softly to his grandson.
But Werner scoffed.
“As relatives, it's easy to conspire, isn't it? If you stepped in, silencing the Second Prince or First Princess would be child's play.”
“Enough with the nonsense.”
“Nonsense? Don't you have the power and authority to act on what I said? This is reasonable suspicion.”
“……You know it, don't you? That you're insulting my convictions.”
“I couldn't care less about a knight's mindset.”
As the two absolutes conversed, the mana within surged wildly.
Those who couldn't withstand it backed away stealthily and slipped out of the grand hall.
The ones who endured the rampaging aura had proven themselves powerhouses in their own right, though fear still lingered on their faces.
Unlikely as it was, if two 10th Circle absolutes clashed, an irreversible catastrophe would ensue.
But then.
“W-What if I go and check?”
Martin forced his mouth open amid the strain.
No sooner had he spoken than the gazes of both absolutes—and everyone else—locked onto him.
“For him to step up like that…….”
“……What on earth is he thinking?”
Wilhelm and Vincent shook their heads.
Cyan and Adel gaped silently.
“What do you mean by that, Acting Patriarch?”
“You two dukes are the empire's only absolutes. Your immense power would undoubtedly affect His Majesty's body. And if any issue arose, the imperial side couldn't handle it. I'm different. No matter what I do, I can't beat Marquis Maiyas with my skills.”
“What do you mean by 'issue'? Be specific.”
“Come on. How could I utter such a grim statement?”
Even as he faced the pressure head-on from the two absolutes, Martin forced a smile.
Seeing this, Werner and Karl couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
“Good grief.”
“……Amusing.”
In an instant, the pressure crushing Martin vanished as if it had been a lie.
“My authority falls short of you two, but I'm still acting as head of one of the three great houses. So my words should carry some weight, right?”
“You're no mere proxy—you possess the qualities to stand as our equal. Thus, whatever you say, I'll support it.”
“Thank you, Duke Ferdinand.”
Surprised by the unexpectedly generous response, Martin was genuinely impressed.
He then turned to Werner.
“I'm curious about Duke Klaus's thoughts.”
“Well, if it's you saying it, I can believe it.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence.”
The smile on Martin's lips deepened.
His condition wasn't great, though.
The pressure had caused minor internal damage.
Not full-blown injury, but he'd been pushed to the brink.
‘Still, it was worth it.’
In his previous life, he'd never seen the fallen emperor.
He'd only heard the news of his passing while the Adalbert main and branch families were locked in fierce strife.
What was the emperor's true state?
He would soon have his answer.