Chapter 118

Just as when strange things happened in world history, if you looked for the cause in a certain island nation, you would usually be right.

When strange things happened in Apennia, if you pointed to Levona as the cause, you would usually be right.

Like a certain island nation, Levona had no conscience. Levona prided itself on the fact that its actions balanced the scales of Apennia.

The difference was that Levona was wary of karma coming back to bite them.

Because of that, Levona had planted spies everywhere just in case, and this was the origin of the Levona intelligence agency.

That caution paid off.

Governor Canella received a one-line report from an intelligence agent dispatched to Ratio.

— The Pope, trapped in the shadow of Elance, has been released from his seal.

It was a description like the black flame dragon sealed in his left hand had been released, but Governor Canella felt a complex mix of emotions from that one sentence. It was also an emotion that a foreigner like Leon Gryph, who was not born in Apennia, could never feel.

Governor Canella said to the person standing opposite him with a serious face.

“Admiral Gian. A wave is coming to Apennia.”

“Yes. I know. Pope Astro has gained power.”

“It is a danger to the national affairs of Levona. We may have to revise our future grand strategy.”

It was a meeting to solve that problem. But the expressions of the two men were not pleasant.

Pope Astro had not explicitly declared a war of conquest.

But a person's true intentions are usually revealed through their actions, not their words.

From the moment the Black Company was hired, sharp-witted people had already figured out what Pope Astro was trying to do.

What would a damn warmonger do?

There was only one possible outcome.

“Considering the Pope’s personality, she will definitely start a war of conquest.”

“That’s right. The Pope’s final destination will surely be Florence.”

They looked at the map.

Florence was a country that Elance had made its minion to keep the Holy See in check.

For the Holy See to escape its influence, it had no choice but to swallow Florence.

And that was not what Levona wanted.

“The rise of the Holy See will infringe on Levona’s interests.”

“I think so too. I don’t even want to talk about the blood that will be shed in the process.”

Levona’s policy was absolute naval superiority.

To achieve that condition, the division of Apennia was essential.

This was because it was better for their neighbors to be weak rather than strong for Levona to engage in trade without interference.

Therefore, the rise of the Holy See, which wanted the unification of Apennia, was dangerous. The birth of a great power always had the potential to threaten Levona’s superiority.

Therefore, Levona was always prepared to intervene in the affairs of Apennia to maintain the balance.

“What do you think, Admiral? Do you think Florence will be able to stop the Pope’s ambition?”

“It will be impossible.”

“Because of the Pope?”

“It was a long time ago, so I don’t know if the Governor remembers, but an elf who has lived a long time is bound to be skilled in all sorts of things.”

And Pope Astro had once shown what a skilled elf could do if she chose war.

“The Pope's defeat in the last war was by no means due to incompetence, and it was not for nothing that the tyrant of Elance could not replace the Pope.”

From another perspective, one could say that even a tyrant could only manage to confine the Pope to Ratio.

But now that shackle was broken, and the Pope was released from her seal. The monster named the Pope was about to move to break the remaining seals.

“What if Levona directly supports Florence to stop the Holy See? What do you think?”

“I think it is a reasonable judgment.”

“Very well. Deliver the proposal to Florence. And also.”

“Please speak.”

“This time, there must not be a mistake like last time. Think of Fasa.”

“Of course.”

Admiral Gian nodded gravely.

Most people learn lessons from their mistakes.

And the lesson Levona learned from the last incident was immense.

The failure to suppress Fasa in the early stages had resulted in the birth of an uncontrollable force called the Southern Alliance.

The damage Levona suffered because of that was beyond words.

The Southern Alliance had been slowly encroaching on the trade network and was beginning to challenge Levona’s stronghold.

The merchant ships sailing the Golden Sea chose Fasa as their destination, and the loss was Levona’s.

In the Grand Council, his political rival Rinaldo was showing ominous movements. He was probably just looking out for his own faction’s interests again.

But they couldn't just attack Fasa either. In the meantime, Fasa had grown too big.

At this rate, Levona would fall.

So, this time had to be different.

“Everything for Levona.”

The balance of Apennia must be maintained.

Governor Canella repeated the traditional phrase passed down in Levona.

Levona, decision to enter the war!

***

After the important meeting, the atmosphere loosened, and the two men continued their private conversation in a better mood.

“But it’s quite unexpected that Pope Astro hired the Black Company. I didn’t think the Pope would make such a choice.”

At the mention of the Black Company, Admiral Gian flinched.

He too was stressed by that problem. But Admiral Gian pretended not to know.

“The Pope had no other choice. Most of the mercenary companies in Apennia have employers.”

“Right. Thanks to that, the situation has become very troublesome. The Black Company's march north was like lightning, and the response of other countries was disappointing.”

“If the agents dispatched to Fasa had been safe, we could have stopped Leon Gryph from joining the Pope long ago.”

“I’ve heard about that too. It’s a pity.”

Levona had dispatched intelligence agents to Fasa to assassinate Leon in case of an emergency.

The intelligence agents, disguised as merchants, seemed to be settling in safely in the Levona residential area.

But when a monster appeared in Fasa, everything went wrong.

The agents that Levona had painstakingly trained were annihilated in the chaos. By the time Levona found out, it was too late, and Governor Canella could only be dumbfounded when he heard the news.

“Is there any possibility that Leon Gryph noticed and eliminated our agents?”

“Unfortunately, no such suspicion was found. All I found out was that the monster really exists in Fasa.”

“The survivors?”

“From what I’ve seen, they were quite terrified. It will probably be difficult for them to return to the field.”

“Haa.”

Governor Canella sighed and waved his hand irritably.

He had not had a moment of peace since he took the governor's seat. He could even feel his own personality becoming violent.

“Let’s provide sufficient compensation to the families of the agents who died in the line of duty. The scope of the support will be decided later in the subcommittee.”

As he spoke, Governor Canella was suddenly seized by a sense of foreboding.

There are omens in the world.

And the fact that the intelligence agents dispatched to Fasa happened to be incapacitated at just the right time felt very significant.

‘Could it be that Leon has seen through everything? Can I really dismiss this as a coincidence?’

It was an unbelievable coincidence unless the star of misfortune was shining on Levona.

But was it really a coincidence?

Could all of this be a planned trap?

That night, Governor Canella could not sleep and fell into endless suspicion.

And what happened the next day was enough to make Governor Canella’s stomach ache flare up.

***

“What do you mean? Florence doesn't need support?”

“That’s right. Florence does not need Levona’s help. Perhaps another country, but not Levona.”

The Florentine ambassador, whom he met at the governor’s palace, flatly rejected Levona’s offer of support.

Governor Canella was going crazy with frustration.

“Is that really Florence's will? Have you forgotten who you are at war with?”

“Of course. I am speaking on behalf of Florence right now.”

“Why on earth? I’d like to hear the reason.”

“Let’s be frank. We find you more untrustworthy than Pope Astro.”

“You, you…! You foolish people who can’t see the situation.”

What Governor Canella hadn’t considered was that not everyone would think as rationally as Levona.

And from Florence's perspective, there was no reason to follow Levona’s lead.

Having experienced it many times, Florence accurately grasped its neighbor's disposition.

— There’s no way those Levona bastards would do something good for others. If you trace the thread of the conspiracy, there will surely be a plan hidden to backstab Florence in the end.

— Just last time, didn't they immediately betray their ally Fasa as soon as they defeated Tospol? How could they trust Levona with their backs?

It was all karma.

Governor Canella shivered with anger, but he couldn't argue with Florence right now.

Wasn't Pope Astro showing her ambition? He took a deep breath and then spoke.

“Then how about this? Levona just happened to have formed a national mercenary company.”

“A mercenary company? I’m surprised Levona thought of such a business.”

“It’s all to prepare for the unexpected. Isn't it all because the clouds of war are gathering in Apennia?”

“Yes. I’m sure it is. I’ll believe you.”

Although the Florentine ambassador was being sarcastic, Governor Canella pretended not to notice.

He wasn't crazy enough to reveal internal problems in front of an outsider.

The fact that the mercenary company was actually the private army of his political rival, Rinaldo, and that this was a good opportunity to get rid of them.

Revealing the entangled political intentions would only expose his weaknesses.

It was much better for the Florentine ambassador to misunderstand his purpose. A village idiot is ignored, but a greedy person at least has people approaching them.

Governor Canella, having finished his political calculations in a flash, made his decision without hesitation.

“If you’re reluctant to receive direct support from our country, how about receiving support in the form of Florence hiring them?”

“Hiring a mercenary company.”

“They are a well-trained unit armed with high-quality weapons forged by dwarves themselves. They will surely be of help.”

The Florentine ambassador's face softened a little.

“Well. Alright. I’ll bring it up with my superiors. They’ll probably allow that much.”

At those words, Governor Canella sighed in relief inwardly.

At the same time, he lamented the current situation.

When had Levona’s status fallen to the point where they had to beg a mere foreign ambassador? It was a truly sad state of affairs.

Anyway, Levona, decision to enter the war, confirmed!

Now, they would be able to easily thwart Pope Astro's war ambitions.

But Governor Canella's trials were not over.

“Your Excellency, Chairman Rinaldo from the Grand Council has decided to condemn you.”

“I’m going to go crazy. Why now?”

“Because of the matter of Florence hiring the mercenary company… He seems to be angry about why you made such an important national decision without consultation. You will have to attend the Grand Council and give an explanation.”

“I’m really going to go crazy. They’re all blind fools.”

“My apologies.”

Governor Canella was about to explode with anger.

Anyway, this one and that one were only getting in the way and had no intention of helping. Was it so unfair to be asked to sacrifice a little for the sake of the nation? Or did he really raise a private army to overthrow the government?

Governor Canella suddenly thought of Leon and burned with resentment. He had never met him and didn't know his face, but when you thought about it, wasn't that guy the cause of all this?

This was all because of Fasa.

***

While Levona was treading carefully, courting, and being anxious because of the flames of war igniting in Apennia.

Meanwhile, in Ratio.

“Aaargh! It’s a zombie!”

“No. That’s not a zombie, it’s Selvi.”

“I thought it was a corpse.”

“Since he’s a vampire, he’s half a corpse, so that’s right…”

Selvi, with a miserable appearance that anyone would mistake for a zombie, was walking in the middle of the city.