Empire of Ice

by Hyougetsu

  “I’ll figure something out using the merchandise I brought with me. You won’t mind if I line my pockets a little while I’m at it, do you?”

  “Not at all. There needs to be something in it for you too, or you’ll have no incentive to do it.”

  The two of us grinned at each other. We really were a pair of scoundrels.

  I still hadn’t made my formal debut into Rolmund high society. If I were comparing this to a game, I’d still be in the tutorial part of the Rolmund chapter. Meaning it would be to my benefit to lie low a while longer. The moment I started moving in earnest, nobles within the empire would begin learning of Meraldia’s true intentions. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the enemy before that happened.

  That being said, this wasn’t by any means a safe tutorial. Failure here would still be catastrophic. Man, real life is such a crappy game. For now, my best move was probably bringing Lord Kastoniev around as an ally.

  The next morning, we departed from Lord Kastoniev’s castle. As we walked through the main gates, I heard Lord Kastoniev whisper to Eleora, “Your Highness. Please take a break this winter and come rest at my castle.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t, Lord Kastoniev.”

  Though Eleora’s expression gave nothing away, there was genuine sadness in her voice. It seemed this uncle and niece had a good relationship, at least. As we were leaving, I dropped by the village I’d visited yesterday. This time Eleora came as well, which overjoyed the overseers. I’d asked her to say a few words to them beforehand. She smiled solemnly and said, “My lord uncle’s lands are only as prosperous as they are because of the hard work of you officials. As his niece and as a member of the royal family, I am proud of what you’ve achieved. Please continue to give my uncle your unwavering loyalty.”

  Eleora had seemed somewhat reluctant when I’d asked her to speak to the overseers last night, but in the end she did it. Her bearing and appearance were just as regal as the kings and queens I’d seen in movies.

  “We... We’re not worthy of such praise, Your Highness...”

  Despite being fully grown men, the two overseers choked up and started sobbing. You’re not half bad at this, Princess. While Eleora was keeping the overseers occupied, I slipped inside the village to talk to the serfs. They’d given me permission to come in yesterday, so no one challenged me. It was easy to tell the serfs from the tenant farmers, because the serfs had no ornamentation whatsoever on their clothing. Most of them looked pretty busy, so I went over to an old man who seemed free. An injury or something was likely preventing him from working, which was why he was sitting by a barn repairing farming tools.

  “Hello, sir. Would it be alright if I took some of your time?”

  “Hm? W-Well...”

  The man was guarded at first, but eventually I managed to drag him into a conversation. It seemed his family had worked this land as serfs for generations. His children and grandchildren were serfs as well, and they all worked in this village. Once we’d built up a rapport, I asked the question I most wanted an answer to.

  “What would you want to do if you became a free man?”

  Surprised, the man glanced about suspiciously. Oh yeah, I guess that’s a dangerous topic to discuss. Please answer, though. I really need to know. The man finally put a hand on his chin and started thinking.

  After a few seconds, he said, “I’d wanna drink beer every day...”

  That’s it? Serfs had little entertainment in their lives, but it appeared their overseers occasionally handed out liquor as a treat. The amount depended on the overseer and the village. That was their carrot part of the carrot and stick. As Rolmund was a frigid land, their liquor was quite strong. Naturally, this meant most people could hold their liquor, and they loved drinking it. Most of them worked hard for the sake of getting more.

  “Beer, huh? How much would you want?”

  “Haha. If I could, I’d stick my head in a beer barrel and keep drinking ‘til I’m puking my guts out.”

  Oh boy. He’s an alcoholic. I asked some of the other serfs who’d wandered over out of curiosity and their answers were much the same. All they wanted was wine, women, and food. If they were suddenly granted freedom, they’d probably indulge themselves in excess.

  “You’ve never thought about moving to the city, or trying a different trade?”

  The old man gave me a wrinkly smile.

  “I’m fine here, boss. It’s a nice peaceful village, and I’ve got my whole family here. I do wish I had more booze, though.”

  I could tell from his scent that he wasn’t lying. He then added, “The lord and the overseers take care of all the difficult stuff. As long as we till our fields, we don’t go hungry. That’s enough for us.”

  He didn’t sound at all like he was just enduring. He truly was happy with his life. Since serfs had their food and shelter guaranteed to them by their feudal lord, they weren’t responsible for themselves the way free men were. Since they’d been born into these circumstances, serfdom was natural to them. They didn’t desire anything more.

  I went around and asked a few more serfs as well, but everyone in this village seemed happy. They were a far cry from what I’d imagined slaves would be like. They knew no other life and so were content with theirs. And even if they did learn of a life other than this, they probably wouldn’t be interested in it. Of course, they were mildly dissatisfied with some of the restrictions placed on them. But even then, their desires were simple ones. “I want to drink more booze,” or “I want to be able to boss someone around sometime.” Those kinds of things. It was possible they were just hiding their true desires from me. Even if they weren’t, it was possible other villages weren’t like this. But at least here, no one seemed dissatisfied with the fact that they were slaves. I left the village and headed to Eleora, who was on horseback.

  “Uniting the serfs and orchestrating an organized revolt will probably be difficult.”

  Eleora gave me a shocked look. It seems she hadn’t been expecting those words.

  “You... think up some rather daring plots, Black Werewolf King.”

  Perhaps because of what I’d learned back in Japan, but when I heard the word “slavery,” my thoughts naturally turned to liberation. Which was why I’d considered the possibility of using the slavery system against the empire and orchestrating a full-scale revolt. However, it seemed Eleora hadn’t even considered that a possibility. After thinking for a few seconds, Eleora shook her head.

  “Barring a few exceptions, all serfs have been serfs for generations. They grew up watching their parents live the life of a serf, and they expect their children will do the same. So long as they work, their lives are guaranteed. On the other hand, if they revolt and their revolt ends in failure, their whole family will die.”

  “So even those unhappy with their lives find it easier to obey, huh?”

  Eleora nodded.

  “Correct. After the fall of the republic, many slaves fled the empire. The exodus continued until the empire was unified once more, so those who truly hated their lives have all left.”

  “And those slaves’ descendants sure made your mission difficult.”

  Eleora gave me a troubled look.

  “Please don’t say that. You’re the one who gave me the most difficulty.”

  She’s really hung up about that...

  “Regardless, our empire isn’t comprised of fools. Having learned from past mistakes, the empire has reformed the slavery system to be more lenient.”

  So that’s why the empire provides basic necessities for all of their serfs as well as granting them some measure of leisure. Furthermore, when serfs were bought and sold, they were customarily sold in entire village units. So even if a village’s feudal lord changed, their families weren’t split up and they weren’t uprooted from their homes. Obviously, if you went into the details of it, it was still inhumane. But for the serfs, it was a better arrangement than selling them individually. It was because they were treated with a ba
re minimum of decency that they weren’t interested in fleeing or revolt.

  As we rode away, I turned back to the village. The overseers, serfs, and tenant farmers were watching us go. The reason everyone had come out was because the overseers would be distributing beer for everyone. Thanks to Eleora’s visit, they’d decided to turn this day into a local holiday. There was bound to be a huge party tonight.

  The old man I’d talked to initially was smiling happily as he saw us off. Thanks to the education I’d been given in Japan, I could see how twisted this system was. But I also realized that trying to forcibly fix it would cause more problems than it would solve right now. The people weren’t ready for change. For the present, it was better that the village remain the way it was.

  “Is something wrong, Lord Veight?”

  “No, nothing. Guess I’ll think up a different plan.”

  I shook my head and tried to figure out how to work my horse’s reins.

  * * * *

  —Veight’s Letter to Airia: 2—

  Dear Airia,

  We’re en route to the imperial capital Schwerin, so I’m afraid I’ll have to keep this letter brief. I’ve seen a lot of things on my way to Schwerin. Some villages are ruled by cruel overseers who torment their serfs, while others are surprisingly peaceful—and the social divide doesn’t seem to matter. The only common factor among all the villages is that they have a culture going back hundreds of years.

  Personally speaking, I despise slavery and don’t think any sane nation should have such a system. I’m sure most of Meraldia’s residents would agree. However, this empire cannot even function without slavery. It’s a truly twisted nation.

  That being said, the living conditions of the people within the empire aren’t much different from those living in Meraldia. Most have stable lives, while some unfortunate few suffer. It really is strange. Once I arrive at the capital, I’ll send another letter, so there’s no need to reply to this one. Oh yes, East Rolmund is famous for its sugar beets, so I’ve sent you a bottle of sugar as a souvenir. Feel free to put it in your tea, or bake with it if you’d prefer that.

  Sincerely, Veight.

  * * * *

  “It’s amazing how much history is in Rolmund, Mister Veight.”

  Lacy was treating this entire trip like a sightseeing tour, it seemed. Her enthusiasm was infectious, though, and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Yeah. After the republic collapsed, the empire spent three hundred years split in three. And it’s been two hundred years since it was unified again. Rolmund’s got a much longer history than Meraldia.”

  Lacy nodded emphatically.

  “I see, that explains it. It hasn’t even been one hundred years since Meraldia’s Unification War, and it was just a few months ago that we became a Commonwealth.”

  Considering the history of empires back on earth, you probably only needed two centuries for a nation to solidify their culture and customs. But at the same time, two centuries was also more than enough time to bring about the complete destruction of empires.

  While I was thinking such deep thoughts, the rest of my werewolves gawked at the sights like a gaggle of tourists. All of them could easily run back to Meraldia in no time, so they didn’t feel like they were stranded in enemy territory. Their lack of wariness was both a good thing and a bad thing. And of course, Fahn was the one who seemed the most relaxed.

  “Veight, I wanted to try riding one of those fluffy bird things too.”

  Fahn gave me a disappointed look as she skillfully maneuvered her horse with her reins. I shook my head and said, “Terabirds are easy to maneuver, so they’re good for fighting in mountains and city streets, but they lack the stamina horses do.”

  “I see... Dang.”

  As always, Fahn had a soft spot for soft things. Incidentally, Fahn had just recently been promoted to the rank of Vice-Commander. Even when she’d been just a foot soldier, she’d been one of the biggest contributors to the werewolf squad. Which was why I’d had Master formally upgrade her rank to that of an officer before we’d left on this mission. Although it had felt kind of like nepotism, all of the other werewolves had endorsed the appointment as well. Hopefully Master will have a cool title for her by the time we return too. I looked Fahn in the eyes.

  “Just so you know, Fahn, I’m going to focus entirely on negotiations once we reach the capital.”

  “I know, that’s what you’re good at.”

  “I’ll be taking all of the human mages with me, so you’ll be left with just the werewolves.”

  Thanks to how bloodthirsty werewolves were, it was pretty dangerous to leave them to their own devices. The last thing I wanted was my men causing trouble. Fahn grinned and thumped her ample bosom.

  “Leave it to me! I’ll keep the Garney brothers out of trouble, stop Monza from randomly killing people, and make sure Jerrick doesn’t... actually, Jerrick’ll be fine. Anyway, don’t worry. I’ll take care of everyone.”

  Man, she’s become really reliable.

  “Thanks, Fahn. At this rate, I’ll be indebted to you for the rest of my life.”

  “Fufu, it’s the big sister’s job to take care of everyone, after all.”

  I really did end up relying on her a lot.

  After a few days, we finally arrived at the imperial capital of Schwerin. Schwerin was separated into two districts. There was the nobles’ district, which was protected by high, sturdy walls, and the outlying commoners’ district. The commoners’ district was protected by a flimsy wall, but since there were no monsters or thieves near the capital it didn’t really need much in the way of defenses. All potential enemies had been eliminated centuries ago.

  Schwerin’s population was estimated to be around 70,000. Thanks to its size, it also had a garrison of over 1,000. And that population count only took into consideration those who were nobles or freemen, not slaves. On the other hand, Ryunheit’s population didn’t even reach 10,000, and that was including the demon army troops stationed there. Even Meraldia’s largest city, Ioro Lange, only had a population of 20,000. There were plenty of rural cities that big in Rolmund.

  “This place is huge...” Kite muttered in awe. I nodded and said, “If it ever comes to all-out war, we won’t stand a chance.”

  Rolmund’s size and population were on a completely different level. However, Eleora’s adjutant Borsche smiled ruefully and shook his head.

  “It cost us a great deal of resources to send an expedition army to Meraldia. Knights mounted on terabirds can cross the mountains separating Rolmund and Meraldia easily enough, but it takes a lot of time and supplies to send light infantry over.”

  Borsche paused for a moment as he collected his memories.

  “For one thing, you have to pay for both their mountaineering equipment and their combat gear. That alone costs a fortune. It was for this reason that invading Meraldia was considered such a difficult mission.”

  Overhearing our conversation, Eleora joined in with a sad smile.

  “We had to start our march before the tunnel was completed, and I lost six men on the mountain crossing alone. A less well-trained unit would lose many times that number if they attempted to cross.”

  So even the princess’ elite unit which had received mountain training lost 5% of their forces on the crossing. That’s a pretty heavy casualty rate. We continued conversing as we passed through the capital’s magnificent inner gates and into the nobles’ district. If Meraldia’s technological level was somewhere in the early Middle Ages, then Rolmund’s would be somewhere in the late Middle Ages. Excluding the discovery of gunpowder, their technological progress had brought them to the cusp of industrialization.

  Once we entered the palace, I had my werewolves stay in the courtyard while Eleora and I picked out a few close attendants to take with us to the royal palace proper. As we left the courtyard, Parker whispered to me, “I was expecting something magnificent, but this exceeds even my expectations. It’s a far cry from the cities in Meraldia.�
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  While he wasn’t wrong, the truth irked me. I replied, “The original inhabitants of Meraldia, Master’s people, were wiped out, so the people living there now have only had a few centuries of time to build up a history. On the other hand, Rolmund has the benefit of having access to the knowledge it accumulated all the way from back when it was a republic. It’s only natural there’d be a difference.”

  Rolmund’s history hadn’t been interrupted by a complete annihilation of its roots and culture. Naturally, that led to a distinct difference between it and Meraldia. As we walked into the audience hall, we laid eyes on the symbolic crystallization of all that history and progress, the current emperor. Or rather, we planned to, but no one was sitting on the throne.

  However, there was a handsome young man standing beside the throne. He was a bit on the thin side, but he could have been a model back in Japan. For some reason, he pissed me off. His picture-perfect smile just made me want to punch his teeth out.

  “Welcome home, Eleora.”

  If he was being so casual with a princess, he was likely the first imperial prince. Meaning he was next in line for the throne. What was his name again?

  “He’s Prince Ashley,” Kite whispered into my ear. Thanks for the save, vice-commander. Eleora gave Ashley a curt bow and said, “Is His Majesty in poor health?”

  “Unfortunately so. My deepest apologies, but I will have to receive your report in his stead. Is that permissible?”

  It’s not like we had a choice. He was the crown prince. Eleora nodded and, after getting the formalities out of the way, gave her report. The report we’d fabricated for Rolmund was that Eleora had managed to bring the entirety of Meraldia under her control. We’d forged all of the necessary documents, but now we would find out if our lie would hold up. Prince Ashley turned toward me.

  “So you’re the leader of Meraldia. From what I’ve been told, your cooperation was an essential factor in Eleora’s success.”

  Of course that was all a lie. Regardless, I stepped forward and bowed reverently.