Chapter 271: The Tin Knight and the End of the Banquet
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 271: The Tin Knight and the End of the Banquet
Two truths of the world.
First, for one brilliant and fulfilling highlight, a long and tedious period of preparation and cleanup is required.
Second, the ones who start the trouble and the ones who clean it up are never the same people.
As a result…
The Empress and her faction were suffering through a major ordeal.
“Valenweiss Province has declared its intention to surrender! The lord claims he was deceived by false orders from the main family!”
“The situation in the Castel region is alarming! A rumor is spreading that the Imperial Family launched a surprise purge of the Lennart main family!”
“Petitions from victims are flooding in! There was little civilian harm, but every building around the Duke’s mansion was buried in earth and rubble, and the property damage is…!”
“Baron Brist has invaded Baron Hale’s territory! Baron Brist claims that Baron Hale’s domain was showing signs of siding with the rebellion!”
“The military is in turmoil! The members of the Lion Duke’s bloodline in the upper echelons seem to fear they’ll be purged next!”
“The Patriotic Youth Corps was annihilated by a passing Tin Knight while indiscriminately attacking members of the Lion Duke’s bloodline in the name of executing traitors and stabilizing public order!”
“The finalists from the recruitment test are asking what’s to become of them—”
“Agh! Aaaargh!!”
The Imperial Capital. The Hydrangea Palace.
“…How strange. In fairy tales, the story usually ends with ‘And so the evil villains’ plot failed, and the good prince, the good queen, and the wonderful adventurers lived happily ever after.’ Why does it feel like I’ve gotten busier after suppressing a rebellion?”
At Empress Meridia’s words, the Witch of the South, Glinda Goodwitch, stared at her.
If one were to express that gaze in a noble, elegant, and straightforward manner, it would be something along the lines of, ‘What in the world is wrong with this woman? Did she eat something strange and lose her mind?’
But the Witch of the South was a cultured woman of dignity and etiquette.
She gently admonished her childish friend (occupation: mother of the Empire).
“It would be stranger if there were no aftershocks when a plot against the Imperial Family unfolded in the heart of the capital. Besides, while I can forgive your son for not knowing the ways of the world, isn't it utterly shameless of you to include yourself in the category of ‘good queen,’ Meridia?”
“Ultimately, ‘goodness’ isn’t determined by some absolute standard, but by people’s perception. If that’s the case, while appearance may not be the standard for goodness, it can certainly earn you bonus points. And I am confident I could earn the title of a celestial maiden on bonus points alone.”
The Southern Witch’s expression soured rapidly.
What infuriated her most was that while the Empress’s words were nonsense, they were nonsense with a shred of credibility.
The combination of stats specialized in appearance and a culture of lookism was just that dangerous.
In the end, the Southern Witch decided to change the subject instead of pointing that out.
“I heard you’ve secured the Duke and the other survivors of the Lennart family. What are your plans for them?”
“They dared to point a sword at my son. Annihilate them all.”
“Meridia.”
“…I’d like to, but the Empire would truly split apart if I did. Well, I’ll compromise to some extent.”
During the investigation, it was revealed that the Duke and his close aides had been imprisoned by the radicals, leading to petitions for their clemency. To the Empress, however, it was all laughable.
Even if she were to admit that this incident was the result of a few radicals running wild, the Duke could never be free from the question, ‘Then what were you doing while your family’s children were running rampant?’
Neither the Empress nor the Southern Witch was ignorant of the Duke’s struggle, caught between the Empire and his family, but such was the position of a group’s leader.
“For the crime of failing to stop his family’s rampage, the Duke will spend the rest of his life in prison. The radicals who directly mobilized the army will be imprisoned or executed depending on the severity of their crimes. As for those who were testing the waters between us and the Lennarts, I’ll leave them be for now and deal with them slowly over time. In the military, I’ll purge everyone except those who crawl on the ground after swearing another oath of loyalty. A complete revocation of their titles and lands… might be too much, but a demotion is necessary.”
It was tantamount to saying she would leave them with just enough to breathe while cutting off all their limbs.
In aristocratic society, a demotion of title was an enormous dishonor, a sword that not even the Imperial Family could wield lightly. But this time was different.
This was an attempted rebellion. If their plan had succeeded by some chance, the Imperial Family would have been annihilated or reduced to the rebels’ puppets. To not retaliate properly would be to prove to the entire continent that they were pushovers.
Personal feelings aside, for the sake of the Imperial Family and the Empire, the Lennart family needed to fall.
However, the Southern Witch’s expression as she listened was incredibly complex.
It wasn’t anger; if anything, it was a look of pity.
The Empress’s brow twitched as she asked, “What, is there a problem? This seems reasonable enough, doesn’t it?”
“Politically, there’s no issue. And it’s understandable that you and your subordinates wouldn’t know the situation, since you arrived late on the scene.”
“Get to the point.”
“Duke Lennart has officially handed over the treasured sword, passed down through generations of the family heads, to Adelaide von Lennart. The title of Duke is bestowed by the Imperial Family, so it’s not his to give, but it serves as a symbol of her being the ‘representative of the bloodline.’”
“What?”
“Furthermore, some of the ducal family members who witnessed her battle have sworn an oath of loyalty to her, asking her to take them in. There were many young ones among them.”
“Wait, hold on.”
“Adelaide von Lennart replied, ‘I cannot give an answer yet, as I do not know what verdict the Empire will pass. If your hearts have not changed after the verdict is delivered, then come find me.’”
“Stop. Just stop for a moment.”
The Empress placed a hand on her forehead, collected her thoughts, and then spoke.
“That girl, Adelaide. She’s from a collateral line, isn’t she?”
“She is.”
“And she’s not the lord of her family, just a candidate for succession, right? Well, it seems she’ll inherit it soon enough anyway, but regardless, she belongs to the kingdom, not the Empire, correct?”
“Considering Friedel’s unique status, she should be seen as a dual vassal, but the Friedel domain itself is the kingdom’s territory.”
“So you’re telling me that nobles of the Empire have just declared their intent to move under the kingdom’s banner? And we’re talking about people who were once the highest-ranking nobles in the Empire, in droves?”
“I’m glad you finally seem to have grasped the situation correctly, Meridia.”
The Empress finally lost her patience and raised her voice.
“Have these people all taken some kind of drug?! I mean, what ruler would stand by and watch as their nation’s core personnel are openly poached by a foreign country?”
“And where is the person who just said she would execute those core personnel?”
“Now that things have come to this, the ones at the very top must naturally take responsibility. The ones below, I’ll use them appropriately with a mix of carrot and stick, making them a stepping stone until the generational shift in the military is complete.”
According to the Empress’s plan, the Lennart family would suffer the bitter pain of ruin, but they wouldn’t be able to leave the Empire so easily.
The power and military might of the Lion Duke’s bloodline were, after all, rooted in the Empire.
If the Imperial Family tried to uproot them completely, they might reluctantly raise a banner of rebellion or flee to another country. But conversely, if they were left with some foundation, they would grit their teeth and remain in the Empire, even while being scorned by those around them.
After that, it would be simple.
She could split the Lennart family into several factions and make them oppose each other, or she could tame them with the promise of restoration and advancement.
But if Adelaide became the new focal point of the Lennart family, things would get complicated.
Of course, not every member of the Lion Duke’s bloodline would accept Adelaide as their new leader just because the Duke acknowledged her. But when the Empress’s pressure intensified, they might think, ‘This is disgusting. Should I just quit and go over there?’
To prevent a brain drain, the Empress would have no choice but to show some leniency to the remaining bloodline members.
Suddenly, the Duke’s face flashed in the Empress’s mind.
—I admit defeat. But it is best to be moderately greedy, Empress.
“That Duke…!”
The Empress ground her teeth, but then her expression changed as she thought of something.
In the end, the key to this whole affair was the girl named Adelaide. If she could just win her over to their side, wouldn’t everything be resolved?
“Don’t even think about it, Meridia. This is a friend’s advice.”
As if she had seen right through the Empress’s intentions, the Southern Witch spoke.
The Empress grumbled.
“I’m not saying I’ll harm them. I’m saying I’ll offer good terms and recruit them. What’s the problem with that?”
“For now, perhaps. But you are a politician, and they are wanderers. You may be able to cooperate through a temporary contract, but you can never fundamentally look in the same direction. If you make a ‘judgment for the greater good,’ and that judgment conflicts with the path they walk, they will not hesitate to point their swords at you. You said it yourself, Meridia. They are competent madmen.”
“But Glinda, I have you, don’t I?”
“There’s a fifty percent chance I would die.”
Whether one considered those odds high or low depended on the person.
And the Empress was on the side that thought they were high.
She couldn’t put the Imperial Family’s greatest supporter and protector, her one and only friend in whom she could truly confide, on a gambling table like a coin toss.
“Haaah. Fine, fine.”
With a deep sigh, the Empress raised a white flag, and the Southern Witch sighed in relief as well.
Although she had exaggerated slightly by saying it was a fifty-fifty chance of death, that was only when considering her pure martial strength.
If she factored in strategy, cunning, political standing, and the forces she could mobilize through them, her chances of victory would skyrocket.
This was an unavoidable limitation they faced as a small group.
As far as the Southern Witch knew, the only one who had transcended the concept of numbers as a mere individual was the Witch of the East.
In that sense, this Lennart incident could be a perilous event that granted them the power of a ‘group,’ but the Southern Witch didn’t care.
If it was a blade that threatened the Southern Witch, it would surely threaten the heavenly realm and the underground as well.
For the sake of the surface world’s independence, she was more than willing to bet her own neck.