Wortenia Senki (LN) - Volume 25 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue

The Kingdom of Myest’s capital, Endesia, was filled with cheers, thanks to the information shared from the royal palace just a few hours before. Civilians jumped with joy in the streets as they cheered.

Women were throwing confetti made for festivals from second-floor windows. It made for a fantastic sight, like powdered snow dancing through the air.

While it was still around midday, cheers of people drinking in celebration filled the taverns. The tavern owners, anticipating the reactions of their customers, showcased their business acumen by discounting the prices on the alcohol. For them, it had been a long-awaited peak season.

It wasn’t surprising that the civilians living in the royal capital were all in high spirits. The Mikoshiba Grand Duchy had defeated the allied forces of Brittantia and Tarja, which had besieged the fortress city of Jermuk.

Naturally, the war hadn’t been won in its entirety.

The Mikoshiba Grand Duchy had only broken through the enemy lines, raised the siege, and made their way into the castle. But the war, which started with a surprise attack by the allied forces, had already gone on for a few months.

At that time, the Kingdom of Myest had been forced into an disadvantageous position for several reasons. Few people understood these various circumstances.

The Kingdom of Myest would never take the initiative to spread information that would bring shame to the kingdom. Even if the people of Myest didn’t understand it logically, they weren’t fools.

Although the information hadn’t been made public, rumors and hearsay were spreading.

Among that gossip was the information about the Mikoshiba Grand Duchy’s victory. It would have been impossible for the citizens not to get excited and celebrate. That was a luxury only those without any responsibility could afford. They were commoners, after all, and could do so.

Some unfortunate people were unable to escape their responsibilities. One was seated in an office deep within the royal capital palace in Endesia.

King Phillip sighed deeply and appeared troubled. This was unusual for him, as he had ruled over the Kingdom of Myest, the most prominent of the three eastern countries, for several decades. But it wasn’t an unreasonable response.

“Well, well... What do we have here... The Mikoshiba Grand Duchy. I’ve heard he was an exceptionally talented strategist, but I never thought he would resort to such means...” He had previously heard rumors from his niece, Ecclesia.

Seeing the outcome of the political strife in the neighboring Kingdom of Rhoadseria, Phillip was aware that Ryoma Mikoshiba was no ordinary man.

If anything, he is the man who deposed Lupis Rhoadserians, the country’s ruler at the time. A man like that isn’t bound by a country’s diplomacy, thought King Phillip.

It was well known that Ryoma went by another name: the Devil of Heraklion.

While he was regarded as the savior of Rhoadseria, many still believed that he had chased former ruler Lupis Rhoadserians from the kingdom and replaced her with a puppet queen.

Undeniably, having such a reputation affected people’s trust in Ryoma Mikoshiba. That decline in trust led to people believing that his total disregard for diplomacy was a malicious act toward the king of Myest.

Should it be necessary, Ryoma Mikoshiba would have happily attended an audience with Phillip. Even if he hadn’t thought so, he would have still followed protocol if the situation in Jermuk wasn’t an emergency.

As a response to an emergency during wartime, he had deemed it was an opportune time to attack and had chosen to go for victory, disregarding protocol. It was a correct decision for a general leading an army to make, yet a limited number of people would understand that.

Just the thought of the response of those who wouldn’t understand it was enough to make Phillip’s stomach churn. As someone in the center of the situation, Phillip harbored no ill will toward Ryoma. He also thought that Ryoma Mikoshiba had made the right decision, and he understood that the whole cause behind this situation was the Kingdom of the Myest.

Our country hadn’t finished organizing our units yet. Even so, the Mikoshiba Grand Duchy army consisted of only forty thousand men, but he went up against sixty thousand men. Knowing that man, I assumed he would win. It would, however, have further dragged out the war.

Myest’s internal conflicts had affected the aid sent from other countries. Regardless of that fact, the Mikoshiba Grand Duchy was successful in defeating the Brittantia-Tarja alliance and freeing Jermuk.

Considering both the outcome and the events leading up to it, any fair assessment of the situation would conclude that Ryoma Mikoshiba’s decision was the correct one.

Phillip understood that and had no intention of blaming Ryoma for it. He didn’t think there were any other options than Ryoma talking to him, though.

Not that I can think of, anyway...

Of course, there were those with gifted minds in the world. Those kinds of people may have been able to come up with an alternative plan and criticize Ryoma’s decision. But Phillip found it unethical to fault someone without first offering an alternative.

Fortunately, Phillip was a man who wasn’t so shameless as to ask someone to do what he couldn’t do himself. He considered it settled. The main issue was handling it externally, and the main point was that it needed to be solved diplomatically.

I’m worried about how the nobles will respond.

The nobles from the Kingdom of Myest were considerably better than those from the Kingdom of Rhoadseria. That resulted from King Phillip’s solid royal authority, which he maintained because he was effective at keeping the nobles in check. Simply put, the manner in which Viscount Romaine managed his territory would never be allowed to happen in the Myest.

If someone were to rule similarly to Viscount Romaine and such actions were made public, he would have been immediately stripped of his title and executed. Noble society also valued noblesse oblige, meaning they all understood that anyone like Viscount Romaine would not be entitled to inherit his family’s estate and would be thoroughly excluded from the family.

No nobles had been punished like that during Phillip’s many years on the throne, meaning that the country’s self-regulating system worked exceedingly well. The nobles from the Kingdom of Myest were outstanding compared to the rest of the western continent.

It wouldn’t have been accurate to say they did not have their complaints about the current situation. They took pride in their status and loyalty to their king due to their excellence. Moreover, they placed a lot of value on tradition and etiquette.

They definitely won’t be too fond of this.

Though, it was a normal reaction for them to have as nobles. It would be difficult to have them think otherwise. Phillip couldn’t see a satisfying solution to the problem.

Even though Jermuk has been freed, the Brittantia and Tarja forces are still lingering around the border. We still very much require the aid of Ryoma Mikoshiba. What should we do?

Phillip was a renowned ruler, although he seemed to struggle with how to deal with this situation.

Sometimes, a savior appeared at the most unexpected times.

“Your Majesty... Chancellor Spiegel is requesting an audience. What would you like me to do?” announced the guard standing in front of the door.

“Owen? That’s fine. Let him in.” As soon as Phillip had finished speaking, the doors to the office opened, and Chancellor Owen Spiegel entered the room.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty,” said Owen, kneeling.

Phillip waved his hand, signaling him to stop. He then smiled as he spoke to Owen with genuine affection, “No need for such pleasantries. It’s just me and you here. You can be more relaxed around me, my dear brother.”

Owen, the recipient of such affectionate words, shook his head.

“I cannot do that, Your Majesty. You are the king of Myest, and I am your vassal. Although we are brothers who share the same father, we must maintain the distinction between master and servant.”

Phillip’s face clouded over in response.

“Distinction between master and servant... I suppose you are right.” Though Phillip understood Owen, he couldn’t help but feel a little displeased by it.

He struggled to truly accept it, seeing as they were family. Chancellor Spiegel returned a wry smile.

Although this had happened many times, Chancellor Spiegel likewise struggled to accept Phillip’s side of it. He was appropriately strict for a chancellor who governed the country’s politics.

Phillip shrugged in response to his brother’s stubborn attitude, something that had happened many times before. He wasn’t so childish that he would get angry over his brother rejecting his affection. He then asked the reason for Chancellor Spiegel’s visit.

“So, what brings you here? Though, it’s also fine if you just came to see me. Maybe we can enjoy a nice meal outside in the garden.”

Unfortunately, Chancellor Spiegel shook his head in response to the suggestion.

“There is a reason I am disturbing you today, Your Majesty. I came to deliver this letter.” Chancellor Spiegel took out a heavily sealed letter and placed it before Phillip.

“A letter? That you, the chancellor, have come to deliver it to me?” Phillip wore a puzzled expression.

It was a natural response. Even though Owen Spiegel was his half brother, he was also the chancellor of the Kingdom of Myest. For him to act as a messenger was unusual.

But Phillip’s questions were answered when he saw the sender’s name on the letter.

“I see now... There is some meaning behind you personally delivering this letter,” Phillip said. Chancellor Spiegel slowly nodded.

“But why, why now? Why did he send such a letter now? He’s been confined to his estate due to illness for many years.” Phillip took out a paper knife and opened the letter.

Phillip scanned the contents of the letter before rereading them more carefully.

The contents of the letter must have been shocking. He finally looked up from the letter.

How much time had passed?

At the very least, surely more than enough time needed to read a letter. However, Phillip didn’t care for such trivial matters at that moment. He then sighed deeply and directed a sharp gaze toward Chancellor Spiegel.

“Do you know what is written in this letter?” Phillip asked. It was a determined question, one that didn’t allow any falsehood.

If the contents of the letter were true, it would mean several of Myest’s dilemmas would be solved. Knowing this, Phillip had spoken with a firm tone. Yet Chancellor Spiegel simply nodded slowly in response.

“Yes... It was I who requested this letter be written.”

Phillip let out a deep sigh in response. “I see... Then, is it true? Is that man... Is Alexis Duran really returning to military duty?”

The letter came like a bolt from the blue, leaving Phillip in shock. One of the strongest generals in the Kingdom of Myest was to return. Philip considered Duran’s return even better news than the liberation of Jermuk.

Despite this, the king failed to pick up on the slight malice hidden within the letter that would lead the Kingdom of Myest into further hardship.