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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

42. Devour the Divided Iron!

At last, with the Emperor swallowing the Magic Tower, the Empire was poised for even steeper changes.

This news quickly spread throughout the Empire and reached other countries in the West Continent, including Iron.

Having devoured all forces that stood in his way, Kariel had nothing left to worry about.

With internal matters of the Empire starting to settle down, it was time to turn his gaze outwards.

“Should I tackle the East first?”

Lost in thought while examining a map in his office, Kariel commanded the production of more railways and airships through the surrendered Magic Tower. He simultaneously established a system for the government to take the lead in producing magical tools, offering clemency in exchange for crucial magic and techniques held by the various Magic Towers.

The problem was that wars were erupting everywhere, making it impossible for these efforts to show their true power.

Both the east and west were engulfed in war, and with the northern Holy Nation needing to be kept in check, there was no way to concentrate forces in one location.

“Talion.”

“Yes.”

“Get in touch with the Pirate King. Let’s deal with the East first.”

Upon issuing his order, Talion immediately bowed his head and disappeared.

Since he had personally issued the command, even the Pirate King would respond.

As he waited for his communication, he immersed himself in his work.

There was so much to do.

He was determined to push through all the reforms that had been blocked by the Magic Tower, and to address the resulting lack of manpower, he had called in recruits from the East.

The nobles, eager not to lose ground, were working hard as well, but there were limits to their efforts.

Ultimately, the hardships fell squarely on the existing bureaucrats of the central department, resulting in more work piling up for Kariel.

Before long, night had fallen.

“Your Majesty.”

Seeing Talion quietly enter under the cover of night, Kariel asked,

“What’s the response?”

“It has arrived.”

With that, Talion silently delivered the letter.

“Hmm….”

The contents of the letter from the Pirate King were quite serious.

Talos wasn’t a fool; he had realized that the Empire was using the pirates to their advantage.

Therefore, they had spent a fortune to draw some of the pirates from the Aisa Archipelago to their side.

This had caused problems for the plans pushed by the Pirate King.

“I told you to expel them to the West long ago.”

Previously, he had advised the Pirate King to drive the opposing factions to the West and make them independent.

He suggested that they take control of the Aisa Archipelago with the remaining forces, helping to engulf the western pirates in the process, but he had hesitated, resulting in this situation.

“For now, we have no choice but to proceed with what we promised.”

With a heavy sigh, Kariel spoke,

“Send this letter to the Pirate King.”

“Yes. And this….”

“What is this?”

“It’s a secret message from the head of the Iron Alliance.”

“From him? Out of the blue?”

Kariel received the secret message handed to him by Talion and slowly began to read.

“Wants to see me secretly, does he?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It seems the situation in Iron has become quite urgent…”

In response to Kariel’s words, Talion pulled out a report from his pocket and handed it over.

“It’s a report regarding Iron.”

As soon as Kariel took the report, he read through it in one breath.

News of the Empire seizing the Magic Tower had led to heightened activity among the revolutionary forces within Iron.

Currently, Iron was embroiled in civil war between pro-Empire and anti-Empire factions, resulting in the government being overthrown by a discontented populace worn down by their hard lives.

Moreover, with the revolutionary forces steadily expanding, the chaos had turned Iron into a hellish landscape.

“This is the worst situation.”

Kariel murmured, letting out a sigh.

Though the Empire appeared calm on the surface, in reality, it was anything but.

Even the slightest misstep could bring about its downfall.

They were merely patching things up through various reforms, but if they happened to lose in war, countless issues would arise.

In the end, for the Empire to survive, they had to win every battle.

“Let’s first clean up the Roman situation.”

Murmuring this to himself, Kariel made the announcement the following day.

“I command the pirates who are disrupting the South. If you cease your actions even now, the Empire is willing to embrace you. Furthermore, if desired, we will recognize you as a formal state and establish diplomatic relations.”

The news of this public invitation to the pirates stunned not only the West Continent but also the East Continent.

The biggest obstacle to trade between the two continents had been the pirates from the Aisa Archipelago.

“The Emperor wishes to embrace the pirates!”

“Is he recognizing the pirates as a formal state?”

Even amidst the war, all the newspaper offices were abuzz with articles solely about the pirates.

This was not merely a rhetorical gesture.

As if sending an envoy to a formal nation, an Envoy Group was assembled and sent to Salem, along with a personal letter from the Emperor to the Pirate King.

Yet, if that was all it had been, many would have dismissed it as merely a ‘show.’

However, Kariel went a step further.

“The Empire can no longer tolerate the actions of Roman that disrupt the peace of the West Continent… Therefore, I will mobilize troops to exterminate the Roman forces invading the Principality!”

With the Empire already split between East and West and sending enormous numbers of troops, additional reinforcements would only come from gathering more forces.

Alongside this formal announcement, he began to divulge the hidden information he had kept secret until now.

“According to the Empire’s Intelligence Department, signs have been found that Talos has made a secret pact with Roman. If no proper explanation is given, Talos will be designated as an ‘enemy’ of the West Continent.”

This was information that everyone already knew.

Talos had united with Rotheon and the Holy Nation to forge a secret pact with Roman, but Kariel pointedly singled out Talos.

By officially designating them as the ‘enemy’ of the West Continent, he opened up paths for Rotheon and the Holy Nation.

It was an intent to sow discord within the anti-Empire faction’s alliance.

Naturally, at this moment, when faced with the enormous enemy that was the Empire, it might seem ineffective.

But what would happen later was anyone’s guess.

If he relentlessly focused on Talos, there might come a day when they could wrap up the war more easily once the odds tipped against them.

With this strategy in mind, Kariel headed straight to the eastern port of Salem.

*

“I greet Your Majesty!”

The Emperor of the Empire heads east to meet the pirates personally!

Even the factions opposed to the Pirate King within the Aisa Archipelago were stirred by this fact.

With the Empire taking such an active stance, they began to doubt the promises that the Pirate King had made over time.

To reassure them, Kariel had taken this initiative himself.

“It’s been a while.”

Kariel warmly greeted Pirate King John Kidd and shook hands with the notable pirates.

All of them were prominent figures dominating the southern seas.

Then, Kariel began the conversation in earnest.

“The Empire is willing to recognize your sovereignty over the waters near the Aisa Archipelago. This situation has been settled with the Principality as well. The head of the Iron Alliance agrees as well.”

At Kariel’s words, the eyes of the pirates flickered with interest.

“Once this war ends, trade with the Eastern Continent is poised to grow significantly. Not only that, but the overall trade volume is likely to increase dramatically compared to now.”

With that, Kariel showcased the data he had prepared from the capital.

He had even drawn graphs by hand to make it easier for the simple-minded pirates to understand.

With the revolution initiated in the Empire and numerous plans set in motion, trade volume would surge once the railway project connecting the East and West was completed.

“Thus, your role becomes crucial.”

“Our role, you say?”

Kariel nodded slightly at John Kidd’s question.

“Even if we control the eastern port, it only benefits our trade with the Eastern Continent. It will inevitably be difficult to trade with countries on the southern continent.”

“Ah!”

“I would prefer if you could swallow up all the southern pirates as well. Additionally, integrating the western pirates to secure the trade routes of the sea would not be a bad venture either.”

The pirates’ expressions changed to one of confusion at Kariel’s words.

“Continue raiding as you do now? While it might bring in money, think about it. With a safe trade route established, the trade volume will explode… The protection fees and the massive revenues generated from the islands located along the trade routes would be incomparably greater than what you’re currently making.”

“Hmm…”

The pirates showed expressions of uncertainty at Kariel’s words.

To help guide them, Kariel patiently explained.

“If you take control of the Aisa Archipelago and the islands in the southwestern region, you would dominate all trade routes. Still not quite getting it?”

A safe trade route would be established.

What would that mean?

It meant that far more merchants would dive into trading.

That implies that the trade volume through the southern seas would multiply compared to the present, meaning all the income generated in that process would belong solely to the pirates.

“I’ve heard that some of you are engaged in usury?”

Several pirates nodded in acknowledgment at Kariel’s remark.

There were pirates who sneaked into the southern kingdoms to engage in usury with the money they plundered.

Since they amassed significant wealth from raiding trade ships, it was inevitable that those indulging in illicit money lending would have substantial operations.

To those individuals, Kariel’s words held a significant potential.

“Don’t be fixated on the petty cash given by the Empire or the southern shores; discover a real way to make ‘money.’”

At this, the pirates automatically nodded in agreement. If they could earn far more money through legitimate means rather than crime, would it not be worth pursuing?

“Of course, achieving this requires some initial preparations.”

“What do you mean?”

In response to the Pirate King’s question, Kariel smiled broadly.

“It’s simple. Help the Empire support the nations on the Eastern Continent.”

Rather than a secret agreement, they would support the nations near Roman through official channels.

By officially supporting them, it would enable the Empire to provide a substantial amount of resources, and the pirates could protect the ships transporting those supplies.

If that were to happen, even Roman wouldn’t be able to deploy their massive army to attack the Principality as they do now.

In that case, the Empire would withdraw troops to concentrate on Iron.

“If the situation in Iron stabilizes, we’ll assist you in taking control of the western pirates through our navy.”

“Can we have this agreement in writing?”

At one pirate’s question, Kariel nodded with a smile.

“Of course. I have decided to officially recognize you as a formal state. The moment I announce your status as a state, I will put it in writing and send it to you.”

With that promise made, even some pirates who seemed to oppose the Pirate King nodded in agreement.

It was an official agreement arranged in the presence of reporters.

The moment that was concluded, chaos erupted across the West Continent.

Naturally, the East Continent couldn’t stay calm either.

Nations seeking to receive support from the Empire flocked to trade ships heading to the Empire.

Among those countless nations, the one selected by the Empire was ‘Wingzar.’

As soon as the agreement between Wingzar and the Empire was concluded, Wingzar’s army launched an invasion on Roman’s borders.

This caused confusion among Roman’s great army, which had been aggressively assaulting the Principality.

They were taken aback by Wingzar’s immediate action when they had expected movement only after receiving support.

As a result, the Roman forces located near the Wingzar border suffered massive losses, yet their pride prevented them from retreating fully, forcing them to fall back only halfway.

But that was enough. It was a level that the Principality could handle on its own, which allowed the Empire’s Eastern Army, Central Army, and Achelio to pull back.

“Additional reinforcements dispatched to the Iron Alliance led by Achelio!”

“The Empire officially intervenes in the civil war of the Iron Alliance!”

 

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