As soon as the treaty ceremony was over, we immediately began preparing the delegation to negotiate with the Empire.
It wasn’t a difficult task.
We had already made preparations in advance.
In fact, we essentially recycled the previous appointments, just swapping out the foolish aristocrats and royal faction members.
I, who had been the ambassador before, was chosen as the head of the delegation, and from the members of parliament, I selected the smartest of them to be my deputy.
I also brought in a few skilled experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Good luck, Your Excellency. We’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll be back soon, Camilla.”
Just a few days later, our delegation was formed and received an overwhelming welcome from the capital’s citizens, as we set off on our journey.
The thought of finally ending this exhausting total war system filled everyone with energy.
They couldn’t hide their joy—humming, making jokes, and enjoying the moment. It was hard to believe they were heading to the enemy’s land.
“General Royten? Where are we going now?”
Ah, I shouldn’t say everyone.
There was one exception.
Our miserable Crown Prince, who had been bedridden since being castrated.
When he was brought for transport, he had been unconscious, so he hadn’t heard where we were headed.
Since he was locked in a carriage with no view of the outside, he probably still had no idea of our destination. He was clearly anxious.
“We’re taking you to a nice place, Your Highness. There’s a healing hot spring near the eastern border that’s good for wounds.”
I decided not to tell him the full truth.
It would be boring if he realized it too soon.
He’d made me suffer for so long, so I thought I might as well string him along a little longer.
Even death row inmates are given a good meal and some comfort before they go, right? It’s something like that.
“Is that really true? Then why did my mother send me off with tears in her eyes…?”
“Perhaps she thought it was best to send her injured child far away.”
It was a bit absurd that he believed it so blindly, even after I, the one who destroyed his manhood, told him that.
Was he naive, or just stupid?
Did losing his testicles also cost him his ability to think critically?
“Then why am I being locked in this prison-like carriage?”
“Because, Your Highness, there are many people in the kingdom who dislike you. If something were to happen to you during the journey, it would be a huge disaster.”
Well, not everything I said was a lie.
A bit of truth mixed in helps build trust, doesn’t it?
It was true that there were a lot of people in the kingdom who were eager to kill the prince right now.
At the very least, our revolutionary army, along with the families of high-ranking officers and others affected, would probably amount to several hundred thousand people across the country.
As the precious hostage and sacrificial figure, I couldn’t allow any harm to come to him, so we were protecting him this way.
“I understand. I will leave it to you until we arrive.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
As the delegation shared a laugh at the absurdity of the situation, we continued on without interference.
Perhaps it was because of the executions of Duke Barelmud and other high-ranking nobles, but there was no one daring to make trouble.
In these times, defying the government would likely result in more than just the destruction of a family.
If you valued your life, you would stay quiet and open the roads for us.
“Is that the direction to Count Helgoland’s territory?”
“Yes. According to the map, we should be about 60 miles away.”
“At this rate, we should arrive in two days.”
Though, in the long run, all of them would be purged anyway.
There was no reason to let the festering tumors of a nation rotting with aristocracy and privilege remain.
If left unchecked, they would eventually undermine our leadership.
Only those who are truly reformed and cooperative would be spared. The rest… well, their heads would roll.
“Your Excellency, it seems the Empire is coming to greet us.”
“We haven’t even crossed the border yet? That was quick news.”
“Seems like they’re anxious, don’t you think? Their nemesis is finally captured.”
After traveling back and forth between the well-paved roads and dirt paths, we finally arrived at the grand capital of the Empire, Orléans.
“It’s been a while, Your Excellency.”
“Indeed. It’s been quite some time.”
We were welcomed into the Empire with the kingdom’s flag proudly displayed, greeted by the Emperor and his entourage.
Perhaps because the atmosphere between the two nations had somewhat thawed due to the ceasefire, they were now welcoming us publicly.
“Quite a crowd here. I trust the people I asked for are with you?”
With the Emperor speaking in a tone reminiscent of a child awaiting a gift, I smiled and responded willingly.
“Of course. Bring the black box!”
“Understood, Your Excellency!”
The porter, straining with effort, lowered a large chest to the ground.
He unlocked the padlock and opened the lid.
Inside was a head—preserved in salt—belonging to one of the traitors who had been executed during the recent purge.
“These are the remains of the accomplices involved in the unfortunate events at the imperial palace. Please, have a look.”
“No living ones, then? I would have preferred to kill them myself if possible.”
“Unfortunately, there are none. The kingdom’s politics have been such a mess that there wasn’t time to distinguish them before we took action.”
Upon returning home, I immediately lost my mind, and without a second thought, carried out public executions.
I had no interest in separating these fools for execution based on their past actions.
They weren’t people of any particular talent or merit, so there was no reason to spare them.
Only after killing them did I search for clues and testimonies to identify who was truly involved.
“But don’t worry, I made sure to save the ringleader. Please, forgive me for that.”
Saying this, I opened the door of the carriage.
It was a mobile prison—completely soundproof, offering no light, designed to hold just one person.
“Ugh, General? We’ve finally arrived… huh?”
The Crown Prince, who had been slumped over, suddenly stood up when the surroundings brightened.
He rubbed his eyes and, after a moment of confusion, realized who was standing before him.
His face turned pale.
“I haven’t forgotten you for the past ten years, no—eleven. Every day, I wondered what kind of pain I could make you suffer. I spent both day and night thinking about how I would make you pay for your sins.”
“General! What is this?! You said we were going to the hot springs for healing—”
“Finally, today, my concerns will bear fruit.”
Without a chance to resist, the Crown Prince had a gag shoved into his mouth.
Bound at every limb, he was dragged through the dirt, yet he desperately looked up at me.
His eyes, pleading for help, begged—Are you really going to let a royal be dragged away like this?
I kneeled before him and gave a simple reply.
“You fool. Did you actually believe that?”
What made you think I’d send you somewhere nice?
How dare you make advances on my future wife?
The despair in the Crown Prince’s eyes was almost enjoyable to watch.
It reminded me of a traitor being punished—like a captured slave.
Come to think of it, that wasn’t too far off the mark.
A man who had lived his whole life in luxury was now reduced to nothing—losing both his family and home, now a mere prisoner.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I can finally avenge my daughter.”
“If possible, take your time. Make it long and painful. After all, how many people have died because of that bastard? He should pay for all of it.”
“That’s excellent advice. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Looking at Louis XVI’s expression, I suspected he’d likely die after enduring hundreds of torturous experiences.
Well, we welcomed that, of course.
It was a pity that magic capable of recording and preserving such moments didn’t exist yet.
If it did, I would have made sure to capture the Crown Prince’s suffering and made our king watch it on a 24-hour loop.
“Let’s stop talking about this useless fool and head inside. Surely we have plenty of other things to discuss?”
“Indeed.”
With that, the Emperor, having sent the Crown Prince off to his prison, gestured for us to come inside.
This long and bitter relationship, all stemming from one person’s foolishness, was finally coming to an end.
As for the borders, we agreed to maintain the status quo, returning to the pre-war conditions.
Except for the territories that had been ceded.
“Agreed. That should be the most efficient for our country. However, leave Mount Athos. Neither of our nations originally owned it, yet it was captured by your kingdom.”
“And what about the lakes in the Talanian Mountains to the east?”
Territory.
“The kingdom started this war, so surely we have a moral responsibility to pay for it, don’t you think?”
“Though there is an appropriate amount for reparations. This seems too much, though—four times the annual budget…”
“Four million! This is all we can pay with our country’s current situation, so bear that in mind!”
Reparations.
“War criminals… Well, it seems like we should exchange them. Do you have anyone we could trade?”
“Let’s exchange them one-to-one, but adjust the value depending on their rank.”
The conversation extended to dealing with war criminals.
The representatives from both countries engaged in heated debates on all sorts of issues, each fighting to protect their own interests and extract as much as they could from the other.
While the general boundaries and interests had already been agreed upon beforehand, the details were another matter entirely.
Needless to say, the fierce political maneuvering and subtle games of one-upmanship were inevitable.
“–So, what do you think?”
But that wasn’t the real issue at hand.
The Emperor and I were discussing something far more significant.
“Do you have any intention of overthrowing Carl and founding a new dynasty?”
It was, in fact, about the change of dynasties.