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Vol 02 Chapter 75: The Situation of the Various Countries

 

King Domorgal’s Country

In King Domorgal’s Country, the decision to strip Prince Carlo Domorgal of his crown prince status was finally publicized. Following this, the demotion of the main members of Carlo’s faction, centered around Tonino, was also decided.

Additionally, the Blouse Family, which became one of the reasons for the defeat in the war, was addressed. Firstly, the execution of the patriarch, Blouse, was decided.

The position of patriarch of the Blouse Family was decided to be passed on to the eldest son. The fate of Rene Blouse, who opened the gates of the town of Blouse without a fight, and Prince Carlo, remained undecided.

King Domorgal’s Country lost a significant part of its national power due to the war. Territories were seized by The Rozel kingdom and King Rosais’ Country, and the population, which had exceeded 450,000, dropped to 350,000. Perhaps the only fortunate thing was that all the lost territories were lands property of the powerful border lords. The Domorgal Family itself did not suffer any losses.

However, their ability to rally the support of the patricians was rapidly declining due to their failure to protect their territories.

A major issue was brewing in King Domorgal’s Country – the problem of royal succession.

Originally, everything would have been settled smoothly with Carlo, the crown prince, succeeding the throne, but with Carlo’s downfall, the conflict reignited.

The struggle was between the second prince, Pax Domorgal, and the third prince, Aldo Domorgal. Since both had the backing of several major patrician families, conflict was inevitable.

 

King Faldam’s Country

「Hahaha, Domorgal is done for! Time for a toast!」

「This is not a laughing matter, my king. This strengthens The Rozel kingdom’s power even further.」

The close aide expressed his concern to King Faldam, who was indulging in his drink.

「Haa, you’re too serious. Listen, you should be more positive, that’s the secret to living a good life. Besides, something good came from this, right? Not for King Gilbed’s Country, though!」

「Indeed, with the Rozel kingdom’s recent expansion, they now border King Gilbed’s Country, but…」

This meant that the Rozel kingdom’s focus, which had only been on King Faldam’s Country and King Domorgal’s Country, now included a third country, King Gilbed’s Country. This increased the Rozel kingdom’s enemies by one, making it more difficult for them to take military action.

「Moreover, King Gilbed’s southern expansion policy will likely halt now. Though it seemed doomed to fail either way due to Zoldias’ interference. Heh heh, that’s what happens when you try to sneak ahead.」

「But we still don’t have a realistic way to stop the Rozel kingdom’s invasion, or does my king have anything in mind?」

When the aide asked this, King Faldam smiled slyly.

「Heh heh…」

「You can’t mean…」

「Toast time!!」

「Is that really it…」

Originally, King Faldam’s Country was blocked to the south by King Gilbed’s Country. Territorial expansion was impossible for them.

They had to make do with what they had. Strengthening internal affairs, developing the country, training troops, enhancing alliances with the patricians, and building fortresses were the best strategies available to King Faldam’s Country.

This strategy seemed to be the right one, as it had managed to hold off the Rozel kingdom until now…

 

King Gilbed’s Country

「Damn Zoldias…」

King Gilbed slammed his fist on the chair in frustration.

The southern expansion policy of King Gilbed’s Country had been progressing smoothly. They had been targeting a region known as the ‘Ununified Land,’ which consisted of small countries and city-states.

Even the largest of these countries had a population of around ten thousand, while the average was just a few thousand. These small countries could not resist and were being conquered by King Gilbed’s Country one by one.

However, King Zoldias’ Country intervened. It formed alliances with the small countries of the Ununified Land.

Due to this, the southern advance of King Gilbed’s Country was halted. To make matters worse, King Gilbed’s Country now bordered the Rozel kingdom.

Consequently, King Gilbed’s Country found itself in a rush to fortify its borders.

「We can’t give up now. Gather more troops. We must bolster our national strength before the Rozel kingdom starts its invasion in earnest.」

King Gilbed’s ambition continued.

 

King Zoldias’ Country

This country was one of the original Seven Countries, a long-lived country with a history of five hundred years. While its territory was vast, it was mostly mountainous, and its population wasn’t very large.

「Listen, we must prevent Gilbed’s southern expansion at all costs. If the Ununified Land falls to them, we’ll be next. Our country is a natural fortress, but we can’t avoid falling if they absorb all the countries in our vicinity.」

King Zoldias actively intervened and supported the small countries of the Ununified Land to protect them from King Gilbed’s Country. This support wasn’t an altruistic one.

They were purchasing grain from the Ununified Land countries at low prices. Since King Zoldias’ Country couldn’t produce enough grain to feed its own people, this arrangement was very beneficial for the country.

「My king, an envoy from King Karnu’s Country has arrived.」

「Hmm? What could this be about?」

King Karnu’s Country

King Karnu’s Country was not one of the so-called Seven Countries. It was an emerging nation that had significantly grown from a small country over the past two hundred years, thanks to its location, which attracted a large number of immigrants.

The country received a substantial influx of immigrants from Pofenia and Kirisia, making its technological prowess notably high among the countries of the Adernian Peninsula.

The current goal of King Karnu’s Country was the incorporation of the Ununified Land into his own country.

This means that the military invasion of King Gilbed’s Country into the Ununified Land and the individual alliances of the small countries with King Zoldias’ Country were considerable nuisances to his plans.

「I’ve told Zoldias to stop meddling in the south. This should keep King Zoldias’ Country’s influence out of the southern Ununified Land. Well, that’s if he can keep his word.」

King Karnu, sitting on a chair made in Kirisia, sipping Adernian wine from a Persis-made wine glass while eating Pofenian figs, pondered his next moves.

「How is the diplomacy progressing?」

「Yes. Three countries have agreed to ally with us.」

「Good. Then, I will send my daughters to those three countries. If I remember correctly, three or four of my daughters have just turned fourteen.」

King Karnu had numerous concubines and mistresses, so he hardly kept track of his many children.

「Understood. I will proceed with the marriage arrangements.」

「I leave it to you.」

Unbeknownst to King Karnu, something troubling was stirring beneath his country’s surface…

 

King Evile’s Country

King Evile’s Country is located between King Zoldias’ Country and King Rosais’ Country, it is one of the so-called Seven Countries.

「Hey, what do you think?」

「What do you mean by ‘what do I think?’」

King Evile frowned in displeasure.

「The new king of Rosais.」

「Ah, that… yes, he seems like a spirited young man.」

「Are you an idiot? That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking whether that young upstart poses a threat or is harmless to our country.」

King Evile spoke grumpily, a mood so typical of him that his aides were hardly unsettled.

「If it concerns you, why not consider a marital alliance?」

「A marriage, huh?」

King Evile pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

「Let’s not. We’d be rejected. That would tarnish my reputation.」

「Would it, though?」

「Of course. That man isn’t part of the Rosais Family by birth. Put yourself in his position; if he welcomes a princess from our country under those circumstances, he would risk our interference in their internal affairs. The patricians of his country and the members of the Rosais Family wouldn’t be happy either and could become suspicious of his intentions; he also can’t afford to worsen his relationship with his current wife… There’s all harm and no benefit in it. An alliance with our country wouldn’t benefit them at all.」

King Rosais’ Country was relatively prosperous. The terrain of King Evile’s Country, while not as mountainous as King Zoldias’ Country, had few plains as well, which meant less grain production.

「Well, it would be wise to try to maintain a friendly relationship for now. First, we need to assess that young king’s character. Is he an expansionist, or is he focused on domestic affairs?」

King Belvedire’s Country

「It’s indeed a problem.」

「Are you referring to King Rosais’ Country?」

The aide’s words received a nod from King Belvedire.

「Yes, King Rosais’ Country has finally achieved centralization. This means that that country has solved most of its problems and has become a much more powerful entity. Moreover, they are actively trading with Kirisian merchants, mainly thanks to that thing called paper. It’s indeed problematic…」

The strengthening of a neighboring country was a concern that had to be addressed swiftly.

Undoubtedly, King Rosais’ Country would seek to expand its territory. Emboldened by their victory against the superior King Domorgal’s Country, they were very likely to embark on an expansionist policy.

The new king’s first target would probably be King Belvedire’s Country; this country was a lucrative target, known for its extensive plains and abundant grain production.

「Isn’t there any way we could weaken them somehow…?」

「My king, I have a suggestion…」

King Belvedire leaned in to hear his aide’s proposal.

「What is it?」

「Well…」

 

Lezado

Lezado was one of the Kirisian city-states; it was originally one of the many colonial cities established by the great Kirisian city-state of Claris. However nowadays, it was not directly governed by Claris but held a vassal-like relationship.

Lezado was autonomously governed by a council of influential merchants. The topic of that day’s discussion was the new king of King Rosais’ Country.

「Ainz-san, we would also like to be introduced to the king of Rosais. Everyone should have the right to conduct business with him. Naturally, we understand you have the priority, but…」

「Yes, it would not be fair for me to monopolize all the deals with that country, and my company alone will not be able to cover all the deals. So, here is my proposal…」

Ainz responded with a sly smile.

「We should forge an alliance with King Rosais’ Country.」

「An alliance…?」

Until now, not only Lezado, but all the Kirisian city-states had never formed alliances with foreign countries. This was due to their belief in their own superiority and the notion that they were strong enough without needing to rely on other races.

「Of course, I understand your reluctance to partner with what you consider barbarians. However, there have been significant movements in the Persis Empire lately. If our homeland goes to war with Persis, they won’t have the resources to support us. What if we are then attacked by Pofenia or other Adernian countries? It would be risky. I believe we need to secure allies.」

Ainz’s argument was rational. However, the Kirisians inherently despised monarchies.

The Kirisians favored republicanism and had an aversion to absolute monarchs or dictators. Moreover, the fact remained that King Rosais’ Country was an Adernian country.

「Actually, one of the King of Rosais’ wives is of Kirisian descent.」

Ainz played his card, causing a stir in the council.

「How about this… What if we support that person’s child, Tetra-sama’s child, to become the crown prince of King Rosais’ Country? We could even arrange a marriage between this crown prince and a daughter from one of Claris’s influential families.」

The council members’ attention was fixed on Ainz.

「Moreover, the new king is reportedly seeking individuals fluent in the Kirisian language. Let’s fulfill that need as merchants. Then, in a few decades…」

Ainz smiled cunningly.

「King Rosais’ Country will become a Kirisian state.」

◇

「The response was quite favorable,」

Ainz mused as he entered his home and handed his coat to a slave. While the motion hadn’t passed, the reaction was better than he had anticipated.

The council members of Lezado, a colonial city of Claris, were all driven by greed. They would quickly agree if they saw a profit in it.

Upon sitting down, Ainz pulled out a piece of paper detailing the investigation results about Tetra’s mother, Helene.

On the Adernian Peninsula, there was a Kirisian colonial city called Gehenna, a colony of the city-state of Alto.

Gehenna was ruled by a tyrant named Abraham, a noble from Alto. Since Abrahan’s arrival to power, Gehenna had become fully independent from Alto, essentially becoming Abraham’s kingdom.

Abraham had several daughters, one of them was called Helene. She had run away from home twenty years ago when Abraham became a tyrant, and she had been missing ever since.

The investigation concluded that Helene and Ragou Aris had met around twenty years ago.

Through magic, it was possible to determine if Tetra and Abraham were blood-related. If Tetra was indeed Abraham’s granddaughter, making her child the crown prince would be easier.

However…

「The problem is that she’s from Gehenna.」

Although Ainz was originally from Alto, he was now a council member of a city belonging to Claris’ sphere, Lezado. If the blood relation with Abraham is revealed, King Rosais’ Country would naturally form a strong connection with Gehenna.

That would defeat the purpose.

「For now, I’ll keep this stored.」

Ainz carefully tucked the documents into a drawer.

「Hey, Ainz! I’m back.」

The gate opened. It was his brother, Nikolaos.

「Ah, welcome back, Nii-san.」

「Hey, Ainz… Do you have any job openings?」

That was his first question. Nikolaos had sold all his slaves and land when he moved to Lezado, so he had plenty of money. But it seemed he was starting to worry about being unemployed.

「Well… you’re not cut out for business, Nii-san…」

After thinking for a moment, Ainz said.

「Why don’t you try going to King Rosais’ Country? Your extensive knowledge might be useful there.」