After finishing lunch and taking a moment to rest in the familiar Amagi Castle, the International Conference resumed.
The morning’s agenda was wrapped up sooner than expected. Nevertheless, since they prioritized the essential matters to be decided, minor issues would be addressed in future sessions or individually.
“The afternoon’s agenda is about the Celestial Emperor position.”
“Yes. There are no objections to Emperor Reinhardt ascending the throne, but the issue lies with his successor.”
“Indeed, that is the problem.”
As Representative Nicholas Pais, Duke Blitz Uroboros, and Grand Duke Liar stated, it was indeed a problem.
“Regarding the right of succession, we will retain that of the Amister Royal Family. Is that not sufficient?”
“While I do not wish to interfere in the matters of succession of another country, or rather, of the main family, I must state that we cannot welcome that.”
Dragon King Folias responded hesitantly, but the others seemed to share his opinion.
Only the Amister delegation seemed unable to comprehend the issue. What was the problem?
“Emperor Reinhardt will be the first Celestial Emperor. Therefore, it is my humble opinion that the position should be inherited by His Majesty’s descendants.”
“My descendants?”
“Yes. Both the House of Duke Turkis and the House of Duke Montshstein are blood relatives of the first Emperor Amister, and thus also blood relatives of Emperor Reinhardt. However, that pertains to the Amister throne, and I apologize to Duke Cecilia and Duke Arjan, but the Celestial Emperor title is a separate matter.”
The moment I heard what King Gumnos and Grand Duke Liar said, Duke Cecilia and Duke Arjan turned to me with triumphant smiles.
Those smiles stirred a murderous intent within me.
“So, you believe both ducal families should not possess the right of succession to the Celestial Emperor title?”
“I believe it is unavoidable that the Duke himself and his eldest son are given lower positions in the order of succession.”
While I could understand everyone’s point, if the Turkis and Montshstein ducal families were to lose their right of succession, there would only be my sister Yuri until Rest turned ten.
Mana had virtually renounced her right of succession, so in the unlikely event of an emergency, the Celestial Emperor’s line might truly cease to exist.
“Your Majesty’s concerns are valid.”
“The fact that you propose such a thing suggests you have a counter-proposal prepared?”
“I apologize for my rudeness, but we also do not wish for the Federation Heavenly Empire to split in the next generation. This proposal was devised by the representative of Libertà, and it seems His Majesty Gumnos has also been discussing it at length in Valentia.”
King Gumnos nodded vigorously at Grand Duke Liar.
Was it that serious?
However, it was an argument that could not be denied, and I had not taken it that seriously. It was time to hear their opinions.
“Understood. Then, Libertà and Valentia, could you present the proposal you have both discussed?”
“Certainly.”
“Understood.”
Both were well-prepared.
They had likely anticipated this outcome, yet it might have ended up being in vain.
However, both proposals were excellent ideas that were eye-opening to me.
Libertà’s proposal was to reinstate Mana’s right of succession, making Mana first and Yuri second. When the child within Rest and Maruca reached ten years of age, they would be promoted to first and second place, respectively.
Concurrently, her husband, Yamato, would also be granted succession rights, ranking below Yuri.
The children born to Mana and Yuri would be close blood relatives to me as well, so when both bore children, they would have higher succession rights than their mothers.
The House of Duke Turkis and the House of Duke Montshstein would have the current head and eldest son hold succession rights below Yamato’s. Upon Rest’s successful enthronement, the ducal families would no longer have any right of succession.
Valentia’s proposal was to grant Mana and Yuri titles as nobles possessing the right of succession to the Celestial Emperor title, making them independent.
Mana, already an adult and married, should prioritize bearing children. As for Yuri, she should be given a territory and undergo practical training in preparation for any contingencies.
Not only one, but both could be adopted without any issues.
In fact, these were excellent proposals that should be adopted.
The eldest son of the House of Duke Montshstein was considering raising his succession rank, so if this proposal were accepted, the order of succession would be: 1st Mana, 2nd Yuri, 3rd Yamato, 4th eldest son of the House of Duke Montshstein, 5th Duke Cecilia, 6th eldest daughter of the House of Duke Turkis, and 7th Duke Arjan. Considering my Ancient Elf status, there were a sufficient number of successors.
The first to agree to this proposal were, as expected, Duke Cecilia and Duke Arjan.
Both houses had been reluctant concerning the Amister throne, so their reaction was predictable.
Moreover, I, the Celestial Emperor, and Mana, first in succession, were Ancient Elves. Yuri, second in succession, was a Human-Half High Elf, and Yamato, third in succession, was an Ancient Human. Therefore, under most circumstances, the possibility of either ducal family inheriting the Celestial Emperor title was virtually nil.
In essence, the proposed order of succession was merely to inflate the number of successors, which could be interpreted as the effective elimination of succession rights for both ducal families.
“I see. Rraina, what do you think?”
“I cannot think of a better proposal. However, since the ducal families are to remain as they are, if we are to grant succession rights to H.R.H. Manalease, H.R.H. Yuriana, and Lord Yamato, we will need to devise new titles.”
This was indeed a problem.
The noble ranks were Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron, with the Duke being the highest. There were also titles unique to certain countries.
These included the Knight-Baron of Amister, the Phantom Baron of Torencia, the Dragon Baron of Valentia, the Royal Baron of Valiente, the Imperial Baron of Solemne, and the Imperial Baron of Retisencia.
The Royal Baron and Imperial Baron titles would be abolished, but it felt inappropriate to grant them.
“Hmm. Then how about the Divine Title? The Amagi is a symbol of the Philia Continent, and since one may inherit the Celestial Emperor title, it seems fitting. It would rank above Duke, which might be an issue, but what do you think?”
The title suggested by King Gumnos certainly seemed appropriate for a successor to a nation ruled by the Celestial Emperor, who resided in Amagi.
The fact that it ranked above Duke was a concern, but I decided to ask straightforwardly.
“Divine Title, you say? Duke Cecilia, Duke Arjan, what are your thoughts?”
“It is splendid.”
“As they are families with the right of succession to the Celestial Emperor title, it is natural for it to be above the ducal rank.”
However, Duke Cecilia and Duke Arjan decided almost instantly.
Were they that eager to avoid involvement in state affairs?
Or perhaps, I could understand their feelings, as I felt the same way.
“If you two have no objections, then Mana, Yuri, and Yamato shall be granted the Divine Title. We will also accept the territorial proposal.”
This was the best outcome.
The three would likely object, but as they were not present, I could only tell them to accept it.
However, Mana would be prioritizing bearing children, so Yuri would have the hardest task.
Regarding where to grant territory, Feell would be the safest choice.
It was also around the time for a Provincial Governor to be replaced, making it convenient in that regard.
“Eventually, Mana will also be granted territory, which would mean Yamato would be involved in four territories. Surely that would be too much, so I intend to not grant Yamato any territory.”
“That cannot be helped, but will it not look bad to outsiders?”
“If he intends to execute what Lord Yam is considering, should he not also be granted territory?”
Duke Polaris, who did not know Yamato well, and Baron Neige, who had met him through his cousin Prim, voiced similar opinions, though their content was opposing.
Indeed, as Duke Polaris said, it would not look good for someone with the right of succession to the Celestial Emperor title to possess no territory.
However, Yamato’s wife, Marchioness Frederica Amatista, was also the lord of the Marquisate of Amatista, which possessed Amister’s largest cherry tree plantation.
At this point, he was already involved in territory management and, if Yuri were to be granted Feell, he would also have to be involved in Feell’s operations.
Furthermore, in a few years, if Mana were also granted territory, he might truly become overwhelmed.
“While I share that concern, his wife will be the one actually governing, so you need not worry too much about it. Besides, will civil officials not be dispatched?”
“Understandably so.”
There was the sky island Alka, and Yamato himself had learned traveling. Therefore, even if his wife’s territory was far away, there would be no problem with transportation.
Moreover, stifling his actions with territorial management would be a significant loss.
That was why I intended to dispatch civil officials to assist Yuri, and the same would apply to Mana.
Furthermore, as Baron Neige mentioned earlier, Yamato was developing a Scholars’ Guild, a comprehensive school, and a magical tool called MARS for combat training against monsters using illusions.
Both would require large plots of land, making it difficult to prepare them in Feell, which was planned for Yuri, or the Marquisate of Amatista.
In that case, granting him undeveloped land and having him develop it could also be considered an option.
The most suitable location for that would be an uninhabited island in the Nadal Sea. However, Alegria owned many lands there, and Enigma Island, also in the Nadal Sea, was home not only to labyrinths but also to the Demise Species Nidh, making it highly dangerous.
“Queen Hildegard, what is it that Lord Yam is attempting to do? If you don’t mind, could you tell me?”
Queen Grace of Alegria showed interest and asked Hilde.
The fact that Hilde became Yamato’s fiancée was not a secret; rather, it was widely known as a reward for subjugating the Slume Lord. Thus, no one present was unaware of it.
Perhaps it was because the conversation had shifted to Yamato’s Celestial Emperor succession rights and territory that she was becoming restless. However, it was not a secret, and I had informed her of the general outline of the Scholars’ Guild, so my permission was not required.
So, please calm down a little.
“I see. Regarding the Scholars’ Guild, I have indeed been informed of its general outline. However, a large school building would be required, so they were having difficulty selecting a site.”
“And MARS. I have only heard rumors about it, but what an incredible device you are devising.”
Not only Queen Grace but also Representative Eislicht of Granreave showed interest.
Even if the Scholars’ Guild were to be established, its headquarters would be in Float.
However, Float could not provide enough land for the construction of a comprehensive school, so they would inevitably have to search for other land.
Land itself would be plentiful, but the establishment of a school would necessitate housing for students, and living there would require supplies.
Furthermore, once MARS was completed, monster ecology research would likely advance significantly, leading many researchers to relocate.
In that case, the land would develop into a town.
Therefore, there was no point in granting them land with no room for development.
“If we are to grant territory to Lord Yam, the central part of the Philia Continent would be ideal.”
“Indeed. The applicable regions would be southern Libertà or the Nadal Sea, but the distance from Float is a drawback.”
“Since there is Enigma Island in the Nadal Sea, its safety is questionable. Though it’s true that Nidh does not leave Enigma Island, and entering the Enigma Labyrinth poses no problem, so perhaps it is not something to worry about too much.”
Nidh, the Demise Species of Dragoon.
Records indicate that about seventy years ago, an expeditionary force was organized to subjugate Nidh and entered Enigma Island. That was apparently because a neighboring small island had been attacked by Nidh.
Furthermore, it was supposed to be due to the residents of that small island stealing something from Nidh.
Apart from that, Nidh has never emerged from Enigma Island. Entering the Enigma Labyrinth on Enigma Island has also been reported to be unimpeded by attacks; in fact, some even claim to have received assistance.
“The truth is unknown, but it is believed that Labyrinth Floods are also troublesome for Nidh. However, since Nidh cannot enter the Enigma Labyrinth, it is speculated that they intentionally overlook Hunters who suppress Labyrinth Floods to save themselves the trouble.”
Prime Minister Limone Argent of Alegria presented an Alaskan conjecture.
I see, so in preparation for Labyrinth Floods, they overlook Hunters who enter the Enigma Labyrinth.
While it is mere speculation, Nidh, like the Dragoon species, is enormous, making it impossible for them to enter the Enigma Labyrinth.
Therefore, by allowing humans to enter, they avoid having to deal with the monsters overflowing from Labyrinth Floods.
It would be easy to dismiss this, but monster ecology is largely unknown, and for Dragoons, especially a Demise Species that primarily inhabit labyrinths, knowing anything at all is a miracle.
Therefore, the possibility of Nidh using humans to suppress Labyrinth Floods is not zero.
However, it is also true that Nidh has attacked human settlements.
Could Queen Grace be considering requesting the subjugation of Nidh?
“I have no intention of requesting the subjugation of Nidh. If there is even a slight chance of failure, Alegria would be destroyed. In fact, Valentia, Libertà, and Solemne would also be targets of attack. The risk is too high.”
She preemptively apologized, understanding my intentions, but the risk was indeed too high.
However, Enigma Island is rumored to have a Divine Metal Mine, albeit a questionable one.
Enigma Island is located exactly in the center of the Philia Continent, and it is said to house a Treasure Tree. The tree is situated on a hill, and Divine Metal is said to be produced from that mountain.
There are rumors, originating from an unknown time and person, that Nidh is the guardian of this Divine Metal Mine.
It was also said that the reason Nidh attacked the small island was that its residents had stolen Divine Metal.
Of course, I believe it to be a rumor, but it is too significant to dismiss outright. Queen Grace undoubtedly desires the liberation of Enigma Island.
However, she would not act recklessly.
Any misstep would result in the loss of trust, regardless of the outcome, and lead to isolation.
“That is true. In any case, let us consider the territory to be granted to Lord Yam further.”
“Indeed. While it is undeniable that sooner is better, he is still a young man who has just come of age, so rushing is not necessary.”
“Rather than that, perhaps it would be best to let him train in Feell for a while to learn about territory management.”
Ah, Baron Neige’s suggestion might be the best.
Feell is also a base for Yamato, and its reputation in the town is good.
It would be the perfect place to study to become a lord.
Very well, I shall bestow Feell, and subsequently Prada Village, upon Yuri.
As for the family name of the noble house, that is something I must consider.
Fortunately, there are still several days until they return, so I will take my time to think about it.
