Chapter 504: Introductions
The next day, I was eting with Julio.
"Prince Julio, it's been a while since our greetings in the Imperial City."
"Yes, a lot happened there."
"I'm glad you managed to escape safely."
"I was with the Emperor's entourage. Because His Majesty was safe, I was too. All thanks to your efforts, Your Highness."
"You're exaggerating. The one who made the decisive move was Leo."
"But, the groundwork was laid by you, Your Highness. I've been aning to tell you this since I t you in person. You did a splendid job."
Julio bowed, paying his respects to .
Children grow up fast.
The first ti I t him, Julio was hiding behind his sister, Eva. He was timid and seed unreliable.
But now, he's a fine prince.
The Sea Dragon incident, and the large-scale unrest in the Imperial City.
It seems these events have made Julio grow.
"I did what I had to during the incident in the Imperial City. I was desperate. But, this ti it's different."
"I understand. I'm the one who needs to be desperate. If we side with a Kingdom that abandons the Saint, our Duchy will eventually et the sa fate. I think we should ally with the Empire."
"That's a relief. I won't have to spend ti convincing you. However, the situation is serious. We're late to the party. Many of the Duchy's influential figures are pro-Kingdom. The information that the Kingdom's envoy presents is all disadvantageous to the Empire. Because of that, their numbers are steadily increasing. If we don't oppose them, His Majesty the Duke will be overridden."
"Rest assured. I've already reached out to many young nobles. Most of the younger generation believes that we should join the Empire."
Julio spoke passionately.
I appreciate his enthusiasm, but you can't win with fervor alone.
The older generation has led the Duchy until now. They have achievents, so they have influence.
The younger generation will lead the Duchy in the future. They have no achievents, so they have no influence.
They have montum and new ideas, but that alone won't attract people.
There are few who can act with foresight.
Those who can predict start moving ahead, but those who cannot see the future do not understand their actions, and even if explained, cannot comprehend.
They only understand when the problem is close.
For example, when the Kingdom tries to use the Duchy as a pawn.
They would be in uproar.
But by then, there's nothing they can do.
That's why we need to act now.
"It's hard to sway conservative people. They have their own legitimacy, backed by past experiences. They think the situation will remain the sa. Of course, there may be tis like that. But, there are fewer things in the world that remain unchanged."
"Will the voice of the younger generation not change their minds...?"
"I doubt it. Youngsters with no achievents are naturally looked down upon. The voice of the underestimated does not reach. So, the first thing you need to do is to be recognized."
That's why the Duke is cornered.
He's been treated with contempt for his weak stance, and the influential nobles are neglecting the Duke.
This wouldn't have happened if they were silent and obedient to a powerful king.
Of course, in that case, depending on the Duke's thoughts, it would have been disadvantageous to the Empire.
There are good and bad aspects.
Because the situation is chaotic, there's room for us to intervene.
Marcel, the Kingdom's envoy, is probably thinking the sa thing.
"Do I have to achieve sothing myself...?"
"That's one way, but there's an easier way."
"What is that?"
"Have soone with achievents beco your guardian. Your father would be ideal, but since he's in a tough position, one of the other senior officials would be best."
"If it's like that... I have soone in mind."
"That's surprising. Who is it?"
In cases like this, we usually need to attract the other party.
This requires various tricks.
Grasp their weaknesses, show them benefits, or straight up debate about our legitimacy.
It would be helpful if this wasn't necessary...
"Although Count Adlunate, a distinguished hero, leans slightly towards the Kingdom, he's neutral. I'm quite close to his son."
"If we can bring him over, he's worth targeting, but..."
This proxy war between the Empire and the Kingdom is only happening in the heart of the Duchy.
Nobles living on the frontier are not involved.
They're close to the borders of the Rondine Duchy and the Empire. They don't have the luxury to get involved.
If there was no other choice, I planned to move the southern border defense army and involve the frontier nobles on the Empire's side.
If the Imperial Army conducted a drill, the atmosphere among the frontier nobles would beco unfavorable for those opposing the Empire.
Whether or not the defense army would move according to my plan is a problem, but my uncle is in the defense army.
If my uncle and I requested, they would at least conduct a drill.
"How much can you trust his son?"
"I trust him, but... would you like to et him if you're worried?"
"Right. Gather the people you're close with. If they seem trustworthy, let's consider this as an option."
"An option...?"
"Preparing isn't a bad thing. Fine is already heading towards Rondine. If we can secure Rondine's support, the situation will turn around. Until then, we must not resort to violence. That's our task."
If our forces are strong, the other side will find it hard to resort to violence.
We first need to create such a situation.
The next day, Julio introduced to two of his friends.
"Prince Arnold, these are my close friends."
The ones introduced were a tall boy and a small boy. Both of them seed to be in their mid-teens. The tall boy stepped forward.
"My na is Oscar di Adlunate. It's an honor to et you, Your Highness."
"You're the son of Count Adlunate, huh? He hasn't made his stance clear yet. Is it alright for you to et with us?"
"My father and I are different. However, I believe we will eventually share the sa aspirations."
"I see. How about you?"
I shifted my gaze to the small boy who had been smiling awkwardly in the background. He was slouched over, and his grin looked forced. He likely has difficulty with social interactions.
"My na is Raul di Pinto... The Pinto family has been a border count for generations, guarding the border of the Empire for many years..."
"Prince Arnold would already know that. Can't you say sothing better?"
Well, I already knew that information.
At Oscar's words, Raul shrank back. Julio gently spoke to him.
"Raul, Prince Arnold won't get angry over sothing like this."
"Yes, yes..."
Julio probably sees his old self in him. He was being gentle.
"Prince Arnold, are you considering trying to sway my father to your side?"
"Well, I am considering it. But before that, I need to determine if I can trust you."
"I would never betray the prince. He's a friend I've sworn to walk alongside."
"Uh, ... too..."
"Speak out that you won't betray us! This is important! You dare to compare yourself to ?"
At Oscar's scolding, Raul shrank back again. It seed their relationship wasn't great.
"Whether I can trust you or not, I'll figure that out. But rember, the one who needs to make that determination is , soone who doesn't know you well. Prince Julio, however, places complete trust in you. I want you to understand that."
"Of course. We appreciate you calling us here."
"We... we're thankful too..."
I signaled Julio with my eyes to let them step back.
"Now... Finn, what's your impression?"
Finn, who had been hiding as a bodyguard, erged from the shadows, but he had a troubled expression.
"I'm just a knight..."
Given he's using his old way of referring to himself, he must be really confused. With a wry smile, I turned to my other bodyguard.
"What about you, Captain Lars?"
"If we're talking about impressions, I prefer soone who can talk confidently in public."
"A safe answer."
"I don't want to say anything inappropriate."
"It seems this is how to respond when you're unsure, Finn."
"I'll take note..."
Lars' opinion was reasonable. Oscar had a strong sense of self.
That's why he could speak confidently in public, even if his audience was the prince of the empire.
On the other hand, Raul seed to lack a sense of self. Typically, people like that are easily influenced.
"Prince, what's your opinion?"
"You might not like what I have to say about your friends."
"It can't be helped."
"You're behaving like an adult, that's good. I'll cut to the chase I don't know. That's why I want to test them."
With that, I gave a sly grin.
TL's Notes:
I am commorating today as Patron appreciation day due to the amount of support I am getting despite this page being open for around 2 months
As part of today, I am releasing 4 chapters instead of 1 for the public to enjoy!! Once again, big thanks to:
Tier 1: Ahmad Aldika Farlis, hi ng and EnuoFH
Tier 3: Just Soni, info usada, Jyrell Cabutotan, Sbastien Dionne and Hai Qi Li
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