Volume 7: Diplomatic Warfare
Chapter 92: Death from Old Age
The emperor—who had long stood at the pinnacle of the Austin Empire, the very nation that could be called both our ally, the Kingdom of Lunoa, and the root cause of this great war—had died.
That news spread across the world in an instant, rippling through nations like a shockwave no one could ignore.
Upon hearing it, I immediately left Frankhart behind and returned to the royal capital.
“So, Her Highness the Second Princess Emma has also returned to the capital.”
My summons had come from the upper echelons of the military… or rather, directly from the government under His Majesty the King.
“Yes, and alongside you, no less.”
The one who came to greet me upon my arrival was none other than the Second Princess Emma—who, by all accounts, should have been stationed in the eastern territories.
“It has been a while.”
“Yes, it has… I’ve wanted to see you for quite some time, you know?”
“The feeling is mutual.”
Our greetings were brief, almost perfunctory.
There were more pressing matters at hand.
“So then—about the emperor of the Austin Empire. His death… was it an assassination, or something of that sort?”
I asked the question that had been weighing on my mind.
When it came to the Austin Empire, the princess—having been closer to that nation than I—would undoubtedly know more.
“No. It was simply old age.”
“Old age?… I do recall he was quite advanced in years, but I was under the impression he was still in good health.”
“Well… how should I put it? He got a little too excited.”
“…Too excited?”
“Yes. Far too excited.”
“I—I’m not sure I follow…”
“It seems the string of overwhelming victories pleased him immensely. Day after day, reports would arrive, and he would rejoice, shout in delight, and remain in a constant state of exhilaration… until, quite suddenly, he collapsed. They say he wore a deeply satisfied expression in death.”
“I… see.”
I let out a quiet breath.
So he had, quite literally, shortened his own life through sheer excitement.
In the World War I, the emperor of Austria-Hungary had died of old age in the third year of the war. Compared to that, this death had come far too soon.
“…Wait, really?”
And the reason for that swiftness was… excessive joy?
It was almost absurd.
“Well, I can understand the feeling.”
The war itself had begun with the assassination of the Austin emperor’s own son.
And yet, for the emperor himself to pass away from old age so early in the conflict… it left a strange sense of anticlimax.
The central figure of it all was gone far too quickly.
“But it couldn’t be helped. He had his share of hardships. After ascending the throne, he suffered defeat after defeat in war, lost both his crown prince and his empress, and was constantly burdened by ethnic conflicts within his realm. In the end, he finally witnessed his army achieve a decisive series of victories. It’s no wonder he became overwhelmed.”
“I suppose… but I would have preferred he see things through to the end.”
The eastern front might have seen overwhelming success, but the western front was currently in the midst of a disastrous defeat.
The war was far from over.
“Actually, the Austin Empire has already crushed its internal revolutionary forces.”
“…What? Truly?”
In this world, the Balkan Peninsula still held no independent Serbia, Romania, Greece, or Bulgaria.
All of it remained under Austin rule.
However, those regions had long been plagued by swelling revolutionary movements—so much so that the empire had effectively been in a constant state of internal conflict.
Even during this great war, much of Austin’s strength had been tied up in suppressing its own rebels.
“Yes. With the front against the Rosha Empire gone, they were freed up considerably. And we’ve been sending reinforcements as well.”
“We’ve certainly provided significant support… but even so, I didn’t expect them to have already secured victory.”
“When an empire commits its full strength in war, it can crush opposition thoroughly. And with the Rosha Empire—the rebels’ greatest hope—defeated, their resistance weakened considerably. They’ve won decisively. Honestly, though, with no fighting against Rosha at the moment, they’re able to commit nearly all their forces. It would be pathetic if they still couldn’t win under those conditions.”
“That’s true… I see. In that case, it’s understandable that His Majesty felt relieved.”
So they had already settled the Balkan front… I hadn’t expected that.
In truth, aside from the western front, they were overwhelmingly dominant.
…Which only made me think—wasn’t former Marshal Carland effectively the greatest culprit here? If he had simply acted competently, this war might have already been won.
And yet, because of our crushing defeat in the west, we were still likely at a disadvantage.
The strength of the Kingdom of Friez was on an entirely different level compared to the Kingdom of France.
“For now, let’s set that aside.”
To be honest, the exact circumstances of the emperor’s death didn’t matter.
What mattered was something else entirely.
“What will become of the Austin Empire from here?”
“They should be fine. It seems a successor had already been decided. They’ve already conveyed their intention to continue the war to the Kingdom of Lunoa. The change of emperor won’t bring about any major shifts.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Good. That meant we hadn’t lost. Not yet.
“And? I assume this has something to do with why I was summoned… Are we to engage in diplomatic condolences?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Princess Emma nodded at my words.
“…I see.”
It had come a little sooner than expected.
Not quite in the form I had hoped for…
And yet, the diplomatic stage I had been seeking had suddenly appeared before me, as if dropped into my hands by fate itself.
A faint smile formed on my lips.