For that man…
Success was something to be achieved by walking a different path than others.
Endlessly seeking the new, endlessly fueling desire.
This was the method to grasp success.
As a result… he was able to obtain things that others who started under the same conditions couldn’t even imagine.
Having spent his childhood as a low-ranking noble in Bohemia, who lost his parents, he never missed the golden opportunities to change his life since entering his youth.
The beginning was…
It started with marrying a wealthy widow deemed unsuitable as a young man’s partner, which allowed him to seize an enormous fortune.
People merely considered this the result of his luck… or perhaps just excessive greed.
However… even though he had gained a life where others would be satisfied and complacent, he was never content with this, and he had no thoughts of settling there.
Land and wealth that could sustain generations.
He sold it off without hesitation shortly after the death of his wife, just five years into their marriage, and began his “business” in earnest.
A venture that would bring him unimaginable wealth and power in the future…
It was tied to a policy executed by the newly crowned Emperor of the Sacred Empire.
A policy to seize all lands and properties of heretical leaders and nobles within the Sacred Empire and sell them at low prices to the church’s believers.
This policy, reflecting the Emperor’s will that if you don’t believe in the church, you must give up everything, was implemented in various regions where the church held strong influence, including direct territories of the Emperor.
Especially, the areas most severely affected by this policy were in proximity to Bohemia and the central regions of the continent.
Originally strongholds of heretic forces, these places were the first to yield to the Emperor’s might.
According to the Emperor’s orders, countless properties belonging to many were forcibly seized by the state, and those lands were put on the market for a fraction of their value.
From the Emperor’s perspective, it was a two-fold strategy to crush the heretics he despised and strengthen his military with the provisions gathered as a result to maintain order in the Empire.
However… the one who truly profited the most from this in the Empire was none other than “him,” who had been eyeing the opportunity all along.
Though he was born and raised in Bohemia, a hotbed of heretic forces, he had embraced the faith of the church during his upbringing. He quickly attached himself to the Emperor and bought up all the territories that had come on the market for a mere song. As a result, large parts of prime land in the central areas of the Sacred Empire, where heretics held sway, fell into his hands.
However…
Despite achieving such success, he was not satisfied.
With the newly acquired fertile and expansive lands,
He did not merely farm there but constructed factories, produced goods, and exported them not only throughout the Empire but across the entire continent…
As a result, he started amassing an immense fortune that ordinary lords couldn’t even dream of.
And… using the vast wealth he built up, he began trying something new that others wouldn’t dare.
With funds almost equivalent to the budget of a country in his hands…
He began to construct munitions factories and gather people.
From simple foodstuffs like bread to spears, swords, shields, armor, and magic staffs,
He distributed them into the hands of those who had come under his banner…
At this moment, he was slowly waiting for the right time.
The day he would make his name known in this world…
That man…
Valenshtein Alfred, calmly strengthened his power while waiting for that moment.
*
The Dragona Empire.
The mightiest nation dominating the eastern region of the continent, and even now, this massive country was constantly expanding its influence to the east.
However, at this moment.
In the heart of this nation for her, Cazerose Sophia, it felt like a cramped and stifling cage.
“Sigh…”
In a lavishly decorated room, which felt like a royal palace at its core,
Cazerose, dressed as a proper paladin as always, let out a heavy sigh.
And at that moment, looking at Cazerose’s figure,
A woman whose face closely resembled Cazerose’s, aside from her ruby-like red eyes, spoke to her with concern.
“How long do you plan on staying like this? Once again, I must say that no matter how stubborn you are, what is impossible is impossible. The Emperor won’t grant permission, nor will I.”
“If that’s the case, please just let me go. If that cannot happen, then I have no reason to remain here.”
“Not again… Cazerose, I’m begging you, please accept who you are; you’re not someone who should be a paladin under that filthy church! Your lineage…”
“The Emperor has always said that every being should enjoy their rightful privileges according to their abilities and talents. Regardless of what lineage I possess, it doesn’t matter. Having read the Holy Scripture and understood the Lord’s mercy, I have the right to pursue His path.”
“Sigh…”
She let out a deep sigh in response to Cazerose’s words.
Then, she firmly grasped Cazerose’s hand and spoke.
“Please… stop talking like that. You already told me you were excommunicated from the church. You must know by now that things like the Lord and faith are nothing but illusions, so why can’t you let go of those stubborn beliefs?”
Speaking earnestly, yet Cazerose maintained a resolute expression and replied.
“…Of course, I have been disappointed with the church, and I have let go of any lingering feelings for them. But even so, I still have someone I can believe in and follow. Not a hypocritical church, but someone who truly practices His path…”
“Enough! Are you talking about that Bohemian man again? I must say once more, give up on him. No matter how much you like him, it goes against the direction of the Empire.”
Speaking with a firm tone.
Yet… even at her words, Cazerose raised her voice, making her point known.
“That’s not possible. To give up on that individual would be unthinkable, even if it costs my life! Even my mother…”
“Our situations are completely different! At least in the issue of my marriage with your father, there was no harm done to the nation!”
“I don’t care about that. I don’t want to know, and I don’t want to shoulder such duties. Did I not say before? Treat your youngest daughter as if she is dead!”
“Cazerose!”
She shouted in anger at the line that crossed the line.
Simultaneously, an aura of magic momentarily radiated from her body, reverberating throughout the room, yet Cazerose didn’t flinch and stood up from her seat.
“I will say this once more: I have no desire to live as your puppet any longer. The reason I came here was for that person, and I shall live my life as I see fit from now on, so please stop meddling. Do you understand, Duke!”
With those words, Cazerose stormed out of the room.
Thus… observing her “daughter” who was continually seeking an opportunity to escape despite repeated advice,
She…
Duchess Kattlena Sophia Raymond, ruler of the old capital of the Dragona Empire and still the Empire’s second-largest city,
Began to feel that familiar exasperation as she watched her daughter, who seemed unwilling to consider her words.
“Honestly… who did that stubbornness take after? They say it’s from me, but I wasn’t like this at her age.”
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