Chapter 11
"Well now, this is quite a predicament..."
Elder Endaland, still red-faced, slapped a hand against his head. His face was smiling, but Zelando could sense the confusion beneath it.
That was only natural. An Imperial subject had been summoned to a meeting where the fate of Rudek and Lifrea would be decided.
"It goes without saying, but this matter must not be discussed outside this room..."
Before Father Zeuracia could finish, Elder Endaland replied, "Of course."
"If the Empire learned that I had attended a meeting such as this, let alone offered advice, they would have every reason to suspect me of treason. To be honest, I would prefer to withdraw even now. ...Now then, which of you summoned me?"
"I did," Nelfia replied.
"I would also like to hear the reason you summoned me."
The confusion had already vanished, and Elder Endaland immediately turned a wary gaze on Nelfia. Even from where I stood, I could sense an intimidating, unfathomable presence about him.
"In a word, because I thought you were the right people for this. Saifa-sama and Endaland-sama have each long supported Rudek and the Empire, respectively, and few people in either country can match the breadth of their insight. That is why I reached out to you."
An elder statesman who had supported the Empire's rise during its formative years. Though retired, he was still so skilled in diplomacy and intrigue that even Father feared him. It was easy to imagine that he had been present for many of the Empire's major decisions.
The same was true of Saifa-dono, of course. Rich in resources and possessing a major port, Rudek had long been a target for various countries. Zelando had often been told since childhood that Saifa-dono was one of those who had continued quietly supporting Rudek's foundations through it all.
"Oh? So that's how it is, Saifa-dono."
Prompted by Elder Endaland, Saifa-dono looked conflicted.
"...I am no match for Endaland-sama."
"You are too modest."
Elder Endaland chuckled.
"I know full well that you two are seasoned veterans. And I promise that you will bear no responsibility for anything you say. Now, tell me: what do you think of Roa's proposal?"
"We agree."
They answered in perfect unison, without the slightest hesitation—so much so that even Father was taken aback.
"May I ask why?"
Saifa-dono was the first to answer Father.
"...I can offer only a diplomat's opinion. Is that acceptable?"
"Of course."
"In that case, then. As you both have already noted, considering the effect on neighboring countries, a swift, decisive battle would be ideal, and the occupied territories should be absorbed as peacefully as possible."
"But that would result in heavy casualties for our Knight Order."
Saifa-dono corrected Father's words with a simple, "No."
"If the country falls into disorder, many soldiers will ultimately die. That includes the people of Lifrea, who may eventually join the Knight Order. Taking everything into account, the losses suffered by the Knight Order will be greater. You can call this a certainty, not merely a possibility."
"Hmm... And what do you say, Elder Endaland?"
"In my case... well. I considered what would happen if we let this opportunity pass and the war between Rudek and Lifrea turned into a quagmire. Including internal conflict after the occupation, I thought neighboring countries would find it 'delicious,' so to speak. A country with sparks capable of igniting chaos everywhere is easy to weaken."
"...You mean the Empire as well?" I couldn't help but interject.
"Precisely. If another country is going to devour them, we may as well do it ourselves. Of course, I am not speaking only of Lifrean territory. Rudek's original territories would be caught up in the maelstrom of chaos as well."
How terrifying. Yet at the very least, Elder Endaland was saying that the Empire was capable of doing "that"...
"With that said, what do you think?"
Having finished listening to both men, Nelfia shifted their gaze to the king.
Roa-dono had remained silent all this time.
"What they both say has merit... Roa."
"Yes."
"Tomorrow, I will gather the principal figures. If you can persuade them, we will begin the campaign at the time you proposed. Is that clear?"
"Thank you."
I thought Roa-dono would probably be able to persuade them. Thus, the date of the fateful battle was set according to Roa-dono's proposal.
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"I'm sorry to have troubled you so late at night."
I, Roa, bowed to Elder Endaland.
The discussion over, Nelfia and I went out to see Elder Endaland off. Once he had left, I intended to go straight to bed as well. Tomorrow would be another difficult day.
"Oh, I would have been in a tavern at this hour regardless. Getting to hear such an interesting story was a nice bonus."
Having said that, Elder Endaland abruptly stopped and looked at us.
"Now then, let me ask once more. Which of you summoned me?"
Ah, so he had noticed after all.
I smiled wryly.
"I'm sorry about that as well. And thank you."
When I apologized, the Elder laughed. "No, it's fine. I have no intention of blaming you. That was quite a clever move."
My small stratagem, born of the thought that we'd get nowhere like this, was to ask Nelfia to involve Elder Endaland. The Elder had realized what I was doing, yet played along with my scheme.
"I made a promise to Endaland-sama, after all."
"A promise?"
"You said it yourself, didn't you? That it would be convenient for the Empire if Rudek grew to a reasonable size without harboring ambitions."
At my words, Elder Endaland's eyes widened slightly. "Now, did I ever say anything like that...?" he said, feigning ignorance, before heading out into the night once more.