The Extra Strategist’s Royal Road Chapter 232
The meeting was temporarily suspended due to Rosa’s fainting.
As Sophia left with the Royal Guard executives, saying she would root out the palace informant, only Lucretia and I remained.
“…Wade.”
Lucretia’s eyes were trembling. She spoke with a face like someone trying to hold onto a departing lover.
“You’re not thinking of abandoning Princess Rosa and our kingdom now, are you?”
“Why are you suddenly saying that?”
“Because of the situation. You’re in a position where you can leave anytime…! No, it would actually be better for you! A-actually, before Princess Rosa firmly decided to inherit the throne, you were preparing to flee to the Northern Continent fearing Prince Joseph’s retaliation!”
She seemed to have lost her usual composure. She was saying things unimaginable from her typically steady demeanor.
“Please don’t abandon us. Princess Rosa needs you!”
“…”
“If you understand, please answer!”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t answer right now.”
If my predictions are correct, in 4 months the Ellan Kingdom will be in an apocalyptic state.
Of course, humanity would continue to survive. Despite sacrifices, it could eventually be restored with time.
But in that process, the kingdom would almost certainly perish.
When threatening dungeons spring up like mushrooms like that, the central authority weakens and local regions gain autonomy.
That would soon lead to independence, inevitably causing the kingdom’s system to collapse.
To me, who saw this as inevitable, Luc’s request to help the kingdom until the end was difficult to accept readily.
After all, I was planning to return to my original place.
I was planning to research how to return to the Magic Continent as soon as we found the remaining missing people.
‘What if I help the Ellan Kingdom?’
Not only would I lose the leisure to research, but it would take years just to normalize the kingdom.
How could I easily decide on such a sacrifice?
Honestly, the best scenario for me would be finding the remaining missing people within 4 months and returning to the Magic Continent.
Luc had thought that far and was now pleading with me.
“Please! Princess Rosa already lacks talented people around her. If you and your vassals disappear too…!”
“As I said earlier, I have no intention of giving any answer right now.”
At my indirect refusal, Luc seemed to completely lose her reason and snapped back.
“Strictly speaking, isn’t this your fault! If you had taken better measures, this wouldn’t have happened!”
What she took issue with was how I had let Prince Paris’s people escape.
Though it was an unavoidable choice at the time since occupying the audience chamber was the top priority, if they were the masterminds behind the mana stone storage raid, then my mistake was real.
“That’s hindsight. If you were so unhappy about it, why didn’t you chase them yourself?”
“Kuk!”
“With hindsight, you can blame anyone. You must know that…. I understand how you feel. However, we have our own circumstances too.”
“…What if.”
“…?”
“What if I became your vassal, would you help then?”
A meaningful question. Having spent nearly 8 months with me, she knew how much I cherished each of my vassals.
“Even if I, as your vassal, begged you while risking my life, would you turn away?”
“I haven’t experienced such a situation, so I don’t know. And I don’t want to know.”
I quickly drew the line. From her momentum, it seemed like she might offer to become a vassal in exchange for helping the kingdom.
Even if she did, while I could firmly refuse, Luc’s behavior was troublesome in a different sense.
Luc had deep friendships with some of my vassals.
If she insisted, Elena, Ash, Meissen, and others would raise their voices to help her.
I didn’t think I could completely ignore that aspect.
“Wade, I’ve already made up my mind. If it’s for the kingdom and Princess Rosa, my loyalty…”
Just as Luc was about to cross the line.
“No, Luc.”
“Princess Rosa!?”
Rosa, who had fainted, had returned.
She sternly rebuked Luc.
“If you leave me too, who will remain by my side? Please, don’t think like that.”
“But….”
“I know the situation is hopeless if we can’t bring him to our side. I’ve thought about that part too. Leave it to me.”
Rosa glares at me with fierce eyes.
“Wade, are you thinking of running away like this?”
“I won’t answer. We have our own circumstances. Considering everything comprehensively…”
“You’re saying the most rational choice is to quickly escape to the Magic Continent?”
“If that’s the conclusion we reach, then that’s what we should do.”
“No. I won’t allow it.”
“If you think that kind of force will work on me, you’re mistaken.”
“It might not work on you. But what about Erina?”
“…!”
“Do you think Erina could abandon me and go back?”
If she’s going to play hardball, I will too.
“While that would be cruel for her, I would ask her to choose between the two. If she chooses to stay here for you, I’ll respect that decision.”
“You’re confident Erina will choose you.”
“I’m simply saying that no threats will work on me.”
It would have been more troublesome for me if she had offered to become my vassal like Lucretia just did.
Rosa seems to realize this and takes a step back.
“Then we’ll have to compromise. I don’t want to use Erina as a hostage either.”
“When you say compromise…?”
“We maintain back-and-forth travel.”
Rosa proposed a middle ground.
“We’ll put all our effort into finding a way back to the Magic Continent. But instead of just going back one-way, we research ways to maintain travel between both places.”
“You want us to keep a foot in both places?”
“Yes. That wouldn’t be bad for you either, right?”
Indeed it wasn’t. For ultimate continental unification, creating a situation where travel was possible was necessary.
“Then we’ll help with the research too. In return, you don’t ignore our affairs and help us wholeheartedly.”
It was a reasonable compromise, but one thing was missing.
“What about compensation for me and my vassals who will be performing such dangerous tasks?”
“The eventual peaceful national integration. You know that’s already a big concession from me, right?”
“That’s something you’ll have to achieve through war if you don’t accept it.”
“And thousands of people would die in that process. Those would be meaningless sacrifices. If you accept my proposal now, those people won’t have to die.”
“It’s already unlikely that the Ellan Kingdom will even survive until then.”
“Whatever happens, you’ll have to conquer through war. Innocent people will die. But if you help me maintain the Ellan Kingdom, you won’t need to wage war.”
“Do you realize this is unreasonable?”
“You know I have no choice but to be unreasonable. I declare: if you don’t accept this compromise, I will never integrate with your nation.”
It was no different from a child’s tantrum, but that’s what made it troublesome.
By the looks of it, if I didn’t accept this compromise, she was ready to use every means possible – crying and begging to Erina, or applying forceful pressure.
“Sigh…. Alright. If it’s about finding a safe way to travel back and forth, I’ll help as much as I can.”
“Ah…! Thank, thank you so much!”
Seeming to know it was unreasonable herself, she teared up with joy when I agreed.
I didn’t have high expectations. Finding a way just to return would be difficult enough, let alone finding a way to travel back and forth.
* * *
With cooperation decided, we needed to discuss future matters.
First, the purpose of those behind this incident.
“The surface objective of the operation was to be a water ghost.”
“Water ghost?”
“Since they can’t die alone, they drag their opponent down with them.”
This attack on the magic stone storage was literally a water ghost operation.
“Rosa, what I want to ask you is, which prince would have done something like this?”
Landis, Paris, Joseph. Knowing which of the three used this water ghost strategy would help track down who was behind this incident.
Rosa thought deeply before speaking.
“I don’t think my brothers would go this far.”
“Let’s put aside such idealism.”
“Keep listening. Although my brothers were obsessed with the throne, they wouldn’t have planned this from the start. Surely Alliance forces encouraged this. I have one group in mind.”
Rosa mentioned Rinoa.
“Rinoa’s father tried to collaborate with the Alliance to raid the magic stone storage, right? It was foiled when Rinoa poisoned her father.”
“That’s right.”
“From recent investigations, I found out that Rinoa’s father maintained good relations with brother Paris. In that context, I think it might be brother Paris.”
“So it is Prince Paris…. Lucretia!”
When I called, Luc bowed formally.
“You may call me Luc.”
Though I had been mixing both names, this was the first time she officially permitted it.
“Then Luc, go immediately to where Prince Paris is confined and find out the details from him. Even Prince Paris won’t keep quiet once he knows how the situation has developed.”
“So in the end, we’re relying on the Prince’s conscience….”
“That’s how it seems.”
“Understood. I’ll depart right away.”
Next came political countermeasures.
Sophia, who had returned, joined this discussion.
Having lived in Alliance territory until meeting me, she knew the Alliance’s situation well.
“If the Alliance instigated this, their purpose is simple. When the kingdom loses control of territory due to dungeon appearances and falls into chaos, they plan to intervene. They’ll act as saviors while cunningly stealing territory.”
“Hmm, but when it actually happens, Alliance people will probably guess the circumstances. They’ll know it’s an ugly deed by the upper Alliance. Other Alliances won’t hastily intervene then.”
“You say that because you don’t know the Alliance’s circumstances. The Alliance is currently saturated. There are many Alliances but not enough territory to rule. Just a few upper Alliances hold over 60% of the territory. That’s why the kingdom’s chaos is good prey. They’ll try to intervene even more actively than the upper Alliances.”
At Sophia’s briefing, Rosa frowns.
“There was an upper Alliance that helped us before, right? Rampart, was it? How about asking them for help?”
Rosa meant to simply ask for help, but Sophia interpreted it differently and exclaimed.
“You mean draw them to our side and cause internal division in the Alliance! Not bad! Though we’d have to give Rampart a lot of territory in return, at least we can protect the kingdom itself.”
“Huh? No, that’s not what I meant….”
Whatever the case, it was advisable to talk with Rampart.
“Sophia, you said there’s internal strife in the Alliance now. How is that situation developing?”
“The underground city matter has become public, putting the upper Alliances in an awkward position. They illegally kidnapped people from lower Alliances to work as miners.”
“…Then this incident must be related.”
“Right. When this happens, they won’t have time to pursue the upper Alliance. Instead, they’ll rush to intervene and take our territory. As a result, the upper Alliances avoid their situation. If we assume they forced the magic stone storage raid calculating this, it all fits.”
It was certain the Alliance was behind this.
Then Rosa speaks with a startled expression.
“Come to think of it, high-ranking upper Alliance people are supposed to come to my coronation tomorrow…. Could one of the perpetrators be among them?”
Sophia nods as if it’s obvious.
“Not ‘could be’ – they’ll definitely be there. Wade, this might be a good reconnaissance opportunity. You should attend tomorrow’s coronation and observe the situation.”
Rosa’s coronation proceeds despite the chaotic situation.
I had a feeling this coronation would be the starting point of new incidents.
Hi guys, please check out the new novel I picked “I killed the Demon King. It was a mistake.”
TL NOTE:
Schedule: Everyday
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you would like to support me or read up to 30 chapters ahead, you can do so via patreon.com/ChibiGiant. OR by unlocking chapters.
You can also Rate this series in your free time @NovelUpdate.
