Chapter 239

Chapter 239

For a moment, Bathory blinked and made a dumbfounded expression, wondering what kind of nonsense this was.

"......?"

What on earth is this supposed to mean?

‘What does the Kingdom of :ota have to do with the magic stones?'

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't make sense of it.

The Erzsebet Kingdom and the Caliphate Kingdom had traded with each other for a very long time and maintained a friendly diplomatic relationship.

Therefore, Bathory couldn't understand the reasoning behind the Caliphate's behavior.

“What did they.... say the reason was?”

Bathory asked the vassal.

“I’m asking why the Caliphate Kingdom said such a thing.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. That is....”

The vassal replied.

"The Caliphate Kingdom said that the Caliphate Kingdom and the Lota Kingdom are brothers in blood."

"Blood pact...?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The Lota Kingdom is a blood ally more valuable than any other Kingdom, so they have stated that they cannot export the Magic Stone to our Kingdom, which is imposing trade sanctions on them."

“What does that mean? How could the Lota Kingdom and the Caliphate Kingdom be blood allies?”

Bathory couldn't understand it from a common-sense perspective.

The Kingdom of Lota was an emerging power that had come out of nowhere and had never made a big splash internationally.

Moreover, being a landlocked Kingdom, it had even less interaction with the Caliphate Kingdom, which was located across the sea.

What do you mean by blood allies?

From Bathory’s perspective, it sounded like utter nonsense.

“Is there a secret relationship between the Lota Kingdom and the Caliphate Kingdom that we don’t know about?”

"I'm not sure about that, Your Majesty. There is no information available about the relationship between the two Kingdoms.”

"Hmm."

Bathory suppressed her anger and fell into deep thought for a moment.

‘There was something unusual about the Caliphate Kingdom.'

As Bathory knew, the Crown Prince Saladin of the Caliphate Kingdom had been martyred, and the Heir apparent had been designated as the next Sultan.

‘Are you saying that the Lota Kingdom was involved in that process?’

It was the only explanation Bathory could think of.

Otherwise, there didn’t seem to be any reason for the Caliphate Kingdom and the Lota Kingdom to have a close relationship.

“Those despicable traitors.”

Bathory ground her teeth in frustration.

“Breaking the friendly relations we've built up over time and siding with Lota. They are truly ungrateful wretches.”

"T-That's right."

“Those despicable scoundrels.”

Bathory trembled with rage.

Still, it didn't stop her from throwing the whole deal with the Caliphate out the window.

The timing was too exquisite.

If they had known this fact a little earlier, they would have looked for alternative sources of supply in advance.

If they had actively imported and stockpiled magic stones since summer, it would have been enough.

But now, winter is just around the corner.

At this point, finding another source would be difficult both in terms of price and supply.

As the saying goes, "You might be struck on the foot by the axe you trust,"1 the once-reliable Caliphate Kingdom has put them in an extremely difficult situation.

This happened because they were completely unaware that the Caliphate Kingdom and the :ota Kingdom were blood allies.

*Grrrr!*

Bathory clenched his teeth in anger.

But the problem was that there were no effective solutions.

If they don’t import magic stones from the Caliphate Kingdom now, it was horrifying just to imagine what might happen this winter.

"Inform the... Caliphate Kingdom"

Bathory spoke through gritted teeth.

"I am lifting the trade sanctions against the Kingdom of Lota... and we request they proceed with the export of the magic stones as scheduled."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

In the end, Bathory had no choice but to lift the trade sanctions on the Lota Kingdom.

As the world's most important energy resource and strategic commodity, the magic crystal was a weapon that could bring even the iron-blooded lioness Bathory to her knees.

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Meanwhile, Otto was enjoying a very comfortable time in the Lota Kingdom.

Despite the Erzsebet Kingdom's trade sanctions causing trouble, Otto didn't care at all.

"Lululala~"

As Otto looked over the documents, a cheerful tune was even escaping from his lips.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

Camille subtly spoke to Otto.

"Of course I am."

Otto replied with a smile.

It was a warning that the moment Bathory broke her promise, they would stop the supply of magic stones at any time, making it clear that any notion to pull anything foolish would be futile.

"Do not impose any Tariffs... on the Kingdom of Lota."

Once more, Bathory gave in.

She had no choice now.

Until this winter passed, all Bathory could do was be dragged along helplessly.

Since the resource at stake was magic stones, it was Bathory who was at a disadvantage.

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Otto did not miss the opportunity.

"When the water rises, one must row. Heave-ho, heave-ho."

When the Erzsebet Kingdom graciously gave them a tariff-free pass, Otto came up with a very cunning plan.

"Ego."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Since the Erzsebet Kingdom gave us tariff-free benefits, right?"

"Yes, they did, Your Majesty."

"How about we monopolize the distribution of goods through the Kingdom of Erzsebet?"

"....!"

"If we monopolize the transportation of goods through the Kingdom of Erzsebet, even just for this winter, wouldn't we make a fortune in a short time?"

"Y-Your Majesty."

Ego looked at Otto with an expression of admiration.

"How can you be so unscrupulous?"

Otto didn't take offense at all to Ego's remark, which might have sounded blasphemous.

In fact..... he rather liked.

"Thank you for the compliment. I’m quite embarrassed by such high praise. Hehe."

"Is there any doubt? Hehehe!"

Otto and Ego looked at each other and laughed.

"Kyokyokyo!"

"Kekekeke!"

Camille shook his head while watching Otto and Ego.

‘They look like money-crazed demons.'

Camille wasn’t the only one who thought so.

"....."

"....."

The knights stationed to guard were also so disturbed by Otto and Ego's wicked behavior that they had to close their eyes.

"Well then, I leave it to you. Kekeke!"

"Understood. Kyokyokyo!"

Following Otto's orders, Ego contacted all the trading organizations that do business with the Erzsebet Kingdom.

The Erzsebet Kingdom had not only granted tariff-free benefits to the Lota Kingdom but also guaranteed the free movement of goods.

The trading organizations immediately entrusted their goods to the Iota Kingdom.

Since trading through the Lota Kingdom required only about two-thirds of the previous customs charges.

As a result, the Lota Kingdom came to monopolize almost all transportation of goods through the Erzsebet Kingdom, and pocketed a hefty sum in commission fees.

Just as Otto had said, "When the water rises, row hard," they ended up making an astronomical trade surplus in a short period.

This meant that the Lota Kingdom was collecting the taxes that the Erzsebet Kingdom should have handled, and naturally, Bathory was seething with rage.

It felt like being caught completely off guard.

From Bathory's perspective, it was like watching a thief steal her property right in front of her, unable to do anything but stand there helplessly.

"Just... wait."

Bathory, with eyes blazing with madness, headed straight to the intelligence station.

"I will never let you get away with this."

Upon arriving at the intelligence station, Bathory berated the head of the bureau and the senior officials.

She couldn’t just sit back and take this.

She needed to accelerate the plan to create chaos within the Lota Kingdom.

"What about our operation? Has the recruitment of individuals hostile to Otto de Scuderia been completed? Why is there still no news?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Head of the intelligence bureau, sweating profusely, reported to Bathory.

"Currently, we have made contact with several individuals hostile to Otto de Scuderia, and the recruitment process is at a certain stage of completion."

"Is that really the case?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Please wait a little longer. We will soon proceed with the plan to pressure Otto de Scuderia and potentially incite a rebellion through them."

"Very well."

Bathory managed to suppress her anger and smiled with satisfaction.

A smile that was both fierce and chilling.

** ** **

TL/N:

1. It is used to describe a situation of betrayal or the failure of something you believed in. In this case, it refers to the Caliphate Kingdom, which was believed in by the Erzsebet Kingdom. (Remember Readers! even when you trust something or someone, it’s essential to remain cautious!)