NOVEL NEXT Chapter 65
“Cheers!”
“Long live Bohemia! Long live Count Turun!”
Gathered at the castle gates, the soldiers and citizens of Bohemia unleashed their victorious cheers.
Their gazes were naturally directed towards Count Turun and the 13 Nobles who were the protagonists of this gathering.
They returned victorious from a war they thought would be difficult,
Emerging as heroes who successfully protected Bohemia from the clutches of that cruel Emperor.
As they received the cheers of so many, Count Turun and the 13 Nobles ascended to the podium that was prepared in advance.
As the protagonist who led the war to victory, everyone awaited a word from him.
As he reached out, the raucous crowd began to quiet down,
Count Turun looked at those seated before him and shouted with a booming voice.
“To all present here… and all the people of Bohemia, I declare!”
With a voice imbued with the strength and dignity of a lion, and the confidence of a victor, all attention was focused on Count Turun.
“The victory of this war is not only ours! It is a triumph over all Heretic Forces in this Empire… and across this Continent! Indeed! God has truly protected us from the power of that evil church!”
“Ooh…”
“Oh God!”
They had originally risen for the sake of religious ideals, so it was natural for them to give glory to God.
Thus, the crowd began to naturally chant praises to God.
However, Count Turun’s story was not yet over.
“But! It is too early to be at ease!”
With a voice full of resolve, Count Turun shouted.
The citizens ceased their praises and started to listen to his words.
“Although we have won the war thanks to the grace of God, everything is not yet over! That evil Emperor and the church’s forces will continue to threaten this land and our freedom! Therefore, we must continue to fight, and I will do my utmost! To protect our freedom! To uphold the Will of God!”
With those words, Count Turun raised his fist high.
“For the Will of God!”
“We can win!”
“For the glory of Bohemia!”
As they felt the strength and determination in his actions, the crowd erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
Amidst the warnings about the strong enemy that still posed a threat, Count Turun not only rallied them regarding their rightful cause but also encouraged them for the future.
As the citizens heard these words, the joy of victory ignited the fervor for struggle once more.
They understood well that the Emperor would not give up so easily.
Although he had been momentarily repelled, his power that enveloped the entire continent remained strong, and this war was simply a glimpse of that strength.
However, they were not disheartened at all.
Having achieved a victory once deemed impossible, their morale soared high, and the ideal of justice instilled in them solid conviction.
And…
Seeing the jubilant citizens, Count Turun’s face began to glow with a deep smile.
Not just a smile of victory in battle, but one filled with joy that everything was proceeding as planned…
*
As I watched the citizens cheering during my father’s victory speech, I slowly nodded and turned my gaze to my father, who was receiving their applause.
“Truly… My father is no ordinary man.”
My father Count Turun’s speech seemed simply to declare victory and encourage future struggles.
However… as someone living in the modern world, I could tell that my father intended much more than just that.
Although my father Count Turun was the Lord of Bohemia, before the rebellion arose, the power in Bohemia was largely shared among the 13 Nobles.
However, the rebellion that arose under the pretext of the Emperor’s persecution of heretics and the ensuing war drastically changed this power dynamic overnight.
When a crisis strikes, people are naturally compelled to come together, and in that process, individual interests or claims are often suppressed under the pretext of collective benefit.
Based on this background,
The power of my father Count Turun, who held the highest command as the Lord and also bore the title of the mightiest Mage in Bohemia, naturally strengthened, and the 13 Nobles had no choice but to acquiesce to it.
Although they had previously been in conflict, always seeking to protect their own interests, they were well aware that disagreements now during the war would lead to dire consequences. Thus, they loyally participated in the war under Count Turun’s command.
Yet, even though the war had ended in victory, Count Turun had no intention of relinquishing the power now firmly in his hands.
In the past, Bohemia had consumed considerable time and effort to decide even a single policy due to the discord among the nobles.
But now that power had concentrated in Count Turun’s hands, he felt a sense of comfort not experienced before.
Furthermore, considering the fact that the Emperor was still sharpening his blades from The Distant Region, it was not yet the time to let go of power.
For these complex reasons, Count Turun needed to continue using the sentiments of the citizens and the surrounding atmosphere to maintain his rule.
And… the speech he was giving was indeed infused with this intention.
A speech emphasizing the crisis of Bohemia and the need to maintain vigilance over ongoing emergencies.
Although it seemed like an obvious statement, by reiterating it, Count Turun solidified his position while some of the 13 Nobles, feeling somewhat displeased, had no choice but to go along with it.
Fundamentally, they were the ones who had yielded power, considering the crisis situation.
Moreover, they all understood well that power backed by public sentiment was incredibly formidable.
“Of course… this doesn’t mean those guys will easily step down…”
Even though they found themselves in a situation where they had to relinquish power, I didn’t believe they would quietly surrender.
Despite their appearance, they were seasoned players in the political arena and would likely try to maintain their influence in any way possible.
“And… regarding this, they could possibly come up with two approaches. Just as in the original work…”
A strong powerholder holding a righteous cause.
Their simplest method for preserving their own power related to him would be to build the closest relationships possible with that powerholder.
This could include oaths of loyalty, pacts of alliance, and arranged marriages, forming various means.
After all, if one cannot overturn the tide, riding that very tide could be a means, and in essence, it could even be an opportunity to establish their own base more solidly.
Staying near a great tree may obscure the sunlight, but it also provides shelter from storms.
On the flip side, another method to seek new avenues without aligning with the powerholder.
That would be to bring in external forces that could stand against that powerholder.
Although this method, in the long term, could lead to fractures due to the interference of those outside, thus weakening the framework they belonged to, it could still be an option if they found themselves unable to ally with the current powerholder for some reason.
In fact, among the 13 Nobles in Bohemia, a few were looking in this direction.
External forces coming under the guise of saviors.
Palatinate, Friedrich, and Anhalt were among them. It was clear that some of the 13 Nobles would attempt to thwart Count Turun’s unilateral power by rallying behind Friedrich.
The very reason the Palatinate troops had come was due to the requests of the nobles wanting to check Count Turun, making this a reasonable future course.
Thus, the Bohemian nobles were nursing the thought of relying on Friedrich, the Elector, to stop Count Turun’s stronghold.
However…
In connection with all these circumstances, I was well aware that the situation would not unfold as easily as they hoped.
“The war in Bohemia has triumphed… But my father’s solo rule must continue. The real battle has just begun… Soon, formal news will undoubtedly arrive here…”
In the original work, this point dealt with the great losses of Heretic Forces.
One of these was the defeat here in Bohemia, yet the future had been altered by my own hand.
However, I knew well that this did not mean the Emperor had been defeated.
What he had obtained this time was victory…
Though diminished to half compared to the original, it was a victory that had clearly achieved its intended purpose…