Chapter 258: Consul Election*

New chapter of The Demon King is out! (1/2 chapters)On the day of the consul election by the representatives of the Union Cities, Fritz Ronie was at the government office. For the past two years, he had been using the consul’s office as his workplace, and now, he was sitting there, doing nothing.

Normally, he should probably be waiting in the waiting room, but this chair was the most comfortable to sit in. Fritz was simply looking around the room, which he would likely leave today, reminiscing about everything. However, that wouldn’t last long. Right now, in the grand conference hall, representatives from the Union Cities were discussing to decide the next consul.

They might have already moved on to voting, but in any case, it wouldn’t take long. That was because the consul wasn’t decided by the conclusion of a conference. Originally, there wouldn’t be any need for the mayors or those delegated the right to vote to gather for a meeting.

The reason they gather was simply that some Union Cities were closer or farther from the center, and it was believed that those living far away and lacking information needed to align their knowledge. Therefore, participation in the gathering was voluntary, and there was no obligation to participate. It was perfectly acceptable to vote as soon as one arrived on horseback and then, immediately returned home.

In practice, most of the representatives, who were usually the mayors themselves, stayed in Galilianin for a few days in advance, where the candidates visit them, and the bribes were arranged. In other words, they had already decided who they will vote for. Andbecause of this, the meeting didn’t take long. Since he had no chance of winning from the start, Fritz was as calm as today’s weather. He never thought he would face a consul election in such a mood.

About an hour had passed since he sat in the office chair. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” (Fritz)

The brass knob turned with a click.

“Fritz-sama, it’s time for the vote count.” (??)

The young man working at the government office spoke while looking tense. Fritz felt like the man was an angel sent to deliver fate.

“Ah, I’ll be right there.” (Fritz)

Fritz straightened his collar and stood up. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

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The massive chapel of the building, once called Lulu Great Cathedral, had now been converted into a conference hall, but it was usually open to the public to satisfy the desire to see the magnificent architecture. Since it would be troublesome if tourists or suspicious persons entered the areas used for government affairs, the grand conference hall and the governmental spaces were usually completely separated, and the connecting passages were closed. As a result, Fritz had to take a somewhat troublesome detour to reach the grand conference hall.

The hall, thoroughly cleaned to fulfill its original purpose after a long time, and it quietly exuded a solemn atmosphere. The hall, usually bustling with the noise of tourists and known for its excellent acoustics, was now eerily silent.

Fritz walked across the carpet and sat in the only empty seat. Next to him sat Berbeo Hatran. There was a rule that governors or mayors could not participate in the pre-voting discussions if they were candidates themselves, so he must have been called in to vote and cast his own ballot.

“Now, we will proceed with the vote count.” (??)

The bishop, whom Fritz also knew, said so. Since ancient times, it had been decided that coronations of kings would be performed by clergy.

While the consul was not a king, since diplomatic relations with the Papal States normalized, the announcement of the consul has been conducted by clergy to honor their presence. Previously, bishops from Gerizim would come for this, but Gerizim had already fallen, and the leading bishop from there had returned to the Papal States. The current highest-ranking clergyman was the one overseeing the Galilianin diocese.

“Galilianin, 50 votes, Berbeo Hatran. Courtfelmy, 21 votes, Fritz Ronie. Noimirabel, 19 votes, Fritz Ronie. Eramitra, 19 votes, Fritz Ronie…” (??)

Fritz listened to his name being called, hearing the votes from prominent cities being cast for him, feeling as if he were in a daydream.

Such thoughts crossed his mind.

“Hey! What the—what’s going on here?!” (Berbeo)

Berbeo roared. His loud voice echoed through the stone-built grand conference hall, overlapping as it reverberated.

” Please continue.” (Alyosha)

Alyosha Eorfe, the mayor of Courtfelmy, said to the bishop.

The Eorfe Household was entrusted with Courtfelmy during the First Crusade when Shantinion fell, and the city was renamed Galilianin. They were one of the oldest noble families, whose lineage began when short-eared humans first settled in the area.

“Noitetrafort, 2 votes, Berbeo Hatran. Hemsprings, 1 vote, Berbeo Hatran. Noinirno, 1 vote, Berbeo Hatran. That concludes the count.” (??)

When the bishop finished speaking…

“Berbeo Hatran, 89 votes. Fritz Ronie, 111 votes.” (??)

A representative from the Treasury Office, who had been tallying the votes on an abacus nearby, announced the result.

“Therefore, Mr. Fritz Ronie is hereby appointed as the 27th Union Consul.” (??)

“Why…?!” (Berbeo)

Berbeo seemed bewildered, as if he hadn’t anticipated this outcome. Fritz felt the same way.

It was as if someone had told him that the natural order ‘wind making trees sway, leaves rustling, and water in a barrel rippling’ was all wrong, and it was just a figment of his imagination. The political instincts and election logic he had developed over time had been completely overturned. The impossible had happened.

“War is approaching. This is not a time to indulge in games as we have before.” (Alyosha)

Despite his old age, the vigorous Alyosha spoke in a raspy voice. He took out several sheets of paper from his pocket and placed them on the large table in the conference hall. The papers were a bit far, so Fritz could only read the large characters at the top, which said things like “Performance Evaluation Report” and “Incident Report”.

“W-What is that…?” (Berbeo)

“Some mayors seem to have been dazzled by small sums of money… but for us, the gravity of the situation is different. No matter how much is offered, it cannot sway our judgment.” (Alyosha)

In this case, “us” likely referred to the households deeply rooted in the major cities since ancient times. No matter how good the conditions offered by the candidate, they could not compare to the prestige and wealth these families had accumulated over generations.

“If we don’t win the war against those barbarians, the cities our ancestors have painstakingly nurtured will be destroyed.” (Alyosha)

Fritz had some idea about the papers on the table.

Berbeo, who was destined to live as a politician from birth, had joined the military when he was young as part of his career path. Being a soldier meant risking his life for his country, which gave the citizens a simple, positive image of him and made him appear reliable in times of war. However, Berbeo had never used this background in previous elections. As far as Fritz could remember, he had never highlighted it during his campaigns. So, Fritz had almost forgotten about it.

Perhaps there had been some dishonorable incident that Berbeo wanted to keep hidden.

“The incident report here states that you failed to properly command the unit you were entrusted with, and because you camped without setting up guards, your unit was annihilated in a night raid by the Kanjar cavalry.” (Alyosha)

This was news to Fritz.

Given the nature of the incident, it should not have been just an “Incident Report”. For the Kanjar cavalry, night raids were a standard tactic, so in any area where there was even a slight chance of an attack, guards had to be posted.

“That was… but that was… something that happened in my twenties…” (Berbeo)

Berbeo was now in his mid-forties. Indeed, it was a distant past event that he would find troublesome if brought up now.

“Even without that incident, your evaluation reports from your superiors on your regular duties are dreadful. I cannot, in any way, entrust the leadership of a war that will decide the fate of our country to you. This is not a mere skirmish with the Kanjar tribes.” (Alyosha)

“In that case! What about Fritz here? Didn’t he flee during the last crusade?” (Berbeo)

“Politicians are not required to participate in combat.” (Alyosha)

Alyosha declared firmly. Indeed, he was right. High-ranking politicians accompanying a crusade were primarily there to participate in post-war division meetings and to steer political decisions at key moments.

In other countries, it was common for nobles who governed to also serve as generals. However, in the Galilia Union, generals were purely military figures and did not possess their own fiefdoms or operate as lords of a domain. They were not expected to make decisions regarding national interests, nor were they required to. Therefore, politicians accompanied them, making the necessary judgments when required.

The general populace didn’t understand this. In fact, it would be problematic if a politician were to take up a sword and join the war themselves. If they were to die from something like a stray arrow, it would lead to the question of who would represent their rights in the division meetings afterward.

“Moreover, Fritz-dono led the reserve forces and made a successful escape. In similar situations, how many people from other countries have been captured and disgraced?” (Alyosha)

At that time, Fritz had assessed the situation at the camp and determined that victory was highly unlikely. He had packed his belongings in advance, prepared for escape, and retreated swiftly as soon as the news of defeat arrived.

When he returned to the country, some criticized his actions, but when a high ransom was later demanded, many appreciated that the name “Deputy Consul of the Galilia Union” was not at the top of the list. Overall, Fritz’s reputation didn’t suffer, and it actually saw a slight improvement.

“It’s not that Berbeo-dono is at fault. You are a respectable and capable politician.” (??)

The mayor of Elamitra said so. He added…

He was the type of politician who preferred to read the room and mediate when tensions rose.

“However, Fritz-dono is not entirely inexperienced in military matters, and above all, he excels in diplomacy. With reinforcements from various countries coming soon, it was decided that Fritz, who is familiar with these people, is more suited to the role of Consul at this time.” (??)

“Ugh…” (Berbeo)

Berbeo clenched his fists on his lap, trembling as he sat next to Fritz.

On the other hand, Fritz himself felt somewhat at a loss. While he might be expected to feel happy about becoming Consul with little effort, Fritz had lost his desire to assume the role. He had run for the position out of a sense of duty to his homeland. But now that things had reached this point, there was no way he could simply decline.

Once the results were out, it wasn’t possible to hide them and pretend that Berbeo had won. Even if Fritz tried to step down, it would still be seen as the elected Consul abandoning his country, which could have a disastrous impact on the war.

“But why didn’t you campaign, Fritz-dono?” (Alyosha)

Alyosha asked as he looked at Fritz with a sharp gaze. He seemed to be questioning whether Fritz was truly committed to the role.

“I merely predicted this outcome. Conversely, if at this stage the majority of mayors were still swayed by bribes, there would be no way to win the war against Yuri Hou.” (Fritz)

Fritz said something he didn’t entirely believe. Politicians were creatures who lied. There were no honest politicians. Fritz, too, was accustomed to lying.

“As expected of the son-in-law of Orasem-dono. You certainly have nerves of steel.” (Alyosha)

Alyosha said, and the tense atmosphere eased.

Fritz wasn’t actually married into the Hatran Household, so he wasn’t a son-in-law, but he chose not to correct the statement.

“Well then, let’s begin the meeting. The election is over, and now we have a war ahead of us.” (Alyosha)

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