Cent. Calendar 06/06/1639 (over a month ago)

“Excuse me, your majesty. May I inquire as to why you have summoned me?”

I bowed as low as I could as I entered the dimly lit throne room.

Sitting all alone on his throne at the other end of the long hall was Ludius, already five years into his position as Emperor of Parpaldia yet still unable to get used to the spacious area afforded to his buttocks by the throne. While true physically, it also was true in a metaphorical sense. His father, the previous emperor, was a brilliant military man, leading the formidable ground forces to a string of victories against the Northern Alliance and commencing the modernization of the navy. The continued expansion of Parpaldian territory and influence, as well as a looming flashpoint with the nascent Altarans, weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Since becoming emperor, he has taken to finding time to seclude himself in the throne room to gather his thoughts. I assume that this was why he was here, but him summoning me while he was here was a first.

“Come.”

He said in his even deeper voice than before as his fingers beckoned on me to come closer.

Walking the entire length of the spacious throne room, I reached the highest step just next to the imperial throne. Then, without looking my way, he whispered something to me.

“Have you noticed anything off with one of our diplomatic channels?”

What a vague question. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t the least bit unsettled by it. Sure, it encompassed a broad range of possible answers, but a lot of those were answers I cannot–by any means–mouth off to this man.

After becoming emperor, he now had the power and authority to appoint ministers and the like. To keep my usefulness as his close ally, he appointed me as the head minister for all foreign affairs departments (there were three). The appointment of a nobody like me ruffled a lot of feathers, particularly among the natural and seasoned critics of the imperial regime and of Ludius himself. We made sure that there weren’t any actual challengers ballsy enough to do something substantial, and after some time, the issue was buried.

The appointment gave me power and scope, unlike anything I’ve been given before. Not only was my position naturally close to the military, since Parpaldia’s expansion was made possible through a careful blend of diplomacy and warmongering, but I also had access to the many nations that Parpaldia had relations with, especially those that possessed less than favorable perceptions of the empire. This is where I got to work on upholding the vows I made.

After making a lot of friends in the military, ranging from lowly ship captains to the army commanders in the north, I went on multiple state visits to foreign nations, signing economic treaties, discussing agreements, and acting as an envoy for Parpaldia’s interests. On the underside, I was also making personal contact with some of the higher-ups of said nations to get a clearer picture of their circumstances. As of this moment, my best option in upending the man and his government is creating a national embarrassment so devastating that even Ludius’s own allies would turn against his regime.

To do that, there are currently two realistic routes: a catastrophic war with Altaras, a rapidly modernizing regional power that’s currently at odds with the empire. Another is the loss of the northern frontier and their valuable mana stone mines, either to widespread rebellion or an invasion from the Northern Alliance. Due to a developing famine among the nations of the Northern Alliance, particularly the kingdom of Riem, which has been spreading to our northernmost colonial outposts, the empire has seen extensive participation in giving aid and maintaining order. Any sort of push on my part to plunge the region into the chaos that can be attributed to Ludius’s regime is currently difficult.

That leaves Altaras, which has seen modernization aid in recent years from the two premier powers, the Mirishials and the Muish. While we all agreed that this was a blatantly clear effort on their part to check our power and keep the Third Civilized Region in line, our threats to cut off trade and economic cooperation have so far intimidated them from making concrete declarations with Altaras. I digress; modernization means that a war with the Altarans is bound to extract a high toll on us. A catastrophe here, combined with the hostile stance of the Ludius regime, would mean that the citizens would pin the blame for the failure on the imperial government.

With that in mind, I had kept tabs on activity in Altaras, particularly the capital Le Brias. If the “diplomatic channels” he was asking about were related to that, then I must come up with a way to dance around the topic.

“Anything off? Are you perhaps looking for something on the Altarans, your majesty?”

I returned a question to him in a bid to steer the topic someplace else.

“Yes, I am. Because...”

He then looked towards me, his aged, watery eyes riddled with confusion and questions. It was as if he was at a loss on what to do regarding something.

“Ugh... Do you remember the envoys the Lourians sent?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Ah, the Lourians. In a bid to maintain the expanse of his kingdom’s domain, which encompassed many lordships and dukedoms that did not like one another or the centralized authoritarian rule of the Lourian kings, their king, Hark Louria XXXIV, began a campaign of ‘continental unification’ some years ago. To justify such an audacious objective, he branded his unification a crusade against what he called ‘sub-humans’–elves, beastmen, and dwarves–which predominantly made up the other two independent nations that shared Rodenius, Qua-Toyne, and Quila. To further legitimize his campaign, he cozied up to us, asking for material and diplomatic support. Thinking that we could use his friendliness to create a military and economic alliance on the Rodenius continent to surround the entirety of Altaras in the strait, we readily agreed with his terms in exchange for opening ‘economic and security opportunities’ for us in Louria.

“They went back.”

“What?”

Wait, what? What reason would they have to leave suddenly? Even if their little war against Qua-Toyne had already started, even if things didn’t go so well, they would not have any reason to go back to Louria. If they were really recalled, then for what probable reason? Well, either way, he wasn’t asking about anything related to what I was plotting.

“Apologies, your majesty, but neither I nor department chair Kaios have received word from Louria or our contacts from Louria about them recalling their envoys.”

Hearing this, he pondered for a bit, caressing the modest beard sprouting from his chin.

“Hmm. That is indeed odd. What reason could be big enough to justify suddenly recalling their envoys without any statement or announcement.”

Then, by sheer coincidence, an answer came to us. A messenger, likely from the Army Headquarters judging by his uniform, barged into the throne room out of breath. Without even catching his breath, he bowed toward Ludius.

“E-Excuse my... rudeness...! I... have an urgent message... addressed to your majesty... from the chief of staff...”

The military? If I recall, they did send a task force to assist in the Lourian war effort. Could this and that be related?

Ludius beckoned him to give the physical letter to him. Unraveling it and reading it, he couldn’t contain his shock, which was apparent even from my perspective.

“Jin-Hark was attacked at the onset of the invasion?! Castle Hark was destroyed?! Hark Louria is dead?!”

As much as I was also surprised by the unexpected development in Louria, I tried to keep much of it to myself. There were too many questions about how something like this could have been done, and then there was the matter of the authenticity of these events. However, taking into account the fact that the Lourian envoys were suddenly recalled just recently, the message sounded credible and genuine.

“What of our personnel in Rodenius?”

“The letter says our contingent in Jin-Hark was able to evacuate. As for those assisting at the frontline, it says that they’re currently figuring out what’s happened to them.”

Ludius hunched over and massaged his forehead. His groaning and stature made it apparent that he was not in the best of moods. After a while, he lifted his head up and pointed toward the messenger.

“You! Tell the chief of staff and his subordinates to come to the imperial palace for an emergency meeting!”

“Of course, your majesty!”

Once the messenger ran off, Ludius then raised his voice and called for one of his aides, who came in running.

“Summon department chair Kaios this instant! He should be nearby, yes?”

“At once, your majesty!”

With all of the summons taken care of, Ludius and I are once more alone together. Still, on the topic of figuring out what had happened, it appears that he has already accepted that it had happened and had moved on to who did it.

“If it’s those Altarans... Such unforgivable behavior will not be tolerated!”

I, too, am intrigued by the entire development. I still find it unbelievable for the capital to be attacked out of nowhere if the Lourians had just started their invasion. No force is quick enough to be within the position to attack the capital, assuming they came from outside Louria. Should they have already been inside, the amount of firepower needed to level a castle as large as Castle Hark would have stood out too much. Then there was the possibility of sabotage. Hark’s campaign was noticeably unpopular, especially with the nobles. Still, even if it were to have had help from the Altarans, who both have the resources and the willingness to partake in the act, it still seemed excessively far-fetched. There had to be more to the story.

Ah well. Either way, whatever is uncovered in this development, I will adjust my plans accordingly. Not even the impending collapse of a massive, unstable kingdom like Louria will stop me from carrying out what these bastards deserve.

Cent. Calendar 19/07/1639 (yesterday)

Nothing better could describe the ball that takes place during Proclamation Day celebrations. Enchanting music, ballroom dancing, lively chatter, and a buffet full of all sorts of sins. As a member of high society through my position, I am obliged to partake in the festivities, both to have fun and to mingle with the other members of Parpaldia’s aristocratic elite, plus some foreign dignitaries here and there. Indeed, my main focus tonight was the latter, specifically the diplomatic delegation from a certain country.

Several weeks ago, an investigation into the events that transpired on the Rodenian continent during the Lourian invasion of Qua-Toyne revealed that a yet unheard of belligerent had taken part in the conflict on the side of the latter. Their motives for joining on the Qua-Toynian side remain unclear, but it appears that they’ve only recently ‘appeared’. According to those they talked to, representatives from the nation suddenly appeared at their ports accompanied by Fennese translators. Digging deeper, it would appear that the nation in question was exporting goods of “terrifyingly high quality,” with some commenting that “they almost feel like they’re from Mu.” Fortunately for us, one of the merchants that were arrested in Esthirant was carrying unlicensed cargo, which happened to be exported from the nation in question.

Unfortunately, when we examined the cargo, things only got weirder. Small, colorful, egg-like capsules that had moving pictures and functions that allowed for interacting with the moving pictures. To everyone present at that meeting, we all agreed that this was far beyond the technological capabilities currently present anywhere. Not even the crystal video boxes sold by Mu, which they call televisions, allowed for such a level of interactivity. When they were opened up to be examined, the best researchers only found intricate metal engravings that resembled Mirishial-grade mana circuits but were much smaller, sophisticated, and elaborate. Beyond the obvious technological capabilities demonstrated by the export product, there were sufficiently credible testimonies from our contacts in Rodenius that the nation was the one responsible for the attack on Jin-Hark.

And above even that, there was striking unanimity in witness testimonies about how they carried it out:

“Something was flying in the sky when the castle exploded!”

“It was so fast and so far up! It produced a very loud zooming sound that echoed for leagues and leagues!”

“I squinted my eyes to try and see it, but it was too fast. It looked almost like a blue arrowhead that occasionally disappeared into the sky.”

If these were to be believed, then the nation in question had military air assets that can, with a level of impunity never seen before, attack an enemy capital and decapitate the enemy leadership from out of nowhere.

It sounded like the perfect plot. If not for the witnesses and the fact that they identified themselves by fighting as a known belligerent in the conflict, they could have theoretically remained anonymous in the attack. Louria, helpless as it is in its capability to fight in the air, was easily defeated in what was probably the shortest war in known history. If the capabilities mentioned in the testimonies were to be believed, then not even our best wyvern overlords or our laughably minuscule amount of biplane fighter aircraft could defend the imperial capital from such an attack.

Ludius and his government, should they all be in one place... poof. Gone.

It was perfect.

“Japan...”

I gleefully muttered the name of this nation in question. If they were capable of replicating what they did in Jin-Hark and were willing to do it, then this option would bring about more satisfying results than a war with either Altaras or the Northern Alliance could ever provide.

Still, I wanted to at least hear it from their own mouths in their own words. Fortunately for me, as part of our “show-off” strategy in forging diplomatic relations with them, they were invited as honorary guests to the Proclamation Day celebrations. If they honored this invitation, then their diplomatic representatives should be present at this ball.

Sieving my way through the crowds, dancing lightly around people’s feet and dresses so as to not disturb them, I caught sight of a group of suited men huddled together off to one side of the ballroom. They were comparatively short, their eyes a bit squinted, and the manner in which they were acting gave me an impression that they were like a fish out of water. Then, I saw the flag pins they wore on the lapel of their suits, recognizing them as the simplistic design of the Japanese flag. I had found my prey.

Like a snake slithering ever so quietly towards an unsuspecting mouse, I discreetly made my way towards the one that carried himself with the most flair and outwardness. Then, I snapped at my prey with my jaws.

“Greetings!”

I gave my best smile and greeted them with the kindest tone I could offer.

“Gfm–!!!”

The man coughed as he recoiled away from me in surprise. As it turns out, he was in the middle of chewing away on a buttered crustacean. Heh, is this behavior characteristic of Japanese men? How cute...

“Apologies for my unsightly behavior, Ms...?”

He spoke with the most rigid Asheran common I’ve ever heard, although it’s to be expected given their ‘unique’ situation.

“You may call me Remille, darling. Chief Minister of Foreign Affairs to everyone, but maybe something different to you...”

For this first impression, I am hoping to catch him off guard with my behavior so that he may be a bit loose with his mouth.

“C-Charmed to meet you, Ms. Remille. I’m Tanaka Noboru of the Yapa–er, I mean Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

That worked terribly well. This might be easier than I thought.

“Ah yes, Japan. What an interesting country you have~”

“It could be in a better state, but that’s just my personal opinion. I hope we can find more things that we’re interested in with each other, Ms. Remille.”

“I’m sorry, but are we talking about our two magnificent countries? Or perhaps–”

“Our countries, of course! Do excuse me, but I am curious about what you find interesting about Japan. Perhaps there is something about it that we can talk about for the sake of future agreements, no?”

“Ah, hahaha! What I find interesting about you is how clean and efficient you wrapped up the war in Louria with your big attack on Jin-Hark!”

“Ah. Er, well... I appreciate that you admire that about us, but we hope that you don’t misunderstand. We only wanted the conflict to be as brief as possible, and...”

Hehehehe. Bullseye. Not only did their diplomat confirm that it was them who did it, but I’m even getting the official statement from their government! As my inner self hopped around in glee, I did the best I could to not let any of it show on my face.

“I understand, Mr. Tanaka. It would be really bad if things got to that point in between our relations, don’t you think?”

“Hahaha... I sincerely hope it never has to come to that. Right now, our interests with Parpaldia lie in the realms of economy and regional stability. I understand that the counterpart assigned to us will not be you, but I do hope we will get along from this point forward.”

His words had a hint of uncertainty and caution. What he said, his tone, and the non-voiced factors in his speech all told a story of them wanting to steer away from a confrontation. While it confused and frustrated me, I could understand their desire for economic cooperation. No country, past or present or future, does not desire economic activity. I had a hunch that there was little point in prying further and that my plans would not immediately bear fruit; I had already accepted that this would be a long-term game. With that in mind, I left them with the warmest remark for a bright future that I could leave before making myself scarce.

Cent. Calendar 20/07/1639 (earlier)

The afternoon of the next day. For once, the weather had been surprisingly cooperative with our itinerary, allowing the highly awaited military parade through Proclamation Square to proceed. A display of Parpaldian excellence and martial prowess, the military parade has traditionally been an event that brings the citizens together to be reminded of the might and awe of the empire’s centerpiece institution. To foreign dignitaries invited, the event serves as a window into the capabilities of Parpaldia’s formidable ground army since novel weapons recently introduced to service are usually included, although there aren’t any new ones this year as far as I heard.

I was also present at the event, seated together with the ministers just below the platform where the imperial family was positioned. I sank in my seat as formation after formation of tough-looking imperial regulars stamped their boots in disciplined unison. I wasn’t really that interested in the military anyway. As soon as my consciousness was about to lose the fight against upholding respect and personal image, I felt a great force collide against my body as a small human jumped onto my lap.

“Auntie! Look! Look! The dwagons are here!”

Still young yet already beautiful with her big, sparkling eyes and gentle red cheeks, this little 6-year-old girl, Luna, was the byproduct of the marriage between Emperor Ludius and Empress Ilyana and the heir presumptive to the Parpaldian throne.

“Dragons, Luna. And stop calling me auntie! I’m not your aunt!”

Technically, I was. Although no one has suspected me of being the Remille that had ‘ran away’ from the family all the way back in 1618. I had been playing the part of a commoner for so long that I'd already convinced myself that I had never really been part of the imperial family at least until this brat started calling me aunt.

“But Papa says you’re my aunt.”

She said in an off-hand manner as if she was talking about something normal. She then looked into my eyes with her own, putting on a display of her genuine innocence for me to see. What she said chipped away at my heart, beckoning on long-buried sentiments that Ludius still harbors feelings for me. I almost asked her, “Did he really?”, but my resolute conviction, as well as the anger and pain from everything that had happened up to this point, repressed these emotions back into the depths of my heart. No longer will I fall victim to the evils of others.

Still, looking at her, I somehow found some semblance of my younger, more innocent self, even if our physical attributes were entirely different. For this single moment, I felt like wanting to prevent all the torture and agony I had gone through from happening to her; to save her from the sinister machinations that had dirtied, defiled, and violated me. After all, she was still a young girl. She does not deserve to be part of the greater suffering that my actions will inflict. Perhaps if I...

No. There is no going back. Not even for precious Luna.

“I’m sorry...”

I whispered. To think that I was conceited enough to assume that apologizing would save her from suffering, but in the end, it was all just self-gratification. Lorraine’s words still prove true.

“What was that, auntie?”

“Nothing, dear. And stop calling me auntie!”

Just as the mighty land dragons of Parpaldia’s war machine march ever so steady to their destination, I, too, will be unwavering in my advance.