AWDC Chapter 11

Chapter 11: A Story from the Journey

Roy Keene’s story continued.

“Prince Charles’ mother was the younger sister of Lord Midland, making the Lord Midland the prince’s uncle. Because of that, his desire to protect the young prince was strong.

The Royal Guard is directly under the King, and naturally, they have a duty to protect Prince Charles. However, Lord Gregg held great power in the national army and influenced even the Royal Guard.

Lord Midland, concerned about this, ordered Mill Robertson to protect Prince Charles.”

“Was there any movement to harm the prince?”

“There are no clear records, but there’s a story that Mill-sama captured a suspicious person near Prince Charles’ room.

However, this person took his own life immediately after being captured, and his purpose and identity were never revealed.

That alone shows how fierce the battle for the throne was.”

“The structure was a conflict between the two major factions, Lord Midland and Lord Gregg, but what about the other influential figures?”

I had hardly heard anything about the events of the past and was interested in Roy Keene’s story.

“Most families remained neutral, not siding with either.

Both Lord Midland and Lord Gregg were prestigious families since the founding of the kingdom, and no one was in a position to advise either house.

The two families were nearly equal in terms of lineage, wealth, and military strength, and compared to them, other families were considered inferior.

Even powerful families remained silent to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Especially for weaker families, they absolutely wanted to avoid taking sides and incurring the wrath of the other.

Unless there was a deep blood connection, there was no reason to lend strength to only one side.

However, if the conflict became serious, the invitations from both houses would intensify.

It would become impossible to refuse the invitations, and it would have led to a major war dividing the country.

Seeing this situation, the church stepped in to mediate.

Whether Prince Charles or Prince Frank won the succession battle, a major source of trouble would remain.

The loser would face severe penalties, and even the winner would suffer significant damage.

Moreover, they were in a situation where they didn’t know when the neighboring countries would launch a war.

They persuaded them to lay down their arms before a major battle.”

“But would that reason be enough to stop the succession battle?

Is there a way to decide the king that both parties can agree on?”

I didn’t think the situation would be resolved just by the church’s persuasion.

Somehow, I felt that the succession battles of kings in Europe and China were not easy.

It’s said to be a battle of kin, but when interests and honor are involved, people tend to neglect rational judgment.

I thought this world was the same.

“So, the church’s proposal was a duel by representatives.

Each side would send a representative, and the winner of the match would inherit the throne.

The loser would be given a rank next to the throne, and honor would be bestowed upon the defeated.

That was the proposal.

Lord Midland and Lord Gregg had a considerable number of private soldiers, and it was uncertain who would win.

Both sides knew that fighting here would visibly hurt them greatly.

This church mediation was like a guardian deity for both of them.

Both sides agreed to a method of having their strongest soldiers from their families fight and settle the matter.”

“But I’ve heard that succession battles become bloody.

I wonder how both sides agreed to such a settlement method.”

As I listened to Roy Keene’s story about the royal family’s conflict, I recalled some of the ugliness of inheritance disputes that had occurred in my previous world.

“There were conditions for accepting the mediation proposal, such as pressure from the church and the invasion of foreign powers.

But that wasn’t the biggest reason. What do you think it was?”

I was asked in return, and naturally, I couldn’t come up with an answer.

Jim Keene had heard about this king’s succession battle from Roy Keene many times. That’s why he wasn’t as interested as I was in listening to the story up to this point.

But this question seemed to be the first time he’d heard it.

The only factors that both of them could think of that would lead them to accept the mediation were the church’s intervention and the invasion of foreign powers.

All they could do was look at each other.

“It’s because the two heroes who led the factions were great.”

“Huh?” Both Jim Keene and I were bewildered by this answer. Could it be that simple?

Both of our eyes were doubtful.

“You guys probably think that what drives people to war is people’s desires and emotions.

But you see, I learned at this time that if there are excellent leaders, conflicts can be prevented.

At that time, I was still a young soldier guarding Lord Midland’s rearguard.

So, I didn’t understand the truth until I became an adult.

However, I can absolutely say that at that time, Lord Midland and Lord Gregg were fully aware of the foolishness of conflict.

Although I was young, for some reason, Lord Midland favored me and I was able to go near him.

Of course, I didn’t tell anyone what I saw and heard there.

What I learned was that under those tense circumstances, the two lords were repeatedly exchanging letters and negotiating.

It was incomprehensible to me, who was still a child, but I knew that the adults were checking information with each other, regardless of whether they were enemies or allies.

And the two lords quickly accepted the church’s mediation proposal almost immediately.

Do you understand what this means?

Those two were constantly thinking about how to resolve this conflict.

Both sides were searching for a way to settle the matter with the least amount of sacrifice.

The two knew that if a conflict broke out, the country would be in danger of extinction.

Therefore, honestly, they didn’t care much about who would become king.

Those two seemed to think that no matter who became king, there would be no problem if the two of them supported him.

They knew that the fact that both families were fighting each other was a major problem for the country, rather than who became king.

Both of them felt the crisis of the country more than their own desires and thought about what kind of settlement would satisfy those around them.

Therefore, I think now that the church’s mediation proposal was created by the two of them in advance.

If those in charge are great, they can produce excellent results.

If it’s the opposite, it will only bring tragic results.”

Both Jim Keene and I were simply amazed by this story and lost our voices of doubt.

A decisive battle to decide the king. In this decisive battle, Mill Robertson, the predecessor of our lord, participated in the battle as a representative of Prince Charles’ side.

And he won splendidly, and Prince Charles became king.

Roy Keene passionately told the story of the decisive battle, but I won’t go into detail because it’s not related to this journey.

In any case, for this achievement, Robertson became a baron and obtained the southern territory, including Toriholi Village.