Joke
Owing to the fact that the banquet was held at sunset, I had the morning and afternoon to rest. After fending off Leah’s pursuit, I finally had a short moment of peace. However, before I could even finish a single cup of tea, Achilles came through the door. He softly chuckled when he saw me then sat down next to me. He placed down a bag; inside the bag were some snacks such as biscuits purchased from street vendors. He gave me a smile: “You must be happy now, right? It’s finally time for you to enjoy life in the imperial capital. Have a think; are there any places that you’d like to go see?”
“No, that’s not on my agenda yet. Two people have come to see me before I could even finish a cup of tea. I reckon there will be another person who comes to see me. You know, I don’t plan to stay in the imperial capital or stay with Queen Sisi, so it’s pointless for you people to come to me.”
“Oh? Other people have come to see you?” Achilles slightly raised an eyebrow then chuckled: “Let me guess, it was either Zero or the child from the army? Or was it Her Majesty’s messenger?’
“You’re right, but I won’t tell you who it was. Our discussion is my privacy, after all.”
I had a sip of tea then placed my cup back down. The strong alcohol Achilles ordered was served up. I didn’t understand why he drank alcohol first thing in the morning. He looked at me with his eyes narrowed and chuckled: “Is there no chance you can reveal the details?”
I replied, “It’s fine. What do you want to say? Just say it. Or did you plan to have a catch up with me? I don’t believe there’s anything for us to catch up on. I don’t think you’re here to catch up, are you?”
“Indeed, that is not what I am here for. I just have a feeling that Her Majesty wants to do something. After all, the money she obtained this time wasn’t stored in the bank. I suspect she plans to do something with the money. In addition, she has been recruiting guards as well as recalling the guards stationed in six different places back to the imperial palace. The guards stationed in the six different locations have not united in centuries. Also, they are managed by six officers. The point in doing that is to circumvent them from getting involved with politics. The drawback to the approach is that the guards are unable to accomplish anything major. They essentially exchange working in the capital for the chance to accomplish merits. Now that Queen Sisi has united them, she must be using her strongest force to do something. I surmise her next target will be the military.”
“Isn’t the military loyal to her? Why would she want to eliminate them? They aren’t the chapel. If something happens, they’ll become insurgents. The consequences of a military revolt are significantly more serious than a chapel’s revolt. If it’s not dealt with appropriately, it’ll be the downfall of this kingdom.”
When I added what Achilles just said to what the young man said, I had a rough idea as to what exactly happened. My conclusion was Queen Sisi should’ve been the one to suggest attacking the elves. Nevertheless, the military didn’t plan to fight the war. In the military’s opinion, they deemed unwise and difficult to win. The military was right; unfortunately, Queen Sisi was under the impression that the military was not obeying orders. So accordingly, she planned to form an army subservient to only her. As such, the guards, who never had any accomplishments to their name, gained more influence than even the military in the imperial capital.
If the guards were to revolt, there wouldn’t be anyone who could stop them. They could even take it as far as forcing every monarch that came after to seek their approval if they wanted the throne. That meant a large sum of money was required. It was simple to put together but very hard to split. Queen Sisi had a nice image in her mind. I doubt it ever crossed her mind the guards could seize control over her rule. If I were to venture a guess, she must’ve believed that she could already perfectly control everyone. She was abandoning even the military.
Queen Sisi’s outgrew her capabilities. If her next target was the military, then next in line would be businesses. I didn’t know why she hadn’t laid her hands on us, but if I had to guess, I suppose it was because Veirya and Angelina swore loyalty. I assume she somewhat feared me, too. I never agreed to help her or serve her kingdom. I didn’t think she’ll come for us.
“Therefore, I think you can understand how nervous I am at the moment. After all, if she is trying to eliminate even the military, would we not be after them? Queen Sisi wants to hold all the power in her hands; she wants control over the military and religion, so I would say that she wants to take money from us next. Furthermore, when it’s our turn, we’ll have to face a Queen who controls both the military and people’s beliefs. When she wields that much power, I would have no chance of opposing her. That is why I need to make plans before it comes to that.”
“What? You plan to revolt? I’d suggest you rethink that. You’re a businessman; what are you going to revolt with? Rebelling against Queen Sisi now would, unquestionably, be the stupidest thing you could possibly do. She’s now at her peak, and you choose to oppose her now?”
“Oh, no, no, opposing Queen Sisi is unwise. That said, we can advise her. I’m certain she wants to do something to her neighbours next. She might target the elves or maybe the dwarves. In fact, it might even be us. Regardless of who it is, once she succeeds with her next step, her ego will grow even more, and it’ll be too late to steer the course of things anywhere else. We have to stop her no matter what. At the very least, we need to prevent her from assembling the guards.”
“Do you think we could do that?” I placed my cup down after another sip: “I’m going to be returning straight to the North soon; I’m not staying here. Plus, your Queen’s affairs have no impact on my gains or losses. Why do I have to risk my life to protect a Queen who has nothing to do with me? I’m not her subject. If I now go and tell her something that she’d be unhappy to hear, I’d be the one who suffers. I know what you mean; the both of you want me to go and tell Queen Sisi to stop, right? All of you are telling me to go, because you’re cowards. Why do I have to shield you from bullets?”
“No, no, that is not what we mean. The key is that Her Majesty only listens to you now. After all, you are the only one she wants, yet could not have. I’m sure she is interested in you now. She’s been sick of us for a while now. She only ever likes that which she is interested in. Right now, she’s interested in you. That’s why Queen Sisi will only consider what you say.”
“Cut the jokes out.”
I vigorously stood up. I picked up the glass of alcohol in front of Achilles and knocked it back in one shot, which was basically my way of telling him to get lost. I shouldn’t have acted tough, because the alcohol numbed half of my body on the spot. I almost puked from it. I began to violently cough. Achilles stood up and looked at me feeling surprised. He didn’t seem to quite understand what I was implying…
I panted for air. Then, I picked up my cup of tea for a drink before saying, “What I was trying to say was, get out. I don’t plan to help you. In regards to Queen Sisi’s business, I have my own considerations. If I tell that to her face, you lot will definitely betray me. If you don’t want to speak up, I won’t, either. If you’re still loyal to Queen Sisi in any capacity, it’s best you go and tell her yourself. She’s right; she’s not someone who lets what you say fall on deaf ears. She may be arrogant, but she’s still rational.”
“I was afraid you have yet to see the current Queen. You will understand what I mean when you see her at sunset. I understand you are not very loyal to Her Majesty; still, you must understand that if this empire is in danger, then it will definitely affect the North. It is useless to run elsewhere. As you said, at current, Queen Sisi is akin to the sun at its peak in the sky. What would be affected if a Queen at the apex was make an error? I am sure you can imagine the consequences.”
“I told you, I’ll resolve it with my own means. But nonetheless, what I need to do is for myself, alone. I won’t protect you, are we clear?”
“I hope your gains align with ours… How do I put it? Okay… Your thinking… uh, we are never able to tell what you are thinking,” Achilles stood up with a helpless smile: “That sort of isolation policy is not a good thing. You have arrived at the imperial capital and demonstrated your abilities to everyone. Do you think you can still isolate yourself? Your attitude and abilities will allow you to rule over a region, which is why you will take action for greater gains. Why not be upfront? Instead of letting the strong pull you into the mix to change the world, how about destroying the seeds that will destroy the world before it can do so?”
“There are only two things I care about: Veirya and Leah. If you truly want me to do something for this empire, it’s simple. Crown one of them; then, I’ll definitely earnestly protect this world, understood? It’s very simple.”
I was partially jesting. Achilles went to the door then turned his head around to seriously say, “I believe you are aware of the saying: do not thoughtlessly make jokes, especially when it concerns your life and mine. As you have mentioned that you would agree to get involved if Veirya or Leah were to be crowned, let us do that.”
“What sort of joke is that?!!!”
“I am serious.”
“But I’m joking!!!!!”
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