The Southern Empire has no gold mines.
There are no rare resources either, and if one were to ask if it possessed an abundance of other supplies, the answer would be ambiguous at best.
The South is a region composed mainly of deserts.
Since they couldn't compete with resources, the entertainment industry flourished there, and the prevailing setting was that most mysterious and unique things were located in the South.
One might say it feels like Las Vegas.
Furthermore.
"There were many heterogeneous species in the West and the South, too."
Even the heterogeneous species, which were rarely seen elsewhere, appeared here from time to time.
Well, most of them were beastkin, and even those were in such small numbers that calling them "many" was, in fact, an exaggeration.
'Why are there so few? The Empire doesn't particularly persecute them, nor have they ever been enslaved.'
The Empire did not actively operate a slave system. In fact, due to the recent reforms in the education system, even the existing slaves were disappearing.
'But all the executioners are heterogeneous species...'
Does that mean the rest of them are gathered in the West? Towards Maserin?
What on earth does that have to do with the story?
There was one worst-case scenario that crossed my mind, but I decided not to think too deeply about it, thinking, There’s no way they’d go that far.
The core of the issue was not that.
Kugugugung!
A golden statue, sliced diagonally, plummeted to the floor with a thud.
A symbol of faith in a place completely unrelated to religion?
And a statue of Romper, which could be called the symbol of the Holy Nation?
The meaning behind this was crystal clear.
"So, they were taking money from the Holy Nation."
Why would the Holy Nation support the Southern Empire? This wasn't even a question that needed deep thought.
'It must be because the Empire has no designated state religion.'
The Empire did not persecute any specific religion. As long as you practiced your religion quietly and didn't overstep your bounds, they left you alone.
I remember that line was usually well-guarded, but that golden statue had crossed the line—and by quite a bit.
There wasn't even a statue of the great Prophet present, yet a symbol of a foreign religious order was standing prominently in the South.
'They said the reinforcements from the North brought a few parishes to proselytize, so they were already at work in the South.'
The clergymen of the Romper Order were sent to dispel suspicions of the North’s involvement in treason. They had moves to start proselytizing from the North. Of course, I stopped them by saying I would kill anyone who tried, but since they were the ones who needed to clear their names, I wondered where their audacity came from.
"So that’s why. It was already going well in a place where they had a foothold."
Why didn’t the South report this? The answer was simple. They had taken too much money.
"Haa, haa, haa, Your, Your Highness the Crown Prince...!"
After the golden statue was smashed in two, the Lord of the region came running, his face flush and his body plump with excess weight.
The flashy ornaments he wore were one thing, but to think he would welcome me in such a disheveled, unrefined state—even if he knew nothing of etiquette—truly showed how rotten the South had become.
"Haa... sobs... haa... fuuu...."
He was struggling just to breathe from the haste.
"It seems you’ve been busy selling out your country."
As soon as I threw that line out, he stammered, "I-I-I, there is no such truth! Your Highness! I have sworn loyalty to the Empire!"
"Duke Odric, then what is this golden statue? Did you not take money from the Holy Nation?"
"Th-that is! The Holy Nation sent it as a gift... I was truly at a loss as to what to do. But since Your Highness has cleared it away, it is an honor to my family..."
The excuses spilled out immediately. Had he heard the news from the North, the East, and the Central region? Duke Odric, who managed the South, was trembling uncontrollably.
No matter how much money or power one has, his attitude showed that he knew better than anyone that everything ends once you die. He was a familiar sight.
And as soon as that thought crossed my mind, Theo stepped forward from behind me, quietly making his presence known to provide his opinion.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I hope you will forgive me for saying this, but is it worth wasting your valuable time dealing with a person like this? May I handle this matter instead?"
"You want to do it?"
"Yes. Your Highness is the small sun of this Empire. Why should you go out of your way to deal with a mere Duke, or find out his connections to the Holy Nation? Leave such menial tasks to me, your number one servant."
"...."
A boy who values his life more than anyone else. I nodded at the words of Theo, the magician who was called the wisest of them all.
'He’s acting like my minion.'
Does he really want that? How shrewdly he intends to live. Putting aside his surprising level of loyalty, I said, "I leave it to you."
"It is an honor!"
After entrusting the work to Theo, I thought, Sending a golden statue as a gift—so they really were planning to expand their front yard. I smiled at the Holy Nation's daring investment.
"Ha."
Who wouldn't want a statue made of gold? They must have reasoned that since the Empire guarantees freedom of religion, having a single statue wouldn't be a problem. But if you keep accepting one gift after another, by the time you realize it, the Empire’s own colors will have been completely erased.
"There's a temple bigger than the Duke's residence standing there, and they probably just left it alone because it was a 'free gift'."
It was so transparent that it was absurd.
Come to think of it, the clothing in the South was also subtly different from the rest of the Empire. Even though it was a place where fashion was already leading due to the diverse entertainment options, the current look clearly incorporated religious elements.
A star embedded between flowing valleys.
It was decorated so lavishly that I wondered if it was just a pattern, but it was definitively the emblem of the Romper Order.
"I said there was religious freedom, but I didn't mean they should actively engage in proselytization."
If they failed to walk the line, they would naturally have to be punished for crossing it.
"Remove every religious symbol that has crossed the line in the South. I will take full responsibility."
First, I needed to clear out their front-yard expansion.
+++++
The Grand Temple of Romper.
"They say the things from the Romper Order gifted to the Southern Empire are being demolished one by one."
"...What?"
The Pope, who was praying there, heard the shocking news.
"In the South? Why? Wasn't the South an atmosphere that welcomed the Romper Order?"
The Southern Empire. It was a place where they had invested quite a lot. It was the first place to lay the groundwork and the very first forward base to make the Empire's state religion the Romper Order. But to suddenly begin dismantling the Order's things?
"Since they were gifts, it’s technically up to the Southern Empire what to do with them, but this is baffling. Didn't they receive our things well in the beginning?"
"Yes, that is correct. Starting with Holy Water... they actively purchased items from the Holy Nation and even modeled their clothing to match ours."
They were closer than close. Since the location of the Southern Empire and the Romper Holy Nation were very close, it was safe to say they were practically in an alliance, even if not the entire Empire.
"Right, that’s so... they were so close, so why the sudden change overnight? Could it be the Crown Prince?"
If the situation had flipped as easily as the palm of a hand, there was only one possible variable.
"Yes, that is correct."
The Crown Prince.
People said he had changed, but I had no idea he had changed to this extent. Even so, to dismantle the Holy Nation’s gifts so easily...
"I should at least send a message expressing my regret."
"Is just sending a message enough? Without applying any pressure...?"
"If you think about it, our gifts were excessive. The intention was obvious, wasn't it? Anyone could see we were acting as if we were going to swallow the South."
"Even so, can you really call them out on it? The justification is that they were gifts. Gifts that one should be able to do anything with."
"Yes, and since they dismantled those gifts that one should be able to do anything with, all I can do is send a message saying I’m disappointed and sad."
The Pope looked at Valerian, his son who had brought him the news.
"I know what happened at the Imperial banquet. But that is no reason to escalate this; it is too dangerous."
"Why so?"
"Because the justification is on their side."
While bowing down in front of a woman you like is embarrassing, you cannot drag the Holy Nation into the flames of war just to cover up that shame.
"But they destroyed the symbol of the Holy Nation! And the Crown Prince actually did it! Isn't this an act of war?!"
"Using that intention to declare war... makes no sense. Don't let your eyes be clouded by love."
"...."
At the Pope's words, Valerian frowned, yet realized his mistake.
"I apologize."
"Yes, good that you know."
If the Empire and the Holy Nation went to war, what were the chances the Holy Nation would win? 'Fifty-fifty?' Even with the Empire crumbling and the Holy Nation growing every day, the odds would still be only about half.
'Even if I mark the Crown Prince...'
It’s complicated. Do I have no choice but to fold and back down? While he was thinking this—
"Saint! A letter from the Empire has arrived for you."
"What? A letter? Did an envoy come?"
"No. By carrier pigeon... but the pigeon was so fierce that it dropped the letter on the floor and disappeared before we could do anything."
"Ha."
News reached him that a letter had arrived from the Empire.
"How can they be so lacking in courtesy?"
Even as he said that, Valerian didn't have the courage to tear up the letter sent by the Empire. He took the letter the priest had brought, unfolded it, and read it.
The content was filled with beautiful and elegant sentences, but to summarize it easily, it was this:
[ Do not overstep your bounds. ]
"...."
It was a message saying that sending gifts is fine, but they should be sent while knowing one's place. If this hadn't come as a letter, but through an envoy, just imagining the results was terrifying.
'Did he intentionally send a letter to avoid causing an insult?'
Is this the Crown Prince's consideration? While Valerian felt confused, the Pope also checked the letter.
"...It seems they are implying that the fault clearly lies with us."
"Must we just take it?"
"The suspicion of our involvement in the Northern treason hasn't disappeared yet, so what else would you have us do?"
"How about we send a special gift filled with the intent of an apology?"
As soon as he heard the Pope's words, Valerian acted as if he had come up with a brilliant idea, mentioning a special gift.
"Coincidentally... isn't there one peculiar Saintess candidate within the Holy Nation?"
"...To call her peculiar, she is the person currently closest to becoming the Saintess."
"How can she be the closest! Mirne will become the Saintess!"
"So you are suggesting we send a Saintess candidate to the Belos Empire? As a token of apology? What meaning does sending a Saintess candidate have?"
The Pope was dumbfounded by Valerian's words. With a competition between candidates underway, he wanted to send the most likely candidate to the Empire? He was appalled by such transparent behavior.
'He was certainly brilliant, but how much has love clouded his view?'
He just wanted to clear away the strongest candidate so that Mirne could become the Saintess. The Pope wanted to say that, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Even if not his own flesh and blood, he was a son he had raised with his heart. He couldn't be harsh to him.
So, instead of dismissing the opinion, he asked for his reasoning.
"As a token of apology, if you don't like a gift offensive, can't we send a person? Since we are still being suspected of treason, sending an important person from our side would..."
"So you are saying we should use a Saintess candidate as a hostage?"
"I am saying we should make a powerful move. As long as we are suspected of treason, we can only remain in a desperate position."
"...."
Even though he felt he shouldn't have asked, he couldn't deny it sounded plausible.
'Supporting treason... honestly, it’s hard to say there was none.'
But if they were asked, "Did you really do it?", they could pull their feet back at any time. However, it was also true that it wasn't easy to just pull back. But if they suggest resolving everything together with a grand gesture of support?
'Not bad.'
One cannot remain in a submissive position forever.
'Though, if I or the Saint go, the chances of things getting bigger are high.'
But wouldn't a Saintess candidate be fine? Just as that conclusion was about to surface—
At this time, the Crown Prince.
"Hmm?"
[ The Villainess, she approaches you. ]
"What? Suddenly?"
I received an out-of-the-blue message from the Villainess Ring.
"Theo, so how did the investigation go?"
"Yes! It was confirmed that they purely received gifts! There was some minor embezzlement by the Duke, and I would like to hear your wise opinion on what to do!"
"Leave the minor embezzlement alone. There are tons of people who sold out the country; that much is cute enough to overlook."
"Understood!"
This was a short while before I received the message that a Saintess candidate was coming to the Empire.