The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 1051 - 536_2

Chapter 1051: Chapter 536_2

"Numerous knightly estates are required to provide at least one knight, while the apprentices, servants, and footmen serving the knights are unrestricted, but note that each knightly estate must provide one knight, otherwise it will be stripped of its knightly status."

"Estates unable to provide a knight may, instead, contribute the expenses of a knight for three years as a form of tax."

These had all been similar commands issued by Oyo III, but this had been standard procedure.

All were rights the Empire had in the face of crisis.

However, whether the lords would comply was another question.

The three secular electors showed dissatisfaction, and the representative from the Saxon electors said to Ivita, "Your Majesty, you are the Emperor of the Holy Empire, an elected Emperor, not a dictator of the Frankish people. You cannot simply gather resources and wage war. Previously, when Oyo III was defeated, the armies supported by various nations all turned into deserters. Not only have they not been withdrawn yet, but these nearly three hundred thousand deserters have also formed a large bandit class, attacking every region they pass through."

"Therefore, whether to gather troops to contend against the Frankish people or for the lords to protect themselves must still be decided by a vote."

Ivita said to the electors and lords, "I remember that I can use the Emperor’s privilege three times each year, and I choose to use it now."

The electors looked towards the Archbishop of Cologne and the Archbishop of Münster.

The Archbishop of Cologne had the right to unconditionally reject the use of the Emperor’s privilege once a year, while the Archbishop of Münster had the right to record and interpret the scope of applicability of the Emperor’s privilege.

These two ecclesiastical electors exerted a particularly strong constraint over imperial orders.

Under everyone’s gaze, the Archbishop of Cologne smiled at Ivita, "I’ve already defied your command once before; I will not do so a second time, thus I agree to your use of the privilege."

The Archbishop of Münster thought for a long time, then said, "The method of using your privilege, Your Majesty, is unproblematic."

These two were likely the electors most in need of assistance from the Imperial Army.

When the interests of the electors aligned with those of the Emperor,

The electoral crown of the Holy Empire differed from ordinary crowns; it inherited the style of crowns from the mid-period of Ancient Civilization. It was bifurcated, the outer layer being a golden crown with eight sections, each embedded with diamonds and various gems fashioned into the sacred number four, while the inner layer was made of velvet and silk, shaped into roses and olive blossoms.

In the most ancient times, the crown was merely a decorative item made of a strip of cloth or flowers.

The entire electoral crown was enveloped in a divine glow, inspiring reverence in those who beheld it.

Ivita received the crown from the Sixteen-winged Firestone Angel and, under the eyes of all the lords, placed it upon his head.

Instantly, the Duke of Pulphaz turned his head away, closing his eyes tightly as if regretting his previous defiance.

The electors each showed various expressions.

The ordinary lords and leaders of allied races mostly showed expressions of joy, for the Empire could not exist without an Emperor, else order would vanish.

The moment Ivita put on the electoral crown, a sacred number four appeared on the back of his right hand and quickly vanished, while a divine light appeared on his forehead and lingered unceasingly; it was the World Law: Divine Protection for Ivita.

This signified that Ivita had become an earthly incarnation of the World Law: Divine, and to some extent, his will could represent the will of the World Law.

He could indeed be called a divine man chosen by the World Law: Divine.

At the same time, Ivita’s consciousness, following a point of light on his forehead as if traversing boundless universes, looked down upon the Black Magic Forest Continent and saw all manner of things, beholding a towering empire within the Black Magic Forest that stood like a high mountain.

Numerous small nations surrounded the Empire, crowding around it.

Ivita frowned because most of these small nations had broken away from the Empire, this great mountain, and that protective divine glow also seemed to have defects, no longer invincible.

No longer truly universal.

And beyond this illusion of the high mountains, there were yet more mountains, seemingly threatening the Empire, as if to crush it.

"That is the national law of the Frankish nation," Ivita swept over the Empire. "The foundations of the Empire have already been shaken by the wave of nationalism."

"I had long anticipated that the universal state would be hurt by the nation-states, but the damage has been too severe. We must urgently make the Frankish people within the Empire’s territories retreat."

Ivita came to his senses and returned to the Imperial Parliament Hall. He spoke to the Electors and the lords and chieftains of the allied races, "Ladies and gentlemen, now that I have been elected the Emperor, I will protect your interests."

"Our enemy, first and foremost, is the Frankish people. We need a stable army to defeat our opponents."

The lords immediately whispered among themselves.

The Elector from the Saxon Kingdom coughed and said to Ivita, "Your Majesty, since you have been elected Emperor, you should be crowned again at the church and in the imperial capital. As for conscription, I think we need to think it over because Oyo III has already conscripted for the Empire."

"Resulting in what? The results were not good. The Frankish people are now attacking our various countries, and each country would rather protect itself.

Ivita glanced at the Hearthstone Witch; as the Emperor, especially having just assumed office, he couldn’t simply undercut his own value—sometimes one needs a mouthpiece.

The Hearthstone Witch immediately understood the intent and puffed up her chest, "Each of you fighting individually is the same as being divided and eliminated! What sense does that make? You might as well surrender to the Frankish people directly. Oh right, I recall that the Franks despise nobility; if you surrender to them, you might even have a worse life than commoners."

The sharp words of the Hearthstone Witch immediately pierced through the thoughts of the imperial nobility.

The nobles began to panic.

Ivita knew the biggest problem still lay with the Electors. "The Hearthstone Witch makes an argument. What do the Electors think?"

The three religious Electors came and went together; after all, they were not secular nobles. The Archbishop of Mainz said to Ivita with a smile, "Your Majesty, we three archbishoprics fully support you."

"We are prepared to contribute financially."

"After all, we are monks and have dedicated our lives to the God of All Things; we are not suited for killing. We can only do what we are capable of, such as levying taxes and presiding over the Parliament on your behalf."

The states of the three religious Electors were actually all in the west.

Thus, they were also anxious. If they weren’t really lacking armed forces and not adept in martial affairs, they would have already joined Ivita in forming an army to oppose the tradition-breaking Franks.

"That is enough. After all, you are archbishops and indeed not adept at leading armies. Rest assured, gentlemen. Leave the prayers to you, and the army to me; just ensure that you can collect enough military funds for me." Ivita looked toward the Duke of Pulphaz. "What about the Duke? The Duke is famously capable in battle, and just now seemed eager to become Emperor. With such prowess, you should naturally bear more responsibility."

The Duke of Pulphaz frowned. "Your Majesty, how much responsibility should a small country like ours bear?"

Ivita quickly said, "Standard procedure—the Duchy of Pulphaz and the three major kingdoms within the Empire’s territories all need to contribute at least fifteen thousand troops each. I will lead thirty thousand, ordinary imperial lords will contribute three hundred, or they may substitute with tax."

"Many knightly estates must each produce at least one knight; apprentices, servants, and infantry under their service are not limited, but note that each knightly estate must produce one knight, or else it will be stripped of its knighthood."

"Knightly estates unable to produce a knight can alternatively contribute the equivalent of three years’ expenses of a knight as tax."

These were all similar orders previously issued by Oyo III, but this was standard procedure.

It was all the power that the Empire could wield when facing a crisis.

Whether the lords would listen was another question.

The three secular Electors showed their dissatisfaction, and the Saxon Elector’s representative spoke to Ivita, "Your Majesty, you are the emperor of the Holy Empire, an elected emperor, not a dictator of the Frankish people. You cannot just arbitrarily muster resources to wage war. After Oyo III’s defeat, the armies from various countries turned into deserters and to this day they haven’t been repatriated. These nearly three hundred thousand deserters have formed a considerable bandit tier, attacking all places they pass through."

"Therefore, whether to amass an army to confront the Frankish people or for the lords to protect themselves must be decided through a vote."