Chapter 447 - Episode 430: Joint Struggle Established
The northern district of the capital of the Republic of Betumia. An area lined with government agency buildings and the residences of important figures. In a corner of this district, at the main estate of the Foster family, a small commotion occurred during the night.
The time was late at night, long past the hour of dinner. Irene, who had succeeded her deceased parents as the master of this estate, had returned home early for the first time in a while, eaten a leisurely dinner, and was spending her free time.
In the midst of this, hurried footsteps approached her private room, and there was a loud knock at the door.
"Irene-sama, excuse me."
"Come in... what is it, to be in such a rush?"
Seeing the slightly panicked expression of the Foster family private soldier serving as the estate's security, Irene asked suspiciously.
"T-that is, a person claiming to be a friend of Irene-sama has arrived for a visit."
"A friend?"
"Yes. A person named Joseph, who claims to have been a friend of Irene-sama during your time at the military academy. He says he is visiting temporarily while returning home from a distant place of migration... and that you would understand if he were told to say so."
Hearing this, Irene's expression did not change, but internally she felt a strong sense of joy.
Joseph, a friend from the military academy who now lived in a distant country. That was the title she had requested be used by the messenger delivering the reply to the information she had sent to the Kingdom of Rhodeberg using her younger brother and uncle.
The fact that someone claiming this had come to the estate meant that Norman and George had safely reached the Kingdom of Rhodeberg and had been able to convey the information regarding the current Betumia government's re-invasion plan and Irene's coup plan.
"I see. He is indeed a friend, without a doubt. Guide him to the drawing room... no, I shall greet him myself."
Irene stood up and headed toward the entrance with the security guard who had come to report.
Standing there was a man she was meeting for the first time, though he had come under the guise of being an old friend of Irene's. He appeared to be in his early forties, the same age as Irene. Perhaps because of the setting that he was a graduate of the military academy, he was dressed neatly. Looking at his demeanor, it was clear he was a person of considerable standing in the Kingdom of Rhodeberg, likely a holder of a peerage.
"Joseph, you've come. I'm glad to see you're doing well."
"Ah, Irene. How nostalgic. I'm glad to see you're doing well too."
The two behaved as if they were old acquaintances. They exchanged handshakes with smiles and patted each other on the shoulder.
"Hahaha, patting each other on the shoulder like this reminds me of our military academy days. You were terrible at riding, and I had to teach you many times."
"And you were poor at history. How many times did I accompany you in your cramming for exams..."
Confirming his response, Irene became certain that he was the messenger from the Kingdom of Rhodeberg.
Teaching each other riding and history. Those fabricated memories were the password for confirmation.
"Now, quickly lower your guard. It would be rude to a guest."
Then, Irene spoke to the security guards surrounding the messenger calling himself Joseph. At the entrance, Joseph had been surrounded by as many as four guards.
"Yes! My apologies. Since he was a nighttime visitor, I thought we should be cautious... I offer my sincerest apologies to the guest as well."
"Please don't mind it. I have heard of her current position. I was also in the wrong for visiting so suddenly late at night."
The soldier who had come to call Irene, the person responsible for nighttime security, uttered words of apology while giving a proper salute. The messenger calling himself Joseph graciously forgave him.
The security of the Foster estate was strict. This was influenced by the fact that Irene, on the surface, had acted as a loyal dog of the Wealthy Nation Faction, performing tasks such as suppressing riots by the commoner class.
Although things had calmed down now that the Wealthy Nation Faction's manipulation of public opinion had succeeded, in the past when opposition to the Wealthy Nation Faction was great, stones and the carcasses of small animals had been thrown into the estate grounds. Trespassers had occurred more than once or twice.
The treatment of the messenger calling himself Joseph was, for the Foster family, as polite as possible. This too was precisely because he claimed to be a friend of Irene.
"Now Joseph, please come in. It is late, but if you aren't too tired, let us talk a bit. To the drawing room for now. In the meantime, I will have the guest room prepared."
"Understood. Then, I shall do so."
Invited by Irene, the messenger stepped inside the estate.
...
"...Now, finally I can greet you in my true capacity."
After letting the messenger calling himself Joseph into the drawing room and the maid had brought in drinks and exited. Irene, having the aides who knew of the coup plan guard the inside of the drawing room and the outside of the door, sat heavily on the sofa and looked toward the messenger.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Baron Vigo Bloom, a noble of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg. I serve the Rhodeberg Royal Family directly and am primarily in charge of foreign affairs... First, as proof of my position and to show the Kingdom's demands, please take this."
The messenger—Baron Bloom—showed a serious expression, a complete change from the old friend he had been playing until a moment ago, and took out a letter rolled into a scroll.
The sealing wax applied to the letter was undoubtedly that of the Rhodeberg Royal Family, which Irene had seen before. After confirming that this was indeed prepared by the Royal Family, Irene broke the seal and opened the letter.
She scanned the contents and looked up at Baron Bloom.
"I see. I understand that your identity is authentic. And the will of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg as well... Will your country accept this proposal?"
"Yes. For our country as well, there is a great grudge against the Republic of Betumia—the current Betumia government and its military. Even if we are to restore diplomatic relations with your country, where a regime change has occurred, there are many who wish to achieve revenge against the old regime first. In the first place, since the re-invasion of Betumia is a decided matter, accepting General Foster's proposal is the only and greatest option for our country to obtain the maximum benefit. His Majesty the King has judged it as such."
The eyes of Baron Bloom, who had answered with a gentle expression, became sharp at that point.
"However, regarding the return of prisoners of war and the restoration of diplomatic relations after the war, we ask that you accept our country's demands as written in the personal letter. This is absolute, and there is no room for negotiation."
Told this by the Baron, Irene dropped her gaze to the letter again.
The return of the Rhodeberg Kingdom citizens enslaved and taken to the Republic of Betumia, said to be twenty or thirty thousand people. This included second-generation slaves born in the Republic of Betumia after being taken.
And reparations in the form of currency, or gold and silver, equivalent to 24 billion Rebro.
This was an amount roughly equal to three years of the Rhodeberg Royal Family's estimated annual revenue. Perhaps because the other side would also be troubled by receiving such an amount all at once, they specified installment payments over five years.
Even so, from the perspective of the Rhodeberg Royal Family, the budget they could use per year would increase by more than fifty percent. The reconstruction of the southern part of the Kingdom, including the damage from the previous invasion, support for the livelihood reconstruction of the returned citizens, and the improvement of ports and further strengthening of defense capabilities in anticipation of restoring diplomatic relations with the Republic of Betumia. They would be able to pour as much money as they wanted into each field.
"...Very well. I must discuss and decide this with the Nationalists members of parliament who will take power after the regime change, but under these conditions, it should be fully acceptable. Within one week, I shall prepare a formal reply stating that your country's demands are accepted in full. In the joint names of the representative of the Nationalist members of parliament, who will become the Prime Minister after the regime change, and myself."
"I am grateful, Excellency. I believe my lord will also be pleased."
Irene tilted her glass of distilled spirits with floating ice and offered some to Baron Bloom. Having finished discussing the main topic, Baron Bloom took a sip of the spirits with a relieved expression.
"...By the way, you will be returning to the Kingdom of Rhodeberg to deliver this reply, yes?"
"Yes. Since it is currently March... I intend to return to Lichthagen, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Rhodeberg, by May and deliver the reply to my lord."
Having the topic brought up, Baron Bloom answered while setting down his glass.
"I see. What route will you take for the return journey?"
"First, I plan to pay to accompany a Delar slave transport ship to the Republic of Polar. From there, I intend to accompany some merchant ship, passing through the Kingdom of Halmar and the Kingdom of Bendam to return."
The Delar people mentioned by Baron Bloom were people of a region located to the east of the Republic of Betumia. The Republic of Polar and the Kingdom of Halmar were island nations located to the southeast of the Adleon continent where the Kingdom of Rhodeberg was situated. The Kingdom of Bendam was the name of a small country on the eastern side of the Pallas Empire.
The Delar people possessed ocean-going navigation technology to some extent, but from the perspective of the Republic of Betumia, it was somewhat immature and precarious. Also, the reason for passing through both the Republic of Polar and the Kingdom of Halmar was likely because the Delar and the Kingdom of Halmar were on bad terms, and there were no ships directly connecting the two.
"That route will take time, and the probability of returning safely would be whether it's ninety percent or not. Among the merchant ships owned by the Nationalist members of parliament of the Republic of Betumia, there are voyages that go directly to the Kingdom of Halmar. I will pull some strings so that you can board one. You should be able to return safely ninety-nine percent of the time, and if it's fast, you should be able to reach the Kingdom of Rhodeberg within April."
"That is... a story beyond my hopes. I thank you for your kindness."
"Don't mind it. For our part, it would be troublesome if you didn't return alive to deliver the reply."
Irene answered the joy-stricken Baron Bloom in that manner.
Ten days later. Baron Bloom, having received the letter in the joint names of Irene and the representative of the Nationalist members of parliament, set out on the return journey arranged by Irene.
With the reply delivered by Baron Bloom's letter, the joint struggle between the Kingdom of Rhodeberg and the Nationalists of the Republic of Betumia was formally established.