WeD - V1C21 - Ulysses: I Might as well Just Say It (Patreon)

The Kingdom of Ruskia and the Imperial family had long been divided into two factions for a long time.

I’m not talking about the fight for the throne by the way, though that’s part of it. Simply put, there’s the ‘open-country’ faction vs the ‘close-country’ faction. In other words, people who are open to the idea of accepting more immigrants and learning technologies from another country versus the faction that wants to close the country against all outsiders and outside influences.

Sir Raymond’s faction belongs to the open-country faction. He wants to open the country, incorporate better technologies from other countries and rethink the purpose of the army.

Conversely, First Prince Aldredo’s faction wants complete isolation. They want to restrict the influx of immigrants. This one happens to be the faction with the bigger number of followers.

The king, on the other hand, seems to be on the fence about the whole thing. However, from what I have seen, he appears to favour the close-country concept more.

Well, I can’t really blame the conservationists for being defensive.

Each time we accept immigrants, holes would appear in the Green Blessing, which could jeopardize this country’s special defence system.

Of course, these holes could be repaired quickly. However, there is no guarantee that there would be no spies among the immigrants. Moreover, locations with a high number of immigrants indeed tended to be a bit more chaotic. This all contributes to a general distrust of immigrants.

Thus, to ensure complete security, it is thought that the best way is to adopt a close-country policy.

“Honourable Uncle, you are not speaking from the sentimental position of not keeping the peace to ourselves and sharing our abundance with others, are you? You are questioning our ability to maintain this peace.”

“... that is so. Though I have no proof, the technological advancement of the East and North had indeed made great strides in their efforts to fight wars. When I last looked at their latest weaponry, I wonder if the power of Vabilophos could protect us. After all, I have no idea what our defence system is made of or how it works. Therefore, I see no evidence that the Green Blessing could hold up against the technologically advanced weapons. The Church refused to share any information at all.”

“It is as though they want us to have a ‘Just have faith and you will be protected’ kind of mentality.”

The people from the Church have noble characters and shunned luxury. [2] When questioned, they would answer politely but information about the ‘Green Blessing’ would not leak from their mouths. One had to admire their collective ability to maintain secrets.

[1] In the end, they would answer everything with ‘It is the will of Vabilophos’.

To me, that sounds a lot like ‘You shouldn’t question the matter anymore’.

I am starting to have an inkling as to why my uncle had called me here.

“So, Honourable Uncle, what is it you want from me? Surely you didn’t just call me out for tea?”

“Hey, don’t say scary stuff like that. I really did call you in for a little tea…”

“... …” [2] I sighed at the silly face my uncle was pulling.

Sometimes, I don’t really understand this uncle of mine.

“I might as well just say it. I have no intention of becoming king. You are welcome to compete with Alfredo all you want.”

As soon as the words left my lips, the first person to react is Isaac. He has been standing quietly behind me all this while but now he’s holding his head and fluttering all over the place saying ‘Your Highness, what? Your Highness, why?!’ It is becoming a pain.

“Well, I’m sure this phrase of mine would cause a sensation. However, you should know that these are my honest thoughts.”

“Hohou, then what are your plans, Your Highness?”

“... there are some people I wish to find. I prefer not to be weighed down by responsibilities.”

“Oh, you’re looking for someone? You should just send out your vassals for that kind of thing.”

“Hmmm, in the first place, I do not believe they would be easy to locate. Or rather, I believe I would meet them when the time is right…? In short… well, it’s not something I fully understand either.”

The expression on my uncle’s face over the jumble of vague nonsense that spewed out of my mouth is rather funny. However, it would be too awkward to linger on this topic for long. Let’s change the subject.

“Anyway… to return to our previous conversation. I am of the same mind as uncle. Even so, advocating for an open-country policy could discourage people from following us. The First Prince’s faction would definitely use that against us. Also… unless the people understand that the Green Blessing’s defences could not be maintained regardless of the policies we adopt, they would continue to resist the idea of letting immigrants in.”

“That is true, however, I’m afraid when understanding finally dawned on them, it would be too late.”

“That is… correct,”

For example, if the enemy were to break past the continent’s Green Blessing defence system. It would mean total defeat for us [2] as we have no way of fighting them. In terms of numbers, training and quality of weapons, we are completely inferior to the other side.

“I don’t believe we need the support for now. Even so, support aside, we still need to look ahead and anticipate the future. It’s politics after all… I’m not sure whether I am doing the right thing in any case.”

“Is that why my Honourable Uncle wishes to become king?”

“That’s right. At my current position, I cannot do much. Therefore, I have no choice but to become king.”

“... …”

Here is the one great difference between my uncle and brother. One wanted to ‘Become king to defend the country’ while the other person wants to ‘Gain support for his desire to be king’.

I cannot decide which side has a better chance of winning. After all, you can only become king with the support of the people.

However, if some were to ask me if this country could be protected from the citizen’s desire to obtain peace at any price. The answer would be an obvious ‘NO’,

Based on this common sense, I would rather support my uncle.

That said, I have no intention of intervening in this struggle for the throne.

Therefore, I’m a little troubled.

Honourable Uncle surely appreciates my role. [2] I’m sure he is letting me know this in order to know my position in the struggle.

In short, he wishes to find out if I am willing to join his faction or not.

[Gumihou: Nuuu, politics…]

[1] Filling in the ‘Unspoken’. Often, when it comes to Japanese novels, the translation might feel a bit lacking since the author deliberately chooses to use fewer words and let the reader fill in the blanks through a preset cultural understanding.

If the missing info looks too sparse, Gumi will fill in some of the blanks. This is not to imply that the writer’s craft is lacking, but we do have a cultural gap. Gumi will try to fill in these gaps unobtrusively.

[2] Adjust paragraphs, for aesthetic purposes. Also, considering the style of writing, author would inevitably repeat information. Gumi will at least adjust the delivery of the information so that it’s not verbatim to what had appeared before.

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