Chapter 20 Fathers, and Newcomers

"I-I'm terribly sorry! I shall pay for this blunder with my life!!"

"No need, I don't want your head."

Only the melon was poisoned, so both Hercule and Carolina were fine. The melon was only cut after it had been brought to his table, which meant the poison was injected into the melon beforehand.

"It must have been injected with a needle or something similar. It's understandable that you didn't notice it, who could have known that there was poison inside the melon? Just be more careful in the future."

"U-Understood!!"

The head chef wouldn't stop prostrating himself in front of Hercule. It was annoying so Hercule waved his hand to shoo him away.

"Now then, Garphis, Christos, Lucanos, Carolina. I have an idea who the culprit is. Take a guess."

Hercule asked Carolina and the three men who hurried over after catching wind of the ruckus. They exchanged glances and…

"Is it that person?"

"It's you-know-who, isn't it."

"It must be him…"

"Can't be anyone else but him."

The person whom they were hesitant to name… Yes, it must be him.

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"Lucanos, investigate how the poison found its way to my dessert. But don't let our friend notice, and don't do anything. Let him go free for now."

"Is that all right?"

"We can't afford to lose any lead."

All strings would be cut if Hercule hastily had the culprit apprehended.

"Your Majesty Hercule!!!"

A female voice reverberated inside the Imperial Palace. In this country, there was only one person who was allowed to call the Lemurian Emperor—ruler of the Lemurian Empire and God's proxy on Earth—by name.

"Good to see you, Mother. This is quite sudden, have you any business with me?"

She was the Empress Dowager of Lemuria, Hercule's mother as well as Christos's older sister.

"Your Majesty Hercule, I heard about what happened. How does Your Majesty plan to deal with this matter?"

"For better or worse, I have an idea who the culprit is. I'll make sure this never happens again. I don't wanna die, after all."

Hercule shrugged his shoulders. The Empress Dowager was Hercule's mother, but… she was Hadrianus's mother, too. Though there was a big age gap between Hercule and Hadrianus, they were still brothers born from the same womb.

And between Hercule and Hadrianus… the Empress Dowager favored the latter more. Because he was her first-born son, she doted on him just like her husband, Hadrianus III, did. On the other hand, Hercule was deliberately separated from his mother in light of Hadrianus's failed upbringing. Hadrianus III never went out of his way to make conversations with Hercule either.

On one hand was the smart, excellent, obedient son that never caused trouble, with whom she almost never talked to. On the other hand was the less brilliant son who was a handful and acted spoiled whenever he could.

As a mother, it's no surprise that she pampered the latter more. Then again, that was what turned the latter into a failure of a person and made the former to feel indifferent towards his parents.

"You won't do anything, then?"

"Well, I can't do anything for now. But as the Emperor, I can't just leave this alone either. I'm going to screen out the undesirable elements, soon."

"…Screening, you say?"

The Empress Dowager wasn't quite sure what Hercule meant, but she vaguely understood that her other son's death was included in that "screening".

"Can anything be done about it?"

"I don't have any choice here, Mother. I have to deal with him, one way or another."

Hercule shrugged his shoulders. The Empress Dowager clenched her hands.

"Please, have some mercy on him."

"I will keep it in mind, but no promises."

The Empress Dowager understood what he implied.

"Your Majesty Hercule, I'm going to enter a monastery."

"A monastery?"

"Indeed, I want to dedicate the rest of my life to the Lord. To pray for my husband's happiness in the next world, to atone for the sins of my sons, and for my own sin of being unable to stop them."

Upon hearing what she said, Garphis, Christos, Lucanos, and Carolina were startled. Even if she was the Emperor's birth mother, there was still a limit to what she was allowed to say.

The sins of her sons… That statement couldn't be overlooked.

Fortunately for her, Hercule didn't seem to mind. He just made a bitter smile.

"If that's what Mother has decided, there's nothing I can say to stop you… Have you decided on a location?"

"…Yes, I have. Then, Your Majesty the Emperor, I will take my leave."

The Empress Dowager silently nodded to Hercule then departed. Silence filled the air.

"A pitiful person, she is. Very pitiful. She really is miserable."

Hercule said with compassion from the bottom of his heart. But his voice sounded flat and somehow aloof.

The four vassals watched on, seemingly pitying the family whose relationships just broke down.

Sometime later, Hercule convened the Senate. The Senate—the institution that held the highest authority during the time of the Lemurian Republic. Nowadays the Senate was just an honorary, decorative organization with no real power… but it was still an important office where the nobility gathered. Their influence was immeasurable.

"Fathers, and newcomers! I know very well that many among you harbor distrust towards me. But I want you all to know this. Our Empire is currently facing a grave crisis. If we do nothing about this crisis, only ruin will await us."

Hercule had not convened the Senate since his enthronement. Being summoned out the blue, the senators were bewildered at his statement but also keenly waited for him to continue.

(Alright, I managed to grasp their attention.)

"I should not have to spell out what this crisis is. Our Empire is surrounded by barbarians, heathens and heretics!! Together with the werebeasts, they shamelessly built their countries on the lands that our ancestors conquered, plowed, and cleared. The barbarians have the nerve to claim that humans are the sons of God. Even now, they are waiting for an opportunity to prey on the territories of our Kingdom of God!"

Werebeasts—a race that used to dwell in the vast woodlands outside of the Lemurian Empire. It was their large-scale migration into Lemurian territory that decisively caused the decline of the Lemurian Empire.

Their combat abilities and ferocious nature were no inferior to elves.

Most of all… although they shared the same Messianic faith as the Lemurians, they adhered to a different doctrine—they were heretics, in other words.

"Joining hands with the loathsome Bulgaronis from the north, they demand annual tribute, raid imperial territories, steal from our people and even violate women and children. That is something we cannot ignore!!"

Common sense did not apply to the nomadic Bulgaronis. Pillaging was simply the norm for them. But it was no laughing matter for people on the receiving end.

"Not to mention our greatest enemy, Fars!! The accursed pagans who worship heathen and evil gods!! They keep getting more numerous by the day, and scheme to destroy us Messianic believers with their ploy!!" ※(We aren't scheming anything though?) (from the Sacred Fire Church)

Hercule kept listing out more and more threats to the Empire in detail. Some were things the senators already knew… and some were things they never thought about.

"As faithful followers of the Lord, we are compelled to fight!!"

That's right! That's right!! The senators expressed their agreement.

The ones who agreed with Hercule were the priests from the Church who were given seats in the Senate. In their view, the Emperor had the duty to protect Lemuria—the Kingdom of God—from the pagans and heretics who might as well be demons; and it was the Senate's job to support him.

"In the past few hundred years, our territories had been stolen and our fields trampled over. Many among you must feel bitter over it," he paused, "It is true that I have imposed many taxes on your lands. But without your contributions, even the lands you have now will be overrun, will be taken away sooner or later. We will lose what meager lands we have left, our people will lose their homes and there will be naught but starved corpses!"

He was explaining that he had no choice but to raise taxes. They would suffer more damage otherwise, Hercule claimed. There was a certain persuasiveness to it. It was true that the nobles were losing more and more lands as the years went by.

Many major nobles were nodding their heads in agreement.

(First appeal to their faith, then to their personal interests. So far so good. Next is…)

"We must fight to protect the Lemurian Empire. We must recover the territories that our ancestors had shed blood to conquer!! We must take back our mother city, our homeland!!!"

"OOOHHHHH!!!!"

Part of the Senate loudly cheered, some were even brought to tears. They were the elven and dwarven nobles.

Since they had long life spans, many of them had witnessed the barbarians take their lands away when they were children. Their ancestral tombs were also located in the western part of the Lemurian Empire. It was their dearest wish to drive the barbarians away and recover their homeland.

(The mood is in my control now. Next is…)

"Fortunately, I have already procured the needed war funds. I only ask you all to pledge loyalty to your motherland and God! Will you turn a blind eye as the barbarians, pagans, and heretics overrun our country once more, or will you crush the enemies and take back our homeland?!"

Hercule wanted to gain support from the nobles by asserting that their burden would be light. And by aggressively demanding them to pledge loyalty to the country and God, they would find it very difficult to refuse.

"As expected of His Majesty. He managed to get the nobles so riled up even though they normally couldn't care less. I wish he would show that enthusiasm more regularly, though…"

The nobles were completely drawn in by Hercule's speech. Looking from the side, Carolina expressed her admiration.

"He worked on their emotions by first bringing up outside threats, appealing to their faith, explaining what they had to gain, then he forced them to choose between two options. If they didn't pledge their support, they would be branded as being disloyal to the motherland and God. Goodness gracious, such dreadful talent."

Garphis, who also had a seat in the Senate, gave Hercule's speech high praise. He was in full control of the atmosphere in the Senate.

"Not only is he a handsome guy, a political genius, a military prodigy, but also a great orator? Haha, who was it that said God does not grant two gifts."

Darios made a stifled laugh.

"But this is still far from done. The nobles have not given their consent yet."

"You are right. They still need another push."

Meanwhile, Christos and Lucanos made stern expressions. People were creatures driven by profit. More pressure was needed.

To be frank, all this was easier said than done. Their lives would be sacrificed in vain if they were defeated in the end.

Hercule himself was of the same opinion, so…

"Our victory is guaranteed!! We have always had powerful cavalry and archers. Now, I have added a new infantry force to the mix. Our standing army is strong, composed of elite troops who have withstood harsh training! Let us teach the barbarians what real warfare is like!!!"

"Your Majesty sure is persuasive."

"Who knows what his actual thoughts are. But it's true that his words have persuasiveness to them. He did put an end to the Mercenary Captain, Darios, after all… My mistake, you are still alive and well."

"Don't kill me off like that. But that got me thinking, did His Majesty the Emperor fight and defeat me because he wanted to make this speech? I'm being used as the pretext, huh. Ain't that an honor? Sigh…"

Christos, Lucanos, and Darios respectively said. Carolina also chipped in.

"Of course it sounds persuasive when it comes from His Majesty, who has the track record of having defeated the famous Mercenary Captain Darios!"

Garphis nodded in agreement. "Well, since our Empire kept losing wars before, when you look at His Majesty's recent victory… you can't help but place your faith in him."

And then, under the attention of his vassals, Hercule added the finishing touches.

"As the group of people who once conquered the world and made world peace possible under Pax Lemuriana, we Lemurians cannot keep losing to the barbarians and heretics who do not know of the light of civilization, and the heathens who believe in evil gods!! How will you face your ancestors if this goes on! Are you all not ashamed?! As for myself, this shame keeps me up every night!!" ※ (Just kidding, I sleep perfectly well!)

Hercule spoke of the glory of their ancestors and the bygone days. He poked at the pride of the Lemurians, which was something they could never part with.

Lemuria must live on. It was the Kingdom of God, the final paradise to exist until the Last Judgement came. It was absolutely necessary for Lemuria to be a one-world empire.

Finally…

"To show the strength of Lemuria to the barbarians, and recover our territories and people…"

The "Revanchist Wars" will now…

"I hereby declare war!!!!"

Commence.

"He made the final push by taking advantage of Lemuria's past glory, huh…"

Having been lost in Hercule's speech, Carolina raised her voice in amazement. Even someone as politically ignorant as herself understood how calculated his speech was.

"I expected no less from His Majesty. Just look at those nobles."

Lucanos pointed at the nobles. They were…

"UOOHHH!!!"

"LONG LIVE LEMURIA! LONG LIVE HIS MAJESTY!!"

"WE MUST DEFEAT ENEMIES OF GOD!"

"RECOVER OUR HOMELAND!!"

"LET'S SHOW THOSE BARBARIANS THE VALOUR OF LEMURIA!!"

After that, there were no more nobles complaining about high taxation. All elven nobles pledged their support after the speech that day. Hercule also acquired the backing of most non-elven nobles.

Part of Hadrianus's faction and all the nobles who were still wavering between Hercule and Hadrianus switched to Hercule's faction.

And thus, he was successful in the first step of rooting out the undesirable elements. Hadrianus's supporters had decreased by one-third.

Sometime later, Hercule made the same speech in public to gain support from the commoners.

The stage for the first "Revanchist War" was a small barbarian country founded within Lemurian borders. Hercule declared an invasion on the Principality of Trabizos.