Chapter 87

With the pretext of seeing off my younger brothers, I went to the main palace, where I am still not welcomed unless summoned by the Empress.

After the meeting, there were still people around, but when I met my father, he had a look of realization on his face.

"Your Majesty, may I have a moment of your time?"

"……Have you heard?"

"About Helkoff—"

I answered briefly, and my father nodded, dismissing the others, leaving only the page.

"Brother"

"See you later, Terry. Take care of Werner and Fel."

Although my younger brother looked like he wanted to say something, I encouraged him to leave with a smile.

After parting with Terry, I moved to a room that seemed to be a study with my father.

This was my first time here.

We usually meet in the salon, and the only other place I've been to is Terry's practice ground.

"Ikuto, can you call Helkoff? I want to hear his opinion."

Father had me sit down and sent Ikuto to the left wing.

He must have judged that it was fine for Ikuto to leave since there are guards around here.

However, Ikuto whispered something to the page, and the page immediately made a displeased face.

Father and I watched this happen.

"That guy thinks that things can be resolved with brute force because he's skilled."

"Basically, he does what he says, so it's better not to resist if threatened."

"What kind of certainty do you have that's different from our trust?"

The page, with a bitter expression, turned his criticism into a question and picked up some documents from near the shelf, placing them where I could see them.

Father and I faced each other across the table on sofas.

"The news came from Romulus first. It seems they intend to act on their own, but they have written indirectly that they want us to bear the burden of sending troops."

"To move the army, the expenses required are proportional to the number of people involved. Is Romulus more concerned about expenses than maintaining their sovereignty?"

"……Perhaps, about the military from Helkoff?"

"Yes, when I asked why he's good at calculations, he said that soldiers are about numbers and money. Then he taught me about maintaining and managing the military structure."

For some reason, both the Emperor and the page looked up at the ceiling.

I looked too, but there was nothing, though the palace ceiling often has frescoes.

"Your Majesty, should we re-interview the tutors about what they taught?"

"Was my way of asking wrong? Helkoff said he hardly taught anything in the indoor setting where he couldn't even swing a sword."

"Basically, we listened to everyone's experiences. Most of the military-related topics were about how we would have won historical battles."

What Helkoff says isn't wrong, and such topics are often discussed in daily conversations and lessons.

Moreover, it's common for Helkoff and Ikuto to join in when Wearrel is teaching, so they might not realize that they are the ones teaching.

I think the busy Emperor can't start from scratch, and the tutors themselves probably don't remember the details.

Currently, I am learning arithmetic and the country's financial system from Wald, and from Nomariola, I am learning the names and backgrounds of the nobles I will encounter in the palace, as well as their blood relations and interests.

Additionally, since Nomariola is a countess, she has been teaching me about culture, which has led to the revival of my piano lessons, which I hadn't touched since Harty left.

However, this is my own decision, and my father doesn't know about it.

"Let me say this upfront, I think it's fine for me to go to Romulus."

My father's face immediately tensed.

He then bowed his head as if holding it.

"Since you came all the way here, I suspected it might be the case……"

"As the first prince, I judged that it wouldn't progress if I continued to be with Your Majesty, so please hear the reasons for my decision."

The page said this rather rudely, as if ignoring the Emperor.

However, while saying this, he placed a confidential document on the table, which was probably from the meeting.

The map he presented showed detailed locations of towns and roads, including the names of the disputed areas.

The town on the Romulus side is Warbiri, and the town on the Empire side is Karu.

Both are in remote highlands, making them difficult to reach.

"I see. Claiming the territory offers little benefit, and it's not a strategic location worth sending troops. Moreover, the expenses of sending troops are clearly a burden."

Considering the difficulty of crossing mountains and securing water, not only soldiers but also supplies would be needed.

More horses and carriers would be required, and with the increase in necessary supplies, military expenses would skyrocket.

"Whatever way you look at it, the burden will only double."

"Furthermore, there was a similar incident of sending troops sixty years ago, and we have the report from that time."

The page presented a new piece of paper, which was likely a copy of the sixty-year-old report.

It described a stubborn region that didn't place much importance on authority in either Romulus or the Empire.

The general sent to the area had to stop the fighting by force and then gather representatives from both sides to negotiate peace, which took seven years.

"Isn't that too long? The fighting itself was stopped immediately upon arrival, right?"

"The roots were deep, and neither side would back down. In the end, the person leading the Karu side fell ill, and Warbiri took control of the disputed area."

"That's not resolved, is it? The grievances from the older generation are being carried over to the younger generation. Do we need to prepare a solution to stay there until it's resolved?"

Looking at other documents, it was reported that the disputed area was considered sacred by the beastmen, making persuasion impossible.

Moreover, local residents mentioned that similar disputes had occurred multiple times before sixty years ago.

"Whichever side takes it, there are problems. However, it's too far and inconvenient for the country to manage. Romulus is also tired of dealing with it but can't ignore it. This means we need to send the minimum number of troops and someone skilled in negotiation who can extract compromises."

I started scrutinizing the documents.

Ikuto then returned with Helkoff.

They entered, closed the door, and after looking at my father and the page, they both looked at me.

"Your Highness, what did you do?"

"Nothing? I was just looking at the documents."

"In other words, you were pointing out the problems just by looking at the information."

When Ikuto said this, my father, unusually, slumped into the sofa.

"……Is this normal?"

"Since you haven't taken any action yet, you're more restrained than usual."

Helkoff's answer made my father sit up.

"What are you teaching? How much about the military……"

"Let me be clear, I can't teach more than my own experiences. Your Highness's understanding and application are what's extraordinary."

"I'm just saying general things, right?"

I objected, but Ikuto shook his head.

"Prince Asha, the fact that you can immediately decide to act based on the advantage and that you can identify problems without ever leaving the palace is not ordinary."

"……In other words, I shouldn't speak. Then, I need to solidify the strategy here and have Your Majesty handle the personnel. I also need to clearly communicate what kind of resolution we aim for."

Father looked up at the ceiling and exhaled, then turned to me as if to change the subject.

"Alright, I understand that my son is a genius. I thought I knew, but now I realize he's far above my expectations. First, let's hear Asha's opinion. Why do you think we should accept the request to send troops?"

Father made a serious face and nervously clasped his hands.

No, it's good that I can be heard here.

I straightened my posture and explained the reasons for acting now and the potential disadvantages for the Emperor if we don't.

Father, who seemed to want to say something, remained silent and encouraged me to continue.

"However, from the documents, it seems they might not intend to let me return to the capital."

"Then…… should we not send troops?"

"No, we should act now. If we don't, it will be a problem for Terry's generation. Moreover, Romulus has declared they will leave it to us. We should secure their commitment and make it easier to act. To eliminate future concerns, we should negotiate to incorporate Warbiri into the Empire."

Peace is often a state of no change, and it's hard to achieve something that will be recorded in history.

Even a small increase in territory here can be a nominal achievement for the Emperor.

The problem is that the dukes are loyal to the Empire.

If we oppose the dukes and aim to exclude them from power, we will ultimately lose the Empire's loyal subjects.

Therefore, while there are attempts to target the Emperor, they do not aim to reduce imperial power, which can be beneficial if handled well.

"There are three issues. First, the method to resolve the problem between Warbiri and Karu. Second, obtaining Romulus's consent. Third, how to extract favorable conditions from the dukes and get them to accept our terms. The second and third issues require Your Majesty's involvement. Therefore, I will think about the first issue, the resolution method."

I explained this earnestly, but for some reason, everyone looked up at the ceiling.

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Next: Northern Military Unrest 4