Chapter 173: The Empire’s Compensation
The princes shook their heads at his words.
The Saint seems to be getting ahead of himself. Lesian has no desire to antagonize the Holy Kingdom.
Their reluctance to provoke conflict was sincere.
After all, they were in the presence of a monster who had subdued necromancers and destroyed the imperial gates.
A place guarded by an unprecedented Saint, unheard of in history, hardly inspired any desire for conflict.
Ray spoke up.
Me, getting ahead? A princess of Lesian attempted to assassinate key figures of the Holy Kingdom. Can you still claim Lesian doesnt want war?
This incident was solely the third princesss own doing. It doesnt reflect the will of Lesian as a whole.
Luke stepped in as a mediator.
If the Saint lost his temper again here, the empire would surely be doomed.
He directed his anger toward Luciela.
What are you doing! Apologize at once!
Luciela snapped back.
Big brother! Even so, we are in front of soldiers! How can a princess lower her head in such a setting!
Her audacity was staggering.
Either Luciela was not right in the head, or he was hearing things.
Ray moved closer to her.
He then clenched his fist and struck her cheek with force.
Slap
The satisfying sound resonated agreeably.
Not only the soldiers, but the princes too were stunned by this unexpected development.
Her lips trembled from the impact.
Holding her cheek, Luciela glared up at Ray.
How dare you strike a princess
You sit there speaking like a princess. Would you like another slap?
As he lifted his hand again, she squeezed her eyes shut.
Such a deeply ingrained sense of entitlement.
Spoiled by the privileges of royalty since childhood.
She was not behaving like a princess, but like a complete brat, undeserving of respectful treatment.
Yet, he had no intention of completely upending the empire.
Had the princes been as unreasonable, things might have unfolded differently, but they were attempting to act within their constraints.
The only remaining issue was the insane princess.
Unforgivable, her attempt to kill those who had come to help.
Prince Jared, the first prince, calmed Ray down.
Calm down, Saint. We wish to resolve this issue through dialogue. Why dont we all discuss this matter together?
Considering Jareds suggestion, Ray paused to think.
Honestly, he wasnt fond of the prince before him either.
Whether it was the incident in the lobby or their usual treatment of him.
Not a single word of apology, and the current situation was unthinkable for a foreign dignitary.
However, a thought struck him at the suggestion of resolving this through dialogue.
The financial situation of the Holy Kingdom.
He could have crushed the empire right there and then, but he had just realized a potential benefit he couldnt ignore.
Destroying the empire and reaping the benefits seemed like the better option.
Why miss out on one? Gain the benefits, stir up the royal family, and it was a win-win situation for the sister, the brother-in-law, and the Saint!
Ray nodded and proceeded to destroy another corner of the city walls.
Explosion.
Explosion!
The knights tensed up as they watched the Saint effortlessly cast a fifth-circle magic spell with just an incantation.
If the Saint before them decided to harm the royals, it was their duty to intervene.
But the feared situation did not arise.
He seemed somewhat relieved as he dusted off his hands and turned to the princes.
Dialogue is good. Lets settle everything right now. Call all the princes and princesses to the lobby. If they show the same attitude as before, Ill make sure they regret it.
With those words, he turned and walked away.
Once he had left, only the stupefied knights, the princess, and the ruins of the vanished gates and shattered walls remained.
As he had said, all the princes and princesses were gathered in the lobby.
The fifth prince leaned in and spoke.
Hmph. How dare these lowly creatures of the Holy Kingdom summon princes and princesses? I must have a word.
The second prince responded.
Do not reply to anything he says.
Thats strange to hear from you, who usually cares little for others.
It was surprising to hear such words from the normally indifferent second prince.
The fifth prince might not have known, but the first and second princes had witnessed the Saints power firsthand.
It was a force beyond human capability.
If he had decided to destroy the Lesian Empire, it would have crumbled in less than a week.
Of course, as a magician, he wouldnt have had that much mana.
The first and second princes didnt even think of sitting down.
So, they remained standing until he showed up in the lobby.
Soon after, Ray entered the lobby.
Looking around, it seemed everyone was gathered.
Everyones here. Lets start the discussion.
Ray spoke directly.
To those who might not know, last night, the third princess here sent an assassin after me.
What, what?
Unbelievable
Realizing the situation, the first princess covered her mouth.
So, youre saying that Lesian should compensate for this?
Exactly.
Ray, having returned to the guest room to calm down and think, saw this as an opportunity to open up the closed diplomatic channels of the Holy Kingdom.
The Holy Kingdom, having severed all diplomatic and trade relations with neighboring countries, was struggling financially.
Engaging with the empire would be a significant help.
Trade could compensate for the financial losses, and diplomacy could foster relations with other countries, which might be seen as a fortunate turn of events.
However, the first princess shook her head.
I dont think thats necessary.
At her words, the first and second princes eyebrows twitched.
Ray nodded, encouraging her to continue.
Even if the third princess did send an assassin after the Saint, I dont see why the Lesian Empire should compensate. It was her unilateral action.
To the unthinking ear, it might have sounded reasonable, but in reality, it was ludicrous.
Consider this:
A member of the imperial family, a child of the emperor who led the empire, sent assassins.
How could the empire claim no involvement?
Lesian had already entangled itself in the significant event of the Saints assassination.
From that point on, no one could withdraw.
Neither could they, nor would they be allowed to.
Ray slightly tilted his head and spoke.
So, you mean to say no compensation at all?
Thats correct. We cannot fulfill any such demands from you.
It was a good opinion.
A bit too modest to be a dying declaration, but it would make for proud last words.
Just as he was about to say something, the first prince quickly took over the conversation.
I think differently. Although this was the third princess acting on her own, this concerns our entire imperial family. We must possess that level of responsibility to be part of the imperial family, dont you think?
The first princes timely intervention blocked Rays intended action.
Ray slowly lowered his raised finger.
Seeing this, the second prince also joined the conversation.
I agree with my elder brother. If we cannot accept this, it casts doubt on our sense of responsibility as members of the imperial family.
With the first and second princes, the top contenders for succession, united in their opinion, there was no room for disagreement.
Though the first princess didnt fully understand the situation, she couldnt rashly oppose it, seeing the two princes in agreement.
If both of you say so
As the discussion progressed, the focus shifted to what the compensation would entail.
Ray didnt aim for anything grand.
The empire and the Holy Kingdom maintained a close diplomatic relationship and engaged in robust trade exchanges.
This alone could have doubled the income flowing into the Holy Kingdom.
Moreover, it was not an unfair deal for the empire either.
With active trade, merchant groups traveled between the Holy Kingdom and the empire.
As the merchants moved, other countries, drawn by the scent of profit, joined in.
As the market expanded, so did the income for both nations.
While there were downsides, the benefits were numerous, making this an appropriate level of compensation from Rays perspective.
Of course, he intended to take a much larger share than the Lesian Empire.
Ray began to articulate his thoughts one by one.
The princes and princesses seemed to concur after hearing him out, nodding their heads after some contemplation.
There were quite a few affirmative responses.
Even from a general perspective, this appeared to be advantageous for the empire as well.
Even though they would have to relinquish 65% of the profits to the Holy Kingdom as a responsibility of the imperial family, it was a decent arrangement.
Of course, this did not mean that Ray planned to excuse the third princess for her misdeeds.
The imperial family had provoked the wrong individual.
Ray, who prided himself on his generous and ocean-like temperament, was known for holding long grudges.
He had not forgotten the incident in the Grensia Mountains with the elves, which was telling.
Having entangled with him, the issue was far from over.
As the discussion drew to a close, the second princess reprimanded Luciela.
Why did you do such a thing? Ive always told you since we were young to behave in a manner befitting a princess.
At these words, the third princess tensed and shot back.
Dont speak as if youre any better. Whether its you, the second princess, or me, the third princess, theres not much that separates us.
Observing them, Ray exhaled a sigh.
This was an imperial family destined to crumble without his intervention.
What could a steel-blooded emperor, a leader who cared for his people, do?
With such poor parenting, the empire was bound to fall in the coming generations.
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