Chapter 255: “Negotiation and Mockery”

“Magnificent.”

Maxine, the Emperor of the Holy Gusten Empire, was genuinely impressed.

It was a spectacular duel.

Her admiration extended to both duelists equally, without bias toward either.

Baumann and Faust were paragons of heroism and superhuman prowess, flawless in every regard.

Unconsciously, her hands moved to clap, and she even found herself applauding.

“Indeed, if Baumann had attacked me with the intent to kill, she would surely have succeeded!”

Maxine declared confidently.

Her words were directed to Queen Katarina of Virendorf, seated beside her. Katarina, however, remained expressionless.

Her face seldom revealed any trace of emotion—joy, anger, sorrow, or delight.

Her expression suggested indifference, though it was not necessarily disinterest.

“Does Your Majesty still suspect that my Virendorf conspired to assassinate you?”

“Is it not the truth?”

At least, to Maxine, it was a fact.

Though unrelated to her family lineage, the tri-elector houses of Anhalt, Virendorf, and Mainz (at the time, not yet part of the Seven Electorates) had, in a so-called “glorious crusade,” once killed the red-haired emperor during an expedition. They had done so with a sentiment akin to, “Let’s get rid of him quickly so we can return to our own domains. We don’t need an emperor like this.” Specifically, they drowned him in a river.

The emperor’s court had no trust whatsoever in the Electorate families.

It wasn’t that the emperor’s family lacked power.

However, the power disparity was such that if three Electorate families conspired, they could overturn the emperor’s authority.

Frankly, the emperor wasn’t even a threat if they chose to isolate themselves in their domains.

In short, not one of the Seven Electorate families had pledged loyalty to the emperor.

They regarded the emperor as nothing more than a convenient figure.

When he became inconvenient, they would simply eliminate him.

That was their stance.

When Maxine’s late mother had desperately pleaded with Anhalt and Virendorf for military aid, it was closer to a “petition” than an “order,” further illustrating this dynamic.

Even when the two countries deployed troops to defeat the false emperor—a relative of Maxine—it was not out of loyalty to the emperor. Rather, it was based on the advice of Prince Robert of Anhalt, who judged, “Allowing a shallow-minded individual who starved the imperial consort to death to ascend the throne would only lead to ruin.”

Maxine had since ceased trusting any of the Electorate families.

Even Robert, who had been the only one to show kindness through correspondence, was eventually poisoned.

Trusting anyone would be absurd.

Even Duke Temeraire, the boar-like noble not associated with the Electorate families, sought the emperor’s throne.

Hence, Maxine voiced her suspicions to Katarina of Virendorf.

“If that is not the case, why did Reckenber not take Baumann with her? She could have brought Baumann to Virendorf and made her a knight. Why leave her in the imperial capital? Surely there must be a reason.”

“Who can say?”

Katarina tilted her head slightly.

Her expression remained unreadable.

It wasn’t a calculated poker face; her emotions were simply faint.

“Perhaps it was out of concern for Your Majesty’s safety? Having a guard like Baumann would certainly reassure you.”

“When Temeraire plotted my assassination, did the Landsknechts do anything?”

They had done nothing.

Though it was true the emperor paid the Landsknechts, they had done absolutely nothing.

If offered more money, some mercenaries might act.

However, their loyalty was not to the emperor.

If another patron offered a larger sum, they would easily switch allegiances.

With one exception.

That exception was Claudia von Reckenber.

“Reckenber did recommend Baumann as a guard for Your Majesty, did she not?”

“If Reckenber gave the order, Baumann would likely kill me without hesitation, even at the cost of her own life.”

Katarina was lost in thought.

She was pondering many things.

Naturally, such was the burden of the emperor’s position.

She almost remarked on this aloud but decided against it, considering it might be too blunt.

Instead, she speculated silently.

About Reckenber.

Reckenber was a truly extraordinary figure.

While she appeared to think deeply about everything, there were times when her thoughts were surprisingly shallow.

Her abilities were so extraordinary that most matters resolved themselves, no matter how little effort she exerted.

Thus, there was some truth in what Maxine said.

If Maxine had been incompetent, Reckenber might have killed her.

Perhaps not at that time—since the Landsknechts might have elevated Reckenber to the emperor’s position instead—but that would change in a few years, once Katarina had matured.

In due time, Reckenber could have elevated Katarina to the throne.

That much was true.

But it hadn’t happened.

“The fact that you are alive now proves that Reckenber never entertained such thoughts. Even without Baumann, someone like you could have been killed.”

“Is that any way to speak to your emperor?”

“I am merely stating the facts, Your Majesty.”

Most likely, Maxine had met Reckenber’s standards.

Even as a young girl, she had deemed her suitable for the supreme position of emperor.

That was why she was alive.

If Reckenber had wanted her dead, she could have used the Landsknechts at any time.

She could have used Baumann.

If she found Virendorf’s rise troublesome, or if the emperor was truly incompetent, she could have killed Maxine and elevated Temeraire the Boar to the throne.

That would have made Temeraire a puppet of Reckenber.

And Temeraire the Boar would have been delighted.

Though he might have grumbled about it.

“Baumann will be returned to Virendorf, along with the Landsknechts. Once everything is settled, they shall be withdrawn. That should suffice, should it not?”

“And after making me pay their salaries all this time, you say such things? Do you claim the hero who displayed such a magnificent duel before my very eyes will be removed from my nominal retinue and taken away?”

Who cares?

It didn’t matter.

The emperor’s position was of no consequence to Katarina, but it couldn’t be ignored entirely.

She recalled the advice of Duchess Astarte of Anhalt:

“If you wish to defeat the Mongols, you will need the support of Maxine’s lineage.”

Well, she understood.

She accepted it.

If three Electorate families united, they could overturn the emperor’s position. Conversely, Maxine’s lineage had just enough strength to resist two.

It wasn’t the emperor’s position that ensured this.

It was Maxine’s bloodline alone that guaranteed it.

Without kinship, they would not act.

Maxine’s kin would not act.

Hence, she couldn’t kill her.

“……”

Katarina made a cold calculation.

She could kill Maxine here and now, seizing the emperor’s position.

But then, what would happen?

Could she wrest power from Maxine’s kin?

It’s Impossible.

Fleeing overseas would be inevitable.

Everything was as Duchess Astarte had advised.

To stand against the Mongols, the Emperor, the Pope, and the Electorate families would need to unite as one.

Even then, the lingering question remained: “Can we manage? Can we at least push them back even if we can’t defeat them?”

Thus, compromise was necessary.

Specifically, Anhalt’s first princess, Anastasia, had given me her word: “It wouldn’t be an issue if you were to become the Emperor.”

Compromise meant forfeiting that guarantee.

I would relinquish the ambition of becoming Emperor.

“Empress Maxine, I assure you that neither I nor Virendorf desires the Emperor’s throne.”

“How much of that can I trust?”

“At the very least, I ask you to trust our current intentions.”

I thought carefully.

Then, I spoke plainly.

Though Valiere was present, she wasn’t useful for this task.

With no member of Anhalt’s royal family present, it fell to me to deliver this message.

“You have the responsibility of leading us in the fight against the Mongols.”

“……”

“You can’t die until then. Ah, and of course, I promise to pledge my loyalty once you survive.”

This wasn’t a threat.

No, it wasn’t a threat.

A threat would involve saying something far more explicit.

“And if I refuse?”

Maxine wasn’t afraid.

She didn’t fear death.

When her father had starved to death before her eyes, her otherwise ordinary mother had achieved everything possible to save her.

And when her mother exhausted herself and died, Maxine vowed to live for her family’s sake.

Thus, she wasn’t afraid of death.

“Nothing will happen.”

“Truly?”

However, the thought of dying a meaningless death terrified her.

Dying without contributing anything to her bloodline terrified her.

Maxine had a purpose.

As the head of her family, her role was to ensure the continuation of the finest bloodline.

That was her sole wish.

“We need someone to negotiate with the Mongols. Duchess Astarte of Anhalt has concluded that victory is impossible as things stand. Of course, we’ll gather the means to win moving forward… but for now, we need a negotiator.”

“What about the Pope?”

“The Pope? She’s useless now. Negotiations led by the Pope are already a failure.”

I declared this decisively.

That was simply the way of things.

Maxine thought so too.

The Pope had been defeated and lost her authority over the clerical factions.

Now, even the Cologne Sect likely held more influence.

Thus, the Pope was of no use.

“In the worst-case scenario, we’ll have to admit defeat and negotiate terms of surrender.”

“Naïve.”

At this point, Katarina spoke, and Maxine let out a derisive laugh through her nose.

Negotiate terms of surrender?

Unthinkable.

That was simply impossible.

“There are no terms to be negotiated. The Mongols only seek absolute domination. The Emperor’s position, the Electors’ seats—everything would be replaced. At best, we’d be left with the role of hated tax collectors. Even that position would likely be bought and sold for money.”

Once the decision to fight was made, losing would mean losing everything.

There was no room for compromise.

A gesture for honor’s sake, an acknowledgment of strength to preserve dignity, and a peaceful concession of defeat—such values only held meaning within the context of the Gusten Empire.

They meant nothing to the Mongols.

Thus, from the outset, Maxine and the Pope had sought to surrender entirely, to grovel at their feet.

“The Mongols’ greatest concession was to place that Seora, whom you’ve captured, on the throne as Emperor. That was their best offer. Now that the possibility is gone, the Holy Gusten Empire is destined for ruin.”

We will surely lose.

This so-called Holy Empire—neither holy nor guaranteed by anyone—will vanish.

“We can’t win.”

Maxine muttered these words.

Yet Katarina contradicted her.

“We can win. Faust is here.”

“……”

Maxine’s gaze turned to the male knight standing atop the colosseum’s stage.

Lord Faust von Polydoro.

Maxine desired him.

She wanted him as the father of the child who would inherit her family’s lineage.

She would admit it.

“He alone cannot secure victory.”

However, she denied it aloud.

She wanted him desperately, more than anything.

Faust von Polydoro.

A superhuman.

A carrier of rare blood.

A minor noble, far removed from the imperial family.

A man whose union with her bloodline would not weaken its legacy.

No matter how she looked at it, there was no better candidate to father her child.

Even if she searched the world, she wouldn’t find anyone like him.

“What about Martina’s ‘Guns, Cannons, and Knights’ strategy?”

“I’ve read it. It’s an interesting idea, certainly, but the world isn’t so kind as to ensure victory based on that alone.”

Maxine was torn.

She had been considering fleeing overseas.

To take her family and escape the empire entirely.

She had even thought about leaving the Emperor’s throne in the hands of Katarina of Virendorf.

But now, what to do?

The duel she had just witnessed.

The fight against Baumann.

Her blood was boiling.

Leaving the empire without carrying the child of that man felt like too great a loss.

What should she do?

Maxine pondered.

And pondered.

For now, she decided to defer her decision.

There was still time.

Time to abandon the people of the Holy Gusten Empire and make her escape.

“More importantly, Katarina. Are you fine with Nina as she is?”

“What do you mean by ‘as she is’?”

Katarina tilted her head slightly in response.

So, Maxine mocked her.

“I’m asking if Nina is truly capable of living up to the name of Reckenber. No matter how much she resembles her in demeanor or voice, she is still just a girl. Can Nina truly inherit the name of Reckenber?”

It’s impossible.

Unreasonably so.

Thinking this, Maxine turned her gaze to Nina, who stood on the colosseum platform, gripping Baumann’s sword tightly, blood dripping from her hands.

“There’s no problem.”

Seeing the same scene before them, Queen Katarina of Virendorf quietly spoke.

“She is Reckenber’s child. My sister. That alone is enough.”

Her voice remained calm and composed as Katarina said only that.