Elizaveta, the wife of Friedrich the Lord.

Having been a princess of the Britten Kingdom, she possessed more courage and ambition than her indecisive husband.

She was the type of woman you wouldn’t regret calling a fierce lady.

Though she didn’t have the wisdom to support that character, in contrast to her husband’s lack of decisiveness, she had qualities that could be seen as befitting a ruler in certain respects.

However, this very character sometimes led her and her husband down undesirable paths.

The time when Friedrich left the Palatinate for Bohemia was, in fact, driven by Elizaveta, and as a result, the Palatinate ultimately fell to the Emperor’s army due to Mansfeld’s betrayal.

This disastrous failure caused Elizaveta to silently obey her husband’s words for a while, her spirit crushed.

But as time passed and memories of the failure faded, coupled with the weakening authority of her husband, who still held the title of Lord, while the power of Bohemia grew, Elizaveta began to slowly open her mouth once more.

“The Heretic Alliance was built around my husband… But now, the core of that alliance has effectively become Bohemia… or more precisely, Santana Andreas, the future heir and power behind that place. Moreover, recent events have been tipping the balance even further…”

The string of events occurring one after another was indeed remarkable and filled with danger in Elizaveta’s eyes.

Starting with firmly uniting the lords who supported the heretical doctrines under a strict banner of alliance and establishing a tangible alliance with the Dragona Empire, getting their support as well.

And… taking advantage of the famine that had struck, Bohemia was quite literally sweeping up the gold from across the Sacred Empire.

In comparison, Elizaveta’s side was struggling financially, relying only on the meager support from Santana and her own father, the King of Britten.

Not to mention, just recently, Santana had married a princess of the Dragona Imperial bloodline.

This effectively gave Bohemia a strong backing from the Dragona Empire alongside Santana.

Witnessing such a harsh reality right in front of her eyes, Elizaveta, though she didn’t want to admit it, recognized something undeniable.

The individual she regarded as her husband’s rival, Santana, possessed capabilities that they themselves could hardly touch.

This implied a significant risk for Friedrich the Lord’s position, which, though it held the representation of the Heretic Alliance, was essentially nothing more than a puppet.

“With Santana’s already remarkable abilities drawing attention, now that he’s under the influence of the Dragona Empire, this situation is indeed perilous. Worst case scenario, he might push to replace my husband, who is becoming more and more insignificant after losing the Palatinate…”

While the power of royal bloodlines could not be dismissed, the stark difference in power could not be ignored either in the current situation.

On top of that, her husband Friedrich was oblivious to the severity of the situation, merely bestowing his endless support on Santana, leaving Elizaveta utterly frustrated.

Realizing she needed to find some kind of breakthrough, her father’s suggestion had finally caught her eye as a suitable force.

Someone who, much like herself, was overshadowed by very competent allies and was trying to forge a different path.

Though somewhat diminished, he had absorbed Mansfeld and Christian’s forces and was none other than the powerful lord of the Kalmar United States.

Chris IV, the Duke.

This subtly unusual movement began to attract the attention of the informed King of Britten, who soon began sending secret letters promoting ties between him and Friedrich’s forces… or rather, connections with Elizaveta.

Following her father’s advice, Elizaveta began to seriously contemplate the situation and firmly decided to take this path.

“Indeed, staying still like this is far too dangerous; I need to act before our authority within the Heretic Alliance disappears.”

Fortunately, internally, while they were absolutely weak, the title of Lord still had some value in the market.

He held the possibility of legally becoming an Emperor, having the right to formally express a position on Sacred Empire affairs and exercise diplomatic authority.

Though it was formal, the past connection with the Dragona Empire still went through Friedrich, so utilizing that well could present opportunities for flipping the situation.

“Besides, there’s a good pretext as well… Even if Bohemia has become quite solid in the east, we and the Lorend Region to the west still lie under the Emperor’s threat. If I bring up the need for a new alliance to help us…”

Elizaveta’s primary aim in pushing forward with this was, in the end, to secure a larger stake within the Heretic Alliance.

But to mobilize the rather foolish yet somewhat loyal Friedrich, she needed a practical excuse.

Moreover, this affair inevitably required her to consider Bohemia’s perspective, so Elizaveta planned her moves meticulously.

Thus… empowered by a solid justification and rightful claims, Elizaveta finally formed an alliance with Chris IV.

Even though Mansfeld, who had previously tricked her, was involved, that rude hunting dog was currently in the firm grip of his new master, Chris IV.

With this success in laying down a solid backing, Elizaveta unwittingly brushed past a crucial realization.

She had yet to grasp what kind of consequences this treaty would lead them to.

Simultaneously, she was unaware of how much more significant sacrifices would be forced upon the already bloodied Sacred Empire.

*

Across the Empire, struggling due to the famine.

However, separate from that, the individual occupying the most fertile territory at the Empire’s heart, appointed by the Emperor as the Grand General, Valenshtein Alfred, was fully immersed in preparations for ongoing wars.

Though he too could not escape the effects of the famine completely.

Unlike other lords, however, he had prepared considerable food supplies in anticipation of such emergencies, allowing him to surge ahead further than others.

But at this moment…

A deep sense of regret firmly grasped Valenshtein’s mind.

“Well, I’m grateful that we can safely pass this famine. Yet… it’s honestly rather disappointing. If I had foreseen this situation a bit earlier and stored up more supplies, I could’ve made quite a profit…”

At this point, even if he was merely scraping by, he felt the missed opportunity to earn money was a heartbreak.

As Valenshtein was submerged in this bittersweet feeling…

“General.”

“Oh, welcome, Hestia. Did you finish the task I asked you to?”

Before him stood the blonde-haired witch.

With hopeful anticipation, Valenshtein inquired of Hestia…

To which she slowly shook her head in response.

“No… unfortunately…”