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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 40: What He Wants
After Hadem Raion was ousted, things moved very quickly.
Usually, when a lord is overthrown like this, his knights and vassals—who often treat their lord like a fanatic—resist fiercely.
But ironically, in the Raion family, the knights who blindly worshipped Hadem were the first to die following his reckless orders.
It was like the story of how, during North Korea’s ‘Arduous March,’ those who obeyed the Workers' Party the most were the quickest to perish.
In the Raion family, almost none of Hadem’s loyalists remained.
Many vassals and officials instead welcomed Hadem’s fall and actively cooperated.
As a result, after the lion hunt was over, it didn’t take long for Bara to take control of the Raion family.
In just a week, the Raion territory was fully reorganized, and Bara became the head of the Raion family and lord of the territory.
“Tonight’s drinks are on Lord Bara!!!”
“Everyone, drink up!!!”
After Bara’s succession ceremony, I stood with him on the balcony of the Raion family castle, overlooking the territory.
The gloomy atmosphere from the game hadn’t completely disappeared yet, but smiles were blossoming on people’s faces.
Hearing that this kind of scene hadn’t been seen here for nearly ten years, I could understand just how much the people had suffered.
“Thank you, brother.”
While watching this, Bara bowed his head to thank me.
Wearing the lord’s robes, he finally started to look like a proper lord.
“It’s nothing. This isn’t just for you. It’s for me and the people too.”
Like everything in life, things aren’t done purely out of goodwill.
I helped Bara and the people of the Raion territory to survive.
“It’s going to be hard from here on, Bara.”
“No matter how hard, I’ll overcome it with everyone, like you did, brother!”
They say it’s harder to keep a throne than to win it.
I imagine Bara is starting to feel that now.
Then, with a serious look, Bara asked me—
“Brother… is this really all you want?”
After the fight with Hadem, I discussed with Nova and Hart about demanding compensation for the damage the Raion territory had suffered.
But Nova was pushing for a lot, so I had to calm him down.
Compensation for dead knights and their families, plus a small profit, was enough.
“As far as I know, you should demand more.”
“That’s enough.”
Nova explained that when fighting for another lord, it’s common to demand compensation equal to half a year’s territory expenses, sometimes even up to a full year.
But I didn’t think that was necessary.
Even without that money, our territory was already prosperous, and asking for too much could make the newly revived Raion people hostile.
Just like how Germany’s massive reparations after World War I sparked World War II, demanding too much here could backfire.
While Calyx mulled over this thought, Bara was left confused.
‘Only asking for this much… he’s definitely not doing me a favor for no reason.’
Because of everything that happened, Bara was prepared to become a slave to the Cron family.
He was even prepared to give up a full year’s territory income or all the family’s hidden treasures if asked.
But he only demanded about 10% of what he had prepared for, including compensation for the fallen soldiers.
That was something Bara couldn’t understand.
As Bara struggled with this, Calyx said—
“Bara, what do you think will happen to this empire?”
“The empire?”
“Yes…”
Bara thought for a moment.
The current empire was plagued by escalating conflicts between rebellious lords, the crown prince and princess, and northern dukes.
There were also recent rumors of assassinations within the royal family.
The answer was obvious.
“…I think it will become chaotic.”
“Exactly. If things keep going this way, the empire will only fall further into chaos. And if His Majesty the Emperor passes away, something terrible will happen…”
The empire has traditionally been plunged into brutal civil war whenever an emperor died and the next ruler was chosen.
Betrayal and battles ran rampant, and many lives were lost in the process.
Yet, at the same time, countless heroes were born.
People referred to this chaotic period with a mix of reverence and disdain as the『Game of Thrones』.
“When that time comes, money won’t matter. What will matter is the power that protects me and the allies who stand beside me.”
Calyx believed that when the time came, allies were far more important than gold.
The more allies you had, the less likely you were to be attacked—and everyone could live peacefully.
“I believe now is the time for the South to unite and pool its strength.”
That’s why he built a strong relationship with Zeras, ousted Hadem, and restored the Raion family’s status.
That was Calyx’s mindset.
But Bara heard something different in Calyx’s words.
’Brother… are you seriously planning to join the Game of Thrones!?’
To Bara, Calyx was nothing less than the ‘Conqueror of the South.’
In just two short years, he had revived the Cron territory, crushed Dreihart’s rebellion, turned slaves into his own battalion through an unexpected strategy, and steadily grew his power—without alienating any major faction.
No one in the South could afford to ignore the Cron family anymore.
And now Calyx was talking about gearing up for the coming Game of Thrones.
But what did that really mean?
‘Let’s unite and cooperate, so we can live peacefully among ourselves.’
That didn’t sound like something a lord who’d just taken control of the South would say.
No—what Bara actually heard was this—
‘I plan to play the Game of Thrones too, just like the Northern Duke. Brother, when that day comes, I’ll need your strength by my side.’
Feeling the thrill of all the pieces falling perfectly into place, Bara was deeply moved.
He had only seen himself as the powerless son of a mad lion, but Calyx recognized him as a comrade to accomplish a great cause together.
When the day came, Bara vowed to repay Calyx’s kindness by becoming his strength.
Kneeling before Calyx, Bara said—
“Don’t worry, brother… I will do my best to serve you!!”
“Y-Yeah, let’s do this together.”
Calyx found Bara’s reaction a little awkward.
‘What’s with this guy? Did he really get this emotional just because I agreed to work hard together?’
With their different thoughts swirling, the festival in the Raion territory went on.
That day, the people of Raion gained freedom, and Bara found his purpose for the future.
Calyx thought he had simply gained a good neighbor, but in reality, he had acquired the power of the Raion family—known for having the strongest charge in the South.
＊ ＊ ＊
At that moment, in the imperial capital of the Novarens Empire—Novaresia, in the grandest audience chamber of the Crown Prince’s palace where the prince stayed, the battle reports from the southern region arrived.
Prince Kyros and Duran were discussing them.
Upon hearing that Calyx had succeeded in punishing Hadem by the prince’s order, Duran said—
“So, the southern region has now come under the control of His Highness the Crown Prince.”
By the prince’s command, Hadem was expelled, and the lordship of the Raion territory passed to Bara, a son loyal to the prince, succeeding Hadem.
Although losing Hadem was unfortunate, Duran thought that this instantly shifted the southern region’s power center firmly into the prince’s hands.
At that, the prince spoke with a troubled expression.
“Do you really think so, Duran?”
“Am I mistaken, Your Highness?”
The prince’s face darkened.
Sensing his lord’s mood, Duran fell silent.
“The Lord of Cron requested my permission to expel Hadem. It was a remarkable move—if Hadem’s actions were truly criminal, we could have immediately demanded a war tribunal at the imperial court. But instead, he sought my approval.”
If they had accused Hadem of crimes, including the impersonation of a thief, and started a war right away, the prince wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on.
But by not rushing, by painting Hadem as the villain until the very end and creating the justification that expulsion was unavoidable, the prince had demonstrated impressive political skill.
“In return, the Lord of Cron could have demanded much from me—compensation for damages caused by Hadem, a higher rank, or some other reward. But he asked for nothing.”
That was the problem.
Through this, the Lord of Cron could have made demands of the prince.
He could have requested territorial expansion rights previously held by Hadem or exemptions from salt taxes to adjust levies.
But he did not ask for anything.
“Duran, has anyone among my supporters ever made no demands of me?”
“...No, Your Highness.”
“Exactly. On the other hand, does Lily ever ask anything of me?”
“Certainly not...”
“Yes, that’s how it is.”
Those who do not ask anything fall into one of two categories—
Those who want too much, or those who are enemies and thus ask for nothing.
“So, does that mean the Lord of Cron is our enemy?”
“He has enough sense of justice to earn Azelle’s respect, so he’s not my enemy. But he’s not a full ally yet either...”
Moreover, with this incident, the Raion family has also come under the favor of the Cron family, making it impossible to ignore Cron’s influence.
The three largest territories in the South were now concentrated in one family’s hands.
In other words, gaining Cron would mean controlling the South—losing him would be a devastating blow.
“Duran, make sure to thoroughly investigate Calyx Cron, especially what he truly wants.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The prince thought he had been complacent.
Even though information always came slowly to the palace after events unfolded, Calyx Cron could have acted more quickly.
The only reason he hadn’t was because the prince had let his guard down.
The one relief was that Calyx was not a complete enemy.
For the battles ahead, the prince wanted nothing more than to make Calyx Cron an ally.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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