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“Rio!!” (Ren)
“Rio!” (Claus)
When Ren and Claus met Rio, and we had decided to keep him, they were overjoyed.
Rio also ran towards the two, squealing happily.
Although they had not spent much time together, he seemed to have grown attached to them.
“I’m glad you were able to keep him. We’ll have to build a house for Rio as soon as possible.” (Ritsu)
Ritsu said.
I don’t know how fast Rio, King Blue, will grow, but I have the impression that animals grow much faster than humans.
It is possible that in a year or so, he could be fully grown.
“Oh, oh oh oh, are you seriously going to keep it? That creature?” (Russell)
Russell, who is not fond of animals, was very reluctant.
“He would eventually be kept in a shed, so as long as you don’t go near him, you’ll be fine.” (Ars)
“Well, um, that’s right… but waah! Don’t come near me!!” (Russell)
For some reason, Russell seems to be favored by Rio. Does he like the way he looks?
Somehow Russell managed to get away. I guess we’ll be seeing Russell struggling for a while.
A few days later.
I received a letter from Lord Clan.
Canale Castle.
An emergency meeting was being held regarding the letter received from Lord Clan.
In addition to myself, Ritsu and the others who were originally at Canale Castle, Mireille, who had been entrusted with the governance of Lamberk, and the three Fujimiya siblings who were accompanying her. Then came Karl, the Khmer lord, and Hammond, the Torrequista lord.
Almost all the human resources of Canale County were gathered in one place.
That was how important the letter was.
“I’ll check the contents again, can I?” (Mireille)
Mireille confirmed with Ritsu.
“We have received a letter from Sir Clan, declaring independence from the Somerforce Empire and assuming the title of King of Messiaen. The declaration will be made in Alcantes, and the heads of the counties have been instructed to come to Alcantes. The proclamation is to be made in two months.” (Ritsu)
Ritsu explains in a calm tone.
Originally, we had heard that Clan was going to take the throne as the King of Messiaen.
However, since he borrowed the help of the Emperor and the Paradile Province, which is loyal to the Imperial Family, in unifying Messiaen, he would surely be seen as a traitor if he declared now to be an independent country.
There is a possibility that an army will be formed to subjugate the Messiaens at the request of the imperial family.
Well, the emperor’s power has weakened considerably, and it seems that even the province of Ansel, which is his base, is not completely under his control.
Given the strength of a unified Messiaen, it is unlikely to be attacked out of the blue.
However, Messiaen has a troublesome enemy, the state of Sights.
I wonder if this is the right time to do it.
“You’ve decided to do something troublesome again, haven’t you?” (Mireille)
Mireille has a look of dismay on her face.
She does not seem to be too happy about Clan’s decision this time either.
“But why go to the trouble of declaring independence? What’s the point?” (Braham)
Braham asked.
“I think he simply wanted to become independent from the beginning… but he aimed to strengthen the unity of the newly unified Messiaens. Also, by calling himself the king, he would be able to engage in diplomatic relations with countries outside of the Somerforce continent as equals. It will become easier to wage war. What used to be the same country will now be a different country…” (Ritsu)
Ritsu answered questions.
“The disadvantages are that all the other states on the Somerforce continent may become enemies, and the pro-emperor nobles within the Messiaen state may turn against us. …Well, as far as that goes, they may be trying to flush out the pro-emperor nobles.” (Ritsu)
“I-Isn’t it pretty dangerous to make all other states your enemies?” (Braham)
“Yes, that’s right. But I think they are already planning to do something about it. The emperor’s call for action to defeat Messiaen, and if it is accomplished, the emperor’s power will be enhanced. And if he were to rule directly over the Messiaen territory, his power would simply increase significantly. This would lead to the resurrection of the Somerforce Empire. Most of the states don’t want that to happen, and I highly doubt they would honestly lend their power to the imperial family.”
Ritsu considered the situation.
It is true that it is more likely that they will not suddenly form an allied force to defeat the Messiaens and come in with a large army.
“I think it’s too early to tell.” (Ritsu)
“I don’t think it’s a very good move either.” (Russell)
Ritsu and Russell also did not think Clan’s move was a good one.
“I think it’s a strange move, too… but I’m still only one of the county heads, so I don’t have the power to overturn this decision. It’s already been decided, which is why they sent me the letter.” (Ars)
If they had intended to ask my opinion, they would have consulted me beforehand, but they didn’t specifically.
I think I have some degree of trust from Clan, but I don’t think he trusts me enough to consult me on a matter as serious as this one.
“Well, what will happen in the end depends on the political power of Clan. I don’t think they are so stupid that they want to call themselves the king without any plan. The question is what will happen to Canale in the future.” (Mireille)
Mireille said so.
“I think we should prepare for war. The province of Sights may see this as an opportunity and attack us.” (Russell)
Russell gives his opinion.
Canale County is on the border between the states of Sights and Messiaen.
If Sights were to attack, this would be the first place they would target.
Originally, we were wary of the movements of the state of Sights. Although they have been increasing their military power, they have not made any moves to attack Canale.
“From Sights’ point of view, it would give them a good reason to attack Messiaen. It will be easier for them to raise an army.” (Ritsu)
A cause is important for a war.
The last time Sights invaded Canale, they ostensibly had a cause to support Basamark, their ally and the true heir to Messiaen, and to exterminate Clan that was unjustly ruling over Messiaen territory, no matter what the real purpose was.
After the defeat of Basamark, it seems that Sights sent Clan a letter acknowledging him as the next governor of Messiaen and an apology.
In the meantime, Sights had taken the stance that they were not currently enemies.
With Clan claiming to be the king, Sights would no doubt have a cause to defeat the traitor, and it would be easier for them to raise an army.
“Rather, is that the aim? Perhaps Sir Clan is thinking of having Sights attack, counterattacking, and swallowing them up all at once. Some of the nobles within Messiaen are still reluctant to follow Sir Clan. There are many people who are doing so. If we incite a crisis, we will have no choice but to dispatch troops.” (Russell)
“Well… from Canale’s point of view, there’s nothing more troublesome than that.” (Ars)
Russell predicted that if Sights were to attack, it would definitely be Canale.
“I honestly don’t know what Sir Clan is thinking. We don’t have enough information either. We have collected some information on the province of Messiaen and the province of Sights, but we have not collected any information on the provinces of Paradile and Ansel. I’m sure Sir Clan has detailed information on those areas.” (Russell)
“That’s right…” (Ars)
The need to increase the number of secret reconnaissance agents like Shadow and gather information on the entire Somerforce continent was likely to be a necessity in the future.
“There is a possibility of a major war happening in the future. Until now, our priority has been to increase our economic power, but let’s give priority to increasing our military power. We will also increase the training of our soldiers. We will also reinforce our castles and fortresses. Is that all right?” (Ars)
I concluded after listening to what my retainers had to say.
The recent economic boom had greatly increased tax revenues, and we had saved up a good amount of money.
It would be better to use the money now to strengthen the military.
No one objected to my policy.
The meeting ended.
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