"Has there been any further purging within the Empire?"
"No, Consul. The Defense Command has already withdrawn from the system."
"…So it was nothing more than a week of chaos, after all."
Elizabeth let out a soft sigh.
Watching her, Kurz Schleiermacher managed a wry smile. Ever since receiving the report that Dantalion had been assassinated, Consul Elizabeth had been under extreme tension for the past week. She had stayed up several consecutive nights doing nothing but gathering intelligence on Dantalion.
A staged performance, perhaps. Or an attack that had failed to be prevented in time… She had said the Empire's future policy would hinge on which it turned out to be. It seemed she had finally made up her mind.
"Kurz, this was a thoroughly orchestrated act. There is no other way to explain it."
"I agree. If it were the real thing, it was far too clean."
"Mm."
Elizabeth nodded.
Kurz dipped his chin in agreement. It had been far too clean — that was the problem. If the assassination had been something Dantalion never saw coming, then one week was a hopelessly tight window to root out the culprit.
"Officially, they announced he survived thanks to a body double they had in place, but that must be a lie too. I had thought they might strike the moment they spotted even the slightest opening, but perhaps that was wishful thinking…"
"Oh? For someone whose expectations fell through, you don't look half bad, Your Excellency?"
Kurz cracked a joke. Letting the atmosphere grow heavier than necessary was not in his nature.
In truth, both he and Elizabeth had begun the investigation under the premise that "the odds of this being a staged act are nine in ten." They had worried only about the one-in-ten exception. There was no point in being needlessly dejected.
Elizabeth nodded readily.
"Rather, we should be celebrating the fact that he wasn't actually killed."
"Excuse me?"
That was a far cry from the denial Kurz had expected her to deliver in disgust. He knew perfectly well that Consul Elizabeth harbored feelings toward Dantalion that were anything but ordinary. He looked at her with a half-teasing glimmer in his eye, wondering if perhaps…
"No, Your Excellency. Surely you don't harbor secret feelings for him in that tiny little heart of yours…"
"It's nothing like that. Don't be ridiculous."
Elizabeth snorted.
"Our Republic is overwhelmingly outmatched by the Empire. So why hasn't the Empire invaded us? It's because Dantalion has a firm grip on the reins of the Demon Lords."
"Ah, so you're saying that if Dantalion dies, the Demon Lords will go rampaging like mad bulls?"
Wait, so that was what the conversation was about? Kurz felt a little deflated.
But Elizabeth was dead serious. She interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on top of them.
"The Demon Lords who were purged this time were probably ones he hadn't managed to put a muzzle on beforehand. He disposed of them before they could become a problem later. Kurz. Do you understand what this means?"
"Well, it means the man has completely seized control of the Empire's power."
In just one week.
In an absurdly short span of time, the other party had purged every hostile faction directed at him. In practice, the Empire was now little more than a toy fallen into Dantalion's hands — or so Kurz judged.
Elizabeth shook her head.
"That's correct, but it's not the answer. The key is why he chose to carry out the purge at this particular time."
"…I'm sorry. I'm not quite sure I follow."
"If I were Dantalion…"
Elizabeth lowered her voice. When the Consul did this, it felt as though the temperature around her dropped of its own accord. Kurz felt a chill run down his spine as he focused on the Consul's gaze.
"I would have picked a slightly better moment. He surely knows that I want to shake up the Empire from within."
"…?"
"He could have fully exploited my impatience to his advantage. Laying a trap and waiting would have suited his methods far better. Wrapping things up so cleanly like this doesn't match Dantalion's temperament."
"Excuse me, Your Excellency."
Kurz had intended to listen in silence, but something felt off. As if he were a student raising his hand in class, he cautiously lifted his hand.
Elisabeth frowned.
"What is it?"
"I apologize. I haven't been able to follow the conversation since a while ago. What do you mean by 'stirring up unrest inside the Empire,' and how does Dantalion know about that? I may ostensibly be Your Excellency's shadow, but this is the first I'm hearing of any of it."
Kurz Schleiermacher was the second-in-command of the secret intelligence bureau. It would not be an exaggeration to say that every piece of information reaching Elisabeth passed through Kurz's eyes and ears. Yet the things Elisabeth was saying now were completely unknown to Kurz as well.
"What are you talking about?"
Elisabeth scowled, as though he were talking nonsense.
"Overwhelming the Empire through war is impossible, and pressuring it through diplomacy has proven futile. That leaves me with nothing but to create allies within the Empire's own borders, doesn't it?"
"…Well, that much is true. But you're saying Dantalion knew about that, and took it into consideration when orchestrating this purge?"
Elisabeth answered immediately.
"Of course. There is no way Dantalion doesn't know what I know."
"…."
Huh.
Something was strange. Kurz was gripped by a profoundly peculiar feeling. He couldn't put it into words, but something was off. However, before he could probe the source of that feeling, Elisabeth continued speaking. Kurz tucked the emotion away to one side of his heart for the time being.
"In any case, Dantalion needed to consolidate the interior as quickly as possible. Kurz. When do you think is the moment when a person who has seized power urgently needs to clean house internally?"
"Well, that would be when they need to travel far away."
A coup might happen while they're gone. Better to sweep things clean before departing. Kurz answered, picturing just such a scenario.
Elisabeth nodded slowly.
"While Dantalion is away, the regent Barbatos will protect the Empire. As long as Barbatos remains, the Empire's interior shouldn't be shaken. And yet, Dantalion rushed into this purge…."
"…."
"That means Barbatos would also leave the Empire along with Dantalion. And there has only been one occasion when Dantalion has moved together with Barbatos."
"…!"
Kurz was visibly startled. He had grasped the implication of Elisabeth's words.
"You don't mean—war!"
"That is highly likely. I believe this purge might be preliminary work—removing potential threats before setting out to war."
Kurz's mind raced.
"The Puppet War ended not long ago. Does the Empire even have the capacity to bear the cost of war?"
"Who do you think was purged this time? Demon Lords, and the long-rumored Grand Dukes of the Demon Realm. Either way, they sat at the apex of demonkind, so the wealth they had accumulated would be considerable."
Kurz unconsciously swallowed hard.
"You're saying the purge also serves to secure war funds…."
"The question is where Dantalion is aiming."
Elisabeth's gaze was no longer directed at Kurz. Her darkened eyes stared quietly into the void.
"For now, it's not the Franks. The Teutons granted Dantalion a title as well, so that rules them out. The remaining options are Polithunia, or our Republic…"
"Your Excellency. Could they be targeting us?"
"No. Polithunia is the most likely target. The Empire and Polithunia are locked in territorial disputes. There is more than enough room for things to escalate into a full-scale war."
However, Elisabeth murmured, "But—"
"Grand Duke Batory is no pushover. No matter how Dantalion and Barbatos take the field, they won't bring him down easily. The war will certainly drag on. And the longer it does, the more openings the Empire will expose. An opportunity to strike at its weak points will inevitably arise."
"…."
"That's what I can't figure out. Whether Dantalion would really wage a war that exposes weaknesses to me is the real question. That doesn't seem like something he would do… I suppose I can't arrive at a clean answer."
Elisabeth's doubt was resolved sooner than expected.
Just one week after the unsettling conversation, an official reconciliation was announced between the Habsburg Empire and the Kingdom of Polithunia.
The two nations declared the border zone a neutral territory and divided the land among the temples. The temples praised both nations' resolution, hailing it as "a sincere decision for the peace of the continent."
The moment news of the reconciliation reached him, Kurz rushed to the Consul's office.
What Dantalion was after wasn't Polithunia. That was what she needed to make clear. With Polithunia removed from the equation, the only enemy state bordering the Empire was now the Republic!
Kurz flung open the office door. As Captain of the Guard, he had every right to visit the office at any time. Elisabeth looked at him as though she had been waiting for him.
"Your Excellency!"
"It's the Kingdom of Sardinia, Kurz! It was Sardinia all along!"
She blurted it out without warning. Kurz froze, caught off guard by the unexpected statement.
"The Kingdom of Sardinia?"
"The Helvetica Confederation has submitted to the Empire. A new path has opened. Dantalion intends to cross the Alps and march on Sardinia."
"……!"
Kurz's mouth fell open with a startled "ah."
"If Sardinia falls too, our Republic will be completely surrounded!"
"I see."
Elisabeth stared at him coldly.
"Sardinia is also our only ally. If the aid from Sardinia dries up, our nation's economy will collapse. Dantalion means to intimidate Sardinia into submission, then slowly starve us to death…"
To the north lay the Habsburg Empire, to the west the Frank Empire, and to the east the Kingdom of Polithunia. The only remaining passage was the Kingdom of Sardinia to the south. If Dantalion's reach extended there as well, the Republic would face a true siege from every direction.
At that thought, a chill ran down Kurz's spine. But at the same time, he felt a surge of excitement.
If Dantalion truly had his sights set on Sardinia, then they were without a doubt the very first people in the world to see through that man's plans! Before he could even move his army—before he'd even had time to muster his forces—they had already pierced through to what he was really after.
"You are extraordinary, Your Excellency. Had it not been for you, who else would have seen through his plans? We would have been taken in by him once more, just as we always have been."
As if she had predicted the future, Kurz's face flushed. He truly thought she was extraordinary. The woman before him was a masterpiece after all. His bet—staking his life on this person's judgment—had not been wrong……
Elisabeth nodded.
"We need to contact the Kingdom of Sardinia immediately. Sardinia has been neglecting its border defenses this entire time. They've been relying on our support as a substitute for their own defense. Their military capability must be in absolutely dreadful condition… We need to start taking countermeasures as soon as possible—even one day matters!"
"Understood. I'll summon the Foreign Minister."
Kurz rushed out of the office. And then he realized what that sense of unease he had felt a few days ago really was.
Until now, Elisabeth had discussed the continent while dealing with Dantalion. The continent had always come first, and Dantalion was secondary—nothing more than an obstacle to achieving the greater vision. But now, the balance of importance between the two had been reversed.
No, he should say the focus had shifted. She hadn't been looking at the continent while dealing with Dantalion. She had been looking at Dantalion while dealing with the continent. That was where Kurz had felt that indescribable sense of unease……
But what was so bad about that?
It probably wasn't anything important.
Kurz shook his head.
It simply meant that Dantalion was that much of a primary threat to the Republic. If they wanted to discuss the continent, they had to step over Dantalion first. That was all it amounted to.
What mattered right now was how to persuade Sardinia. Convincing that kingdom, brimming with high-nosed aristocrats, would be far from easy. Kurz hurried through the Consul's residence, already composing the words he would pass on to the Foreign Minister…….
============================ Author's Notes ============================
Dantalion: Hey, could you stop cheating?
Elisabeth: ………….
I've uploaded a map of the current situation around the Habsburg Empire to the settings section.