Chapter 3: The Concession of Interests, The Caution of a Great Power

The duration of the Roman Empire’s roundtable conference couldn’t exactly be described as either long or short, but it certainly exhausted everyone’s vocal cords. Everyone except General Dreycar.

Ultimately, they failed to reach a consensus on the contentious issue of interest concessions, precisely as General Dreycar had predicted.

The royal representative spoke in grand terms about the greater good, but at its core, the aim was to offload the royal family’s losses onto other factions. This provoked ire among the attendees, who felt they had no choice but to stifle their outrage. This self-censorship was largely due to the fact that Priscilla, the lover of the exiled former Regent King Yang Hao, was now the Court Mage serving the Roman Royal Family.

Known as the Night Witch, Priscilla excelled not only in wide-area strategic support magic but also in the conventional manipulation of the four elements. She was far from being a naive young lady easily swayed or threatened.

After Yang Hao’s exile and a near-complete breakdown in her ties with her former allies, she now only heeded the commands of the Roman royal family.

Continuing to pressure the royal family for concessions could backfire horribly, potentially forcing them to rescind their previous offer to reinstate the Regent King. If that were to happen, the Roman Empire would almost certainly teeter on the brink of collapse, bereft of any suitable candidate to take the reins.

To avert this catastrophic outcome, faction leaders–each with their own secret motives–engaged in heated debates over who should yield more in the interest concessions. 

After a lot of back and forth, a compromise was struck. Both the nobles and the landowners would cede some ground, enabling the resurgence of the Workers’ Guild and the Red Cross.

For these groups, it was a bitter pill to swallow. It felt like their monopolistic gains were being forcibly ripped from them. However, for archbishop Peter and General Dreycar, this was merely the opening act.

After all, the ambitions of the former Regent King Yang Hao would hardly be satiated by such modest concessions. His notorious aim to upend a world governed by bloodline and natural talent was already well known to all.

General Dreycar and Archbishop Peter knew they had to be ready for anything, even if that meant making sacrifices among the landowners and nobility. At this moment, the Roman Empire’s most pressing need was the swift return of the former Regent King.

Sensing that the discussion was nearing its end, the representative of the royal family leaned over to an attendant and whispered a few instructions. Then, with a light clap of his hands, he signaled for the room to fall silent.

“We will afford the Night Witch a ten-day window to bring him back,” he announced. “Utilizing the network of magical teleportation gates previously installed by the former Regent in key cities, we should quickly ascertain his whereabouts. However, we must also brace ourselves for the grim possibility that he may already be dead. So, let’s shift our discussion to managing the ongoing drought and addressing significant concerns with the empire across the sea.”

Everyone glanced at the clock on the wall. It struck midnight.

Archbishop Peter felt his fatigue settling in. He was growing increasingly reluctant to spend more time in a setting that demanded the ceding of his own interests. Moreover, he couldn’t help but wonder what coastal affairs or issues with a distant empire had to do with his inland northern diocese.

‘If these coastal incompetents can’t even manage their own shores, why not funnel that money my way instead of squandering it?’ he mused internally.

“This falls under General Dreycar’s purview,” Archbishop Peter declared, making an early exit.

Soon after him, the noble and landowner representatives left, their faces twisted in distaste over the concessions they had to make. They too were keen to leave this insufferable place, fearing that lingering could lead to even more painful sacrifices, further straining their already depleted coffers.

‘Why did we even bother listening in the first place?‘ they thought. ‘And as for threats from the royal family. What real power do they wield anymore, besides holding the cultural heart of the capital and a mere nominal claim to governance?’

“I’m quite exhausted,” one muttered.

“I have a merchants’ banquet to attend tomorrow, so I must take my leave,” added another.

With those final remarks, they hurried out of the meeting room, moving even faster than they had when they entered.

The last people at the round table were the royal envoy and General Dreycar. They locked eyes momentarily. General Dreycar, who had long lost faith in the delegates at the table, stood up without a word under the puzzled gaze of the royal representative. Then he walked away.

***

Across the ocean, on another continent where daylight had already broken, the Isugard Empire was zealously executing its plans for colonial expansion.

After offering asylum to persecuted scholars from the Roman Empire, the military leaders of Isugard surmised that the Roman Empire was in a state of severe disarray and decline. If Isugard wanted to expand its influence beyond its borders and establish an exclave, the time was ripe to seize the opportunity.

However, Isugard’s President remained cautious. She had heard from these scholars that the former Regent King of the Roman Empire, Yang Hao, was nothing short of a generational genius. A living luminary.

Under Yang Hao’s exceptional leadership, the Roman Empire had achieved in less than five years what took Isugard five stable decades to accomplish.

He had inaugurated a system of universal education, thereby ensuring the Roman populace would see a continual rise in cultural and educational standards over the ensuing decade.

The university he had founded in the capital was nurturing a cadre of skilled bureaucrats and technologists for the empire. He had also instituted a military academy aimed at cultivating capable officers and highly-trained enlisted personnel.

In what was previously a somewhat archaic society that prized magical talents and bloodline gifts, he had spearheaded the advent of industrialization, setting up steam-powered factories. He revolutionized an economy that had been reliant on small-scale, manual craftsmanship into a system of large-scale industrial manufacturing.

Yang Hao had made extraordinary efforts to make once-expensive products affordable. He then channeled these inexpensive but critical resources to more value-generating uses, simultaneously working to narrow the divide between magically gifted individuals and the common populace.

He had implemented a range of technological innovations and insurance policies to bolster the Roman Empire’s agricultural sector, the foundation of the nation. This ensured that even in years of catastrophic natural events, the empire would have enough food to feed its population.

And so, even as Isugard schemed its expansion, the formidable legacy of this remarkable Regent King cast a long shadow, serving as a cautionary backdrop to their ambitious plans.

He had even established a public, free healthcare organization in the Roman Empire called the Red Cross. Meanwhile, in Isugard, a similar initiative was still in the planning stages, with no set timeline for its implementation.

All signs pointed to the fact that, despite its current state of upheaval, the Roman Empire was still an empire in the true sense. Powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Isugard.

Even if the visionary Regent King had been ousted due to internal scheming, it seemed unlikely that the empire would entirely waste the transformative reforms he had set in motion.

In Isugard, skepticism ran deep, cutting across all social streets. From scholars and military officers to merchants, professors, and even street beggars, no one believed that the Roman Empire would be so foolish as to not only exile the Regent King but also dismantle all the positive societal reforms he had instituted.

They suspected that the scholars who had fled the Roman Empire were either exaggerating the situation or propagating rumors that had been distorted over time.

They believed that the Roman Empire had been undermined by treacherous villains who had driven out or perhaps even killed a man of great ability. But claiming that they were tearing down recently built homes just to completely erase his influence? That seemed rather far-fetched.

Therefore, the President of Isugard expressed her reservations.

“Should we truly hasten into a colonial war against the Roman Empire? Why not delay for another six months until our most advanced steam warships and newly developed rifles are battle-ready? With these new warships, we would undoubtedly dominate the Roman Navy. However, naval superiority alone can’t ensure a smooth path to victory. Considering the innovative legacy of the Regent King, it’s quite possible that the Roman Empire has already commenced development of technologies like flintlock firearms.”

“Madam President, waiting for that would mean an even longer time to deploy our new rifles,” cautioned one of her advisors.

“Isn’t it wiser to avoid engaging the enemy under unfavorable conditions? Particularly since this is a colonial war that stretches across an entire ocean. If that Regent King were involved, he’d certainly notice our logistical vulnerability, given our heavy reliance on sea routes. We must tread carefully.”

“That’s true. The man is a genius. His legacy demands caution on our part. Ah, it’s unfortunate for the Regent King. What fate would have befallen him had he been in Isugard?”

“Who can say? Isugard is a progressive nation, after all. It could also be because we don’t put much stock in bloodlines or magical aptitude.” 

The young leader of Isugard, a woman with golden hair and blue eyes, shrugged before reiterating, “We don’t prioritize lineage or magical abilities here. This is why we emphasize meritocracy. I trust in you, as you do in me,” she said.

“Who wouldn’t have faith in a youthful princess who’s lived over a century yet still retains a childlike face? It’s rather curious, though. You, of vampiric lineage, don’t place importance on bloodlines and magical skills, but why is the Roman Empire, largely composed of ordinary humans, so obsessed with these elements?”

“Who should I ask? That’s a question for scholars to answer, my esteemed general.”

“Fair enough. In that case, should we delay our colonial venture by nine months?”

“Considering the travel time, let’s round it up to a full year. We’ll send our trade ships to continue gathering intelligence on the Roman Empire. Surely, they can’t be as foolhardy as those frenzied scholars suggest?”

“Who’s to say?”

With that, Isugard’s colonization plans came to a temporary halt. They remained cautious of the unseen strength lurking behind the Roman Empire’s turmoil and expressed regret that the Regent King was born into the wrong circumstances.

***

Meanwhile, at a monastery just outside the village of Skool, late into the night, dressed in a simple hemp robe and having enjoyed his first hot meal in a year, Yang Hao sat somewhat bewildered on a bench. He was waiting for Sister Teresa to give him a haircut and shave using a straight razor.