Chapter 83
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Different Schemes?
Anxiety is a formless thing.
The sound of hushed whispers.
The occasional outburst of a shout.
Faces stiff as corpses,
and revealed in restless eyes.
That formless thing travels from person to person, squeezing hearts and tightening throats.
“Lord Harun… is dead, they say.”
Somewhere in the Ailun region.
Someone's voice, as if strangled, sank eerily and made the air tremble.
“Lansen, that man. They say he's not human. A friend of my cousin knew a warrior who guarded Harun's palace…”
“I heard those fearsome warriors went mad…”
“They say he's half-demon.”
The formless anxiety drifting through the air.
It rode on people's breath, growing larger and more grotesque each time it was exhaled.
“I heard Lord Harun was defeated in a single blow…”
“Really… he might not be human. How could he do that to Lord Harun…”
Especially the adults, those over thirty.
Those who remembered Harun's unstoppable momentum when he unified the five cities of Ailun in an instant were even more shocked by the fact that he had been defeated so easily.
“Still, it's a relief that our city, Loen, surrendered.”
“Yeah. Lord Harun named him his successor in his will. It would be ridiculous to resist to the end.”
They wouldn't have to fight the monstrous Lansen.
That fact eased the mounting tension, but the embers of anxiety, hidden here and there, suddenly flared up, breeding new fear and impatience.
“But Gallan and Lundna are different.”
Sighs spread at those words.
“I heard Gallan declared they're going their own way, right?”
It wasn't just a story limited to Gallan.
It was a crisis for everyone living in the Ailun region.
“Gallan is led by the Gulak family… Those stubborn fools who've spent their lives clashing with the Empire aren't going to listen to reason.”
“The current head, Kashmir… he was exceptionally loyal, wasn't he? To Lord Harun.”
“Yeah…”
Kashmir Gulak, the stubborn warrior who had devoted his loyalty to Harun.
“It seems the city of Lundna is just stalling, not taking a clear stance either way.”
“Those Lundna bastards have always been devious. Always scheming.”
“Lundna is ruled by the Esir family, right?”
“Yeah. Those greedy pigs. With Lord Harun gone, I feel sorry for the citizens of Lundna…”
“But can they even stand up to Lansen? The Gulak family are blockheads, so I get it… but what is the Esir family counting on?”
“This is just something I heard… but they're supposedly in contact with the Sea King.”
“The Sea King?!”
“Shh, shh.”
The cunning and greedy Esir family.
With the Sea King, other lords of Norverge, and even the Empire added as kindling, the flames of anxiety spread ever wider.
War, food shortages, severed trade routes, surprise attacks and sabotage…
People felt a pain in their chests, as if every imaginable future crisis and suffering had already descended upon them.
Naturally, this anxiety flourished even more among the people of Gallan and Lundna, who had not submitted to Lansen.
How would Lansen react?
That was their anxiety.
“He'll at least hit us with high tariffs. No. He'll probably cut off the trade routes entirely.”
“Crazy… Then how are we supposed to live?”
“But we can't just kneel to the man who killed Lord Harun!”
“But… I heard Lord Harun left a will, ceding Ailun to Lansen…”
“You believe that?!”
The proud citizens of Gallan were at once afraid and indignant.
“But… what about the Ailun White Horses? Our region can't raise warhorses on a large scale. Without the Ailun White Horses, subjugating magical beasts will be a problem… and the Empire will look down on us…”
“At this point, why not join hands with the Empire? Wouldn't the Empire be better than the man who killed Lord Harun?”
But what was embedded deepest in their hearts was, ultimately, fear.
“Isn't that madman Lansen going to come charging in here again? Just like he did to Lord Harun, he'll annihilate Lord Kashmir and the entire Gulak family…”
“Hey! Don't say such unlucky things. We have to stick together to prevent that.”
“I… I just… hate all of it. Lord Harun, Lansen… Can't we just live in peace?”
“Are you badmouthing Lord Harun right now?!”
“Oh, look. A fight's breaking out. If a war starts, we're all going to die anyway, so what's the point.”
“What do you mean, we'll all die! I'm telling you, we just need to join forces with the Empire!”
“Then even more of us will die.”
Because they couldn't predict how it would all end… their minds grew more complicated, and their hearts burned with anxiety.
Chaos began to strike not just the Ailun region, but all of Norverge.
Would this chaos ever subside…?
Could it be that they were doomed to live in war and poverty until the day they died…?
Gripped by such fear, some grew angrier, some fell silent, and others voiced their despair. And so, the citizens of Gallan and Lundna spent one restless night after another.
***
Shall I be honest?
The truth is, what I really like is just swinging a sword.
Getting stronger by sweating it out, and using that strength to protect the people I want to protect.
Not having to see things I don't want to see.
That's all I want.
A simple and incredibly narrow wish.
That's why I always think it.
That 'king' thing Mr. Balseon expects of me. It doesn't suit me.
That's why I hate the Empire for creating a situation where I have to become a king,
…and why I wasn't pleased with the current situation either.
Because everyone in Ailun, and all of Norverge, was anxious about my next move.
The children.
It always comes down to the children.
When adults are anxious, even the children's personalities change.
A cheerful child becomes gloomy, and some children skip over something they should have felt and experienced at that age, trying to grow up too fast…
I've seen it a lot.
When I was a wreck, my younger siblings, our little family members, were like that.
It's a sight I truly never want to see again.
That was why.
The reason I was reading the plan Sea submitted for approval and then suddenly grabbed my sword and came out to the training ground.
‘The plan itself is flawless.’
Sea, who always miraculously gathers good information.
A plan meticulously built upon that information.
It was a revised version of the 'sowing discord' strategy she mentioned before.
Directly attacking and toppling Gallan and Lundna, who refuse to follow us, is the worst option.
The calculation was that it would create great animosity and take a long time to make them follow us sincerely.
So, the plan was to apply economic and military pressure on Gallan and Lundna while simultaneously creating and winning over friendly factions within them.
The gist of the sowing discord strategy designed by Sea was that, pressured from the outside and with pro-Lansen factions growing on the inside, the two cities would eventually collapse from internal strife.
It was good.
Efficient.
And perfectly feasible.
But,
‘During that time, the people will be plagued by anxiety.’
And the children's faces will grow just as dark.
“Tsk.”
*Shwick!*
I swung my sword, cutting through my chaotic thoughts.
Right.
What am I worrying about?
I should do what I'm good at.
I don't know much about the principles of ruling, but I know the principles of fighting pretty well, don't I?
It's better to swing a sword as little as possible.
When you do swing, you have to get the timing right.
It's best to cut precisely as much as is needed, and no more.
Once I made up my mind, a new plan began to take shape in my head.
A plan newly assembled, based on the information and strategy Sea had given me.
“Have you reviewed it?”
The sun was already setting.
Sea had finally come to find me herself.
“Yeah. I have.”
“What do you think?”
What should I say…
As I was choosing my words, Sea calmly added to her explanation.
“The situation is good right now. Thanks to the will Harun left, we have a legitimate cause, and there are friendly factions everywhere. If we just apply economic pressure with tariffs and support our allies… it won't be long before they all collapse.”
That's right.
Everything she said was correct.
But if we use that method, too many people will get hurt by a single swing of the sword.
So,
“Sea. But you can't win people's hearts with a strategy of sowing discord.”
I voiced the thoughts I had been organizing.
This is right.
It sits right with me, and it also aligns with Harun's final request, which I want to honor if possible.
“I'd rather use a strategy of inspiration.”
“A strategy of inspiration?”
“Yeah. I'm going to keep everything as it is. No economic or military pressure. As if Ailun is still one. I'll give them preferential treatment in every way.”
“…Then they'll just take the carrot and ignore us, won't they?”
“Then I'll swing the sword. Whether I'm cutting off their heads or their wrists. You've already prepared plenty of ways to do that, haven't you?”
I said, shaking Sea's strategy report, which I had set down in a corner of the training ground.
“…”
Sea said nothing.
She just stared at me.
…Does she not like my plan?
Just as I was thinking that, Sea opened her lips again.
“Then, when they get hit by the sword, internal strife will break out?”
“…Right? Because the trouble will have started because I made a concession first and they didn't reciprocate?”
“Yes. Dissatisfaction will build up internally. Then that dissatisfied faction will become our friendly faction?”
“Right?”
“And then that friendly faction will overthrow the current ruling power.”
“Yeah. That's highly likely.”
Then Sea stared at me intently again and said,
“Isn't that a strategy of sowing discord?”
Huh?
…Is it?
No, it's not!
I quickly shook my head and insisted.
“Sea! You have to look at the positive side!”
“The positive side?”
“Yeah! The carrot comes first, not the sword! That's why it's a strategy of inspiration!”
*Stare—*
Sea's eyes, staring at me quietly, seemed to ask.
‘Really?’
Ah, I really do think so.
…Probably.
***
A sunset evening.
Leaving the training ground behind, Sea let out a faint smile.
A rare smile from Sea, one Lansen would have loved to see.
“Interesting.”
Sea was, in fact, surprised.
Because her strategy of sowing discord and Lansen's strategy of inspiration were, in truth, separated by a paper-thin margin.
The difference between whether the pressure came first or the carrot.
But that one difference would be perceived completely differently.
“The people will be relieved. Since there won't be a severing of trade routes or restrictions on trade goods, which they fear the most. The chance of immediate battle will also decrease.”
That must be why Lansen wanted to offer the carrot first.
Even if problems arose later, people would be more likely to blame the rulers of Gallan and Lundna for the situation rather than Lansen.
Of course, for that to really happen, the blade he swung afterward would have to be very sharp and precise…
But that's something they could just do, couldn't they?
“Really interesting.”
Letting out another small laugh, Sea clutched the documents to her chest and quickened her pace.
“I need to work harder.”
The pledge she murmured left a ripple-like fingerprint in the summer night air.
***
“It'll be a strategy of sowing discord.”
Remijora Chemien said decisively.
He had finished his business in Ilunael and was on his way back to the Gordor region in southern Roverland.
“A strategy of sowing discord isn't something just anyone can pull off… but that clever young lady I saw back then could probably manage it.”
Still, it won't be easy.
There's nothing in this world that can't be done with power, but winning people's hearts is something that doesn't work well with power alone.
Thinking this, Remijora let out a deep sigh.
“Hah… Anyway, if the Ailun trade routes are closed or tariffs are imposed, things will get pretty tough for us too…”
*Beep—*
His thoughts were broken by an alert sounding from his bracelet.
A message artifact from the Age of Magic.
An artifact used only in urgent situations had just gone off.
“What is it?”
Checking the message with a bit of tension, Remijora let out a long breath. “Hah…”
- Lansen official statement. Maintaining abolition of tariffs throughout Ailun. Hopes for mutual peace. Guarantees free trade throughout Norverge. Additional requests also announced. Request to participate in a plan for specialized division of labor between cities. Request to participate in establishing an Ilunael Academy, similar to the Imperial Academy.
It was only a brief summary due to the artifact's lifespan… but that alone was enough to send a chill down Remijora's spine.
“He's offering the carrot first…?”
A confidence so great it was goosebump-inducing.
The Lansen he had seen was by no means a soft-hearted pushover.
If they took that carrot and still refused to cooperate with Lansen, a very sharp blade would be waiting for them.
‘How will he wield that sword, I wonder?’
Remijora was curious about that.
If he could just wield it well…
Lansen would reunify Ailun with incredible speed and even win the people's sincere submission.
If he truly was a man of that caliber…
‘…I'll have to make my calculations while keeping in mind the possibility… that all of Norverge might one day fall into Lansen's hands.’
Remijora had a premonition.
That a completely new wind, one never seen before, had begun to blow across Roverland.