NOVEL NEXT Chapter 333
A few days later, envoys sent by the nobles of North Romania arrived at Betelgeuse.
The delegation consisted of the old noble and several other nobles, as well as those to assist them.
There were also numerous knights and a decent number of soldiers, making it clear that they were not your average envoys.
Well, they didn’t mean to, but they were on the verge of waging a war, so it’s only natural they came prepared to defend themselves.
After establishing their campsite near Betelgeuse, they sent a messenger to inform us.
“I greet you in the name of the Goddess of Life, to convey her will through the Dragon Priestess.”
As soon as the messenger saw me, they knelt without a hint of hesitation.
Their movement was graceful and refined, and noticing their expensive attire… they must be a noble? A noble of knightly descent, it seems.
Also… they appear to be a believer of the Goddess of Life.
“Please rise. Isn’t it time to fulfill your duties as a messenger?”
“Yes. I apologize.”
The messenger lowered their head again, seemingly embarrassed.
“Then… on behalf of the nobility of the Romania Empire, I shall deliver a letter.”
Hmm. It appears they don’t refer to themselves as North Romania.
After saying that, the messenger retrieved three letters from their robes and handed them to me, as well as the representatives of the elves and dwarves.
“The contents are almost identical. Everything we wish to convey is contained within those letters, so please read them.”
I accepted the letters, exchanged glances with the elf and dwarf representatives, and nodded.
Alright. Let’s take a look at the contents of the letters.
Ah, but first.
“I will read the letters and consult with you all before making a decision, so please wait outside.”
“Understood. I hope for your wise judgment.”
The messenger bowed respectfully before exiting, and we opened the letters in our hands.
The letters were written on rather luxurious parchment with dark ink, featuring a lot of flowery language.
After stripping away most unnecessary details in the letter, beginning with praise for the Goddess of Life and ancestor deities, the gist of it was:
“It’s not our fault! We tried to stop it!!”
In short, it was an excuse.
It might seem a bit pathetic, but what can you do? The authority and legitimacy of the emperor cannot be suppressed even by all the nobles combined. If the emperor keeps doing foolish things and drags them into war, even if the nobles know it will lead to their destruction, they wouldn’t be able to intervene.
With this kind of content, they could have written it more succinctly… hmm. Why is the content so bloated?
Well, this must be some tactic of the nobles.
Furthermore, they could not directly stop the emperor, so they attempted to indirectly hinder him but couldn’t fully succeed, and instead created divisions within the Imperial Guards to make their soldiers stop fighting… so it was written.
Hmm. Is that why the Imperial Guards, upon arriving at Betelgeuse, did nothing at all?
When the emperor came running alone, what was that all about? It felt really weird, but now knowing their situation, it’s somewhat understandable.
In the end, the foolish emperor was alone.
Ahem. Anyway.
“Do you leave the treatment of the emperor to us?”
“Yes. We cannot take any significant action against the emperor who has gravely erred, so we leave it to your judgment.”
Hmm… they’re leaving it to us. Well, it does seem a bit unsightly for a servant to depose the emperor.
It feels like treason or a coup or something like that.
I glanced at the elf and dwarf representatives seated next to me, and they too wore deeply contemplative expressions.
“The treatment of the emperor… that’s a tough decision.”
“Is there really any difficult discussion?! Just slice his head off and be done with it!”
“It won’t be that easy to behead an emperor! We need to consider how far the repercussions will reach…”
Hmm. To be honest, this is a tough call.
Killing him would end matters cleanly, but the aftermath is concerning.
Even if the foolish emperor made foolish mistakes, he is still an emperor. There could be some who would exploit his death as an opportunity.
On the other hand, returning him alive… might provoke outrage from our side as well.
What’s the best course of action? A suitable punishment that would satisfy both sides…
“However… maybe killing him might be the best option.”
I turned to the elf representative, who suggested this.
Killing him might be the best option?
“Are you suggesting we should kill the emperor?”
“Yes. It seems they wrote as if they believe that will ultimately be the outcome. They likely hope the emperor will be killed.”
Hoping to kill the emperor? That sounds like…
“Treason?”
“Seems so.”
“Ha! Treason! Now that’s amusing!”
Treason… the nobles of North Romania wishing for treason against the emperor…
“Do they wish for someone else to become the emperor?”
“That is highly likely. They could aim to support a new emperor by having the current one killed, or to undermine the emperor’s authority and bring him down because of this issue… that seems to be their intention.”
Hmm… is that really the case? It’s hard to say.
“Given that he incited war out of a momentary whim, one can only imagine how many problems he’s created in North Romania.”
“Rumor has it that the number of dead due to the emperor exceeds three digits!”
Dead because of the emperor? If it were due to executions or wars, reaching three digits wouldn’t be surprising at all.
“Oh, I wasn’t clear. It’s said that over a hundred people died by the emperor’s direct hand.”
Directly killed…? By the emperor?
Oh, that changes things.
“As rumors gathered, it seems he doesn’t view people as people. He gets whatever he desires by any means necessary. I heard he has killed the owner of something and taken it right there.”
“Well, with such a stupid, shameless, and dangerous fellow… the Dragon Priestess must…”
The dwarf representative coughed lightly, sweating slightly. They must think I don’t know about this rumor.
Well, I already do know!
“Anyway, it’s a waste to keep him alive. It might be best to swiftly decapitate him and reestablish relations with North Romania.”
Hmm… certainly, if he’s such a character, there’s no reason to let him live…
But? Something is bothering me.
What should I say… um… an odd sense of discomfort? Something feels strangely off…
As if this character was intentionally crafted… no, more than that.
How could such a person even become an emperor?
“How on earth did he manage to become an emperor?”
“Excuse me?”
“What do you mean…?”
The representatives of the two races tilted their heads at my words.
“No, think about it. Is the position of emperor so easy that even a fool could just waltz in?”
At least as far as I know, definitely not?! When Arthur was the emperor, governing the entire empire was an incredibly demanding job!
It’s such a taxing role that Arthur and the next emperor, Julius, along with those after him, would appoint an exceptionally talented heir to the throne and educate them thoroughly to govern the empire!
Allowing such a fool to ascend the throne—did the previous emperor have no discernment? Or…
“It’s as if someone intentionally made a fool the emperor…”
Upon that realization, the expressions of the two representatives changed, understanding what I was driving at.
“So you’re saying the foolish emperor was orchestrated?”
“Who in the world would execute such a bold move… and what would they gain from it?”
“Indeed. It does seem far-fetched, but…”
If. If we assume that, disregarding possibility…
If someone aimed to ruin North Romania… what would be the first thing to dismantle?
The answer was simple. Destroy the emperor.
If the emperor falls, everything underneath him would crumble.
If it were just a slightly incompetent emperor, other nobles would fill in the gaps and maintain a normal operation, somewhat.
But if it were someone reckless, foolish, and devoid of any sense of restraint, they would merely be puppeteered by others.
This would ultimately lead to the collapse of the great machinery called the Romania Empire.
An internal cancer of the empire itself would be such an existence.
“Isn’t that thinking a bit too extreme?”
“Ahem. Even I think so. But who would go to such lengths?”
Indeed, it is speculation. However…! Something keeps nagging at me!
“It could just be my misunderstanding. But something is persistently troubling me.”
If someone were trying to bring down North Romania…
What should I do?