Chapter 36: Blind Play

But the Emperor shrugged indifferently as he leaned back in his chair

"From the outset, the aim was not to try to bring down Korvekar, but merely to prevent Serafim’s legitimate children from becoming the next Grand Duke; so I believe the problem was never with Serafim to begin with, but with his wife... That woman was truly peculiar, especially as she was capable of causing Serafim such a terrible headache; particularly during her last four years, she turned Korvekar upside down. I recall that at the time, Xeno was literally terrified. And given just how eccentric the Korvekar family had become in this generation, I didn’t mind playing a few games of my own."

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"My agreement with Xeno was that none of Serafim’s legitimate children should inherit his crown. But what Xeno forgot, in the midst of his panic and his haste to get rid of Serafim’s children, was that he hadn’t specified how I was to prevent that. So, rather than entering into direct war with the deranged Korvekar family—and given that their downfall is Zeno’s wish—why shouldn’t I grant him his wish? As a compassionate Emperor, I shall grant him his wish to slaughter Serafim’s children with his own hands, however he pleases, to ease his heart; but he must also pay the price for his dreams himself, and we shall not intervene, so that the monsters may devour one another’s flesh until they are sated or perish, and after centuries of humiliation, we can finally put an end to this farce. What do you think, Berth?"

The Emperor looked with a faint smile at his son, who seemed paler than before, as if he had lost all his blood... Hah... What a headache... But since this child is a masochist, he won’t mind being held in some dark underground dungeon for a few days and flogged by a domineering-Beauty until he is rid of his pointless obsession with that she-devil. So he looked sadly at Berthold whilst he ordered

’Imprison him, and deal with him until he’s rid of all that nonsense about Roxana and Korvekar, but don’t let the Serafim men notice his absence.’ "

When Berthold heard the order, he opened his mouth, but before he could do anything foolish, he was struck on the back of the neck and fell unconscious, disappearing in the company of the Shadow Knight

The Emperor removed his spectacles and gently massaged the bridge of his nose whilst keeping his eyes closed

What a headache...

As for why he’d told Berthold everything, it was simply that this man was his son and now the heir to his throne; yet his relationship with Korvekar had long since transcended politics—indeed, he’d often felt that this child regarded them as his family even more so than Nordkaiser! So sooner or later he had to find a solution; otherwise, it would be like handing your information over to the enemy with your own hands and having a spy right under your nose.

But he really hadn’t expected that madman to have fallen in love with that she-devil... Well, that didn’t really change anything.

He rested his head on the headrest of his chair, staring at the ceiling with weary eyes

Blind... trapped

That’s his situation in this game

In truth, what he told Berthold was only half the truth

He didn’t orchestrate this plot against Korvekar to bring them together with Dravarius and throw them into a savage war so they’d fight amongst themselves; after all, if such a mad war were to break out, it’s not as if he could really survive himself, let alone his family or the Empire

But anyway, having the two of them fight is indeed one of his aims, though not to the extent of driving them to mutual destruction.

What he wants most from these little games right now is to have the blindfold removed so he can understand what is happening in the world!

Centuries ago... six centuries ago, to be precise, a great war broke out that scorched the entire continent. No one knew who started it or who ended it; it flared up suddenly and died down just as suddenly. It’s much like what’s happening these days – something Korvekar and Dravarius seem to be well aware of, whilst the Nordkaiser household flounders about, shouting orders like clowns without even understanding the situation!

Serafim is a man who cares for his children... No, to say he ’cares’ is an understatement; in fact, he appears to be suffering from post-traumatic stress, which has led him to develop an unhealthy obsession with ensuring his children’s safety following the events of ten years ago.

So, after much deliberation, he decided to play this game and stir up a fuss over the lands beyond the Frozen Sea...

But knowing Serafim, this man won’t send his people and one of his own sons to their deaths simply because the Emperor has ordered it... This man has never even regarded the Emperor as an Emperor; and despite all Serafim’s chaos, he is man who knows how to make a decision. And he is a capable lord who knows how to rule his people, so he won’t recklessly throw them into the fire just to go along with him

In any case, what he expects from his little game is that Serafim will try to contact him or the Supreme Court, whether to overturn the ruling, simply to pick a fight, or whatever the reason may be. Then he will put Xeno in the front line against Serafim and tell him to seize the opportunity, explaining that he abided by his part of the agreement between them; the rest depends on he’s own competence

And even if the situation escalates into a civil war, he can still play a few cards to prevent matters from escalating into an all-out war, In any case, it is not as though the Empire can avoid civil war, given all the chaos brewing across the Empire, where all manner of dubious organisations, foreign infiltrations, opponents with bizarre ideas, charlatans peddling conspiracy theories, and petty clowns with dreams bigger than themselves have emerged

And for this reason, too, he pronounced the judgement verbally without issuing any decree, to give the Imperial House room for manoeuvre when all hell breaks loose later on

Now everything depends, first and foremost, on the extent of Xenophon’s desperation

and secondly, on Serafim’s unreliability rationality..

In any case, unless Serafim suddenly gets out of bed one morning and leaves his wits behind, then suddenly orders—for some mad reason—the dispatch of an exploratory mission beyond the Frozen Sea, everything will be fine.

And contrary to the common perception of northerners as upright, simple-minded warriors who know nothing but brandishing swords, and their strong bonds and endless sorrow, like the cold of their lands

These people are extremely cunning, and possess a remarkable ability to manage their people and the narrative surrounding them, to the extent that hypocrisy has become part of their subconscious; even their reputation as upright people did not arise from a deliberate promotional strategy, but rather from their mastery of the art of deception, to the extent that they will rob you, then give you back what they stole as a loan, then steal it from you again, and then you will sell your wife to pay off your debt to the person who robbed you twice; yet when you return home, you will praise him for how upright he is, how he never lies, and how naive he is—he almost deceived himself and paid off the debt you owe him on your behalf,

and... His only problem was that he was quick-tempered and so racist that you couldn’t get on with him or take advantage of his naivety for fear of causing trouble, as you’d end up being beaten to death, and, of course, you would also excuse him because, somehow, you would learn that his son, father or brother had died at the wall a few days earlier and he was still grieving, so he couldn’t control his emotions, as he had to feed some poor orphans

In fact, because of these swindlers, rumours have spread and the threat of the northern border has been exaggerated, and the notion of the ’Wall of Cold Death’ has become ingrained in the minds of many people to the point where it has become an absolute and self-evident truth, even though it is nothing of the sort.

Those wretched northerners are literally just messing about there; they go hunting, training, and even for no reason at all – just to look at the ruins or search for treasure!

In any case, if something were to happen—such as sending an army to cross the frozen sea on his orders—he would be in real trouble, because if there is one truth amongst the many rumours describing the people of Korvekar, it is their blind loyalty to House Korvekar

And it is a proven fact that the people of Korvekar are just as deranged as their lord, and he had not the slightest desire to test just how far their madness might go when they believed their poor lord had been wronged; so he prayed with all his heart and with all sincerity that Serafim might show some rationality and sound judgement in the days to come

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