EP.30
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the Marquis of Wurttemberg was the foremost noble family in the empire, aside from the imperial family and the electors.
Given the situation where all but the Duke of Pomerania held electoral titles, and considering that the Duke of Pomerania’s family history and prestige were somewhat lacking compared to their title, it was likely they would agree as well.
Their long-standing reputation as one of the leading families in the South granted them a politically significant position in this Palatinate, meaning any contradiction of this was tantamount to challenging the political legitimacy of the Marquis family.
“But conversely, you could say the benefits they can obtain merely from their family connections are about as much as that.”
“Right now, the treatment Yom is receiving is essentially a reward for the achievements they’ve made up to this point?”
“Exactly.”
Inside the carriage, Maria explained her plan.
It was surprisingly convenient that writing could go beyond spatial constraints.
“I honestly don’t know much about Prince Yom. I mostly just remember him being a nuisance to me. His public involvement only really began when the Marquis went down to his territory recently.”
“So?”
“Well, I did know that the Marquis of Wurttemberg isn’t aligned with the Empress’s faction.”
She conjured letters into the air. Events from her memories began to appear in a flash. The common thread in all those events was that the Empress’s faction and the Marquis of Wurttemberg had been at odds.
“…That’s quite a lot, isn’t it?”
“What can I say? Even though people from the provinces have joined, fundamentally, the Empress’s faction consists of the noble class from the capital—so there are bound to be conflicting interests with the provincial nobility.”
“Indeed.”
Thinking back, she remembered her father often complaining about cowardly nobles who had never dealt with nomads from the east yet spoke ill of the situation there.
Given that all benefits concentrated in the East affected their family, it wasn’t difficult to guess how the Marquis of Wurttemberg, with their territories and titles spread across various locations, would fare.
As she processed all this, a realization struck her.
“Wouldn’t this make exchanging territories seem like a reasonable proposal?”
Maria nodded in agreement.
Considering the current situation where territories were scattered and frequently clashed with the Empress’s policies, it seemed quite plausible to suggest exchanging territories to streamline their holdings.
Moreover, if they were to offer territories that were several times larger than the original, it could appear as a gesture of goodwill.
Legally speaking, there were no issues either.
While creating new titles and elevating commoners to nobility might be the emperor’s prerogative, disposing of one’s own territory and title was within the nobility’s rights.
“If the Marquis of Wurttemberg intended to remain a simple provincial lord, this wouldn’t be a bad proposal at all. Their territory is so extensive that even if they combined the added land, it wouldn’t come close to doubling the original, but that doesn’t mean it’s small either.”
From Maria’s words, I started to grasp why Yom had asked us for help, why he was willing to lobby the very faction he had been at odds with, to solve this matter.
“But the marquis is full of greedy folks in the central court.”
“Exactly.”
The writing hovering in the air twisted into a circle, affirming what I said was true.
However, questions still lingered.
“But doesn’t that ultimately mean that the marquis no longer has any reason to reach out to the Empress’s faction and is essentially their enemy?”
“That’s correct.”
“So, just like with the archbishop, wouldn’t it be pointless to conspire behind the scenes?”
This time, Maria shook her head.
“No. It’s extremely important.”
“???”
Maria smiled slightly at my confusion and said, “There’s something they have that I don’t.”
I wouldn’t fully understand her words until the next day.
—
“Bill! Bill!”
Thud-thud-thud!
It wasn’t a cat but a person who came running and barged into my room.
“What’s going on?”
“Take a look at this!”
The knight Jonas, who may not have excelled in swordsmanship but was confident in his stamina, huffed as he handed me a newspaper.
A newspaper?
Why on earth was there a newspaper all of a sudden?
Of course, it wasn’t exactly like our modern newspapers; it was more like a few sheets of paper containing some significant news. Yet, it was one of the few rare items where one could catch up on national happenings in this land.
And because it was so valuable, I couldn’t fathom why Jonas, known for being thrifty, would buy something like this.
I quickly found the answer as I opened the first page.
“…What?”
“Heir of the Marquis of Wurttemberg, confronts the Court Duke at the audience!”
The details weren’t elaborated on. There were plenty of topics to cover, but space was limited, so they merely introduced what had transpired without context, just snippets of conversation from the spot.
However, the fact that this headline was prominently displayed on the top of the first page showed just how significant the editorial team considered this issue.
“Maria!”
I rushed (well, not really; it was right next door, and soundproofing was practically nonexistent—so calling out was enough).
“Oh, did you hear?”
She casually walked into my room and asked.
“Y-yeah? Uh-huh.”
But seriously, shouldn’t we maybe discuss this outside?
Just as I was about to suggest that, she comfortably seated herself at the table.
“I told you, right? He has something I lack.”
That’s when it hit me.
“You meant the right to speak in the court.”
Still, can we talk about this outside my room?
I wanted to say that, but just then, the maids rushed in behind Maria. In no time, snacks were prepared, and the room, which had been cluttered with swords and personal items, transformed into a lively setting.
Maria sipped her tea, seemingly unfazed by any of it.
“As of now, Prince Yom will challenge everything the Empress’s faction tries to pull off daily.”
“Hasn’t he been doing that all along?”
“There’s a big difference between doing it at the execution stage and doing it in front of Your Majesty.”
Her eyes sparkled.
“That’s a signal flare.”
“A signal flare?”
“The Empress’s faction may hold the most power here in Palatinate, but that doesn’t mean the court is their playground. Moreover, since Your Majesty has intervened, they can’t exceed half of the influence, no matter how hard they try.”
That was indeed correct. Unless we were in a despotic regime, it wasn’t conceivable for an emperor crowned through the supportive votes of nobles not to manage the opinions of those who followed him.
If the emperor kept neutrality, those who followed him would do the same. Thus, there were surely some taking a breath while trusting them amidst this succession struggle.
“My eldest brother is standing firm as the crown prince, and there are plenty who are exhausted from the Empress’s faction’s tyranny. While the Marquis of Wurttemberg can’t directly attack the Empress, they have enough influence to contend with her faction.”
In the end, since the final decision came down to the electors’ votes, even if the authority of the crown prince diminished somewhat within the empire, the significance of being the crown prince remained unchanged.
In the end, the crown prince was the one chosen by the emperor as his successor. The empress’s inability to aggressively court the electors also contributed to this, as the emperor had already made his intentions clear by putting the crown prince forward.
No matter how powerful the empress might be, it was hard to directly oppose the emperor.
“So you’re planning to use Yom to make a stand in the court,” I said.
After all, even if we were to dig into the empress’s faction here, the impact created in unofficial settings would inevitably be weak. That’s why Maria had relied on the Inspection Team when she expelled Baron Ulm.
However, Maria dismissed my thoughts.
“No? That’s not it.”
She looked at me as if pondering what I meant to say.
“In the end, we must wrap this up ourselves.”
“But then why present Yom?”
At my question, Maria smirked slightly.
“Why do you think I sought cooperation from the heir of the Marquis of Wurttemberg instead of some ordinary nobles?”
“Good question…?”
Thinking back, there were many officials who could step into the court. This was the Palatinate, and any high-ranking noble here could essentially qualify as an official. In truth, all nobles residing in the capital at this time were potential bureaucrats.
Even if they had no ambition, if there was a sudden shortage of officials, they would either be recommended or buy their way into office—it was simply how the imperial bureaucracy worked. This didn’t seem too different from the average on Earth.
The alchemy of turning money into power through positions—ah, the familiar scent of political corruption.
But ultimately, the crux of the matter was that such operations could easily be executed by anyone, not just high-ranking nobles, if they set their minds to it.
Maria just smiled, taking a sip of her tea without providing a further answer.
I finally grasped the situation the very next day when I heard rumors about a physical altercation breaking out during a court session that occurred without the emperor.
It seemed that a scuffle erupted between Yom and the empress’s faction members over the composition of the Inspection Team. From then on, there were continuous rumors about Yom and others engaging in conflicts with the empress’s faction for various reasons, causing disruptions in the court.
Despite all this, the emperor and his supporters worked diligently, ensuring that the administration didn’t come to a halt, but that didn’t mean everything was running smoothly.
“Alright, we’ve bought enough time now.”
Naturally, the results of the inspection were bound to be postponed by several weeks.
“Now we should make our move.”
Maria looked at me, having just received news about the significantly delayed deadlines.
“Us?”
What can I possibly do, Mr. Bat?
Being a complete novice in the political arena, I could only nod along while scratching my head at Maria’s words.
Seeing my expression, Maria stifled a laugh and pointed at my waist. Although nothing was there, I was well aware of what it meant to point at a knight’s waist.
“The faction fights are heating up quickly. Everyone will be scrambling to find each other’s weaknesses to impeach. They won’t hesitate to employ somewhat extreme measures to gather evidence.”
“Oh.”
This time, I could smile too.
“That’s something I excel at.”
Playing the role of a noble thief breaking into corrupt officials’ mansions was something I had already done a few times before.
It was time for me to stretch and get back into action once more.
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