This was not a meeting but a declaration.
That alone was outrageous, but to also announce a war three days later. What nonsense is this!
So many words started pouring out that it was meaningless to promise to keep his mouth as quiet as possible.
"It was only two years ago that Your Majesty declared the end of the war. Why are you going to war again?"
"The reason I declared the end of the war was because there were no more kingdoms to rise up. But it seems that in just two years, a kingdom has been created that has forgotten the horrors of the Empire."
The Kingdom of Ireon.
When the Emperor snapped his fingers, a waiting servant placed documents in front of each noble. Those who read this groaned softly.
There was certainly nothing the Empire could do wrong. But it was still not ready for war. Wasn't there more to lose than to gain? While they were gritting their teeth and thinking about how to persuade the Emperor of a foolish kingdom blinded by profit, a story even more shocking than before was heard in their ears.
"And since we are already going to war, I am planning to move with the goal of conquering the continent."
"!?"
"It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. It would be better to finish it all at once while wiping out the Kingdom of Ireon."
"Your Majesty! What is that...!"
It was a goal that was set from the moment he ascended to the position of monarch a long time ago. No matter what the ministers said, the Emperor had no intention of backing down.
Besides, it's not just the Ireon Kingdom that was arrogant in the current situation.
After the news of Deon Hardt's injury spread quietly behind the scenes, other kingdoms' attitudes toward the Empire became more relaxed.
That's about it. The weight of the name 'Deon Hardt'.
'It's worth it.'
Troubled times gave birth to heroes. During the long Eight Year War, many 'heroes' were born and their fame died in vain to the point where it was meaningless.
At the end of the war, there were only three of these people left.
Deon Hardt was the last of these to rise to fame as a hero, and the most famous.
This was because, unlike other heroes who each had their own area, he traveled around various areas throughout the war and played an active role as a vanguard.
Originally, this was implemented because it was the best way to utilize Deon Hardt at the time, but it soon revealed unexpected effects.
The fear of 'Deon Hardt'.
Even so, he had a unique appearance with red eyes and white hair.
As the rumor spread, this changed and he became known to enemies as the devil himself. The bonus was that he was not only unique, but also had a warm appearance that mace him famous in many ways among his allies.
Whatever the meaning, his 'fame' broke the enemy's momentum by half with just his presence, and made most people unconsciously thought that 'most of the Empire's power was held by Deon Hardt.'
Therefore, it was natural for other kingdoms that had been keeping their heads down to the news of Deon Hardt's injury to slowly raise their heads.
It's annoying.
Every time their energy comes back to life, he tramples it down, raises his head again and presses it down...
After all, the goal was to conquer the continent, so was there any reason to do this?
So let's end it all now.
That was the conclusion reached.
Naturally, other ministers were flagships. What did that mean! Wasn't it the same as saying that while you go to buy small things, you also bought a building!
The Duke's thoughts changed. Even if war with the Kingdom of Ireon was unavoidable, the conquest of the continent must be prevented.
The pale-faced nobles began to rush to speak.
"It's still too early to conquer the continent! There's a lot to prepare and the budget...!"
"All the basic preparations have already been completed."
A budget plan, neatly organized and unclear as to when it was prepared, was placed in front of each noble.
"War will cause great damage to the Empire! Damage does not necessarily occur if enemies enter our territory and trample on it!"
"You don't have to worry about the Empire. Don't think I would have considered that either."
"We haven't eradicated the Revolutionary Army yet! It's dangerous to go to war with an enemy inside!"
"That's why I called you. Shouldn't we come up with a plan?"
"The aftermath of the Eight Year War has not yet been completely resolved. The people of the Empire will be anxious. Even if you think about the stability of the Empire..."
"During the Eight Year War, did the enemies ever invade the homes of the people of the empire? This time too. They will be safe."
"Hah..."
Most of the words that came out after that were similar.
For the sake of the people of the Empire, please hold off on conquering the continent, etc. For nobles, the Emperor took priority. The Duke knew very well what this meant.
Responsibility.
Eduardo Dessert valued duty and responsibility. Since becoming Emperor, he had never neglected to take charge of the Empire and take care of its people, even if he did not feel like it. Calling himself a tyrant and such. It was an unsuitable move.
So, he thought that if he brought up the Empire and its people, he might reconsider a little, but the Emperor was a strong enemy as expected.
"For the sake of the Empire?"
A cold voice fell.
The voice, which had been rising to the sky without realizing it, suddenly disappeared. It faded away and the Emperor slowly stood up. His golden eyes, looking around at the nobles, were shining fiercely like a beast whose pride had been touched. The moment he felt and realized that something was wrong, the Emperor growled and called out to the Duke.
"Duke Illuster. "
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Where was your greeting to the Emperor?"
...Ah.
The corners of the Duke's mouth rose.
'I can't believe you're trying to resolve the matter this way.'
He stood up gracefully, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed towards the Emperor. A voice mixed with a faint smile flowed softly from his mouth.
"New Stave Illuster greets the 'current Empire'."
"Yes."
As if it was obvious, the Emperor took his gaze away. He looked around at the frozen nobles and spoke strongly, as if drilling it in their heads.
"The burden is the Empire."
"..."
"Who cares about the Empire? Does the fact that you keep mentioning this even after hearing my answer mean that what I said doesn't make sense?"
"It's all ridiculous!"
"We're just being loyal..."
A tension that felt like it was going to explode at any moment filled the meeting room. As he pressed down on them, desperate answers came back from all over the place.
When the Emperor explodes in anger, someone is sure to die. This was not a metaphor, it was real. The Emperor looked like he knew they were afraid that their heads would be blown off, so he closed his mouth for a moment and then slowly opened his mouth with a more subdued expression.
"I know the loyalty of the nobles. However, if you don't want to insult me, it would be better to refrain from saying more than this."
"I will keep that in mind."
The nobles bowed their heads and sighed inwardly. They were completely caught up. If this happened, they will not be able to persuade the Emperor. That would be a mistake.
The Emperor must know this very well.
As expected, the Emperor said everything he had to say, so he stood up and said as if he was going to end the meeting.
"War is confirmed. We will hold another meeting later, so you can come up with a plan to deal with the Revolutionary Army by then."
"...I will follow your orders."
"And Duke Illuster."
The Duke met the Emperor's gaze.
He raised the corners of his mouth without saying anything.
The meeting was over. The nobles who had gathered dispersed with serious expressions on their faces, and the conference hall was empty.
The Duke, who was supposed to be among them, was facing the Emperor.
Still with a smile on his face. The Emperor, who was looking at the peacock with fierce eyes, slowly opened his mouth.
"Duke."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Thanks to you, I was able to catch the mastermind behind the Salvation Church. For this, I would like to express my gratitude."
"It was not me, but Sir Cruel."
As expected, it was not so easy to let go. The Emperor quietly frowned and glared directly at the Duke. The Duke also did not lose and faced him with a smiling face.
The two gazes collided in the air.
The Emperor was still glaring at the Duke for a long time, assuming that no one was looking away, and spat out the words as if he were chewing on them.
"As it happens, the person behind it was someone who was in conflict with the Duke within the aristocratic faction."
"But the aristocratic faction is an aristocrat. Who would welcome a loss of power? As members of the same aristocratic faction, it's just a pity."
That's funny.
The Duke wouldn't let anyone go against him. Since he couldn't openly target the Emperor's faction, he must have picked someone who was annoying within the noble faction to take the fall.
It was obvious.
Depending on the person, it may be like pushing them, but if you were a Duke, you will definitely get away with it. No matter how much you push them, it will only be like trying to encourage them.
But even pushing them was helpful now.
"There is an interesting rumor recently."
The Emperor opened his mouth.
"The Emperor is 'sin' and the Duke is 'salvation.'"
"It's nonsense from ignorant people who don't know anything. The Salvation Church has been wiped out, so do you really need to worry now?"
Chaang!
It was just a moment. The Duke closed his mouth and quietly lowered his gaze to see that it was aimed at his neck, then looked back at the emperor. The Emperor pulled out the sword of Nemeseus from behind him. He was aiming at the Duke's neck.
He raised the corner of his mouth in a rare sarcastic way and raised his sword slightly. At the same time, the Duke's head also rose.
"It's definitely nonsense. The truth would be closer to a 'disaster' than a 'sin'. Isn't that right, Duke?"
"..."
As he closed his mouth, the Emperor's expression changed for a moment. He had a murderous expression on his face, as if he had never laughed before, as if he were about to kill him.
"Do I look so funny?"
A gloomy voice full of anger spoke. The air was oppressed by the murderous aura coming from the Emperor's body.
Blood was flowing from the wound where the sword had grazed the neck. The purple eyes went down to check it and then immediately fixed on the Emperor. The Duke was still smiling.
"Your Majesty knows. You cannot kill me."
Disaster did not discriminate between people. But the Emperor in front of him did.
Therefore, he was not a disaster.
That was why he coveted his power. Conflicts of interest were of no use against disaster, but they could be used against him.
"...The Duke often seems to forget that I have already pushed out one duchy."
"Do you think I would hesitate just because I am the last remaining duchy? You probably don't hesitate because of that reason. But even so, Your Majesty cannot kill me. Even if it's not that reason, you have many reasons not to kill me."
The standoff continued. Facing golden eyes full of anger, the Duke smiled proudly. If he killed him, it would be quite troublesome. He would incur opposition from numerous nobles. There was a limit to using force. He wanted to go to war. He wanted to conquer the continent. To do this, he must first seek internal stability.
There's no way you could kill him like that.
'Even if you aim for it, you'll probably aim for it during war.'
Of course, even that won't be easy.
Do you withdraw your sword or cut it down?
After a long time, it was the Emperor who finally retreated first.
He took the sword away, handed it back to Nemeseus, and spoke slowly.
"They said I was a sin, but there was a separate sin."[1]
[1] Do NOT ask me what this means I have no clue.