Misconception

The week-long grace period was intended to foment internal strife in the East.

This measure was not aimed at the Empire alone.

If one turned one's gaze a little farther outward, the utterly chaotic state of the world came into view.

Nearly three hundred years had passed since the Age of Exploration began.

The traditional powers had already advanced into the East and the Southern Hemisphere, establishing colonies, and that foundation was now combining with the dawn of the Industrial Revolution to drive explosive growth.

The most prominent among them was the Marezia Republic across the sea.

While the Empire rotted from within, the Marezia Republic entered the early stages of the Industrial Revolution and began expanding at a frightening pace.

By Imperial Year 1026, the gap between the Empire and the Republic had narrowed to less than 2:1. Some even put it as low as 1.5:1.

Even that figure included the South's overwhelming growth.

Excluding the South, the Empire proper had already been overtaken by the Marezia Republic long ago...