Chapter 26: Go Earn Money (2) |
Vol 2 Chapter 26. Go Earn Money (2)
The Schneider Duchy.
The strongest nation on the Continent of Pangemonia.
It's a somewhat strange statement.
Usually, a duchy is a small state subject to a kingdom, and its national power is typically below that of the kingdom.
However, the Schneider Duchy is a different case.
In fact, it is a duchy in name only; where is it a duchy?
It governs a territory far larger than its suzerain, the Kingdom of Atronia.
It rules over all the territories of the former four eastern nations, plus most of the territory of the old Kaisar Kingdom and a portion of the Magellan Kingdom's territory.
Furthermore, the national power of the Schneider Duchy is not solely due to the vastness of its land.
The Tower of Truth was completely established within the Duchy.
The Double Dragon Knightly Order, called the strongest knightly order on the continent.
Although the exact number of 7-Star knights belonging to the Double Dragon Knightly Order has not been publicly announced in detail, it is known to be over at least twenty.
On top of that, other races including Elves and Orcs.
Retainers of Kalaron beyond the Great Forest.
The protection of the Dragon Lord.
Even the Roman Empire, which unified the continent uniquely in continental history, would fall short in national power compared to the current Schneider Duchy.
Such a superpower, the Schneider Duchy.
A self-made figure who grew a small fiefdom on the frontier into the strongest nation on the continent in just one generation.
Grand Duke Jaycall Schneider was sighing deeply.
"Huuuu...."
"Grand Duke, Your Highness. Are you alright?"
"Hmm, I am fine. Duke Krupa."
It was Duke Alexander Krupa who examined the complexion of Grand Duke Schneider, who was sighing deeply.
Patrick had scouted him during the war when he was originally the Prime Minister of the Harbor Kingdom, and now he was also serving as the Prime Minister of the Schneider Duchy.
Naturally, thanks to having many points of contact with Grand Duke Schneider, the two also developed a personal friendship.
To the extent that they could understand each other's worries without explicitly saying them.
"Are you worried about the Grand Young Master?"
"I know he is a guy for whom my worrying is useless. But still, I cannot help but worry."
"......."
Although it is a top secret of the state, Duke Krupa knew as he was a key figure of the Schneider Duchy.
Patrick is not in this world right now.
He has gone to the world he lived in his previous life.
Just as this world faced the crisis of destruction due to the threat of the Outer God, it is known that the other world is also in crisis, so he went saying he would save it.
Even though he could just live comfortably now, he went insisting on saving it.
Just thinking about it turned Grand Duke Schneider's stomach inside out.
"Like a pushover bastard...."
"......."
Grand Duke, Your Highness, if the Grand Young Master heard that, he would have foamed at the mouth.
Duke Krupa straightened his expression for a moment and said,
"Grand Duke, Your Highness. I came to see you personally today because I have something to report."
"You personally?"
Duke Krupa, whom Patrick scouted, is a very capable person.
For him, who had already excellently led the Harbor Duchy in the past and made it into a powerful nation, managing a country overflowing with talent and resources like the Schneider Duchy was an easy task.
Therefore, most matters could be handled within the Prime Minister's Ministry.
That he brought work directly like this means....
"It must be a serious matter."
"You could say so."
Saying so, Duke Krupa held out a document.
"This is...."
"It is a formal proposal of marriage sent from the Magellan Kingdom."
"Haha.... I wondered what it was."
Grand Duke Schneider laughed.
Right. This is indeed something he must handle personally.
In fact, marriage proposals pouring in for Patrick is not a matter of yesterday or today.
Although Patrick already has three wives, he still has no successor.
Therefore, some people in other countries thought that if they pushed a princess in through a state marriage and that princess gave birth to a child, they could bring a considerable amount of real power of the Schneider Duchy. However....
"Let us refuse. It is not as if the daughters-in-law have any problems, so we cannot proceed with such a matter."
"Grand Duke, Your Highness."
"Above all, Patrick is not even here right now, so how can we proceed with a state marriage?"
"Ahem, Grand Duke, Your Highness."
Duke Krupa spoke a bit strongly and cut off Grand Duke Schneider. And said....
"The subject of the marriage proposal is not the Grand Young Master."
"Not Patrick? Then... Surely?"
Grand Duke Schneider hurriedly tore open the letter. Then, there was....
「We request to send Princess Leipatro Rahi Magellan of the Magellan Kingdom as the second wife of Grand Duke Schneider, Your Highness.
We hope you will seriously consider this for the friendship and peace of both countries.」
"Ha.... Hahaha...."
Only laughter came out.
This was an unexpected curveball.
Grand Duke Schneider, who had been laughing distractedly for a moment, pressed firmly between his eyes with his thumb and said,
"State marriage? To me?"
"That is what is written."
"By any chance, the age of the Princess here is...."
"I understand she is fifteen."
[Wow, a thief! My father is a total thief. Everyone in the world, look here! The Grand Duke of the Schneider Duchy is stealing!]
"Kueueuung."
He hears the voice of his son shouting in his head.
"Let us refuse."
Grand Duke Schneider spoke firmly as if there was nothing to think about.
He loved his wife, Ava.
He had never once thought of bringing a woman other than her into his embrace....
[Really? Not even once?]
Why does this guy suddenly pop out and....
[Father, let's speak honestly as man to man. You really haven't even thought about it once? Really? Swear on it? On the family name?]
"Be quiet. You rascal!"
"Pardon?"
"No... it is nothing. Recently, after my son went to another world, some unknown side effects a little...."
"......"
"Anyway, I do not need a second wife. Ava is the only wife in my entire life."
There is no one within the Duchy who does not know of Grand Duke Schneider's utmost love for his wife. But, you see.
"Grand Duke, Your Highness, please consider the position that as a subject of the Duchy, I must say this even though I do not want to."
"......."
Seeing the long introduction, it seems it is definitely an important story. Grand Duke Schneider composed himself first and said, "I will permit it, so speak."
"Yes. As Your Highness also knows, it is not an exaggeration to say that our Duchy has currently met its prime and stands truly on a rock."
"......."
"However, apart from this solid status and national power of the country, the situation of the Grand Duke Family, which should be the central axis of the country, is not so smooth."
"......."
"Although Grand Duke, Your Highness, is still maintaining health, Young Master Schneider, the sole successor, is currently absent."
"......."
"If the Grand Young Master had left a successor behind, I would not make such a request either. However, currently, there is not a single successor in the Grand Duke Family."
"......."
"In other words, there is currently no one who holds legitimate ruling rights and succession rights to the Schneider Grand Duke Family. If things go wrong like this...."
"Duke Krupa. You are...."
Grand Duke Schneider, who had been listening silently, cut off Duke Krupa. And continued....
"Patrick might not be able to return."
"......."
"So, preparing for the worst case, I must father a new child."
"......."
"Are you saying this?"
It was a cold voice unbelievable to have come from Grand Duke Schneider's mouth.
Him lowering his voice, who rarely gets angry, was a part where one could guess how angry he was.
But if Duke Krupa were to shut his mouth here, he wouldn't have opened it in the first place.
"Grand Duke, Your Highness. As a subject of the Duchy, I have the duty to assume the worst situation and give advice befitting it."
"......."
"I know Grand Duke, Your Highness' heart loving the Grand Duchess and trusting the Grand Young Master. However, before that, please consider that as the Grand Duke of the Duchy, you have the duty to solidify the country."
"......."
Duke Krupa resolutely saying everything he has to say.
Although the opponent is a person hearing the sound of a pushover, if that pushover is the ruler of the strongest nation on the continent, the story is different.
Depending on his will, he was a figure with the authority to cast out Duke Krupa with a single word. However....
"Withdraw for now. I will answer after thinking in my own way."
"I understand."
Grand Duke Schneider was not a person with such a strong sense of authority that he would crush a subject speaking the right words with power.
Rather, he is a person problematic for having too little of it.
"Huuu...."
Only the sound of his sigh left alone lingered in the office.
There are two characteristics of things transmitted from mouth to mouth.
The first is that the spreading speed is fast.
The second is that it is uncontrollable.
The fact that the Magellan Kingdom decided to marry a princess as Grand Duke Schneider's second wife spread quickly within the Duchy.
That fact became quite a sensitive topic of debate for the citizens of the Duchy.
"Then what happens? If the Princess of the Magellan Kingdom comes in as the Grand Duke, His Highness' second wife...."
"Isn't it a good thing? Doesn't the status of the country rise that much?"
"Right? And if she is a Princess of the Magellan Kingdom, how pretty would she be?"
"Honestly, I envy Grand Duke, His Highn...."
Smack!
"Aack!"
The young man chatting in the tavern was hit on the back of his head. And the middle-aged man who smacked the back of that young man's head was....
"Has this bastard gone crazy? How dare you leave our Madam aside and say what?"
"Mister.... Who are you, Mister?"
"You bastard? Do you know what kind of person our Madam Ava is? She married into a poor Baron family in her youth and gave birth to the Young Master with a weak body."
"No, that is...."
"She is a person who has strived and devoted her entire life solely for the Grand Duke Family. Unlike other noble ladies, she is a person who has never once indulged in luxury. But what did you say?"
"Mister.... That's something to pick a fight over.... Aack!"
"It's not something to pick a fight over, but something to get beaten for. You sense-less bastard!"
"This Mister!"
It happened in an instant for the tavern to become a mess.
And incidents like this were happening quite commonly here and there in the Duchy.
Mainly, the natives of the Schneider Duchy expressed unwavering support for Ava and were on the side that Grand Duke, His Highness, must keep his loyalty to Ava.
And as the territory of the Duchy expanded, those who came in late said that if he takes a princess of another country as a wife, the status of the country also rises, so isn't it good for everyone?
This became quite a fierce topic of debate among the citizens of the Duchy.
Enough to divide public opinion.
***
The Intelligence Department of the Magellan Kingdom.
A secret organization created by the royal family to secretly collect information and manipulate public opinion.
They had recently infiltrated the Schneider Duchy and were active enthusiastically.
"How is public opinion?"
"It is unraveling well. And as expected, Patrick Schneider seems not to be in the Duchy right now."
"Of course. There is no way that dog-mess would hold his breath without stepping into his family affairs."
The head of the Intelligence Department nodded.
The information they collected.
No, there is nothing to collect.
Considering Patrick's personality widely known across the entire continent, he would have stepped forward long ago swinging twin swords and causing an uproar.
'Since he was a human who went on a rampage in the Holy Empire just because the soup was salty....'
But him being this quiet means one conclusion.
It means currently Patrick is not in the Schneider Duchy. Then....
"We can proceed a bit more boldly."
"What do you mean?"
"Spread the rumor that there is a problem with Grand Duchess Ava's body so she cannot bear children anymore."
At that, the subordinate's face stiffened hard.
"Captain. If we do that and things go wrong...."
"Do as you are told. If we miss this opportunity, there is no future for our Magellan Kingdom."
He knew too.
Considering the status of the Schneider Grand Duke Family right now, defaming the honor of the Grand Duchess is like stepping on thin ice. However....
'If we do nothing like this, our Magellan Kingdom will collapse anyway.'
The nation that suffered the greatest damage in the war with the Hegemon King is exactly the Magellan Kingdom.
It would have been better if they were neatly occupied like the Kaisar Kingdom.
The Magellan Kingdom suffered from the war for a long time, its land was devastated, and three-quarters of its population was killed.
It was truly immense damage.
It was because the Black Mages deliberately dragged out the war for the resurrection of the Outer God at that time.
After that, the war with the Outer God followed immediately without time for the national damage to recover.
Now, having suffered damage once again there.
The Magellan Kingdom is facing the period of its weakest state since its founding.
For the Magellan Kingdom, which proudly stood as a middle-power nation of the continent just 20 years ago, the current situation was merely bleak and miserable. However....
"If we can marry the Princess to the Schneider Duchy, the story changes."
Once they form a state marriage, they can obtain aid from the Schneider Duchy.
And although it is the best-case scenario, if the Princess bears Grand Duke Schneider's child and that child becomes the successor of the Schneider Duchy....
'Our Magellan Kingdom will be able to enjoy the greatest golden age in history.'
Isn't it natural to risk some danger to obtain that glory?
Thought the head of the Intelligence Department and said,
"Spread two rumors simultaneously within the Duchy. One is the absence of Patrick Schneider."
"That will be possible. Since it was revealed that he is recuperating because the injury sustained in the war with the Outer God worsened...."
"And the second is the news of Grand Duchess Ava's infertility I mentioned earlier."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. Spread it widely within the Duchy. Say that if the lineage of the Grand Duke Family is cut off like this, the Schneider Duchy will revert to the Kingdom of Atronia according to principle."
"Will people believe that?"
Of course, in principle, the Schneider Duchy is a duchy that became independent with the permission of the Kingdom of Atronia.
Since this is a concept like a kind of fiefdom, the Kingdom of Atronia can claim rights to the territory of the Schneider Duchy if the successor of the Grand Duke Family is cut off.
Strictly in principle, that is.
"A snake cannot swallow an elephant."
"I know too. But we can make people anxious."
"In the Schneider Duchy, the Grand Duke Family receives absolute trust from the citizens."
"......."
"Conversely speaking, it means the citizens have no choice but to react sensitively to a crisis of the Schneider Grand Duke Family."
"Ah...."
Indeed, there was a point.
And he understood why they had to carry out such an intelligence operation risking danger.
As the subordinate understood, the head of the Magellan Kingdom's Intelligence Department said firmly.
"I will take all the responsibility. Move!"
"Yes!"