The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 301: Volume 4: Chaotic World - 21: Nicosia (2)

Chapter 301: Volume 4: Chaotic World Chapter 21: Nicosia (2)

"Take the offensive? Have you lost your mind, Mathew? Our power is barely sufficient for defense as is, how could we possibly launch an offensive? Do you think the Iron Cross Corps is now capable of a frontal confrontation with the beastmen? That’s preposterous!" The normally composed Minister of Internal Affairs couldn’t help but exclaim in alarm.

Seeing that His Majesty the King also looked at him with doubtful eyes, the dressed military officer hurriedly explained, "No, Tez, you’ve misunderstood me. What I meant was that we shouldn’t just passively defend within our borders, but should instead take the initiative to defend outside of them. Now that Myron, Meine, and Susoer have all perished, although most of their northern fortresses have been destroyed, some in the south and near our border regions remain intact. With the collapse of their countries, the soldiers in these fortress castles have disbanded. We can station our forces in these fortresses, firstly to push our defense line beyond our nation’s borders and secondly, to indicate to the Three Kingdoms that by conducting defense operations outside our country, we are in fact protecting their safety. From this perspective, we could also ask the Three Kingdoms to pay for the military expenses, hence haven’t we found a source of funding for the Iron Cross Corps?"

The explanation from the dressed military officer made both the elder and the Minister of Internal Affairs’ eyes brighten. This was indeed a good idea. It not only effectively strengthened their border region’s defense but also served the purpose of training the army. Moreover, it was an excellent opportunity to request military funding from the Central Three Kingdoms (City-states), hitting three birds with one stone, so why not do it?

"Mathew, Tez, both of you come down and discuss the feasibility of this matter with Parker. If it’s feasible, then proceed with it as soon as possible. I feel that the kingdom’s army is currently too weak. It’s outdated to rely solely on the Border Guard to defend our frontiers. Especially now, with the beastmen’s offensive growing fiercer, I believe it’s necessary to change the way our army is structured," said His Majesty the King.

The words of the elder caused the dressed military officer and the Minister of Internal Affairs to tense up. The formation of the Iron Cross Corps was already an unprecedented move in recent decades. If they were to expand the forces, it would mean that the kingdom was to establish a third corps—the Blue Dove Corps—a move that hadn’t been made in over a hundred years. That was a time when the kingdom had to muster the Blue Dove Corps during full-scale war with their Southwest Neighbors. Establishing the Blue Dove Corps meant announcing to all the kingdom’s citizens that the kingdom was now in a state of emergency and war mobilization was necessary. This would undoubtedly have a significant impact on all the citizens of the kingdom. Whether there would be any negative repercussions was currently uncertain.

"Your Majesty, once the Iron Cross Corps has finished its training, I believe they will be capable of dealing with the beastmens’ provocations. Expanding the army further, on one hand, would likely place an even greater strain on our finances, and on the other hand, it might give some countries, especially certain nations within the Alliance, a pretext to accuse us of relentless militarization. Such public opinion might not be favorable to us," Tez thought deeply before feeling compelled to voice his concerns for His Majesty’s consideration.

"And what are your thoughts, Mathew?" The elder didn’t respond to his Minister of Internal Affairs but instead threw the question over to the dressed military officer.

"Er, Your Majesty, I wonder if Your Majesty’s intention to expand the army is solely against the beastmen or if there are other purposes? If it’s solely against the beastmen, my opinion is the same as Lord Tez. However, if Your Majesty has other intentions, then I dare not to speculate," the dressed military officer replied very tactfully, making sure his words were without fault.

The Minister of Internal Affairs seemed to sense a hint of something in the dressed military officer’s words. His eyes gleamed sharply, opened his mouth as if to speak, then seemed to remember something and swallowed his words back, but his gaze fell upon the elder’s face.

"Tez, it’s just the three of us here. Let’s discuss the current problems and dangers facing the kingdom. I think this might help us see the situation more clearly and determine what countermeasures we need," the elder diverted the topic without addressing the opinions of the two.

The Minister of Internal Affairs paused in surprise, then swiftly grasped the point, organized his thoughts, and spoke slowly after a while, "At present, the kingdom faces three main issues and difficulties. Firstly, the continual military assaults by the Northern Beastmen that are escalating, forcing the kingdom to strengthen military power to withstand the threat, but this brings a negative issue: severe overspending in military expenditures, leading to financial difficulties. Secondly, several of the kingdom’s great lords pay lip service while secretly resisting the ’Utrecht Decree’ issued by the kingdom, thwarting the anticipated financial revenue and weakening the central kingdom’s prestige, which in the long run, may pose a greater threat than that from the beastmen. Thirdly, the Church of Light still has differences with the kingdom over religious preaching rights within the kingdom’s borders, leading to continued strained relations between the Church and the kingdom, which also affects the kingdom’s relations with some Western Alliance countries. Although it seems to have no impact on the kingdom’s operations for now, it cannot be overlooked, especially when the power struggle between the great lords and central authority is unresolved. The stance of the Church of Light is important and requires our attentive consideration."

"And when these three issues are combined, we can vaguely see that the operation of the kingdom’s political system is already affected by these negative factors, and at special times, it appears particularly serious," the Minister of Internal Affairs stated his views and then added specifically, as if he felt his explanation still wasn’t precise enough.