“Haah…”

Friedrich the Lord of the Sacred Empire

He was spending his days feeling rather down lately.

Under the leadership of his wife, Elizaveta, various incidents were happening around them.

The alliance with Chris IV to the north, and the indirect collaboration with the Mansfeld gang through it.

From Friedrich’s perspective, these developments were not exactly welcome; at the same time, a persistent unease settled in his heart regarding these secret undertakings pushing forth towards Bohemia and Santana.

Although Elizaveta was filled with hopes that through this, she would gain dominance in the Heretic Alliance and, furthermore, reclaim the lost Palatinate… honestly, Friedrich was deeply skeptical about whether any of this was truly feasible.

‘I’d like to think that getting involved with that Mansfeld gang again will mess everything up…’

Just hearing the name Mansfeld now sent shivers down Friedrich’s spine.

They had played a crucial role in the fall of Palatinate, and not only that, later teamed up with Christian to rampage under the pretext of liberating the Palatinate.

Thinking of the suffering inflicted upon his own people still made his stomach churn, yet despite that, Friedrich had no choice but to eventually accept Elizaveta’s repeated proposals.

The current Mansfeld was nothing more than a dog beneath the feet of Chris IV, and there was no need to fear such a being.

Still, that uneasy feeling wouldn’t quite leave him, but ultimately, due to his wife’s firm stance, Friedrich had to accept.

Even if he had effectively severed ties with Anhalt, he could not oppose the words of his wife, the most influential person in his life.

Thus, Friedrich was compelled to accept an alliance that he really didn’t like.

However, it didn’t stop there. Elizaveta was now eyeing a different alliance as well.

Recently arrived news indicated that the Franz Kingdom had secretly proposed an alliance to them, which filled Friedrich with genuine disbelief.

A historical enemy of the Sacred Empire, a powerful nation that had long held a significant stake in the Church’s power.

Nevertheless, Elizaveta was insisting that Friedrich accept this alliance.

Currently, the Franz Kingdom was discussing a marriage proposal with his younger sibling, thus, soon they would become relatives.

But was it truly normal to form an alliance with such unpredictable individuals? Friedrich could hardly dismiss his doubts.

Moreover, even disregarding the legitimacy of the situation, he worried whether it could genuinely be helpful or might worsen things further, like poison.

In the past, following Anhalt’s advice, Friedrich had tried to form alliances with various nations across the continent, hoping for their aid.

Yet the results turned out to be catastrophic, ending up as bad as they are now.

At his most vulnerable moment, instead of lending support, the allies he trusted either did nothing or stabbed him in the back.

In fact, aside from Santana, the one person he genuinely trusted, he had learned that he could find no one reliable in this world.

Regarding this matter, Friedrich felt he should not put great expectations on the concept of alliances, yet still, he ultimately failed to persuade his wife.

Though they were highly unreliable, he knew that, in reality, they had no choice but to take such risks to make any attempts in their current dire situation.

Having lost his territory, Friedrich was now little more than a paper lion.

He had almost no funds to raise an army or authority to mobilize other lords left to him.

In such circumstances, it would be foolish to rely solely on Santana, who was practically confined to defense due to their overwhelming disadvantage, a fact he had to acknowledge.

‘But… even so, I can’t shake this feeling that this situation is dangerous in various ways. Haven’t we been wishing for things to go smoothly, only to end up like this? Worst case, things might get worse than they are now.’

Experiencing the worst failure of his life, Friedrich expected to realize reality a bit more than before.

Although he had no way of controlling this situation, which was spiraling out of his hands, he understood that the current flow was not good.

As a result, during the process of forming an alliance with the Franz Kingdom, due to Elizaveta’s wishes, Friedrich cautiously sent a person to Santana, who was living their newlywed life in the Dragona Empire.

The letter explained the truths regarding what they had done so far and requested advice or help from him.

‘Elizaveta insisted that I shouldn’t trust Santana to the end, but… in my view, he’s a hundred times more trustworthy than the poisonous alliances we’re currently forming. Given the circumstances, it’s only right to discuss things with him to prepare for any eventuality.’

*

“Fuhuhut…”

Cazerose, leaning into my embrace, let out a little giggle.

Seeing her like this automatically made a warm smile bloom on my face.

Her scent, gently tickling my nose, and the cozy feeling of her touch.

Though I had become quite accustomed to it, I could momentarily forget the troubles of the world amidst this warm sensation that reminded me of what happiness truly was.

‘Soon, my time in the Dragona Empire will come to an end, but at least this happiness can continue.’

Time spent with a loved one always approached as joy.

Of course, it wouldn’t be entirely smooth sailing, but it was exactly the existence of family that allowed us to find happiness and stability even amidst hardships.

‘Looking at it this way, I’m quite a lucky guy. Not to mention my marriage; it turned out exceptionally well. Unlike someone else…’

As I entertained such thoughts, I automatically began to reflect once again on the letter I received today…

Friedrich, expressing his apologies for forming an alliance without consulting me and asking what he should do in this situation.

Rather than feeling anger, what I mostly felt was pity for him.

‘Though I expected something to this effect… Why is this town fool’s life in such a state?’

Knowing his actions from the original work, I had anticipated Friedrich would ally with the Mark Region and simultaneously of course reach out to the Franz Kingdom.

The difference this time was that, instead of being lost in a sweet dream caused by his wife’s words like in the original, he seemed to recognize the instability of the situation and was seeking my help regarding it.

In a way, this showed some signs of maturity, but still, it left me feeling sorry that he couldn’t control the situation and had to proceed without proper handling due to his wife’s influence.

And in relation to this, I decided to put into action the plan I had somewhat mentally prepared to lend this town fool a lifeline.

‘Well then… It’s time to stop resting and start doing what needs to be done, so shall I head back?’