Before saying anything more useless, I decided to leave the imperial palace.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes. The emperor’s woman will now take her leave.”
Since he called me his woman, I figured I might as well mock him a little.
“Tsk. Holding grudges, are we? Oh, by the way, you should start preparing for that event in the fall.”
“The event in the fall?”
‘What is he talking about?’
“The Empire’s Founding Festival. Though it’s called a founding festival, it’s really just a gathering where the chieftains of the barbarian tribes—descendants of nomads—come to strengthen their ties. ‘Only’ that.”
‘Oh, is it already that close?’
I just hope a war doesn’t break out before then.
To be honest, though, I don’t think that so-called White King will have fully united his forces and launched an attack by then.
“Am I supposed to be one of the representatives?”
At my question, she smirked and cautiously opened her mouth.
“Well, you’re my teacher, after all.”
I really want to run away right now.
Seriously.
‘Maybe I should plan a new identity for myself later.’
***
After my meeting with the emperor, it was time for Levia.
Levia. A name that brings back memories.
“Um, hello. I am Levia, First Princess of the Eltia Kingdom.”
Yeah, I know all about you.
“Levia. Hmm. Aren’t you the war hero of your kingdom?”
“Aha… A war hero? That’s far too much praise.”
“No, if anything, you definitely qualify as one.”
“Hmm. So, you want to befriend me?”
“Yes. To put it bluntly, that’s correct.”
“More precisely, it’s closer to seeking support, isn’t it?”
The kingdom is at the point where the succession is being decided.
That explains why both the princess and prince have come.
They can use the recent territorial expansion into the Demon Realm as an excuse to congratulate the emperor and get on his good side.
Ultimately, the kingdom’s throne will be determined based on how they handle diplomacy with the empire.
“Oh, well, I won’t say there’s no political motive at all, but the next ruler has already been decided—it’s me.”
“Of course. Between a princess who has traveled across the country, fighting in wars firsthand, and a prince who spends all his time buried in books at home, it’s obvious where public sentiment will lean.”
If her story were a novel, it would already be at the happy ending.
The throne is essentially hers.
Now, she’s just here to strengthen ties with key figures.
The princess of Eltia wants to be on good terms with the Ashtar family of the empire.
And so, she has come to me.
Fate really does bring people together in strange ways.
Seeing her again like this feels oddly nostalgic.
“Yes. Even the nobles are on my side.”
“What did His Majesty say? You met him before I did, didn’t you?”
“Oh, yes. He apologized for putting the delegation of our allied kingdom in danger and promised to consult with the council soon to arrange adequate compensation.”
The princess was, of course, the first to meet the emperor.
Naturally, since she was originally part of an official delegation, an audience with the emperor was inevitable.
Still, knowing that emperor, I expected him to pull some weird stunt with her… but I guess he didn’t.
“If that was the extent of your conversation with the emperor, then you’ve effectively established your presence in the empire. There shouldn’t be any further issues.”
“That’s right.”
‘Then there’s no problem, is there?’
‘Even if he holds no real power, the emperor’s status as a symbol is significant. His lineage goes back 1,500 years, and before that, it’s even tied to the Kart royal consort family.’
Compared to that, my position is nothing.
I’m just someone stuck in the empire, forced to follow the emperor’s orders.
“You say you want to befriend me, but I’m a saintess. If you want to get close to the Ashtar family, you should look for Brother Rokton or the duke instead.”
‘Me?’ Not the right choice.
If anything, I hold little real power.
I have no intention of getting involved in politics.
I brought the teacup she had poured for me to my lips.
“Aren’t you the real power behind the empire?”
Spurt!
The tea I was drinking dribbled out of my mouth.
‘What kind of absurd nonsense is that?’
“Where did you even hear that?”
“His Majesty himself bestowed upon you a legendary title. You are both Grand Chancellor and Saintess. You’ve even led armies into battle. Rumor has it you nearly beat a prince, his fiancée, and his retainers half to death.”
Grit.
My teeth clenched hard.
The emperor must have given her some hints about me.
He’s really impossible to deal with.
I swear, in my next life, I hope I have nothing to do with this empire.
“Damn it.”
“Excuse me?”
I can’t help but curse.
“Nothing. I just beat them because they deserved it. Anyway, I support you, Princess. From my standpoint, a kingdom ruled by you is far preferable to one ruled by a prince who harbors resentment toward the empire.”
Apparently, the prince has a grudge against the empire.
To be fair, even if he becomes king, he wouldn’t dare wage war against the empire… or at least, he wouldn’t have the military strength to do so unless the empire refused to intervene.
But if he ascends to the throne, anti-imperial factions will gain power, which is a problem.
To prevent that, the princess must become queen.
“This doesn’t seem like a simple matter.”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s the issue?”
“That day, when chaos broke out in the capital, I sent my younger brother to Ashtar to request reinforcements. Just in case.”
“So even if the princess hadn’t arrived, the capital wouldn’t have been completely devastated by the rebels.”
The Ashtar family always keeps forces stationed near the capital.
“That’s not the issue. My brother never even reached the duke. He stopped midway, saying his carriage broke down and needed repairs.”
“Are you saying it was intentional?”
That does sound deliberate.
“Yes. If the princess hadn’t arrived, the damage would have been far greater.”
“I see. I’ll report this directly to the duke as well.”
If I bring this up, the duke will likely throw his full support behind the princess.
It’s quite a big deal that a noble house loyal to the Empire wasn’t aware of this.
Of course, from the prince’s perspective, he isn’t exactly obligated to inform them.
But emotionally speaking, Ashtar wouldn’t see the prince in a favorable light.
He’s ruining his already unfavorable position in the imperial succession just because of one personal grudge against the Empire.
‘Idiot.’
***
Southern Continent
“Waaaaaaah!”
The thunderous cheers of an army carrying red banners echoed across the vast plains.
The White Army, led by King Karl of the Atla Kingdom, had finally shattered the coalition of small southern nations and brought them under his rule.
“Congratulations. With this, you have officially secured dominion over the southern continent. Now, this kingdom is at least on par with Pastia—no, even strong enough to fight the Eltia Kingdom, which battles the Demon King’s forces.”
At the strategist’s congratulations, the White King’s lips curled into a victorious smile.
The southern coalition had already expressed their intent to surrender.
With that, the small nations had effectively fallen under Atla’s control.
Now that they had also gained access to the sea, what more needed to be said?
“We’re not done yet. We must gather more of these small nations under Atla’s banner and forge them into a single, mighty kingdom.”
Not long ago, Atla had been a weak nation.
But things had changed when Karl ascended the throne.
Internally, he had solidified the kingdom’s foundation.
Unless they suffered a crushing defeat, their string of victories and territorial expansion had only strengthened their national power.
Before long, they would grow strong enough for even the Empire, the reigning hegemon of the continent, to take notice.
“As we should.”
“And one day, I want to surpass that Empire. I hear they even ventured into the Demon Realm recently and established a domain there.”
A conquest-driven monarch’s ultimate dream—subjugating the Empire itself.
To defeat the Empire and become the ruler of the continent.
Any king with ambition had dreamed of this at least once.
Now, Karl was setting his sights on it, too.
“But the Empire is nothing more than a nation relying on sheer strength. Its leadership is riddled with corrupt nobles and an incompetent imperial family. No wonder anti-imperial factions have risen.”
Karl already knew this.
“That’s why, one day, I will march into the Empire and embrace its suffering people as my own.”
He was determined to bring them all under his rule.
He would eradicate the corrupt nobility and overthrow the inept imperial family to establish a new, unified empire—Atla’s Empire.
As he let his thoughts drift, he scanned the victorious army.
That was when he spotted a man clad in a black robe.
The man approached.
“What if that day could come sooner?”
“Hm? And you are…? Judging by your attire, a mage.”
A stranger. ‘Who was he?’
“I have come from the Eastern Merchant Alliance. I have an important proposal for Your Majesty.”
“The Merchant Alliance, huh? Very well. Let’s hear it.”
“Your Majesty, are you certain?”
“If it’s the Merchant Alliance, it should be fine. There’s a saying: ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'”
The Merchant Alliance had long suffered economic losses due to the Empire.
That meant they were worth talking to.
Karl invited the mage from the Merchant Alliance into his war tent.
***
“We have cultivated a group of mages. We will support them for Your Majesty’s cause.”
“Mages?”
Mages were among the most difficult professionals to train.
The Empire had its Mage Tower, where they produced elite spellcasters.
Outside of that, magic education was scarce.
Unless one had a personal tutor, was born into a mage family, or taught themselves, learning magic was nearly impossible.
The Atla Kingdom’s military did have some mages, but they were few—mostly adventurers working as mercenaries.
Yet the Merchant Alliance had accomplished this? Just how much money had they poured into it?
“Yes. However, they are not proficient in combat.”
“Then what are they? Are you saying they can’t use combat magic?”
“What was the point, then? Were they even worth considering?”
“What good was a mage who couldn’t cast spells?”
“Instead, they are mages for war.”
“Mages for war?”
“Yes. They can enhance the strength of your soldiers.”
“Enhance human strength? Isn’t there a drug that does that?”
Karl had heard of such substances, but they were known to be harmful to the body.
‘Could magic really accomplish the same thing?’
“You must not equate magic with mere drugs.”
“Enhancing strength, you say… How much?”
The extent of this enhancement could change the course of war.
“Threefold. The strength of an average adult male will be tripled.”
“Threefold? That means…”
If that were true, conquest would become far easier.
Wars could be won without needless bloodshed.
Complete domination might be possible.
More than anything, the Atla army, which was primarily infantry-based, would see a massive increase in combat power.
It would be like having an army of cavalrymen.
“Yes. Your infantry-based army will gain combat prowess rivaling that of cavalry.”
“That sounds promising, but are there any side effects?”
No matter how strong they became, if the enhancement had serious side effects, it would be meaningless.
Usually, abilities like this came with a cost.
“You’ve heard of battle mages using physical enhancement magic. It’s the same concept, only applied to Your Majesty’s army.”
Karl had indeed heard of it before.
Some mages specialized in strengthening their bodies and infusing mana into their attacks.
They were said to be capable of fighting Northland warriors or even the Holy Kingdom’s paladins in hand-to-hand combat.
‘So, could this magic be used to empower the Atla army in the same way?’
“It sounds good in theory, but my soldiers don’t have the ability to wield mana. Can it still work?”
Karl was no expert in magic.
But if what this man from the Merchant Alliance claimed was true, it could aid in the conquest of the Empire itself.
“They cannot control mana, but that doesn’t mean their bodies lack it.”
“This could be a long discussion.”
It seemed like they were about to have a very lengthy conversation.