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Chapter 202 - Chasing Tails (3)

Ruler.

The word itself made the hearts of many pound with excitement. In a world where there were distinct differences between those in power and those who followed, the followers always dreamed of achieving power.

Vant had lived most of his life as someone in power, but of course, whether he was the ruler at all times was a subjective matter. When it came to chess, he absolutely dominated, but when he took on the role of a public official, he turned into a follower. He was a figure of authority, but at the same time, he wasn’t.

Despite all that, Vaant was quite satisfied with his life because he had far more people who had to bow down to him than he had to bow down to. That was why Vant had no choice but to desperately bow down to Henry after he beat him in chess so that he could maintain his position as the mayor.

Vant was well aware that as long as he buttered up Henry, he would be able to continue his way of life.

After hearing the word ‘ruler,’ Vant couldn’t help but dream about how it would be to actually become the ruler he had always wanted to be. He would be the sole ruler of Vivaldi Town, the once-free city that would become an independent state.

However, Vant ended up shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He realized that those sweet dreams of his had fatal flaws, which reminded him that they would never turn into reality.

Realizing how Henry had tried to convince him, Vaant chuckled and said, “Haha, you, you.... You really have a cunning way of speaking, just as I expected. I almost fell for your sophistry .”

"Sophistry?"

"Yes. There are serious flaws in what you said.”

Vant confidently claimed that there were some flaws in Henry’s offer. Henry was initially surprised to hear this, but then decided to take the time and listen to what Vant had on his mind.

“Flaws, huh... Let’s hear them then.”

With that, Vant proceeded to explain.

“First of all, where and how will you get the huge budget that the empire used to give us?”

“I like where this is going. Since you mentioned this being the first flaw, I’m assuming there’s a second one. Keep on going.”

“Okay, then I’ll keep going. My second point is, even if residents from other territories come over to the free city as you mentioned, they’ll just be free from the fear of conscription. There’s no guarantee that Vivaldi Town will be safe from being attacked by other countries, correct?”

“If Vivaldi meets the criteria to become a country and declares itself as an independent one, of course it’ll be attacked.”

“That\'s exactly the problem. No matter how qualified the city is to become an independent country, how could it possibly increase its defensive capabilities to prepare against attacks from the outside when its budget is so low?”

Vant brought up a good point. However, there were some things he didn’t know, and because of that, Henry just chuckled.

“Good, very good. Are these two flaws the only ones you think there are?”

“For now, yes.”

“Okay, so in short, you think there’s a problem with running the country in regards to budget and the defensive measures against other countries.”

"Yes, exactly.”

“Then, if I paraphrase what you said, you’ll be able to take off that tacky robe of yours and wear a uniform again if the two issues get resolved, right?”

“Scoff. Of course I would. I’d be in a better state than the refugees.”

“You won’t just be in a better state than the refugees. If I solve those two flaws for you, you’ll be the new king of Vivaldi Town.”

“...”

Both of them kept on stating the obvious. After hearing what Henry seemed to be offering, Vant fell silent, and seeing that, Henry couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Haha, I like how honest you are. I guess that’s why you’ve been clinging on to me all this time.”

“Anyways... Let’s get to the point then. How in the world are you going to solve those two problems? And...”

“And?”

“You tend to see the world too lightly. Even though you’ve managed to become Eisen’s vassal at such a young age, the current state of the continent is the reality we have to face. Do you even know what war is?”

Vant was old, whereas Henry was young, or rather, he looked young.

In fact, he was also biologically young, just twenty years old, and because of that, Vant considered Henry to be an arrogant, smart aleck who had no experience in war. When it comes to war, reality is often different than what people expect.

However, Henry let Van’s stern warning go through one ear and out the other.

“Are you done complaining?” asked Henry in a low voice.

"Huh, what did you say?”

“Age is meaningless when it comes to determining someone’s wisdom. If I may, I’d like to tell you the solutions to the two issues you’ve previously mentioned.”

With a rather stern expression, Henry proceeded to offer solutions to the two problems Vant had pointed out. Once he was done explaining, Vant’s jaw dropped to the ground, eventually opening his mouth wide enough that his uvula was visible. In fact, every part of Vant’s body conveyed how utterly shocked he was.

“How, how in the...!”

“What do you think? Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Henry had given him a concise explanation, but the solutions he had offered were more complicated than that. He continued, “Now that I think about it, if I can solve the two issues you mentioned, there’s no point in making you the new king of Vivaldi Town to begin with.”

"W-what?”

“Am I wrong? I just need a puppet that’ll follow my orders, and I just realized that puppet doesn’t necessarily have to be you.”

“W-well...!”

Henry changed his attitude. In reality, he was just telling the truth, and Vaant was simply paying the price for his arrogance of acting like he had something up his sleeve when, in reality, he had nothing.

But at that moment...

Thud!

Vant fell on his knees, bowing to the point of hitting the wooden floor with his forehead, the dull thud echoing throughout the room.

“I-I-I-I m-must’ve lost my mind for a moment... Please give me... Please give me one more chance. I will never cross the line again!”

Henry looked down on Vant as he apologized profusely and sincerely on his knees. Upon seeing him with his head hung in embarrassment, Henry couldn’t help but smile.

‘This guy.’

Henry understood why Vant had crossed the line. In fact, Henry thought it was only natural for Vant to do so since he had struggled under him for a long time. Nevertheless, Henry had no reason to specifically make Vant the king of Vivaldi Town.

However, just because he had no reason to do so, it didn’t mean that Vant’s reputation as mayor wasn’t useful.

Mayor Vant.

He was known as a fairly trustworthy figure among the people of Vivaldi Town, along with his noble image of a chess master and competent mayor. That was precisely why Henry planned on keeping Vant rather than appointing someone new.

Henry was well aware that when it came to how a leader influenced others, there were cases where their image was greater than their actual abilities, and Vant’s case was exactly that, which was why Henry could make use of him. He already knew he needed someone who could calm down the people of Vivaldi when it suddenly declared independence.

In a way, Henry was also looking for someone to use as a scapegoat when all hell broke loose in Vivaldi Town after it declared its independence.

As Vant kept his head down, Henry spoke up.

“Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?”

“W-what...?”

Vant was taken aback by the unexpected words, but Henry couldn’t care less. He just continued talking.

“You’re very upfront about your desires, unlike your noble image as the chess master.”

“Thank you so much Henry! Oh no, Sir Henry!”

“Yes, there we go.”

Vant let out a sigh of relief only after seeing Henry’s positive reaction. He was like a dog that had tried to run away in pursuit of freedom only to return to its owner to put a leash on it once again.

* * *

When it came to the surrounding area of the Highlander region, Deucekain was the closest nation. Thanks to that, Terion could report back to Arthus a lot faster than the other messengers.

As he knelt in front of Arthus, Terion said, “Deucekain has accepted the offer of alliance.”

“Good.”

Arthus smiled in satisfaction as he heard the good news. Out of all the messengers he had sent out to different regions, Terion had been the fastest to return with a report. On top of that, he had brought him good news, which naturally caused Arthus to be delighted.

Upon hearing the report, Arthus also nodded as though he had predicted what kind of news Terion was going to bring him.

‘I knew they’d go for it.’

However, even though he had expected the Chowan Tribe to accept his offer, he was still a bit surprised that they had accepted it right away. He had thought they wouldn’t accept his offer without a fight, or multiple fights for that matter.

Terion continued with his report.

“Your Majesty, although the Chowan Tribe has agreed to be our allies during the war, they requested a couple of things from us.”

“They made requests, you say?”

“Yes, they have told me that they are currently undergoing their succession ceremony to select the new leader of Deucekain.”

“Ah, their succession ceremony... Yes, Deucekain also had a ceremony to select a new leader, just like Monsieur’s Masterpiece.”

"Yes, Your Majesty. Of course, the Deucekains have promised to show allegiance to Your Majesty no matter who becomes the new ruler of Deucekain, but they asked for some time so that they can successfully finish their succession ceremony.”

“Does that mean they can’t take part in the war during their succession ceremony?”

"Not at all, Your Majesty. All they asked for was to be excused from any events that require the presence of their leader. According to the Deucekain law, no one can become leader before the succession ceremony is concluded.”

Events where the presence of a leader was needed.

Arthus knew that they were talking about things like the opening ceremony of the war or leadership meetings that were usually held before the war started.

Arthus got lost in thought while rubbing his chin.

“Hmm...”

“But instead, they said they would carry out their duties as soon as the war started if we sent them instructions through messengers. They also mentioned that once they’re done with their succession ceremony and the war is over, their new ruler will show courtesy to the Empire and meet Your Majesty.”

Arthus had no problems with those conditions.

In fact, if everything Terion said was true, Deucekain was just asking them to respect their traditions while agreeing to still cooperate in pretty much everything. Arthus was not a stern, cold-blooded leader to ignore such traditions.

“Well, it seems like we have no choice. In order to ensure a long-lasting alliance with Deucekain, we have to respect them to a certain degree.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

"Then that’s that. Terion, you will take responsibility from now on to convey the message of the royal family to Deucekain.”

“It shall be done, Your Majesty.”

After receiving his orders, Terion bowed his head and left the room.

Once the doors closed behind him, he let out the deepest sigh. He then held his chest, feeling like his heart was about to explode, sweating like a pig.

"I made it through. I didn’t act awkward at all.”

Henry had implanted a magic bomb in him, and in order to prevent it from exploding, Terion had no choice but to do as Henry had told him. After all, to Terion, his life was more precious than anything else. Thus, he had reported to Arthus in accordance with Henry\'s instructions.

He then made his way out of the palace in order to soothe the stress he had accumulated during his travels.

‘I guess I’ll go get a drink. It’s been ages.’

At the moment, getting a drink after completing his arduous tasks would feel to Terion like drinking the elixir of life. He couldn’t confide in anyone about his predicament, so he had to endure the pain by himself. Thus, alcohol was the only thing that Terion could find solace in.

But just then, Terion saw a strange man in the distance limping toward him with a couple of maids.

“Hmm?”

The man’s outfit had a peculiar design, unlike anything Terion had ever seen within the continent. Given its pure white color, the outfit was obviously foreign. For a second, Terion could swear the man was covered in snow. He also had a voluptuous figure and the whitest beard. His outfit, his figure, his face... Everything about him seemed strange and peculiar.

\'What in the...?’

Terion noticed that there was something else that was odd about the man. He seemed unfamiliar, yet familiar at the same time. Terion felt like he had seen that man before.

Soon, their eyes met, and the limping man bowed first.

Terion asked politely, “The outfit you have on... it seems familiar, but not quite... May I ask where you are from?”

The mysterious man replied, “My name is Usa and I come from the Sore Empire. I have come today to show my respect to none other than His Majesty, the great emperor of the Aenian Empire.”

‘The Sore Empire!’

Only then did Terion realize that the man wore the unique attire of the Sore Empire. The two eventually gave each other another light nod and passed each other to go their separate ways.

Upon entering the palace, Usa went to the room where Arthus was. As Terion saw him enter the palace, he thought to himself, ‘It looks like the Sore Empire is going to leech on us.’

The Sore Empire was also one of the countries Arthus had sent messengers to. As Terion kept on thinking, his face broke into a grin.

‘Well, this is good news. That bastard Henry is going to be happy if I tell him about this as well.’

Terion thought he had just hit the jackpot because he currently needed to build up more trust with Henry and get in his good graces.

‘Okay, I’ll report this to him after I recover from all the exhausting traveling with some drinks.’

Having obtained some useful information out of the blue, Terion walked away from the palace in a happier mood than he was before.