90 – Civil War – 1
“Why… Why on earth… !”
Luna cried on the way back to her academy. She took her handkerchief from her uniform and placed it around her neck. Becker had stabbed her in the neck and it was bleeding. Her 30 years of experience may have been in vain, as she was not stabbed deeply, so her life was not in danger, but her skin was dented and blood was flowing out.
“I was rude to you, so why did you help me?”
“Thank you~ I just did what I had to do.”
“Is it time for jokes? “I almost died!”
“If you know, stop yelling. “I fell and got dizzy earlier.”
Of course it was a lie. My body was in unparalleled health before. But thanks to this, she started to lower her voice.
“… “
“… “
There was silence between us for a while. And she was seen suffering and thinking for a while. I said that because I was frustrated by that sight.
“I don’t know what you’re worrying about, but if you have something to say, say it.”
“What to say…” !”
“If you don’t have it, don’t keep distracting me.”
“… “
And after a while.
“I’m sorry.”
She said. With a very red face. Are you saying you’ve been doing this all this time because you couldn’t even say a single word? I knew her to be a smart character, but she had a more childish side than I thought. No, is it because I’m smarter that I’m more childish?
At that moment, I had a naughty thought.
“That apple.”
Luna avoids my gaze at my words.
“I won’t accept it.”
And at the next word, her expression seemed as if the world would collapse. There was still a sense of teasing.
“But I can accept it conditionally.”
“… Although I have a strong feeling of being deceived, it is true that I did something wrong, so I will ask you. “What are the conditions?”
“Last time I asked you why you put your health in harm’s way to do good for others, you answered that it was because you were a noble. Please tell me what that means.”
“… “
Her expression suddenly began to become gloomy. Did she hit a bad spot? However, after saying what she said, it seemed difficult to say that it was a joke. While I was thinking about what to do, she said.
“When I was young, many people died.”
A random word. She didn’t know what he meant, but she continued quietly.
“It was a drought. An ordinary drought that can occur in any territory. But because of that drought, countless people died. The reason is that the grain donations (taxes) the year before were too high, so the people’s food reserves were small.”
“Why were there so many donations?”
“My family tried to expand the business unreasonably and it failed. The amount of grain donated was unreasonably increased in order to purchase mining development rights for the silver mine next door. Thanks to this, there was no national power left to deal with the drought that occurred the following year, and many people died because of it.”
It was a common story. It was said that the residents of the territory died due to mistakes in the management of the territory. It has happened a lot so far and will happen a lot in the future.
“At that time, as I saw people starving to death, I swore in my heart. If I inherit the throne, I will never do anything like this. “I will accurately calculate all variables and conduct proper politics so that people do not die in vain.”
“… “
It’s a great story. Isn’t it said that ordinary people learn from their mistakes, and wise people learn from other people’s mistakes? In that respect, Luna was wise. But why on earth did she try to hide this story?
“After hearing it, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. It’s a story that can be found anywhere. “Why on earth have you kept it a secret?”
“… “It’s embarrassing.”
What on earth are you so embarrassed about? I still don’t know how this woman thinks.
But I think I have learned a little bit about the principles of action. The sight of so many people starving to death was a kind of trauma for her. And that trauma, she said, was her teacher who helped her become a better noblewoman.
‘In a way, you could say she grew more thanks to her trauma at that time.’
Because if it hadn’t happened, she might not have had the desire to become competent. The woman she is today may have been shaped by what happened back then.
“I told you honestly, so I will accept your apology as promised.”
“Then…” “
“Instead, promise me one thing.”
She quietly blinked her eyes and looked at me with a puzzled expression.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Next time, don’t overdo it, and if you feel sick, get some rest.”
This is what I wanted to say for a long time. In her original story, she dies from lung disease at an early age, in her early 30s. When she read the story, she wondered if she had an incurable disease, but now that she thought about it, she thought she might have simply overexerted herself.
She quietly nodded her head, and the incident ended with a happy ending in which no one was hurt.
—–
Adam Colbert was captured. The reason is that he conspired with Becker and handed over information about academy cadets to Becker.
Adam Colbert received a large amount of gold coins from Becker in return, and it seems that he was eventually caught while trying to escape to the Taspilia Peninsula with the money and gold coins from the sale of the family property.
It is said that during the interrogation by the imperial magistrates, Adam Colbert continued to pour out criticism and curses against the lord. He claimed that he committed this crime because he seriously felt his life was in danger due to overwork because the lord of Doldagari did not increase the number of administrators.
Adam Colbert reported various injustices committed by the lord, and the lord lost his fief due to numerous corruptions, incompetent politics, and the shameful crime of failing to properly manage the precious cadets of Arcadia Academy.
The stolen fiefs were returned to the empire, but because the emperor lost his mind, they became de facto public property.
Adam Colbert and Becker were, of course, put to death. Luna, in her own way, was shocked by the betrayal of Adam Colbert, who had treated her well and taught her work, and seemed depressed by her death.
I wanted to comfort Luna, but she wasn’t the type of person that I was good at comforting, and Luna wasn’t the type of person that wanted comfort from anyone, so she stopped.
So this incident came to an end, and it seemed like a peaceful era had arrived for the time being. That was until it happened.
[His Majesty Emperor Georgius von Arcadia, father of the Empire!]
Newspapers were selling like hot cakes with provocative headlines. The emperor died. It was a faster death than the original.
‘Is it because of the butterfly effect that I started? There is definitely a difference from the original history.’
Considering that the emperor’s death in the original work was in 1505, it could be seen as a bit strange that the emperor had already died in 1502.
‘Is it an assassination?’
Someone may or may not have assassinated the emperor. However, if we assume it was an assassination, the most suspicious person is…
‘He must be the crown prince.’
The person who benefits the most when the emperor dies is the crown prince, Leonhard von Arcadia. The reason why the Crown Prince cannot actively engage in conquest is because there is no justification.
However, if the emperor dies and the throne becomes vacant and there is a justification for the crown prince to legitimately succeed to the throne, the crown prince can actively invade other powers. He will be able to invade with all his forces, rather than simply fighting a proxy war with the princess.
‘Well, whether it’s an assassination or not, the result is the same.’
From now on, war will break out. That fact remains unchanged anyway.
And next month. All the heirs to the throne gathered in the archipelago of Arcadia. The previous emperor had 11 children, and all of them received large or small fiefdoms. Of course, the only ones who received meaningful territory were the 3rd succession rights, and from the 4th succession rights onwards, it was like a small power.
And there was a meeting among the imperial family through the mediation of Imperial Chancellor Otfried. The agenda of the meeting was who to elect as the next emperor.
Otfried, the Imperial Chancellor, spoke solemnly in the presence of the imperial family and other high-ranking officials of the empire.
“Since His Majesty the Emperor passed away without clearly expressing his intention to abdicate, the Arcadia Conference will be held in accordance with existing imperial law. If the next emperor is decided here, the empire will enter an era of peace and prosperity, but if the next emperor is not decided, it will fall into the throes of civil war. “I, Otfried, as a prime minister who has worked for the country all my life, encourage the heirs to the throne to make concessions.”
However, despite the recommendation of Imperial Chancellor Otfried, who was the right-hand man of the previous emperor, the Arcadia conference was intensely held for three days, and after three days of negotiations, threats, and appeasement, the conference collapsed. Although the crown prince boasted of strong power due to his wealth in the province, he was not well-respected and was unable to secure the support of the majority of the imperial family and high-ranking officials. As a result, the crown prince became angry with other members of the royal family, and the empire was about to be engulfed in the fire of civil war in earnest.