Chapter 273: One Step (5)
The diplomatic document drafted by Maximilian was delivered first to the Imperial Household. The Imperial Princess then authorized it, and from that moment, it was forwarded to the ambassadors.
“What?! Say that again!”
Stanley, Highland’s ambassador, had been in the middle of a meal.
“Sir Maximilian’s residence has just asked for you, Ambassador-”
“Tell them I’m coming at once! At once!”
The moment he heard the news, he rushed out. Laurent, Prozen’s ambassador, did the same.
At Maximilian’s residence, Stanley was handed a single telegram.
“Good heavens!”
His hair stood on end. A chill ran down his spine.
To relay the news as quickly as possible, he tucked the paper itself inside his coat and wired only its contents back to his homeland.
Thus, news of the ‘agreement’ was first conveyed to the major powers, and from there, it would spread across the entire continent…….
“Father.”
The Inner Sanctum, deep within the secluded heart of the Imperial Palace.
Imperial Princess Justine reported to the shadow beyond the curtain.
“We will gain Volska’s territory.”
─…….
But even breathing seemed difficult for the Emperor, and only after a long while did he let out a displeased groan.
Justine understood his meaning.
“I, too, desire the great cause. All of this is merely part of the process to ensure that the great cause may proceed smoothly.”
─The time is ripe.
“……It will not even take another year.”
The Imperial Princess remained kneeling before the curtain, her head bowed. The Emperor released a deep sigh, then spoke in a tone that seemed directed toward some distant place.
─I shall fulfill the dream the Late Emperor left unfinished in the Western War. Everything those bastards take such pride in…….
It was the Emperor’s own calling. The revelation he had dreamed of all his life.
─I shall burn it all away.
A continent cleansed pure, and the filthy breeds swept away.
…….
Highland’s parliament,「Common Hall」
“August 31, the deadline issued by the Empire, is nearly upon us, and Volska has declared full mobilization.”
The chamber lay under a heavy gloom. Ambassadors and reporters from various nations sat in the gallery, taking down Beaufort’s words in shorthand.
“Of course, our government will continue pursuing every possible diplomatic avenue, but……”
That was when it happened.
The rear doors of「Common Hall」suddenly opened, and a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who had hurried there handed something to Foreign Minister Damian in the gallery.
“……!”
The Foreign Minister’s eyes widened as he read it. He hurriedly passed the document to the seats in front of him.
And so that single sheet of paper went forward, forward, forward…… until at last it reached Beaufort’s hands.
Beaufort read it as well. His eyes widened. His hands froze for a moment.
“……However, just now.”
Gary Beaufort drew a long breath to steady himself.
“We received an invitation from the Empire to enter into talks.”
A sound as though everyone in the hall had suddenly stopped breathing swept through the chamber. Bodies leaned forward, and the reporters’ pens stopped in their tracks.
“Tomorrow morning. In the Imperial capital, the Prime Minister of Prozen and I will sit down with a representative of the Empire.”
Beaufort finished in a trembling voice.
“I trust that both the members of this parliament and the people will agree with my decision.”
They had come convinced that war was inevitable, only for an agreement to suddenly come together before them as if by fate.
Most of「Common Hall」rose to their feet and cheered. Sheets of paper someone had flung into the air fluttered down around them, and one member, unable to bear the tension any longer, burst into tears.
Ruling party and opposition alike rose, regardless of faction.
Only Arthur Winston and those close to him exchanged cryptic glances, complicated expressions on their faces.
Clap clap clap clap────!
Amid applause loud enough to burst the eardrums, Arthur spoke to his ally, Army Minister Leonard.
“……It looks as though Maximilian Ebenholtz is about to secure the Volskan borderlands without spilling a single drop of blood.”
Leonard nodded through gritted teeth. Being an Ezenheim himself only made his anger burn hotter.
“What more will he want after this? With that thoroughly aristocratic face of his, what greed will he indulge next?”
A man even more dangerous than the Emperor. That was how Winston saw him.
While every cabinet watched the Emperor and the Imperial Princess, Arthur was convinced of the deadliness of the ‘moon’.
The sun burned hot, but it was predictable. The moon, however, waxed in silence, while the curtain of night concealed what lay within his heart.
“This entire diplomatic battle, too…….”
It had surely been a scheme born from his mind.
The Imperial Family simply held its opponents in too much contempt. They could not even conceive of a takeover achieved through ‘respect’.
“Now that he has Genson, next comes the rest of Volska’s territory. Then Yursled, no doubt. But there is no chance it ends there…… Does he truly intend to unify the continent?”
At Arthur’s murmur, Leonard lowered his voice.
“Sooner or later, the Empire will be destroyed in the end. It will turn the entire continent against itself.”
Leonard’s words were decidedly radical. Arthur agreed with them nonetheless.
A whole continent with different languages and cultures could not be bound together as one. Resistance movements without end, rebellions, plots for independence. No matter how powerful the Empire was, even if it swallowed our generation whole, one day it would inevitably crumble…….
“Too many people will die before that ‘someday’ comes.”
Arthur looked around at the applauding members of parliament.
Leonard squeezed his eyes shut and forced the words out as though grinding them between his teeth.
“That is a price we will have to accept.”
They believed they had bought peace today.
But Arthur Winston was certain that this was nothing more than a reprieve.
***
Highland’s Prime Minister Gary Beaufort and Prozen’s Prime Minister Gauthier gathered in the Imperial capital.
I received the visiting state guests with due courtesy.
“A pleasure to meet you, Prime Minister Beaufort. Prime Minister Gauthier.”
I had heard that before my Regression, the negotiations themselves had been a complete fiasco. With no proper procedure in place, the Imperial Princess had snapped at every little thing; with no prepared clauses, they had wrangled for an entire day; and in the end, the agreement had nearly collapsed before they barely managed to sign it.
There had even been a farcical incident where the ink for the signing ran out, and while someone hurried off to buy more, articles proclaiming things like ‘War!’ were already being written.
“This way. Please make yourselves comfortable.”
A quiet conference room. Three copies of the memorandum prepared in advance had been placed on the respective tables. One for Beaufort, one for Gauthier, and one for…… Imperial Princess Justine.
After the three exchanged greetings that were little more than formalities, the negotiations began.
“We can never compromise on territories where the Imperial-descent population is at least fifty percent, including Genson.”
The Empire’s demands were as follows: Volska would hand over Genson and the fortress zone in their entirety. Ammunition depots, arsenals, Mana Stone storage facilities, everything was to be surrendered intact. The Empire’s argument was that the fortresses had been built by Aran hands.
“I understand. That transfer is, after all, the purpose of this agreement.”
Gary Beaufort remained as gentlemanly as ever. Gauthier kept smoking one cigarette after another.
They spoke for quite some time, and I interpreted every word.
“However, is there to be no compensation for Volska’s fortifications?”
The Prime Minister of Prozen, who had spent the entire time repeatedly reading through the clauses of the document, suddenly raised the question.
The Imperial Princess gave a short laugh.
“We could give their capital a few hundred artillery shells, I suppose.”
It was an exceedingly harsh refusal. The Prime Minister of Prozen did not seem to have expected much in the first place, but he made no attempt to conceal his displeasure.
The Imperial Princess was not particularly skilled at diplomacy. Both the Emperor and the Imperial Princess considered themselves ‘the most exalted person on this continent’.
I smoothly changed the subject.
“Now, on to the next item…….”
──In that fashion, the negotiations themselves proceeded without incident.
The ink and pens had already been prepared as well, so there was no reason for it to take long.
In just a few hours, they had concluded an agreement ceding another country’s territory. In the end, it all amounted to a single completed sheet of paper.
“……Thank you for coming. You may now take this document and return home.”
I handed copies of the agreement to Gary Beaufort and Prozen’s Prime Minister Gauthier. Gauthier stared at me for a long while, but eventually shook his head and left.
Gary Beaufort, meanwhile, accepted the paper and asked.
“May I take this as proof of peace?”
Proof of peace.
Probably, for the next few months at least.
“I would say it is the fruit of Your Excellency’s efforts, Prime Minister Beaufort.”
I gave him a faint smile.
“Do not wave the paper around. The ink might come off.”
“……?”
Gary Beaufort looked bewildered for a moment.
“It was a joke.”
“Ah~ haha. I understand.”
Beaufort was someone I could talk to. Arthur, on the other hand, probably would not be. He would refuse to talk at all.
But someday, when the war entered its final act and we secured complete victory……
I hoped Beaufort would retain at least some measure of political standing, so that there would still be room for dialogue again then.
Before my Regression, his proud display of that paper had gone down in history as far too great a blunder.
“Thank you for your work, Sir Maximilian.”
“Yes.”
And so Gary Beaufort disappeared into the distance……
Then, out of nowhere, an attendant came running up and handed me a newspaper.
[ Valkania’s Prime Minister Azento fiercely denounces the Empire as an “aggressor” ]
Valkania, a nation that would have taken part in this agreement in the original history. But now, still tied down in Mekerel, they had chosen to level harsh criticism at the Empire despite knowing that doing so could rupture relations between them.
“……Haha.”
If anything, this was better. Valkania would be far more useful to the Empire as an enemy.
***
The agreement transferring Genson to the Empire was delivered to the Volskan government.
“…….”
President Robski stared down at the paper for a long time.
“Mr. President. Someday, they too will realize that they made the wrong choice.”
Chief of Staff Odkan spoke as though trying to console him.
Odkan, of mixed Volskan and Ezenheim blood, was currently the President’s most trusted man. He was effectively the political partner who had stood beside him throughout his career.
“……Convene a meeting.”
“Yes.”
The President summoned Volska’s ministers and military commanders.
They all gathered in the meeting room of the presidential residence.
The chamber was weighed down by grief.
“Mr. President. Please allow us to fight.”
The military Chief of Staff was the first to speak, his teeth clenched.
Even if they had to fight alone, they would fight. In doing so, they would preserve their honor as soldiers and warn the world of the Empire’s ambitions…….
“If we fight alone, our country will cease to exist within days.”
At the President’s words, the generals fell silent.
“Our people will be massacred.”
“……You are correct.”
Chief of Staff Odkan. He spoke in a low voice.
“We have been abandoned, but now we must survive.”
Ezenheim was the race most hated by the Empire. Yet even Odkan was saying that they should submit.
“So are we supposed to simply let them do this to us?”
The general’s question came from the wounded pride of a middle-aged man, his voice already thick with tears. Odkan stared straight at him and shook his head.
“……History and time will judge the Empire. I am certain of it.”
…….
Prime Minister Gauthier of Prozen sighed aboard the plane carrying him home.
“This troubles me. What do you think?”
He asked the secretary seated beside him, Carrebier, an Ezenheim. Carrebier shook his head as though reassuring him.
“……Do not worry.”
That was what he said, but the closer the Prime Minister came to the capital, the more worried he became.
An angry crowd would swarm the airport and jeer at them. They would throw eggs at a government that had failed even to stand against the Empire and had accepted every one of its demands.
He suddenly remembered Yursled’s Prime Minister Bernard being blown to death during a visit to Prozen.
“…….”
Meanwhile, the plane entered Prozen’s airspace. Tens of thousands of people could be seen gathered outside the window.
“……That many?”
A protest, obviously. Gauthier straightened his collar.
But not long after, when the plane landed and its doors opened, the sound that came flooding in from beyond was…….
Waaaaaaaaah────!
Cheers.
Bouquets came flying toward them.
Some waved Prozen’s flag. The police cordon buckled under the pressure of the crowd. Cries of ‘Long live Gauthier!’ and ‘Long live peace!’ rang high into the sky.
There were no angry faces. Only people smiling or crying with joy.
“…….”
Prime Minister Gauthier looked at them.
Among the voices surging toward him were praise for ‘the Prime Minister who prevented the war’ and gratitude for ‘Prozen’s achievement’.
“……Let’s just go. They’re fools who don’t understand anything.”
His aide gritted his teeth as he guided the Prime Minister onward. But before they could simply leave, people rushed forward and reached out toward the Prime Minister. They placed a garland of flowers around his neck.
Prime Minister Gauthier could not smile at their welcome.
No, he did not smile.
…….
“Extra! Extra!”
The news spread throughout Highland.
“They say there won’t be a war! They say Volska has signed an agreement!”
Newsboys ran through the streets shouting the words. Highland’s citizens were bewildered at first, but that bewilderment quickly gave way to relief.
People digging trenches set down their shovels. They looked at one another and shook hands. Some embraced.
The next morning, the stock market surged immediately after opening, and the front page of the morning newspapers bore only one enormous word─
[ Peace! ]
“Prime Minister Beaufort is on his way back!”
That afternoon, Beaufort, the leader who had secured peace, arrived home. The people gathered at the airport. Everyone was already excited before the plane even landed. Fathers with children on their shoulders. Married couples standing with arms around each other’s waists. Reporters smiling as they fiddled with their cameras.
At last, the plane carrying Beaufort landed, and the instant the door opened.
───!
Whistles, applause, and thunderous cheers swept across the runway.
It was sheer exhilaration.
Waaaaaaaaah──! Gary! Gary! Gary!
Gary Beaufort stood there and waved.
──Gary! Gary! Gary!
A radiant smile on his face, he slipped a hand inside his coat.
“Yesterday morning. I held talks with Her Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment. They listened intently to the words of the leader who had brought them peace.
“Our two peoples wish never again to wage war against one another, and we regard this as the desire of both our peoples…….”
Gary idly ran his fingers over the paper inside his breast pocket.
A document containing the agreement and peace. However…….
‘Do not wave the paper around. The ink might come off.’
Maximilian’s voice suddenly surfaced in his mind.
“…….”
Gary hesitated for a moment, then──
folded the paper back inside. He did not take it out. Instead, he let a smile stand in for his next sentence and continued down the street.
Reporters immediately showered him with questions. He asked for their understanding, saying that most matters would be announced later.
“Prime Minister. We heard Maximilian Ebenholtz was deeply involved in these negotiations. What kind of man was he?”
Only that question did he answer.
“Sir Maximilian was a gentleman. He promised peace through the summer, and he kept that promise…….”
***
The Imperial Regular Army entered Genson. Genson’s Imperial-descent Arans greeted the troops with flowers and applause as they marched in without incident.
One step taken by the Empire.
The Imperial-descent population of Genson had now become Imperial citizens, and everyone was issued a new Genealogy Certificate.
But Merin, Ezenheim, Kensi, Edlem, and others who were not of Imperial descent fled with whatever belongings they could carry.
“…….”
I was at the Sentinel Knight Order, thinking it over.
The takeover of Genson had been cleaner than before the Regression. We had even gained roughly thirty percent more territory, yet the result itself was largely the same.
“If history follows the same course…….”
An Ezenheim, enraged that his family had been stripped of their property in Genson and driven beyond the border, would commit a crime.
Out of nowhere, he would shoot and kill an employee of the Imperial embassy in Prozen.
That would set off a fairly major incident.
The Empire’s policy toward the Ezenheim had spiraled out of control from that very night onward.
“……Do the Ezenheim want war?”
That was my suspicion.
Back then, the Empire had burned Ezenheim shops, destroyed them, killed people…….
The Ezenheim themselves had become the trigger. In fact, not only Ezenheim but innocent Merin, Dromon, and others had been swept up in it as well.
On top of that, graphic photographs had been released across the continent, exposing the Empire’s true face for all to see.
──Knock knock.
While I was thinking, someone knocked on the door.
“Sir. A message from Georgen.”
“……Georgen?”
“Yes.”
The Operations Officer handed me a document.
“They are requesting the Knight Order’s cooperation…….”
[ Contact spotted while tracking Veil. ]
That was all it said.
“Hmm.”
Georgen did not seem particularly reliable, but one never knew.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
~~~
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