Where does God’s will go (5)
“The hidden holy empire… … secret?”
Was there such a thing… … ?
The saintess tilted her head.
Since she had been trained as a saint for a long time, she must have been even more puzzled by her unfamiliar name.
In the midst of heightened tension, the High Priest of Garden raised his hand to stop the saintess from muttering.
“… … You already knew.”
“What do you mean you knew? The secret the Holy Empire had to hide? If not, what benefit did you guys want from this pressure?”
“… … .”
I felt with my skin that the end of the shallow Seon dialogue had arrived.
They lost their justification, and it was I who was holding the leash of information.
How to stop false causality.
However, what they chose was not submission, but pressure with authority.
“Go there. From what I hear, there’s nothing you can’t say, starting with pointing out that you’re behind the conspiracy of civil war.”
“You keep asking me to shut up for so long.”
The high priest, whose face was distorted like a demon, burst into laughter that broke his composure again.
But this time, he didn’t back down either.
“… … Think whatever you want. Be careful though. Seongguk will not laugh at false information like that.”
“Hoo.”
okay?
It was also a tight-knit and tight-knit conversation style.
If so, wouldn’t it be possible to do it?
“Then, I guess we have no choice but to discuss this situation with the Federation Empire.”
“… … .!”
“What!”
bang!
Father jumped up from his seat in disbelief.
Didn’t he already conclude that Carrot was an enemy!
But, how could I say that I would stick to them so easily? … !
In the discussion with the Commonwealth Empire mentioned in the same way, the High Priest pointed at me in contemplation.
“So, does that mean that you will absolutely walk the path of an apostate?!”
“It’s too much to say that it’s the path of an apostate, High Priest Garden.”
“Ha, but… … .!”
That was probably a reaction different from what they expected.
In history, Esteban was, as always, a small country that bowed its head between two great powers.
Either that or not. I clasped my hands on the marble desk, relaxedly closed my eyes, and enjoyed the gaze.
“Since Esteban’s power is weak, how can he handle the wrath of the Holy Kingdom? Cooperation with the Federation Empire is the natural way out.”
“Ah, as long as you accept the advice of the Holy Kingdom in the first place, there will be no problem… … .”
“suasion?”
Oh, was that the word for the declaration of surrender?
It was so absurd that I forgot about it.
I tossed out an answer with a tone of boredom.
“No.”
“… … yes?”
To the high priest who asked with a shocked expression, I replied with a bright smile.
“Esteban relies heavily on trade with the Commonwealth. You can’t break the relationship that easily.”
This was not a matter of diplomacy, but of survival.
It was because food from their fertile land was flowing into Esteban cheaply.
In addition, many of the items directly related to the ‘survival’ of the common people were produced through trade with the Commonwealth Empire.
“Well, there’s nothing to say about the dwarves’ demands.”
idea verification?
It wasn’t even funny to say that he moved on that kind of excuse.
I was thinking of pretending to listen if I had a better excuse.
“Unfortunately, it looks like we need some time to review the recommendations. I will give you a detailed answer later, so why don’t you go back to the Holy Land?”
“Nonsense!”
The sentence he said, ‘nonsense’, was not limited to a congratulatory order to return to the Holy Land.
From noble mtl dot com.
“The cooperation with the Commonwealth that Your Highness is trying to do now is an act of apostasy! That in itself is a threat to the people of Esteban!”
“But now that things have turned out this way, what can I do?”
“As I said, if you cut off diplomacy with them and accept their recommendation… … .”
“therefore.”
I cut off his words like a knife and shrugged my shoulders.
“Didn’t I say it was impossible? Do I have to say it twice to understand?”
“… … .”
The manners that existed no longer existed.
coolness.
There is only my image beckoning to the annoyance in it.
“Then what? Will you, who are threatening to restrict even going up, solve this problem by trading with Esteban?”
“… … that.”
“Ah, that would be a good idea. If I do too, seriously consider this recommendation.”
Moment.
Insensitive eyes pierced the high priest of Garden.
“However, it seems that the disaster caused by that recommendation was an issue outside of your worries.”
“… … .”
The recommendation was a means of pressure.
No one would ever take this, and probably never seriously thought about it.
It’s just a way to show their power, as always.
The way he tried to manipulate Esteban through this was already proven by force.
“However, it seems that there is a fact overlooked.”
Fearing the stigma of apostates, ‘we’ will never cooperate with the Federation Empire.
There is no possibility that the two countries, which have not been on good terms since ancient times, will cooperate… … .
… … who decided that?
“History is always nothing more than a thing built on the logic of power.”
“stop.”
At that time, my father broke his consistent silence and spoke.
“Jim does not know what you are talking about is a secret. However, I do know that there was a plan of the Seongguk when this place was created.”
A break with the apostate Commonwealth Empire.
And besides the verification of the dwarves, something was revealed.
Although it was only a secret that was not revealed to anyone, the fact that the intention was mixed with impurity was no longer a conviction, but a confirmation.
I shrugged.
That’s what it says.
And the worst scenario they predicted was that the secrets of the Holy Empire would be revealed by the dwarves.
However, the current situation was a ‘true’ abyss that the guys couldn’t imagine.
‘I already had the secret.’
In the meantime, what if we build a cooperative relationship with the Federation Empire under their pressure?
In this way, the bridgehead toward the heart of the Holy Kingdom is wide open.
In a state where the absolute justification that formed the denomination, namely ‘faith’, was disintegrated.
I slowly got up from my seat.
“Anyway, it will be difficult to find a suitable point of agreement at this meeting.”
“… … !”
break up the talks
“If the next meeting takes place, I hope we can have a good talk at that time.”
I don’t know if the talks will go ahead.
It was then that I was walking leisurely toward the exit.
“… … Please wait.”
He was the High Priest of Garden.
When I turned my head to look at him, he was getting up from his seat, struggling to contain his trembling body.
I said after a shrug.
“what?”
“As you said, we will fully permit trade in daily necessities between the Holy Kingdom and Esteban.”
“… … Whoa.”
A lofty land of gods that did not stand shoulder to shoulder with any other country.
The end of that haughty prestige was eventually surrender.
But my smile was gradually getting thicker.
“So, accept the advice and cooperate with the Holy Empire?”
“… … .”
“Nope?”
“Uh, what is that… … .”
Quadang!
It was an incredible answer.
Pushed by the body of the High Priest who had risen hastily, the chair was slammed to the floor.
“Are you saying you’re going to stand up for the Seongguk?!”
even if you don’t answer. The high priest’s expression collapsed dozens of times a day.
But what caught my face was an obvious sneer.
I went back to my seat, sat down on the marble desk, and stroked my chin.
“The grains from the Commonwealth Empire were cheap and of good quality, so they relieved the hunger of the people. And the price is about 80% of the normal grocery market price. Is the Holy Empire willing to provide grain at this price?”
“Well, that much somehow… … .”
“However, doing that would not make the balance right.”
okay. It wasn’t just a matter of food prices.
“Accepting the advice means turning relations with the Federation into hostility. As long as the grain is provided at the same price, it will be helpful for me and the people to live as I am now.”
The smile on that face was no more.
“75%.”
“… … !”
“In addition, the Holy Empire will have to support the strengthening of Esteban’s eastern border with the Commonwealth Empire, and the defense of the armed forces in the bay.”
Its scope includes reinforcement of walls and support of materials. And it must be the free dispatch of healing priests.
In fact, it was a proposal close to tribute under the guise of a cooperative relationship. Nevertheless, it is a recommendation that they have no choice but to accept.
I looked down at the eyes of the high priest who had risen from his seat.
What can the Holy Empire pay in exchange for keeping the relationship between Esteban and the Commonwealth Empire in check?
And what can be presented to thwart false causality?
My eyes were saying that.
“… … .”
In the venue where silence fell for a while, the High Priestess hesitated while sweeping her thinned face.
“This is not something I can decide on my own.”
“okay?”
“It is a very unbalanced agreement. Not only might the high priests of the Holy Land understand this… … .”
“Is that unbalanced agreement the recommendation you heard first?”
“… … .”
It is silent.
okay. you won’t have anything to say
To say that he is now complaining about the subject of pressure on Esteban out of selfish greed.
Okay, enough sticks, so what about carrots?
I crossed my arms pretending to be worried and moved my hand.
“Do this.”
That moment,
Ding-! swarm-
“… … !”
Asking about the high priest’s agony, the clear sound of water drops resonated throughout the venue.
A small turquoise ingot thrown onto the desk.
It was a refined object that was so transparent that the marble material could be seen through.
“This, this… … .!”
It rolled vigorously, and soon the object was blocked by the body of the high priest who rose from his seat.
It was something she was familiar with both as a high priest and as a saint.
After all, didn’t the name penetrate the essence?
“This… … .”
“… … Shin Seong-cheol!”
The ultimate metal that the Holy Empire has been searching for.
In other words, it was Mithril.
That wasn’t the end.
“Recently, a mithril mine was discovered in Esteban.”
I took another ingot of mithril out of my pocket and turned it around, enjoying its shape.
A treasure whose value is incomparable to that of gold pieces of the same volume.
And an opportunity that had already belonged to Esteban.
“However, unfortunately, I was in a situation where I was in trouble because I couldn’t find the seller.”
“That, that word… … !”
“okay.”
I nodded my head patronizingly.
“If an amicable agreement is reached, we might be able to export it.”
If an amicable agreement is reached, that is.
What he meant was simple.
At last, no one was able to catch the footsteps of leaving the venue.
“I expect to bring you a new recommendation by tomorrow.”
However, if it does not satisfy me, the end will only collapse into catastrophe.