Empire of Ice

by Hyougetsu

  “Please, I was joking.”

  Wait, how much of that was a joke? You better tell me, or I won’t listen to a thing you’ve got to say. However, Lekomya kept talking without waiting for a reply.

  “Her Highness Eleora wishes to strengthen her faction, correct?”

  Her faction, huh? Within Rolmund, the only people who supported Eleora were the university’s researchers, the military’s engineers, and her family in East Rolmund. I felt bad saying this, but none of them would be very helpful in a political battle. Even the nobles of East Rolmund were all new nobles who’d only obtained their positions after the civil war ended.

  East Rolmund had been the last place to fall to the imperial army, and so the nobles who ruled there had the shortest family trees. They were considered upstarts by those in the palace and disparaged by dukes from more prestigious areas. On the other hand, landless nobles envied them, so they were hated everywhere.

  Lekomya folded his arms and sighed. “So long as I can get my hands on some land, I don’t care where it comes from. West, North, or even East Rolmund is fine with me.”

  I decided to ask him a probing question.

  “Or perhaps, South Rolmund?”

  Lekomya’s easy smile returned.

  “Yep, even that’d do. Would you be willing to grant me land, Lord Veight?”

  “That isn’t something I can decide on my authority alone.”

  I casually deflected Lekomya’s request. He was quite an interesting fellow. Sensing he’d hit a dead end with this line of inquiry, he changed tactics.

  “Most people think I, like most landless nobles, belong to His Highness Prince Ashley’s faction.”

  “But in truth?”

  “We do support His Highness, but there are many nobles hoping to receive land from him. Simply serving him won’t distinguish me enough to be granted land once he’s emperor.”

  Rolmund held vast swathes of territory, but most of the land was unfit for agriculture. Even if you tried to develop it by sending serfs there, whatever villages you set up there would just starve in a few years. And all the arable land had already been doled out to existing nobles. Meaning, the only way landless nobles could get anything was if an existing landed noble was stripped of their position, or their entire family wiped out. That doesn’t mean you can start looking toward Meraldia, though...

  Lekomya added, “His Highness hopes to improve this nation’s agricultural technology and open up more land for farming. But his methods mostly consist of trial and error. There’s no telling how many years it will take before he succeeds.” He sighed. “I could try Lord Doneiks, but most of his supporters are from North Rolmund. An outsider like me won’t be welcome there.”

  “So you’ve decided to see how appealing your third potential choice is?”

  “Haha, exactly. The Doneiks faction has people like Viscount Schmenivsky throwing their weight around, so it’s not a very comfortable place to be anyway.”

  Oh yeah, the Count of Slaughter. Lekomya’s smile returned again.

  “There are many within the Doneiks faction who believe haughty, cruel men like him are the ideal noble, and men among men. I could never get along with such a crowd.”

  Human life wasn’t worth much in this world, but that was especially true here in Rolmund. Fortunately, it seemed Lekomya possessed some basic human decency. The biggest danger of drawing him into our camp was that he could potentially be a spy for Ashley’s faction. Prince Ashley didn’t strike me as a particularly dangerous person though, so there was likely no need to be that cautious. After weighing my options, I decided to recruit him. Lekomya’d probably prefer it if I was the one who invited him rather than him begging for inclusion.

  “Would you like to swear fealty to Her Highness Princess Eleora instead, Ser Lekomya? If you serve her well, you may end up a Meraldian lord.”

  “Are you sure you can trust someone you’ve just met?”

  “Her Highness will be the one deciding your trustworthiness.”

  In truth, I’d be the one to do that, but there was no need to tell him. Lekomya beamed and bowed his head.

  “I would love to. As proof of my loyalty, allow me to share some information with you.”

  “That would be much appreciated. Her Highness is known for amply rewarding those who aid her. You’ve come to the right place.”

  Eleora wasn’t too good at winning people over, but those she did trusted her completely. She never abandoned a comrade, and she made sure to reward them for their efforts. Good qualities for someone who was going to be empress.

  * * * *

  —Lekomya’s Plan—

  I have a dream. It’s not a very ambitious dream. I just want my own plot of land. That’s all.

  Right now I get a stipend from the palace, but it’s not enough to support my aging parents or my younger brothers. I need to pay the maintenance fees on my manor and the wages of my servants too. In case of war, I need to maintain a constant supply of horses and armor as well. Plus, I need to hire a stable boy and spear bearer. I’d like a refined, beautiful wife as well, but you need status and wealth to attract suitors. If I’m being greedy, I’d like a few works of art too, so I can look like a proper, well-to-do noble. And of course, I need to give regular donations to the church, or the sun will smite me. I need more money.

  If I could just get even a small village, I’d be able to put a couple dozen serfs and tenant farmers to work. Then all their earnings would belong to me. Of course, I couldn’t use their tax revenue solely for my own purposes. I’d need to spend some of it on improving the village’s industry.

  But neither Prince Ashley nor His Majesty Emperor Bahazoff take any notice of me. There are dozens of other nobles who have priority over me when it comes to land grants. Even though I’d be able to get twice as much value out of the land as those incompetent fools. All I have to do is cultivate sugar beets like Lord Kastoniev, and I’ll be able to make a killing. There’s no point in growing just wheat. The emperor’s been going on about how we need more wheat in case there’s a famine, but wheat just doesn’t sell.

  I’ll grow expensive crops, make a killing, and then use that money to buy better farming tools and livestock. That way, even the serfs on my land will be happy. I could even get them to make pottery and stuff in their free time to sell for extra cash. And I could use that extra cash to get them more booze. Or make them new houses.

  Good land management is all about making your serfs more efficient by giving them a better living environment. I have a ton of plans to manage land efficiently. So someone, anyone, please just give me a plot of land. I’ll even make a deal with the devil if that’s what it takes. I’ll till the fields of hell if I have to.

  There are rumors that Meraldia’s sworn fealty to Rolmund. On paper, they’re still independent, but it sounds like the reality is that all their lords are Princess Eleora’s lackeys. I have no idea if that’s true or not, but at least that strange foreign noble, Veight, seems to be following her. That man possesses a lot of foresight and is quite wise. On top of that, he looks rich. No way am I letting him go. Right now, all I can offer him is my loyalty and the meager information I’ve gathered. Oh, and my life, I guess. I’m giving you everything I have, so please just bless me with some land and maybe a little glory. Actually, no. I don’t even need that. Just give me a chance. One chance. I’ll make something out of that one chance, just you watch.

  * * * *

  I stared out the window as I penned another letter to Airia. The afternoon sun cast a soft, warm, light into the room. Far south of the scenery below me, way past what I could see, lay Meraldia. I was starting to get a little homesick. I hope everyone’s doing okay.

  “What’s wrong, Veight? Missing our old village in the forest? Or are you missing Ryunheit?”

  Fahn chuckled to herself, and I smiled wanly.

  “Both, I think. I want to get this over with fast. Hopefully we can go back by spring.”

  Rolmund’s short
summer had ended, and fall was approaching.

  “Eleora’s been getting a lot of new allies recently. But now there are so many people around her that it’s hard to guard her.”

  “Yeah, but I’m the one who’s had to make a fool of myself to get that moody princess all these allies...”

  My style of diplomacy through dueling had endeared me to a lot of nobles in the capital, and that had translated to people coming to Eleora to join her faction. Of course, most of them were only coming to her out of self-interest.

  Nobles had a duty to support their family and retainers. In turn, those retainers worked hard to make their chosen noble emperor. The glue that held the relationship between nobles and their servants together was rewards. Before, Eleora hadn’t been in a position to reward anyone, and so had possessed few followers. But now she had the silver bullet known as me. Everyone wanted Meraldia’s land, so a few vague promises from me were enough to have people salivating at the mouth. Anyway, I better get back to this letter.

  * * * *

  —Veight’s Letter to Airia: 4—

  Dear Airia,

  As you so keenly predicted, I have engaged in a number of other duels. But not too many, and nothing that would endanger my life, so please don’t worry. It’s thanks to those duels that my name’s spread through Rolmund’s imperial court.

  The other day, I met with the emperor’s nephew, Prince Woroy. He’s quite the interesting individual. Even though he’s wildly ambitious, he’s fun to talk to. I guess people born to high stations see the world a different way. I’ve learned a lot by talking to the people here. Both Prince Ashley and Prince Woroy were different than I was expecting.

  I’m beginning to think that Eleora might just have been overly wary of the two of them. Of course, she’s got good reason to be wary, but I can’t go into details here. Also, I have yet to meet Lord Doneiks, so I shouldn’t jump to conclusions about everyone vying for the throne.

  Right now, all Rolmund’s nobles have their eyes on Meraldia. They want our warmer, more fertile land. However, their overwhelming desire has made recruiting allies easier. Our progress has been slow, but steady. So I hope you’ll forgive me for continuing to duel. Please? Of course, from now on I plan to cut back on my dueling. It’s time I started negotiating directly with higher-ranked nobles. There’s a lot that needs to be done in order to expand Eleora’s influence.

  Oh yes, thank you so much for the money you sent me. In Rolmund, I’ve been granted the title of Honorary Count, and it’s been costing a lot to keep up appearances. Honorary Counts don’t get a stipend from the court, and honestly, I think the title just exists to extort money from foreign dignitaries. I’ll do my best to get back all the money I’ve spent here. I’m looking forward to being there with you for Ryunheit’s next harvest festival. Right now, I’m working hard to make sure we can have a peaceful one next year. Look forward to my next report.

  Sincerely, Veight.

  * * * *

  Just as I finished writing my letter, there was a knock on my door and Eleora entered.

  “So this is where you were, Lord Veight?”

  “Oh, is it time for dinner?”

  “I wouldn’t come all the way to your room just to call you for dinner. In case you’ve forgotten, this is my manor. Anyway, I’ve come to tell you that I’m postponing my return to Fort Novesk.”

  Now that was unexpected. Eleora had been the one who wanted to return the most. Fahn and I exchanged glances.

  “What happened, Eleora?” Fahn asked.

  Eleora turned to her with a sigh.

  “My uncle... Lord Kastoniev is coming here. He was getting worried since I wasn’t coming back, so he elected to come see me instead.”

  Your uncle sure is a worrywart. This was a good opportunity to ask something that had been on my mind for a while, though.

  “Personally, I think Lord Kastoniev is a trustworthy ally, but do you have reason to believe otherwise?”

  Eleora sat down and looked off into the distance.

  “I want to believe him, but I can’t bring myself to. Do you remember how I told you before that my wet nurse tried to assassinate me?”

  Yeah, didn’t you say you saw her again after ten years and she instantly went after your life? Eleora covered her face with her hands and said in a pained voice, “I was never able to find out just who ordered the assassination, but my wet nurse had been in Lord Kastoniev’s employ.”

  Yeah, that’s definitely a good reason to be suspicious.

  “Lord Kastoniev had been the one who’d assigned her as my wet nurse, and when I was old enough, he’d recalled her back to his castle.”

  If you’d had such a good reason to suspect him, you should have told us earlier. I opened my mouth to say as much, but then stopped when I saw Eleora’s anguished expression.

  Rolmund nobles often relied on wet nurses to raise their children, so to the kids, their wet nurses were more like mothers than their actual mothers. In fact, the bond between child and wet nurse often ran so deep that nobles would often take care of their wet nurses in their old age.

  Meanwhile, Eleora had had her life targeted by her wet nurse. No wonder she was so distrusting. However, it wouldn’t make sense for an assassination attempt to be easily traceable. If someone close to Lord Kastoniev tried to assassinate Eleora, it made sense that he’d be the first one suspected.

  “Personally, I doubt Lord Kastoniev would use one of his own servants if he wanted to assassinate you.”

  Eleora lowered her hands from her face and looked up at me.

  “Then who do you think gave the order? At the time, Lord Doneiks would have been the only person with good reason to want me dead, but I hadn’t even met him then.”

  “You weren’t able to trace the trail back?”

  “I was fourteen at the time, what did you expect? Now, I could mobilize the military police, but then I was just a student.”

  But even as a student, she’d been able to foil the assassination attempt. Eleora really was amazing. She gently patted the Blast Grimoire she kept on her at all times and added, “If you put your faith in people, it just causes more hurt when you’re inevitably betrayed. I have men and vassals under my care. I can’t afford to be lax if I want to keep them safe.”

  I see, now I understand your position. But that doesn’t mean I agree.

  “I get that, but if you don’t trust anyone, you won’t be able to increase your number of allies. There are times where you have to go with your gut and trust someone.”

  Eleora scowled at me.

  “You can only do that because you’re a werewolf. You can tell when people are lying or when they want to hurt you. Plus, no one can take you in a one on one fight. I don’t have any of those advantages.”

  It was true that I was blessed to be both a werewolf and a mage, but... Fine, guess it’s up to me to fix your twisted nature. It was time for the reliable vice-commander Veight to shine, time for Eleora to start on her quest to take the throne. But first, I needed her to clear the tutorial. As a clear bonus, I’ll gift her with a trustworthy ally.

  “Even so, Eleora, you need at least allies you can trust. You need as many loyal allies around you as possible if you want to succeed.”

  I started formulating a plan in my head.

  “If Lord Kastoniev’s coming here, that’s even better. I’ll talk to him and sniff out his true intentions.”

  Eleora’s eyebrows twitched, and I smelled the sharp tang of nervous sweat coming off her. I smiled gently in an attempt to ease her worries.

  “Don’t worry, Eleora. Remember how I handled Lekomya? You can trust in my skills.”

  Ever since Lekomya had switched sides, he’d brought new information from the palace to Eleora every day. Eleora relaxed visibly.

  “I had no connections with the landless nobles before, so I’m truly grateful for Ser Lekomya’s help. From what I hear, he’s managed to increase the number of supporters I have inside the palace.”

>   Lekomya’s head was probably filled with nothing but thoughts about how he’d soon be a lord in the warm, fertile land of Meraldia. He was only helping Eleora because if she became emperor, she’d be able to grant him land anywhere.

  “We may be the weakest faction in the empire right now, but we hold the trump card known as Meraldia. Winning this power struggle will be easy. Trust me.”

  Eleora still looked a bit hesitant, but in the end she nodded.

  “I’m sorry, Lord Veight. I want to know what my uncle thinks of me. Not just as a princess, but as a niece. Please, lend me your strength.”

  “You got it.”

  As always, I’d offered to help without considering the consequences. Oh well, everything’ll turn out fine. Probably.

  The next morning, Lord Kastoniev’s carriage arrived. He was getting on in years, and a long journey like this had clearly tired him out. But even so, his face lit up the moment he saw Eleora.

  “Princess Eleora, thank the heavens you’re well!”

  “You worry too much, Lord Kastoniev. We met just the other day.”

  They really did look just like a doting uncle and his tomboyish niece.

  “Princess, how long do you plan on remaining in the capital?”

  “Ask that duel-crazed maniac over there. He seems to be treating the capital as his personal playground.”

  In front of Lord Kastoniev, she was the one of higher rank, so she could ridicule me all she wanted. Behind me, I could hear Natalia and my werewolves snickering. Lord Kastoniev had his own manor in the capital, but he’d elected to stay with Eleora.

  “Are you sure you should be here, Lord Kastoniev? Isn’t your city’s harvest festival happening soon?”

  Even though Rolmund kept a strict hierarchy most times, that hierarchy was loosened during the harvest festival. It was an important time for commoners and nobles alike to mingle together and celebrate the year’s bounty. However, Lord Kastoniev frowned and shook his head.

  “Since last year, I’ve left matters of governance in my sons’ hands. I’m planning on appointing one of them the official head of the house next year.”