Chapter 173: The Empire’s Compensation

Chapter 173: The Empire’s Compensation

The princes shook their heads at his words.

The Saint seems to be getting ahead of himself. Lesian has no desire to antagonize the Holy Kingdom.

Their reluctance to provoke conflict was sincere.

After all, they were in the presence of a monster who had subdued necromancers and destroyed the imperial gates.

A place guarded by an unprecedented Saint, unheard of in history, hardly inspired any desire for conflict.

Ray spoke up.

Me, getting ahead? A princess of Lesian attempted to assassinate key figures of the Holy Kingdom. Can you still claim Lesian doesnt want war?

This incident was solely the third princesss own doing. It doesnt reflect the will of Lesian as a whole.

Luke stepped in as a mediator.

If the Saint lost his temper again here, the empire would surely be doomed.

He directed his anger toward Luciela.

What are you doing! Apologize at once!

Luciela snapped back.

Big brother! Even so, we are in front of soldiers! How can a princess lower her head in such a setting!

Her audacity was staggering.

Either Luciela was not right in the head, or he was hearing things.

Ray moved closer to her.

He then clenched his fist and struck her cheek with force.

Slap

The satisfying sound resonated agreeably.

Not only the soldiers, but the princes too were stunned by this unexpected development.

Her lips trembled from the impact.

Holding her cheek, Luciela glared up at Ray.

How dare you strike a princess

You sit there speaking like a princess. Would you like another slap?

As he lifted his hand again, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Such a deeply ingrained sense of entitlement.

Spoiled by the privileges of royalty since childhood.

She was not behaving like a princess, but like a complete brat, undeserving of respectful treatment.

Yet, he had no intention of completely upending the empire.

Had the princes been as unreasonable, things might have unfolded differently, but they were attempting to act within their constraints.

The only remaining issue was the insane princess.

Unforgivable, her attempt to kill those who had come to help.

Prince Jared, the first prince, calmed Ray down.

Calm down, Saint. We wish to resolve this issue through dialogue. Why dont we all discuss this matter together?

Considering Jareds suggestion, Ray paused to think.

Honestly, he wasnt fond of the prince before him either.

Whether it was the incident in the lobby or their usual treatment of him.

Not a single word of apology, and the current situation was unthinkable for a foreign dignitary.

However, a thought struck him at the suggestion of resolving this through dialogue.

The financial situation of the Holy Kingdom.

He could have crushed the empire right there and then, but he had just realized a potential benefit he couldnt ignore.

Destroying the empire and reaping the benefits seemed like the better option.

Why miss out on one? Gain the benefits, stir up the royal family, and it was a win-win situation for the sister, the brother-in-law, and the Saint!New novel chapters are published on

Ray nodded and proceeded to destroy another corner of the city walls.

Lesian had already entangled itself in the significant event of the Saints assassination.

From that point on, no one could withdraw.

Neither could they, nor would they be allowed to.

Ray slightly tilted his head and spoke.

So, you mean to say no compensation at all?

Thats correct. We cannot fulfill any such demands from you.

It was a good opinion.

A bit too modest to be a dying declaration, but it would make for proud last words.

Just as he was about to say something, the first prince quickly took over the conversation.

I think differently. Although this was the third princess acting on her own, this concerns our entire imperial family. We must possess that level of responsibility to be part of the imperial family, dont you think?

The first princes timely intervention blocked Rays intended action.

Ray slowly lowered his raised finger.

Seeing this, the second prince also joined the conversation.

I agree with my elder brother. If we cannot accept this, it casts doubt on our sense of responsibility as members of the imperial family.

With the first and second princes, the top contenders for succession, united in their opinion, there was no room for disagreement.

Though the first princess didnt fully understand the situation, she couldnt rashly oppose it, seeing the two princes in agreement.

If both of you say so

As the discussion progressed, the focus shifted to what the compensation would entail.

Ray didnt aim for anything grand.

The empire and the Holy Kingdom maintained a close diplomatic relationship and engaged in robust trade exchanges.

This alone could have doubled the income flowing into the Holy Kingdom.

Moreover, it was not an unfair deal for the empire either.

With active trade, merchant groups traveled between the Holy Kingdom and the empire.

As the merchants moved, other countries, drawn by the scent of profit, joined in.

As the market expanded, so did the income for both nations.

While there were downsides, the benefits were numerous, making this an appropriate level of compensation from Rays perspective.

Of course, he intended to take a much larger share than the Lesian Empire.

Ray began to articulate his thoughts one by one.

The princes and princesses seemed to concur after hearing him out, nodding their heads after some contemplation.

There were quite a few affirmative responses.

Even from a general perspective, this appeared to be advantageous for the empire as well.

Even though they would have to relinquish 65% of the profits to the Holy Kingdom as a responsibility of the imperial family, it was a decent arrangement.

Of course, this did not mean that Ray planned to excuse the third princess for her misdeeds.

The imperial family had provoked the wrong individual.

Ray, who prided himself on his generous and ocean-like temperament, was known for holding long grudges.

He had not forgotten the incident in the Grensia Mountains with the elves, which was telling.

Having entangled with him, the issue was far from over.

As the discussion drew to a close, the second princess reprimanded Luciela.

Why did you do such a thing? Ive always told you since we were young to behave in a manner befitting a princess.

At these words, the third princess tensed and shot back.

Dont speak as if youre any better. Whether its you, the second princess, or me, the third princess, theres not much that separates us.

Observing them, Ray exhaled a sigh.

This was an imperial family destined to crumble without his intervention.

What could a steel-blooded emperor, a leader who cared for his people, do?

With such poor parenting, the empire was bound to fall in the coming generations.