The world is changing rapidly.
From a high vantage point, it’s not easy to feel those changes, but… there are eyes at lower levels that can see.
Every time I borrow the eyes of the believers who pray to me, I can feel those changes quickly.
Sure, from a high point, you can see the overall situation, but noticing the details can be tricky…
Perhaps that’s why the gods in the Divine Hall like to use LD to view the world from the perspective of their believers.
Even Asherat over there seems to be addicted to it.
Anyway, looking at the overall situation of change…
First and foremost is the conflict of the Romania Empire split between north and south.
They keep growling, having minor skirmishes at the borders, and flipping territories back and forth.
Of course, it hasn’t escalated into a full-scale war.
The emperors of the two nations probably know that if they clashed directly, both would be doomed.
There are slight differences in the national power of both countries, and there are alliances due to foreign relations, but… if the two nations were to collide, it would lead to a gigantic war.
Even if one side wins, all they would gain is an empire left in ashes.
That’s why the two empires maintain a tense relationship without engaging in direct conflict.
Well, it’s better that way.
War, especially a full-scale war that burns everything down, consumes a lot. Food, money, lives… you name it.
Instead of burning through these resources in war, if they used them elsewhere… they could accomplish far more.
I’m not saying I reject war outright. There is development through warfare, after all.
But a full-scale war? No way. What can you possibly gain if everything turns to ashes?
What would happen after that war… well, it’s obvious. A large empire would be split into dozens of kingdoms.
Thus, the two empires don’t try to kill each other directly.
Now, let’s briefly look at the power differences between the two empires.
There are slight differences in national power, but fundamentally, they’re nearly equal.
Economically, the south has a slight edge.
The southern strength comes from the ability to recruit mages through Procyon and the fact that the overall agricultural production in the south is bountiful enough to avoid food shortages.
They do have contact with the Lizardman territory, but since the Lizardmen have little interest in the human empires and are passive in foreign diplomacy… let’s just say they are like distant neighbors—neither friendly nor hostile.
Additionally, the vibrant coastal areas are involved in fishing, boasting ample supplies of food such as fish, and they’ve garnered great wealth through trade by sea, while also aiming a dagger at the soft underbelly of North Romania through their alliance with Rattkinia.
On the downside, despite their numbers, their military strength is somewhat weak, the overall equipment is modest, and they primarily rely on infantry.
Though they have a high number of infantry, their combat strength is generally low, relying on mages hired from Procyon to cover for insufficient firepower.
In simple terms, sigh their army is too weak! They have plenty of money and people!
Regarding the reasons for this… well, first let’s talk about North Romania.
North Romania’s strength comes from… um… the fact that they have captured the capital of the Romania Empire, Sirius.
By doing so, they’ve maintained loyalty to the empire through that legitimacy.
Among the treasures regarded as the empire’s three sacred relics, they possess the Indestructible Flag, which, well, is not that important but still.
The Immortal Crown, the Indestructible Flag, and the Eternal Sword. Out of Romania’s three sacred relics, the Immortal Crown is missing, while the other two have been split between the two nations.
The Eternal Sword seems to carry an air of lesser legitimacy…. So it gets overshadowed when boasting about legitimacy… something like that can be overlooked.
If they held all three relics, their legitimacy would soar, but… it’s impossible now that the Immortal Crown is missing. Yup.
Anyway, back to North Romania’s strengths.
Occupying Sirius also means they have access to the Epona Knight Order, which uses Sirius as a base.
Even though some of the Epona knights fled to the south when the Romania Empire split, most of the horse-people that make up the order stayed in North Romania.
Aracadia, the home of many horse-people and the ancient roots of the empire, also belongs to North Romania, so the Epona Knight Order has maintained its size.
Furthermore, aside from the Epona Knight Order, they’ve secured a substantial number of horses.
Thanks to that, North Romania’s cavalry power is quite impressive.
Also, whether due to being neighbors to the Elven Great Forest or because they’ve secured food through hunting rather than agriculture… their archery skills are generally high.
Plus, being close to Sagarmatha, the stronghold of the Dwarves, they engage in active trade with them, ensuring their military equipment is well-stocked overall.
Although they may have a food and money shortage, the overall quality of the army is immensely superior compared to South Romania.
Given these circumstances… South Romania might be maintaining the situation through diplomatic pressure rather than direct confrontation.
Clears throat. To sum up North Romania’s strengths… they are militarily strong.
They do have contact with both Elves and Dwarves, but… forming an alliance is unrealistic, so let’s leave that aside. At least they can acquire Dwarven goods cheaper than South Romania.
Thanks to that, very few Dwarven-made equipment gets exported to South Romania, contributing to the weakening of their military.
Of course, North Romania has its shortcomings too.
The biggest drawback is the chronic food shortage.
Due to the cold creeping down from the snowy northern regions, about 30% of North Romania’s territory is unsuitable for agriculture.
Potatoes may grow well enough… but… that’s merely enough to stave off starvation.
On the upside, hunting has developed significantly, and things like animal furs are sold as specialties.
Additionally, the massive fauna, found only in the northern cold, have their meat, skins, and bones selling at exorbitant prices.
Catching just one can provide enough meat for a village to feast for days and still have leftovers to sell!
There are also giants in the chilly north… but they don’t hold enough influence to matter.
They’re creatures that struggle to survive unless they are in low-temperature areas.
Anyway, due to this food issue, North Romania lacks the capacity to muster a great army for expeditions.
Oh, another downside: Nomads.
Although Wallachia, which is positioned as a gate to the plains, blocks a significant number of nomads coming into the area, it’s not the only route they can take.
Those nomads come over and raid, causing chaos, and they can’t just ignore them, nor can they exterminate all of them… They’re like troublesome cockroaches.
If the nomadic tribes of the plains suddenly united to form a colossal force, that would be a different story, but… that doesn’t seem to be in the works right now!
Anyway, South and North Romania are precariously maintaining their situation.
If there are no major changes in their relationship… it’ll likely continue like this.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
I used to think that way.
What can I say? Hmm. Should I say my thinking was short-sighted?
Or I just never thought problems would arise internally on their own.
To explain the current situation, the emperor of North Romania died, and the next emperor ascended to the throne.
That’s where the problems began… um… this newly crowned emperor of North Romania is…
To put it bluntly, a fool.
Greedy, arrogant, and incapable of feeling satisfied unless everything is under his control—a fool.
This knucklehead, oblivious to being manipulated by the sycophant always at his side, has taken the throne.
How could such an idiot become an emperor? Was the previous emperor’s vision so poor?
With more than just one fool left in the line of succession, hmm…
Well, I don’t know. There must have been a circumstance. Yup.
Anyway, under this fool emperor… no, this fool who became emperor, North Romania started to creak little by little.
He decreased funding for the military, invested in massive construction projects, built a royal villa, and threw lavish banquets… as if someone was intentionally trying to ruin North Romania.
Though nobles opposing this emperor are increasing, he is still the emperor. On the surface, they suppress their discontent and simmer in anger.
Then, this fool set off a massive bomb.
