[Vol. 8] Chapter 21: The Dispute
After learning the basics of what was happening, Violet and Xiao Guang didn’t rush to take action. Instead, they quickly returned to the temporary camp where the Holy Empire’s delegation was staying, and found the Judgement Saintess, who strangely looked a little anxious.
“Miss Frederica, I think I already understand what’s—”
Just as Violet was about to explain what they had seen in the sky above, the Saintess spoke first.
“I already know what’s going on! Just now, I received an urgent message from little Nana—um, from Her Holiness the Pope in the capital. According to reliable information, the army attacking the Austre Empire’s [Iron Ridge] comes from the sixteen wild tribes deep in the buffer zone. For some reason, they’ve suddenly been brought together by some unknown force. They’re now attacking the Empire under the name of ‘taking back their lost homeland.’ That must be the same army we’re seeing now!”
“The sixteen tribes in the buffer zone… So it really is them.”
The priestess nodded slightly, now that her guess had been confirmed.
It was a bit strange how Edwina had received the news so quickly, but since she said the source was trustworthy, there was no need to doubt it.
Violet glanced around the temporary camp. Even though it looked quite large from the inside, the thick bushes around it, plus the way Frederica had clearly arranged for it to be carefully hidden, made it very hard for outsiders to find. Without using special scanning devices, Violet and Xiao Guang had only found it thanks to the dragon girl’s sharp nose. As a hiding place, it was quite good.
Now that the allied army from the sixteen tribes was fighting fiercely with the Austre Empire and blocking the path out of the area, it was clearly unwise for the Holy Empire’s delegation to get close. Unless Violet or Xiao Guang personally stepped in and used force, the fighting would likely continue for quite some time.
After going over the details Frederica shared, Violet briefly described what they had seen above [Iron Ridge] and got straight to the point:
“The real question now is, why would those tribes, who were forced into the buffer zone by the Austre Empire and have been struggling just to survive, suddenly join forces like this? What gave them the courage and confidence to start a war?”
“Hmm… Could it be that giant Behemoth? Even a single adult mythical creature like that could change the result of a battle full of smaller, weaker soldiers. Maybe they got its help and suddenly became overconfident.”
The dragon girl offered her guess. Violet and the Saintess both looked at her, but before Frederica could respond, Violet smiled and shook her head.
“It’s impossible. A single mythical creature might be enough to easily change the result of a small or medium-sized battle. But when it comes to a full-scale war between races, that’s still not enough. Let’s not forget, all five major powers in this world have secret weapons meant to fight against even pseudo god-level beings. Thinking you can defeat the Austre Empire with just one Behemoth is nothing but a wild fantasy.”
“I believe that even if most of the sixteen tribe leaders are reckless, there must still be some who can think ahead. They wouldn’t throw their entire tribes into a life-or-death war without understanding something this basic.”
Frederica nodded thoughtfully, then asked carefully in a quiet voice.
“Miss Violet, are you saying they have something even more powerful than that Behemoth, and that’s why they dare to do something this crazy?”
“Yes. Or, you could also see it another way, maybe there’s an even scarier power forcing them to go to war against the Austre Empire. Otherwise, how could sixteen different tribes, each with their own goals, suddenly come together in such a short time and form a united army?”
“A power scarier than a mythical Behemoth...”
The Saintess frowned and thought for a moment. Then she suddenly looked up in shock, as if something had just come to her mind.
“It couldn’t be…?!”
The priestess shook her head.
“It’s too early to say. This whole thing happened too suddenly. I don’t think we can explain it with just one reason. We still need more time to observe and investigate.”
Understanding what the black-haired girl was suggesting, Frederica’s expression showed even more surprise.
“You… don’t plan to stop this war?”
“Hm?” Now it was Violet who looked confused.
“Why should I rush to stop the war? First of all, what does it even have to do with me? And besides, we still know very little about the real cause behind it. In the end, conflict is something that can never be fully avoided. When groups or races fight over things like land, resources, and survival, problems and tensions naturally build up. Eventually, it all explodes into war. That’s just how it works.”
“If you ignore the reasons and problems behind a war and try to forcefully stop the result, making both sides who may hate each other deeply suddenly shake hands and pretend everything’s fine, saying things like ‘peace is the most important’, that’s just empty talk from someone who doesn’t have to deal with the pain.”
Frederica frowned. She seemed to have a hard time accepting this view, but maybe because of Violet’s position, she hesitated and carefully asked,
“That might be true, but isn’t it also the case that most wars are just the result of a ruler’s selfish desires, violence started for personal gain and ambition? Just like the Austre Empire. Maybe the unification war a hundred years ago was driven by real problems, but the world war they’re planning now is clearly just wild ambition. Shouldn’t that kind of war be stopped?”
Violet gave the Saintess a thoughtful look, then smiled slightly.
“Miss Frederica, if you truly believe it’s personal greed, then why did you just refer to the cause as ‘they’, instead of clearly naming the emperor himself?”
“?”
Frederica blinked, realizing she had unconsciously used vague words. She tried to explain, but the black-haired girl just calmly shook her head, like she had seen right through her.
“That’s because deep down, you understand, if the Austre Empire changed rulers right now, maybe they’d be lucky enough to get a true peace-loving leader who could keep war away for a while. But after a hundred years, or after a few more generations, another emperor would rise and continue the same war.”
“There will be a war between the Holy Empire and the Austre Empire. Not because of any one person, but because the foundations and goals of your two nations are in deep conflict. The Holy Empire builds temples all over the world to spread faith and sends out priests. This tradition has lasted nearly a thousand years.”
“To you, it might seem kind and harmless, even good. The temples heal the wounded for free or at low cost, spread faith, and bring hope to lost people. That is good. And your church never tries to interfere with local politics. But even so, their presence still makes most rulers feel uneasy.”