Chapter 212: Margaret: Your Sister is Fried!
In reality, similar plans had been proposed before, but among the immortal races, there were too many selfish individuals unwilling to shoulder such a burden.
“My dear minister, your sacrifice would be too great!”
“Your Majesty, I only wish to atone for my sins.”
A complex emotion unreadable by others flickered in Nicole’s eyes.
The Empress assumed the Saintess’s sin referred to the defeat in battle, but Nicole was actually regretting her past blind faith.
Since the gods had abandoned the Naga, the Naga were no longer obliged to worship them. They should make the Church as valuable as possible in matters of interpretation and divine relations!
As long as the Church’s reputation was ruined, it would be significantly easier to get believers to leave.
Simultaneously, involving the vassal races in the fight for Nicole to regain the Empress’s trust and better execute the empire’s plans was a win-win strategy, and part of the plan Nicole and Roger had discussed.
Indeed, the plan Nicole had proactively proposed to take the blame instantly mended the fractured ruler-subject relationship.
The Empress genuinely lacked personnel like Nicole, who “wholeheartedly” devoted themselves to the party and the nation!
Within days, the Naga Imperial Palace announced the news: Saintess Nicole was appointed Governor of several surrounding provinces and was to depart the Royal Capital immediately to assume her post.
On the surface, this was a promotion, granting her immense military and political power. However, to the Naga elites, it was a blatant demotion.
It was a clear sign of the Saintess’s failure in the power struggle, being driven out of the Naga’s center of power to only exert her remaining influence in the borderlands.
This was because those provinces were territories of vassal races, where the Naga Empire’s administrative orders had little effect.
Nicole would have little leverage to wield military and political power there.
Historically, governors in these regions only mediated conflicts between the various races and served as the first line of defense for the Naga, guarding the borders.
When the news spread, the Church lodged a stern protest, and many loyal believers took to the streets, pleading with the Empress to reconsider and not trouble their Saintess.
However, the Empress remained resolute, even dispatching the Royal Knights to disperse the believers and send them home, leading to a tense standoff with them on the Royal Capital’s main avenue.
Finally, Saintess Nicole herself appeared, urging the believers to return home, stating her willingness to obey the Empress’s command.
“We have just experienced defeat. For our future happiness, everyone must bear greater responsibility, and I, as Saintess, am no exception and should bear even more.”
Nicole’s righteous declaration of her stance deeply moved countless believers.
The Saintess was sacrificing too much for the Naga!
Seeing the exhaustion and helplessness on the Saintess’s face, the believers felt indignant on her behalf, but out of concern for her, they couldn’t cause further trouble and returned home.
Their Saintess was too kind; she selflessly dedicated herself to the empire, enduring slander and being schemed against by the royal court. How tragic!
Nicole’s performance greatly salvaged her reputation after the defeat. Although she accepted the scapegoat position, her support rating only increased.
In the eyes of her supporters, the primary responsibility for the defeat lay with Cromwell; the Saintess was merely cleaning up his mess.
How could she, a believer, understand warfare?
Don’t blame our little immortal fairy for the loss!
After a series of staged performances, no one suspected that this was a grand scheme orchestrated by Nicole and the Naga Empress to trap the vassal races.
Thus, Nicole, along with the Church’s influence and a contingent of excellent generals from the military, departed for the provinces of the vassal races, intending to use divine authority to push those vassals towards Naga suzerainty.
The process would undoubtedly be bloody, but Nicole, to fulfill Lord Roger’s solemn trust, was fearless!
“This is a test from Master!” she declared, looking at the lifelike Roger figurine in her arms, adorned in a military uniform with shining medals, her gaze firm and passionate.
…
…
As the situation in the Sea Kingdom temporarily stabilized, the Azurevine Empire’s domestic affairs also remained quite stable, with the entire nation entering a phase of quiet, rapid development.
A wave of scientific research led by mages was sweeping across the nation, and a national entrepreneurship movement, with its exceptionally high returns, attracted more and more capable and wealthy individuals.
Especially for spellcasters, mastering magic meant mastering knowledge, allowing them to more readily perceive the truths of this World. This gave them an inherent advantage in research and development.
Currently, most spellcasters had gradually withdrawn from the front lines of adventuring parties. Inventing and patenting yielded far greater returns than directly killing kobold warlocks.
The roles previously held by spellcasters were now being filled by their manufactured alchemical items and various magic crystal mechanical devices.
These were more effective, less costly, and available on demand, without the need to appease temperamental mages. The combat classes were also very pleased.
If one could wield firearms and etching rounds with their bare hands to inflict various magical damage and control effects on bosses, who would still care about mages (whispers)?
Supported by the Azurevine Empire’s ever-increasing productivity, even though spellcasters had retreated from ordinary frontline combat, the actual combat effectiveness of adventuring parties, mercenary groups, and even the imperial army had risen, not fallen.
As long as one had the funds to purchase and carry sufficient magical weaponry, their endurance could also be significantly enhanced!
Thus, a mutually beneficial World where only monsters got hurt was achieved!
Of course, the entrepreneurial wave, driven by technology as the primary productive force, wasn’t solely participated in by mages. Various professional artisans and business talents skilled in management and sales were also reaping exorbitant profits in this burgeoning market.
A great era full of opportunities was unfolding.
While the empire was developing quietly, the entire Eternal Night World was far from peaceful.
There were already long-standing grudges between nations. As the Azurevine Empire, the most overt threat, gradually faded into the background, the historical amnesia of nations quickly became apparent.
Moreover, at this time, a certain tireless little demon, in various guises, incited conflicts in hot spots and disputed territories. It wasn’t long before many nations, either actively or passively, entered a state of readiness for war.
Minor clashes on the borders were continuous, and preparations for a larger war were underway.
The Kingdom of Terra, goblin merchants, and smugglers provided various armaments, strengthening the resolve for war among kings, dukes, and other nobles.
Peace was impossible; only war could bring more land, slaves, and glory, proving one’s devout faith in the gods!
Whether for the sake of the great emperor or to eliminate those despicable and heretical infidels, the looming scent of war grew stronger, and the prices of food and minerals rapidly increased in many countries.
The Imperial Ministry of Agriculture announced that due to excessive investment of resources and manpower, state-owned farms’ grain production, which had surpassed consumption by several times, finally had a proper disposal method.
The Ministry of Industry also announced that with the use of new mining golems, their output of various minerals had rapidly increased. Coupled with the large-scale exploitation of undersea mineral deposits, this had also contributed to stabilizing the international commodity prices (^_−)☆.
Because the empire, as a super seller, was quickly offloading various materials through various channels, the prices of essential war commodities had not risen outrageously, which also ensured that the major powers had the confidence to wage more protracted wars.
Victory, it must be mine!
And so, the whole World exploded with a cacophony of sounds.
“Your Majesty praised me again! I truly am the most reliable little demon! Even the lucky cat can’t make money like me!”
At Maotai Villa, Margaret wagged her tail smugly, showing off her recent work achievements to Roger during breakfast.
The outbreak of these conflicts was partly due to her instigation.
Concurrently, through the channels established by the Nightingales, she was trading in firearms, steel, and other goods, earning a substantial amount of gold for the empire.
The major powers, having gone through the arms race, found that their opponents’ weapons, equipment, and reserves were not inferior to their own once the fighting began, prompting them to escalate their efforts and purchase more equipment.
As the empire, the greatest arms dealer behind the scenes, profited handsomely.
Roger could feel Margaret’s happiness. The world of fans was so simple. He smiled and said, “Yes, yes, no one understands war like you!”
“Exactly, can Angelina do that?”
Margaret puffed out her chest and frantically slammed the table.
“More chicken legs, and then shut up.”
Roger picked a chicken leg and placed it in her bowl, with an expression of handing out scraps to a beggar.
“Tch, you渣渣姐控 (sister-complex scum)!”
Margaret also looked at him with disdain, making a face.
Fine, if you don’t want to talk about it!
However, she was accustomed to having breakfast with her “sister-in-law.” Occasional bickering, occasional praise for the Empress, and occasional scheming together made life much livelier than living alone.
Soon, after breakfast, Margaret tidied up the table and excused herself, leaving Maotai Villa.
At the entrance to the villa, Angelina had just alighted from her carriage and immediately saw Margaret emerging from her brother’s residence.
“Left Chancellor, what are you doing here?” Angelina’s pupils contracted instantly, and she stared at Margaret warily.
This person had proposed to the Empress to kill her brother, yet now she appeared at Roger’s home. In Angelina’s eyes, this was undoubtedly suspicious.
After the Five-Year Plan commenced, the empire flourished with countless new industries, and the flow of materials and wealth was more than ten times what it was before. As the empire’s chief administrator, in charge of internal affairs, Angelina was naturally swamped.
Consequently, her interactions with her brother had decreased. Apart from official matters and exchanging pleasantries, she hadn’t had a chance to understand the relationship between Roger and Margaret.
Inevitably, Angelina’s tone carried a hint of questioning.
Margaret immediately exploded!
Although Roger’s guidance had made her realize that gaining the Empress of Eternal Night’s favor wasn’t about surpassing the blonde holy mother and thus ending her active provocations and hostile actions,
Given their years of animosity and their personality differences, she naturally harbored no good feelings towards the blonde holy mother.
Having left her home in high spirits, only to be questioned and suspected without cause, Margaret immediately let out a cold laugh, “The door is open, why can’t I come here?”
Angelina frowned:
“Don’t speak to me like that, it’s very unpleasant.”
“Heh, the way you speak is truly unpleasant!”
“Margaret, explain yourself. What exactly do you mean by coming to see my brother?”
“Military secrets are beyond my ability to disclose. That’s roughly what I mean~”
Angelina was left speechless. She took a deep breath, then another, before maintaining her composure and sneering with aristocratic disdain:
“If you can’t manage the military department and keep asking A’jie for help, you should just give him your position as Prime Minister instead of harassing him at home. You are not welcome here.”
“Excuse me, this is Maotai Villa, not Charles Manor! You are not the owner here, so why can’t I come?”
“I am his sister!”
“So what if you are? Can a sister control her brother’s life forever?” Margaret jeered at Angelina, then leaned closer and whispered, “Setting aside the fact that he’s an adult, do you, this sister-complex, truly understand your brother? Do you know what we’ve done together?”
The little demon’s expression was smug and triumphant.
She was referring to their seaside escapade that had instigated the current conflict among the major powers.
This grand scheme, endorsed by the Empress, was certainly worthy of pride.
However, from Angelina’s perspective, an unwelcome demon, known for her malicious and unscrupulous methods, asking her, “Do you know what I and your brother have done together?”…
Her face paled drastically and then turned ashen!
A’jie, no!
More importantly, she did indeed harbor a constant worry about not understanding Roger well enough.
This was Angelina’s sore spot and hidden concern. Now, her archrival had pointed it out so directly, and if that kind of thing had happened…
Angelina’s composure shattered!
Indignantly pointing at the little demon, she called her by name, “Margaret, I never imagined you could be so shameless! Resorting to such tactics!”
“That’s right, I am good at these tactics, and unfortunately, some people just fall for them~”
Margaret was referring to instigating conflict among the major powers, but Angelina interpreted it as seducing Roger and manipulating people.
The little demon, unashamed and even proud, made Angelina clench her fists. If she were capable of defeating her, she would have annihilated this wretch with her own hands!
“You, you, you… Good, good tactics! I can’t control you, but can’t I control my brother? As long as I’m alive, you’ll never set foot in my Charles family’s home again!”
Angelina pointed at Margaret. She, who was always eloquent, was now stammering.
Regarding matters of love, they were both unmarried. Aside from a sister, even a mother would have few grounds to criticize the woman.
“As I said, this is Maotai Villa. Can you, Duke Charles, truly control another Duke Charles?”
Margaret looked at her as if she was about to burst into laughter.
Angelina stared at her, memorizing her triumphant expression, and turned to enter Maotai Villa without another word.
Seeing her leave so abruptly, Margaret let out three hearty laughs, feeling incredibly triumphant.
Oh my, in my lifetime, I actually managed to anger the blonde holy mother to the point of losing all her aristocratic demeanor.
Interesting, satisfying, so much fun!
I should tell Roger about this amusing incident… Wait?
The blonde holy mother is Roger’s sister. Now she’s going to deal with Roger!
He’s a sister-complex; if he finds out I angered his sister like this, won’t he be angry?
Oh dear, sister-in-law is scary…
After all, sister-in-law has helped me a lot, and now I’ve caused him trouble. What should I do?
Should I stop Angelina and try to appease her?
That seems unlikely. The blonde holy mother already looks like she doesn’t want to talk to me, and I’ll probably just make it worse.
Margaret had that much self-awareness.
Never mind, I’ll report it to Roger first. This way, even if I made a mistake, my fault will seem a little less severe.
Margaret took out her Soul Transfiguration Bracelet and sent a message: “Lord Roger, I met your sister when I was leaving just now. We chatted for a bit, and she seemed to have misunderstood something, and then she exploded (✖人✖).”
Roger: ???
My sister, who has such a good temper, exploded?
Are you sure you weren’t the one who caused trouble?
Before he could even analyze the message, a maid reported, “Master, Madam Angelina requests an audience.”
