Episode 202 Abyss Crusade – Preparation for war (3)
Germanburg, the capital of the Germanian Empire.
“Oh, that person is the Saint Queen of Francia….”
“Proof of a living god….”
“They say that inside those pure white robes, there is a beauty that seems not to be a human being….”
“I am the late Emperor’s Majesty. “I was blessed by him at the funeral!”
Eris heard whispering on the side of the road and suppressed the urge to fan her burning face.
Attending the late emperor’s funeral and giving a blessing was an act partly out of sincere condolences for the half-sister’s husband and partly with political intent to alleviate some of the hostility between the French and Germanian empires.
However, no matter what, it is not easy to maintain a calm and graceful step like royalty when hearing such noises openly in the capital of the Germanian Empire, which was an enemy country.
Thanks to my natural weakness to sunlight, it was natural for me to wear a robe hood and a veil, so if it weren’t for that, I would have had to work hard to control my facial expressions.
Eris was internally relieved, and after walking through the prosperous city streets of Germanburg, she came face to face with her half-sister and her son, whom she had not seen in a long time.
“Long time no see, Your Majesty, Emperor of the Germanic Empire. And Her Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
“On behalf of the Germanic Empire, I welcome you, Queen of Francia.”
The emperor, who had just come of age, still looked at Cecilia without erasing the youthful appearance of a boy emperor. Cecilia stiffened her mouth slightly at the emperor’s behavior, but soon smiled naturally and said,
“Nice to meet you, Queen of Francia. I don’t know if you had any inconveniences during your trip. … Long time no see.”
* * *
A reception room for a private dinner after the banquet to welcome the delegation is over.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Eris spoke calmly while looking at Cecilia, who looked quite tired at first glance. Cecilia looked at Eris for a moment, then tilted her head and smiled lightly.
“thank you.”
Eris glanced at the maid who prepared the tea, bowed her head and walked out of the parlor, then looked at Cecilia as she quenched her thirst with warm tea.
Cecilia, who would have been described as a beautiful and elegant woman when we first met her, had now changed into that of a virtuous mother.
The deep fatigue on her face must have been due to the fact that she had to take care of all kinds of guests due to the emperor, who had just gone home saying he was not feeling well.
However, the fine wrinkles that even makeup could not completely erase now clearly revealed that the years she had spent after the Emperor’s death had not been so smooth.
“I am afraid that His Majesty the Emperor is not in good health. … If you allow me, may I take a look at you?”
Cecilia laughed, shook her head, and asked.
“Do you still consider me your half-sister?”
“…If Her Majesty the Empress is not displeased.”
As Eris answered cautiously, Cecilia twitched the corners of her mouth and spoke.
“That child’s illness cannot be cured by divine power – copy. “Because it is a mental illness called weakness.”
After saying that, Cecilia raised her hand and pressed her eyelids and added.
“I raised my child wrong. “I wanted to be a great emperor, different from my husband, but it seems that I went too far and it didn’t work out.”
Eris was silent.
The emperor was a minor when he used his throne to conduct transactions with Krafte.
However, at the same time, he was at an age where he could discern between interests and interests and exert political influence.
At the time of Krafte’s intervention, the Emperor’s age was the same as when Eris first met Pierre de Lafayette, Marquis of Lafayette.
Nevertheless, the fact that Cecilia, as Kaiserin at the time, was able to make a deal with the throne at stake means that she did not have that much influence as a crown prince.
Cecilia smiled at Eris.
“I’m okay if you don’t look at me that way. Becoming the empress did not mean that I was pushed into the back room, but I still hold almost all of the power of the empire that I love so much. “Sometimes, I don’t get bored with the pleasure of taking care of idiots who want to manipulate my son, throw me out, and control the empire as they please.”
Eris laughed awkwardly after hearing her half-sisters’ words.
“It’s definitely not my place to worry. “I don’t think there’s any need for that.”
Cecilia also smiled, savored the tea, and put it down.
“Okay, I don’t have a problem. … Probably as long as I live.”
But people cannot live forever.
Eris was silent as she looked at the traces of time on Cecilia’s face, and Cecilia smiled and changed her tone.
“This is my main strategy as I get older. In front of the person who brought the most important issue. “Then shall we hear some important business?”
Eris nodded quietly and opened her mouth.
“The Kingdom of Revolutionary Francia, along with other countries, plans to declare war on the Abyss Corporation.”
Cecilia paused for a moment and then raised the corner of her mouth.
“Yeah, I see. “I thought so.”
Then he picked up the teacup, savored it again, and then asked.
“But what does that have to do with the Germanian Empire?”
Eris opened her mouth in a calm tone.
“I hope that the Germanian Empire will also help in this war.”
Cecilia asked with a grin.
“To our empire that went to war to take you from the throne?”
Eris also smiled and answered.
“yes. Nevertheless, I am the one who blessed His Majesty the late Emperor.”
Cecilia was silent for a moment.
But as time passed, the words that came out of Cecilia’s mouth became cold.
“I am personally very grateful, Queen of Francia. However, we all do not know that there was political calculation in that noble action, and diplomacy between countries is not achieved solely by the feelings of leaders.”
“I know, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. “What is in front of Your Majesty now is not a people’s saint, but a queen and envoy representing Francia.”
“Then tell us why we should join your war and what we can gain.”
Eris nodded calmly.
“First, Abyss Corporation has enormous assets. “I understand that the Empire has a lot of assets seized from them.”
Cecilia smiled bitterly.
As a result of the Empire’s crushing defeat in the war against Franzia and the debt incurred by the devils, the Abyss Corporation seized many of the Empire’s overseas assets.
As an empire that had no way to withstand the Abyss Corporation’s navy, it could not even dream of getting it back, and instead spent its days busy waging a civil war due to the lords who fell for the devil’s sugarcoat of returning some of the confiscated assets.
Even so, if Cecilia had not protected the throne by suppressing it in time and arranging a peace agreement between Francia and Krafte, her son would have been downgraded to a grand duke rather than an emperor by now.
“Compensation to be received from the Eastern Empire if they win the war against the Abyss Corporation. …or were promised at least 80% of the loot that would be captured from the fall of the Abyss Corporation. Of course, we plan to distribute a significant portion of this to the countries of the central continent who will participate in the war as an allied force.”
Cecilia asked with a slight smile.
“Of course, the distribution will be based on contribution to the war?”
Eris also naturally smiled and answered.
“Of course, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. “The seized assets of the Empire already belong to the Abyss Corporation, so if the Empire does not participate in the war, who can say anything even if we take care of them?”
Cecilia let out a laugh.
“Where did the good saint who didn’t know anything about the world go?”
Eris chuckled.
“I didn’t do anything wrong, but after getting hit by a few wars, I came to my senses.”
Cecilia raised her hand to her forehead, looking like she had been stabbed in a painful spot, and then sighed softly.
“Yes, it’s all good, but isn’t this only possible if you win in the end? The odds of winning are… not impossible. “The people at Franzia are competent, so they probably proceed because they think they can win to some extent.”
Cecilia was silent for a moment and then opened her mouth again.
“But those demons are strong, and war comes with sacrifices. … I know this is not what I would say, having started the last war, but the people of the empire will not want to make greater sacrifices.”
Eris nodded calmly.
“I know it well, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. … Francia also fought a long war and the people are exhausted. But still, if we don’t fight now, they will one day become an even bigger disaster and hit the Central Continent. “In times like these, only when many countries join forces can we further reduce sacrifices.”
Cecilia just touched the teacup with her fingers and did not reply.
Eris still did not give in.
“You’ve probably heard of drones. The empire denied it, but I know very well that it was only denied for political reasons or because of the devil’s lobby. There are now far more drones fighting in the Eastern Empire than there were in Iberica. “If the Eastern Empire falls like this, is there any guarantee that their waves won’t hit the central continent?”
“…is it so. Your concerns are correct. But at the same time, it’s just a possibility. To put it bluntly, the interior of the empire is still a mess. “I fought hard to protect the throne, but that’s just it. The feudal lords still view the empire with suspicion, and it’s too much for me just to protect His Majesty from them.”
Cecilia laughed self-deprecatingly.
“So, in this situation, I cannot put an already unstable empire in further danger. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to focus on building the empire and hope that Francia and the Allies achieve victory.”
Eris glanced at Cecilia and asked.
“And if possible, do you want other countries, including Francia, to lose as much national power in the war against demons while the empire recovers from the wounds of the last war?”
“…I’m sure from now on you won’t have to go anywhere and hear me talk about a childish saint.”
Eris smiled softly after hearing Cecilia’s answer, and Cecilia frowned as she looked at Eris.
“In that case, I especially recommend that you participate in the war, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.”
“…Have you listened to everything I’ve said so far?”
Eris opened her mouth with a smile on her face.
“Are you still having trouble because of our uncomfortable relationship with the Holy Church?”
“….”
Cecilia closed her mouth.
The Germanian Empire started a war, threatening to take the throne from a saint whose legitimacy was recognized by the Holy Church.
At that time, it was a war she would win anyway, and she could not give up the throne of Francia to please the Holy Church, but when she suffered a crushing defeat in the war she started, the empire suffered great chaos as its internal unity and even the support of religious people were shaken.
In fact, the fact that he was able to protect his throne this time was almost unreasonable because three of the seven electors in the empire were priests who received orders from the Pope.
The Kingdom of Krafte, which should have received the support of the anti-imperialist faction, sold votes to end the war, which was a crushing defeat, and Cecilia protected the other electors by subduing them by force.
However, Cecilia herself knew that there could be problems with the power of the emperor who ascended to the throne in that way, and the Pope did not yet bless her son as the rightful emperor under the excuse that he was the emperor who ascended to the throne by force.
This does not mean that the secular authority of the emperor disappears, but devout believers within the empire use this to criticize the emperor’s legitimacy, so the power of the emperor, who is already weak, is further weakened.
After all, the Queen of Francia, a traditional rival, is a saintly queen who is revered by everyone, so comparisons cannot be made.
“As a saint recognized by the Pope, I will arrange for reconciliation between the Empire and the Church, as well as the blessing of His Majesty’s enthronement.”
“under.”
Cecilia eventually burst out laughing.
Even so, she was quite skeptical about whether her untrustworthy son would be able to protect the empire if she died or lost power.
“You came with an offer that you had no choice but to accept.”
Eris smiled and answered.
“There are many competent people in the government. “Thanks to you, I learned a lot.”
Cecilia just sighed.
They are capable people.
It is probably no coincidence that she brings to mind the Archduke whom she sent into battle, who did his best but ultimately died quietly after being defeated.
As Cecilia was feeling bitter, Eris struck a chord.
“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. “One day, the day will come when His Majesty the Emperor will stand alone. If the old resentment between the two countries is not resolved before then, there is no guarantee that the same thing will not happen again someday.”
Eris said that’s all.
?But even then, Her Majesty the Empress will not be able to protect the empire.
Nevertheless, the words, whether Eris’s or Cecilia’s own, clearly rang in my heart.
Eventually, Cecilia slowly closed her eyes.
“…I will ask His Majesty the Emperor to convene an Imperial War Council.”
Eris answered.
“Blessings to everyone in the Revolutionary Kingdom of Francia and the Empire of Germania.”
