"Mmmm. ......

　It had been almost five years since his marriage to Cecilia.
　Hercule frowned when he heard the report of the failure of the "plot" in the Habila Peninsula.

　In order to harass the Kingdom of Phallus and to ensure its future security, Hercule had been actively supporting the pro-Lemurian tribes in the Habila Peninsula.

　In addition, he actively worked to increase the number of "pro-Lemurian" tribes by promoting Messianism and supporting the study of princes from small kingdoms.

　As a result of these efforts, the power of the pro-Lemurian tribes rapidly expanded in the Habila Peninsula. ......

　It seems that a few weeks ago, the pro-Lemurian tribal alliance was defeated by the pro-Faals tribal alliance.
　However, this color-coding of "pro-Lemurian" and "pro-Faals" is just for convenience.
　In reality, the interests of each tribe are intricately intertwined. ......

　This does not matter to Hercule, nor to Lemuria.

　What is important is that the power of the Lemurian Empire has been greatly diminished in the Havilah Peninsula.

I thought it would work this time too, since it worked in Duiche. But it's not so easy.

　Hercule had a successful experience in Duyce.
　In Duyce, he had succeeded in uniting the anti-Fullerling warbeast tribes and creating the Kingdom of Duyce.
　So I thought it would be possible to unite the anti-Fallus tribes in the Havilah Peninsula and create a pro-Lemurian "kingdom" as well. ......

(Well, unlike the Fullerings, the Phallus did not directly invade the Habila Peninsula. The soil was a little different.

　Originally, I didn't think it would work as well as Duyce did.
　But even with ...... that in mind, Hercule sighed at the somewhat misguided "failure".

"Your Majesty. The tribes of the Habila Peninsula are asking for direct assistance.

　Todoris said to Hercule.
　It was Todoris who informed Hercule of the changing situation on the Habila Peninsula.

"By direct support, you mean military intervention?
"Yes, Your Majesty.

　Sending troops is not so difficult.
　Over the past five years, the Lemurian Empire's national strength, which had been exhausted by a series of wars, has recovered and the size of the army has been expanded.

　However, the long period of peace has not slowed down its soldiers and generals.
　For example, barbarians regularly invade the Taurica region.
　To intercept them, wars are fought regularly.

　And the generals under Hercule's command are also well rounded.
　...... Perhaps this is the heyday of the Lemurian Empire's military power.

　In other words, domestically, there is room for military action.
　But diplomatically, it is a little more difficult.

(What will the Kingdom of Fars, or more strictly Sasan VIII, do?

　If the Lemurian Empire decides to take military action, there is a possibility that the Kingdom of Fars will also take military action against it.
　Eventually, the two countries might fall into an all-out war.

　That is something that Hercule would like to avoid if at all possible.

　Over the past few years, the border against Fars has become extremely strong. ......
　Even taking this into account, the Kingdom of Phallus is very powerful.

(But threatening the ...... trade routes is a problem.)

　Originally, Hercule intervened in the Habila Peninsula in order to protect his interests from the Kingdom of Phallus.
　The religions followed by the tribes of the Habila Peninsula are similar to those of the Kingdom of Fars.
　Culturally, they are more like the Kingdom of Phallus, and in terms of interests, they are pro-Phallus.

　Hercule wanted to make this a Lemurian advantage.
　He had no intention of turning the Habila Peninsula into Lemuria, nor did he intend to invade the Habila Peninsula.

　But I don't know if this will will be conveyed to Sasan VIII.
　Perhaps he will read that Hercule's intention is to dominate the Havilah Peninsula and will resist with all his might.

　That is why Hercule did not send any direct troops, but only small support and intrigue.
　More ......

　Nowadays, it is true to say that it was a sequential deployment of forces.

"Todoris Todorianus. What do you think?
I think we should send an army.
Why?
You're the protector of Messianism. If we abandon him, ...... future diplomatic relations will be compromised.

　For the tribes on the periphery of the Lemurian Empire, converting to Messianism is just a way to show that they are pro-Lemurian. 　
　They convert to Messianism not because they are impressed by the teachings of Messianism, but because they want to take advantage of the power of the Lemurian Empire by accepting Messianism.

　Accept Messianism and form an alliance with Lemuria.
　In this way, they can tell the other tribes that they have Lemuria behind them.

　However, this is based on the premise that the Lemurian Empire will help the allies in times of need.

　Lemuria, the self-proclaimed protector of the Messianic religion, has abandoned the Messianic religion, which is about to be invaded by pagans.
　If such a fact were to spread to the surrounding areas, there might be a movement to reconsider the alliance with Lemuria.

　Of course, it does not mean that they will all defect from Lemuria at once. ......
　It will definitely hinder our future activities.

Are you saying that our country's prestige is being diminished?
That's one thing, but the biggest concern is Fullerling. ...... We must avoid the situation where it is thought that it is better to be closer to Fulling than to Lemuria.

　Lemuria and Fulling are competitors in the same "messianic" business.
　They are friends, but they are also rivals.
　In some ways, they are more formidable adversaries than their counterparts in the Church of the Holy Fire.

　Currently, Lemuria has the largest "share" of the Messianic industry.
　But if it is taken away by Fullerling, ......

　Lemuria's position as the ruler of the Messianic world will be shaken.

"...... Hmm.

　As for Hercule, it's annoying to have that King Fullerling looking so big.
　However, considering the risk of confronting the Kingdom of Foulds, it is still difficult to come to a conclusion so easily.

"What do you think about the gloom in the background if we were to go to all-out war with the Foulds?

　You have to assume the worst in everything.


　For Hercule, the worst that could happen is that he would be pinned down by both the Fulling and the Foulds.

　To this question, Todoris shook his head.

I thought Fullerling wouldn't move.
"On what grounds?
It's hard to gather lords and soldiers to go behind Lemuria's back against the infidels. ......

　In the past, when Fullerling was fighting Lemuria, he moved Farus.
　But this is just a pagan's selfish entry into the battle between Fullerling and Lemuria.
　At least that is what King Ludwig I claimed.

　On the other hand, the action of going behind Lemuria's back to fight against the Furls is not ......
　No matter what the cause, the majority of princes would feel uncomfortable.

　Of course, in the Fuller Ring, cause is nothing more than a decoration, and what is important is economic gain, so as long as it is there, there is a possibility that they will act.

　But ......

"King Fulling cannot ignore the wishes of His Highness the High Priestess. She also holds the position of Pope and has the right to ordain the bishops of the Church in the kingdom of Fullerling. ...... Of course, it is King Fullerling who has the real power to appoint the bishops of the Church. But even so, the authority and voice of His Highness the High Priestess has grown stronger the further you go into the periphery of the Fullerling Kingdom.

　The Kingdom of Fullerling is a feudal state.
　In other words, it is a confederation of lords (lords here include not only secular lords, but also the lords of the holy world, such as monasteries and churches that hold serfs and estates).

　Therefore, Ludwig I's control over the kingdom weakened the further he went to the periphery.
　On the other hand, the power of the Pope, such as Cecilia, is relatively stronger.

　Of course, King Fraling keeps the country in line, so the princes won't revolt on Cecilia's orders. ......
　Even so, as a Messianist, you cannot escape the control of the authority of the High Priestess and the Pope.

Above all, there is a distance between Lemuria and Fulling. The lords of the surrounding areas will not agree to send troops, and King Fulling will not be able to offer any benefits.

"Hmm.

　King Fullerling, at least, is not moving. 　
　Then ......

Good. I will send out my men. ...... Yes. I'll send Darios as commander-in-chief, plus Oskar and Jebe. We should have about 50,000 ...... troops.

　A short battle is preferable.
　If you think about it, more troops are better than less, but if you exceed 50,000 troops, you will be worried about the border against Fars.

　Thus, ......
　Under these circumstances, Lemuria began military intervention in the Habila Peninsula.



　A short time later.

　Some time after that, information was brought to Hercule that the Kingdom of Phallus had begun a full-scale mobilization of troops.