Vieille's smile had changed to an emotionless, emotionless expression. I felt a shiver down my back at the sight of him, and tried to keep my composure.
"Your old man ...... no, burying the Pope from this world, that's not calm. What happened to him?"
"This is something we have decided to do for a long time. We have not been able to put it into action, but now we finally have the opportunity ...... to do so, that's all."
"Well, may I ask you for details?"
She let out a sigh and smiled again. Unlike before, her smile was friendly. It was so charming that if I was not careful, I could almost forgive her. As if she could see right through me, she spoke to me in a gentle voice.
My grandfather, Juvencel Thane, has driven out or killed those whom he did not agree with. It is no exaggeration to say that today the Christian nation of the Crimianas, and by extension the Crimianas, are ruled by my grandfather's prejudices and his own. Grandfather is old, but his body is strong and he will live on and on. And if that is the case, more and more people will be unhappy because of him. But now, the Church of the Crimianas has issued a papal decree to the whole world to defeat the nations that oppose the Way of Heaven. I have decided to take this opportunity to raise my army and avenge my grandfather, Juvencel Théin."
"Wait a minute. A papal decree? When was such an order issued?"
Two days ago, sir.
"Two days? You're getting this information pretty fast, aren't you?"
Yes. Ostensibly, I have acted as if I were loyal to the Church. Therefore, the Papal Decree was already in my ears before it was issued. In fact, I have been dodging and dodging many orders until today.
When she says this, she puts her right hand over her mouth and smiles prettily.
"The Pope's order should be <>. The nations that are against the Way of Heaven are the ones who participated in the conference held in Hradime earlier. Among those countries, the one that should be given the highest priority is ......."
"So it's us, Agartha?"
"Yes, sir."
She took a small folded handkerchief-like cloth from her pocket. She then spreads it out on the floor. Surprisingly, it was quite large and had a map of the world centering on Agartha.
"The center of the strike force will be the Kingdom of Thana. The king, Lord Viru, is so skilled in warfare that he has been given the title of god of war. In addition, he himself is an unparalleled lover of war. He will probably march southward with his entire army.
"So you are going to attack Sandanj, where Mr. Nike is?"
I see your point. They will also swallow the neighboring Hradime Kingdom and use its momentum to invade Agartha. The number of their soldiers will probably number in the hundreds of thousands, since they will be joined by soldiers from the nations on the side of the Church.
"...... So?"
"Probably, Mr. Wille will be the first to go to Agartha's Garbee. If it falls, the Lamaron Empire will fall, and then Agartha and the Heedata Empire will be at each other's throats. After the fall of this place, we will divide our forces into two, with one army holding back Heedata and the main army led by Lord Viru going up the Irbezi River to attack Agartha.
"...... I see. So, Vieille, what about you?"
"I think that this battle will be crucial whether Garvey will fall or not. Therefore, I will take the Krefalais nation and 40,000 of my followers to the west side of Agartha, that is, down the Himkiss Sea, and strike at the rear of the army of Thana that is heading for Garbee. We ask that the King of Agartha not attack us by mistake as we sail through the Himkiss Sea, and that he also notify the neighboring countries of this, and hopefully allow us to anchor in the port of Rawang in the Principality of Niza, where we will be supported with water and food."
After saying all that, Vieille exhaled with a puff of air and looked at me. Her face was full of confidence, as if to say that there was nothing wrong with her prediction. I looked at her and slowly opened my mouth.
"First of all, I would say that the strategy you just described is, at this point, the right one. But do you really think the enemy will go along with it?
My words came as a surprise to her, and she looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face.
What do you mean?
"Your plan is, as they say, without color or scent. The king of Tana is a maniac. If he's such a pervert, he'll come up with something more original.
"They want to do things that other people can't think of," he said. ......Vieille, I understand what you're saying. I will grant your wish as much as I can. But wait a minute before you go ahead with the plan we just discussed. I am sure that Tana's army will attack Sandanj where Nike is, but we will have to wait and see how they will attack ....... Depending on that, your wish may not be granted.
"Perhaps things will go as I have just said. ......"
Yeah, that would be a big deal.
She smiled coldly and opened her mouth as if to provoke me, as if she was annoyed by my words.
"Then, would you like to make a bet with me?
"A bet?"
I have absolute confidence in my own predictions. If everything goes as I predict, I will ask for free food aid for the next ten years for the country I am building.
"Well, what if you're wrong?"
"...... I will give you my manipulation. You may treat it however you like. I am proud to say that I am of considerable value as a woman.
I burst out laughing when I heard those words.
"Ha ha ha! You're talking to me in anticipation of my refusal, aren't you? No, you don't have to say it. You've become a terrible woman. You know I live with five wives, and you know I don't want any more. Well, that's not far off the mark. I'm not interested in you at the moment, even though you're my daughter. You know, if you spend the night with me, you're gonna get yourself into a lot of trouble. I've been getting a huge porno boost from the other day. I don't know if you can tell, but it's been nonstop until the morning. It's killing me, you know? If you think I'm lying, ask Soleil."
"Linos."
"Just kidding, Rico. But it was true, wasn't it? Well, that's the thing, I see, Vieille. I see what you're trying to do. Your real goal was to use this world-wide war to build your own country, wasn't it? To do that, you're trying to use me ...... something like that?"
"I'm sorry, sir. Agartha, Heedata, and Niza are now world-famous granaries. If we can connect with the king of Agartha, we will no longer have to worry about food, and we will also have access to technology that can dramatically increase crop yields and medical technology that is said to be the most advanced in the world. I am ready to offer this operation whenever the King of Agartha asks for it, even if my prediction comes true. And this country is worth it.
Apparently, she is telling the truth. The atmosphere is completely different from before. I listen to her story with a smile on my face, but then she interrupts me and quickly raises her right hand.
"I'm afraid you're not going to guess right," she says. If King Tana is as perverted as I am, he won't take such a straightforward approach. He'll come up with a plan to surprise people. Well, I'd have to go to ......."
"Linos, Linos."
Next to me, Rico is talking to me in a small voice.
"Yes, Rico?"
"You've got a bad look on your face."
I was warned with a slightly furrowed brow. I couldn't help but laugh.
"As always, I envy your friendship.
Vieille is opening her mouth with a smile. Rico looks away from me, blushing a little, and then looks at her again. Seeing this, I look at her again.
"Vieille...... first of all, thank you for coming. There will be many times in the future when I will need your help. I look forward to working with you.