40. Are you crossing the line?
All countries in the western continent are changing rapidly.
This also meant that the situation within the country was bound to change rapidly.
A great war had already begun, and as a result, policies were also changing in favor of abandoning the old and accepting the new.
In the midst of a crisis, those who were dissatisfied with the existing system began to emerge one by one.
“What is so expensive!”
“I know.”
According to the emperor’s policy, the merchants, who were taking profits by lining up with the vested interests, put down their weapons one by one.
The empire is in crisis, and you want to take advantage of it as an opportunity?
It wasn’t even Kariel who could tolerate it, but the inspection department had already moved before that.
But this time it was different.
The aristocracy, representing the interests of the nobility, moved first.
“under… … Please take a look!”
“I want to do that too… … It’s difficult this time.”
When the merchant who had been looking after him caught up, the nobleman from the aristocratic family sighed.
“I’ll give you double! please… … .”
“No matter what you give, it’s difficult this time.”
The nobility was busy.
Because Kariel gave the job directly.
What could not be rejected was most of the work to keep the revolutionary forces in check.
Even the nobles knew that this was their last chance, so they could not stand by as in the past. Rather, he thoroughly cut off criminal gangs and merchants who were giving away money.
At the same time, they rolled to prevent the onslaught of revolutionary forces.
The nobles themselves began to change in order to contain the revolutionary forces that were constantly trying to expand their territory.
Then, the merchants who had been lining up to the nobles in the meantime became desperate.
“Tsk tsk! You should have been attached to the tower right away.”
“I’m sorry.”
Some merchants clicked their tongues as they watched the merchants being dragged into the inspection department.
It was a fact that most of the people of the Empire knew that Kariel was only looking for a cause to destroy the nobles when he became emperor.
Therefore, only merchants who changed the ropes, saying that there was no future for the nobles, were the only survivors.
And the Minister of Finance, who came to report all these situations, was trembling in front of Kariel.
“It’s fun.”
As Kariel looked at the report from the finance minister, he grinned.
He was playing a prank on the price of raw materials supplied to the Magic Tower, and the Magic Tower was playing with the prices of the Magic Tools using that as a pretext.
In the current warring empire, the demand for magic tools and weapons was inevitably high, but due to the shortage of supply, the price of the horse tower was raising even more.
It was because of the confidence that he would not be able to touch the tower right now.
“At the academy?”
“I think we still need some time.”
“A secret plan?”
“It’s still… … .”
The finance minister reported sweating profusely.
It was because Kariel’s expression turned cold as he looked at the report.
Seeing the Minister of Finance trembling with a trembling expression on his face, afraid he might hit his head right away, Kariel sighed.
“Isn’t it possible to convince even one of the horse towers in the empire?”
“Yes.”
It is a horse tower that has already been colluded for a long time.
Whether it was the central mage tower or the small and medium mage tower, there were no madmen who would stop playing with magic tools.
Because there is no crazy wizard who will eat my flesh.
“Sorry.”
Even if it was a small and medium magic tower, it could have been easily dealt with if a few places were conciliated… … .
Like wizards famous for being smart, they were holding onto their vested interests with all their might.
“The Western Mage Tower is a spectacle.”
“It is said that the price of raw materials and the wages of wizards have risen because of the war. Moreover, since all reservations for a year are already full, it is difficult to produce any more… … .”
“It’s an excuse to raise the price even more… … . Crazy guys cross the line.”
The horse towers, knowing that they could not afford to touch them because they were at war, were playing with their guts.
“They act as if they were the masters of the empire.”
At Kariel’s words, the finance minister broke out in a cold sweat and swallowed his saliva.
They say they can’t supply weapons while they’re at war, and that’s the basis of their confidence that they won’t be able to touch them even if they do this.
All the towers have already been collusion, so if Kariel touches the western tower, all the towers will rise.
In my heart, I wanted to kill them all, but that would stop everything going on right now.
“after… … That’s annoying. What have the nobles been doing? … .”
Kariel wrinkled her expression as she said that.
One of the families in the empire is the Wilkshire family, which is said to have the most powerful wizards, but is currently busy with war.
Other magical families were also putting their main magical powers into war under Kariel’s command.
Above all, in terms of magic engineering, even the magic families couldn’t compare to the magic tower.
At least the Duke of Wilkshire had a system, but the influence of the Mage Tower was so strong that even the duke’s family could not stand it for long if the Mage Tower united and pressured them.
That’s why he endured even if Kariel was frustrated.
“Are these guys not thinking about the future?”
Kariel tilted her head with an expression of incomprehension. It’s obvious that if you come out like this, you’ll be smashed by yourself later, but I don’t understand why you’re acting like this.
“For a while, it seems that the war will never end. And this… … .”
The Minister of Finance took out several letters from his pocket and handed them to Kariel.
“This… … .”
“These are letters from several magical families in the provinces that are close to me.”
Kariel, who frowned at the Minister of Finance’s words, read the letter and crumpled it.
The Mage Tower wasn’t enough to gather merchants, so the magic families began to move to appease them.
It seemed that he was trying to become the core of a new power through magic.
This is a strategy to increase the body size before Kariel strikes so that he cannot easily touch it.
“… … For once, I did not contact the Inspection Department to report to His Majesty.”
“Leave it.”
At Kariel’s angry orders, the finance minister put on a puzzled expression on his face.
“not now.”
The more I got angry, the colder I had to cool my head.
Now was not the time to touch the tower.
Now that none of them have been resolved, touching the horse tower was no different from poking through the beehive.
‘Is it a time war?’
Kariel thought that to herself and calmly organized the complex thoughts in her head.
If the Magic Tower conciliates the magic families, the nobles come next.
If you collect them one by one and make them big enough that you can’t touch them easily, only then will you take a step back while asking for reconciliation with Kariel.
Then Kariel can’t touch it, so I have no choice but to accept their request for reconciliation.
‘Before that, it’s hard!’
Thinking so, Kariel gave an order to the Minister of Finance.
“From now on, secretly cooperate with the Intelligence Department and the Inspection Department to investigate the Mage Tower’s money flow.”
“How long can I prepare?”
“The moment the secret plan is completed. It is driven in all directions centered on the inspection department.”
The Minister of Finance spoke anxiously at Kariel’s order.
“If that happens, many of the empire’s projects will come to a halt. Moving after the academy has stabilized to some extent… … .”
At the Minister of Finance’s words, Kariel shook her head.
“too late.”
Kariel shook her head resolutely and brought forward her original plan.
If you safely cover it, the forces gathered around the Mage Tower will grow too large.
I had to step on it before I could inflate it in earnest.
“Try putting some pressure on them to make it hard for them to play with magic tools. We have to interrupt as much as possible.”
“… … Yes.”
The Minister of Finance bowed his head with an expression of uncertainty and went outside.
So Kariel, who was left alone in the office, clenched his fists and slammed the desk.
“after… … Garbage bastards… … .”
It’s been a while since I’ve cleared the Empire-eating rat, another guy appeared and was about to rob the barn.
If demons were the top priority in suffering him in his previous life, it was the demon towers, not the nobles, who constantly harassed him.
It was because Kariel had a fight with them when he was lying down.
As the nobles collapsed and the existing horse towers collapsed, it was the small and medium-sized horse towers that barely survived to take their place.
In a situation without any foundation, as Kariel managed to maintain the empire with the power of magic engineering, the authority of the wizards strengthened, and the wizards gained the power of the nobles as they went through a series of wars.
In the process, he fought fiercely with Kariel several times.
The war against the mage, which had been tedious in the previous life, was to take place in this life without fail.
– What are you going to do? I think it’s the magic tower this time… … . It looks like I won’t be able to practice forever.
When Surut appeared and spoke while clicking his tongue, Kariel sighed.
Solving one was a problem for another.
I tried to put aside the Mage Tower problem, but these things were getting out of hand.
“I’m going to go into closed training after just sealing it up.”
-Are you okay?
Kariel gnashed her teeth at Surt’s question.
“no.”
Kariel, who answered with a cold expression, said with trembling fists.
“Still, I can’t help it. Right now… … We have to endure it while making the response minimal.”
-Then you’ll be arrogant and overstep your authority.
“They’re not that stupid. If you really show that kind of movement… … We have to wipe it out even at the cost of sacrifice.”
Kariel put on a cold expression while saying that.
As the fall of the nobility was predicted, the authority of the Mage Tower was rapidly growing.
Up to this point, the flow was similar to that of the previous life.
However, if there is a difference from then, it is that the military power of the empire, including the Masters, is maintained and that he has the mighty imperial authority.
Are you overstepping your authority? At that moment, Kariel had the intention of destroying the Mage Tower at any cost.
“The beginning will be when the secret plan is finished. Of course, when we wipe it out in earnest, it will be when the central army returns.”
After saying that, Kariel looked at the map.
‘I don’t need all of it. Even if only one place is organized… … .’
Thinking so, Kariel grabbed the pen.
The Roman invasion of the East and the Iron Civil War of the West.
And the war that takes place under the water with the southern kingdoms.
All three seem to be intertwined together, but they are also surprisingly independent.
First of all, Iron’s civil war looks like the Middle Ages, but when a full-fledged battle takes place, it can come to a conclusion in an instant.
The southern kingdoms are also in a situation where the empire is gradually eating away the information networks and commercial areas that they are proud of. If only a certain amount of power could be established within the two kingdoms, there was no need to overdo it like it is now.
Lastly, if Roman could support neighboring countries through pirates, he would not be able to maintain such a large army as it is now.
If only one of the three were cleared, the empire would be breath-taking.
And if that power is used to wipe out the mage tower, even the mage tower in the world will have no choice but to prostrate.
‘This will be my last chance to give them.’
Whether it will wipe out the mage tower or give it a chance to improve will be determined while Kariel is away.
Looking forward to the day when the magic tower will be destroyed as soon as possible, Kariel started working in preparation for the time she was away due to training.
* * *
And finally, the day he promised with Surt came.
“Then please. Let me know right away if anything happens.”
“I will.”
To Kariel, who was unable to enter the training hall because of her worries until the end, the chief chamberlain replied as if to reassure her. Kariel, who reluctantly nodded at that appearance, entered the training she had been putting off so long.