I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

203 – The Last War (5)

Since Baal’s actions, similar issues have been brought up in every royal meeting of the Edelmar royal family.

– Baal must be stopped before the empire’s territory is reduced to rubble.

– But how to stop it?

This problem must be solved.

No matter how rotten the nobles in the center were, there was no one who was unaware of this fact.

Even just hearing the news from the Southern Kingdoms, it was different from the time of Barbatos.

They realized that even if they delayed for a long time, it would not end with the South taking the blame for everything.

However, the fact that similar issues kept coming up meant that the problem was not resolved.

Yes, I know very well.

That now is the time to join forces.

But that is not an easy thing to do.

‘I won’t put down my weapon until my opponent puts it down first!’

─If everyone is thinking the same thing, nothing will progress in the end.

In the capital, such situations were repeated every day.

“Duke Harmenia. The Golden Duke must head south! It is time for him to set an example as a Duke of the Empire. Grand Duke Illencia has already defeated Gamigin and headed south, but what is he doing in the east?”

“Shut your mouth! The East is the granary of the Empire. If Baal changes course and attacks the East, the entire Empire will suffer from starvation. The Golden Duke is still doing his duty as the guardian of the East!”

“That’s right! Now is the time for Your Majesty to mobilize the Imperial Knights. When the Imperial Sword cuts off Baal’s head, its majesty will reverberate throughout the Empire!”

“Nonsense! How can Your Majesty… … allow the nobles to neglect their duties?”

Politics is war without blood, but war is politics with blood.

No matter how much you say that the core of politics is justification, fists are close and the law is far away.

The overheated political world had now reached a point where people could no longer trust each other.

If the power that protects them heads south, won’t the enemy put a knife to my throat?

Only fearing this, the center of the empire rotted away into incompetence.

In the end, the entire meeting consisted of the two sides clenching their fists and urging each other to put down their weapons first.

No one thought of giving in.

Even on the day when the Grand Duke of Illencia executed Gamigin and the Saint of War prepared to die.

“… … I’m tired. I guess that’s the end of today’s meeting.”

That day too, the royal meeting ended without any results.

The nobles simply raised their voices and went back, and the situation in the empire only worsened day by day.

The emperor, with his old body still on his back, went out to the villa toward evening.

Karzan was waiting in the villa.

There are two chairs at the prepared table. There are also two teacups.

One of them was already occupied by his son, so the remaining one naturally became the emperor’s seat.

The emperor sat down readily, but did not pick up his teacup until his son had finished drinking first.

The Imperial Knights stood firmly behind him.

“It’s been a long time, Father. I can’t even remember how long it’s been since we last talked like this, just the two of us.”

“… … The last time was when you were much younger than you are now. You’ve grown a lot since then.”

“Yes. I am no longer the little child who cried at my father’s feet.”

“Do you still blame me for that?”

“Well, it’s been a long time, Father. Now I have many sad memories besides Mother. In the end… … I think I’ve learned how to face separation. How to shake off my regrets.”

The crown prince spoke in a detached manner.

Contrary to what he said, it seemed like he hadn’t completely shaken it off, but at least he wasn’t stuck in pain.

Does this mean that he will no longer bring up the dead empress’s business?

The emperor stroked his long beard.

It was a habit that came out when I was organizing my thoughts.

‘In the end, a place like this was needed.’

The previous meeting never produced any conclusions.

Those nobles are ultimately just puppets managed by the Emperor and the Crown Prince, and they have no intention of taking up arms.

These two were the ones who had to draw the conclusion from the beginning.

But creating a space like this is a kind of admission of defeat.

This was a plan that the current emperor would never choose, so in the end the crown prince had no choice but to bow and go along.

“Foolishness. Yes, the royal family should not be foolish about strict things.”

“Strict… … Yes. That could be true. You’ve been telling me that ever since I was little. Don’t get caught up in trivial things like affection and all that.”

“Yes. You have been a quick learner since you were young. We may have gone our separate ways a little, but we can fix it now. There is something we absolutely must do now.”

The crown prince closed his eyes tightly.

The emperor secretly rejoiced.

What was going to come out from now on was practically predetermined.

It is the Emperor’s victory. The Duke of Harmenia, the leader of the noble faction, will move, and only then will the Imperial Knights move.

While the Golden Horde holds off Baal in the south, the Emperor will delay the movement of the Imperial Knights ‘for some unavoidable reason’.

During the war, imperial power will reach its peak.

If you steadily build a foundation over time, you will be able to wield immortal power until the moment you die.

It was only later that the son took over his power.

His expression didn’t change at all, but a deep smile was already forming in his heart.

“Your Majesty, I was too young. I thought I had been doing well, but in reality, I was not. I made too many mistakes… … and too many wrongdoings.”

“No, haha. When you’re young, it’s natural to make mistakes and experience failure.”

“It is truly comforting to hear you say that. I will correct those mistakes one by one even now. I will not hesitate any longer.”

Suddenly, the emperor felt a sense of unease.

The conversation was clearly flowing, but somehow it seemed like we were saying things with different meanings.

As a person in power for decades. No, as a politician, my intuition rang the alarm.

“Father, I no longer resent you. After thinking about it carefully, I realized that I did not deserve it. The curse of love that I received… … will not allow me to spend the rest of my life filled with nothing but hatred and regret.”

There were a few incomprehensible words mixed in.

It was clear that something was going wrong.

The eyes of Karzan Edelmar looking at him were not ordinary.

A powerful determination was breathing in his eyes.

He definitely knew those eyes.

Because I’ve seen those eyes somewhere.

“So, Your Majesty, I did not come here because of my personal feelings. This is a position I should inherit anyway. I think Your Majesty was afraid that a new prince might be born, that I might confine you somewhere… … but you were all wrong.”

“You b*stard, don’t you think so!”

Yeah, I was definitely much younger than I am now.

The fateful night that decided everything.

Under the burning building – he happened to see a puddle of water.

In the puddle of water was the reflection of a bloody man.

“I will live without shame. When I meet her again in the cradle of Hybras, I want to say that your lover did her best. I may have been lacking, but I burned everything I could.”

The crown prince’s eyes now seemed to be copied from those of the man he had seen back then.

The man in the puddle’s name is Roderick Edelmar.

It was me back in the days when I was shining brightly.

And the current emperor… …killed his own blood relatives to solidify his power.

“You are the only one who should die today.”

The Emperor quickly got up, and the Crown Prince strode towards him.

He is not holding a weapon in his hand. It was natural. The only people in the imperial family who can possess weapons without permission are the commanders of the imperial knights, the Emperor’s bodyguards.

He looked back, but the escort did not move.

any.

As if he had not seen anything.

It was a terrible signal.

Because that meant there was nothing he could do now.

“You… … you really are!”

The Crown Prince drew the Knight Commander’s sword and swung it, and as expected of a sword master, he cut down the Emperor with a clean trajectory.

“Remember, even in death, that I did not kill you out of petty vengeance. I will respect the current Empress as well. And… … The Empire will mobilize all its power to stop Baal tomorrow.”

The Empire will be a little better without you.

I didn’t even say the words I really wanted to say someday.

The crown prince had no intention of wasting time on trivial matters.

He returned the sword to the Knight Commander.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Captain.”

“… … I did nothing, Your Majesty.”

“I will keep my promise right now.”

* *

[Edict]

His Majesty the Emperor passed away after a long illness.

In normal times, it would be right to hold a proper funeral, but the empire is facing an unprecedented crisis.

The Dawn of the Empire issues an order to the entire Empire on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor.

His Majesty the Emperor’s funeral and coronation are postponed indefinitely.

The eastern lords, including the Duke of Harmenia, are to join the southern garrison.

The Imperial Knights will be led by the Emperor’s rightful heir, Karzan Edelmar.