Ambition

The Gran Chaos Empire

Ask anyone in the world what the most powerful nation in the world is, and they will give you that answer. And certainly not without reason. Not only does the Empire have the largest land mass, second only to the Domain if that is to be counted, but it also has the largest standing army. In addition to this, the Empire also headlined the Humanity Declaration, and is also the main force enforcing all of its policies. This included the policy of fees to the Empire from nations that didn't border the Domain.

In actuality, the Empire had absolutely no reason at all to be this powerful. In fact, it was on the verge of collapse not that long ago. When the leader at that time, Manas Euphoria, was king, he conquered many territories that contributed to the Empire's sheer size, as well as its heavy population. Something that he failed to account for during his conquest, however, was the management of such a large country.

It could be said that he suffered from success. Much like Alexander the Great, he was far more interested in conquest and making a name for himself rather than doing what someone like Souma is interested in, which is proper management of the country. Because he grew his country in such a short amount of time, it created rampant instability inside of it, which was only exacerbated when he finally decided to stop due the birth of his third daughter.

The fear surrounding him from those he conquered in addition to the people who revered him for growing the nation so much was subverted in quite a short amount of time, and it really was only a short amount of time before the nation fractured. However, an unlikely savior came through for them. That being the Demon Lord's Domain.

Manas used the news of the domain quite shrewdly to keep his nation together, and this was done primarily through fearmongering. Although, it may have been more accurate to say that he didn't fearmonger so much as simply tell the truth of what would happen if they continued their infighting at this time. It was well established when the Domain reached their doorstep that these monsters didn't care at all about people. If they couldn't form a unified front against them, then they would suffer the same fate as the people who lost their lands to the Domain.

Since their fear of the monsters was more than their desire to break free from the Empire, many people decided to help the Empire in whatever way they could. Those that wanted to try and use the Domain as an opportunity to create a resistance force were very quickly dispatched. In addition to this, Manas announced that he would be spearheading a force to break through the domain and reconquer lost lands in the name of humanity, giving these lands back to those who lost them.

This was fantastic news for everyone. For the natural citizens of the Empire, this move convinced them that Manas had not lost his prowess as a conqueror. For the people who lost their lands, they were naturally quite happy at the announcement. Though, what followed was largely questionable. Rather than an almighty force of a few hundred thousand, something that this world as a whole has never seen before, they only went with a force of ten thousand.

Still, the majority thought that it would come with good tidings. The empire, especially, believed that Manas would return triumphant and glorious as he has done many times before. This made things all the more shocking when the news came about the force being absolutely decimated. Apparently, it could hardly be called a battle, as very few survivors emerged.

The overall report from these survivors varied bit by bit, but they all agreed on the major points. Firstly, as they started off, it just felt like plenty of monster hoards bombarding them quite consistently. This wasn't the worst thing, but it did put a hamper on how fast and how far a force could go through the Domain. However, surprisingly, this wasn't too hindering for them, meaning that perhaps the Domain could be easily conquered.

And then came the issue of what they faced next. Rather than the mindless monsters hurling themselves at them without almost any regard for their own safety, what they encountered next were what they would then be called as demons. Intelligent monsters, as they would describe them, wielding magic with which the likes they had never seen before. This completely caught the force off-guard, but many of the survivors wagered that it wouldn't have mattered even if they completely expected it. At the end of the day, they were outclassed.

Unfortunately, among the dead was Manas, which meant that the Empire fell into the hands of a 14-year-old Maria Euphoria. Many were doubtful that someone so young could manage a country so large, but Maria had one thing that Manas never had. And this was the fact that she was a bona fide genius. Whereas her younger sister excelled in military school, Maria was someone who was training to rule the nation and showed excellent promise in doing so.

As such, it was no surprise to the people who tutored her when she started implementing policies that were largely beneficial to the nation, and this included the Mankind Declaration. Since she was far more concerned about making sure the nation didn't crumble under its own weight, the quality-of-life policies were very well-received by the people. Things like working on infrastructure and tax reforms were among the many achievements that she was able to properly do. In addition, because of her sudden rise to glory, many wanted to join in, leading to the nation having many ministers being able to help with the management of the country.

Unfortunately, she was too good at her job. So much so to the point that the people began calling her a saint. In fact, she was seen to be so good at her job that even people within her inner circle began seeing her through the lens of this saintly figure rather than the person she actually was. This brought its own set of problems, especially with the Lunarian Papal Orthodoxy, but still, she felt that it was in the best interests of the people that she maintains this persona. She wanted to do whatever she could to maintain the peace amongst the people.

Naturally, this didn't mean that everyone saw her as a saint. She had plenty of enemies, but the one good thing about her incredibly lofty position is that she effectively created a barrier from harm's way, at least for the time being. Any internal enemies simply couldn't do anything about her for fear of the immense retribution that they would face from the populace. Even high-ranking nobles who controlled a large amount of territory were effectively powerless against her, as even their own citizens leaned heavily in her favor.

Still, despite this, that didn't mean that people didn't try, and one such person was Viktor Silko. The Silkos were not the highest-ranking nobles in the empire, but that didn't stop Viktor from pining for higher planes. Born to an Earl family, his father was someone who was heavily lauded as a military genius, helping Manas throughout his career conquering many nations. In fact, the Silkos were actually a newly created family thanks to his father, who was born into a family with no renowned name. Thanks to his prowess, he was able to very quickly rise the ranks, so much so to the point where he skipped the title of Baron and Viscount and went straight to Earl.

However, where his father was content with such a position, Viktor was not. Perhaps if it was noticed from a young age, it could have been properly curbed, but Viktor was born with an appetite for ambition. Something that definitely could have made him a great man in a different place, but there were unfortunately very few opportunities within the Empire that allowed this kind of ambition to thrive. After all, he didn't simply desire a higher rank like Marquis or Duke, he desired to prove himself worthy of ruling the entire country.

Fortunately for him, and for those around him, he recognized Maria's genius. However, this also made her a threat in his eyes. Being two years older than the twenty-year-old Maria, he didn't take her lightly, but it was undeniable that because of her age, he did unconsciously look down on her. But he did have something that she didn't.

For many of the citizens, as well as the nobility, it could be considered their pride that they were the ones to spearhead the force going into the Domain. The fear about the demons died out quite quickly as most people simply chalked it up to not being properly aware of what the demons were capable of. But now, thanks to the reports from the survivors, they felt they could accurately grasp what the demons were capable of and deal with them properly after some preparations. The other thing on their mind was that they could simply overwhelm them with pure numbers.

While Maria recognized this sentiment amongst the people, she was smart enough to fully recognize the danger of an unknown entity that could practically eliminate a force of ten thousand elite soldiers. Therefore, she was not in any sort of hurry to gather up a force to try again. Viktor wouldn't completely know it yet, but this mild dissention of the people from their saint would be the catalyst that he would need to exploit if his plans were to come to fruition.

---

Viktor woke up like any other day in his life. Early, making sure that the sun hadn't peeked too far over the horizon, or he felt that his time would be wasted. And that was the one thing that couldn't do for him. He also liked to wake up alone. Not that he wasn't married, but the woman he was married to, he believed her name was Stella, not caring for her surname as she was born to a Baron family, he wasn't too fond of.

Stella certainly was a beautiful woman in her own right, having amber eyes and chestnut hair, also working to maintain her slim figure, but to him, it wasn't enough. If he had his choice, he would have divorced her the second he could, but she unfortunately hadn't done anything to merit that. The whole reason he didn't like her was because she felt like a stain on him. For god's sake, she was born to a baron family. If that wasn't enough of an insult, she lacked his acumen for the intricacies of nobility, meaning that she would virtually be of no use to him in rising up the ranks. Thankfully, they only had to be seen together during things like galas and parties, essential for maintaining his image as a proper noble. Otherwise, they didn't even sleep in the same house. She was with her own family, and he was, well, in his own house.

In any case, she didn't enter his mind today, and he continued with his daily ritual. He didn't need to bother making the bed, as the maids would always attend to that. Next, he went to his closet and got dressed, disregarding his normal sleepwear in favor of some day clothes. He used to struggle with this quite a bit when he had one of his rare days off, and he fondly recalled the memories of a slave woman who always helped him with his clothes. She seemed to always have the best taste for what would suit him, regardless of the occasion. She was no longer in his life, however, as another offered him a price for her that he simply couldn't refuse.

Moments like this make him wish that he never accepted that price. He still felt that it was suspicious to this day. Paying almost double what he paid for a woman past her thirties. He even said to the buyer that she was no virgin. After all, they did spend countless nights together during their five years as her owner.

Nonetheless, he continued with his wardrobe. He felt that today should be a blue day, self-approving of his belief with a light off-color blue button-down shirt and white pants with a stripe of gold down each pant leg. The summer heat burned well beyond what its pattern for the year normally is, so he felt that his outfit was accommodating this without sacrificing too much of his image, lest someone else was to see him.

He checked himself out in the mirror nearby. Something that he was proud of acquiring after his father's death. It was large enough to see his full body comfortably, and the most important part was the gold and silver embroidery in the frame. Since mirrors were unfortunately becoming quite commonplace after his father's death, he felt that it was only right to get one that would stand out.

As he stood in front of the mirror, what was reflected was a slightly tan man standing at a decent stature, no more than 176cm, neatly combed black hair that didn't threaten to stray past his ears, and the peculiar trait of green eyes with his black hair, a rarity that, again, he was proud of. He was told that this trait came from his mom, who he doesn't fully remember. During the time before the Domain threatened humanity, but after his father was granted land and became an Earl, his dad gathered quite a lot of enmity. And though it was never officially proven, poison that was certainly meant for him was unfortunately taken by his wife, and she died shortly before Viktor's fifth birthday. While the culprits were never proven, shortly after this time, a Viscount family suddenly and quite violently came to ruin.

In any case, after being satisfied by his choice of outfit, he then exited his bedroom and made his way into the dining room for some breakfast. There, his butler was waiting, already brewing a fresh pot of tea. One that he always liked, black tea with two teaspoons of sugar. This was one of the only things that was variable for him. He didn't particularly mind whether milk was added or not, but the two teaspoons of sugar were absolutely essential.

"Glad to see you're up and about so early, Lionel."

Lionel, an aged man with silvery white slick back hair responded, "It's nice to see you're able to jest so early in the morning, Sir Viktor."

Lionel was one of the very few people who was allowed to take this tone with him. Serving his father soon after he was granted his land, he proved himself to be an extremely efficient butler. Most of his family were currently serving other noble families, and so they didn't get much time to meet each other. For Lionel, however, he wouldn't be caught dead waking up after his master.

"Have you heard about the news of Elfrieden?" he asked.

Viktor remembers that fledgling nation. A nation that once showed promise but then stagnated thanks to the rule of the weak King Albert. Initially, Viktor was thankful that Albert was such a weak king as the Empire was able to demand that the kingdom try summoning, but that didn't result in any promising prospects. While there were three summoned ones, he didn't feel that any of them were anything to write home about.

Taking a step back, this was largely because of how news is spread throughout the world. For one, it is very slow, and two, it is largely due to word of mouth. Someone like Maria would know the intricacies much better thanks to her being the queen, but someone like Viktor would struggle to gain much information unless he placed spies there. Therefore, while he did know of Testa's beauty, he simply thought that it was being overexaggerated. The fact that she could heal was not really anything noteworthy either, since the Empire had plenty of healing mages. Similarly, since much of Souma's improvements to the country were not very flashy, he didn't know of the incredible value that both him and Rimuru were able to provide for the country.

Stepping back in, Lionel still had a question hanging, and it would be quite rudimentary of him to simply ignore him. "Nothing much. I believe last I heard, there was minor natural disaster. But I imagine this is bigger than something like that. Does it have anything to do with Amidonia?"

"Right you are, Sir Viktor. According to reports and rumors, they entered into conflict just over two weeks ago, and it was a stellar victory from Elfrieden. In fact, if rumors are to be believed, the entire ordeal lasted just one week."

Viktor scoffed at this. "I can't honestly say I'm surprised. King Gaius, while he certainly had the ambition, he was so blinded by rage and revenge that he was bound to lose. Even a fool could see it. Besides, even if they were to win, I can't imagine his rule lasting longer than a decade before it crumbles. That man belonged on the battlefield more than on the throne."

"Indeed. But there might be something else that will catch your eye. Again, these are just rumors, so they might be exaggerated, but they all say the same thing. Three people in particular stood out from the rest-"

"Don't tell me, it was the summoned ones."

Lionel gave a gentle smile and continued, "I was just getting to that. While two of them were summoned, the other one, apparently, was a refugee who managed to earn the king's favor. But it was what they did that is so amazing."

Viktor was starting to get a bit irritated. "Well, get to it, Lionel. While I do have the day off, you know how I hate to waste time."

Lionel gave the faintest of sighs. "Ever ruining the buildup. Very well, I'll tell you. The first one, the refugee lady, Hinata, is apparently extremely adept with the lightning ability."

Viktor quipped back. "Well, I don't see how that's too amazing. Lady Jeanne has that same affinity. What makes this Hinata woman so surprising?"

The woman who Viktor was referencing, and gave honorifics to, was none other than Maria's sister, Jeanne Euphoria, general of the army. The same younger sister who graduated with honors in the military academy. The thing with Jeanne, however, was that her proficiency was nowhere near Hinata's.

"That's just the thing, Sir Viktor. Hinata has such control and power that, unlike Madam Jeanne, who needs to be touching her opponent, rumors say that Hinata can shoot bolts of lightning out of her hands."

Viktor attempted to visualize what he just said. Surely, he is heavily exaggerating what she is actually capable of. Shooting a force of nature out of your hands has to be wildly out of the question. Hell, that may very well put her in the realm of the gods if she is able to do that.

Brushing aside this belief with a placid smile, he said, "Well, rumors are just rumors. They are always larger than life. Then once you meet them, they rarely live up to expectations."

"Perhaps. That was my first thought as well. However, the next two, the summoned ones, are truly impeccable. The first one, Lady Testarossa, is… how do I say this lightly…? She is able to use every single element. On top of being an impressive healing mage, she apparently also showed incredible battle prowess."

This managed to get Viktor's attention, prompting him to lean forward a bit. "You're saying that this Testarossa woman is able to use every single element? It isn't just healing magic?"

Lionel answered him. "Indeed. People are already calling her 'The Sorceress' for this. After all, the last time this has ever been recorded was over seven hundred years ago. And if I'm being quite frank, I doubt that it even happened."

Viktor could hardly believe his ears. He knew that Lionel wouldn't be messing with him, which only spelled good tidings. After all, wasn't this a huge chance for him? If Testa was as pretty…no. Even if she was half as beautiful as she was apparently described, the fact that she could wield every single element made her the perfect woman. Someone worthy to stand by his side as he fulfilled his dreams. He believed that getting her would be the easy part, as the Empire could simply demand her. After all, the logic made sense in his mind. Without the Empire pressuring Elfrieden to summon, they wouldn't have been able to get this world-class talent. They could simply demand more compensation or request that Testarossa go to the Empire in lieu of that.

Still, there was one more person that needed to be addressed, and Viktor asked about this third mystery person. "Well, the last person must be quite amazing if you're saving them."

Lionel gave a deep hum, and then suddenly it felt like his entire demeanor changed. Far from the casual person that Viktor knew him to be, his new look was much more serious. "The last one, Sir Rimuru Tempest, is truly an outlier. Someone that simply has no right existing, and one where all accounts agreed. In the final battle outside of Van, Sir Rimuru and King Gaius fought, where Sir Rimuru was able to deal a killing blow. However, King Gaius managed one last attack, stabbing Sir Rimuru through the side with his broadsword. Instead of dying, however, Sir Rimuru simply pulled the sword out of his side, and within moments, it healed completely."

Despite the serious attitude Lionel held, Viktor refused to believe it, brushing it aside completely. "Lionel, old friend. You are far too young to be losing your head. If you wish to come up with a story that grandiose, you're going to need to try harder."

"This is no joke." Came the blunt response. "Word of him has spread quite rapidly. People are already calling him 'The Immortal.'"

"Yes, yes. Except for one small thing. How come I haven't heard of this person yet? I would imagine that such a feat would have spread to this neck of the woods well within, what was it you said, two weeks? I'm sorry, Lionel, I just don't…"

Realization slowly dawned on Viktor as he remembered just what he was doing for the past couple days. He was in a deadlock meeting with a few other nobles, and they didn't want any outside interference. It was especially annoying since it was over something so trivial, yet because he was sided with one faction, he couldn't just not attend. If word came across the continent within that time, then it was no wonder why he hadn't heard of either of these two people.

Rather than show a modicum of caution or fear as Lionel was, he instead showed a fierce grin.

*Isn't this the best possible scenario for me? If I push for the Empire to get these two mega talents, then surely, I should get all the accolades, right? And to top it off, I can marry Lady Testarossa. Ah, Testarossa Silko… the name already sounds so appealing to the ears. Wait! I can worry about this stuff later. For now, I need to pounce before those other sleazeballs do it!*

Unfortunately for him, Lionel easily picked up on his grin, guessing what he was going to do. "Sir, whatever you are thinking, please dispense of the thought."

Viktor, however, was hearing none of it. "Silence, Lionel. Besides, I doubt you could even comprehend my thought process right now."

"You're thinking of a way to get them to the Empire, correct?"

That sentence from Lionel felt like a bucket of cold water was dumped on his head. It hurt even more when he heard the words, "I can guarantee that you aren't the first one to think of this. However, I implore you to not go through with it."

Slamming his fist on the table, he angrily stood up and shouted, "Then that is all the more reason to do it, is it not?! Do you have any idea what I could gain from this?!"

Lionel was completely unperturbed by this turn of events, no doubt a testament to his skill. Keeping his cool, he waited a couple seconds before saying, "It is nothing compared to what you will lose. I want you to think about this, young master. Demanding the two summoned heroes from Elfrieden will completely destroy our reputation as a country. Even if we managed to get them, to use your own words, what if they don't live up to expectations? Whose head do you think they will be after? No matter how powerful they may be, two people can't change the course of a war."

That managed to get through Viktor's skull. Lionel was absolutely right. He was, as one might say, putting the carriage before the horse. In fact, now that he was looking at things through a clearer lens, he could see how things would go in the upper echelons of the country. There would no doubt be a push to secure these two from the war hawk faction. The royal faction would blindly do whatever Maria says, but Viktor belonged to the war hawk faction. Meaning that, even if he was opposed to this plan, the results of their failure would inevitably trickle down to him. Distancing himself from this faction was also not an option, mainly because he would be scorned, so his only real option was to hope that it never gained any real traction.

Still, he wanted these summoned ones. Calmly sitting back down, he went back to drinking his tea and after a sip, asked, "Then what exactly would you propose, dear Lionel? How can I benefit from this?"

"Play the long game." Came the response. "Tensions between the two nations are unfortunately quite high, but in order to-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Am I missing something? Why are tensions so high if Elfrieden won a war that Amidonia started?"

The butler feigned realization as he said, "Please forgive me, young master. I do believe that I failed to mention Elfrieden's capture of Amidonia's capital."

Viktor helplessly looked up at Lionel, sighed, then hung his head while firmly combing through his hair with his fingers. "I see… That's certainly not going to go unnoticed by Her Highness."

They both knew of the Humanity Declaration, and the fact that Amidonia was a signatory of it. Even if Elfrieden was part of the Declaration, is still wouldn't change the fact that they broke it by capturing a city. One of the clauses was that a forcible change of territory was not allowed. Naturally, this was designed to prevent war in the wake of the Domain. Viktor found himself in a position where he simultaneously hated Elfrieden for capturing Van and praised them for obliterating Amidonia.

Exhaling a sigh, he raised his head and said, "As you were saying, Lionel?"

"Indeed. As I was saying, I think your best course of action would be to play the long game."

Viktor struggled to believe his ears. "Lionel, the long game won't work here. Need I mention that we're not talking about building a business. We're talking about procuring two people who currently have the world's spotlight on them."

"That's exactly why I would say to play the long game. Talk amongst them will inevitably die down. When this happens, you can come in and convince them about the glory of the Empire. Show them how great the Empire is compared to Elfrieden."

Viktor still wasn't convinced. However, what Lionel was saying wasn't completely wrong. "No, the long game still won't work here. We need to strike while the iron is hot. Who knows how long it will take before talk of them will die down? By then, it could be years. And there are far too many variables with that plan."

"So, you intend to compete with everyone else for them?" Lionel questioned.

"Exactly. I'm better then them. Besides, if they know the reason behind their summoning, they already have an unfavorable view of the Empire. Who knows what will happen in the following years? If things in Van go awry, the reputation between the two countries might be irreparable."

"I suppose that's true when seen from that viewpoint…"

Viktor nodded his head in agreement. "Therefore, the first thing that I need to do is to convince those idiots to not pressure Her Highness to bring those two here. Though it wouldn't be the end of the world if it happens, it will help tremendously if it's stopped. I'll see what I can do from there, but for now, it seems that my work is cut out."

Viktor already had an idea of how his fantasy would play out.

*No doubt that Lady Testarossa will become my wife. That's the only fitting position for a woman of that caliber. And if the rumors are even slightly true about this Hinata woman, the second wife position for her is secured. And for this Rimuru Tempest, what better place than as my right hand?*

Naturally, he was blissfully unaware of the true nature of the people he wanted.