February 2, 1615 Central Calendar

Altaras Kingdom, Le Brias

Inside a conference hall in the center of the Atenor Palace, the Kingdom’s leaders were holding a meeting with their liege, King Taara XIV. The monarch had just turned 46 yesterday, but the increasing streaks of his graying hair and the wrinkles on his face gave the impression that the king is older than he looks. He sat at the end of the conference table, silently weighing the opinions and proposals that his vassals came up with as they exchanged their opinions in a lengthy discussion.

The most frequently brought-up points of interest in the meetings were about things related to the Parpaldia Empire, a superpower country of Philades—the dragon across the strait whose vicious snarl always breathed down the Altaran people’s necks, and how to deal with their increasingly unreasonable demands. That is why when the Foreign Minister reported that the Kingdom’s magic stone export this year is able to fulfill the quota demanded by Parpaldia, the officials and the king slumped in relief.

After composing himself, Taara asked, “What about the Parpaldian government’s response?”

Hisham, the gaunt and elderly Foreign Minister turned to look at the king with his sunken eyes. As the one in charge of diplomacy, including dealing with the superpower countries, the stress of having to endure Parpaldia’s abuse most of the time had caused this man to age even more poorly than the king. However, this time, Hisham cracked a small smile and responded to Taara.

“Through their ambassador, the Parpaldian government plainly stated that they had accepted and expected us to continue to be able to fulfill their… requests, as agreed in the treaty between our countries. That is all, Your Majesty.”

Sighs and grunts echoed in response to the elder’s statement. Meanwhile, War Minister Nader, a large and intimidating man dressed in green garb sitting near the other end of the table, scowled, crossed his arms, and scoffed in derision.

Of course, they never expected that blatantly arrogant country to offer them gratitude, nor they did expect Parpaldia to improve their treatment toward Altaras, but at least this is still better than being threatened again. The last thing they wanted to happen is to see Altaras give up her sons and daughters to toil as slaves in Parpaldia.

The king nodded. “Then… I suppose we can at least rest easy about now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It is a relief that Parpaldia is satisfied with our offering. However, considering their domestic situation at present, it is possible that the export of Parpaldia’s outdated technology might be reduced, or even ceased completely.”

“That’s hardly surprising,” Taara sighed. “I also expected that much. Although they will never admit it, Parpaldia is currently struggling with its internal situation and its bogged-down military campaign. If Parpaldia always made excuses to not uphold their end of the agreement in normal times, they will do so even more now.”

“Hear, hear,” one of the ministers quipped.

Through the merchants and spies, the Altaras Kingdom managed to glean some information about Parpaldia’s progress, or rather lack of it, in their invasion of the northern kingdoms. Declaring war against four countries at once, the Altaran Ministry of War had submitted an analysis concluding that Parpaldia’s superior national power will make a short work of them. Their prediction of a Parpaldian victory is also strengthened by the fact that the four nations tend to act on their own without proper coordination with each other.

However, through a combination of factors, the Parpaldian army’s advance was unexpectedly slowed to a crawl just before they can conquer the last kingdom still resisting. And shortly after that, a famine struck Parpaldia’s breadbasket region which forced the invasion to a halt. It is like curses have been placed one after another on the Parpaldia Empire. For the Altarans, Parpaldia’s crisis was like a godsend that allowed them breathing room.

But as if to shoot down their optimism, War Minister Nader raised his hand.

“I held no love for Parpaldia, they can die for all I care. However, we should still be wary because this will become a problem that affects our Kingdom as well. As much as I dislike to point out about this, we rely on Parpaldia’s provision of their outdated weaponry to bolster our national defense. By our own, even if we mobilize all the gunsmiths and shipwrights in our country to produce weapons, they will still not match what Parpaldia gives in both quality and quantity.”

Nader’s words caused a stir among the attending officials who were whispering to the one sitting next to them.

As the country is categorized as an “outside civilization country,” which is just another term for “weakest countries in the known world,” Altaras do not have a voice in the international community and are often subjected to the whims of more powerful countries as a result. This is evident in their relationship with Parpaldia, the superpower country closest to them. While they signed a trade treaty, the helpless Altaras couldn’t do anything if Parpaldia suddenly wanted to rewrite its contents or abrogate it one-sidedly. This is also true with Parpaldia’s export of designated technology it considered obsolete to Altaras. The island kingdom is considered lucky if Parpaldia just decides to reduce its export when the empire can stop it altogether.

“I have to agree with Lord War Minister,” Hisham spoke. “We should not let our guard down just because the Parpaldia Empire is preoccupied with their internal issues. If anything, it’s at a time like this that their policy will be at most erratic.”

“Lord Foreign Minister, are you implying that we should watch out for an armed invasion from Parpaldia anytime soon…?” someone asked in disbelief.

“That’s how Parpaldia works, isn’t it? In order to keep up their population, they invade their neighbors, plunder them of resources until nothing is left, rinse and repeat,” said Nader.

King Taara raised his hand and interjected, “I don’t think an invasion of Altaras will happen anytime soon, but we still have to be on our guard regardless.”

His words caused the other officials to sigh in resignation, but they all agreed with the king. They had the same thoughts regarding the situation; however, at best they could only remain as powerless observers while the Parpaldia Empire marched on with their conquest, hoping that the dragon will not set its eyes on their island.

Seeing that the officials had calmed down, King Taara spoke again.

“Indeed, the possibility of Parpaldia halting their export while we can do nothing but obey their unfair demands is very painful. But now the situation is different. The Holy Milishial Empire came to us and offered to help develop Altaras in exchange for us granting them the right to mine useless ores. What was once a failed attempt to open a mine turned out to be profitable. Their companies and people also started to come in droves to do business. This turn of events is a blessing! I am thinking of using their presence in our Kingdom to deter Parpaldia’s aggression while we benefited from their technical assistance to develop. As you can see, we never see Parpaldia lessening their pressure on us, and yet they did because the Holy Empire’s people are here. What do you all think about this?”

The ministers erupted in hushes again.

Only several months after accepting the Holy Milishial Empire’s offer, Altaras already experienced a boon from their investment. New export goods, infrastructures such as uninterrupted roads that connected Altaran cities, expansion of port facilities to allow their giant ships to dock, and job opportunities started popping up everywhere. It can be said that the Altaras Kingdom is more prosperous than ever. Even the community to accommodate the workers established in Le Brias’ suburbs shone even brighter than the city itself at the night because of the Holy Empire’s installation of the magical lighting system. The Altarans were salivating for more.

Meanwhile, Hisham, while somewhat agreeing with the king’s view, he is aware that it will bring a new set of problems.

“If we can use their presence to our advantage, then I don’t mind that idea, Your Majesty. But… as the Foreign Minister, I would like you to take into consideration the future consequences of our actions. Even if we can use the Holy Empire to shield us from Parpaldia’s aggression, there are still too many things we don’t know about their intentions. To begin with, they, the strongest empire in the known world who never cared about us before, suddenly approached the Kingdom with the most strangest of requests.”

There were murmurs as Hisham finished advising the king. In their understanding, the Holy Empire was not the kind of country to suddenly make friendly gestures to worthless peons, especially the outside civilization countries.

Another official, Suleyman the Minister of Interior, raised his hand. “Is it possible that the Holy Empire find Parpaldia’s expansionism concerning and they wanted to use Altaras to keep them in check? Parpaldia is busy with their own problems right now, so they might want to use this opportunity to cut off their chances of expanding southward while Parpaldia can’t do anything about it.”

A minister crossed his arms. “Really? Lord Interior Minister? The August Star of Heaven, who scared away an entire Muish fleet with a single shot, finds Parpaldia, who is far beneath them, concerning enough to use the Kingdom as a buffer state? If the Holy Empire really finds Parpaldia concerning, what’s to stop them from marching into their capital with their giant ships and razing Esthirant to the ground?”

Although that minister’s comment was a gross exaggeration as a result of mix-ups between many secondhand accounts and propaganda, there was a time when the Holy Milishial Empire and Mu almost got into an armed conflict. In the year 1592, a dispute over the ownership of the Sol Islands, which was located in the Minerva Ocean between the First and Second Civilizations, saw the deployment of both Milishian and Muish naval fleets who then proceeded to face each other in a standoff. Although the HME’s fleet did fired a shot, it was only a warning one, and it’s not even what caused Mu to back off from the dispute. Negotiations and Mu’s weak post-Civil War situation were the real reasons behind it.

However, rumors that emerged from this event shaped the known world’s perception of the Holy Milishial Empire. Regardless of what actually happened, the fact that they asserted their dominance over the closest country that can rival them, making Mu withdraw without a fight, made it became a common understanding in Altaras and other low-civilization countries that as the strongest superpower, if the Holy Milishial Empire really wanted to (and if they consider it worth waging war for), they can just bulldoze through international conventions and destroy anything that gets in their way without needing to complicate things like forming alliances. They are powerful enough to do so in their opinion.

Nader raised his hand again. “But the civilian infrastructures the Holy Empire built in our country can be repurposed for military use. Expansion of Le Brias Harbor and a new airport in Rubail Plains, they are all conveniently located near the Parpaldia Empire.”

“Could it be, something has happened in the Central World that made the Holy Empire consider an armed intervention to the Third Civilization’s affairs?”

King Taara interjected, “Gentlemen, we are starting to speculate things. Let’s calm down and return to the topic.”

“Yes, I am sorry, Your Majesty.”

The king then turned to Hisham again.

“Foreign Minister, what do you think?”

“There are still too many uncertainties, but based on the Holy Empire’s past behaviors, they are not the ones to attack another country first. They only fought back when they were provoked, thus I am leaning to the opinion that military intervention in the east is not their goal, at least for now.”

“Still, there are many reasons for the Holy Empire to station their military. For example, I don’t believe they will trust us to handle the security of the trade routes. Sooner or later, we might see one or two warships from the Holy Empire docked in the harbor over there,” Nader pointed to the Le Brias Harbor’s general direction.

Suleyman coughed into his hand and was silent for a moment before opening his mouth.

“But as long as the Holy Empire is willing to help us and allow us to be their ally, we can at least try to utilize that opportunity. Besides, Lord War Minister, do you have any better idea to counter Parpaldia?”

Nader was taken aback that Suleyman asked him back and shook his head with a grimace. “No. We lack the capability to challenge Parpaldia. If Parpaldia decides to invade us, then the only thing we can do is delay the inevitable. I am sorry, Your Majesty.”

King Taara nodded and waved off Nader’s apology. “Yes, I know. In addition, if not for the Holy Empire’s technical assistance, we will not be able to fulfill Parpaldia’s demands this quickly. I still think it’s worth a try.”

Hisham warned, “Even so, Your Majesty, we should tread this carefully. The Holy Empire has its own interests. If we are careless, we might cause the Kingdom to turn into a helpless puppet for the August Star of Heaven before we know it.”

King Taara hummed and nodded again. He understood this, but he still decided to go ahead with his plan.

“We need to try to balance our relations with both the Holy Empire and Parpaldia, of course. Ideally, I wanted to establish a non-aggression treaty with Parpaldia while using the Holy Empire’s presence to deter them and benefiting from it…”

A wishful thinking, to be sure. But Taara only wanted the best for his people.

“Also I have a question: The Holy Empire’s ambassador also once told us that if we showed enough cooperation, they will consider recognizing Altaras as a Third Civilization Country at the Eleven Countries Leadership Conference, but how far can we trust the Holy Empire?”

Another tantalizing proposal, but also strange and too sudden. Most of the officials present in the meeting held their breath, unsure of what to answer. After a brief silence, Hisham raised his hand.

“Your Majesty, they say they will consider it, but they don’t really tell us when they will actually do it, aren’t they? For all we know, this is just something to ensure our loyalty, or worse, a dangling bait for Altaras to do as the Holy Empire dictates. I am not delusional enough to believe that they will propose it at the next year’s world conference, or even the next world conference after that.”

The painful truth of this world where the strong can freely impose their will on the weak.

King Taara sighed at Hisham’s reply. ‘True, but… if it is something that can ensure the safety of my people, I don’t mind doing it if push comes to shove. But come to think of it, am I too hasty in accepting their offer?’

A man named Hamza, the Minister of Trade, chimed in, “Your Majesty, we must admit that we will never be seen as equal by either Parpaldia or the Holy Empire. All I can think now is to seize the opportunity and cooperate with the Holy Empire. Along the way, we will show them that we can become a better trading partner than Parpaldia, with which the Holy Empire has a rather tense trading relation, and that it is best to invest in an independent Altaras rather than a Parpaldian colony. If we can be recognized as a Third Civilization Country, then it’s even better.”

‘Ah, so there’s no other option for weaklings like us…?’ Taara inwardly lamented. Even though his country is starting to benefit from the Holy Milishial Empire’s investments, the future of Altaras is still too uncertain.

The discussion continued for several more hours until the meeting ended, leaving all the officials and the king feeling drained.

…………

After the day-long meeting, a very tired Taara staggered into his bedroom, finding his queen, Elif, sitting by the bed with her back facing him. Upon hearing the double doors’ creak, Elif’s eyes lit up and turned her head to look, smiling at the sight of Taara.

“Welcome home, my love,” she greeted with a smile.

Despite the fatigue, Taara smiled back and walked over. Seeing her always made him happy no matter how stressful the management of the Kingdom is.

“How did the meeting go? Did Nader cause you trouble?”

Taara sat on the edge of the bed, letting Elif’s soft lips kiss his cheek, and chuckled.

The Minister of War, Nader, is Elif’s older brother, which made him Taara’s brother-in-law. He is blunt and does not mince words, speaking whatever is on his mind. While Taara appreciated his honesty, he is worried that his attitude will cause him to get into trouble.

“It’s just him being him, don’t worry about it. As for the meeting, well, I feel that it only produces more questions than answers.”

“How so?” Elif tilted her head.

One explanation later, Elif nodded in empathy.

“The Holy Empire and Parpaldia… they are such a handful, aren’t they?”

“I should not be surprised, with them being superpowers and all…” Taara grumbled. “But in hindsight, I guess I too should be blamed for this. I fell into the Holy Empire’s sweet words and agreed to their terms, thinking that I can use them to our advantage but forgetting to think about the long-term consequences of my action. And I did so because I am too scared of what Parpaldia will do, now I’m worried.”

Elif snuggled closer to him and said softly, “You are not to blame, Taara. You did your best.”

Taara patted her head in gratitude. Elif was his wife and queen, but more importantly, his friend. She had been with him since his days as a young prince, and she was the only person he trusted with his true feelings.

“I know, but I hope that the future will be kind to us,” he mumbled. “Anyway, how was the day for you? How did the little one behave?”

“Ah, our baby boy is doing great. He is growing so fast, Taara! He is so excitable, I even lost count at how many times he tried to crawl away when I wasn’t looking.”

Taara stared at Elif for a moment in surprise.

“Oh, right, he is almost six months old, isn’t he? To think he’s grown so much already!”

“Hush, I just put him to sleep,” Elif playfully put her finger on Taara’s lips.

Taara nodded sheepishly, sharing a quiet laugh with Elif before Taara got out of bed and walked over to the crib, where his baby boy is supposedly sleeping. However, upon arriving and glancing over the edge, he blurted.

“Eh?”

A pair of innocent brown eyes stared back at Taara’s black orbs.

Curious at Taara’s sudden reaction, Elif came over and giggled.

“Oh dear, looks like the little one doesn’t want to sleep yet.”

“Ah… did I wake you up, boy?” Taara wondered.

“Da… da…!”

The baby cooed in response and held out his little hands to reach his father. The king sighed in amusement before picking him up and holding the baby in his hands.

“I see you are still cute as ever, Khalid…”

The baby smiled brightly and stretched his arms towards Taara again.

“Ah, here we go, good boy! Good boy, who’s the good boy?”

As Taara started to rock the baby, Elif approached them and smiled.

The marriage between Taara and Elif initially was marred with uncertainties because after seventeen years, there was still no heir in sight. The king’s advisors started to urge Taara to take a concubine, but he still believed in his queen. This is why when Elif was pregnant and gave birth to Khalid in the previous summer, the entire country erupted in joy.

Taara brought Khalid closer, close enough that his hands began to try to pat his cheek, and muttered.

“My son, you are truly a blessing for us…”

For a second, he looked down at the baby and felt a twinge of guilt.

“You will one day rule this country as the king, and it is my duty as your father to make sure everything is prepared. I just hope that the path that I am taking now will not fail you and cause you hardship in the future, where I will no longer be around to guide you.”

Watching her husband, Elif placed her hand on his shoulder and embraced her family from the side.

“Don’t worry, my love. No matter what happens, we will walk this path together.”

“…Thank you, Elif… Can we stay like this for a little while?”

Holding Elif and Khalid tightly, Taara watched as the dusk settled in beyond the window. Lights began to flicker one after another in the city of Le Brias as the answer to the darkening sky, but mother nature didn’t want to be outdone and brought her own lights to adorn the black night. It was a beautiful sight that Taara always admires every night from the balcony of his palace before going into slumber; the ethereal band of gathering lights that crossed the sky above and when he glanced beyond the strait, the celestial Crown of Majesty and the bright North Star that always there, almost unchanging—Kagaseo, the August Star of Heaven.

A star whose name was used by the people who came and built the brightly shining buildings on this land, and some of them could now be seen if Taara was willing to look a little further to the west. Even if it was just a handful of buildings, the glaring lights these Milishians carried have already begun to make the starlight in the sky look dim. If this continues, his son Khalid may never have the chance to see them like he did.

Taara had always heard that the Holy Empire’s capital is a city filled with lights and wondered if the people who lived there ever gaze at the stars the way the Altarans did. It is a bit sad that in order to gain the splendor on civilization, people would lose the chance to witness the beauty of the nature. But perhaps that’s life, where to gain something, one must be prepared to give up something else in return. Just like sacrificing his country’s pride to a certain star in order to save it from the dragon of Philades’ claws.

February 4, 1615 Central Calendar

Parpaldia Empire, Esthirant

Ever since the famine broke out in eastern Parpaldia and spread to the rest of the empire, every day is a struggle for survival. The government’s efforts to do damage control were feeble at best as soldiers try to put down riots across the country. To make matters worse, food prices are rising on their own due to scarcity of supplies. People wanted to escape the country, and those who were able to do so quickly jumped ship after the Holy Milishial Empire opened a job recruitment bureau in Esthirant, drawing cheap labor to be used for their projects in Altaras.

This was also true for the capital city of Parpaldia. In Esthirant, the icon of prosperity for the Third Civilization Area’s superpower and the wealthiest city in the eastern world enough to receive the title of ‘Pearl of Philades,’ an atmosphere of gloom and confusion descended upon its inhabitants as soon as the sun rises.

The once orderly streets were filled with people trying to buy bread while others tried to sell it or even steal from them. Sometimes these desperate people even resorted to violence that spread like wildfire. The commotion continued all through the day, drawing the attention of local authorities who immediately sent patrols around the area. However, things would get worse when most of these patrolmen fell victim to the unrest themselves, and chaos ensued.

However, the northern district of the city where the magnificent Paradis Palace, the residence of the Emperor, stood, remained untouched by any kind of unrest. Its magic-powered heaters were still running without interruption for the sake of its inhabitants’ comfort, belying the fact that this year is one of the coldest winters in Philades’ history. As a result, a comfortable temperature reminiscent of springtime can be felt inside the palace building.

The color crimson, the color of the fire magic stone used in those heating mechanisms, has always been associated with the Parpaldia Empire and is always present in any decorations: the banners that draped the palace interior, governmental offices, uniforms, and so on, and so on. It is commonly used to symbolize valor, bravery, beauty, nobility, elegance, passion, determination, strength, and vigor, among others.

However, the First Emperor, Parpaldius, chose crimson as his color to symbolize the blood of people shed by the hostile barbarians who invaded Parneus, the Holy Land and the Parpaldian people’s ancestral homeland. His descendants then continue to raise this crimson banner high as the country turned into a new juggernaut, swallowing the hostile countries one after another as the rising Dragon of Philades marched on its roaring rampage of revenge.

This is why, Leonius, the current Emperor of Parpaldia, didn’t use the very color associated with bloodshed to decorate his bedroom. Instead, he opted for white with gold accents. For the man, a bedroom is a place where he could let go of his burdens as the head of an Empire. A single canopy bed stood in the middle, and sitting there was a woman who is Leonius’ wife.

Empress Adriana, born Adriana Lutjens van Pienaar, is a woman of average height with dirty blonde hair that reached her shoulder blades. As if there was no winter, she was dressed in a simple sleeveless white dress with a golden armlet that adorned her left arm. As her husband was still in his office doing his work, Adriana’s eyes, which were sea-green in color, were looking at the only other occupant of the room with a gaze filled with warmth and joy.

“I know you can do it, my little angel…!” she cheered.

Said little angel has inherited Adriana’s beauty, but those eyes and the shade of his tuft of platinum blonde hair are undoubtedly Leonius’. This is Ludius, the five-month-old Crown Prince of Parpaldia. The newest addition to the Imperial Family was lying on his stomach on the bed, lifting his head in search of his mother with his curious gaze.

“Oh, you really are something else…”

With a proud smile on Adriana’s face, she rubbed Ludius’ backside while admiring his accomplishment. Feeling his mother’s hand gently stroking him, Ludius babbled happily.

“Your father must be delighted seeing you once he returns. Right? I can’t wait to see his face.”

The Empire’s Crown Prince has grown fast since birth, and the Emperor himself was also very keen on raising him. Like all proud parents, Leonius also once bragged that his son will reach greatness, and in Ludius’ case, being an emperor of Parpaldia that will surpass him one day. He already assigned Ludius tutors who will teach him a variety of things… reading, writing, mathematics, theology, history, philosophy, martial arts, military science, marksmanship, and more.

The man was serious about preparing his heir to be worthy to be the one who will lead the Dragon of Philades.

But that can wait until Ludius is older, because on this day, the young Ludius had reached a milestone: he started to learn how to crawl.

…………

In another corner of the Paradis Palace, one man was visiting after receiving the summoning order from the leader of the Empire himself. His name was Pieter, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces. And now, just before entering the Emperor’s office, he straightened his ornate military uniform before knocking and announcing his arrival. A curt “Come in” from beyond the doors signaled him to enter, and now, standing before the Emperor of Parpaldia, cold sweat began to pour from Pieter’s back.

How could it be not, when there was no man in the whole of the Third Civilization Area more feared than the one who sat behind the desk? In addition, this man, known for his piercing glare, was directing it to none other than Pieter himself. With a large amount of tension between them, Emperor Leonius remained silent as he continued staring the Supreme Commander down like a lion stalking its prey. Although he wanted to squirm under his liege’s gaze, Pieter had no choice but to stand still until the Emperor decided to speak.

Also present in this room was the Imperial Advisor, Lupasa, standing beside the Emperor’s desk. An ever-loyal vassal, he had served the Emperor since they were both young, and it can be said that he is one of the people the Emperor of Parpaldia calls a friend. Like the Emperor, Lupasa’s attention was also focused on Pieter. But was it a look of pity on his face? Or a grimace of displeasure? It was hard to tell.

Finally, the silence was broken as the Emperor spoke, still not letting up his glare.

“Supreme Commander. I am sure you are educated enough to know that as of this day, it has been exactly nine months since the invasion of the northern kingdoms began. And yet, I have not heard any report of our complete victory over our enemies. I demand an explanation.”

“I understand your impatience, Your Majesty. However, we’ve put forth a great effort to ensure the safety of Parpaldia from the northern threat—”

“Oh, yes, you must have thought so too, considering that you sent one hundred and fifty thousand Parpaldian men to their deaths with absolutely no gain,” the Emperor sarcastically interrupted Pieter.

“C-calling it a fruitless effort is unfair, Your Majesty…!” Pieter sputtered. “The invasion may stretch past the schedule, but we have certainly made gains and brought down three kingdoms, leaving Kooze left—”

“Which are barbarians and stupid, Supreme Commander. An alliance of barbarians is still barbarians, worthless peons waiting to be crushed by our Empire. And yet, you have kept requesting reinforcements to fight against them despite having the strength to crush them within half a year!”

“A-about that… reports from the field indicate that the enemy resistance is tougher than expected—”

BLAM!

The sound of the Emperor slamming both his hands on his table interrupted Pieter as he tried to find an excuse, jolting him in shock as he witnessed the Emperor abruptly standing up from his chair with his face now contorted in fury.

“You dare give me that excuse!? Enemy resistance is tougher than expected!? Is this what I should expect from the powerful Imperial Army!? When you proposed to resume the northern campaign, I granted it because I am confident in the strength of our military, and yet somehow you squandered every single advantage we had and made my Empire into a laughingstock! And even worse, your incompetence also caused my own subjects to suffer! Do you see the riots on the streets!? You are also responsible for them! I should have you beheaded for this stupidity!” Leonius roared.

As if a dam had burst, Pieter could only watch the Emperor rant at him as his head drooped even lower and lower. He didn’t even feel his body trembling anymore. Pieter just wilted on where he stood as the Emperor’s wrath continued to descend upon him.

Since the beginning of the year 1614, the Parpaldia Empire, which had constantly declared war and invaded small countries on the Philades Continent had halted its expansion to pacify the conquered territories. But in May, the military judged the annexed territories to be pacified and proposed to the Emperor to continue the northward invasion and the Parpaldian army began to assemble at the northern border.

In response, the targeted countries, Kooze, Arukh, Cannara, and Edrin, formed a coalition to resist the Parpaldia Empire. However, even though these nations are supposed to be allies, they acted on their own agendas and there was very little coordination between them. With the difference in strength between the Empire and the coalition, on paper, the Parpaldia Empire should have no problem dealing with them. By January 1615, only Kooze remained as the last state to be conquered.

However, the rebel elements in the previously annexed territories were not completely squashed and during the start of the invasion, they struck, interfering Parpaldian army’s logistics and causing chaos in the rear. The invasion was further hampered by the poor weather conditions in the months before winter, with all roads across the country turned into muddy terrain, and finally, as the winter came, the climate became too cold for wyverns and land dragons to operate, depriving the Parpaldian army of their greatest advantage earlier than usual. As a result, they were completely bogged down on the battlefield with no chance of regaining their momentum.

To avoid losing face to this blunder of allowing the rebels to roam around, the field commanders blamed it on the ‘unexpectedly strong enemy resistance’ and omitted any report of rebel sabotage. In addition, food supplies continued to be sent to the frontlines. Either they lost in the hands of the rebels or the corrupt colonial administrators, no one is really sure. But as far as the Emperor is concerned, the invasion force is receiving all the support it could get and yet their incompetence caused the campaign to turn into a chaotic mess that caused domino effects that engulfed the country. And Pieter, the overall commander of the military, is the one on the receiving end of the Emperor’s pent-up frustrations.

“Your Majesty, you must calm down,” Lupasa spoke for the first time. “Anger will not solve anything. Let us think about this calmly.”

The Emperor exhaled loudly and sat back in his chair, turning to his advisor. “What do you have in mind, Lupasa?”

“The invasion to the north is turning into a prolonged campaign and a food crisis has occurred in the east. These two are currently the Empire’s biggest problems, but the latter is especially dangerous to Your Majesty’s rule as the increasing discontent from the Imperial subjects can severely destabilize your rule.”

The Emperor grumbled in dismay. Lupasa continued.

“Therefore, in order to give us room to solve our domestic situation, first I propose that the invasion of the north be postponed indefinitely until the condition improves.”

Pieter balked at the Imperial Advisor’s suggestion, and he couldn’t help but blurt, “But that will cause our military a massive loss of face if we withdraw in the face of barbarian kingdoms! Just give us a bit more time, we will surely—”

“Wasn’t it you who cause the whole thing to happen in the first place!?” the Emperor shouted again, interrupting Pieter.

“Lupasa, explain. As much as I hate to say it, he has a point. Withdrawing from the invasion will give an impression that the Empire is weakening, and wouldn’t that also incite more rebellions?”

“It can’t be helped. The harvest failure in the east, our breadbasket region, is unexpected, but it was the military operations that make things worse with their consumption of food supplies. Unless the invasion is stopped, we will never be able to solve the food crisis. Besides, I am not saying to openly give the order to retreat. Thanks to the victories by General Chevalier and General Arde, the coalition forces have been weakened to the point that they will not be able to pose a threat to the Empire. Let’s announce that the Empire has succeeded in neutralizing the threat from the north and not do any further military campaigns until the food crisis is solved. We can invade at any time, but all of it will be useless if we couldn’t control our own people.”

The Emperor closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. Immediately after that, he let out an angry sigh.

“It really can’t be helped, huh…?” he said, and turned to face Supreme Commander Pieter again.

“Fine. We will do as Lupasa’s advice. This is my decision! Tell the army to withdraw from the invasion at once.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Y-your order will be done!”

“I am not finished. You know, Supreme Commander, the Imperial Army is strong. Strong enough to dominate over the barbarians around us. However, when the Imperial Army is incapable of doing a task as simple as defeating a coalition of small kingdoms, then there must be something wrong with them. Therefore, Pieter Arnold van Both, you are hereby stripped of your position as Supreme Commander and demoted to Lieutenant General. Your final orders are to issue a withdrawal for the northern invasion force in the name of a rearguard action, and upon their return, you will hand over your position to General Chevalier Gerard de Ruyter! Now get out of my sight!”

The soon-to-be former Supreme Commander Pieter turned pale as a ghost and barely managed to give his liege a bow before bolting out of the Emperor’s office in fear as soon as the Emperor’s order spelled doom to his career.

Gazing contemptuously at the door, the Emperor leaned back and crossed his arms.

“Hmph, that’s the end of him. What now, Lupasa?”

“It is regrettable how the military mismanagement had forced us with this option, but unless you want to see the Empire fall apart, it has to be done before the damage spreads too far, Leonius.”

The Emperor, Leonius, closed his eyes and clicked his tongue at his friend’s words.

“Do things happening across the strait have any bearing on your counsel?”

Lupasa nodded. “Especially because of that. Milishial… even though we don’t have any clear understanding of their intentions yet, we can infer that their mere presence alone on that island will tip the balance overwhelmingly in Altaras’ favor and hurt our prominent position as the center of trade in the east. If the Empire were to weaken while Altaras used Milishial to their advantage…”

Leonius turned away from him and rested his chin on his fist as he thought.

“How much do you think Altaras benefited from Milishial’s presence?”

“I cannot say for certain, but the impact will be great and no matter how we look at it, this will become a blow to our national interest. And judging by the fact that the Altaran ambassador confidently stated that they will be able to fulfill our request this year, I would say that Milishial had a hand in this.”

“Lucky bastards… we can’t even find justification to bring them in line now. And even if we did, those Altarans will just cry to Milishial for help. Whatever, Lupasa! For now, focus on reversing the damage those idiots made out there and get our economy back on track. As for me, I will think of something to deal with this troublesome island.”

“As you wish.”

Lupasa walked over to the front of the Emperor’s desk and bowed at him. “Then, Your Majesty… if you’ll excuse me…”

“Mm.”

Lupasa was about to leave the room without another word. But Leonius called again.

“Wait… where are you going after this?”

“I will return straight to my residence, why is it?”

“……I see. There are too many idiots out there who will ruin your monthly rounds, anyway.”

Knowing that Lupasa likes to visit the city once a month, Leonius tried to warn in his roundabout way that even the streets of the capital are now unsafe for such leisure walks, even more so considering Lupasa’s high position in the government.

“Ha, hahaha… well, even if you put it that way, it kind of makes sense. See you around, friend.”

And with that, Lupasa left the Emperor’s office.

Now alone, Leonius reached for a rolled map on his desk and spread it wide on the table. It depicts the Third Civilization Area, including the large red blot on the map that is the Parpaldia Empire. Spanning from Marl Bay in the west to the eastern coast of the Great Orient, this is the Dragon of Philades, the acknowledged superpower country that had just recently toppled Leifor from its position as the fourth strongest country in the known world.

It is hard to believe that the Empire was once the Republic of Parneus, an ordinary low-civilization country that always fell victim to the invasions from its neighbors. That was until the First Emperor, Parpaldius, achieved the impossible and proclaimed the establishment of the Parpaldia Empire. One by one, the neighboring aggressors fell to the rising dragon until the present day when the southern half of Philades was already within their grasp, and the weaker nations waiting to be crushed underfoot.

Meanwhile to the south, there was the Altaras Kingdom, which occupies a strategic position for trade. If Parpaldia let them be, Altaras will grow stronger and will be able to challenge Parpaldia’s supremacy on the Esthirant Strait. Which is why, it is only natural for the Empire to interfere with the Altarans, threatening them with military invasion while making them dependent on Parpaldia through the export of outdated technology that is slightly more favorable compared to other weaklings in the continental Philades. Until now, where an outsider had to come in and offer a helping hand to the Altarans, threatening the status quo that Parpaldia had established.

“August Star of Heaven… Milishial…”

Leonius clenched both his fists until they turned white, trembling at how the situation turned out.

“Since time immemorial, Milishial only fought people who challenged them. Not once they tried to expand their territory beyond the Middle Lands, nor challenged the Dragonfolk’s Emor Kingdom. Why is that? They are spineless. They don’t seek worthy adversaries. They avoid making any enemies. They’re little more than cowards. They may be the strongest empire in the world, but they have no strength! To trample one’s foes, and take all they hold dear… That is the true taste of victory. Power must be exercised to demonstrate one’s strength. But they lack the mettle! They were content to merely sit and watch as the world revolve around them. That is why the more I grow up, the more I hate Milishial. They don’t deserve every inch of power and prestige they have. But this… this…!”

Amidst Leonius’ ragged breathing, gasps of laughter began to come out.

“So, finally they decided to come out from their ivory tower and mingle with the weaklings, and this is the taste of their power… Just by being present on Altaras, Milishial already cut off my ambition to conquer southward and ensured that damned island will not be targeted by the Empire. This is interesting! Not even sending a single soldier and yet, the effect is still astonishing… Damn it, this might have been more interesting if not for the fact that idiots almost ruined my country and I’m stuck here licking the wounds Parpaldia inflicted upon itself.”

As abrupt as his laughter came, Leonius then slumped on his chair and let out a beleaguered sigh.

“Sorry, Lupasa, just as you came with interesting reforms, this happened…” he muttered to his friend who had long since left.

Studying the map once again, Leonius began to think of a plan to deal with this situation. Although he may not be as smart as Lupasa, he had come up with some ideas that he wanted to share with him and hammer to the other idiots in the next Imperial Conference.

But by the end of the day, even someone of Emperor Leonius’ caliber can be exhausted dealing with the affairs of the state. And just before the clock struck five o’clock, he told his aides that he needed rest and retired to his private quarters.

Leonius wanted to bury his face in Adriana’s bosom so badly, melting into her embrace and forgetting the stress that came with being the head of the country.

Currently Publicly Available Information

ALTARAS STRAIT

Altaras Strait (or Esthirant Strait as known in Parpaldia) is a body of water around 1.560 kilometers (302,3 nautical miles) long and from 340 to 522 kilometers (183,5-281,8 nautical miles) wide, between the Philades Continent (Third Civilization Area) and the Outside Civilization regions of Altaras and Sios Islands, connecting the Silberian Sea with the Great Orient Ocean.

As the main shipping channel connecting the Central World with the Far East, it is one of the most important shipping lanes in the known world. It is also been utilized by the Altaras Kingdom as a natural defense mechanism.