While I was waiting in the entrance hall, looking at the portraits of the successive generations of Duke Lanct(They are a very rich and beautiful family for generations which made me wonder why the latest generation became the princess knight), a duke with soft blond hair and clear blue eyes came in.
The duke, a handsome man with a beautiful face, well-proportioned and slender features, and rich beard, is so well defined that its hard to be jealous of him. He immediately came before me and kneeled.
Silesies He..no, King General! You dont need to personally come here. If you ask for me, I will answer your summon.
The person kneeling is wearing a high-quality silk robe and has a graceful atmosphere. That surprised me, so I wasnt able to stop him from kneeling.
No, no, Duke Emehart doesnt need to do that.
I am but a mere vassal of His Excellency the King General. It is normal for a subject to do this.
I thought Kato-san should be responding normally but when I saw him, he was also kneeling.
Well, I guess I should deal with it like the monarch I am.
His response is completely different from our previous meeting that Im surprised.
I even feel refreshed by the quick change of Duke Lanct. Of course, he has to do this since this is the only way he can maintain a rich duchy sandwiched between the empire and the kingdom.
Or maybe its the fact that he bows his head that they are free. This man is much stronger than the intuitive Eleonora.
The way Duke Emehart behaved himself after the defeat of the Germania Empire was so skillful that I would like to follow his example.
After rejecting the request for financial support from the empire, which had outlived its usefulness, he led the Dukes Alliance to separate from the empire and immediately came under the protection of the Kingdom of Silesie.
Once it became a protectorate, it was no longer in danger of being attacked by either the Kingdom of Roland, a friend of Silesie, or the Duchy of Transylvania, and it could resume its trading operation at Tsurube river which is its lifeline.
Only the area under the rule of Duke Emehart was the first to be able to restore security in the former empire, which was devastated by the double punch of lack of supplies during the war and the lack of currency after the war.
This will make me hard to speak with you so could you please talk to me normally?
If your excellency wants to do so, please forgive my impertinence.
He finally stood up.
Anyway, I explained to the duke that I had something to discuss with him. He also finally noticed that Im with the iron wall Herman of the empire.
We were ushered into a gorgeous marble audience hall with an opulent, exotic carpet.
Of course, they asked me to sit on the top seat. The meeting itself went smoothly although it was hard to talk when the place was so formal.
We send several messengers to the Kendou Dyson, who is calling himself the new emperor after uniting the rebels in the imperial capital but they were all cut down and killed. Since they are enemies anyway, the Dukes Alliance is willing to cooperate in the rescue of the old emperor and the imperial granddaughter.
Ehto, Emperor Fistnut*?
TN: Wordplay of the name of the emperor wannabe.
Duke Emehard laughed as if he had to start from there.
Emperor Fistnut is a joke title but.in the imperial capital, there are slaves who are traditionally called fistmen. I dont like it because of its barbaric custom but the people of the imperial capital like to have their slaves fight in a fistfight (boxing) at the colosseum.
I see. They are still practicing the ancient roman gladiatorial pastime these days.
I think its better to have them fight with fist than to kill each other with swords but they are slaves. It would probably turn into a death game when things get exciting anyway.
A fist fighter is a slave who is used to beat each other up. Dyson, who claims to have received concession from the old emperor after capturing him, calls himself an emperor who has risen from a fist.
They are doomed.
History has taught us that even in ancient Rome, there were gladiator rebellions but they were suppressed because gladiators couldnt become kings.
This is the age when a gladiator slave can become an emperor. Its not a matter of subversion. This is basically the end of the country.
At the end of the Battle of Silesie, they created a unit of criminals released from prison and fistmen who had been slaves to be used in defense of the thinly secured empire but that was the beginning of a mistake.
I see, thats a common story. I can already see what happened after that. I guess the criminals and fistmen revolted.
Thats right, Duke Emehart said as he nodded.
It is said that the citizens, slaves, and criminals rose up. In addition, there are the peasant rebels from the provinces. They succeeded in overthrowing the regular army of the imperial capital which is now in a state of disorder.
And the remnants of the imperial army, which must also contend with the coalition of the three kingdoms or Rastor, Trania, and Gartland, which have defected from the empire, and the Kingdom of Roland in the south, which is attacking to recover its former territory, no longer has the strength left to suppress the rebellion that is frequently occurring in the country.
The former imperial forces, which have pulled back from the imperial capital, are said to have retreated to the Fortress City of Damburg, northwest of the imperial capital. They are aiming for a comeback.