Chapter 440: Severia Begins to Act

"The reports are all true, Your Majesty." Inside the room, reserved for the inner circle, Alfred sat with a cold expression, holding a document provided by Horace. Horace retook his seat after speaking. The room went silent as they all waited for Alfred. His finger tapping on the table was the only noise that could be heard, and after a few minutes of it, he sighed and put the document down.

"We should have expected Severia to move, but it’s too soon." Alfred groaned about the development, "What about the Lisaponic Empire. That guy, Cyrus. I don’t think he has forgotten the proposal I rejected before. Now with Chent under control, we are giving him a reason to invade." Looking over to Issac, the Prime Minister smiled.

"Nothing. From what I discovered, the close relationship Julius has forged with the church has made them wary of their enemy in the north. Additionally, Bactria and Prodora are always waiting for an opportunity to expand north. I believe we can safely assume it is not an issue." There was a collective sigh of relief from the men as they refocused their attention on the report Horace had provided.

"So Julius is making his move?"

"It’s all whispers as of now, Your Majesty, but Bardas still has his connections within Severia. Emperor Julius is planning something against the Empire." Horace rubbed his eyes and carried on, "I just can’t tell if it’s a full-scale invasion or something more hidden. There’s not enough information."

"Why don’t we have Alexei and Ivan provide this for us?" Issac offered a solution, "They have the proximity and definitely have the people in place to gather this information." Alfred took a deep breath. He liked Ivan and Alexei personally, but whenever it came to business, he always hated dealing with them. They would always try to suck the most they could out of the Empire in any dealings.

But in the situation where his greatest enemy was planning something, he couldn’t help but click his tongue and nod, "Do it. Make sure we are not undermined too heavily in the deal." Alfred stared deep into Issac’s eyes, "When you deal with them, try and probe how much they know and how serious the situation is. I trust you to be able to do this without ruining the image of the Empire." Issac lowered his head respectfully.

"There is another problem." Marcus, who had stayed silent during the political side of things, finally spoke up, "With Sasha gone, we lack the de facto leader of the Navy. Although Catherine holds the title of Master of the Seas, she has long passed all authority to her daughter. I doubt the Duchess will join us in any coming battle, nor do I expect her at her age."

The room went silent again as they worried about the problem. Any invasion from Severia and the church would likely be a two-front war, one on land and the other crossing the Tears of Gaia. Although it was considered a sin by all major religions, including the Pantheon, to spill blood on holy water, the rule was ignored during a crusade, as seen when the Church called one against Prodora at the end of the Years of Darkness and used the waters.

Alfred didn’t need to guess if they would do it again; it was obvious they would. One of his focuses on the Navy has been preparation for this. "How many warships do we have in the Tears?"

"Five. The rest have either left with Sasha or are patrolling our coasts." Marcus quickly answered. Alfred nodded and looked towards him.

"Have five more placed on the Tears. Other than our core defences, prepare them to house any cannons we have in stock. Have Catherine do this and use my authority to get it done quickly." Reflecting on Marcus’s original concern, he wondered what to do. He wasn’t a military strategist, knowing it was one of his weakest points. All great victories he brought about himself came from the knowledge he had of Earth’s history.

Thinking of the major Naval battles, an idea came to mind. From what he knew, his Empire was the only one to have cannons; it was a trump card he could play. He would be outnumbered, that much was obvious, but recalling the Grand Armada that Spain sent to attack England in 1588, he knew it was possible to win a conflict at sea, even if heavily outnumbered, especially with the technology he had on hand.

"If an assault comes from sea, I will lead its defence."

"Outrageous," Marcus said before he could stop himself. Getting a glare from both Issac and Horace, he quickly realised his slip and lowered his head, asking for forgiveness. When Alfred gave it, he looked back up and stared at the Emperor. "Your Majesty, forgive me, but you do not know about naval warfare. Although Sasha is gone, there are plenty of fine men and women who can take her place."

"Careful, Marcus. Your words are bordering on concern and mockery." Horace coldly said, but with a wave from Alfred’s hand, he stopped before he could continue.

"That is true." Alfred didn’t disagree, knowing full well his limitation. Had anyone else complained, he may have taken offence, but Marcus was his general, a man proven to be able to lead a war single-handedly. Yet Alfred smirked, "But how many of these fine men and women know how to fight a naval skirmish with our new weaponry?"

Marcus opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. He creased his eyebrows and looked at Alfred, "And you do, Your Majesty? I don’t mean to doubt you, as you were the one to invent it, but you talk as if you have experience."

With a mysterious smile, Alfred looked at Issac. No one knew what it meant other than the Prime Minister, and seeing it, Issac chuckled. It was one of the few times he loved knowing Alfred’s biggest secret. "I can assure you, Marcus. His Majesty isn’t being arrogant." Issac paused, trying to find an excuse to give. It was only for a second before he continued, "We have played many wargames in our free time. Right now, I believe he would know best how to do this."

Marcus stared at Issac, his hesitation crumbling at his words. With a friendly smile, he shook his head, "You don’t have free time, Issac. Make it more believable." Issac chuckled at his words, and Marcus sighed, "On a more serious note." Marcus looked into Alfred’s eyes, "I won’t force you to stop, Your Majesty, I believe only the Empress could anyway. I just wish to know. How confident are you in your plans?"

Alfred stared back and smiled, "I wouldn’t put myself at risk if I wasn’t confident, Marcus. You should know that I value my life." Marcus finally backed off, seeing Alfred’s confident gaze, and gave up trying to stop him. Happy to see his General backing off, Alfred slowly rose from his seat, "Prepare the Empire for war at any moment. Issac, walk with me."

All three stood up and bowed towards Alfred as he left the room. Issac swiftly followed behind, and the remaining two only rose when Alfred had left the room.

"What is it?" Issac asked with a quiet voice, making sure not to accidentally leak anything to the passing servants.

"I fear it won’t only be Severia and the Church we must face. The Gotics know their enemies surround them. As you know, the Gotic king is trying to secure a marriage with Severia. If a war is to come, they may finally get it."

"The Gotics are weak." Issac countered, but his tone showed he wasn’t confident, "We also have Silesia to support us. We are not entirely alone, Alfred."

"Perhaps, but..." Alfred paused, unable to believe what he was about to say, "I do not wish for their support in the war." His voice was quiet and shook slightly.

"You can’t be serious, Alfred. To take on these enemies alone is foolish." Issac knew Alfred was nervous, even saying such a thing, and couldn’t understand why he would even propose something so dangerous.

"In the past, yes, but we have a weapon no one has Issac." Alfred looked around the Palace. He knew his actions could doom the Empire, but it was something he wanted. If he won this war alone, on the continent, every nation would fear him and the Empire. They would see how foolish it would be to invade, leaving him alone to pursue his desires across the ocean.

"It’s a weapon we don’t have much of. Sure, the blacksmiths, alchemists and such have gotten better at making them, but it’s not enough." Issac took a deep breath and carefully thought about his next words. "Severia can’t field as many men as they could before, but with the Church and the Gotics, they can easily make up the number. This isn’t the old Gotic Kingdom either. They are under a king who did as promised and expanded their lands. The rebellious nobles have fallen in line now, and those who didn’t were dealt with." Issac tried to make Alfred reconsider.

His confidence wavered, showcased by his twitching fingers. "Hypothetically. If war were to break out, would the majority of their forces come by land or across the Tears?" Issac paused and thought about it for a second.

"Constacne has proven himself as Pope to disregard religious beliefs when they suit him. There won’t be much fuss from him about crossing the Tears, especially in a crusade; he has history to support the action." Issac clicked his tongue. "It’s hard to say. The distance makes me believe they would attack via the Tears to catch us off guard. If they march an army, they know we would find out and provide us ample time to prepare."

"A number, Issac."

"60% chance, maybe. Our breadbasket is the Safrid lands, so it would be crippling to take that. Once they did it, it would provide a clear route to Brookhaven whilst also blocking off Silesian support. The Livonik lands, however, are still recovering from our conquest and the Gotics can create a breach and buy time for the other allies. That is, if they join the war." Issac groaned as he pictured the continent in his mind. "It’s a coin toss if I’m being honest. Unless you can provide a reason for them to attack via the Tears."

"A reason..." Alfred’s words trailed. His eyes narrowed as he smiled, "Leak the information that Sasha has sailed to explore the sea." Issac looked at him but quickly understood. Sasha’s name would be known to all nations unfriendly to the Empire as the one in charge of the Empire’s navy.

"We need proof to make them fall for it."

"What are you talking about, Issac?" Alfred smirked, "Hundreds already saw it happen. One investigation in the Godwin duchy, and they will know it’s true." Alfred thought again, "Send an envoy to the Lisaponics again. Invite them to Brookhaven once more. Provide a gift that will appease Cyrus for the perceived slight previously. Also, make it as public an affair as you can."

"Understood." Issac didn’t need to ask why. Seeing Alfred no longer wished to talk, he lowered his head and walked off, leaving Alfred to roam the halls alone.