"Your Highness, I am only reporting the facts as they are, without any personal opinions."
"Your Highness, please give us a revelation. What should we do?"
The Princess was one step ahead in preparing and responding to both the war on the plains and the regent's halfway point.
Outside, they were talking about Peleus's reign and bravery, but the Ieaders here knew that if it weren't for the Princess, neither the current victory nor the stability would have existed.
So she didn't feel awkward at all when Sissair and D'Angel asked the young Princess for answers.
Medea also knew that asking her opinion meant that Peleus was trying to give his sister strength in her decision.
"..."
Everyone waited for the Princess's mouth to drop.
"Sissair, how long will it take for us to be able to compete with Katzen in national power?"
But instead of answering, Medea asked Sissair.
"In the current situation..."
Although he was bewildered, Sissair reflexively gave a faithful answer.
"It will take at least ten years to reorganize the country, advance to the plains, and stabilize the land. This is assuming that everything goes well, so if you include variables, it will take even longer."
Ten years. Even considering the current state of affairs, it was a short time to prepare for a new leap forward for Valdina.
But Medea was not satisfied.
She walked towards the continental map spread out on the table. Everyone held their breath and waited for the Princess's next move.
A small hand placed a piece of flag somewhere on the map.
"Your Majesty, isn't this the Strait of El Amuz?"
It was a strait connecting Valdina to the east. Katzen to the west, and the Red Sea to the south.
"What if this falls into our hands?"
The strait is narrow and small in size, so it is usually used only as a passage into the bay...
"... You can cross the enemy sea and advance into the ocean."
But Sissair soon saw its value at a glance.
Valdina, located in the harsh north, gained access to a sea route that allowed trade without having to go through the Katzen Empire.
Sissair's eyes widened and then fell silent.
"But the Empire will never give up this strait. They know that it is geographically advantageous to Valdina..."
"At the same time, it is a troublesome land for the Emperor of Katzen that he cannot just leave alone. It is a conflict zone where there is still fighting with the indigenous people of the strait."
Originally, the Strait of El Amuz was not Katzen's land.
Because the region had been forcibly annexed after a war of conquest, the indigenous people of the El Amuz Strait still refused to recognize Katzen.
"It will just take time, and they will naturally submit to Katzen. The point is that the current Emperor does not have the luxury of time."
Medea pointed out calmly.
"The Emperor is not only trying to save Claudio because of his daughter's pregnancy. It's because of the symbolism of Claudio's blood. They are the closest bloodline to the throne of Valdina, excluding their brother."
"But Your Highness, the Regent has already been expelled from the royal family-"
"That doesn't mean the symbolism of blood will disappear. If he disappears like this, the very possibility of blocking my brother's throne will disappear. As the Emperor, I want to keep the spark alive somehow."
"..."
Medea accurately read Perdiccas II's mind.
"Then shouldn't we take this opportunity to eliminate the Regent's family?"
D'Angel pointed out with a puzzled look on his face.
"Fortunately, the only sparks left for us are my uncle and Samon. My uncle lost his eye, so Samon is the only one left."
Medea had no intention of ending the Regent family with the simple result of execution.
Her revenge had to be slow and gradual, but thorough.
'Death in an instant is too simple. You too must experience the same betrayal and frustration that I felt.'
Having dashed their ambitions, it was now time to shatter their steadfast beliefs.
"So the Emperor of Katzen will also try to keep him alive somehow."
Medea was well aware of Perdiccas II's obsession with the philosopher's stone.
'His madness really started when the first Prince died. It's probably no different now.'
The Emperor's obsession with Valdina will not subside. So Valdina is left with only two choices.
'Bend or fight.'
She has no intention of destroying the empire.
However, it was necessary to cut off the hand of Perdiccas II who was trying to get the Philosopher's Stone.
By releasing the poison called Claudio.
The Emperor will think that what he left behind is the spark that will burn down Valdina.
"We need to exploit that gap. If we can put that guy's life on hold for a bit and gain the strait to fight against Katzen, it's a deal that's more than enough for Valdina."
Medea turned to Sissair.
He still looked worried.
"But even so, I'm still not good enough to stand up to Katzen-"
"What if this is included too?"
Medea placed a new flag on the map.
"Sardinia?"
Everyone's eyes widened.
"I got it from the 4th Princess."
Among the crowd of people, Sissair saw the Princess.
"Please do your utmost to expel the Grand Duke from the castle Castulo."
At that time, he thought there was some kind of agreement between the 4th Princess and Medea, and it seemed that this was it.
'Her Royal Highness doesn't overlook even the smallest thing.'
At first glance, it may seem like he was lenient, but as time passed and the results were seen, he was doggedly exacting all the costs.
Sissair was amazed by the Princess's flawless arrangements, but he also felt chills.
"And most importantly, this is what's buried here."
Degururu.
A small, rough-looking platinum lump rolled across the table.
"This is a miss-huh!"
Degururu.
A small, rough-looking platinum lump rolled across the table.
D'Angel was the first to notice and was about to shout, but quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
"This isn't Mithril."
There was a sound of swallowing while covering his mouth as if he was afraid that his voice would leak out.
Medea nodded.
Inside, not even a sound of gasping for breath could be heard.
Even Peleus was speechless and looked down at his sister and the chunk of mithril that had fallen from his hand.
"I've already sent someone to Sardinia to check. There are large deposits of mithril beneath the iron mines. It's also close to the strait..."
The island of Sardinia is located not far from the strait. It takes less than half a day to get there by boat.
"It could be used as a base to control the indigenous people of the Strait."
Peleus finished speaking for Medea. Medea met her brother's eyes and smiled faintly.
"Yes. You might be able to trade Mithril without Katzen finding out."
Medea asked Sissair again.
"Sir Cesar, if we add this Mithril? How much time will it take us?"
Cesar's eyes, looking down at the table, trembled in shock..
His straight fingers continued to write something in the air as if calculating Invisible numbers.
"Three years."
Finally, he spoke. His voice was so overwhelming that it was almost unbearable.
"Three years will do. It might be a bit burdensome, but you can build up enough strength to stand up to Kazen."
"Great."
Medea gave the order, seeming satisfied with that.
"Write to the Emperor: If he gives you the strait, we will spare the lives of the Claudios."
Medea's voice was flat.
"And, I think it would be good to also demand compensation from the Grand Duke of Castulo. His crimes are not light, so I think the compensation would be around twenty years' worth of taxes on his lands."
"Then the amount of money would be enormous. Do you think the Emperor would pay it?"
The Castulo Territory was a large and fertile area within the Katzen Empire.
It was a valuable fief that the Emperor, who could not ignore the public eye after stealing the throne from his nephew, gave away against his will.
'The Emperor has always coveted Jason's lands, so he will not miss this opportunity. He will use the excuse of paying a ransom to take them away.'
"Yes, there is a way to procure it. He will come up with a plan soon."
Medea also intended to take away the foundation for Jason's revival when he returned to the empire. The remnants of the former Emperor's forces were present in the Castulo territory. Those behind the veil who supported him and secretly made him aim for the throne. Once they had taken their lands, Jason would not be able to hide them from the Emperor's sight forever.
How high can Jason climb?
"What we need is time. If we can buy Valdina three years to get back on his feet, this is not a losing deal."
Medea looked at Peleus.
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