Dungeon Defense (WN)

Wolfram Heidelberg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, completed his task.

The minister activated the artifact on the Emperor before my unblinking gaze. It likely possessed a function for detecting black magic. Wolfram Heidelberg did not speak, but his complexion hardened visibly.

“…….”

The minister shot me a terrifying glare. Hatred burned fiercely in his eyes.

From Wolfram Heidelberg’s perspective, I was not merely the one who had brought the Empire to ruin. I was the monster who had murdered Rudolf von Habsburg, mocked his death, and turned his corpse into a puppet for sport. A demon without equal.

I had destroyed his homeland and trampled even its last shred of pride. His hatred was more than justified. I curved my eyes into a gentle smile.

“You ought to offer your regards to His Excellency, Chancellor.”

“What use could His Excellency possibly have for the regards of a wretch like this one?”

Wolfram Heidelberg spoke in a voice barely containing his rage.

“Your Grace. You are seeking war. Even if Her Excellency the Consul chooses not to answer you with war, if you thought this one would simply let such atrocities pass, you are gravely mistaken.” “Please do not misunderstand my goodwill.”

“Goodwill? Did you just say goodwill……?”

Wolfram Heidelberg’s neck flushed red.

“My family has served the Habsburg imperial house for generations. I was forced to witness how much our lord has fallen with my own eyes, and you dare mock that as goodwill?”

“I told you the truth, Chancellor. I could have hidden it forever if I wished. If that is not goodwill, what would you call it?”

“There are truths in this world that are far better left hidden forever!”

I fixed my gaze steadily on him.

“I know.”

“What did you say?”

“I am well aware of it too, Minister.”

“…….”

Wolfram Heidelberg glared at me with a face twisted red and blue. He must have realized that hurling any further condemnations at me would be pointless. And he must also have been reminded that, in the chess game Elizabeth and I were playing, he was nothing more than a single piece on the board.

“Great Demon Lord Dantalian, you have committed a grave mistake. Until I set foot here, all I felt was a vague and gnawing unease.”

“It sounds as though that is no longer the case.”

“Yes.”

Wolfram Heidelberg muttered coldly.

“Now, as I take my leave, I am filled with certainty……. Our Republic will remember the humiliation of Austerlitz.”

Heidelberg turned away. He then bent sharply at the waist toward the Emperor in an almost spasmodic bow. This Minister of Foreign Affairs, standing on the narrow bridge between youth and old age, shot me one final look as if he wished to tear me apart, then spun on his heel and strode off.

That very night, Wolfram Heidelberg returned to the Republic.

From that moment on, diplomatic warfare began beneath the surface.

Every party entangled in this incident wanted war.

The Habsburg Republic, or rather Consul Elizabeth, would surely see this as a final opportunity. The Republican Assembly had collapsed, and the alliance that had once ran through the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sardinia, and the Republic had fallen apart. If they wished to reverse the tide, this was their chance since Barbatos was now in their hands…….

The Anatolian Empire was no different. They were wary of how excessively the balance of power on the continent had tilted in our favor. The reason the Anatolian Empire had intervened in the Second Chrysanthemum War was precisely to blunt our meteoric rise, even if only a little.

Then what of the remaining nations?

Their honest sentiment was likely that they did not want to be crushed between two clashing whales.

Frankia, Sardinia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth……. The neighboring states along the borders all desired peace. It would be a war between the Habsburg Empire and the Anatolian Empire, the two most powerful nations on the continent. Unless clear benefits were guaranteed, the likelihood of surrounding countries intervening actively was low.

It was necessary to begin directing traffic in advance.

– Are you saying that your country’s regent has truly been abducted?

Stephen Bathory, Great King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, raised his thick eyebrows. We were speaking in confidence through a crystal orb. I gave a bitter smile.

“Regrettably, that is the case. We intended to conclude the matter cleanly within the Empire, but someone interfered, and the situation has taken an unfortunate turn.”

– This is no ordinary crisis. If a state’s chief minister has been kidnapped, it is already an international issue. Duke Custos, I swear upon the name of Bathory that I will offer my full cooperation, without reservation.

Great King Bathory looked straight into my eyes, his gaze grave. The weight carried by a single sentence was on an entirely different level from that of an ordinary man. Whether it should be called the dignity of a great king, or the inner strength forged through decades of rule, was hard to say.

“Thank you.”

I inclined my head slightly.

Great King Bathory must, of course, have planted his own agents within the Demon Realm. He would have learned long ago what transpired at the public execution. And yet he pretended to know nothing. That, too, was only natural.

“However, we have already determined, in broad terms, where the kidnappers fled.”

– Oh? Already?

Great King Bathory’s black eyes gleamed with interest.

– Very well, then. Which country has chosen to issue you such a reckless challenge this time?

“The Habsburg Republic.”

– …….

For a brief moment, Great King Bathory’s expression darkened. A scenario he did not wish to imagine must have flashed through his mind at that moment. Behind the Habsburg Republic stood the Anatolian Empire. In other words, it signified the worst possible development.

– ……How oddly things have come to pass. Are you certain the Republic is responsible?

“Regrettably, yes. Earlier today, the Republic’s Minister of Foreign Affairs paid an audience with His Excellency at the imperial palace and then departed. He claimed to have come to discuss trade tariffs, yet he stayed for no more than two days and returned home without mentioning tariffs even once. Do you understand what that implies?”

– A threat.

“Precisely. It is their way of saying that if we do not bow of our own accord, they will dispose of Regent Barbatos without a trace.”

A faint smile touched my lips.

“I dare to assume that Your Majesty, too, has at times sacrificed those you loved for the sake of power. Barbatos was my lover. Even so, I purged her, and I intended to sever her head with my own hands. That was the final courtesy I could offer her.”

– …….

“Elizabeth has crossed a line that should never have been crossed. Whether the Anatolian Empire stands behind her actions or not is of little consequence to me.”

I calmly took a sip of black tea and continued.

“I still cannot discern why she has chosen such extreme measures, nor what sort of scheme she has prepared that has led her to steel herself even for war. But one thing alone is certain. Elizabeth will pay the price she deserves.”

– It seems you have already decided between war and peace.

“Yes. I merely wished to seek Your Majesty’s understanding in advance.”

– Dantalian. Setting aside our respective stations, allow me to ask you candidly. I am the ruler of a small state, whereas you govern a great power. Why should a great power ever seek the consent of a small one before acting?

“Because I am certain that Your Majesty will understand me.”

– Understand you? What do you mean?

“For decades, Your Majesty protected your younger sister from the eyes of the world.”

Stephen Bathory’s younger sister was once afflicted with leprosy. In his youth, he accepted the political risk of hiding her away in secret due to his love for her. But now, she has been completely cured by a black mage I had dispatched.

“Your Majesty is, without question, a political monster. To become the august ruler of a state—and especially to secure one’s footing in a realm where royal authority is as weak as in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth—anyone must become a monster. And yet, despite that, Your Majesty ultimately protected the princess.”

– …….

“Your Majesty. I cannot permit anyone other than myself to take Barbatos’s life. Never. Absolutely not.”

I met the king’s eyes directly, my gaze masked behind a smile. A king like him would have no difficulty seeing past that smile to the expression concealed beneath.

“We are each given our own problems to solve, are we not? And there is no humiliation greater than having another interfere in that problem.”

– …….

Great King Batory fell silent for quite some time. He regarded me with a calm, almost indifferent gaze. After a pause, he finally murmured,

– I have fifty thousand elite troops at my disposal. They may not be able to play a decisive role in a clash between great powers, but if the timing is chosen well, they could certainly strike hard enough to shatter one pillar……. May the Goddess watch over your nation.

With that, the communication was cut.

The implication of Great King Stephen Bathory’s words was clear. Depending on the circumstances, he was prepared to mobilize fifty thousand elite soldiers in support of our Empire—as repayment for my having cured his younger sister. Even after the connection ended, I remained bowed toward the crystal orb for some time…….

The reactions of the other neighboring states were much the same.

– We regret that we cannot offer full cooperation. Still, we will never forget the courtesy you have shown us by informing us in advance.

– How could we forget that, in the last war, you did not abandon us and safeguarded our interests? Batavia pledges to remain a steadfast ally of the Empire.

– The Republic has committed diplomatic discourtesy on multiple occasions already. As you say, wrongdoing must be met with its due price.

They could not cooperate openly, but they would side with the Empire.

That was the shared sentiment of the various nations.

This was why I had always made a point of securing a cause. By standing at the forefront of legitimacy, I could readily obtain the aid of neighboring states when matters turned dire.

Moreover, when I crushed the Frankish Empire, when I brought down the Kingdom of Brittany, when I laid waste to the Kingdom of Sardinia, I never once gave in to excessive greed. As though sharing out scraps, I always presented the surrounding nations with something in return.

Had I annexed Frankia, or taken Sardinia under my direct rule, what would have happened? The neighboring countries would never have taken our side. It was precisely because I maintained neutrality on the international stage that today’s goodwill was possible…….

Of course, it was not because I was virtuous that I upheld moderation.

I had long foreseen that a day would come when I would clash head-on with Elizabeth. For that reason, I had been setting up the chessboard far in advance.

In other words, the final confrontation.

Ever since the Crescent Alliance War seven years ago, since the day I first faced Elizabeth on the Plains of Bruno, this conclusion had already been decided.

A collision bound to occur between the empress, who should have ruled this continent, and myself, who now governed it from the shadows. So long as Elizabeth refused to abandon her ambition, and so long as I refused to relinquish my convictions, this duel could never be avoided.

And Daisy.

The one who saw through this mask and recognized me for who I truly was. My one and only daughter.

“Come,”

I murmured, staring at the crystal orb now darkened.

“It is time to bring our reckoning to an end.”

Continental Year 1513, beginning of the fifth month.

The Habsburg Republic and the Anatolian Empire jointly declared that Emperor Rudolf von Habsburg was nothing more than a puppet corpse.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Man, I’m dead. Being the main reviewer for this new game has me working at least one day during the weekend. It doesn’t help that the people from BrownDust 2 (NEOWIZ) suddenly wanted us to send an English translator for 2 days to help translate their dev note and livestream notes on-site. Of course, I was the one who went since I’ve been the main reviewer for the game. I’m in that state where I feel like I barely get enough time for myself, and then when I do get time, I start worrying I’m neglecting something… and then end up doing nothing… It’s an endless spiral!

On another note, the Japan trip I was planning with friends is finally approaching. They arrive in Korea on March 28th, so I’ll finally be able to relax for 2 weeks. Although this actually stresses me out since I’m worried if people will be able to fill in my shoes properly while I’m gone… Uggghhh, not looking forward to my workload when I’m back.