SWNOVELXO Episode 47
Chapter 47
[T/n: the empire refers to Lumiarde empire and the kingdom to Reint kingdom]
“Fuwa…”
“Afternoon nap before your afternoon studies?”
“No, I’m good.”
The cause might be the rigorous training in the morning that left me feeling sore, or perhaps it’s just accumulated tiredness. I let out a yawn after finishing my lunch.
Vivian, who was tidying up the dishes and preparing for the afternoon studies, suggested that I take a nap. However, I declined her offer because I wasn’t incredibly sleepy.
“Understood. Now, for the afternoon studies, would you like to start with mathematics or the Lumiarde Empire?”
“I’ll go with the empire.”
I’ve got way more interest in the Lumiarde Empire than in math. Unlike Arshade, where multiple tutors dictate the schedule, Vivian was my sole teacher, and the schedule was more flexible.
The math we’re doing right now is just basic arithmetic, which feels a bit boring considering I remember advanced concepts from my previous life.
It seems that mathematics is progressing much faster than planned, and there’s a hope that I could delay it until later without facing strong consequences, even if I happened to doze off.
“Got it. I’ll get everything ready. Just give me a moment.”
Vivian said this as she pulled out a caster-mounted blackboard from the wall.
A simplified map, which had been used for studying the Kingdom of Rient yesterday, was attached to the blackboard. In addition to Rient and the Lumiarde Empire, it also featured neighboring countries, but those were currently irrelevant.
“I’m ready. Let’s begin.”
Holding a thin stick, Vivian pointed at one of the neighboring countries of the Rient Kingdom on the map.
“First, the Lumiarde Empire shares its western border with the Kingdom of Rient and has maintained hostile relations with the kingdom for over a hundred years.”
Since this was pretty basic information, I nodded in agreement with Vivian’s explanation. After all, I’m somewhat familiar with the Lumiarde Empire already.
In fact, the setting of the story takes place in the Lumiarde Empire about ten years from now. Since the main character is either the heir or heiress of a ducal house, the story delves into power dynamics among the empire’s nobility and some murky, behind-the-scenes power struggles.
And when it comes to dealing with adversaries in that empire…
“…The Empire claims to be the rightful successor to the once-unified Wildia Empire and uses it as a pretext to expand its territory by invading neighboring countries. However, for the past century, the borders haven’t moved much.”
As Vivian was explaining about the empire, I remembered that I was in the middle of this explanation and quickly brought my thoughts back before I got caught.
However, not asking any questions would be strange, so just to keep things natural, I decided to ask a question.
“They claim to be the successor to a unified empire, huh?”
“Yes, I mentioned a bit about the unified nation yesterday. It was a country with significant influence, to the point that the continent was named after it. So, the empire likely wanted to leverage that influence in some way. However, the empire’s assertion that they carry the bloodline of the unified nation’s royal family is only believed by those within the empire.”
Vivian responded with a somewhat incredulous expression.
Well, considering the chaotic state of affairs around the time of the unified kingdom’s collapse four hundred years ago, false claims of lineage were apparently quite common. So, her reaction seemed natural.
I mean, from the viewpoint of other countries, claiming to have imperial lineage probably sounds incredibly sketchy.
So, naturally, by asserting such claims as a pretext for their actions, the Empire has garnered hostility from neighboring countries and finds itself surrounded by adversaries on all sides.
“The Empire is more powerful than the kingdom, but due to their expansionist policies I explained earlier, they’re in a state of hostility with almost all the surrounding countries. They can’t afford to go all out against every nation. That’s why the borderlines haven’t shifted significantly in a century.”
“So, they’re dealing with the consequences of picking fights with other countries?”
So, why hasn’t the Lumiarde Empire collapsed? It’s probably because the neighboring countries, including the Rient Kingdom, aren’t entirely unified themselves.
Most likely, these nations are only doing enough to deter the Empire from expanding further. They’re probably only cooperating to maintain a balance of power, right?
“You’re absolutely right. Also, during the previous Empire’s invasion, the kingdom won in the end, but its borders did contract. So, after a hundred years, if the Empire starts expanding, there’s no doubt neighboring nations will make their moves.”
Pointing the tip of the stick at the border between the Empire and the kingdom, Vivian continued.
“Well, considering that the Empire’s forces have suffered great losses in their defeats, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were nations looking to weaken them before they grow stronger.”
“It’s an opportunity to weaken the Empire’s power and boost their own, so I’m sure there are countries considering it.”
“(…Speaking of which, in the original story’s canon, the Empire won. I wonder how the neighboring nations reacted. I can’t imagine they just let it slide…)”
Currently, I don’t know the specifics of the butterfly effect that brought about this situation where the Rient Kingdom defeated the Lumiarde Empire, so I can’t say how the neighboring countries reacted in the original story.
Besides, I have no information on the extent of the damage inflicted, making it challenging to make any accurate predictions.
“Is there anything else you’d like to know? If there’s anything you’re unsure about, feel free to ask.”
“No, I was just thinking about what might have happened if the Kingdom had lost to the Empire.”
Since I had no reason to hide it from Vivian, I decided to ask her.
“That’s a tricky question… It would likely depend on how the Kingdom lost. If it was a close defeat with significant losses, the reactions probably wouldn’t be much different from when they won. But if it was a catastrophic defeat, then at the very least, other nations might take longer to react, prioritising their own security.”
“I see. Thanks for the explanation.”
Vivian seemed to hesitate for a moment but then confidently presented her opinion.
It’s only natural for anyone to be wary if the Empire triumphed over the Kingdom without significant losses.
Her theory seemed logically sound.
While I already knew Vivian was competent, her capabilities exceeded my expectations.
Realizing her potential as a reliable mitigator, especially considering the bathroom incident, is becoming more apparent. I hope Alshade’s confidence in her is restored swiftly.
“Now, let’s return to the explanation. Next is the Imperial hierarchy. It’s similar to the Kingdom’s structure, with the Emperor at the apex and beneath are nobles with titles like Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron, and Knight. The difference is that the top two titles, Duke and Marquis, are equivalent to holding the Kingdom’s throne.”
“If there’s an Emperor, wouldn’t it be odd for someone to hold the title of King?”
I have to ask this even though I know the answer. It’s kind of annoying. Internally, I’m feeling a bit frustrated.
“(It’s envy-inducing how reincarnated individuals in stories can study on their own from the beginning… Well, what I know is about characters in tales, and they’re not real anyway.)”
“Since the Emperor holds a higher position than a King, there’s no problem. If that’s a bit confusing, you can think of the ‘Kings’ within the Empire as essentially high-ranking nobles, similar to influential nobles in the Kingdom.”
“Oh, I see.”
I refrained from asking what the actual differences were. It seemed quite pointless to inquire.
The notion of distinguishing between a regular monarch and an Emperor was likely the reason for using such a title, but it felt needlessly convoluted to me. In both my previous life and this one, I couldn’t imagine bothering with such complexities; “King” and “nobles” would do just fine, I thought.
“Moving on to the political system, the Empire operates under an absolute monarchy led by the Emperor. There’s a rule that the heads of noble families become knights of the Emperor, and they generally succeed the Emperor’s position. As a result, the country has a highly coordinated structure,” Vivian explained.
In a nation successful in centralization like this, surviving tumultuous eras despite having numerous enemies might indeed be a natural outcome. But making enemies of such a country would be quite troublesome.
“It does sound quite troublesome from our perspective.”
“Yes, since things like manipulation and sowing discord are difficult, there are fewer options available. …I’ve digressed a bit. Next is—”
After that, I briefly learned about the establishment of the Empire’s structure and then shifted to studying mathematics. I worked through arithmetic problems and finished my studies for the day.
Following my usual routine, I had dinner, took a bath, and then went to bed.
—
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