Chapter 101: The Interest Of The Crown Prince And The Weight Of A Star (1)
And two months later, near the eastern border of the Reich Empire.
Here, the Crown Prince, who had firmly secured his position as the next emperor by personally drawing Major General Yaeger into his faction, was hastening along with his entourage.
Crown Prince Michael von Reich chuckled inside his carriage, reminiscing about the events that transpired while he played the role of an emissary.
Usually, he did not show such emotions, possibly because maids or other servants in his room might be watching.
Perhaps it was because he was in the carriage with Carlus Martel, his closest aide and Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had been assisting him since he was young.
“General Yaeger, General Yaeger, he truly is a blessed gift sent by Deus to make me the greatest emperor of the empire, isn’t he, Carl?”
Upon hearing that, Carl internally pondered the glorious future of his own rise to Prime Minister when the Crown Prince he served would become the greatest emperor of the empire, as well as the prosperity of his family lineage.
He thought of his own son, who, though not a genius, was often called a prodigy and had established himself in the top 2% among officers who graduated from the academy.
He considered his son, who was almost certain to be awarded a star, yet fell short in comparison to Major General Yaeger, an orphan of commoner origin.
He internally resolved to push or support his son more and responded,
“Could there be any doubt? Moreover, if His Highness the Crown Prince had not selected Count Benner and Major General Yaeger, the empire, already having many enemies, would now be in greater turmoil due to the new threat from the north. That’s why the Grand Duke of Ostarica seemed quite disappointed.”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince laughed out loud and replied,
“What can be done? If they feel wronged, they should provide opportunities for commoners and orphans to attend the academy and nurture talent, just like our empire.”
“I never thought the will left by the first emperor would be such a great help to the empire.”
“Especially when I heard from Baron Topler, the ambassador to Chekovia, that the Chekovian Emperor often trembles with anger, saying, ‘Why don’t I have an outstanding successor like the Crown Prince of the Reich Empire, and why are my generals nothing but fools who can’t even follow a tenth of Major General Yaeger’s strategies?’ I thought I would die laughing.”
Thus, the two continued to talk about the interesting events that had occurred in the diplomatic arenas of the Grand Duchy of Ostarica and the Duchy of Chekovia.
Gradually, the conversation shifted to General Yaeger, who had become central to the Crown Prince’s abilities and efforts.
“I was really surprised when, on my way back from Chekovia, I suddenly received an edict stamped with the Emperor’s seal, especially one instructing me to go to the Latina Papacy, meet His Holiness the Pope, and request the excommunication of the Francois Republic.”
The Crown Prince shook his head vigorously at those words.
Everything had worked out now, but even seasoned diplomats hesitated to go to the Papacy.
In any undertaking, considering political and financial interests were natural, they had to accommodate the Pope’s absurd sense of privilege, claiming he was higher than the emperor as Deus’s representative.
Even after attending to all these matters, the Pope was just a representative elected among the cardinals.
It was no small feat to convince the Pope and then persuade his entire faction.
“Still, it was fortunate that the hesitant Pope and cardinals eventually moved according to the reasons presented by Major General Yaeger. Initially, they demanded a private donation (bribe) of at least 50,000 gold…”
“That’s right. Major General Yaeger argued that excommunicating the poor people and foolish nobles of the Francois Republic would enlighten them to their mistakes and spread the Pope’s dignity across the continent, so they settled for 20,000 gold.”
“Now that the excommunication edicts are slowly reaching all nations, including the Francois Republic, we won’t be attacked by other empires or kingdoms while we punish the Francois Republic under Deus’s authority.”
Because a nation punishing a country that had been excommunicated in the name of Deus was naturally regarded as an army of God.
If a nation attacked or declared war on such a righteous country, the Pope, feeling his authority ignored, would excommunicate that nation as well.
Additionally, the fear of excommunication wasn’t just about losing Deus’s protection and falling into hell upon death, but also provided a pretext to nullify all existing treaties with the excommunicated nonbelievers.
“Indeed, thanks to that, we are no longer obligated to fulfill the contract to supply 20,000 sets of armor and 40,000 swords in exchange for the 50,000 gold advance payment received from the Francois Republic two years ago. This allows us to strengthen our army to defeat the Francois with their own money, doesn’t it?”
“Considering that, the money saved by just receiving one excommunication edict is significant. Since I couldn’t attend Major General Yaeger’s wedding due to my overseas tour schedule, I should generously provide a dowry as his liege, both as an apology and a token of gratitude.”
Saying this, the Crown Prince momentarily halted the carriage.
“Summon attendant Max von Benner to the carriage. I have important matters to discuss with him, so the Minister of Foreign Affairs should return to the carriage he originally came in.”
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Foreign Affairs alighted from the carriage, and Max, the heir of the Duke Benner family, boarded in his stead.
“I am honored, Your Highness.”
“No, you and I often played together when we were young. Don’t be so formal.”
“We did, but now I am Your Highness’s attendant.”
The Crown Prince, mentioning their past connection and suggesting a good relationship going forward, and his attendant, who knew how to modestly decline.
To anyone watching, it would seem like a quite beautiful master-servant relationship.
“By the way, you’re entering the Staff College next year, aren’t you? Promoted to lieutenant colonel at 27 and would attend the Staff College at 28. Duke Benner has indeed adopted a fine son.”
Considering that even the children of noble families with titles usually didn’t get promoted to lieutenant colonel until they were over 30, it was a remarkably rapid promotion.
This proved his exceptional abilities, and Max internally felt a sense of pride.
“Considering that my uncle, the head of the family, chose not to change the succession structure to avoid chaos, he could make Major General Yaeger the heir and pass on the Duke Benner title to him at any time…”
Facing reality, he found himself in a situation where he had to be constantly vigilant and give his best, instead of feeling pride.
Specifically, he needed to avoid giving Duke Benner any reason to fault him and to gain as much favor as possible from the Crown Prince.
“Isn’t it true that Colonel Laura married Major General Yaeger? You’re the only officer of the general’s age whom I know, so I’m curious about what he might like.”
“Officers of my age typically enjoy leisure activities. So, they would appreciate things like tickets to high-end wine tastings, concerts, operas, or plays. Especially for a newlywed couple, it would be nice to give them something they can enjoy together. Even if Major General Yaeger is exceptionally distinguished, when enjoying married life…”
The Crown Prince, seemingly pleased with Max’s words, nodded and said,
“You were indeed the right person to ask. Thank you for your response. By the way, as we have a long way to go, can you tell me about the things that happened while you were touring around as part of the diplomatic delegation? Ah, stories about playing around with women in the back alleys would be good, too. Major General Yaeger is so serious. He’s not much fun. He’s only interested in politics and military matters.”
The Crown Prince had several reasons for paying attention to Max and engaging in such conversations.
First, they had played together often as children, making their psychological distance closer than with other subordinates.
Second, as the Crown Prince, his status limited the number of people he could talk to informally like this, and he knew that treating someone intimately could eventually result in them returning the favor with undying loyalty.
Third, forming a good relationship with the heir of the Benner ducal family could strengthen his connection with Duke Benner, the future commander.
“I will heed Your Highness’s command. Actually, I and attendant Leon…”
Two weeks later, the Crown Prince invited his sword, Peter Yaeger, who had been officially promoted to Major General, to his residence.
And when the Crown Prince received Major General Yaeger’s salute, he helped him to his feet, embraced him slightly, and said,
“I knew early on that you would achieve great things, but to think you would acquire a vast land like the Copenhagen Peninsula within just two years of being appointed to the Northern Army. With a subject like you, I will be the happiest Crown Prince, no, Emperor in the empire!”
While this was the highest praise a subject could receive, Major General Yaeger, upon hearing these words, was so surprised that he even hiccuped for a moment.
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