Episode 89 Directory Government – Conclusion
Lumière, capital of Francia.
Louis D’Aquitaine, now 13 years old, visited the Aquitaine mansion in the capital for the first time in a long time during winter vacation.
Christine, who had sent Lewis to the Magic Kingdom shortly after waking up from the attack by the radicals, had come out in front of the mansion and was waiting for him.
“It’s been a while, sister.”
“Welcome, Louis. “Thank you for your hard work studying.”
My sister, whom I had not seen in a long time, smiled brightly and came over to me and hugged me.
The scent emanating from his sister and the soft feel of her body embarrassed the boy, who was now entering puberty.
“Nunim.”
“huh?”
Louis said with a bright red face to his sister who responded with a soft smile.
“…You seem to have gained a little weight.”
Christine’s smile cracked.
After a moment of silence, Lewis hurriedly added to his sister, who released her arms and slowly retreated.
“That’s not what I meant!”
“That Pierre. No, the Marquis de Lafayette keeps telling me to be careful about what I eat…”
The sister, who was speaking in an excuse, looked at Louis and asked.
“…Have you gained a lot of weight?”
Lewis opened his mouth a few times.
How much weight does a person gain if he doesn’t eat properly and his fiancé has to take care of it?
Even though my mouth was torn apart, I couldn’t say that I had just said something out of embarrassment when my half-sister’s breast touched my chest.
“Bo, you look better than before.”
“Ok, thanks.”
No matter how he looked at it, Christine seemed to think that her sister was considerate of her and spoke kindly to her, which made cold sweat run down Lewis’s back.
“You left it standing in front of the door too long. “Let’s go in.”
After Christine smiled, she turned away and placed her hand on her forehead.
After being liberated from the life of being seen as an idiot and being educated at the Magic Tower, I gained some confidence and thought a lot about how to show my cool side when I met my sister again.
The reunion with my sister, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, was a complete mess.
* * *
The next day after recovering from fatigue.
As Lewis concentrated his mind, a strong wind blew from his hands.
Lewis, who brought up a wind that was enough to shake the closed window, opened his mouth, wiping away the sweat he had lost while concentrating.
“how is it?”
Lewis, who has achieved this much in just over a year, is recognized as a prodigy even in the magic tower.
In particular, my wind magic talent was recognized, so I was proud to show it…
“You’re cool, Louis.”
Christine answered in a casual tone and put down a pile of documents in front of him.
Unlike Louis, who wanted to become an excellent magician as soon as possible and confidently help his sister, his sister didn’t seem to have much interest in magic.
Or perhaps Lewis’s ability, which was still immature, was not enough for her to see.
Lewis narrowed his brows and looked at the pile of documents Christine had put down.
“I stopped by briefly during winter break. Do I need to see this?”
“Yes, I just summarized it so that you can understand only the important information, so that’s okay, right?”
Louis wondered why he should do something like this since he, who was destined to become a wizard, would not inherit the top of Aquitaine instead of his sister, but since Christine was paying all the expenses for studying abroad, he began to look at the documents without any help.
For a moment, the only sounds were the rustling of paper and the crunching of Christine’s quill.
“Were there any wizards in the Magic Kingdom who wanted to make a contract with the Germanian Empire?”
Lewis answered indifferently to Christine’s question that broke the silence.
“no. The Storm Witch was killed by the Marquis de Lafayette, and the position of the Pragmatists was greatly weakened. In the Magic Tower, the principle that the pursuit of truth takes precedence over things like war has become stronger.”
“Yes, I’m glad.”
Wilhelmina, who was a wise woman and even earned the nickname the Storm Witch, had a completely different result than she intended with her death.
After answering, Lewis tilted his head slightly and then asked his sister.
“Don’t you already know this?”
It’s not like there isn’t an Aquitaine merchant in the Magic Kingdom.
“The more cross-verification of information, the better.”
Louis laughed at the answer that was so Christine-like.
As the son of a traitor, I hated being watched by my vassals, so I didn’t even think about it when I was staying in my sister’s office, but now that I’m living in a foreign country, I might have missed this feeling a little.
Lewis took out the next document and paused at the unusual title.
[Report on the results of Baron Henri’s plan]
I wondered what the plan was, so I opened it and this was what was written inside.
The purpose of the plan was to induce Baron Henry to go bankrupt and secure the textile business.
Level 1. Baron Henry, who needs money to lobby members of the Central Party, places a large-scale order for fabric that is difficult to supply through existing businesses alone, but can be met through loans.
The order is placed through Company C, a satellite merchant ostensibly unrelated to the Aquitaine merchant merchants, and they are shown a nicely decorated business site, offering a generous advance payment and offering a penalty fee to allay doubts.
Step 2. To close the deal, Baron Henri actively borrows money to expand his business and recruit a large workforce. At this time, it is difficult to sufficiently verify qualifications, so spies are planted among producers and managers.
Step 3. They manufactured some substandard products through planted spies, hid them, and when most of the ordered quantity was completed, they paid a penalty and canceled the contract.
Even if he receives a penalty, Baron Henri, who already has accumulated loans, wants to repay the loans by quickly disposing of the overflow at the risk of losing money, so he proposes purchasing cloth on relatively good terms through Company D, another satellite merchant.
Step 4. After receiving the goods from Company D, he discovered the substandard products that had been produced and hidden through spies. He accused Baron Henry of unfair trade and withheld payment.
The business was purchased in exchange for debt forgiveness from Baron Henri, who was bankrupt and could not afford to properly proceed with the trial.
Companies C and D, whose connection to the Aquitaine trading company was revealed, are scheduled to be merged and disposed of after the trial. A separate satellite trading company needs to be established for use in future plans.
Lewis swallowed his saliva as he saw the progress of the plan, which was described dryly as if it were nothing special, but was so thorough that it even felt malicious.
“…sister?”
“huh? “Speak up, Louis.”
“What on earth did this man, Baron Henry, commit to end up like this?…”
“Ah, that man.”
Christine slightly tilted her head and answered casually.
“Because they were collateral royals, they were aiming for the throne and were interfering with the plans of the Marquis de Lafayette.”
“….”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to secure a textile business as well?”
If it were for the Marquis de Lafayette, would he do something like this without even blinking an eye?
Lewis looked at his sister, who was at a loss for words and went back to working on her paperwork.
It was Louis who hoped that his sister would get along well with the Marquis de Lafayette, as it seemed like she could not die at all.
Even so, isn’t this a problem in a slightly different sense?
“Hmm, anyway, isn’t this too much?…”
“Isn’t it just to economically attack the enemy’s weaknesses?”
“No, I wouldn’t say that, but…”
“I sufficiently reward the dedication of the top employees. Baron Henri’s business, which he recently purchased, is also satisfied with much better treatment than before. “That’s the justice a merchant needs, Lewis.”
“Hmm, I don’t think what you said is wrong…”
After thinking about it, Lewis smiled bitterly.
“I don’t think I can do it like you.”
“then? Assuming you are running the upper level….”
“You are saying such scary things that I feel like my vassals will stab me to death just by hearing them.”
Christine laughed and asked again.
“After all, it’s a family. “If that happens, what do you want to do?”
Lewis hesitated a bit and then answered.
“It’s better to spend the money you earn well…”
“Isn’t the Aquitaine merchant merchant the one that does the most charity work in Francia?”
“That’s right.”
Christine smiled and said to Lewis, who smiled awkwardly.
“It’s a top income earned like a devil, so it might not be a bad idea to spend it like an angel. It’s okay to take your time and think about it. “There is still a lot of time anyway.”
Lewis was at a loss for words, so he stopped talking.
“…So, aren’t you marrying the Marquis de Lafayette?”
Lewis is not a fool either, so he knows that getting married to Christine may be worse for his situation.
But that’s his situation, and his sister, the Marquis de Lafayette, is engaged, and it’s strange that there hasn’t been any news even though their wedding date has already arrived.
“Yeah, not yet.”
In fact, Christine answered in a strange manner, so Lewis glanced at his sister, who could not tell what she was thinking at any time, and then lowered his gaze back to the documents.
I’m sure you’re not really thinking about handing over the top to him, right?
Lewis shook his head vigorously as the delusion briefly occurred to him.
Crazy, crazy.
The Aquitaine upper class is not a small local upper class, and if my sister tried to do something like that, let alone the vassals, the husband-to-be would cut off Louise’s head.
Lewis glared at the document vaguely.
These are all random thoughts that come from his sister, who doesn’t even know how fast he is, and who is needlessly thrusting upon him secrets and reports from the top of Aquitaine.
“you?”
“yes?”
In the middle of his mind, Christine suddenly asked, and Lewis answered in a foolish voice.
“I was curious because there was no mention of someone you were dating in your letter. “Aren’t you at an age where you’ll be very interested?”
“…Take care of yourself, Sister! “What are you going to do if you just get engaged and feel at ease, and the Marquis de Lafayette turns his attention to you?”
Christine let out a small laugh as her 13-year-old sister responded with a bright smile.
* * *
The 9th peak of the Alps Kingdom.
A conference room where delegations from both countries gathered.
After nearly a month of tug-of-war, the Foreign Minister of the Germanian Empire was reading a statement based on their conclusion.
“I reveal the results of the final negotiations with the delegation of the Kingdom of Francia on behalf of His Majesty the Great Kaiser Otto of the Germanic Empire.
First, the Franconian Republic adhered to the unreasonable and unreasonable demand that the king be elected by the votes of the common people, and virtually rejected the demand to limit the right to election to the qualified class by continuously avoiding answers.
Second, because many of Francia’s legitimate nobles were sacrificed, the proposal to involve legitimate and authoritative foreign nobles in the selection process was also effectively rejected by continuously avoiding answers.
Third, the Franzian National Assembly, an illegal puppet regime that ousted the legitimate owner of the kingdom, denied even the rights that should have been given to the legitimate owner of the kingdom and responded extremely passively to adjustments.
Therefore, this delegation judged that the Franzian National Assembly intended to continue ruling Franzia through a puppet regime by installing Her Majesty the Third Princess as a puppet, and that the Franzian delegation had no intention of fundamentally resolving the issue of succession to the throne.
Hereby, we declare that the negotiations between the two sides to resolve the issue of succession to the Franzian throne have finally collapsed.
“Non-diplomatic means may inevitably be used to resolve this issue, but we make it clear that this is the responsibility of the puppet government of the Franzian National Assembly.”
After a moment of silence, three rounds of applause rang out in the conference room.
Talleyrand, the person who made that sound, leisurely took a sip of the black tea in front of him and swallowed it slowly before opening his mouth.
“First, the French government established by the people has the legitimate right to decide how to elect the king, and for foreign countries to impose unreasonable demands is nothing more than interference in internal affairs.
Second, the demand to allow foreign nobles to vote in electing their own king is an unfair demand to establish a puppet government by accepting a foreign invasion of sovereignty.
Third, Her Royal Highness Princess Esiliste Liliane de Francia, the rightful successor to the Frangian throne and recognized as a saint by the Holy Church, recognized the king’s rights and responsibilities granted by the National Assembly, but the Germanian Empire’s claim to unilaterally deny these is justified. There is no
In this way, it is the natural duty of the National Assembly, which represents the will of the Franzian people, to reject the unfair demands of the Germanian Empire, and it is clear that it is the Germanian Empire’s responsibility to give up on resolving the issue of succession to the throne and intensify the conflict.”
After speaking as if he had prepared something, Talleyrand looked straight at Cecilia, who was seated, and opened his mouth again.
“Your Majesty, thank you for your hard work in reaching the conclusion you wanted.”
As Cecilia sneered, Talleyrand glared at her and added,
“Remember one thing. The Franzian revolution has never threatened you. “You are the ones who regard us as a threat and threaten us with an unfair justification, and you are the ones who make unreasonable claims because you have no way or justification to win the competition with Her Majesty the Third Princess, who is the rightful heir to the throne.”
In the end, they could not deny the legitimacy of Eris, a saint recognized by the Holy Church, so what they chose was nothing more than a flimsy claim that the National Assembly would install Eris as a puppet queen.
“I wonder how you endured all this time and only spoke diplomatic rhetoric in such a noble manner.”
As Cecilia died, Talleyrand turned his gaze to me and answered.
“The bloodless war I was in charge of is over, and now it is the turn of bloody diplomacy, Your Highness.”
Talleyrand stood up and we also stood up.
“Prepare for the war you have wanted so much, but keep in mind. The unreasonable justification you have given will become a real threat that will suffocate and oppress you.”
No one responded to Talleyrand’s last words, and he strode towards me and smiled bitterly.
“Now it’s your turn, Marquis.”
“Please leave it to me, President.”
I glanced at Archduke Leopold, who was sitting in his seat with a stern expression on his face, and then turned my back.
This is the beginning of a war to protect the revolution.
