Second Prince Bardloche, despite his position in the Imperial Family, was in contact with Levetia to the West and intended to become Emperor with its aid. His success guaranteed he would become a puppet of the West. Eastern Levetia’s followers and the citizens of the Empire refused to accept this. The censure itself was written in the name of Eastern Levetia.
“I imagine you missed the news in your rush to get here,” Wein said.
“Yes, it is as you say… But how can this be…?” Fyshe couldn’t believe it, and her thoughts swirled. Eastern Levetia had always kept a fixed distance from the Empire and from worldly authorities as a whole. In return, the Empire respected those boundaries and made no attempt to bridge the gap. Even if one side ran into trouble, it was an unwritten rule that the other think very carefully before interfering. However, Bardloche had tossed that tradition out the window.
“Your shock is understandable, but any criticism against Prince Bardloche doesn’t matter now. Our real problem is that Levetia and Eastern Levetia have acted on their own,” Wein stated. “Prince Bardloche will be denounced as a traitor for siding with Levetia in the West. As representatives of Eastern Levetia, Prince Manfred and Princess Lowellmina will try to subdue him… Now, what do you think will happen if Natra decides to send Princess Lowellmina reinforcements?”
Fyshe shuddered. She finally understood what would happen if Wein granted Lowellmina aid. “…In all likelihood, society would see the move as an alliance between Natra and Eastern Levetia and an attack on Levetia.”
Wein nodded. “Right. And geographically speaking, our nation survives by striking a careful balance between the East and the West. I can’t do anything to slight Levetia.”
“…!”
Fyshe’s jaw tightened.
The battle for Imperial succession began as in-fighting among the late Emperor’s children, but it had since become a religious war by proxy. Fyshe had no choice but to accept Natra’s refusal, lest the West gain a reason to invade and wreak havoc. Such a development would be detrimental to Natra and the Empire.
“I realize you’ve come all this way, but unfortunately, my hands are tied, Lady Blundell.”
A disappointed Fyshe could only nod.
“…Well, that was nothing short of brilliant,” Wein said with a wry smile after Fyshe had left the room in a downtrodden stupor. “Can’t say I ever thought he’d get Eastern Levetia involved.”
“This must have been Strang’s plan when he met with you.”
“No kidding. He obviously wants me removed from the conflict.”
Wein threw the uneasy Ninym a side glance, then returned his attention to the letter in his hand.
The largest religion in the East had condemned a prince. Needless to say, it wasn’t a half-hearted decision. Eastern Levetia’s followers weren’t a group of drunks bashing politicians from one corner of town. If Bardloche’s faction won, it would never forgive Eastern Levetia. The religious organization had undoubtedly taken severe measures to stop the prince in his tracks.
“Strang’s scheme must go a little something like this.”
Wein proceeded to explain each step.
“First, he explained how Lowa’s rule could threaten Natra and tried to discourage me from supporting her,” he said.
Ninym chimed in. “He also requested nothing from Natra and actively avoided antagonizing us.”
“He must have also convinced Eastern Levetia that Bardloche is an enemy of the Empire.”
“If all goes well, he’ll prevent Natra from interfering and greatly demoralize Bardloche’s army… His meticulousness is truly maddening,” Ninym said with a sigh.
Wein shrugged. “He got me good. I never thought Strang would drive me this far into a corner.”
“But how did Manfred’s forces persuade Eastern Levetia to act? Bardloche’s ties with the West must be significant for Eastern Levetia to denounce him directly.”
“That’s a good point… Eastern Levetia isn’t the Empire’s official religion, and its authority is pretty limited. I’ve heard the autonomous provinces handle most of the proselytizing. In that case, if I had to guess…”
“Most powerful members of Manfred’s faction are major provincial figures… They must have taken every believer hostage.”
“Of course, that also means Manfred and his gang have gathered enough evidence to justify condemning Bardloche.”
Meticulousness. Yes, as Ninym had said, it was a well-organized scheme.
Not everything had gone according to plan, though. Between the botched assassination attempt, Wein’s visit to the Empire, and Bardloche’s quick maneuvers, there had been plenty of bumps along the way. Still, Manfred’s forces had stayed the course and brilliantly seized the initiative.
“The main issue now is that Bardloche has become the key to the throne.”
Thanks to her failed “assassination,” Lowellmina had inadvertently projected an image of weakness. However, Bardloche’s and Manfred’s mistakes had outstripped hers, and the populace would continue to support the frail princess regardless.
“Manfred doesn’t have enough public support to win by standard means, but now there’s an obvious villain,” Ninym mused.
“Right. The people were already outraged by the assassination reports, and now there’s a scandal afoot. If Bardloche isn’t careful, his faction will be blamed for all the suffering this war has inflicted. Lowa and Manfred will surely do their best to push that narrative. If they succeed, past wins or losses will mean nothing because everyone will be calling for Bardloche’s head.”
Outstanding achievements could paint over past mistakes. Coupled with the established tradition of male succession that conservatives favored, Manfred would have the advantage if he defeated Bardloche. Citizens would laud the prince and pin their hopes on him as the next Emperor.
“But, Wein…”
“Right,” he answered with a nod. “This isn’t a bad deal for Lowa either.”
I can do this…!
As soon as Lowellmina learned that Eastern Levetia had castigated Bardloche, she spied a chance at victory.
Morale in Bardloche’s faction and his influx of soldiers are sure to plummet! The outraged citizens will come flocking to my side, too! I’ll even have fodder to sway the opportunists in my party!
Of course, the involvement of both sects of the Levetia faith meant Natra couldn’t move a muscle. Lowellmina knew this before Fyshe returned with Wein’s answer, but she also saw potential benefit in this. Strang was definitely keeping an eye on Lowellmina’s advantages, yet he still took action to keep Wein a bystander.
That crafty four-eyes still considers Wein more of a threat than me.
This didn’t upset Lowellmina. In fact, it was a reasonable conclusion. Nonetheless, she felt Strang had made two mistakes.
First, he seemingly felt confident he could win without Wein. And second, he’d assumed he could incite Bardloche by carefully cornering him.
At any rate, I won’t miss a single step from here on out.
“Bardloche obviously won’t back down now either.”
“Time to move out.”
Soon after his unexpected censure, Bardloche addressed his agitated faction.
“That damn Manfred’s schemes have got us against a wall. Any time we waste will give our opponents time to bolster their forces. We’ve got no choice but to take down Lowellmina and Manfred with what we have,” Bardloche announced. “I’ve planned to ignore the people’s will and resort to firepower from day one. I couldn’t care less if I’m labeled a traitor. Once I’m Emperor, I’ll blot out my disgrace with military might. Follow me only if you can accept this.”
Everyone assembled agreed quickly.
“So what will you do, Wein?”
“Hmm.” He mulled over Ninym’s question for a moment. “Meeting Ernesto is the most logical step… But in light of the situation, we should probably postpone that and make a hasty retreat.”
“We’re just north of Veijyu Lake, but the Imperial Capital isn’t far to the south. I doubt the battle will reach this far, but the confusion and chaos certainly could.”
“Our delegation doesn’t have many fighters, and any attempt to summon Nara’s soldiers would present physical and political challenges.”
“In that case—”
“Still, it’s no fun to turn tail and hide,” Wein declared with a bold smile. “Honestly, being outplayed kinda annoys me.”
Ninym raised an eyebrow. “Do we even have a realistic way to fight back?”
“Sure we do,” Wein replied without skipping a beat. “Fyshe is still in the area, right? Call her for me right away. And prepare a letter, too. Let’s astound these people with a dash of mischief.”
“I suppose everything has come together…” Keskinel muttered while reviewing the situation via compiled unit reports.