Chapter 148

The imperial palace of Magnus Kaelum never had a quiet day, with court meetings held daily. Even though the emperor had fallen, the affairs of state had to continue. The main topic of discussion was, of course, the merits and demerits of the Ainfeld subjugation battle. Despite the fact that Ernst, one of the key figures in the matter, had not yet returned. The emperor’s seat remained empty, and Empress Isabella, sitting in the chair next to it, led the meeting. Perhaps because Ferdinand II’s death had become a fait accompli, she wore a black dress resembling mourning attire instead of her usual splendid robes. Empress Isabella was smiling strangely, as if she had achieved what she had longed for. Even though the outcome of the subjugation battle was not satisfactory for Ernst’s faction. Prince Leopold and Marquis Ludwig were glaring at her coldly. I had been summoned as a witness and one of the top contributors. Thanks to that, I had to wake up early, hurriedly put on my academy uniform, and make my way to the imperial palace. Being called a top contributor wasn’t wrong. I was too busy fighting to keep count, but I heard that I alone had defeated nearly 1,500 monsters. It was a number I couldn’t believe even though I had done it myself. It wasn’t just my achievement; the priests had tirelessly poured out blessings and protections, and Asha had also provided assistance. Others fought fiercely too, so the enemies weren’t focused solely on me but were spread out. It wasn’t just small fry either. I single-handedly defeated a Grave Devourer and hacked apart dozens of mixed remains. To top it off, I sniped and obliterated the Whisperer, the core of the monster army, in one shot. It was more like artillery fire than sniping. Moreover, after the western wall was breached, I practically held one side of the battlefield alone. Among Leopold’s troops, it was often said that they would have been annihilated if it weren’t for me. Ernst’s faction mostly consisted of capital nobles. They were a kind of bureaucratic nobility who lived close to the royal family and frequently visited the imperial palace. In other words, they were more familiar with paperwork and pens than swords and spears. It was quite ironic that under Ernst, who was praised for his military talent, there were few who had actually experienced war. It was Isabella who had brought them in, so in a way, it was natural. Military-born nobles were mostly upright and stubborn. With their high self-esteem, they were difficult for Isabella to corrupt. At least the emperor had openly supported Ernst, and Ernst himself had shown qualities of a military commander since childhood, which helped him spread his influence in the central army. On the other hand, the first prince’s faction had many regional nobles. Including Ludwig, the eastern border count, most of the supporting nobles were those who governed their own territories. Their reasons for supporting Leopold varied. Some purely worried about the empire’s future and wanted to drive out Isabella. Others were gamblers who calculated that siding with him would yield more benefits in the future. There were even those who disliked the strengthening of imperial power due to the increase in capital nobles. While Ernst had subtly aimed for centralization, Leopold did not infringe on the rights of regional lords. Leopold, with his initially weak influence, couldn’t have done so anyway. Naturally, regional lords who feared losing what they had gathered under Leopold. Most of them had experience fighting various enemies while governing their territories. Thieves, monsters, and sometimes even other lords. Ernst’s faction criticized the first prince for hastily launching the campaign and causing massive damage. In contrast, Leopold’s faction emphasized the numbers and strangeness of the enemies, arguing that if left unchecked, the damage would have been several times greater. Ernst’s faction couldn’t outright dismiss their claims as false. I was there, and the Holy Legion also testified. There was also debate over Ernst’s actions. While it was a sound strategy to carefully organize the troops and march out, in the end, it only wasted troops and resources, with the only achievement being the defeat of a few hundred monsters. Ernst’s faction boasted that they had saved everyone from annihilation… but Leopold’s faction countered that if they had arrived just a day—no, a few hours—earlier, the empire’s losses would have been significantly reduced. They had no real response to that. It was a tedious and noisy meeting. After wasting hours on obvious arguments, the conclusion was to offset each other’s merits and demerits. It was an ambiguous outcome for both Leopold and Ernst. Leopold gained some military reputation and the fame of defeating thousands of undead, but he also lost considerable strength. Even though the imperial knights weren’t his to lose, the knights sent by the lords who supported him also suffered heavy casualties. Especially the deaths of two masters were a huge loss. When the masters they sent couldn’t even be found as corpses, the enraged lords defected to Ernst’s faction.

Both were powerful nobles capable of having masters under their command, so it was a sorrowful matter for Leopold.

As for Ernst, well, he failed to achieve his goal of bringing down Leopold… and the large army he had mustered for the expedition didn’t gain any significant achievements.

For him, it wasn’t exactly a loss, but it wasn’t a gain either—just a mediocre outcome.

The Elpinel Church Order also ended up trading fame for military power.

From others’ perspectives, I was the only one who reaped substantial benefits from this incident.

Ultimately, with so many soldiers dying in vain… it wasn’t a very satisfying conclusion for me.

—

The long court meeting was paused for lunch.

The afternoon session was scheduled to resume three hours later.

The nobles headed to the main palace’s banquet hall, but Leopold was nowhere to be seen.

I caught up with Leopold, who was returning to his separate palace, and walked with him while chatting.

Marquis Ludwig had gone to meet Duke Bien, so Leopold was the only one heading to the separate palace.

The Crown Prince’s escort knight and Nigel quietly followed behind us.

“For a life-risking gamble, it’s a disappointing result.”

“What can you do? When you gain one thing, you lose another. Besides, I’ve gained enough fame from this incident, so rebuilding the lost influence shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Rebuilding it easily? Sure, he could probably win over some fence-sitting nobles.

But even so, the loss of thousands of troops wouldn’t be easy to recover from in the short term.

Ah, the losses of the 3rd Legion weren’t his personal loss after all.

Since they weren’t his direct troops but part of the Empire’s central army, it’s the Imperial Army’s job to rebuild them, right?

For someone who had been so fervently rallying them, his attitude now is quite cold.

“What do you plan to do about the fallen soldiers of the 3rd Legion?”

“They bravely fulfilled their duties. So, they deserve proper compensation… I can’t unilaterally decide on rewards or funerals, but I plan to use my own funds to give their families three times the standard condolence payments.”

“…You’re colder than I expected.”

It wasn’t something I should have said, but a complaint slipped out unintentionally.

Trying to solve everything with money and political gestures seems to be a universal approach.

Leopold stopped walking and turned to face me.

His expression was as hard as a statue, his face dark.

Perhaps I misspoke…

“I have no choice but to be cold. Those who hesitate to make sacrifices can never achieve anything. A ruler must be cold. Of course, their deaths are undoubtedly tragic, and I too feel deep sorrow. But… in times like these, the lives of soldiers are inherently like that. There’s nothing that can be done.”

His tone was surprisingly icy.

Whether he was speaking to me or reaffirming it to himself, I couldn’t tell.

For me, it was still hard to accept.

No matter how he dresses it up as a ruler’s virtue, the essence remains that he sacrificed soldiers as pawns for his own throne.

Even if his reasons weren’t for power but for his survival and the Empire’s future…

Ah, I see.

I realized why his words felt so repulsive.

This discomfort stems from something akin to self-loathing.

Leopold’s words eerily mirrored my own.

Leopold, who wouldn’t hesitate to make any sacrifice for the Empire’s peace and his own survival.

That attitude was no different from my own—thinking that some sacrifices were unavoidable to prevent destruction and ensure my own survival.

The only difference was the scale of the sacrifices.

“Is there really no other way…?”

There’s no other way.

It’s a phrase I always keep at the tip of my tongue, but it’s one I never want to admit.

It always feels like an excuse for weakness.

“I thought the Princess would understand. Being above others means just that. The higher you climb, the further you drift from humanity.”

Leopold advised me calmly.

Still, I don’t get it.

If I become even stronger, will something change?

If I break through all the obstacles in my way… and become strong enough to carry out my will.

Can I rid myself of this suffocating, oppressive feeling?

I still have a long way to go.

—

I didn’t attend the afternoon meeting.