Chapter 50: Chapter 47 - A much-needed discussion(1)

Five minutes after Dante and Eric went into the corner of the room to talk privately, John broke the silence, "So what do you two think?"

The Grand Duke turned around, his expression unsure, and replied, "Well, I think what you're saying does have some merit. Our economy and military are struggling. The only exception is the partially isolated North, where the influence of unruly nobles and the corrupt clergy is limited."

"That's only because you conquered everyone who opposed you and ruled them with an iron fist," the emperor interjected flatly, raising an eyebrow at the Grand Duke.

Dante nodded in agreement with Eric's words. "I can't deny that. Even with our iron grip on the region, we still struggle economically because we don't mint our own coins."

"I think I have a solution for that too," John interjected.

"Oh? Do tell," the two men said in surprise, turning to face John.

John continued slowly, "It's quite simple, actually. I'm not sure why you haven't thought of this before. The Grand Duchy of Valoria can mint its own gold. Since it won't be Imperial currency, there would be no influence of the clergy in this."

"It's not as simple as that," the emperor said, shaking his head after hearing John's suggestion. "We would need vast gold mines to do that, something that the North lacks greatly."

"No, no, the boy is making a point," Dante interrupted, snapping his fingers. "The imperial family isn't aware of this, but we do have several vast gold mines, and their locations are kept secret."

"Sorry, what now?" Eric exclaimed in surprise, turning to John.

"Yeah, well, if we were to inform the capital, someone from the central bureau would have come and taken over the mines for the throne. In the process, God knows how much gold would be embezzled," Dante explained.

"Yeah, I can't really deny that," the emperor said with a dejected expression.

John leaned forward and fixed his gaze on the two rulers, who seemed to be apprehensive about his proposal. He broke the silence, asking, "So, what do you say?"

Dante rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically, "I think it's worth a shot if we have permission from his majesty the Emperor."

Eric looked from Dante to John and back, clearly weighing his options. "The two of you are forcing my hand here, you know," he said, with a hint of frustration in his voice.

"That's precisely the aim," Dante interjected, tilting his head to the side.

After a brief moment of silence, Eric let out a deep breath and relented. "Fine, I will allow the north to isolate and grow itself, but taxes will be increased, and when I call for it, your entire military must come for help," he said, his tone firm.

Dante nodded in agreement. "I can agree to those terms. After all, I did receive a great degree of help from you recently," he said, trying to ease the tension in the room.

Eric turned to John and asked, "Now, about your idea of not competing for the throne anymore… explain that to me." His expression was a mix of fury and curiosity.

John sighed and braced himself for Eric's reaction. "As I said, I won't be competing for the throne, but that does not mean I am giving up my claim on the throne, and I want you, Father, to accept this as is," he explained.

He waited for objections, but when none came, he continued, "Soon after this announcement is made, I want the grand duke to announce me as his heir. As such, I will have two claims on the throne - both my own and Uncle's de jure claim."

John paused, scanning their faces for any reaction, before adding, "Of course, knowing my brothers, they will grow arrogant and will stop bothering me until the academy starts. And the Empress will be too busy with her own agenda. At that point, I will no longer be competing with them." A wide smile spread across his face.

Before John could continue, Dante interjected with a contemplative look on his face. "After which, you just wait for us to pass away, and the throne to go to one of your brothers. And if this 'industrialization initiative' works, then you will have not only one of the largest and strongest armies in the empire but also the most advanced military in the realm," he said, his voice low.

"And once all the pieces are in play, I will usurp the throne in an open rebellion," John finished with a nod, pleased that they understood his plan.

"Why didn't we do this?" The emperor asked, his gaze turning towards the Grand Duke.

"Well, if you had just died all those years ago, we would not have been in this situation. Obviously, I would have put all the rowdy nobles under the chopping block," the Grand Duke responded, his eyebrows furrowed and an annoyed glint in his eyes.

"Right… I suppose our attempt at such a plan didn't work out," the emperor said sarcastically. He then turned to John, not giving Dante a chance to respond, and said, "But we still have one major issue: famine. The people are starving, and without people, there is no empire."

John paused, deep in thought, trying to come up with a solution. "I'm sure the dwarves have something up their sleeves. There must be some method that allows them to survive in such cold climates and with such large numbers."

"And what if they don't?" Dante asked skeptically, leaning forward.

"Well, then we invade southern nobles and use their fertile territories to grow our food. We can also industrialize those areas to produce even more food," John answered, shrugging as if it was a common-sense answer. This left both Eric and Dante speechless.

After a moment of silence, the emperor asked, his expression serious, "How long do you suppose this plan of yours will take?"

"I can't say for sure because there are several places where things could go wrong. But at the earliest, five years, and at worst, fifteen years. As for the development of the north, things depend upon the dwarves. When it comes to the battle for the throne, that is something even I can't say anything about. The political atmosphere within the empire is…volatile, to say the least," John explained.

"So my people will only have to suffer for 15 more years at worst?" Eric asked, his eyes softening with a pained expression.

With a light nod, John replied, "Most likely, yes."

After a small moment of silence, the emperor let out a small breath and said, "Well, while I am still skeptical, let's give it a shot. I will head back to the capital with Dante here and work on isolating the north properly. Once you recover, do whatever you need to do."

"Thank you for agreeing to my wish Father," John said, his face breaking out into a wide smile.

Eric stood up from John's bed as he prepared to leave. "By the way, before we go, I do have one question for you," he said, turning to face John, who sat up in bed with a curious expression on his face. The grand duke stood by the door, his eyes trained on John.

"What of the pentarchy?" Eric asked, his voice serious.

John's lips curled into an evil grin. "The pentarchy is only as strong as it is, because they control the minting of new gold coins, and the nobles support them fanatically," he explained. Dante and Eric were left speechless by the young prince's words.

"Both of which will disappear once we introduce our new northern currency, which can only be minted by the duchy. And once I perform a purge of all the nobles that I'm not a fan of, the pentarchy won't stand a chance," John continued, his voice filled with confidence.

The grand duke shook his head in disbelief, wondering how his nephew had become such a shrewd individual at such a young age. "That will suffice. Let's go, Eric. There will be no end if we keep on sitting here and asking him questions," he muttered, leading Eric out of the room.

As they walked down the hallway, which was now deserted except for a few butlers and maids, Dante couldn't help but whisper to himself, "Did Oberon teach him how to think like that?"

Eric's ears perked up at the mention of Oberon. "I thought you taught him to think like that," he said, a frown appearing on his face.

"No," Dante replied, shaking his head in denial. "I'm just as surprised as you are. That kid, he thinks like an old man."

After listening to Dante's response the emperor started to speak when,"…wait hold on, Oberon is her-"

*bam*

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
themusicaddict

phewwww, I almost lost track of time listening to Sysiphus 55, anyhow here is the chapter. anyway, I'm giving you people who actually read my rants down here a head up, up until now I have only talked about the issues the empire has been facing, and with the end of the first volume coming closer, I will now begin to show it too, simply because my imagination and writing capabilities have grown as I've written this so folks be prepared, this shit about to be harsh. anyway, have any questions or see any issues leave a comment or message me on Discord, link as always in the novel's summary.

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