Episode 151: Dream in the game becomes reality

37. Book of Heroes (2)

The Kingdom of Paulo and the Kingdom of Ijes, along with the Kingdom of Walther, are black countries called the Three Southern Kingdoms, and allies of the Kingdom of Reinharts.

The national power of the two countries is about 30% and 40% of the Kingdom of Raihatsu, respectively, but they can never be ignored because they are supported by the Kingdom of Walther, a powerhouse of its own.

The leadership of these two countries was now in serious trouble because of the current war-torn Empire of Croissia and the Kingdom of Rheinharts.

"This is something completely unexpected happening."

"Never would have thought that the Kingdom of Reinharts would invade the Croisen Empire."

"If it only ends with an invasion, the problem is that the Kingdom of Reinharts is overwhelming the Croesen Empire."

"Still, it's not easy to picture the Croesen Empire falling to the Reinharts Kingdom… … ."

"But isn't the situation serious enough to make a request like this?"

The two kings received a request from the Croesian Empire to put pressure on the Kingdom of Reinharts.

This request came from the judgment that even if they did not actually attack, if they showed plausible actions, the Kingdom of Reinharts' offensive would naturally be discouraged.

Common sense suggests that it is normal to support allies, but national relations are not such a simple matter.

If the Croesian Empire collapses or loses a lot of territory to the Kingdom of Reinharts, the position of the southern loser will change.

If the Kingdom of Reinharts became an emerging empire, the burden on them facing the border would inevitably increase.

This is because they do not have the ability to deal with the country that is overwhelming the huge Croesen Empire.

Therefore, he could not simply ignore the request to betray his allies.

"What should I do with this?"

The kings of the Kingdom of Paulo and the Kingdom of Ijes gathered in one place to put their heads together and think together.

They could not easily come to a conclusion.

If they side with the Croesen Empire, the long-cherished plan of the Kingdom of Reinharts will be destroyed, and the relationship will never be restored.

No matter which choice was made, both countries were bound to be in an uncomfortable situation.

"Your Majesty, an envoy from Reinharts Kingdom has arrived."

Meanwhile, news came that an envoy had been sent from the Kingdom of Reinharts.

The two kings were embarrassed to have been stabbed even though they had not yet chosen to betray, but soon changed their minds, saying that it was not a bad situation.

"It seems that news of the Croesian Empire's approach has arrived."

"I guess so."

"Then, it would be better to listen to their stories too. "There is no need to betray our allies if we present a clear alternative that will give us peace of mind."

"I agree."

They decided to meet the envoy of Reinharts Kingdom.

The Shinigami who faced him like that was Javier, the former third prince of the Kingdom of Reinharts.

He was once pushed out of the throne by Princess Diana, but that was because his mother was a commoner, not because he was inferior.

"It's been a while since I saw you, Prince Javier."

"long time no see. His Majesty King Paulo, His Majesty King Ijes."

Prince Javier was engaged to the princess of the Kingdom of Walter, so he was not completely unrelated to the three southern countries.

Therefore, since both sides knew each other, conversation was not difficult.

"The Kingdom of Reinharts is probably aware of our concerns."

"of course."

"I'll ask you straight. How are you going to reassure us?"

In response to the kings' direct questions, Prince Javier also took out his cards without any examination.

[Proposal to establish a principality]"This?"

"This war will definitely end in victory for our kingdom. Then, the Kingdom of Reinharts will be reborn as an empire. "If that happens, our relationship with existing allies may become somewhat ambiguous, so we plan to create a buffer zone."

"Is that what a principality is?"

"That's right."

It is often thought that the land ruled by the Grand Duke is a principality, but this is not the case.

Even if it is ruled by a grand duke, if it does not have independent military and administrative rights, it is only a grand duchy and not a duchy.

A principality is literally a country, not a territory.

Therefore, the owner of the principality can title himself king and has the right to appoint independent lords and grant titles.

Therefore, creating a principality as a buffer zone was not a bad idea.

The question is whether Reinharts is willing to implement this proposal.

"If we fail to fulfill our promise, we will transfer the land to two countries."

Anyone can do it if they just say it.

Prince Javier spoke to the two.

"Please look at the last page of the proposal."

"This?"

Attached to the last page of the proposal for establishing a principality given to them by the prince was a contract.

Among the contents of the contract, the first thing that caught the eyes of the kings was not the content, but the seal at the end.

[Imperial House of Brigham Empire (Seal)]It was the content of the notarization of the Imperial Household of the Brigham Empire, which had the highest reliability among notary institutions.

In that case, the Reinharts Kingdom's proposal is not just lip service, but is compulsory.

"With this, you can feel at ease."

The two kings, who had never expected the Kingdom of Reinharts to do something like this, were left speechless.

"And His Majesty the King said: If this war ends in victory, I will share some of the profits with my allies. "His Majesty said that you were a great help simply by refusing the request of the Croesian Empire."

If you do that, it becomes increasingly difficult to refuse.

King Ijes and King Paulo talked to each other and thought for a while... … .

"I understand. "Let's ignore the Croesen Empire's request."

Soon, it was decided to accept the offer of the Kingdom of Reinharts.

Prince Javier breathed a sigh of relief.

If this negotiation fails, you will be responsible for it.

As they shook hands and strengthened their friendship, the King of the Kingdom of Ijes suddenly said he was curious and asked one thing.

"But who do you plan to nominate as the owner of the principality?"

"Probably the Duke of Lawrence."

"The Duke of Lawrence?"

The deity of the Kingdom of Reinharts.

The person who is currently driving the Croesen Empire.

He was an extremely burdensome person.

But on the other hand, I thought that if he became the ruler of the principality, even the royal family of Reinharts Kingdom would not be able to easily touch him.

Wouldn't it be better than having a half-baked person claim to be the owner of the principality and be swayed by the royal family?

"He will lead the principality well."

"Because he is a very outstanding person."

The two recognized Adrian's abilities, but... … .

I didn't know much about that person yet.

* * *

Day 3 of the war.

The rapid advance that began after the surprise attack is still continuing, with the Reinharts Kingdom recording consecutive wins and the Croisen Empire recording consecutive losses.

This was a shocking result that broke everyone's expectations, so the media around the world was excited.

The two countries' reactions to this were also sharply different.

[The amazing mercenary skills of Commander-in-Chief Duke Adrian L. Laurence. Even though about 15% of the Croesen Empire's power was lost in an instant, there was virtually no damage to our troops.] [The Reinharts Kingdom's unstoppable advance. Conquering the eastern region of the Croesian Empire and advancing toward the capital.] [Propaganda that no one expected, a refreshing blow that erases the humiliation of the past.] [Duke Arsia Klein, the reason why she was promoted to duke is revealed. ! The second grandmaster of the glorious Kingdom of Reinharts!] [Heavenly punishment for the Croisen Empire, which had defamed the Kingdom of Reinharts through historical distortions and false claims.]The Reinharts Kingdom's response was generally full of anticipation and excitement.

[A surprise invasion of the cowardly Kingdom of Reinharts. If there had been a proper confrontation, this would never have happened.] [An incident that made me realize that the Kingdom of Reinharts must be destroyed!] [How dare you attack us, who are like your parents, forgetting the progress made thanks to the Croisen Empire! The Kingdom of Hartz is also a people that has lost faith.] [The Reinharts are a slave people, and we need to take this opportunity to remind them of their original role.] [Attacks against the people of the Kingdom of Reinharts taking place throughout the Croesian Empire. People who were murdered just because their grandfathers were of the Reinharts ethnicity, even though they had the nationality of the Croesian Empire.]In contrast, the Croesian Empire's reaction was full of anger and disgust.

After taking a moment to take a breather and check the online reactions, I burst into laughter.

"You damn bastards, they're still talking about it as if it means anything."

At my reaction, 'Taylor', the minor lord of the Duchy of Haines, who participated in the war as second-in-command, flinched.

Although he was older than me in terms of age, he was a person who watched me in many ways due to his level as a wizard and his low status.

Then he asked an unexpected question.

"Your Excellency Commander, what do you think should be done with the Croesian Empire if our kingdom wins the war?"

A random question, that should be asked to King Michael rather than to me.

But since he was in his position and there were many eyes watching, I shared my honest thoughts.

"First of all, we have to eliminate all the imperial family, nobles, and key figures in the empire."

"Isn't there also an option of exile or life imprisonment?"

Among the citizens of the Kingdom of Reinharts, there is no one who likes the people of the Croisen Empire, and the noble among the nobles, who can kill numerous people with a single word, speaks surprisingly softly.

"Well, I don't mind killing all the children, so I don't mind saving the lives of those under the age of 10. "But I am not a philanthropist, and I see no reason to show mercy to our enemies."

"Well, that's right."

"In addition, all media outlets and communities that have played with the public opinion of the Croesian Empire must be shut down and the people involved must also be removed. "I think all companies should be disbanded and absorbed into our kingdom, and all citizens' private property, including their savings and real estate, should be confiscated."

"Confiscation?"

"Yes, it is a blanket confiscation and redistribution of certain assets to those who choose to live as citizens of our Reinharts. However, imperial citizens who refuse to become Reinharts citizens can be sent to the frontier or made to live as second-class citizens."

Prince Taylor Hines' eyes were constantly shaking as if my merciless story was not the answer he was hoping for.

An expression that asks if this is too much.

"The hatred towards our Reinharts people, which is deeply rooted in the Croesian Empire, is beyond imagination. "There is nothing we can do to fix this."

The emotional divide between the two countries is deep.

And it is no exaggeration to say that the emotional trough comes from a one-sided attack similar to the violence of the Croesian Empire.

Therefore, if absorbed without any measures, the 180 million Reinharts people could have been eaten by the 620 million people Creusen people.

"I am not claiming one-sided discrimination. We also need to be patient and keep reaching out. And the people of the Creusen Empire who took our hands must not be discriminated against from the existing Reihatz people. However, there is no need to consider the circumstances of those who reject it."

The staff members who were quietly listening to the two of us nodded their heads in unison.

But Mr. Taylor, the world's good philanthropist, still doesn't seem to like my way of thinking.

"If we try to understand each other, even if we don't make such extreme choices… … ."

My ears feel rotten.

Now I see that he was an idealist who grew up as a flower in a greenhouse.

Pressing reality on these people didn't work, so I clicked my tongue and ended the story.

"Well, everyone has different thoughts. However, I do not think that people are easy enough to change their thoughts just by persuading them with words. "Because reality is different from movies or novels."

If you give up one thing, you expect two, and if the favor continues, it is a human being who knows that it is a right.

If you look nice, you'll just get caught.

When I drew the line and said I would no longer talk about this topic, he smiled awkwardly.

Thanks to this, what followed afterwards was a strange silence.

-Sigh.

But that lasts only a moment.

As I stood up with a stern expression, Taylor quickly apologized.

"Boo, I'm sorry if you were offended. I just… … ."

However, I ignored Taylor's remarks and pushed him.

Unlike me, whose body was strengthened to that of a knight, he, a heavenly wizard, fluttered like a blade of grass and pounded his butt.

Naturally, everyone in the situation room was embarrassed.

For your information, I didn't push him to vent my anger.

"I'm sorry. "If you stay there, your body will have holes."

At the same time as my statement.

-Quaaang!

A sword shot up through the floor and pierced the ceiling like tofu.

"W-what is it?"

Everyone had a blank look on their faces, wondering what had happened to them at the sight, which was so unrealistic, and Taylor, who had been discussing with me just now, turned pale.

Coincidentally, the sword that rose from the floor made a hole right between his crotch.

I said with a cool smile.

"Fighting swordsmanship. "It's a surprise attack by the Crimson Dukes."

Finally, the Grandmaster of the Croesen Empire has emerged.