Chapter 31: The Oath of Covenant

The Holy Federation Empire's Emperor, Ferdinand II, received a piece of news.

Princess Cinderella of Dortmund had arrived in Vienna. As for the Princess of Dortmund, Ferdinand II had no particular impression. His impression of Dortmund itself was limited to being the weakest principality within the Holy Federation. More than anything, Dortmund was merely a geographical name, not a symbol of a principality or a political force.

Of course—

Dortmund itself was unimportant.

What mattered was the personal adviser who came with the Princess of Dortmund. Although his identity had not been directly declared, it was as good as confirmed: the Director of the Military Dispatch Division of the Albion Empire, and simultaneously, the fiancé of Princess Isabella of the Albion Empire.

This young man who had suddenly emerged had single-handedly directed the Brittany Campaign, pulling the Albion Empire back from the brink of ruin.

One could say he was a divine blessing bestowed upon the Albion Empire.

To be honest—

This was good news for the Holy Federation. If peace talks with the Albion Empire could be initiated at this moment, it would allow the Castilian Empire to breathe a significant sigh of relief and redirect more of its efforts to helping the Holy Federation win this war.

However, this matter was no longer something Ferdinand II could decide on. Even if he desired peace, there were others who would never allow it.

Which only made Ferdinand II more curious about Ning Luo’s reason for coming.

...

Ferdinand II sat solemnly upon the throne, gazing down at Ning Luo from above. The youth was surprisingly young—much younger than he had imagined.

Yet Ferdinand II didn’t address Ning Luo immediately. Instead, his eyes turned to Cinderella. The little princess of Dortmund was indeed beautiful, but being too beautiful often courted disaster.

“You are Cinderella?”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor of the Holy Federation.”

“There’s no need to be so formal. Just call me Uncle Ferdinand. I’m sorry about your father’s situation, but as long as you remain in Austria, I will ensure your safety.”

“Yes, Uncle Ferdinand...”

Though she spoke the words, her slender fingers clung tightly to Ning Luo’s arm. Clearly, she still didn’t trust Ferdinand II.

That was perfectly understandable.

During the previous tug-of-war between the Holy Federation and the Scandinavian Empire, Dortmund had ultimately sided with the Holy Federation. Ferdinand II had conferred the title of Imperial Army Grand Marshal upon Cinderella’s father, the Duke of Dortmund.

A title that most soldiers would never attain even after a lifetime of service—a title that even General Carlwitz, the Chief of General Staff, had never received—was granted to the Duke of Dortmund with ridiculous ease.

But—

A marshal without a single soldier under his command, a marshal surviving by scraping by, a marshal for whom betrayal had become habit—such a title was nothing short of mockery.

And to call it merely mockery—

Would be far too gentle for what Dortmund had endured. Reality had proven far more cruel. When the Holy Federation once again suffered a crushing defeat in its war against the Scandinavian Empire, Dortmund—having only just pledged allegiance to the Federation—fell back into Scandinavian hands.

What happened after that remained a mystery.

No further word had ever come from Dortmund.

...

Ferdinand II was indifferent to all this. It was only a matter of diplomatic courtesy. His true interest lay in Ning Luo.

“Then this gentleman is?”

“This is my personal adviser, Baron Reinhardt Gerhard von Scharnhorst. We both wish to contribute to the Empire.”

Reinhardt Gerhard von Scharnhorst was, of course, merely an alias Ning Luo used in this place.

As the sole heir to Dortmund, and with the Duke of Dortmund’s fate still unknown, Cinderella was now effectively the new Duke of Dortmund. Naturally, she had every right to confer a noble title upon Ning Luo. No one could find fault with that.

Ferdinand II was well aware of Ning Luo’s true identity, but he chose not to expose it.

“So, Advisor, are you saying you can help us win this war?”

“No. We can’t win. At best—at absolute best—the outcome will be peace negotiations.”

Ning Luo emphasized the point.

Back at the Brittany Fortress, what he had said to Marshal Asfled about helping the Holy Federation win the war was nothing more than a measure to maintain morale.

In truth, everyone knew it deep down: victory for the Holy Federation was already impossible. The Kingdom of Fontaine and the Albion Empire still had a chance. In this long Thirty-Four Years’ War, it only required one side to collapse entirely to bring the conflict to an end.

The Holy Federation, however, had no such potential.

And—

Not only the Holy Federation. Even the opposing Scandinavian Empire couldn’t achieve outright victory.

The fundamental reason lay in the fact that the fronts on both sides had stretched far too long.

The Scandinavian Empire and the Holy Federation did not share a border; a multitude of vassal states lay between them. No matter the circumstances, neither side had the capability to push deep enough to reach the other’s heartland. Meanwhile, the prolonged tug-of-war battles, with victories and defeats traded back and forth, had left both nations stuck in strategic stagnation.

This situation made the citizens of the Holy Federation and the Scandinavian Empire less prone to despair over loss, unlike those of Albion, who could not tolerate even a single defeat.

Losing a territory? Then it was lost.

Dortmund had changed hands so many times precisely for this reason.

Still—

That did not mean either side was willing to accept a ceasefire. Everything had already spiraled out of control.

Ferdinand II had long foreseen this outcome.

He too was eager to pursue peace talks. But how to negotiate peace—that remained the insoluble problem.

“So, you claim to have a way to facilitate peace?”

“I want the Holy Federation to grant the vassal states independent rights of religious freedom!”

...

The vast hall fell into silence.

This war that had raged for thirty-four years had begun precisely because of religion. And so-called “religious freedom” was far more than the right to believe freely—it only sounded appealing on the surface. Beneath that lay deeper implications: in the Holy Federation, religious authority represented independent diplomatic authority. And extending from that—autonomous military power.

One could say that even if a peace treaty were signed under such terms, it would be no different from outright defeat.

“Very well...”

At last—

Ferdinand II nodded in agreement.

Of course, he fully understood what granting religious freedom rights entailed. But with the war dragged to this point, the very notion of "victory" had already been erased from the conflict. Everyone was a loser. Even if Ferdinand II refused, the Austrian royal family's control over the Holy Federation’s vassals had already waned.

Better to at least retain some dignity.

Ning Luo continued speaking.

“I want the right of succession to Aizenmich.”

Cinderella looked up, casting her gaze toward Ning Luo.

Aizenmich referred to a tract of land held by the Duke of Aizenmich. The request meant that, upon the duke’s death, legal succession rights to the territory would be granted.

Naturally, Ning Luo wasn’t asking for it for himself.

As an Albionian—more precisely, as a prince of Albion—the Holy Federation would have to be insane to grant such a succession right to him.

The succession right, of course, was intended for Cinderella.

“Agreed.”

This time, Ferdinand II gave his consent without hesitation.

This succession right wouldn’t be granted to Cinderella directly. It would only come into effect if the Duke of Aizenmich died without an heir. Whether Dortmund or Aizenmich would outlast the other—only time would tell.

“Do you have a third demand?”

“I do.”

Ning Luo locked eyes with Ferdinand II.

“I want you... to swear by covenant—that you will not harm General Carlwitz.”

In that instant, the entire hall turned cold.

The Austrian royal family of the Holy Federation were devout followers of the Universal Church, and papal decree strictly forbade all forms of oath-taking.

And yet Ning Luo was asking Ferdinand II—

To swear by covenant.