Chapter 15: The Gambit of the Fallen
In the opulent, incense-heavy bedchambers of the Imperial Diet's guest quarters, two of the most powerful men in Europe lay in parallel rooms, surrounded by frantic physicians and the heavy scent of medicinal herbs.
King Ottokar of Bohemia (Luxembourg) sat up in bed, his face pale but his eyes burning with a cold, sharp lucidity. Across the hall, the Duke of Saxony (Welf) was doing the same.
"Do they really think we reached the Electorate by being vulnerable to common nightshade?" Ottokar sneered, wiping a trace of black bile from his lip.
"The poison was amateur," the Duke of Saxony replied, his voice raspy but steady. "But it is a gift, Ottokar. A week of 'illness' gives us a perfect back-cover. We blame the Spanish agents. We tell the Emperor that this attempt on our lives was a move to destabilize the North before the relocation. It pressures the neutrals to vote with us out of spite for the 'Foreign Fire-Mages'."
They shared a dark, calculating look. The poison hadn't killed them; it had given them the one thing more valuable than gold: Legitimacy.
The System's Game and the Aunt's Grace
The carriage ride back to Saint's Peak was silent. Julian sat across from Mathilde, his mind racing. The System had been bombarding him with "Yandere Flag" warnings, making him paranoid that every time Mathilde sharpened her quill, she was thinking of his throat.
'System, give me five options to avoid the Yandere Flag. Now. Before I become a permanent fixture in her solar.'
[System Interface: Relationship Maintenance Protocols.]
* Flirting (Elegant): Affirm her beauty to secure her ego.
* Competence: Prove you aren't an idiot who needs a leash.
* Vulnerability: Allow her to 'save' you so she feels essential.
* Transparency: Hide nothing (Even if you lie, make it look like truth).
* The Distant Knight: Focus purely on the domain to earn professional respect.
Julian opted for a mix of Competence and Transparency. He took Mathilde's hand, not as a lover, but as a partner. "Aunt, I know the Schwarzberg proposal is a mess. But I need you to trust me. I am not looking for a leash; I am looking for a shield. If I become the Duke's son-in-law, I do it to protect Merania, not to escape it."
Mathilde's grip tightened on his hand. Her gaze was soft, but the possessive steel remained underneath.
[System Notification: Affection 79/100.]
[Sarcastic Commentary: Oh, calm down. I'm the one hyping the Yandere Flag to keep you on your toes. She isn't going to cage you... yet. I just like watching you squirm while the world burns.]
"You bumbling mess of code!" Julian hissed under his breath. "I'm fighting for my life here!"
The Father's Desperation
When they reached the manor, the atmosphere was not one of relief, but of impending war. Baron Maximilian was in the war room, surrounded by maps and stacks of predatory loan contracts.
"I've done it," Maximilian said, his eyes bloodshot. "I've placed all three villages and Saint's Peak as collateral. I'm taking a massive loan from the Silver-Stream merchant council to hire 500 Iron Banner mercenaries."
"To do what, Father?" Julian asked, his voice tight.
"To march on Baron Eisenhold," Maximilian roared, slamming his fist on the table. "We claim he is a Spanish sympathizer. We take his lands. We show the Emperor we are a house of action, not a 'buffer' to be moved! We regain our legitimacy through blood!"
"This is suicide!" Julian intervened, stepping between his father and the maps. "If we fail the siege, we lose the house before the Diet even reconvenes! We can't survive a war on two fronts!"
"Do you think I can stay calm?" Maximilian's voice broke, shifting from anger to a raw, ancient grief. "One week, Julian! During my grandfather's reign, we were a Ducal House! We were the pillars of the Empire! Then the main branch got greedy for the Throne, they lost the election, and the Luxembourgs and Saxons tore us apart to feed their own greed! We fell to Viscounts, then to Barons... and now they want to throw us into the Benevento meat-grinder like we're common trash!"
The Baron gripped Julian's shoulders. "We were supposed to be Margraves by now. Instead, I am a man presiding over a funeral. I will not let the Merania name end in a ditch in Italy!"
Julian looked at his father's desperate face, then at Mathilde, who stood by the door, her face a mask of sorrow. He realized then that logic wouldn't win this. Only a greater sacrifice would.
"Fine," Julian shouted, venting a month's worth of isekai-induced rage. "You want the house to survive? I'll do it. I'll marry Emilia von Schwarzberg. I'll take the Ducal contract. I'll get the equipment, the gold, and the political immunity we need. Are you happy now? I'll save this damn house, even if I have to burn my own life to do it!"
Julian turned and stormed out, slamming the heavy oak door behind him. He locked himself in his room, collapsing against the wood.
'Why was I reincarnated into this mess?' he thought, staring at the ceiling. 'I'm not even the villain. I'm just the guy trying to stop the villains from deleting my save file.'
The Shadow Over the South
While Julian vented his fury, the reality of the South was far grimmer than any political debate.
POV Shift: The Duchy of Benevento
The sky over Benevento wasn't blue; it was a choked, ashen grey. The Spanish Fleet, led by the fanatical fire-mages of the Crusade, had begun the bombardment.
The city's fortifications, already damaged from years of mercenary occupation, crumbled under the weight of enchanted stone and holy fire. The Iron Scale Mercenaries were in full retreat, leaving the fearful population to the mercy of the "Liberators."
POV Shift: Northern Italy (The Fragmented Sphere)
In the city-states of the North, the tension had reached a breaking point.
* Milan: The Visconti family looked toward the Alpine passes, fearing the Imperial relocation would bring more mouths to feed and more rivals to fight.
* Venice: The naval power began to recall its galleys from the Levant, sensing that the Spanish were no longer just after Sicily—they wanted the banking hubs of the North.
The "Italian Arc" wasn't a distant threat anymore. It was a looming, crimson tide. And in one week, when the Electors "recovered" from their poison, Julian would have to decide if his Ducal marriage was a shield or just a gilded cage.