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Vol 05 Chapter 175-2: Unequal Treaty

「Alexios-dono, Melia-dono, I called you here to discuss your rewards for the successful defense of Lezado.」

「Huh…」

「It was nothing significant.」

Alexios had a disinterested look on his face. Melia, on the other hand, seemed pleased.

「Actually, I would like to welcome you both as generals of our country.」

「Thank you very much!!」

「I decline.」

The former response was from Melia, and the latter from Alexios.

Are you two really a harmonious couple? Maybe you actually do not get along?

Then, Melia stood up.

「Your Majesty, could you wait a moment? Just five minutes, please.」

「…I don’t mind.」

With that, Melia practically dragged Alexios out of the room.

Through the door, I could hear their conversation.

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「Hey, why did you refuse?」

「Because what’s important to me is you and our son…」

「Then get a stable job.」

「But I’m running a farm…」

「It’s in the red. Don’t you realize you have no business acumen?」

「Well, no… it’s part of the plan… it will be profitable soon…」

「You said that two years ago. When is your ‘soon’?」

「Uh… within ten years…」

「By then, our savings will be completely gone! We’ve already used up seventy percent of our savings!!」

「…」

Life can be tough… Well, love doesn’t put food on the table. No matter how much love you have, it won’t pay the bills.

Eloping is hard. They’ve managed to get by so far, so they must have been somewhat successful.

「What do you plan to do when the money runs out?」

「I’ll work, of course.」

「Where? Let me tell you, there’s no decent job for a military man like you. Plus, you never know what might happen. Could you stand it if I had to sell myself?」

「I would never allow that!!」

「Then accept the offer. Listen, you can never have enough money. For example, our son’s education. Do you know how much that costs? Hiring a famous tutor, buying a tutor slave, or sending him to study in Kirisia… any of that exceeds our current savings!」

「Well, it’s not necessary to force him into a high-level education… Worst case, I could…」

「The only thing you can teach him is military strategy! You can’t do anything else!! In this day and age, without connections or education, he won’t get a decent job!!」

「…」

Well, education has always been important, no matter the era. I didn’t realize she was such an education-focused mother…

「In the first place, why are you refusing His Majesty Almus’s offer? You already refused him once, and now you’re turning down a second chance? Refusing an invitation from a king is a huge insult. It’s like saying working for him isn’t worthwhile. Refusing twice is unthinkable! If His Majesty Almus wasn’t such a kind person, you’d be dead by now, dead!!」

「Well… After refusing before, it would be embarrassing to just accept right away… Also, I’m not good at serving others…」

「Ugh!! I hate that useless pride of yours! And how you never close the toilet lid, how you don’t sit down to pee, how you never want to eat onions, and especially your smelly feet!! You have no idea, do you? Your shoes smell like they’re soaked in urine and vinegar!」

「No way… cough, cough…」

What a harsh reality check.

He’s gagging from the smell of his own feet… My cool image of Alexios is crumbling.

Well, everyone, no matter how handsome or beautiful, has a flaw or two.

I wonder if Julia or Tetra have things they dislike about me?

「Look, if we accept this offer, we’ll become nobility. That comes with a lot of entanglements. Isn’t that the reason we ran away from Pofenia?」

「I ran because I wanted to marry you, I would have been happy whether you were royalty, nobility, a commoner, or even a slave. As long as I could be with you, nothing else mattered. But now we are married and no one is going to tear us apart. Alexios, listen to me. Being nobility is incredibly prestigious. Just being a noble means you’re socially trusted and can get jobs. And that status is inherited. Even if we fall, we’ll always have the title of former nobility. Isn’t that amazing?」

「Well, yes… but…」

「Besides, you always praised His Majesty Almus. You said he’s amazing, wise, very capable, a strong leader, decisive. You said if you were to serve anyone, it should be someone like him… Where did that feeling go?」

Now I’m blushing. Stop praising me so much, I’ll get conceited.

「Becoming a noble means getting dragged into political strife. Our sons might end up fighting each other… And King Rosais’ Country might end up falling. Being a noble means being tied to your house and country. I don’t want to put you in danger!」

「But don’t you love that dangerous world? You used to say you would become the greatest general in the world. That you would make a great name for yourself in history. Where did that dream go?」

「A dream that could put you in danger isn’t worth it.」

「…Please, don’t suppress yourself. I love you as you are now, but I loved you even more when you had that sparkle in your eyes while talking about your dreams.」

「…Alright, I’ll accept the offer.」

「That’s my Alexios! That’s how it should be!」

The two of them came back through the door. Alexios bowed deeply.

「Please forgive my previous rudeness. I humbly entreat you to allow me to serve as your vassal…」

「Alright, Alexios. I will welcome you as a vassal of our country. As for your duties, you will manage the port and navy of Lezado.」

「Understood. I will sink any pirates or Pofenian ships that appear near Lezado.」

「No, you don’t need to sink Pofenia ships.」

Alexios was born on Pofenia, a naval power. Naturally, he has experience commanding a navy.

I plan to organize a navy centered around Alexios. However, I don’t intend to defeat Pofenia. We can’t maintain such a large-scale navy.

At best, we’ll be able to maintain control of the coastal waters near the Adernian Peninsula.

「As a reward… I will give you some of the land owned by the Lezado councilors who fled the country. If managing it is difficult, feel free to hire someone.」

「Thank you very much!!」

Melia beamed with a full smile. She seemed much more cheerful now that she could see a clearer future.

「Also… you’ll need a nomen. Do you have any preferences?」

「No, nothing in particular. Anything but Barca would be fine… If possible, I would like Your Majesty to bestow one upon us…」

Alright, I understand. Given his clear disdain for the Barca family, I’ll give him a nomen that reflects that sentiment.

「How about Cornelius? From now on, you will be known as Alexios Cornelius and Melia Cornelius.」

Yes, I must say, this is quite a good naming sense on my part.

「We humbly accept. Alexios Cornelius, from this day forth, pledges his loyalty to Your Majesty.」

「And I, Melia Cornelius, likewise pledge her loyalty alongside her husband.」

Now that I think of it, this is similar to the Three Visits of the Cottage.1

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Thus, the House of Cornelius was born. With this, the three great houses of the Romalia Empire—Pompeius, Claudius, and Cornelius—were complete.

Excerpt from the History of the Romalia Empire’s Rise

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The unification of the peninsula by Emperor Almus was truly remarkable. Generally, having foreign powers threatening one’s territory is disadvantageous for unification due to repeated foreign interference. In some cases, other countries might even invite foreign armies. However, Emperor Almus turned this situation on its head. He advanced his control under the pretext of forming alliances to counter foreign threats, such as the Anti-Gallia Alliance and the Kirisia-Rosais Alliance. Moreover, he welcomed anyone who pledged loyalty to him, regardless of their ethnicity. Typically, making foreigners like Kirisians or Pofenians nobles was unheard of. I might not have done so either if not for the groundwork of tolerance and harmony laid by Emperor Almus. You might rate me higher than Emperor Almus, and of course, I consider myself superior to him. Yet, if asked whether I could have unified the Adernian Peninsula, I would hesitate. I believe such a daunting task was only achievable by Emperor Almus.

Excerpt from Chronicles of the Thunder Emperor, Chapter Four: Conversations between Andalus Julius Aris Caesar and Rembert Parisii Westoria

TN1: This probably refers to a famous passage from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms where the warlord Liu Bei tries to recruit the strategist Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang initially refuses to join Liu Bei, but after three visits to his thatched hut, Zhuge Liang finally agrees to serve Liu Bei, moved by his humility and sincerity.