novelzi Chapter 186 : Chapter 186
Chapter 186 : Chapter 186
The somewhat shocking future revealed in the
‘If I help her, it’s a foregone conclusion that she will become the queen of the Jerpan Archipelago. If I eliminate her rivals’ armies and then land my own army in the Jerpan Archipelago, her power will become overwhelming.’
Thinking about it this way, it occurred to me that what I was trying to do was essentially no different from conquering the Jerpan Archipelago.
I was just using a native of the Jerpan Archipelago named ‘Loa’ as a figurehead to reduce the resistance of its people.
‘Conquering another kingdom……. I didn’t want to do something like that.’
It might be considered weak.
But I had no intention of taking another kingdom just because I was strong. Not now, and probably not in the future either.
I am happy enough as things are, and my people can also become happy enough just by being within this kingdom.
‘Yes, that’s what I think. But…… for some reason, it feels like it won’t leave me be. The flow of history, that is.’
The Jerpan Archipelago attacking the Plank Kingdom.
That was not something I intended.
But because of that event that is about to happen, I will end up virtually conquering the Jerpan Archipelago.
Whether I like it or not.
‘If it ends with just that one thing, it doesn’t matter much. Just that one thing.’
But given the geographical characteristics of this kingdom, the probability of that was high.
‘The Angla Empire to the northwest, the Osius Kingdom to the northeast. Both are huge nations on the continent. Will those two kingdoms leave the Plank Kingdom alone?’
I hope they would.
But I had a rough expectation that they wouldn’t.
Because before the war with the demonic race, the two continental kingdoms had attacked the Plank Kingdom almost as an annual event.
‘The reason those two kingdoms haven’t attacked the Plank Kingdom in recent years must have been to recover the losses from the war with the demonic race. Just like my kingdom did.’
In other words.
Once the two continental kingdoms regain their full strength, they could attack the Plank Kingdom at any time.
Of course, even then, I could somehow fend them off with the Griffon Aircraft Carrier, Madans, and my knights, but…….
‘It won’t be that easy. Whether it’s the Angla Empire or the Osius Kingdom, they are great powers.’
They might push with an army of a size that the Plank Kingdom cannot handle.
Or, those two great powers might also have revolutionary weapons like the Madan.
Until now, there were so many internal problems in the Plank Kingdom that I couldn’t look outside, but now it seemed I needed to start thinking about the outside as well.
‘And most importantly…… is technology development. The only way to protect peace is through national power.’
The same goes for this attack from the Jerpan Archipelago.
If I didn’t have the Madan and the Griffon Aircraft Carrier, I wouldn’t have been so composed.
The envoy from the Jerpan Archipelago wouldn’t be bowing her head to me; rather, I would have had to go and bow my head.
“……The envoy from the Jerpan Archipelago saying she’ll have my child has made me think about a lot of things.”
Should I say thank you—.
The thought slipped out of my mouth unknowingly.
Anyway, returning to the main point.
‘If I’m going to virtually conquer the Jerpan Archipelago anyway…… that means the Jerpan Archipelago is also my kingdom, so I’ll have to make sure the people of that kingdom can make a living to some extent. Only then can I collect taxes or get resources from there.’
I don’t know the situation in the Jerpan Archipelago well.
But thinking about what the envoy from the Jerpan Archipelago said, it seemed that the Jerpan Archipelago was currently at a similar level to the Plank Kingdom before I ascended the throne.
Parents running away because they can’t take responsibility for their children, children getting involved in pickpocketing or crime, greedy powerful people trying to suck the blood of such people, and even trying to start a war for their own power.
‘I know how hard it is to normalize such a kingdom again…… but I’ve done it once, so it should be manageable somehow. From the looks of it, the female envoy from the Jerpan Archipelago also seemed quite capable, so I can entrust a certain amount to her.’
Perhaps, surprisingly, there might not be much for me to do.
If I just send an army to manage public security and provide minimal support for a few years so that the people of the Jerpan Archipelago don’t starve to death, it might revive again.
Just as a human recovers on their own when injured, so does a nation.
‘As long as the people at the top don’t deliberately let the wound fester, that is.’
Organizing my thoughts.
I leaned my head back on the headrest of the chair and let out a faint sigh.
“……There’s no end to it. The responsibility of someone at the top.”
If I were to pursue only my own benefit, I could exploit others as much as I wanted.
But to make most of those below me happy, I have to constantly worry and sacrifice.
‘It’s probably the same for the envoy from the Jerpan Archipelago, that woman named Loa.’
Thinking that, I felt a little sympathy for her.
I feel sorry for her, that’s what I think. She must have it tough too.
But that didn’t weaken my resolve.
Both me and her.
We must have received benefits. In many ways.
***
The envoy from the Jerpan Archipelago, Loa.
She was now speaking to Aeris, who was helping her with her makeup with a complicated expression.
In a voice forced to contain a smile.
“Aeris, why the long face? As if I’m being sold off somewhere.”
“……”
“I decided on my own—.”
As Loa was speaking, Aeris stopped her hands that were applying Loa’s makeup and interrupted her.
“You did not decide on your own. You were forced to push yourself into it.”
“……”
“You always used to say, my lady. That your dream was to build a family with someone you love. That it wouldn’t be easy as the daughter of the Great Lord, but you still wanted to do it.”
“……Yes.”
“But now, my lady, you are about to abandon that dream. Knowing that, how can I smile?”
Loa took Aeris’s hand.
Then she gently patted it, comforting her.
“Not everyone can achieve their dreams.”
“……”
“And if you think about it, I’ve lived a life that someone else would dream of until now. A life where I didn’t have to worry about every meal, slept in a soft bed, and my safety was guaranteed. You know it too, right? In the ‘Era of the Broken Crown,’ living such a life is a dream.”
“My lady……”
“It’s time for me to wake up from that dream.”
Loa, who was speaking calmly, brought her hand to Aeris’s eyes.
Because at some point, tears had started to flow down Aeris’s face, which was hidden by a mask.
“Perhaps if I offer my body and ask for the safety of the Jerpan Archipelago, King Leonardo will…… see me as a loose woman, and on the other hand, he might violate me, thinking he got everything he wanted.”
“……”
“But wouldn’t that be a relief in a way? King Leonardo is incredibly handsome. Rather than an old and ugly king, to such a king—.”
As Loa was trying to speak cheerfully.
Knock knock—.
—It is King Leonardo, may I enter?
Someone she had never expected to visit her room had come.
At that voice, Loa’s heart suddenly started pounding. Not out of excitement, of course, but out of surprise and bewilderment.
‘K-King Leonardo came to see me first? Why?’
No matter how she thought about it, there was no reason.
No reason for the absolute ruler of this kingdom to visit her.
If anything, wasn’t Loa herself the one who was going to visit the king because she had a request?
Loa wasn’t the only one surprised. Aeris also seemed quite startled, and the redness in her eyes was quickly fading.
“P-please wait a moment!”
Loa said in a fluster and tidied her own clothes.
‘This is actually for the better. I was going to visit him anyway, but if that king came to see me…… I can protect the pride of the Jerpan Archipelago at least a little.’
Thinking that, Loa looked at herself in the mirror.
Although she had asked Aeris to do her clothes and makeup like this…… honestly, it was an embarrassing appearance for a woman.
Similar to the daughters of defeated territories, who were enjoyed as ‘spoils of war’ by the lords.
‘……I am in a similar situation. My current situation.’
Click—.
Loa opened the door herself.
Then, forcing a bright and seductive smile—a very forced smile since it was the first time in her life she had made one—she said to Leonardo.
‘Did he come alone, without an entourage? What’s with that cloak?’
“What brings you here, Your Majesty?”
As Loa asked, glancing at the cloak Leonardo was holding, Leonardo handed her the cloak.
“I thought you would be dressed like that. And I also thought you would come to see me at night dressed like that.”
“……?”
“We have something to talk about, so go inside. Cover your body with this cloak.”
King Leonardo, who had placed the cloak in her hand, entered the room. Loa, bewildered by this, blinked her eyes, then awkwardly closed the door and followed Leonardo into the room.
‘He knew I would be dressed like this? And he also expected me to visit him at night?’
How on earth?
Then does that king know that I was planning to seduce him with my body to get what I need?
‘Is it because the only thing I can offer that king right now is my body…… he judged it that way?’
While Loa was standing there blankly, the king pulled up a random chair and sat down.
“What are you doing? I told you to cover yourself.”
“Ah…… yes.”
There was not a hint of desire in King Leonardo’s gaze or voice.
Rather, it was…… a look and voice of pity. A look of pity and compassion.
Swoosh—.
Loa covered herself with the cloak Leonardo had given her. The soft texture and the scent of the cloak were very pleasant.
‘And I didn’t know…… this cloak has the emblem of the Plank Kingdom drawn on it. Is it the king’s cloak?’
“Sit.”
“Yes, yes.”
As Loa sat awkwardly in a chair, Aeris stood behind her.
It wasn’t to be hostile to King Leonardo, but since it was the first time Loa was in a room with a man alone, Aeris’s hands were clenched tightly.
Looking at Aeris, Leonardo let out a faint smile.
“There’s no need to be so guarded. I didn’t come here to harm your master or force myself on her. In the first place, I had no need to do so, did I?”
“King Leonardo. If you would refrain from such insulting remarks—.”
As Aeris was speaking, Loa grabbed her arm.
Shake shake.
After stopping Aeris by shaking her head.
Loa once again put on an unfitting seductive smile and said.
“Yes, Your Majesty had no need to force yourself. After all, I myself—.”
“You also have no need to abandon your pride like that. I’ll say it again, I didn’t come here to harm you or to trample on your pride and take it from you.”
“……”
“I came here to make you a proposal.”
“A proposal…… you say?”
“Yes.”
Swoosh—.
King Leonardo crossed his legs.
Then he looked Loa straight in the eyes.
At that gaze and action, Loa found herself bowing her head without realizing it.
‘……So this is a true king.’
The dignity that came from his appearance, and the confidence that came from one who had overcome all sorts of trials.
The self-confidence that he could face and overcome any crisis head-on.
That man had it.
And that was everything a woman could want in a man.
‘It’s a random thought, but…… I understand now. Why that woman named Olivia told me not to seduce the king.’
She had fallen for him too. For the man named Leonardo…… wait.
‘To think that ‘she’ had ‘also’ fallen for him…… does that mean me too……?’
Loa was flustered for having had such a thought without realizing it.
Because she had never thought of falling for a man before.
To the flusttered Loa, Leonardo said.
“I said I would make you queen, but I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think there’s a need for that.”
“That there’s no need for that…… d-does that mean Your Majesty will become the king?”
“Good, you catch on quick. Yes, that’s what I intend to do.”
“……”
“Just as humans have a lifespan, so do kingdoms. And from what I’ve seen, the Jerpan
Archipelago has reached the end of its lifespan. It was barely holding on, but the greed of the lords has killed it.”
“That is…….”
Loa couldn’t refute him.
She had a thought that everything the king said was right.
“So I intend to annex the Jerpan Archipelago into the Plank Kingdom. As a kingdom with the same king, the same name.”
“……”
“It will be chaotic at first. But from a long-term perspective, it is the right thing to do. Only then will my army not treat the people of the Jerpan Archipelago carelessly, and they will respect the land of the Jerpan Archipelago. For the reason that they are the people and land of ‘King Leonardo.’”
At King Leonardo’s words, Loa’s eyes widened.
For the Plank Kingdom’s army to respect the people of the Jerpan Archipelago, that was why Loa had been about to offer her body to King Leonardo.
‘But that king……. is he giving that to me without any price? Is he a fool? No. That king must want something.’
“I-if you do that for us, what is it that you want? It seems like there would be no benefit for Your Majesty.”
Even as she asked that.
For some reason, Loa hoped that the king would say, 「“I want to gain your favor.”」—deep in her heart.
But that frightening and wise—no, the king beloved by his people said something befitting of him.
“There is no benefit. There is nothing more troublesome and difficult than making poor land and its people able to live again. The reason I’m still doing it is—.”
“……The reason is?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
“……”
“To let people live like people. Even if they are people of another kingdom, I believe it is right to do so.”
King Leonardo, who had finished speaking, stood up from his chair.
Then he passed by Loa and headed for the door, saying.
“I know that what you were trying to obtain from me, even by abandoning your pride, was the safety of the people of the Jerpan Archipelago.”
“……!”
“I do not dislike you, who have such a heart. You are a good person, so you can continue to protect your pride as a woman.”
Click—.
King Leonardo left the room.
Loa, watching him leave, thought blankly.
A similar thought to what she had thought in the meeting hall before, but a thought of a slightly different kind.
‘……That woman named Olivia. What does she mean, telling me not to seduce him.’
Isn’t it that king who is shaking my heart right now?
Drip—.
A tear flowed from Loa’s eye. A tear of joy.
A tear of joy that came from a powerful person understanding and comforting her heart.
Loa smiled purely at Aeris and said.
“……Aeris, I think I’ve found him. The person who will make my real dream come true.”