Chapter 213: Minister of Affairs Eivass
Isabel looked at Eivass with confusion. Eivass smiled and explained, “Because Star Antimony is currently in a state of intense internal strife. If Avalon were to have problems at this time, them launching a war and winning against Avalon would be an excellent way to alleviate their domestic conflicts.”
“Why?” Isabel pressed, “Generally, isn’t it true that one shouldn’t launch a war during internal strife? Why can’t we simply announce that Meg has regained her youth to prevent them from starting a war?”
If it were in the past, she would not have dared to ask further after knowing the outcome. But now, she was also beginning to explore the underlying principles—not relying on the explanations of “teachers” or “advisors,” but trying to think for herself.
Queen Sophia also watched with great interest. Lixia directly sat on the Queen’s lap, placing her right arm around the Queen’s shoulder with a flourish, and looked back. Her tail wagged rhythmically against the leg of the stool. They were clearly curious about Eivass’s answer, but their curiosity was more of an assessment and a test compared to Isabel’s questioning.
Eivass perceived their intentions, sat up straight, and replied seriously, “Because the core issue of Star Antimony is that they have expanded too quickly. The Star Antimony Kingdom, Iris Kingdom, Daffodil Duchy, and Black Hawk Duchy all originated from the Hrasal Empire. Even the Knights of the Round Table, who founded Avalon, were once part of the Hrasal Empire… This is why their languages are similar. However, the empire’s division happened hundreds of years ago. The reason they split then indicates that they had irreconcilable contradictions. To reunite them without resolving those contradictions means that such a rule will be unstable. Especially the Daffodil Duchy, a kingdom of mages… they were only annexed less than thirty years ago, not even a full generation has passed. They were originally the most likely force to threaten Star Antimony, and being defeated and occupied by Star Antimony, with the former Black Hawk Duchy using sneak attacks, they are undoubtedly resentful.”
Even during the final stages of the war to conquer Avalon, the Daffodil Duchy never sent troops. Those colossi and gargoyles were the products of the Star Antimony people, while the elite troops came from Black Hawk—and the Daffodil Territory was in a state of semi-rebellion. On one hand, the current governor of the Daffodil Duchy was a highly ambitious and capable individual with excellent military and political skills, and the mages supported him; on the other hand, those mages detested war.
“Moreover, Star Antimony is too far from Daffodil, separated by the entire Black Hawk, making it difficult for them to reach and govern. Recently, the Iris people have been supporting several rebel restoration forces in Black Hawk… with continuous rebellions in Daffodil and Black Hawk, suppressing them and maintaining peace requires enormous expenditure. The expansion dividends have been exhausted, and now they are starting to lose money. In addition, within Star Antimony, as necromancers gradually withdrew from the center of power and moved in large numbers to the Black Hawk Duchy and Daffodil Duchy… the factional competition between alchemists and demon scholars lost its buffer zone, becoming increasingly fierce and gradually losing balance. No matter which side the royal family sided with, it would dissatisfy the other. Furthermore, economic pressure would lead to military spending cuts. Star Antimony chose to transfer this expenditure to the Black Hawk Duchy to appease the alchemists and demon scholars—professional soldiers from that region were the most affected by the military downsizing.” Eivass explained earnestly.
This was also why Star Antimony chose to overwhelm Avalon with high-end forces in the war of conquest, instead of the usual back-and-forth tug-of-war with elite troops.
“In this situation, they desperately need a new war—a resounding victory to alleviate their domestic conflicts.”
“…But according to you,” Isabel asked with some confusion, “Isn’t their problem precisely because they occupy too much land? So why are they still launching this war?”
“They certainly know that, which is why there have been decades of peace. That’s why Avalon and Iris could survive… but they can no longer stop.” Eivass shook his head and answered simply, “If the Daffodil Duchy were willing to submit and their intelligent mages provided assistance, they might be able to recover… but the Daffodil Duchy has not been subdued.” Because they couldn’t subdue them. If they were to open a front and fight slowly, they might not be able to defeat the Daffodil Duchy.
“…In other words, although Star Antimony appears powerful and invincible now, it is actually very fragile?” Isabel suddenly understood, “So Miss Lixia wants to provoke them into attacking and then failing, which would strengthen their internal rebellions? So they won’t have time to bother with us then?”
“Um… something like that.” Eivass smiled helplessly, “If we don’t show weakness, they might continue to probe our bottom line. And such probing itself would cause us harm… it’s better to let them attack and then give them a surprise. After all, for them to attack, they have to cross the sea. This is a natural defense.”
Without the traitorous Trade Minister, it would be quite difficult for the Star Antimony people to smuggle ground troops. In terms of naval strength alone, Avalon was undoubtedly far superior to Star Antimony. After all, placing a few griffons on a ship was practically equivalent to an aircraft carrier. And at sea, the threat of storm-based abilities was greater than on land. The Dragon Blood Edict was also basically immune to cleansing efforts… as long as the energy level wasn’t suppressed, it was generally unavoidable. And Meg, who was originally very afraid of the Twilight Path’s aging curse, no longer had that weakness.
It could be said that Miss Lixia alone could now protect a nation. As long as she demonstrated her strength, Avalon would essentially be safe… at least gaining the respect of Star Antimony and Iris. That way, Eivass wouldn’t be tied down here. He could go to other places to explore and acquire equipment without worrying that his home would be gone when he returned. If she didn’t show her strength, Iris and Star Antimony would always be skeptical—was Lixia truly as powerful as Meg? Wasn’t she just a decoy? Being hit hard would make them honest.
From this perspective… When Eivass helped Meg transform into “Lixia,” history had already been completely altered.
“You haven’t finished explaining, have you?” Lixia said smilingly, with a wicked grin on her face, “Why don’t you say it all? There’s another reason… you want to kill those disobedient fellows, right?” …You actually saw through that? Eivass looked at Lixia with surprise and didn’t deny it.
Isabel was startled, “Ah? Who does Eivass want to kill?”
“Those decadent knights.” Eivass said with a straight face, “War is an excellent excuse… sending those knights who have never experienced war onto the battlefield, exposing their weakness and cowardice, and letting the seasoned veterans share their experiences with the young people; it is also a test, allowing those immature young people to gain courage, tempering steel in fire and removing rust, and they will be our new pillars. In this way, Avalon, as rotten as withered wood, can be reborn in blood and fire.”
“…Oh!” Isabel’s eyes lit up.
“Simply put,” Lixia translated with a smile, “find an excuse to send those disobedient old men and those good-for-nothings onto the battlefield to kill them; give merit to the reliable and salvageable young people, and promote them. Through these means, violently reshuffle the current Round Table Hall and replace them with people willing to obey your orders.”
“…It feels like the same meaning, but this sounds so wicked.” Isabel mumbled.
Queen Sophia, standing beside them, was greatly amused. She clapped her hands repeatedly, a rare smile on her face. “You need to be a bit wicked, little Isabel. You’re still too young… learn from Eivass. See how he does things.” Lixia giggled, nestled in the Queen’s embrace, “I have time anyway… I’ll take the opportunity to teach you how to be wicked.”
“…Isn’t it enough if Eivass does it?” Isabel glanced at Eivass, still somewhat reluctant, “I just need to be sincere with them.”
“It’s not impossible.” Eivass said, crossing his arms and nodding in agreement. He was good at playing the good cop. It was merely the difference between being fired from a company and being expelled from the biosphere… Lixia smacked her lips. She could see that Isabel was worried about becoming wicked and cunning, which would alter her relationship with her friends—perhaps specifically Eivass. It wasn’t entirely impossible. The current Sophia was completely different from the vibrant girl she first met. Their friendship had lasted this long as a result of continuous compromises from both sides.
“In that case, Eivass,” Queen Sophia extended an invitation, “Would you like to try joining the Round Table Hall first?”
“…As a knight?” Eivass asked. The implication was whether he had to inherit the Moriarty Family. The Moriarty Family was very special; it had no collateral branches. If he inherited the Moriarty Family, it would mean that Edward and Yulia would be stripped of their family and surname. Although he didn’t know Edward and Yulia’s attitudes, Eivass was still reluctant to do such a thing.
“If you’re unwilling, you can serve as a minister.” Queen Sophia said with a light laugh, as if joking, “What do you think of the Minister of Affairs?” Eivass gasped. Isabel’s eyes widened immediately. Even Lixia’s wicked smile froze.
“Minister of Affairs,” while the name sounded humorous… “affairs” actually meant “governing everything.” They didn’t specialize in a particular area but could intervene in any department’s affairs when necessary, based on the Queen’s decision or the Round Table Hall’s resolution. Most importantly, their status was equivalent to department ministers, meaning other ministers could neither govern nor command them. This was undoubtedly a “trusted minister of the state.” It could even be considered the Queen’s confidant, the highest-ranking special envoy of the royal family. Since there was no actual “Ministry of Affairs,” this position could be left vacant. Since Queen Sophia’s succession, even her own prince had never held this position.
“…I haven’t even graduated yet, Your Majesty?” Even Eivass hesitated. He wasn’t overwhelmed with gratitude, nor did he feel incapable. He had no doubt that he could perform better than most ministers in Avalon. He was just thinking—if he really took on this position, would traveling be inconvenient? The procedures for a minister to leave Glass Island would certainly be different from those of an ordinary person, let alone traveling abroad… that would basically be equivalent to an envoy’s specification.
Queen Sophia easily saw through Eivass’s thoughts. She comforted him, “Don’t worry, it won’t delay you… because you are the Minister of Affairs. Anything you do can be considered a special mission under my authority, including concealing your identity. And you won’t have regular duties… Well, I can transfer ‘Miss Alistair’ to your command. Regarding Noble Red, I have already decided to dispatch troops for their suppression. I will have George return to the army shortly, and the regular army will handle this matter from now on; you don’t have to worry about your safety—for personal safety, Lixia can also protect you. This week, you should just focus on studying and preparing for your Advancement Ritual with Isabel. There will be no other accidents; I will help you complete the other procedures… Before the start of next semester, you should be a minister.” The Old Queen winked mischievously at Eivass, “How about it, attending school under the guise of a minister—doesn’t that make you feel delighted?”
“Indeed.” Eivass nodded honestly. He had to admit, it was a little thrilling.
Update complete! A long-awaited double update at midnight! I slept for more than ten hours yesterday, on and off. Considering that IV fluids might lower my immunity, I didn’t get any. This morning, my rhinitis is still severe, with more snot and phlegm… but at least my head doesn’t hurt, so I can work…
I’d like to recommend my friend’s new book, “This Actor Is Too Deep into the Role.”
