---

Two legions from the East are moving in. This is certainly good news for the South.

If they take charge of the borders, our legion here can fully focus on the offensive.

“Of course, anything beyond that will be difficult. The Eastern Legion has been trained according to the Eastern conditions and environment.”

That’s probably why the Emperor decided to only move two legions.

After all, the Empire didn’t just separate and categorize legions for no reason.

Each one is a finely honed weapon capable of exhibiting the best combat effectiveness in their assigned territories.

“How is the war situation progressing, Legion Commander?”

“It’s not good. The Holy Kingdom has reportedly suffered another defeat.”

The two people conversing are Marquis Rael and the Legion Commander of the 6th Legion.

I can’t say for sure, but just by looking at their expressions and voices, the situation seems serious.

The intermittent phrases of “Those crazy Benito bastards!” further confirmed it.

The situation in the South was pretty grim. For starters, maritime trade was hit hard.

With war breaking out, the anxiety of trading normally was just too great.

Particularly for those who traded with the Holy Kingdom, the coastal blockade had nearly crushed them.

Hearing snippets of trade damages and surging discontent weighed on my mind.

“I was thinking of at least pressuring Benito to lift the coastal blockade…”

“Stop right there, Commander. All that would do is give them the excuse of government interference.”

“True. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has said the same thing, Your Excellency.”

Amidst all of this, the Holy Kingdom seemed to be getting desperate and played their hidden card.

[ The citadel of Runen, once blessed by miracles, is under attack! ]

[ Crusaders! I proclaim a crusade in the name of the Pope! ]

[ Those who destroy that treacherous and vile Benito will be graced by the love of Runen! ]

[ Crusaders, march upon Benito! ]

The declaration of the crusade following the excommunication. The Holy Kingdom’s trump card.

If excommunication was meant to give a legitimate justification to smack that guy, then the crusade was like a kind of reverse blackmail: “If you don’t kill that bastard, you’re just as bad!”

For those who follow the light’s doctrine, this was a shout that simply couldn’t be ignored.

The problem is, it would have still been unknown even if it happened a few dozen years ago.

Currently, the status and position of the Holy Kingdom have significantly declined compared to then.

“There haven’t been any Southern Kingdoms responding to the crusade yet.”

“Impressive. I never imagined they would turn their backs to this extent.”

“With the Holy Kingdom in the South, the Kingdom People there must follow the light’s teachings quite closely, Your Excellency. So why could this happen?”

“That’s what I’m wondering too. How did they manage to silence the dissent?”

Suddenly, both individuals turned their gazes towards me.

…What? Why does it feel like they’re silently asking, ‘What do you think?’

“Kael.”

The Princess elbowed me gently in the side.

It was abundantly clear that she wanted me to share my thoughts.

But! I honestly have no idea. Huh? I can’t know anything!

I haven’t planted spies among the Southern Kingdoms!

What on earth should I respond with? Should I just brazenly say, “I don’t know”?

But then again, given my reputation, it wouldn’t be that easy, would it?

“Umm.. Well, I think that maybe…”

I have no clue. I’ll just spew out whatever comes to mind.

After all, at this moment, no one really knows the answer, right?

No matter what I say, at least no one can confidently say, “That’s wrong.”

“I think that not all the kingdoms have entirely quelled their internal opposition.”

“What do you mean, Prince?”

“I’m curious too. If they haven’t subdued any dissent, how can they be outright ignoring the Holy Kingdom’s wishes?”

“That could very well be why they’re outright ignoring the Holy Kingdom’s crusade requests.”

Except for Benito, all the other Southern Kingdoms would likely want a stronger monarchy.

This is a natural desire, a craving. It’s instinctual for rulers.

The Holy Kingdom is simply a hassle, an irritating obstacle that keeps getting in the way.

They need to be removed. Only then can they move forward toward their goals.

However, there’s no rule stating that it has to be done in that order.

They can push ahead first, clear the path, and then deal with it later.

If the current situation of the Southern Kingdoms resembles that, it’s indeed possible.

Regardless of the dissent from the Kingdom People, they could suppress it by sheer force. After all, the Holy Kingdom will be defeated anyway.

Then, as the situation winds down, they can show them the truth.

“Look, the so-called miracle of the gods is just another country.

Is the Holy Kingdom not kneeling? The ones claiming to convey the voice of the gods are like this.

Have we been struck by divine punishment? No, we haven’t. So the Holy Kingdom is nothing.

God is simply God. Believing is free, but they cannot force us because of it!”

“…If you put it that way, it’s not entirely impossible.”

As I continued talking, the discussion ended up dragging on a bit too long.

I was worrying if my rambling would even make any sense when suddenly,

“Hmmm.”

“Your Excellency, if what Prince Kael said is true…”

“The Legion Commander’s thoughts are certainly correct. It’s possible that none of the Southern Kingdoms have fully submitted to Benito or entirely allied with him. Isn’t that right, Prince Kael?”

…Huh?

“It seems you don’t think that Benito has become the representative of all the Southern Kingdoms.”

“I…”

“Exactly. How did I forget that? The situation is too urgent, and I was only thinking the worst. The Southern Kingdoms’ relations among themselves are definitely not good.”

“Your Excellency…?”

“They simply reject the order of the Holy Kingdom, it doesn’t mean they have completely allied with Benito. We might be able to use this to create a gap.”

“…”

I couldn’t tell. It felt awkward to butt in as the Marquis was going off on his own.

However, since things seemed to be going well, I decided to stay silent.

“Your Highness the Princess. I will relay this to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It might interfere with Benito’s attempts to establish southern order and, at the same time, give us justification for deploying Imperial forces.”

“Yes, Marquis. Please do that.”

Did I just blurt out a bunch of nonsense, and somehow stir up an opportunity?

I wanted to ask what he was thinking, but I couldn’t bring myself to.

From the Marquis’ perspective, it seemed like my words sparked some realization.

But if I were to ask, “Do you have any good ideas?” it might turn awkward.

“Just as I thought. It’s Kael.”

“Excuse me?”

“Have you come up with another clever plan? Please let me in on it.”

“No, I mean… Actually, there’s nothing!”

I truly have no plan or scheme whatsoever!

Pretending to be a genius or a strategist? No, there’s nothing at all!

With panic swirling in my eyes, the Princess shot me a glare.

“Again, again. Hurry!”

“Y-Your Highness?”

“Are you going to start saying, ‘Oh, this isn’t a plan or anything,’ or ‘I really haven’t done anything’ again?!”

“That’s honestly the case….”

“I told you, right?! We can afford to show some humility now and then!”

I’m so wronged!! …I can’t argue because I have way too many shady secrets.

Thus, I had to listen to the Princess’s scolding, which was far from just a friendly reminder.

*

It wasn’t just the Minister of War lamenting why such trials were thrown at him.

Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was also clutching his head in despair.

At least the Minister of War had it easier; he wasn’t in charge of four fronts at once.

(If the Minister of War heard that, he would have probably let out a lion’s roar questioning what I meant.)

In contrast, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was genuinely suffering because the Empire was in chaos all around.

To the north, Nobogord; to the east, three kingdoms; to the west, Dedorant; and now to the south, Benito as well.

‘At this point, maybe it’s fair to just ignore Nobogord.’

At the very least, they acknowledged the Empire’s superiority early on and began internal organization.

Unlike the three kingdoms in the east, who blindly declared war under the delusion of a flimsy alliance.

Or Dedorant, who outwardly submits to the Empire but has deeply defeatist tendencies.

Then there’s Benito, whose actions are utterly inscrutable.

Compared to those three, I’d go so far as to say that Nobogord is the most reliable.

In the meantime, the Minister of Foreign Affairs received a potential development from the Southern side of the Empire.

At first, he tilted his head in confusion but soon validated the possibility and began drafting new strategies.

The conclusions drawn by the operational staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were surprisingly plausible.

“On the surface, the situation in the South looks like the Holy Kingdom representing the old order and Benito attempting to topple it, but there are surely far more complex circumstances at play.”

“Even if the nearby kingdoms around Benito may find it hard to deal with its growing pressure, the other kingdoms won’t necessarily be the same.”

“History shows us, why did the Holy Kingdom gain its social position? It wasn’t just because of religion. It was because they kept the Southern Kingdoms, which were always at each other’s throats, in check.”

The first target for the Southern Kingdoms to topple is not the Holy Kingdom itself.

Rather, it’s the dominance of the deeply rooted faith is the issue.

It’s inconvenient for them when faith surpasses the ruler’s power.

Then what is the second target for their overthrow?

It’s obvious. The neighboring country that looks like it may engulf them.

They now understand. They’ve fought too much to unite as one.

They continue to hold each other in check, each thinking they’re better than the other.

Living this way might ironically be the most favorable for their survival.

‘The justification has already been established. The excommunication and the proclamation of the crusade by the Holy Kingdom against King Benito.’

What remains is the response of the Southern Kingdoms that lie along the path our Imperial legions will take… it might go more smoothly than we initially expected.

It’s right to act before Benito’s influence grows even more. Though we might initiate the attack, using the crusade as justification should do the trick…

However, the strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was completely overturned the next day.

[ Dedorant. Full-scale attack on DeGale ]

[ Major confrontation occurring. DeGale suffers a major defeat, completely losing western territory.]

DeGale’s western lands have completely fallen into the hands of Dedorant.

This means that Dedorant and Benito have a direct connection.

 

---