NOVEL NEXT chapter 13
13 – Weapons of War (1)
Late at night.
The day Gray Gibraltar returned to Gibraltar with a business plan stamped with the King’s seal.
“Princess.”
Queen Carmen invited one person with the same structure as the day before.
“I really envy you.”
“…….”
Queen Carmen stared at the blonde girl, Princess Naria, who was sitting quietly in front of her.
“I did everything I could to win the love of the Margrave of Gibraltar, but you are loved like this even though you did nothing.”
“Love…?”
Princess Naria tilted her head.
“Who is it?”
“Gray Gibraltar.”
“Are you saying he loves me?”
“Ha, I guess it bothers you? Seeing that you talk so much.”
Princess Naria tilted her head.
“It’s true that I’m worried, but it’s probably not what your mother thinks.”
“What?”
“If you think about the conversation between your mother and Lord Gray… He seems to be thinking only of ‘return’.”
Banjeong.
Depose the king and install a new king.
“My father’s molestation caused damage to Gibraltar, so I guess he is moving to seek revenge.”
“You touched your mother?”
“Wouldn’t any son be displeased with anyone who touched his mother?”
A word too heavy to be said to be shared between the queen and princess of one country.
“If I were to judge only from the information given to me.”
Princess Naria opened her mouth, tapping her fingers on the table and staring at her refreshments on her table.
“There is no answer for the current king, Saint Geo Nostrum. I, the only one with the right to inherit the throne, am still underage to change it right away. But if I remain silent for 10 years, there seems to be no answer for the way the country will run.”
“…….”
“I guess that’s why he tried to join hands with her mother. Together with her mother, he wanted to oust her father.”
“Really, Gray, that kid is the same and so are you. Do 10-year-olds these days even have a 30-year-old adult in their head?”
“No way.”
Princess Lia took a sip of her tea in front of her.
“I just analyzed the person’s behavioral principles based on the information I had.”
“So the reason Gray decided to support you is simply because the current king has no answer?”
“Yes.”
“hehehehe, this is like a child.”
Queen Carmen smiled sinisterly.
“That kid likes you. Either he fell in love at first sight, or he just likes the fact that you’re a princess. Maybe he’s after the national record.”
“After she becomes queen, is she planning to become my husband?”
“And when you die, you will inherit the throne, or the child born between you and him will become king.”
“I don’t think the nobles would want Gibraltar to advance into the center.”
“So, why not join hands with Morgania? We can help Gibraltar in many ways. hehehe.”
Queen Carmen brushed her lips with her index finger.
“But the more we talk, the more you two really look alike.”
“Me and Lord Gray?”
“Not only does he not look like a 10-year-old, but his brains are smarter than his age.”
“I don’t know what Lord Gray is like, but I guess it’s because I take after his mother.”
Princess Lia picked up her candy as if it was no big deal.
“Her mother did more than me.”
“There’s nothing he can’t say.”
“I’m just telling the truth. You were already in charge of some of the duke’s administrative duties before you were 10 years old, right?”
“Yes, yes. You and him, ‘geniuses’ like us don’t fit our age. But….”
Queen Carmen tapped her temple with her index finger.
“Unlike the women of Morganian descent who have been smart for generations, Gibraltar cannot be evaluated in such a positive light.”
“Intelligence, do you mean?”
“No. Politics. Administration. Power struggle. It’s a prelude to that direction.”
If there is a talent passed down from generation to generation in Gibraltar, it would naturally be a talent for the sword.
“The Gibraltar family is not only the shield that protects the kingdom, but also has produced excellent swordsmen for generations. In its time, there were even sword masters.”
“You can’t say that a master-level person is not smart.”
“Yes. They were not interested in central politics, or they were not interested. But…”
Queen Carmen covered her face with one hand.
“Your father, His Majesty the King, went out of his way to pick up the beehive. I really can’t help it.”
“…….”
“Still, you have no idea how fortunate I am to have someone I can communicate with. If the situation arises, in times of emergency….”
“Didn’t you also have Gibraltar’s treason and betrayal in mind?”
“…Okay.”
Treason.
It is a little different from Banjeong.
“Fortunately, it didn’t look like it would go over to the Empire, but you never know.”
There is a difference between rebellion against Saint Geo Nostrum and rebellion against the Kingdom of Nostrum.
“Daughter. I know the Margrave of Gibraltar well. I can handle him well. But…”
Queen Carmen continued her words while clutching her throbbing forehead.
“Beware of that son, Gray Gibraltar. He is different from us. There has not been a Gibraltar like that since the first Gibraltar.”
“…….”
“That child didn’t just come here with outstanding brains and talent. What should I say, the conversation contained… ‘experience’.”
“You mean like a nobleman who has enjoyed power in the center for a long time?”
“It’s similar, but a little different. If I had to say it, did you feel like you ran the count family for 10 years while you were the margrave?”
“…Mother.”
Princess Naria turned on her car.
“You look very tired, probably because you’re having a hard time because of your father. Let’s just go in and get some sleep.”
“Does it look like I’m joking?”
“According to what your mother said, he is the most dangerous being. A blade sharpened in Gibraltar for a blade like this.”
“He said he wanted to make you king.”
The mother and daughter began to look at each other.
“Keep in mind, Gray Gibraltar is more like Gibraltar than any other Gibraltar I have ever seen.”
“I said it was different earlier.”
“It may be heterogeneous, but the root of Gibraltar does not change. What should I say, a mutation?”
“Are you saying it’s Gibraltar-like to think of changing the king?”
“No. Gibraltar.”
Queen Carmen smiled bitterly at Princess Naria, her face showing her sincere envy.
“These are the people who are crazy about what she loves and give her all.”
* * *
“The Gibraltar family has been crazy about the country for generations, but I am not.”
“Is that what you say as soon as you come back?”
As soon as she opened her mouth in the study, where she was alone with her father, she heard a sound.
“I’ve been there.”
“Yes. You worked hard. What was the result?”
“Are you saying that when you’re going to get to the point anyway?”
“There are procedures in the main topic as well.”
The friendship shared between father and son ends with just two sentences: ‘I’ve been there, I’ve had a hard time’.
“Okay. Are you ready for treason?”
“Father, there is no justification for treason yet. However, we have thrown in a piece of cake to bring down the incompetent king.”
“It’s a shame. Are you still a duke of Nostrum?”
“Because they lack justification. They are not crazy about loyalty like Gibraltar, but they are crazy about power.”
There is nothing strange.
“What’s important is that our interests align with theirs. We need funds, and they appropriately approved the funds.”
Because of my relationship with my father.
“The plan was approved. Thanks to my father’s letter, it was easy to get Queen Carmen’s permission.”
“Hmm.”
I feel a little sorry for Queen Carmen, but the reason her father wrote her letter was all to take advantage of her.
“What did Carmen say?”
“Isn’t it her love to overlook it even though she knows he is using her?”
“She did a terrible thing to Carmen.”
“But you won’t accept it, right?”
“It’s obvious.”
My father expressed some regret, but soon his expression hardened and he had a straight face.
“There is only Charlotte in me.”
I wanted to ask, “What about children?”, But the answer was already decided anyway, so there was no need to ask.
“For the time being, we will continue to maintain mutual checks with the Duke of Morgania. We need an external perspective.”
“Will they really agree with us?”
“The duke does not necessarily have to be from the Nostrum family. At least not now.”
“How much time do you think you need?”
“Well, one, ten years?”
In the future, Carmen gave up Nostrum’s castle and restored Morgania’s castle.
‘I abandoned Nostrum and became a duke of the empire.’
And as the ‘Regent of Morgania’, he became the governor of the colony of Nostrum.
For 10 years, he worked hard to clean up all the dirt that King Incompetent had left behind, and held the emperor’s hand.
“What Queen Carmen, and the Archduke Morgania behind her, consider power to be the most important.”
“Yeah, that’s why I don’t like them.”
“Instead, as long as they can maintain power, they will be able to accept any rebellion or revolt. As long as they do not decide to ‘oust the incompetent king’ themselves.”
“No way.”
My father shook his head firmly.
“It’s already been 10 years since I gave birth to and supported that trash child. If I wanted to oust him, I should have done it a long time ago.”
“So you said 10 years.”
“Will anything change after 10 years?”
“We’ll get tired of the incompetent king’s troubles over the next 10 years, so we’ll make it so we can’t stand it anymore, right?”
The wedge is when Saint Geo Nostrum fled to the rear alone during the war.
‘He abandoned his wife and children and ran away to live alone.’
It is true that ‘abandoning Queen Carmen and entrusting the capital to Princess Naria’ was the final blow.
“We can prepare as we please. At the very least, we can either bring down the incompetent king and behead him with a guillotine, or trample on the royal capital together with the empire.”
“The preparation is….”
“Powerlessness.”
I put my hand forward and clenched my fist tightly.
“There must be overwhelming power.”
“…….”
“Yes. My father is strong. He is the strongest sword master in the kingdom.”
If you look at it like that and say, ‘I already have it.’
“But father, if your mother is taken hostage, don’t you think she will immediately abandon her battlefield and run to her mother?”
“……No, that.”
“It’s okay for me. But please tell your younger siblings, even if it’s just empty words, ‘I have to save you both’ or ‘I’m going to save you.'”
“…….”
“That way, my mother will also be happy on the inside.”
Father nodded his head heavily.
“Then let’s talk about the power that Gibraltar has. To be honest, 95% of Gibraltar’s power is concentrated on my father personally.”
“Can I speak honestly?”
“Yes.”
“97%.”
This is not a joke.
“I don’t know because you haven’t experienced war yet, but being a sword master is no show.”
“Yes. But comparison is possible. If the entire count’s power is 300, then my father’s power is 9,700, right?”
“Hmm.”
Although his expression did not change, a look of pride was evident in his eyes.
“But father. That’s a story based on a civil war within the kingdom.”
“…….”
“What is the empire’s main weapon? A sword? A spear? A bow?”
“…This is it.”
Rattling.
My father takes out a box from the drawer.
“This is an extremely unpleasant weapon created with the Empire’s magical engineering. A shameless weapon that turns an archer who has been honing his archery skills for 10 years into a fool in an instant.”
Crash.
“It wasn’t a gun.”
An object that is long like a sword, but has a handle at the end of an elongated cylindrical shape.
‘I miss you.’
Musket.
‘Is it old? Sometimes they shoot when executing people.’
This is a weapon developed by the Empire about 10 years ago, and is one of the magic weapons that are currently being mass-produced on a large scale.
“Gray. Do you know what this thing is called?”
“It’s a musket.”
“No, you’re wrong. This is a magic missile wrapper.”
“…….”
It is not wrong.
The bullet inside is a magic sphere containing a magic missile.
“Unfortunately, even if I use things like this, even if 10,000 people come, they won’t be able to handle me alone. Even if magic bullets come flying, I can just cut them down with Aura and that’s it.”
“This is truly an answer worthy of a sword master.”
“Yes. Because I am here, the Empire cannot think of crossing the canyon.”
My father put the musket down on the desk.
“But if we strengthen our power further, will they-“
“We research, develop, strengthen, and sell it to the empire for a high price. Secretly.”
“……?”
My father’s eyes widened.
“Well, the Empire is just a joke. Instead, it would be okay to pretend that it is from the Empire and sell it as contraband.”
This is my first time seeing it grow that big.
“The gateway ladder maintenance project will bring in high-quality steel from the Morgania iron mine. We plan to supply it with actual materials to prevent externally from siphoning off the budget.”
I approached the desk and picked up the musket.
“But there’s no way that much rebar would be needed to maintain the viaduct. Even if the entire rusted part is replaced, 30% will remain. So….”
“You, no way.”
“Yes.”
Muskets are made of steel.
“By stealing construction rebar, they are secretly developing weapons. Without anyone knowing.”
“…….”
“Yes. It’s treason. In addition to embezzling the treasury, we secretly use it to make military supplies. It’s even the main weapon of the empire. But…Aren’t we going to do treason anyway?”
Crash.
“If you entrust me with full authority, I will double the power of our count family.”
Someday.
“When my father goes to rescue his mother, shouldn’t I and the Count’s soldiers be armed enough to buy enough time until my father returns?”
To be able to win the war even without a Sword Master.