READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 116
The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire
43. Ignit Federation!
The alliance formed to keep the Empire in check has crumbled.
Contrary to expectations of a large-scale war, everything has gone rather smoothly.
With the Empire’s overwhelming power, they led us to withdraw on our own.
Talos faced a humiliating outcome, forced to retreat under the sway of a criminal organization, and tried to control the media as much as possible.
But controlling the situation was out of the question.
The Empire openly mocked Talos with articles that flooded the press.
“Is Talos’s public order completely falling apart? Was perfect order merely a thing of the past?”
“Once the top tourist spot of the West Continent, Talos is now just a nation overflowing with criminals?”
“Take care of your own country instead of worrying about others!”
As articles began to directly criticize Talos, they did attempt to rebut.
“There are indications that the Empire is behind the criminal organizations!”
They released such articles, but it was meaningless.
Without evidence, it was just an excuse to get through the current crisis.
Perhaps for this reason, Talos did not actively refute.
During this time, neighboring Rotheon was also bombarded with criticism.
They had intervened in Iron yet achieved nothing.
Having invested enormous sums, their monarchy, once solid, was starting to wobble as they returned empty-handed.
“Your Highness, abandon Talos.”
“Do you not know we’ll be consumed by the Empire the moment we divide?”
“Still, at this rate… it will be hard to control the nobles. We should rather consolidate our strength to prepare for the upcoming war.”
The king of Rotheon remained silent despite his minister’s advice.
Abandoning Talos might secure immediate stability but would eliminate any future prospects.
There was a chance the Empire might turn its attention to Talos the moment it swallowed Iron.
Thus, they had to protect Talos, but public opinion was overwhelmingly negative.
“The situation is far too dire.”
It wasn’t just the nobles opposing the decision.
Shadows of the Empire had already infiltrated Rotheon, causing cracks in the once-solid class system.
Just like in Iron, a revolutionary force was taking root in Rotheon as well.
“Let’s just… keep watching. For now, we’ll focus on tidying up the internal issues.”
“However…”
The minister tried to say something in response but fell silent.
If they left the Empire unchecked, there would be no future. But Rotheon had no more resources to spare.
‘The country’s fortunes are running out.’
The young minister sighed, pondering their misfortunes in Iron.
If the Empire wasn’t satisfied with the current state, the first target would undoubtedly be Talos.
To prepare for that moment, they needed to gather their strength, and by turning Talos into a battlefield, they might stand a chance against the Empire.
With the Holy Nation applying pressure from above, if Rotheon assisted Talos, they could draw out the war into a long-term conflict.
However, the king of Rotheon preferred to pursue immediate stability by keeping current alliances rather than taking such risks.
On the surface, this seemed reasonable, but the revolutionary forces within the country posed a problem.
If not supported by a strong monarchy, the ongoing shaky situation would certainly become an issue.
The same situation applied to the Holy Nation.
An individual who had risen to the level of a Mage and had nurtured the Holy Nation for so long seemed largely unaffected.
But the Pope had held onto his position for far too long.
According to the customs of the Holy Nation, when the time came for him to retire, he would prepare for the next Pope and step down to the Senate; however, the current Pope clung to the position out of sheer desire for power.
Up until now, everything had been fine, but recent failures began to stir dissatisfaction among the Cardinals.
“Recently, the Holy Nation’s power has diminished greatly.”
“Indeed… it is certainly a crisis.”
The Cardinals exchanged glances, unable to openly declare it was the Pope’s fault but subtly emphasizing the current state of the Holy Nation was poor.
From a distance, a Holy Knight watching this gritted his teeth.
The Empire had been rotten for so long that it masked their own rotting issues in the Holy Nation.
The enormous wealth brought in by the Empire had been enough to cause the high priests to forsake their piety.
Many had created slush funds and built their own factions.
Though it was beautifully packaged under the name of priests who worshipped God, the insides had long since rotted away.
The current Pope had been the one to keep this from bursting.
Yet, it was the Cardinals and bishops who first began to criticize him.
“…They might be right…”
Despite being a Holy Knight famously known for his strong faith, seeing the decayed high priests made that faith waver.
The revolutionary force within the Holy Nation.
They differed from typical revolutionary groups, arguing the current bishops misinterpreted God’s words.
While certainly not similar to regular revolutionary forces, they shared one commonality: discontent with the current regime.
While it seemed the once-solid Holy Nation was planting the seeds of unrest, the Empire began to prepare for transformation.
Both the nobles and the Magic Tower had nothing left but progress after their fall under Kariel.
If a powerful imperial authority had been established, it would have been a time to rest; however, Kariel did not stop.
Instead, he urged his ministers to accelerate the pace of reform as if being chased by time.
As he reformed relentlessly, the nobles and established powers struggled to keep up.
Complaining about this was tricky; if they opposed Kariel’s reforms, they’d clearly be pushed from the center, and more importantly, by following Kariel’s reforms, they could gain benefits.
Of course, not just anyone could keep up.
To remain central under Kariel’s meritocratic leadership, they had to prove their abilities.
“It’s the first time I feel envy towards the Empire.”
“Indeed. But now, doesn’t it seem an opportunity is upon us?”
“Let’s hope so.”
Merchants from Iron wore expressions of envy as they watched the ever-changing Empire.
Merchants gathered to establish trade with the capital of Ignit, the true center of the West Continent.
However, those gathered were not just merchants.
Many people from Iron traveled long distances to see the Emperor, who had brought an end to the civil war.
Likewise, many nobles from the Principality also flocked to the Emperor’s capital.
In contrast, the Southern Kingdoms and the Holy Nation didn’t even send delegations.
They were too busy maintaining internal control.
Seeing this, those in the East Continent remarked,
“It’s their own festival!”
A festival of the Empire exclusively held by the Pro-Empire faction.
The Emperor’s birthday, a few months past, was being celebrated, and while it might seem trivial, there was a simple reason for the sudden celebration of the Emperor’s birthday.
They couldn’t let the first birthday after ascending the throne go by without recognition.
Secondly, it was for the long-delayed ‘announcement.’
Thus, they postponed what was initially planned as a modest birthday party and instead opened up a festival under the pretext of celebrating the Emperor’s birthday.
Despite the Southern Kingdoms and the Holy Nation’s absence, the turnout surpassed that of the Continental Conference.
Many people camped near the square just to catch a glimpse of the Emperor’s face at least once.
Merchants sold food and goods at inflated prices to such crowds.
Officially, it was in honor of the Emperor’s birthday, so from Kariel’s own birthday till now, the nominal ‘festival’ had continued.
Thus, countless people enjoyed the festive atmosphere.
But contrasting the vibes of the capital, the Imperial Palace was bustling.
Ministers and bureaucrats were busier than ever, groaning daily.
“Your Majesty, the heads of the Iron Alliance and the Prince of Luminous request an audience.”
At the words of the attendant, Kariel nodded slightly.
A little while later, the two entered the office.
“I greet Your Majesty!”
“I greet Your Majesty!”
As the two leaders, once deemed powerful nations, bowed their heads to Kariel, he smiled and gestured for them to sit.
“I apologize for calling busy people so early.”
“It’s no problem.”
The two leaders shook their heads in response to Kariel’s words.
“Although you both have busy schedules, I summoned you here for a reason.”
Indeed, both the Prince and the leader of the Iron Alliance were in the middle of their bustling times.
If they had followed their schedules, they would have reached the capital a few days later.
Kariel’s early summons was meant for one question.
“Let me ask one last time. Neither of you regrets your decision, correct?”
At Kariel’s question, the two leaders looked up and met his gaze.
“Yes.”
It was Jeyron Paul who replied firmly.
Following him, the Prince added, “If we’re unifying anyway, it’d be better to join the Empire sooner rather than later. I, too, hold no regrets.”
Jeyron chuckled at the Prince’s comment. His words rang true.
At this rate, the Empire would indeed be capable of unifying the West Continent.
That meant it was better to join the Empire sooner and benefit from it.
After confirming their sincerity one last time, Kariel nodded slightly and activated a device.
“This is….”
As the device was activated, part of the office opened to reveal a wall covered with maps.
A huge nation was specified on the map depicting the West Continent.
At the center was marked: Ignit Federation.
In its core lies Ignit.
To the west, the Iron Alliance.
To the east, the Luminous Principality.
To the south, the Triad Free Alliance.
These four would merge into a single federation known as the Ignit Federation.
The small nations that the Empire had seized, while individually small in size, boasted a combined area greater than half of Rotheon.
Each also had its own unique characteristics, and even now, there were factions resisting the Empire.
While it could be forcibly annexed, Kariel chose to simply group them together under the name of Triad, which was given to the autonomous zone created by those who once longed for freedom.
“Though they are bound by the name of Ignit, I plan to guarantee their autonomy.”
The promise of autonomy was met with silent bows from the Prince.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace.”
On the other hand, Jeyron wore a strange expression.
“It seems we would be fine even if the Empire completely absorbed us…”
Jeyron’s comment made Kariel chuckle.
Indeed, within Iron, most welcomed the idea of being wholly absorbed by the Empire.
However, there were reasons for granting Iron autonomy.
It was a huge hassle to fully absorb Iron and redistribute the land or appoint new governors.
Thus, Ignit and the smaller nations to the south were categorized and established separately as the Iron Alliance and the Triad Free Alliance.
“If you truly wish to be completely absorbed by the Empire in the future, I will comply.”
As Kariel spoke, Jeyron gave a wry smile.
He sensed that they still hadn’t gained Kariel’s complete trust. Kariel, noticing this aura, firmly stated, “Do not misunderstand. It’s not because I cannot trust you.”
With that, Kariel sighed.
“Currently, I’m barely managing the existing Empire.”
“Take your time. Iron can wait.”
“Time is of the essence.”
Kariel frowned at Jeyron’s words and replied.
“A greater threat is approaching. The calamity known as that threat must be confronted before the Empire can grow stronger.”
“A threat… what do you mean?”
“What are you implying?”
Jeyron and the Prince exchanged puzzled glances at Kariel’s words.
Kariel smirked as he activated the device once more.
Numerous documents attached to the wall now displayed ominous warnings about the forthcoming calamity collected by the Secret Guardians from various regions across the continent.
“To prepare for ruin, I plan to unify the West Continent. Will you assist me?”
At Kariel’s question, the two men nodded in a daze.
As they did, the center of the table opened, revealing a single sheet of paper that popped up.
「Ignit Federation Secret Agreement」