Chapter 61: 21

Volume 1: Chapter 021: Ulysses: I Might as well Just Say It

The Kingdom of Ruskia and the Imperial family had long been divided into two factions for a long time.

I’m not talking about the fight for the throne by the way, though that’s partly involved too. Simply put, there’s the ‘open-country’ faction vs the ‘close-country’ faction. In other words, people are open to the idea of accepting more immigrants and learning technologies from another country while the other faction wishes to close the country against all outsiders.

Sir Raymond’s faction belongs to the open-country faction. He wants to open the country, incorporate better technologies from outside and rethink the purpose of the army.

 

Conversely, First Prince Aldredo’s faction wants complete isolation. They want to restrict the influx of immigrants and not accept outsiders at all. Right now, the close-country faction happened to be the bigger faction.

The king, on the other hand, seems to be on the fence about the whole thing. However, from what I have seen, he appears to favour the close-country concept more.

Well, I can’t really blame the conservationists for being defensive.

 

Each time we accept immigrants, holes would be made in the Green Blessing, which could jeopardize this country’s special defence system.

Of course, these holes could be repaired quickly. However, there is no guarantee that there would be no spies among the immigrants. Moreover, it is true that locations with a high number of immigrants tended to be a bit more chaotic. This all contributes to a distrust against immigrants in general.

In which case, to ensure complete security, it is best to adopt a close-country policy.

“Honourable Uncle, you are not speaking from the sentimental position of not keeping the peace to ourselves and sharing our abundance with others, are you? You are questioning our ability to maintain this peace.”

“… that is so. Though I have no proof, it is true that the technological advancement of the East and North had made great strides due to the war. When I look at their latest weaponry, I had to wonder if the power of Vabilophos could continue to protect us. After all, I have no idea what the defence system is made of or how it works. Therefore, I see no evidence that the Green Blessing could hold up against technologically advanced weapons. Moreover, the Church refused to share any information at all.”

“As though they want us to have a ‘Just have faith and you will be protected’ kind of mentality.”

The people from the Church have noble characters and shunned luxury. [2] When questioned, they would answer politely but their mouths would not leak any information about the ‘Green Blessing’. One had to admire their collective ability to maintain secrets.

[1] In the end, they would answer everything with ‘It is the will of Vabilophos’.

 

To me, that sounded a lot like ‘You shouldn’t question the matter anymore’.

 

I am starting to have an inkling as to why my uncle had called me here.

 

“So, Honourable Uncle, what is it you want from me? Surely you didn’t just call me out for tea?”

“Hey, don’t say scary stuff like that. I really did call you in for a little tea…”

“… …” [2] I sigh at the silly face my uncle is pulling.

Sometimes, I really don’t understand this uncle of mine.

“Then, since Uncle would not speak his mind, I might as well say my piece first. I have no intention to become king. You are welcome to compete with Alfredo as you wish.”

As soon as the words left my lips, the first person to react was Isaac. He had been standing quietly behind me all this while but now he’s holding his head and fluttering all over the place saying ‘Your Highness, what!? Your Highness, why?!’ It was becoming a pain.

“Well, I’m sure this phrase of mine would cause a sensation. However, you should know that this is my honest thought.”

“Hohou, then what are your plans, Your Highness?”

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“… there are some people I wish to find. I prefer not to be weighed down by the responsibilities of taking care of a kingdom.”

“Oh, you’re looking for someone? You should just send out your vassals for that kind of thing.”

“Hmmm, in the first place, I do not believe they would be easy to locate. Or rather, I believe I should meet them when the time is right…? In short… well, it’s not something I fully understand either.”

The expression on my uncle’s face over the jumble of vague nonsense that spewed out of my mouth is quite funny. However, it would be too awkward to linger on this topic for long. Let’s change the subject.

“Anyway… to return to our previous conversation. I am of the same mind as uncle. Even so, advocating for an open-country policy could turn the people against us. The First Prince’s faction would definitely use that against us. Also… unless the people understood that the Green Blessing’s defences could not be maintained regardless of the policies we adopt, they will continue to resist the idea of letting immigrants in.”

“That is true, however, I’m afraid that when understanding finally dawned on them, it would be too late.”

“That is… correct,”

For example, if the enemy is to break past the continent’s Green Blessing defence system. It would mean total defeat for us [2] as we have no way of fighting them. In terms of numbers, training and quality of weapons, we are completely inferior to the other side.

“I don’t believe we need the support for now. Even so, support aside, we still need to look ahead and anticipate for the future. It’s politics after all… I’m not sure whether I am doing the right thing in any case.”

“Is that why my Honourable Uncle wishes to become king?”

“That’s right. At my current position, I cannot do much. Therefore, I have no choice but to become king.”

“… …”

Here is the one great difference between my uncle and my brother. One wants to ‘Become king to defend the country’ while the other person wants to ‘ Gain support for his desire to be king’.

I cannot decide which side has a better chance of winning. After all, you can only become king with the support of the people.

However, if some were to ask me if this country could be protected from the citizen’s desire to obtain peace at any price. The answer would be an obvious ‘NO’,

Based on this common sense, I would rather support my uncle.

That said, I have no intention of intervening in this struggle for the throne.

 

Therefore, I’m a little troubled.

Honourable Uncle surely appreciates my being open about my role in this War for the Throne. [2] I’m sure he is letting me know this in order to find out my position in the struggle.

In short, he wishes to find out if I am willing to join his faction or not.

 

[Gumihou: Nuuu, politics…]

 

[1] Filling in the ‘Unspoken’. Often, when it comes to Japanese novels, the translation might feel a bit lacking since the author deliberately chooses to use fewer words and let the reader fill in the blanks through a preset cultural understanding.

 

If the missing info looks too sparse, Gumi will fill in some of the blanks. This is not to imply that the writer’s craft is lacking, but we do have a cultural gap. Gumi will try to fill in these gaps unobtrusively.

[2] Adjust paragraphs, for aesthetic purpose. Also, considering the style of writing, author would inevitably repeat information. Gumi will at least adjust the delivery of the information so that it’s not verbatim to what had appeared before.

 

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