Clash, And Pride

Following the coronation ceremony was a grand party held at the Imperial Palace. The banquet hall stretched so far it was visible from afar, and its splendor and magnificence were overwhelming. Most eye-catching were the massive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

These chandeliers, adorned with all sorts of sparkling jewels, softly illuminated the entire hall. Beneath them, many people were enjoying the festivities. Among them, Prince Dian also shook hands and exchanged greetings with numerous attendees.

‘Phew, this is exhausting.’

Meeting so many people was draining both mentally and physically. But he couldn’t leave to rest just yet—he had yet to greet the Emperor directly. The newly crowned Emperor had already entered the hall and was exchanging greetings with envoys from the other three empires.

Naturally, the Polia Kingdom was pushed further down the list. However, among the kingdoms, they would likely be the first to speak with the Emperor. While spending time with the Magnia Empire’s ambassador, Dian finally spotted the approaching party.

It was Emperor Jedic, newly crowned ruler of the Magnia Empire. Beside him walked Empress Michelle. Their appearance together at such an event made it clear how harmonious they were as a couple.

‘Come to think of it, there hasn’t been any report of him taking a concubine yet, has there? Could it be that Emperor Jedic is surprisingly devoted?’

Just as Dian had that thought, the approaching Emperor prompted him to bow and greet first.

“I am Prince Dian di Polia. It is an honor to meet Your Majesty.”

“Oh, Prince Dian, haven’t we met before?”

“Yes, when Your Majesty visited our kingdom, we briefly exchanged greetings at a palace banquet.”

“I thought so. In any case, thank you for attending the coronation. I hope our nations continue to build a strong relationship.”

“The Polia Kingdom also looks forward to strengthening ties with the Magnia Empire. That is also the will of His Majesty, the King.”

“Oh, is that so? Speaking of which, Prince Ian—no, now King Ian—I’ve spoken with him before.”

“Is that so?”

“I thought he was truly remarkable. Honestly, I was surprised he ascended the throne so suddenly.”

Dian was about to say that he, too, had been surprised but held back—saying such a thing wouldn’t do him any good. Emperor Jedic seemed to pick up on Dian’s hesitation and smiled, then turned his gaze to his wife, Empress Michelle, and said:

“Empress, please greet Prince Dian. After all, he’s from your homeland.”

“Thank you. Have you been well, Prince Dian?”

“Your Majesty, please speak comfortably. I am but a humble prince.”

Michelle paused at Dian’s polite bow but soon nodded in understanding.

“Prince Dian, welcome to the Magnia Empire.”

“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s kind welcome.”

“This land has its cold winters now and then. I wonder if the Polia Kingdom remains as warm as always.”

“It should be. Though in truth, it’s been some time since I left the kingdom.”

“Oh, I see. My apologies for asking something unnecessary.”

“There’s no need to apologize. In fact, I enjoy being abroad like this. Haha.”

“Ah, is that so? Regardless, I’ve been hearing occasional news about the Polia Kingdom. I hear things are changing quite a bit.”

“Indeed, ever since Brother Ian ascended the throne, the kingdom has transformed dramatically.”

“I’m glad to hear it’s changing for the better.”

“Yes, it truly is a relief. His rise to the throne may well be a blessing bestowed upon the Polia Kingdom.”

Dian’s words were sincere. Of course, they were also meant to deliberately praise King Ian. Hearing this, Michelle’s expression took on a subtle, complex emotion. Meanwhile, Emperor Jedic, observing all this, seemed satisfied and said:

“There are many more people to greet. Let’s move on.”

“Oh, shall we? Prince Dian, I hope to see you again.”

“As long as I’m here, I’ll make time anytime.”

With that, the Emperor and Empress turned toward another delegation, where they began exchanging greetings with the envoys from a different kingdom. As Prince Dian watched them go, he thought to himself that his job here was now done.

And so, the coronation of the new Emperor of the Magnia Empire concluded without issue. But it wasn’t entirely over—there were still deeper discussions to be had with the delegations from other empires present.

September 25th

“The Doicheun Imperial Army, deployed along the Leman Federation’s border, has begun withdrawing once again.”

“Given that this occurred after the new Emperor of the Magnia Empire took the throne, some speculate that the Empire played a major role in this development.”

“Has the sleeping giant finally begun to move?! Could the Doicheun Empire be afraid?”

“There are reports that both the Moria and Noma Empires have also withdrawn forces they had stationed near the border with the Doicheun Empire.”

“With global tensions easing again, let’s hope this peace continues…”

“So the movements of the Doicheun Empire have halted thanks to the Magnia Empire’s intervention.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. This has greatly reduced the risk of conflict.”

“But I wonder if this is truly a good sign.”

“Pardon?”

Marquis Norwen, the Chancellor, looked puzzled. Seeing that expression, Ian shook his head.

‘No one yet understands the horrors of trench warfare. Even if they know a little, they have no idea how overwhelming the scale really is.’

To be honest, part of Ian had wished this would erupt into a world war. That might sound psychopathic, but since war was inevitable anyway, he thought it better for it to happen now, when the scale could be contained, and when it could benefit him.

‘It’s cruel, but if war is coming anyway, it’s better to reap the greatest benefit from it.’

“More importantly, Your Majesty, should we continue stockpiling military supplies? I hear they’re just piling up in warehouses.”

“Eventually, they’ll be used. Isn’t that reason enough to keep storing them?”

“Even so, it seems we’re producing far too much and just letting it sit.”

“Chancellor, do you think what I’m doing is wasteful?”

“No, not at all. I just worry that if we keep hoarding like this, we might run into trouble down the road.”

“So you do think it’s wasteful.”

“My apologies. I only meant to question whether there’s a need to produce so much. With no war on the horizon, I don’t see the necessity.”

Indeed, producing military supplies without an active war did seem odd. Most of all, it was the bullets—over 100 million rounds had already been ordered.

It was an astronomical quantity, and the arms factories were thrilled, producing non-stop. With no delivery deadline set, the factories simply continued manufacturing and stockpiling while happily receiving state funding.

“Do you believe our kingdom won’t face war again?”

“In my opinion, just like our previous war with the Doicheun Empire, I doubt we’ll see another large-scale conflict anytime soon.”

“I think so too.”

“Pardon? You agree, Your Majesty?”

“Our kingdom has already fought two wars. Most nations that endure that kind of conflict don’t enter another war for at least ten years.”

“Then why have you issued such orders?”

“It’s not about us.”

“If not us… surely, you mean the empires?”

“You heard it yourself. The Doicheun Empire deployed forces to take over the Leman Federation.”

“But they’ve already withdrawn because of the Magnia Empire.”

“Do you really think they’ll back down so easily? Especially when they’ve been backed into a corner, and their national power is at its peak?”

At Ian’s words, Chancellor Norwen instinctively swallowed hard. Listening to the king, it became clear that he didn’t believe the Doicheun Empire would retreat so easily. A vision of millions of soldiers (as generously estimated) clashing in a war between empires flashed through his mind. But he quickly shook his head.

“In a balanced state like this, no empire would dare start a war. The moment anyone makes a move, they’ll end up facing three empires at once.”

“Wars often break out from sudden, unexpected events. At some point, something will spark tension, and even knowing it’s reckless, someone will act.”

“Is that truly how it works?”

“That’s what I believe. War is inevitable. Our job is to reap immense profit from neutrality when it comes.”

“Ah, that’s why you’ve been ordering the production of military supplies all this time.”

“Correct.”

Seeing Ian’s confident expression, Chancellor Norwen felt a strange sense of reassurance. At the same time, it reaffirmed that this was the same man who had silently endured in the shadows, only to seize the throne with determination.

“But when do you think that time will come?”

“Well, I’m not sure yet. Perhaps in a few years?”

Hearing Ian’s reply, the Chancellor felt it was too soon. But world events had a way of unfolding suddenly. Often, things happened far earlier than expected.

This year, temperatures in the central-southern region of the continent rose abnormally high. The area already had a desert climate and low agricultural output, but now crop yields had dropped even further.

For the Moria Empire—already struggling with a low food self-sufficiency rate relative to its population—this was a serious problem. As a result, more and more fishing fleets were dispatched across the globe to sweep up marine resources.

Even their past conflict with the Polia Kingdom stemmed from this issue. They began to dominate the seas near many kingdoms, taking as much marine life as they could. Numerous nations pleaded for help repelling the Moria Empire’s fleets.

The Emperor of the Moria Empire offered no response. As long as his own people were fed, nothing else mattered. They were importing various types of food from around the world.

Not only from their colonies and the Magnia Empire, but even from the very kingdoms whose waters they had raided. It was shameless, yet their behavior remained unchanged.

Still, the food crisis showed no sign of improvement. Official records listed the Moria Empire’s population at 230 million. In truth, it might be even higher. How much food would it take to feed such a population?

They needed more than what most kingdoms combined could produce. So, they had to procure even more by any means.

Southeastern waters of the Doicheun Empire.

The sea between the Doicheun Empire and the Polia Kingdom was rich in marine resources. Schools of fish constantly passed through this corridor, and both Doicheun and Polia fishing fleets operated here.

For years, they respected each other’s zones and fished peacefully. There had been conflicts in the past, but now a degree of order and rules existed.

Even after the war ended, both sides continued fishing in their respective areas without major incidents. That changed when unexpected intruders arrived—fishing vessels flying no flags, belonging to the Moria Empire.

More than a hundred ships appeared, an enormous fleet. They began scooping up marine life in vast quantities. This activity was quickly witnessed by the fishing vessels of both the Polia Kingdom and the Doicheun Empire.

Startled and enraged by these unmarked ships, the local fishermen approached to confront them. But faced with the aggressive stance of the Moria fleet, they had no choice but to back off.

Though reports were filed, the Moria fleet had already fled with their catch. Having witnessed Polia’s past military response, the Moria Empire had acted swiftly—catching only what they could in a short time and escaping the area.

This continued for over a month. Then, one night in November, a patrol ship from the Doicheun Empire spotted a group of Moria fishing boats sneaking in. In the darkness, the patrol ship lit up the area with searchlights and issued a warning broadcast.

[This is the maritime territory of the Doicheun Empire. All illegally intruding vessels must shut down engines and await inspection immediately. This is your final warning. Any attempt to flee will be met with fire. No escape will be tolerated under any circumstances!]

The Doicheun Navy patrol ship gave a stern warning. Flustered, the Moria Empire’s fishing boats scattered in all directions. Despite repeated warnings, they ignored the orders and fled—prompting the patrol ship to open fire.

Boom! Boom boom! Boom! Ratatatat-Bang bang—!

70mm naval cannons and mounted machine guns fired relentlessly, punching holes into the hulls of the fleeing Moria vessels. Fishermen screamed and collapsed in pools of blood.

The patrol ship managed to sink or damage more than 50 ships. Of course, many escaped by scattering in all directions, making pursuit difficult. When news of this reached the Moria Empire, outrage exploded.

The fact that 50 vessels were attacked by a Doicheun patrol ship meant that hundreds of their citizens had been massacred. Furious, the Moria Empire summoned the Doicheun ambassador and demanded an explanation. But the ambassador’s response was firm and unapologetic.

It resembled the arrogant behavior of the Moria ambassador who once visited the Polia Royal Palace.

“We simply dealt with unidentified vessels that had illegally trespassed. Are you saying the Moria Empire deliberately sent its ships into our waters without authorization?”

Faced with such assertiveness, they had no rebuttal. But the rage within them only grew. Their ships destroyed, their people killed—and more than that, the helplessness of having no response to offer—that was the true source of their fury.