Episode 61

The Second Licur Incident

In the past

After Crimson Gibraltar and Baroness Charlotte married

Saint Gio Nostrum wed Carmen Morgania

At that time, since there were no direct battles, the empire gifted Licur to celebrate the coronation and marriage of the neighboring country’s king

This liquor, flavored with various fruits and herbs, was not very strong

Thus, the men of the kingdom scoffed at it, saying, ‘What kind of drink is this?’ but it found favor with the women

Including Saint Gio Nostrum

He gulped it down in one go as a gift from the empire’s envoy

He soon announced his intention to purchase a large quantity of Licur

Perhaps they would open up the Gibraltar Gorge?

That did not happen

The Margrave kept the gorge closed, and they had to find another route

Eventually, a ship loaded with Licur docked at Serene Harbor, the port closest to the empire, after navigating the southern straits

Five caravels

Their storerooms and even the sailors’ lounges were repurposed for liquor storage

The empire was earnest in its dealings with the kingdom

Through the sale of Licur, the empire sought to foster better relations with the kingdom

What was the outcome?

The kingdom consumed the Licur

Not in terms of drinking it, but by taking thousands of bottles from the five caravels without paying

When the empire demanded payment for the Licur, Saint Gio Nostrum disregarded the request

Feeling slighted, the empire attacked both Gibraltar and Serene, but to no avail

There were other minor incidents, but this marked the end of interactions between the Nostrum Kingdom and the Tersian Empire

Or so it seemed

An encounter between an empire soldier and a kingdom lady would slowly begin to reopen the doors of diplomacy

The gorge remained closed

But the empire eventually found another path to the kingdom

Through the tragic demise of an empire soldier

[Crown Prince: “Deeply mourns the death of General Haireddin.”]

“Crocodile tears.”

The image sprang to mind immediately upon seeing the empire’s newspaper.

[Imperial Palace: “War should never happen under any circumstances.”]

[Where are the warmongers? Public opinion lashes out.]

[Crown Princess Isabella: “Directly confronts rumors.” Claims no involvement.]

‘It’s so obvious just from the newspaper.’

I analyzed the message the empire wanted to convey to its citizens, based on a strategy that understood a person’s tendencies.

‘Eliminate internal political enemies through public opinion.’

Public opinion against warmongers deteriorated.

Warmongers, including the Crown Princess, were suppressed.

They created a peaceful or friendly atmosphere.

‘Externally, they plan to formally enter the kingdom through negotiations.’

They started under-the-table negotiations with the Nostrum Kingdom.

The Serene Harbor opened.

A memorial service was held for General Haireddin with the Lady of Serene.

[The late Haireddin: “May there be no more tragedies like mine. Glory to the empire and the continent.]

Was this truly the will of the so-called deceased Haireddin?

No.

‘They’ve developed another bad taste.’

Such utterances always revealed a fabricated will by the Crown Prince.

‘Wasn’t it said that a will is the most splendid trace a person leaves at the end?’

In reality, Haireddin probably cursed or swore at the Crown Prince or perhaps died instantly, filled with doubts.

‘I don’t know Haireddin well, but I’ve seen this pattern too often.’

It was highly likely that Haireddin was killed by the Crown Prince’s subordinates, or even by the Crown Prince himself.

The ultimate goal?

Clearly, it was infiltration into the kingdom.

They aimed ultimately for a military conquest, but before that, they needed to collect intelligence about the kingdom under the guise of peace.

‘They’ll be clueless and stripped of everything by the empire. The size of the army, commanders, terrain, military strength—all of it.’

They would update the terrain information.

Collecting intelligence on potential enemies in the event of war.

Taking preliminary steps to incite internal rebellions among the kingdom’s dissatisfied citizens.

Creating an atmosphere that makes the kingdom’s populace long for the empire, so they prefer the empire even after its conquest.

‘What would I have done?’

For a moment, I recalled the traitor, Lord Grey.

‘I would have moved similarly up to this point, but the premise would be different.’

If the traitor Margrave had led this plan, I would have definitely kept Haireddin alive.

‘I would have married him to Lady Serene and had them produce a child.’

Not killing him, but keeping him alive to create life.

‘To mix the bloodlines as much as possible, increasing the number of mixed-blood individuals between the two nations.’

After instilling the fantasy in capable empire men that they could marry the young beauties of the kingdom.

‘Forget long wars or anything; love knows no borders.’

I would set the stage for countless mixed families with an empire father and kingdom mother.

And then,

When faced with the choice between the kingdom and the empire,

‘I would lead them to choose the empire.’

Whether it’s the father’s country or the mother’s country, if they perceive the empire as a better option than the kingdom, they would choose the empire.

To be frank,

‘Objectively speaking, if asked to choose citizenship between the incompetent king and the emperor, the answer is obvious.’

From the perspective of being a citizen of a nation, being under the rule of the Crown Prince wasn’t particularly undesirable.

The empire had its problems, but at least in some respects, it’s much better than the kingdom.

This was precisely why I ‘must betray.’

“Sir Robert.”

“Yes, young master.”

“How much is your salary?”

“…4 million.”

Robert, standing behind me, replied with a dull voice.

“Is that the contracted amount?”

“Yes.”

“How much is left after taxes?”

“…60% is gone, so, uh, um…”

“2.4 million in taxes, and even more reduced after that. With everything deducted.”

“Right?”

The kingdom’s taxes were quite heavy.

Correction.

They could be said to be average, or not particularly unusual.

‘The kingdom isn’t the weird one.’

The taxes the peasants had to pay amounted to about 60-80% of their annual earnings.

Mathematically defining an exact amount was hard, but roughly speaking, the ratio seemed to be like that.

This included considering land or labor contributions.

Then what about the empire?

“Do you know how much a person in your position earns annually in the empire?”

“……Do they publish that in the newspapers?”

“Of course, they do. The empire takes military salaries quite seriously.”

“I am a knight.”

“I know. That knights and soldiers are different entities. Just consider it a roughly similar rank.”

Sir Robert was momentarily displeased that a formally appointed knight was being compared to an empire’s magic missile loader.

“On average, they receive about 3.5 million.”

“Ha! As expected. That’s the empire.”

“Taxes are about 15%.”

“…….”

As I pointed to the figures in the newspaper with my hand, Robert’s expression started to turn grave.

“…….”

He didn’t even utter a word.

It was obvious what he was thinking.

“After all deductions, it comes down to about 270 per month.”

“Uh, um….”

“But that’s purely as a soldier rising in the empire.”

I opened the empire’s newspaper again.

“If you were to switch to the empire, they’d be willing to pay at least 700 a month.”

“Huh.”

Robert gasped in shock.

“Seven hundred?!”

“Yes. Of course, the empire—”

“700 with 15% tax, that’s almost 600 a month, isn’t it?!”

“…You’re quick with calculations. Unfortunately, the empire has a progressive tax, so the higher the income, the higher the tax.”

“Ah….”

“But it would still be around 30%.”

“…Still a profit, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

I scooped some Somnus powder into an empty cup and poured hot water over it, stirring.

“So, what about it, will you switch to the empire?”

“Um….”

“The empire is wealthy, more populous than the kingdom, with a thriving domestic market.”

I sipped the Somnus tea lightly, drawing the mana inside into my body.

“From the empire’s perspective, if it weren’t for this godforsaken terrain, the kingdom would have been annihilated long ago, at least 200 years back.”

“Ha, haha… But, if that had happened, I wouldn’t have been by your side, young master?”

Robert clenched his fist and thumped his chest.

“Even if I have only 100 left a month, I will protect you!”

“That’s touching, but saying that won’t get you a raise.”

“Then give me a vacation!”

“That was your goal? Why?”

“Uh, um, actually.”

Robert whispered to me in a hushed tone.

“I want to visit Serene.”

“…….”

“Ah, I mean! It’s just curiosity about the people coming from the empire, not about secretly contacting them to switch sides!”

“Of course, I know. Anyone from the kingdom would be curious, right?”

Rumors were spreading through the social circles.

“The Empire’s Crown Prince is coming to Nostrum himself, probably curious about their boldness.”

The Empire’s Crown Prince, Hapsburg von Tersian, was visiting the Serene Harbor.

“Ahem.”

“Do you think he’s good because he’s manly?”

“Well, it’s a bit different, isn’t it? Right into the enemy’s territory, and that too, the Crown Prince coming without any escorts.”

The kingdom still didn’t know the true nature of the Crown Prince.

“I heard he’s stronger than an upper-rank knight.”

“Stronger than an upper-rank knight, for sure.”

He was thoroughly hiding his own strength.

“He may be from the empire, but he’s a real man’s man! Haha.”

“Judging by the rumors, he does seem like a man’s man.”

A ruthless person who would kill his own family for the empire he envisions.

“You’re actually interested in something else, aren’t you?”

“Ahem.”

When I pointed to the illustration in the newspaper, Robert coughed awkwardly and avoided my gaze.

“How does a ship with wheels move?”

“Just curious! Really, can it travel the sea like a carriage?”

The picture showed a caravel with several wheels attached to its side.

“That’s the so-called ‘Symbol of Peace’, right? A large transportation method that General Haireddin, who claimed warships were no longer useful, suggested for land use for people!”

“Indeed. I’m curious too and would like to see it myself.”

A ship running on land.

Even if one had only seen riverboats floating on water, hearing this would have sounded insane.

“In this world, hehe, a ship running on land. It’s as if they were too lazy to dismantle the ship, so they just attached wheels to the sides and rolled it. Haha.”

“It does seem a bit ridiculous.”

But in the empire, they had made it a reality.

“Not moved by rowing on flat ground!”

“That’s what you’re most curious about?”

Anyone would be curious.

Especially men; they couldn’t resist.

‘Think of something with wheels zooming around, and everyone would want to try it.’

It sounded like a crazy idea, but if it was actually possible, that was a different story.

“So, you want to go see that on your holiday.”

“Hehe. Young master?”

Uncharacteristically, Robert smiled sheepishly, bowing his head.

“I’ll definitely tell you about it when I return! Please, let me go!”

“Alright. I’ll let you have a look.”

“Wowowow!!”

Robert clenched his fist and raised both hands.

“Hooray!”

“But you can’t have a holiday.”

“…What?”

Robert froze with his hands still raised.

“A business trip? Is that it? You mean it’s a work task, to see and report back, and you’ll even provide expenses?!”

“No.”

“……Young master?”

“Your duty is to continue being my escort.”

I extended my clenched fist towards Robert.

“I’m going too.”

“…Wowowow!!”

Robert yelled in excitement and threw a fist towards me.

“Of course, young master! I’ll personally sit in the driver’s seat and pull your carriage!”

“No need for that. Ride on horseback and follow, and a professional will handle the carriage driving.”

“…Young master.”

Robert’s expression hardened as our fists bumped.

“Don’t tell me the entire Gibraltar is going?”

“No, just me.”

I was the only one going to the south.

“But you’re following.”

“Who?”

“Just wait, there they are.”

Through the window, we saw a familiar black carriage stop at the front gate of the Gibraltar estate.

“Ah.”

Upon seeing the decorations on the carriage, Robert immediately frowned.

“This is a real job, young master.”

The carriage belonged to the Foreign Minister, Baron Hex, and had arrived at Gibraltar.

“Sigh… So much for my holiday.”

“For your information, there’s one difference between the empire and the kingdom. The empire has the concept of paid vacation.”

“…They pay you to take a vacation?”

“Yes.”

The kingdom was, in many ways, lagging behind the empire.

“Once interactions with the empire begin, such things will come as a huge shock to the people of the kingdom.”

“…….”

“Get used to it in advance. The kingdom is about to undergo significant changes.”

In fact, it should have changed a long time ago.

“After 500 years of closing off the gorge and isolating themselves, it’s about time for a change.”

And at the center of that change, instead of Saint Gio Nostrum, would be Naria.

“In that sense, what you need to protect is not only me but—”

“Grey Gibraltar. Queen Carmen has requested only your presence.”

“…….”

“What? Why?”

Baron Hex blurted out something strange as soon as he saw me.

“That.”

I cautiously asked him.

“As a noble, shouldn’t I bring at least one maid with me?”

“A maid?”

Baron Hex snorted at my question.

“Why bother? Queen Carmen will look after you like a mother.”

He cut off my words abruptly.

“Pack your things. Queen Carmen needs you.”