The great Emperor had made himself a God while making the general public had equal status with each other.
Therefore, during the Great Empire time, there was no noble system nor a slave system.
That had been followed by the seven countries as the result of the Great Empire collapse, except for one part.
And Claude Empire’s political system was that part.
There was no slavery of course, but, there was a noble system.
It was because of around 100 years ago, during the reign of fifth-generation Emperor Zelemans. He was a lustful person, who had a thousand princesses from all over the Empire filling up the imperial palace, and have sex every single day.
As a result of that, only counting the boys, he had more than two hundred.
The imperial houses of the seven empires were all the descendants of the great Emperor, and all of the seven imperial houses want to keep the status of ‘presence above the gods’, but as expected, the number of such people should never exceed 200…
That would cause the people’s gratitude to weaken, which may shake Claude imperial image. It was no laughing matter.
Then Zelemans thought a single foolish measure, he decided to sent out his sons except the crown prince to create their own branch family, with a status of ‘a presence of one step lower than the emperor.’
However, it was natural that the other sons were not happy with that decision, and when there was a sign of rebellion, Zelemans somehow manage to calm them down by clarifying their privileges and divided the empire territories.
As a result, Claude’s political system shifted, from a centralized government to feudalism, thus making the power of the imperial chamber weakened. Since that was the result of measure to keep the imperial majesty, seriously mistaking the means for an end.
Due to that, Zelemans reign was called as Claude Empire darkest time.
At any rate, there were 200 families with authority one step below of that of an emperor. The noble system, which had been abolished from all over the continent since the era of Great Emperor, had been revived for the first time in two hundred years by Claude Empire, and it had been continuing even after one hundred years had passed.
Because of the privileges, Zelemans had written, most of Claude’s law didn’t apply to the nobles.
Even so, it was strictly forbidden to start a war by law.
If someone broke that law, they might be branded as rebellion.
The Claude nobles could only raise an army for private use when the Emperor had given them permission, given an order, or exercising the right to self-defense. For Keynes to attack Eidonia, furthermore with the help of house Dinkwood, it was definitely a high crime.
To seek judgment immediately, Alan decided to ask the audience with the Emperor.
“Since this is a rule, you have to wait in order no matter who you are…”
After being explained in a formal manner, he then obediently followed to the waiting room.
It was a small private room. However, the walls were beautifully decorated, the furniture was made by sandalwood from the Gavilon Empire located in the south, the sofa must have been made by master craft man from Admov empire. There was also bookshelf filled with books to comfort oneself. In current times, books were regarded as a high-end luxury item.
(I’ve heard that this is how it feels when nobles being prisoned…)
Something unpleasant crossed Alan’s mind.
He shook his head to forget it and keep waiting… However, while he kept waiting, terrible imagination would always come one after another. Camelia force had yet to invade Eidonia’s border. However, the images of villages being burned and looted–Common strategy during warfare–, a nightmare sight, cause chills in his mind.
Then, how long had he been waiting?
When the sun starts to set, the door was finally opened from the outside.
‘Finally’ Alan thought and raised his body from the chair.
However, it was not the person he wanted to meet, it was a young lady who appeared. Looking at her dress, she should’ve a moderate position, and she had been sneaking glance as if avoiding being seen.
“May I ask, who are you?”
“I’m the youngest daughter of the Polve Baron household, my name is Mireille.”
The court lady answered nervously. Though it was not unusual, somehow he could sense a faint similarity with his sister.
Speaking of Baron Polve, he was famous as a good person. And at a glance, this young lady seems the same…
“Don’t wait like this, Lord Alan” The court lady speaks with a small voice as if she didn’t want to be heard. “I manage to overheard…”
Then she to tell the story she had heard from the talkative imperial court members.
“His Majesty had officially given permission for Keynes household to raise an army, and also allowing Dinkwood household to assist.”
Alan opened his eyes wide when he heard it.
“However, if that is true, then there should be a formal public announcement. And it should’ve reached my ears…”
“… The officials who are tasked to perform that duty seems to have been threatened by Lord Dinkwood.”
“They are willing to go that far?”
Alan was horrified by the corruption in the imperial palace, it even exceeds his feeling of anger.
That was probably the reason he was asked to wait here for a long time… The chamberlains were definitely all Lord Dinkwood follower, and he didn’t even meet with the person charged with intermediation for the audience.
However, why did the Emperor give such permission in the first place? The answer for Alan question was being answered by the young lady.
“The other day, Lord Keynes had won his Highness Chart support to pass judgment to the house of Eidonia with the pretext of fishing right infringing…”
“His Highness Chart? Really?”
“Yes… Besides, it was said that his highness went somewhere, and I’ve not seen him in the imperial palace for a while.”
Hearing that news, Alan shuddered.
“There’s a rumor that his highness will invade Eidonia together with Lord Keynes.”
Alan was able to imagine the same thing.
The second prince who graduated from the imperial military school who was said to produce great generals as a top student had led 3,500 men to invade Eidonia.
Alan can’t wait anymore and decided to jump out of the waiting room.
“For you to meet me, you must’ve crossed a dangerous bridge… I will definitely repay this debt.”
Alan thanked the court lady who had the same name as his sister, by shaking her hand.
He then separated himself and jumped out of the waiting room and left the court lady who had her face dyed red.
When he arrived at his mansion, the mansion was quiet. He could hardly see candlelight even though it was almost dark.
‘Are the relatives still depressed?’ — That prediction seems to not hit the mark either.
Everyone went to the other houses to seek help, including Uncle Douglas. That was what the housekeeper told him.
But no one was going to help them if they know that Lord Dinkwood was with the enemy. Even his relatives should know about that. But they still decided to try to do anything. And didn’t give up.
Knowing his relatives’ action, Alan decided to prepare himself.
Along with thinking, it was the lord duty to make the finishing touch.
The Alexis mansion was noisy as usual, although the time already close to midnight the light still shone brightly.
Alan, who visited with determination was puzzled.
Leonard, Shera, Buman and the other Alexis knights were getting ready.
They were prepared for war.
“Don’t worry Alan-sama, we will be ready soon.” Shera smiled cheerfully…
“I never thought that Alan sister is such a hard-working girl…” Bauman laughed bitterly.
With that, Alan realizes all the circumstance.
He then went next to Leonard, who silently inspecting his armors.
“… The enemy is three thousand and five hundred you know?”
“I heard. Such trouble, huh?”
“… Furthermore, it seems his highness Chart led them…”
“Is that so? This is getting more annoying, huh?”
Leonard responded with short words, but, he didn’t stop polishing his helmet.
“… Sorry…”
Alan bites his lips…
For the first time, Leonard raised his face.
“It is fine. We’re a friend, no?”
The great Emperor had made himself a God while making the general public had equal status with each other.
Therefore, during the Great Empire time, there was no noble system nor a slave system.
That had been followed by the seven countries as the result of the Great Empire collapse, except for one part.
And Claude Empire’s political system was that part.
There was no slavery of course, but, there was a noble system.
It was because of around 100 years ago, during the reign of fifth-generation Emperor Zelemans. He was a lustful person, who had a thousand princesses from all over the Empire filling up the imperial palace, and have sex every single day.
As a result of that, only counting the boys, he had more than two hundred.
The imperial houses of the seven empires were all the descendants of the great Emperor, and all of the seven imperial houses want to keep the status of ‘presence above the gods’, but as expected, the number of such people should never exceed 200…
That would cause the people’s gratitude to weaken, which may shake Claude imperial image. It was no laughing matter.
Then Zelemans thought a single foolish measure, he decided to sent out his sons except the crown prince to create their own branch family, with a status of ‘a presence of one step lower than the emperor.’
However, it was natural that the other sons were not happy with that decision, and when there was a sign of rebellion, Zelemans somehow manage to calm them down by clarifying their privileges and divided the empire territories.
As a result, Claude’s political system shifted, from a centralized government to feudalism, thus making the power of the imperial chamber weakened. Since that was the result of measure to keep the imperial majesty, seriously mistaking the means for an end.
Due to that, Zelemans reign was called as Claude Empire darkest time.
At any rate, there were 200 families with authority one step below of that of an emperor. The noble system, which had been abolished from all over the continent since the era of Great Emperor, had been revived for the first time in two hundred years by Claude Empire, and it had been continuing even after one hundred years had passed.
Because of the privileges, Zelemans had written, most of Claude’s law didn’t apply to the nobles.
Even so, it was strictly forbidden to start a war by law.
If someone broke that law, they might be branded as rebellion.
The Claude nobles could only raise an army for private use when the Emperor had given them permission, given an order, or exercising the right to self-defense. For Keynes to attack Eidonia, furthermore with the help of house Dinkwood, it was definitely a high crime.
To seek judgment immediately, Alan decided to ask the audience with the Emperor.
“Since this is a rule, you have to wait in order no matter who you are…”
After being explained in a formal manner, he then obediently followed to the waiting room.
It was a small private room. However, the walls were beautifully decorated, the furniture was made by sandalwood from the Gavilon Empire located in the south, the sofa must have been made by master craft man from Admov empire. There was also bookshelf filled with books to comfort oneself. In current times, books were regarded as a high-end luxury item.
(I’ve heard that this is how it feels when nobles being prisoned…)
Something unpleasant crossed Alan’s mind.
He shook his head to forget it and keep waiting… However, while he kept waiting, terrible imagination would always come one after another. Camelia force had yet to invade Eidonia’s border. However, the images of villages being burned and looted–Common strategy during warfare–, a nightmare sight, cause chills in his mind.
Then, how long had he been waiting?
When the sun starts to set, the door was finally opened from the outside.
‘Finally’ Alan thought and raised his body from the chair.
However, it was not the person he wanted to meet, it was a young lady who appeared. Looking at her dress, she should’ve a moderate position, and she had been sneaking glance as if avoiding being seen.
“May I ask, who are you?”
“I’m the youngest daughter of the Polve Baron household, my name is Mireille.”
The court lady answered nervously. Though it was not unusual, somehow he could sense a faint similarity with his sister.
Speaking of Baron Polve, he was famous as a good person. And at a glance, this young lady seems the same…
“Don’t wait like this, Lord Alan” The court lady speaks with a small voice as if she didn’t want to be heard. “I manage to overheard…”
Then she to tell the story she had heard from the talkative imperial court members.
“His Majesty had officially given permission for Keynes household to raise an army, and also allowing Dinkwood household to assist.”
Alan opened his eyes wide when he heard it.
“However, if that is true, then there should be a formal public announcement. And it should’ve reached my ears…”
“… The officials who are tasked to perform that duty seems to have been threatened by Lord Dinkwood.”
“They are willing to go that far?”
Alan was horrified by the corruption in the imperial palace, it even exceeds his feeling of anger.
That was probably the reason he was asked to wait here for a long time… The chamberlains were definitely all Lord Dinkwood follower, and he didn’t even meet with the person charged with intermediation for the audience.
However, why did the Emperor give such permission in the first place? The answer for Alan question was being answered by the young lady.
“The other day, Lord Keynes had won his Highness Chart support to pass judgment to the house of Eidonia with the pretext of fishing right infringing…”
“His Highness Chart? Really?”
“Yes… Besides, it was said that his highness went somewhere, and I’ve not seen him in the imperial palace for a while.”
Hearing that news, Alan shuddered.
“There’s a rumor that his highness will invade Eidonia together with Lord Keynes.”
Alan was able to imagine the same thing.
The second prince who graduated from the imperial military school who was said to produce great generals as a top student had led 3,500 men to invade Eidonia.
Alan can’t wait anymore and decided to jump out of the waiting room.
“For you to meet me, you must’ve crossed a dangerous bridge… I will definitely repay this debt.”
Alan thanked the court lady who had the same name as his sister, by shaking her hand.
He then separated himself and jumped out of the waiting room and left the court lady who had her face dyed red.
When he arrived at his mansion, the mansion was quiet. He could hardly see candlelight even though it was almost dark.
‘Are the relatives still depressed?’ — That prediction seems to not hit the mark either.
Everyone went to the other houses to seek help, including Uncle Douglas. That was what the housekeeper told him.
But no one was going to help them if they know that Lord Dinkwood was with the enemy. Even his relatives should know about that. But they still decided to try to do anything. And didn’t give up.
Knowing his relatives’ action, Alan decided to prepare himself.
Along with thinking, it was the lord duty to make the finishing touch.
The Alexis mansion was noisy as usual, although the time already close to midnight the light still shone brightly.
Alan, who visited with determination was puzzled.
Leonard, Shera, Buman and the other Alexis knights were getting ready.
They were prepared for war.
“Don’t worry Alan-sama, we will be ready soon.” Shera smiled cheerfully…
“I never thought that Alan sister is such a hard-working girl…” Bauman laughed bitterly.
With that, Alan realizes all the circumstance.
He then went next to Leonard, who silently inspecting his armors.
“… The enemy is three thousand and five hundred you know?”
“I heard. Such trouble, huh?”
“… Furthermore, it seems his highness Chart led them…”
“Is that so? This is getting more annoying, huh?”
Leonard responded with short words, but, he didn’t stop polishing his helmet.
“… Sorry…”
Alan bites his lips…
For the first time, Leonard raised his face.
“It is fine. We’re a friend, no?”
