Judith's words may have sounded absurd at first glance, but the King thought seriously. It was clear that Gilsis, who would have held full power over the Rotair royal family on his behalf for many years, would not easily give up that power even after learning that the King had regained consciousness.
In addition, although he regained consciousness, she would use the King's weakened body as an excuse to make every effort to make Krald the Crown Prince. In the process, he didn't know what she would do to Franz.
The King did not want to act hastily. He also knew that Queen Gilsis's violent yet cunning side, as well as her own family behind her, should not be taken lightly.
While he was consolidating his position as King, a protective shield was absolutely necessary to protect Franz. It's not a bad idea to send it out of the Queen's reach and drop it altogether. Since he had already maintained a friendly relationship with the Delaka Empire even when he was alive, he could feel at ease even if he sent Franz away.
But the problem is making preparations to send Franz there. It involves sending the King's eldest son, not someone else, to another country for several years. Starting with conveying news to the empire while avoiding the Queen's eyes, there would have been a lot of trivial and complicated problems that would cause headaches and rot.
“Can you do it?”
The King looked at Judith carefully. There was a mixture of anxiety and trust in that gaze.
Can you do it?
After hearing the King's words, Judith asked herself the same question. This was something that had never happened in her life. Because it was unknown, there was no way to guarantee the outcome. However, it is something that must be done nonetheless.
“I will. Just as we helped you wake up, we will achieve this somehow.”
The days of waiting for salvation at the hands of others are over. The King's eyes, which were staring at Judith, slowly closed. A smile mixed with fatigue, anxiety, and anticipation lingered on his lips for a brief moment. The King's head nodded. Judith was overcome with fearful joy.
***
Although he lost his status as a Combler trainee due to problems with Krald, Bartholomew did not become discouraged.
It would be a lie if he said it wasn't vain. However, he could not show such expressions when he looked at Franz, who was depressed because of his lack of respect.
He grumbled playfully to his father, saying that he was the one who should be comforted, but he was busy comforting him, Bartholomew hoped that Franz would be relieved of his guilt as soon as possible. So, he visited Astel Palace more often than before, and stayed in the palace almost all day, spending time with Franz.
“Is Her Highness still taking care of my uncle these days?”
Bartholomew picked up the eclair brought by the servant with his hands, not even using his fork, and put it in his mouth. Franz, who saw that the glue he had applied to the bowstring was still on his fingertips here and there, handed him a wet cloth and nodded.
“It’s still the same. Go to the bed as soon as the sun rises and return in the evening.”
“What trouble is that? Of course, it's natural that my uncle needs to wake up as soon as possible... She does with her own hands the work that servants would do.”
Even these days, whenever Bartholomew thinks of it, he tells the story of Judith struggling to carry that heavy censer by herself. Every time he heard that the censer would have been heavier even if there were two Judiths, Franz's heart sank heavily.
“She looks weak as if she would faint from lack of breath if she ran even a little fast, but her patience seems to be on par with that of soldiers who have been in training camp for several years.”
“… She's a different person than I thought. I was very surprised when I first met her.”
Bartholomew, who was wiping his fingertips after eating the remaining eclairs, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Perhaps Her Highness can crush someone’s lofty nose. Don’t you have something to look forward to?”
“I don’t want to be that bad guy.”
Franz made a straight face. He had no choice but to do so, especially since he did not know who he was talking about.
For a long time, he lay dying at his feet, unable to muster up the courage to escape. Because of this, he caused Judith to experience many unnecessary humiliations and threats, and now it is absurd to rely on Judith and hope that the Queen will fall. Isn’t this a disgustingly shameful act?
“Well, I’m relieved that you did well in getting married. I think I said it before.”
Bartholomew got up, put down the newly glued bow, and picked up the other bow that was leaning against the wall. After pulling the stiff and heavy bowstring a few times, he took out an arrow from a leather quiver and hung it on the string. He was bare hands, not even wearing gloves.
Franz watched in silence as the thick veins between Bartholomew's eyebrows stood out as he pulled the strings. His muscles bulged and his forearms seemed to tremble slightly, and then the arrow flew out with a sharp pinging sound. The arrow that was fired landed slightly outside the center of the target.
“What’s with the bow all of a sudden?”
Franz asked, looking at Bartholomew with regret. Lifting his rock-solid shoulders, Bartholomew placed an arrow back on the string.
“I heard that among the small countries in the south, there is a place that has many warriors skilled in archery. Instead of horses, they tame and ride huge packs of wolves, and it is said that when they go to war, they rain showers of poisoned arrows. They say it’s as small as a child’s toy, but uses an incredibly heavy iron bow.”
“So you want to learn the bow too?”
“It’s not something I can just learn. Rotair's soldiers are skilled in using swords and spears, but most of them are not skilled in archery. Knights are like that, and ordinary soldiers are like that too. However, if it is a field battle or a siege, not being able to use a bow may be a major weakness.”
“Rotair hasn’t been involved in a war for a long time. Is there any reason for you to suddenly be so worried?”
Franz picked up one of the bows that Bartholomew was leaning against. It was a serious question, but surprisingly, Bartholomew's expression did not show that.
“Didn’t you say that Her Highness was the Princess of Tien?”
"It did."
“The King of Tien is crazy about war. Kings who indulge in gambling, women, or luxury are common. But there are not as many people who are crazy about war as you think. Even though they may be crazy about wanting to become a conquering King, most Kings are unable to do so because there are so many realistic problems. But that guy isn't like that. He doesn’t even care about real-life problems.”
When Franz heard those words, his expression became as serious as Bartholomew's. The fact that the King of Tien was Judith's brother was not a big problem in itself. If there was a problem, it was that Queen Gilsis gave him war indemnity instead.
“The King of Tien continues to target the south. As you know, there are many emirates in the area that are closely united with each other, and there are many small countries that are not part of that union. Being able to maintain a state to some degree without relying on the biggest power nearby means that you have the ability.”
“...So what you’re saying is that the fact that we paid the compensation that the King of Tien owed could be a problem in the future.”
“The southern emirates are under the influence of the Grand Duchy of Melgan and the Duchy of Catania, and we cannot ignore them right now, even for food reasons. However, the Duke of Catania is old and has been ill for a long time, and bastards with complicated relationships are fighting behind the scenes to take over the Grand Duchy. If he suddenly dies, the principality will definitely fall into chaos, so those who want to seize the opportunity will push forward.”
At the training center, he was able to hear relatively detailed rumors about power struggles outside the kingdom. Also, the problem of the Duchy of Catania that Bartholomew was talking about was old enough that even Franz was aware of it to some extent.
If the Duchy of Catania were to fall into the hands of any of the southern emirates, their power would be greater than ever. It was very clear that if any of them were to unite the southern powers and establish a new King or even attempt to rule the country further, the continent would be engulfed in chaos.
Also, in the process, the rapid fall of the Tien Kingdom was as obvious as seeing fire.
King Eland was simply blind to war and conquest, and he was neither skilled in commanding the military nor particularly skilled in martial arts. It was like crawling into a gambling table without knowing the rules and hoping to win by relying on luck. However, the difference from gambling is that what you lose through gambling is your life, but what you lose through war is the country's fortune.
The next place they are most likely to reach after causing Tien's downfall is Rotair. Aside from the value of the kingdom itself, it was easy to push up due to its location, and there was a justification for it. And that justification was made by Queen Gilsis herself.
“Unless the King of Tien suddenly dies from an illness today or tomorrow, Rotair cannot be at ease.”
Franz seriously pondered Bartholomew’s words. Rotair's military power was one of the strongest among the surrounding countries, but since there had been no internal or external conflicts for a long time, the public's perception was tinged with optimism. It was much more disadvantageous to be stuck for a long time in a war for which we were not prepared than to have a weak military.
“So, I have to be prepared to do it myself first.”
“...If you train hard every day and then suddenly take a break, doesn’t that mean you have too much strength and can’t control yourself?”
“Oh, of course, that too.”
Bartholomew laughed heartily at the joke that was not a joke. Franz tried to shake off his confused anxiety by listening to the laughter.
"Your Highness."
A small voice was heard behind the sound of the arrow hitting the target. Franz and Bartholomew turned their heads at the same time.
“Your Highness the Princess.”
Bartholomew bowed his head first, and Judith responded with a smile.
Franz felt somewhat uncomfortable looking at her face, as they had been exchanging uncertain prospects related to the Kingdom of Tien just a moment ago. But Judith was not interested in what Franz or Bartholomew had to say.
Judith said.
“Bartholomew, can you give me a moment? I have something to tell you.”
Bartholomew looked puzzled.
“Can’t we do this here?”
“No, just the two of us.”
Franz's gaze turned to Bartholomew. Bartholomew also looked at Franz and asked with his eyes what the hell was going on, but there was no way he could answer.
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