CH 23.1

The King’s request.

… Eh?

“U… umm, I don’t know the situation, but why me? I don’t know your subjects personally, but I’m sure there are capable people in this country. It would be inappropriate to rely on me, someone from another country, no?”

Normally, you would solve your problems within your own country. I don’t know if the request is about kidnapping or illness, but either way, it’s best to deal with it using your own country’s subjects, so I think it’s a bad idea to ask for help from someone from another county. Especially since I’m royalty of another country and I can’t lend a hand without any kind of reward no matter how friendly the country is… of course, I would have to receive some kind of reward for Arland as well as my personal reward. Even lower-ranking nobles would know how bad this would be otherwise.

Arland in particular is a country that is looked down by the Empire and the Imperial State. We are not afraid of those two countries, but if I help him, we will not only be looked down at by the Empire and the Imperial State, but the Empire will be happy to attack us with a just cause that simply does not even exist.

“It certainly isn’t a good idea. However, it’s impossible to save my granddaughter with only my country’s domestic strength, and you know that too, right? You know that the Church uses illegal means to recruit those with healing magic.”

“I certainly heard that the Church is using methods that aren’t very praiseworthy to gather them, but the Church in Arland is quiet and is not influenced by the Imperial State. So I only know about it from rumors.”

There are also churches in Arland, but they are of different denomination, so even if they worship the same God, the contents of their beliefs are completely different. My father told me that if the Church in Arland were to uphold the Common Human supremacy doctrine, it would be burned down immediately and even the culprits would not be investigated. That’s why I’m really only hearing rumors about the Church’s arrogance in other countries.

I’ve heard rumors that they use their authority to take away children who are capable of healing magic, and in the best case scenario, pay money to buy them off, but if people oppose at all, they are branded as infidels by the Church, burnt at the stake, or kidnapped.

“They say that rumors are unreliable, but rumors about Church are usually right. The Church maintains its authority by the number of healers and magicians it has. They send priests to the guilds, heal people in the churches, and other necessary parts of our lives. So no one can complain about a little arrogance, except you.”

“If rumors are to be believed, it’s not a little…”

His Majesty held his head in his hands as he spoke. His complexion also didn’t look good.

“That’s right! They know that we can’t touch them, so they can do whatever they want, and with all the money they have, they can cover up almost anything. That’s why I did what I did. Not long ago, a series of rap*s occurred in the country, and I ordered the Knights Order to investigate. The result was that the young priests of the Church were out of control. They thought they were in a privileged position, and that this was nothing to worry about. I took them into custody immediately and executed them all.”

Whoah… they are no different from the stupid aristocrats. They would be executed in Arland, too. Priests are priests, not nobles, and since they’re not a privileged class, they don’t get reduced sentences like nobles do, so they only have the same rights as ordinary citizens, so do they have a misunderstanding or something?

“However, with all of them executed, the Church won’t stay silent, no? I don’t think they just quietly admitted their mistake.”

“Yes. The Church and the Imperial State are saying that we are conspiring to undermine the authority of the Church. Of course, we had clear evidence for the executions, and we presented evidence. But their reply was, ‘This is no proof that the priests broke the law.’ It was not even worth talking to them! And that’s when the Kingdom and the Church started to fall out. It was about this time that my granddaughter fell ill…”

As usual, the Church refuses to admit that they made a mistake. Moreover, they are trying to redirect the blame.

“They deserve to be judged. It’s no wonder they are ostracized in our country.”

“There are healers in our country, but they are few and far between. And none of them could heal my granddaughter. I’ve tried to gather the healers out in the public, but the Church is pressuring them to believe that my granddaughter’s fall is the result of my lack of faith. If they ignore it, they’re disobeying God’s will and being treacherous. There were a few who didn’t give in to the Church’s pressure, but they still couldn’t cure my granddaughter.”

There’s nothing decent about those guys.

“So that’s why me? But I’m from another country. If you ask for my help, you’ll be owing Arland a debt.”

This is important. The worst that could happen is that he would have to give up his granddaughter.

“I know that, but the Empire and the Imperial State can’t thoughtlessly crush my country, because this country is the most academically advanced country on the continent, and it is a country that nurtures the future leaders. And the Imperial State has the evidence of this incident too, so they can’t use force against us this time. If the Empire does attack, an alliance with Arland is not out of the question.”

It’s true that there are conditions that those two countries don’t like. However, training future human resources is an important issue for any country, so even if you take the country by force, the two countries would be troubled if the educators died in the war. If the Imperial State invaded, the evidence this country holds would be scattered all over the world, creating a roadblock for the Imperial State, so at best they can only complain with their mouths.

But, when the time comes, they will ally with Arland? It’s true that Arland is a symbol of the anti Empire-Imperial State movement, but our state is basically a recluse, so I don’t think it will become a flag for me.

“This time, we have agreed to a reduction in tariffs for Arland and the provision of various supplies. I’ve agreed to leave it to your will. Please save my granddaughter!! She is my treasure, and for her sake, I will bow to you as much as I can, and I will pay you as much as you ask. I beg you!!”

What should I do about this? It would be a big problem if I refuse a bowing King. I’m sure he won’t accuse me for disrespect or anything, but… I mean, I wish you had spoken to me about this beforehand, Father. I won’t let you off for this matter either, but it’s also a chance for me to make personal connections. Maybe it’s not Father who is responsible for this, but my Mother. She’s for sure aware of the fact that I don’t go out in the world and don’t even have any connections, but the reason I don’t have any specific connections is to avoid a succession battle in the future. My Elder brother is certainly capable and strong, but I probably have better skills and abilities. I don’t know anything about a king’s capacity or politics, but as long as there is even a slight advantage, there is a risk that people will make a fuss and force me to be the candidate, and I don’t want to create a rift between our family over such a trivial matter. In my opinion, my Elder brother may have a difficult personality, but I think he has the capacity to be a great king. I think I should work as a technician or something and support from behind the scenes.