The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 394 - 244: The Holy Gold Rose Empire and Cousin Make Their Appearance_1

Chapter 394: Chapter 244: The Holy Gold Rose Empire and Cousin Make Their Appearance_1

Ivita looked at the teenager in front of her, claiming to be her same-age monarch with confusion, "An Emperor? There’s still an Emperor in the Magic Black Forest?!"

"There is." The Hearthstone Witch whispered to Ivita, "Indeed under the crown, an Empire exists within the Magic Black Forest."

The young man led everyone to return to the garden, for there were now too many onlooking eyes in the Governor’s Mansion.

In the garden’s bamboo grove, there was not a single soul.

The lavishly dressed young man asked Ivita sit next to him, while he arrogantly did not offer a seat to the Hearthstone Witch and the others.

Ivita realized that his attitude towards her had changed drastically ever since he found out her true identity.

The young man etched a map on the ground with a stone. The map surprisingly represented the world. Although Ivita recognized it, the map still covered only part of this world.

It was a mere fraction of three connected continents. Beyond the known world, there exist tracts that remain undiscovered.

On this map, Ivita saw Ambros, a vast land with a population of eight million people. Yet, it appeared just as an insignificant corner on this map. Likewise, the distance traversed by boat through three countries seemed negligible on this map.

The young man glanced at Ivita, "You can call me Germanicus."

Germanicus noticed that when he sat beside Ivita, he was actually half a head shorter. He sulked, grabbed two bricks from among the flowers, and sat on them. Now, he was half a head taller than Ivita.

Ivita, speechless, raised her eyebrow. This fellow was quite stubborn.

Germanicus said, "If you are indeed Mr. Alsace, then technically, I should be your cousin."

"Your father and mine were brothers from the same mother, but upon the Schwaben family’s extinction, who once ruled the Magic Black Forest, my father ascended to the throne of the Holy Gold Rose Empire."

"However, since the Alsace Kingdom is among the eight Electors who can select the Emperor, the king’s position of the Alsace family then fell to your father to inherit."

It seemed Germanicus too was suppressing some sort of excitement, as he rarely encountered those with a blood relation to him. "For some reason, our land forbids relatives from seeing me. Thus, I am delighted to meet you here, Mr. Alsace."

Ivita was puzzled, "So, is the Alsace Kingdom part of the Holy Gold Rose Empire?"

Germanicus looked at Ivita with bewilderment. "Ah, you’ve stumped me there. That’s a bit complicated."

"The Holy Gold Rose Empire is not technically an Empire. A wise man once said, this Empire is neither Holy nor universal."

"Do you understand the concept of role-playing games? This Empire is merely a group of small countries playing the part of the civilization of old."

The Hearthstone Witch stepped beside Ivita and began to explain. "Your Highness, Alsace is a member nation of the Holy Gold Rose Empire. There are many Duchies, kingdoms, and some knight territories in the Magic Black Forest, all of which are member states of the Holy Gold Rose Empire."

"But the Holy Gold Rose Empire, while a nation in name, functions more like an international alliance. The Emperor has no taxation rights over any of its member nations nor any special legal rights outside of directly ruled imperial territories, not even the power to command the troops of its princes. At most, the Emperor can call upon the nations within the Empire to provide soldiers, but whether or not they comply solely depends on the inclinations of the various princes."

The Hearthstone Witch continued to explain to Ivita, "But the Empire does have an Imperial Parliament. The Emperor can propose some bills in parliament, and if passed, some laws can be enacted. But the princes also hold similar rights."

Ivita found this somewhat similar to her previous life’s Holy Roman Empire, although it seemed even more loose. It wasn’t until after the Thirty Years War and the Peace of Westphalia that the Holy Roman Empire fully recognized the power of vassal countries to enforce laws, legislate, tax, and handle foreign affairs.

In other words, while there was technically an Emperor above the head of the Alsace Kingdom, the King of Alsace was his vassal in name only.

PRACTICALLY, the King of Alsace could ignore the existence of the Emperor for most days.

The Holy Gold Rose Empire was, in effect, similar to the United Nations on Earth.

Despite being named a country, it was actually more of an international organization.

Ivita wondered, "But since you are the son of the Emperor, why are you living here?"

Germanicus sighed, "I am a posthumous child, born after the death of my father, but my mother also died from complications during childbirth. I was born without a single family member by my side."

"According to the imperial law of succession, I should have ascended to the throne and received the Pope’s coronation after my father’s death. However, my uncle, Oyo III, led a coup to seize my throne and the Duchy of Schwaben. My adoptive father, Pope Innocent II, refused to crown him."

"As a result, the title of Emperor was split into two. A part of it was forcibly seized by my uncle, your distant relative, Oyo III, with his military might. He became the Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Schwaben, which was the Emperor’s actual landed territory but nothing more than a Grand Duke."