Chapter 197

Translator: Willia

People don’t change. You can’t fix people. One often hears such things. But is that really true?

The person I was as a child is different from the person I am now, so how can I be sure my future self will be the same as I am today?

If people do change, what is it that changes them? And if someone has changed, is it growth or corruption?

Even by looking back on oneself, one can only make out the answer vaguely. Nothing is certain, because it is difficult for anyone to judge themselves harshly.

Either Ricardt or Marie always had to remain in the kingdom. Lately, though harried by a busy schedule at the royal castle, Ricardt would occasionally sink into contemplation.

In his previous life, he had lived as little more than a machine. In this life, he had often thought deeply as a child, but lately that no longer seemed to be the case.

That was because, as a child, he had all sorts of questions about the world.

Had those questions been answered now? When he asked himself that, the answer did not seem to be yes. More precisely, perhaps he had arrived at answers of his own and was forging his own path.

Though one might have suffered tragedy in the past, what could be more rewarding than working diligently in the present to create a hopeful future?

It was not that the past was unimportant, and looking back held ample value, but one must not remain bound by it. That was what Ricardt believed.

At first, however, he had created the Master Alliance to protect Stormhertz, his family, and the respective organizations of his friends.

But as he built it, he began to think it would be good if others could receive the same kind of help.

That was how the undertaking had grown ever larger. Moreover, because it was his first time attempting such a thing, even the brilliant Ricardt could not foresee everything and plan for it all.

Then, at last, something happened.

“They appear to have formed a tight cordon at a distance and gradually drawn it inward. They are not attacking rashly, and they have established numerous temporary outposts along the way, refusing to allow even an attempt to break through the encirclement. The Fifth Prince may be the attacker, but in practice, the Alliance is the one forced to attack, which makes the predicament twice as difficult. Her Majesty intends to abandon the headquarters and make a last stand at Stormhertz Castle with your father.”

Paolo delivered the report. With somewhat more freedom of movement than Marie, he had fortunately been away from headquarters for a short while when the crisis began, allowing him to race straight to Ricardt and report it.

Ricardt listened from a stone throne steeped in long history. A sword hung at his waist, the Iron Crown rested on his head, and he sat slightly askew.

Outwardly, he showed little agitation, but inwardly, his heart sank.

Unlike most people, however, Ricardt was the sort who kept a cool head and thought faster than usual in a crisis, even as his heart pounded.

His body instinctively understood that cool judgment, not an emotional response, was what improved his chances of escaping a crisis.

“What of the other members of the Council of Six?”

“Bori and Ice are with her. Volka, Karllich, and the Benzinen men from Esck are conducting sabotage behind the enemy lines, but it is uncertain how much effect they will have.”

Sabotage was a collective term for disruptive operations. It encompassed every form of interference, including cutting supply lines, throwing the rear into disorder, spreading false information, inciting unrest against the target group, destruction, subversion, and the creation of chaos.

The Master Alliance was not an organization that fielded armies, so that was the best it could do. It could not confront the enemy in the open field.

The Fifth Prince had been clever. He seemed to understand that limitation perfectly and was slowly tightening the cordon.

“......”

Even after hearing such a shocking report, Ricardt seemed to be thinking calmly. At least, that was how it looked to Paolo.

Paolo found himself admiring Ricardt once again. He had expected him to fly into a rage, but he did not.

Though his homeland and wife were in danger, Ricardt first tried to discern the Fifth Prince’s intentions. Why was he targeting Marie and Stormhertz now?

Was he truly trying to eliminate Marie? That would make Ricardt his mortal enemy, with little to gain in return. Breaking up the Master Alliance would hardly profit him greatly either. Wouldn’t attacking the Alliance without good reason merely benefit his archrival, the Second Prince?

“What if we request aid from the Second Prince? If he attacks their flank while the Fifth Prince assaults Stormhertz, he should be able to gain a considerable advantage.”

“No. The Fifth Prince has already coordinated with the Second Prince.”

“......Are you certain?”

“In politics and diplomacy, enemies can become allies and allies can become enemies in an instant. If a third, common enemy has appeared, they can form a temporary alliance readily enough. Marie must have been an obstacle to them both, and since she has provoked many nobles, they will consider that ample justification.”

“Then we have no choice but to raise troops as well. Issue the call to arms now and lead the Royal Knight Order there first. I will defend the royal castle.”

Ricardt gave Paolo’s words serious thought, then shook his head again. Paolo was wise and adept at devising unusual schemes, but his insight into military strategy could not compare to Ricardt’s.

“No. I’m not moving. My departure is probably what the Fifth Prince wants.”

“What? What do you mean?”

With Marie and Stormhertz in immediate peril, Paolo could not quickly grasp why Ricardt was looking at the matter from an entirely different angle.

“The Fifth Prince must have reached an agreement with the Second Prince. What did they agree upon? In my view, it was to strip Marie of her current position. I would assume the chairmanship again, while Marie stepped down and returned to the royal castle. The greatest threat to those two is not my military strength, but the very existence of someone with the right to inherit the throne. They will probably offer to recognize the Alliance officially if I become chairman again. But then, would it be any different from the Adventurers’ Guild that once served under the emperor? We would become their puppets. As you know, Paolo, Marie has resolved to become emperor, and I have agreed to it. If my judgment is correct and the Fifth Prince makes such an offer, accepting it would thwart our objective.”

Even the clever Paolo could only half understand what Ricardt meant.

Put simply, the Fifth Prince was proposing a deal, or perhaps issuing a threat: Ricardt could go on playing at his little Alliance, but Marie was to remain in the women’s quarters.

That was Ricardt’s reading of the present situation. If his interpretation was wrong, they were in grave danger.

“And one more thing. As you know, the Master Alliance was founded on the principle that even if it struggled in the open field, it would be able to hold out in a siege without fail, whatever happened. If Adeloron’s army must deploy whenever something like this occurs, what reason does the Alliance have to exist? I believe Marie and my friends understand that. Marie is certainly rash, but this was something we would have had to face sooner or later. The difference between the time before the Alliance was founded and now is that our preparations are in place. I intend to stake my hopes on that.”

“......”

Put favorably, it was extraordinary nerve. Put unfavorably, it looked like reckless bravado at a time when he could ill afford it. This went beyond intellect or intelligence. It was, quite literally, the quality of a hero.

Even if someone else could think as Ricardt did, they would never be able to act as he did.

“You said the Viola Clan and the Benzinen men were conducting sabotage, did you not? Then the Fifth Prince cannot commit too many men to the siege. If he overextends himself, he will only present the Second Prince with an opportunity. He would be repeating the same mistake that led to his previous defeat by the Second Prince. They may have joined hands for the moment, but if the Fifth Prince exposes an opening, how long do you think the Second Prince will restrain himself?”

“......But what if Your Majesty’s judgment about all of this is wrong?”

“Whether swordsman or merchant, is it not those with a gambler’s streak who achieve great success? Yet merchants like you do not wager their lives. I am a swordsman, a knight, and a king. My family is important, but if I intended to care only for my family, I would never have stopped being a shepherd in the first place. Looking at the whole, I believe this judgment is correct.”

As he spoke with Paolo, Ricardt seemed to grow ever firmer in his resolve. And in fact, he neither mustered his forces nor took any other measures.

Two days later, an envoy actually arrived from the Fifth Prince.

Seated upon Adeloron’s sacred throne, fashioned in an age beyond memory, Ricardt received him calmly. Raimund and the other retainers, however, glared at the envoy as though they might kill him at any moment.

The envoy’s eyes darted this way and that, then he swallowed hard and steeled himself.

“I present myself before the king of Adeloron. I am Harbich, the twenty-fourth imperial prince. I have come to convey the wishes of Prince Bellator and hear Your Majesty’s response.”

As the twenty-fourth, he stood higher in the order of succession than Marie, who was the thirty-second. Yet unless one was a child of the empress, one possessed almost no claim to the throne, so the difference meant little.

The sole exception was that when the world fell into chaos, one could seize the throne by force. That was the difference between Marie and Harbich: whether one possessed power or not.

“Given the circumstances, I cannot welcome you. But since you have come as an envoy, I shall guarantee your safety. State your business freely.”

Harbich had been tense, but Ricardt’s unexpected calm instead left him bewildered. It was entirely different from the reaction he had anticipated.

Thanks to that, some of his tension eased. Harbich cleared his throat and spoke.

“Ahem, hmm. Prince Bellator asked me to convey that since his sister, Queen Martellia, is with child, perhaps she ought to remain in the royal castle. From time immemorial, it has been the universal practice throughout the Empire for men to tend to affairs outside the home and women to those within it. He said that if Your Majesty undertook the work of upholding justice while Her Majesty tended to the kingdom, all within and without would be in harmony.”

At Harbich’s words, Paolo, standing closest to Ricardt, opened his eyes wide. Ricardt had seen through the Fifth Prince’s intentions exactly.

Hearing it directly from the envoy’s lips made Ricardt’s earlier words sound almost like a prophecy.

Once the envoy had confirmed it, Ricardt felt an enormous burden lift from his heart and smiled with satisfaction.

“There is certainly some sense to that. I shall consider it. Take your time and rest while you are here, Prince. You shall have a favorable answer before long, so put your mind at ease and eat, drink, and rest.”

Ricardt concealed his thoughts and spoke with the smooth cunning of an old snake. His tone also grew courteous, showing the prince due respect.

He did not truly believe the proposal had any merit, nor was he sincere when he said he would consider it or provide a favorable answer soon.

What Ricardt wanted now was to detain the envoy for as long as possible and draw matters out. The Alliance could not confront the army head-on and defeat it, but it could weaken the army more and more as time passed.

Knowing none of this, the envoy beamed and said,

“Thank you, Your Majesty. You truly seem worthy of your reputation as the greatest hero in the Empire.”

“I am not fond of flattery, but praise from the lips of an imperial prince delights me beyond measure. My queen belongs to the imperial family, and so do you. When one considers it, are we not all family?”

“Indeed we are.”

A little soothing talk was enough to have the envoy grinning, to the point that he forgot the Fifth Prince’s order to return with Ricardt’s answer as quickly as possible.

Watching from the side, Paolo felt that Ricardt hardly seemed to need much help from him anymore, except in matters of commerce.

By now, Ricardt truly was a seasoned king in every respect, whether in politics or diplomacy.

Did he not seem to hold the two imperial princes and the great nobles in the palm of his hand and toy with them? Paolo found it difficult to believe that Ricardt was still growing.

He was certain there had never before been a king so accomplished in every respect, and that there never would be again.

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