Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master-Chapter 157

157. A Holiday in Bardenheim (4)

Arad had only been in Bardenheim for a few hours, yet he was already astonished.

How had people like this managed to form an alliance, gather their strength, and resist the Empire?

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"Falling for it again? Again? How do you expect to lead a city and serve as chairman with such a poor ability to learn? Why don’t you just hand both positions over to me?"

Altair Phibes, the Prime Minister of Feze and the head of Phibes Trading Company, seemed to have been born to antagonize Damian White. He was effortlessly rude, as if it were second nature.

"War! This is war! The White family declares war on the Phibes clan! From this moment, an assassination war between White and Phibes begins!"

In the end, Damian completely lost his grip on reason and declared war on the Merchant King, Altair.

To be honest, Arad could somewhat understand Damian’s feelings.

That was why he wasn’t entirely inclined to take the Feze Prime Minister’s side.

Although Damian’s reaction was unrestrained and extreme, Arad knew that if he had been in the same position, he would have been absolutely furious too.

"Citizens of Bardenheim loyal to the White family! And ambassadors of the United Kingdom who support me, Damian White! Lend me your strength!"

"War? Are you out of your mind? This is the Renslet consulate, you idiot!"

Altair Phibes, suddenly caught up in an assassination war, replied with an exasperated look.

"Ah!"

Realizing his mistake, Damian quickly composed himself and bowed respectfully toward Arad.

"Chairman Jin, I apologize for showing you such an embarrassing display. And I also apologize for the disgraceful security of this city. I! I! Will end this assassination war within a week!"

Rumble—!

At his words, those loyal to Damian rushed outside to begin the assassination war.

"Fine! Let’s fight this out once and for all! Men!"

"Yes!"

Realizing that the war declaration was serious, Phibes also shot up from his seat and ordered his subordinates to prepare for battle.

"Chairman Jin, I, too, apologize for this disgraceful display. I will resolve everything quickly and meet you again under better circumstances."

Like Damian, he did not forget to bow respectfully to Arad.

And was this the trigger?

"Our Gargant will support Phibes. But only if you reduce the debt we owe to the Feze Bank."

"Then Aurelia will side with the White family! For no other reason than because that damned frog, Gargant, sided with the Merchant King!"

"Sentra remains neutral."

"Scania, too. We’re already struggling with an assassination war against the Ataraxia lot."

"Ha! These island pirates are just using us as an excuse. You’re only staying out of it because you’re too busy with your own prince’s assassination war!"

"What?! Did you Ataraxia bastards just insult our sacred island? That’s it—war!"

"Good! We’ll drive all you island pirates out of this city!"

Another assassination war, one that had long been brewing, exploded in an instant.

Unlike the previous smaller skirmishes, this was a full-scale conflict between major kingdoms.

"Let’s go! War!"

"It’s an assassination war! Charge!"

With that, everyone in the embassy—except for Renslet—rushed outside all at once.

Clang! Clang!

Thud! Smack!

The sounds of battle had already erupted across the harbor.

Despite being called an assassination war, it seemed more like a full-scale war.

The amusing part was that while shouts and the clash of cold steel echoed through the city, daily life continued peacefully in other areas.

"Again?"

"It’s been quiet for a while."

"This time, the scale seems bigger."

"Still, there won’t be any fighting on the Renslet side."

The citizens working at the harbor, seemingly used to this, simply moved out of the way while continuing their work.

Unloading goods from Renslet and loading shipments bound for Renslet never stopped.

"Hey, hey! That’s not how you fight properly!"

"Tsk, tsk. The southerners are quick on their feet, but they lack power."

"Not enough spirit! You need more spirit!"

The Renslet workers at the harbor watched the assassination war unfold as if it were entertainment, all while holding beer and snacks in their hands.

It was all surreal yet oddly peaceful.

"See? This is why I didn’t bother telling you about it."

As Arad stared blankly out the window at the assassination war unfolding in the city, Gard Stone spoke up.

"Ah… I understand now. You made the right call."

Arad decided to respect Gard’s judgment.

"Damian White, the mayor of Bardenheim, seems somewhat lacking in capability."

Gard took the opportunity to summarize his observations about the city so far.

"Which is precisely why he became the city’s mayor and the chairman of the United Kingdom."

Arad nodded at Gard’s assessment.

The United Kingdom was like the European Union on Earth.

The chairman of the United Kingdom was akin to the UN Secretary-General.

The position held little real power—its main function was simply to mediate disputes.

"But for a city mayor to be so incapable of maintaining order in his own city… this is too much."

"He must feel helpless. This city is filled with high-ranking nobles from various kingdoms, so the higher he reaches, the less authority he actually holds."

Sigh…

Arad shook his head and sighed.

"If I want to enjoy my honeymoon, I need to put an end to this assassination war first."

"Why not just wait until a winner emerges?"

"That would take too long. The city would be too damaged for us to enjoy our trip properly."

"That’s true, but…"

"More importantly, if the United Kingdom is already this divided, it’s only benefiting the Empire."

"Do you have a good solution?"

Gard Stone’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Isn’t this all happening because the external threat is gone?"

Arad wrapped one arm around Arina’s shoulder as he spoke.

"Hmph!"

Perhaps enjoying the sudden gesture, Arina—still in her Mary disguise—let out a small chuckle and snuggled deeper into his embrace.

"Ahem!"

Seeing this, Gard cleared his throat and quickly looked away.

For the record, Gard was aware of Mary’s true identity. However, since there were still many in the room who didn’t know, he pretended otherwise.

"There’s a magic communication device in the embassy, correct? I’d like to use it."

"Yes, right this way."

Gard respectfully guided Arad and Arina, who was still in her Mary mode.

Balzac, disguised as Sir Dominic, along with high-ranking knights, followed closely behind as their escorts.

***

Western Empire.

The noble city of Ascai.

Entir stared at the magic communication device with a blank expression.

[Hurry up and bring me back! I don’t want to stay in this freezing place any longer!]

Inside the crystal orb, the face of a woman appeared—a beauty so captivating that any man would naturally be drawn to her.

Even through the communication device, her eyes and voice exuded an irresistible allure.

[Do you have any idea how harshly these northerners are looking at me?!]

Despite her desperate complaints, Entir’s heart remained cold.

Right now, he was the leader of the Empire’s noble assembly and its greatest merchant. He had to maintain a business-like approach with the woman in the crystal.

[There’s no reason for me to be here anymore! The northern sorcerer isn’t even interested in me! He’s completely useless as a man!]

"Are you sure he has no interest?"

[How many times do I have to tell you?! Do you even know how humiliated I was? On top of that, he was terrifying and dangerous!]

"Hmm…"

[So please, please get me out of here! I must have paid off almost all my debt by now, right?]

"……."

It seemed the operation, which had been carried out with the implicit approval of Arina Rune Renslet, had ultimately failed.

“Arad, that man sure has a firm taste.”

They had assumed that as long as the target’s wife approved, everything would go smoothly.

But the problem was—the target himself had rejected the plan outright.

"Should I try again with a pure and innocent type? Maybe a Renslet woman this time?"

Entir briefly considered trying with a different woman.

A merchant was a businessman, and businessmen often had the spirit of a gambler.

Arad had given a serious warning, and the risks were high—but the rewards, if successful, were enormous.

Thump!

Entir’s heart, which had been cold and indifferent, suddenly beat with anticipation.

“No, no… I have a bad feeling about this.”

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

“That warning from Arad… It wasn’t just a simple warning.”

No matter how he thought about it, Arad’s warning through Sharon still lingered in his mind.

Arad had drawn a firm line—he had no intention of adding any other woman besides Arina and Mary.

If Entir crossed that line… he had a feeling things would turn very, very bad.

His instincts screamed at him to stop.

"What is Chairman Jin up to these days?"

[I don’t know! I haven’t seen even a glimpse of him at the High Tower for almost a month!]

"……?"

Entir frowned at Sharon’s response.

"Arad isn’t in the High Tower?"

What were his informants doing?

How had they failed to report something as simple as Arad’s whereabouts?

It seemed he would need to purge and replace them soon.

[If he’s not showing up, then he’s not there! Or he’s busy making something again, somewhere.]

"Tsk."

Entir clicked his tongue.

If Arad wasn’t in the High Tower, then there was only one other place he could be.

That place.

A territory so exclusive that even Entir himself couldn’t enter—one that only authorized Renslet citizens could access.

Moments like these reminded him that, at the end of the day, he and Renslet were still separate entities.

"Prepare to leave. I’ll take you back on the next trade trip."

[Really?! You promise?]

"You’ll repay the remaining debt in Ascai."

[Fine! As long as I don’t have to stay in the north anymore!]

Click.

With that, the magic communication between Entir and the Imperial actress Sharon came to an end.

"Hmmm…"

Entir let out a long breath and turned his gaze toward the imperial map.

"Should I be satisfied with just this?"

The map he was staring at was a chaotic mix of three colors.

Yellow, symbolizing the imperial family, covered about 50%.

Gray, representing neutrality, took up 10%.

And blue, the color of the noble assembly, occupied the remaining 40%.

"Being a legitimate imperial descendant has its perks. Even after all that turmoil, half the Empire is still loyal. Well, that includes the church’s influence, too."

Knock, knock, knock.

As he studied the map, there was a knock on the door.

"Chairman, an urgent report from Bardenheim."

Following the knock, his secretary’s voice carried a sense of urgency.

"Come in."

An urgent report? Entir tilted his head slightly and gestured for them to enter.

"He’s in Bardenheim—"

"?!"

The office door opened, and the secretary whispered something into Entir’s ear.

"Arad is in Bardenheim?"

Entir’s brows furrowed at the news.

"Understood. You may leave."

"Yes, sir."

Though he was quite surprised internally, he remained calm and composed outwardly, responding as if it were nothing of significance.

"Hmm…"

Left alone in his office, Entir stared at the magic communication device.

He was well aware that Renslet had broken through the Frozen Sea and expanded into Bardenheim. It was no secret—everyone on the continent knew.

Should I contact him first?

His magic communication device had a direct link to the Renslet embassy in Bardenheim.

Buzz—

Just as he was contemplating, the device suddenly lit up.

"!!"

It was an incoming call from Bardenheim.

Taking a deep breath, Entir activated the communication device.

[Chairman Bishop, it’s been a while. It seems I’ve caught you at your desk.]

"Ah! Chairman Jin, have you been well?"

Arad’s face appeared in the crystal orb.

Entir also caught a glimpse of his secretary, Mary, standing nearby.

"What’s this guy doing there instead of staying with the Empress? And yet, he won’t even look at other women? What’s his deal?"

Suppressing his inner grumbles, Entir casually asked,

"So, Chairman Jin, are you currently in Bardenheim?"

He had just received the report from his secretary, but he pretended to be completely unaware.

[That’s right. I’m in Bardenheim now.]

"Ah… I see."

He was dying to interrogate Arad about why he was there and what his purpose was, but he held back.

After the Sharon incident, Entir was already on thin ice with Arad. He needed to tread carefully.

The man before him was far more dangerous than the Emperor of the Empire.

"Since you contacted me first, I assume there’s something you need from me?"

Instead, he asked the question Arad would want to hear.

[Correct.]

Arad nodded in satisfaction.

[You’re aware that there’s an assassination war happening in Bardenheim right now, correct?]

"Yes, I know well."

[We need to put an end to it.]

"…Excuse me?"

[Chairman Bishop, I need you to use your influence in the noble assembly to make that happen.]

"You want… me? To do that? H—how, exactly?"

Originally, Entir was about to say "Why?" but, using superhuman willpower, he bit his tongue and quickly changed the word.