Chapter 74 Volume 5 Chapter 3 Economic Sanctions

A great commotion had spread throughout the imperial court.

The prime minister traveled to the room Linus resided in.

Your Highness Linus, do you know what you just did?!

The prince was looking out through the window.

His reflection shown on the glass was smiling.

Prime minister, I know you have a high opinion of Count Banfield, but such favouritism means nothing to me.

Your Highness could it be that you did this just because he didnt join your faction?!

The prime minister held a considerable amount of power within the Empire.

However, certain factions didnt like that.

One of them was Linus.

The Banfield house has built up quite a lot of bad blood among the nobility. They need to be punished a bit. Its nothing big, all were doing is refusing to buy their rare metals.

The thing is, it wasnt just the Empire, but all the companies involved with Linus were involved in the boycott.

Piggybacking on this opportunity, Calvins faction and many others were also participating in this chance to cut down an arrogant newcomer.

The prime minister realised nothing would change no matter what he said, and promptly gave up.

Your Highness, in every era youll find those who seem to be chosen by fate, born with immeasurable luck. Unless fate decides to abandon these individuals, it isnt a wise decision to fight them.

Linus turned to the prime minister.

Im lucky enough to be a prince born into the royal family, second in influence only to that of my older brother. Are you seriously saying that Id lose to some hick noble that grew up in the countryside?

The prime minister shook his head.

Youve already made your choice, so I wont say anything more, but Your Highness, have you already forgotten what will happen if you lose this faction war?

How could I? Nevertheless, Im still alive, arent I?

In the struggle for succession, Linus life has been at risk more than a few times, yet hes always come out on top.

He was confident in his chances.

If hes really that strong, then Ill forgive him after he bows down to me.

dont say I didnt warn you.

After leaving the room, the prime minister immediately went to contact Serena the maid currently working undercover in the Banfield house.

The day I was to meet with His Highness Cleo.

Dressed in ceremonial attire and surrounded by knights, I had arrived at a visitors facility located near the inner palace.

Men who werent affiliated with the royal family werent allowed to enter this place, so any business needed was taken care of in a supervised environment.

As we waited there, Klaus seemed to be silently panicking.

This man was a knight recommended to me by Amagi.

As a grounded and humane individual with a modest work ethic, she rated him very highly.

As expected, I couldnt go against her wishes and placed a good person like him by my side.

But to compensate for that, I assigned Chengshi a knight chosen for her appearance, as his deputy.

A beautiful female knight was a must.

Balance was important.

Having only old men as my guards was a turn off.

Lord Liam, weve received an urgent message from the Banfield territory.

An urgent message?

As I was currently trying to relax while drinking tea, Klaus report was nothing but an annoyance.

Yes. There are rumours spreading throughout the imperial court that economic sanctions will soon be placed on the Banfield house. Its already been confirmed to be true.

and what do these sanctions entail?

Theyll be restricting the rare metals sold by the Banfield house.

In summary, they were practically saying, Were no longer going to be doing business with you!

Even if I conduct sales through my contracted merchants, it looks like theyll be heavily taxed.

This meant that I couldnt sell rare metals anywhere in the Empire.

I see whos behind this?

That would be His Highness Linus.

Ah, that person. I believe he was the prince second in line to the throne? I guess hes taking revenge after I refused to enter his faction.

Klaus looked nervous.

But I wasnt worried.

As long as I had the guide watching over me, I would never lose, and in the first place, something on this level was nothing to me.

What should we do?

Right now my first priority is to meet with His Highness Cleo. Ill come up with countermeasures after I return well, can you summon my merchants for a meeting?

His Highness Linus has done it now.

If he thinks he can try to kick me down and just get away with it, hes in for a bad time.

With this, Ive officially recognised the prince as my enemy.

Are you seriously going to pick a fight against His Highness Linus?

That statement is wrong, Klaus. Hes the one who picked a fight with me.

N-no, arent we the ones that started this? Afterall, were the ones who refused his invitation in the first place.

Klaus seemed to be misunderstanding something.

Seeing as there were eyes everywhere, I motioned for him to move closer before speaking in a quiet voice.

I dont like how he summoned me while demanding that I bow my head to him. Though I wouldnt have any problem doing so if he was already confirmed to be the next Emperor.

hes one of the stronger candidates though.

Precisely, a candidate. It still isnt locked in stone. Klaus, I didnt refuse the invitation of the next Emperor because the person I choose will succeed the throne. Dont make that mistake again.

If somebody wanted my help, it was easy enough.

All they had to do was bow down and plead for me to join them.

And that was it.

As my puppet, it seems like His Highness Cleo would be the best choice.

I would be the biggest ally among his faction.

He wouldnt be able to do anything that would piss me off.

As I thought, Cleo was the most appropriate one to be Emperor according to my goals.

While the current Emperor, Prince Calvin, and Prince Linus the three candidates with the highest chance of being my true enemy needed to disappear.

Otherwise, Id never be able to live in peace.

For that reason, Ill crush them all.

Two of them will die as collateral damage without any connection to my true enemy, but I didnt care.

Anyone who threatens my peace is an enemy!

As we continued to pass time like that, the knights who guarded the inner palace had appeared.

Count Banfield, His Highness Cleo gives his greetings. Please leave your weapons here before passing through the gate.

They were vigilant, but that wasnt unusual considering the royal family was involved.

The knights in my guard looked nervous.

This was because while rare, sneak attacks in the inner palace have been known to happen.

So Ill finally get to meet with His Highness Cleo.

With those thoughts in mind, I left my weapon with the guards after being checked, and passed through the gates to meet with the prince.

The waiting room that Liam had just left.

Surrounded by the guards of the inner palace, Liams knights couldnt help but be nervous.

That was especially true for Captain Klaus.

(He just declared treason in front of the inner palace. Is he a big shot or just another fool? I honestly cant tell.)

According to the things Klaus has experienced thus far, Liam was definitely no small fry.

Many knights had sworn themselves to him for this very reason.

However, there was one knight among the group smiling gleefully at these developments.

It was Chengshi.

this is good. It looks like things will be getting fun soon!

Excitedly blushing, Chenshi had been itching for a fight ever since she was given her position.

If handled poorly, she mightve even attacked Liam right here.

That was the kind of knight Liam had stationed by his side.

(Lord Liam, give me a break! Why would you bring this person on such an important occasion?!)

Klaus straightened his back, fixing his appearance on the surface as his stomach ached all the while.

For Cleo, his first encounter with Liam could only be described as eye-opening.

Its a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.

I feel the same way, Count.

As an individual who has met numerous members of the imperial royal family, Cleo had momentarily lost his voice after witnessing the atmosphere and aura exuded by Liam.

These people occasionally appeared every era or so.

Chosen ones blessed with talent, luck, and a certain aspect to them that couldnt be comprehended by ordinary people.

If somebody had even one of these traits, theyd be guaranteed to succeed in life, but the person in front of Cleo had everything.

The instincts he had sharpened throughout his training instinctively knew this.

(Even though hes been deprived of his sword, it still feels like he could kill me in an instant.)

Currently acting as his guard Lysitheas expression had sharpened into one full of vigilance.

Liam sat down in a chair and began talking, but the attitude he took wasnt one that should be used when speaking to a member of the royal family.

I had planned to give my greetings and enjoy a discussion with you, but unfortunately somethings come up. So lets cut this short what do you want?

Having suddenly been asked such a question, Cleo felt shame and frustration rise up in him as the one in the inferior position.

But he immediately pushed down those feelings.

(Im practically a beggar. I dont have any leverage to give the Count at the moment.)

Once Cleo sat down as well, his eldest sister [Cecillia Noah Albalate], stepped in as a waitress to serve tea.

Liam drank it with no hesitation.

You sure have guts, Count. What if it were poisoned?

Upon hearing that, Liam broke out in laughter.

Is this much really that surprising to you?

A statement was made that implied he wasnt afraid of Cleo in the slightest.

But it was the truth.

Lysitheas impression of him seemed to be dropping, but she didnt break into the conversation.

Since youre short on time Ill be straight, join my faction and support my rise to the throne. In return, once I become Emperor, Ill give you anything you desire. However, I cant guarantee I wont back out of this deal.

Both Cecillia and Lysithea were surprised by Cleos attitude.

But Liams expression didnt change.

(Now then, how will he respond? Even if he lost his temper, it would still be fine.)

Cleo didnt know what Liam wanted from him.

That was the scariest thing about this situation.

But contrary to his expectations, Liam seemed intrigued by Cleos candidness.

Not bad. I dont hate such attitudes. Dont worry, I knew you wouldnt be able to reward me with how powerless you are now, Your Highness.

He passive aggressively returned the conversation back to Cleo.

But Cleo wasnt going to blame Liam for his rudeness.

Its true, I have no power. Thats why Im asking you what you want in return for your support.

The answer is simple, I want you to become Emperor.

What?

Was he being serious? Cleo couldnt help but be surprised at Liams humourless expression.

His bearing was steadfast and filled with confidence.

Are you insane? Do you not know of my circumstances?

Oh I know of them, and thats exactly why I chose to support you. Let me make this clear, you didnt choose me, I chose you. Remember that.

His arrogance was beyond shocking, to the point that it was even almost respectable.

Thats quite the bullish attitude you have there.

Ive already picked a fight with His Highness Linus, so Im far past the point to be having doubts now.

With those words, the room fell into silence.

with my older brother?

I really am here to support you. Your Highness Cleo, please dont hesitate to name anything you need, and I will give you the seat of Emperor.

Cleo had heard rumours about Liam being a child prodigy, but the person in front of him was far more.

For the first time in a long while, Cleo felt his heart beating in excitement.

(What an interesting person. Although Ive seen plenty of confident people during my time in the court, Ive never seen anyone so unshakable in their beliefs. Even Linus has his doubts about becoming Emperor.)

At that moment, Cleo decided to bet his life on Liam.

As I said earlier, Count. I want everything. Funds, human resources, martial power, everything you can spare.

To increase his standing, Cleo didnt just need a large amount of money, but also the personnel required to enact his plans.

But more than anything else, he needed the Banfield houses military might on his side.

Liam answered while sipping at his tea.

I have three thousand ships waiting on standby at a nearby planet while Im here at the imperial capital. Thats the most I can move at the moment.

Lysitheas eyes opened wide as she heard this.

Bringing three thousand ships under Cleos immediate command would be an amazing boon for his current circumstances.

Three thousand?! N-no, please excuse me.

Liam couldnt help but smirk after seeing Lysithea hurriedly move to control herself.

Oh, is that not enough? In that case, Ill call in twelve thousand more. Please use them to show the true strength of His Highness Cleo.

Hearing those numbers, Lysithea couldnt help but fall silent in shock.

Cleo was the same.

I appreciate it, but I dont think I can manage that many.

Really? Well, thats troubling Oh, I know! I currently have a knight whose talents are being wasted on standby. Ill station them by your side, and they can double as my liaison.

As Liam uttered those words, a holographic image materialised into the air.

The faces of two knights were shown, but Liam gestured to one of them.

Her name is Christiana. Putting her personality aside, shes an excellent subordinate of mine, so use her as you please.

After hearing the knights name, Lysithea couldnt help but exclaim.

Christiana? As in Brigadier General Christiana?!

Cleo had to lightly glare at his sister before she calmed down in shame.

is she famous?

With the conversation already interrupted, Cleo addressed his sibling.

Though Liam didnt seem to mind.

Rather, he looked amused.

Y-yeah. Shes a female knight who graduated from the officers academy with exemplary grades. Highly regarded as an official, shes even worked directly under the imperial prime minister multiple times.

To be able to assign such an individual to Cleos side that easily

It seems that Liam had a multitude of talented subordinates at his call.

Can you really afford to let go of such a knight?

When Cleo asked him that, Liam responded with an interesting offer.

I dont mind. Do you need more?

Almost inexhaustible funds.

An excellent array of human resources.

Incredible military power and the personnel required to make use of it to the fullest.

Cleo felt a shudder run down his spine.

(They call him a child prodigy, but thats only scratching the surface. Even if I really became the Emperor, what could he possibly want from me?)

I dont like making assumptions about the future, but how do you want me to pay you for this, Count?

Liam smiled at Cleos words.

To provide this much support, he must surely be looking for something.

An important position within the Empire?

Or

I want free reign over my territory. If you can accept that, then Ill make you the Emperor.

Cleo tilted his head.

Is that it? Youll really lend me your support for just that?

Of course. Though naturally, Im going to make the most of this transaction. Im looking forward to our mutually beneficial relationship in the future, so lets get along, yeah?

He was evading the question.

Cleo couldnt help but feel anxious about the future when he realised this.

(Does he intend to take control of the Empire from behind the scenes? Though that doesnt actually seem that bad. If it was such a person, hed surely do much better than me.)

Even after only a brief investigation, Liams name was found to be widely associated with being a virtuous ruler.

He wouldnt know the truth unless it actually happened, but Cleo was sure that Liam would be a better monarch.

before anything else, my top priority is my survival. Count, lets finish the rest of this conversation at a later date.

(No matter what happens, this guy will only get what he wants if I live. Theres no point in finalising the rewards at this stage.)

Having finished his tea, Liam briskly stood up.

That sounds perfectly fine. Your Highness Cleo, I hope to see you again soon.

Watching Liams receding back, Cleo couldnt help but shudder.

(I was afraid of my older brothers and desperately reached out to him for help, but I mightve just brought a ridiculous individual into the succession war.)