The Gauss Territory holds a highly important role even within the Magical Federation.
Possessing a massive mine beneath mountains covered in ten-thousand-year snow, they are the Magical Federation's largest iron ore producer. The Gauss Territory's exclusive magic, the Magnetic Needle, a technique to find and separate iron veins, is a mystical magic found nowhere else on the continent.
Iron, which has a high alchemical cost, is an extremely precious resource in the Magical Federation, which has a high dependence on alchemy. It is no exaggeration to call it the Federation's breadbasket.
That was why it was a territory specially treated even within the Magical Federation.
"What did you just say...?"
"Hmm. It seems you misheard. The Gauss Territory has decided to secede and become independent from the Federation."
The thunderous news of the territory's secession and independence rang out. The voice of the Lord of House Gauss was conveyed to the frozen Lord of the Blue Tower.
"The Gauss Territory has served the Federation for a long time. We supplied high-quality iron to the Floating Castle with only simple alchemical processing. The fact that the unit price was extremely low is known to everyone in the Magical Federation."
"As I recall, in return for the supply, there was also the priority purchase right for the Floating Castle's magical artifacts. Wouldn't it be unfair to leave that out?"
"Priority purchase of magical artifacts is a natural right. The materials for those magical artifacts come from the Gauss Territory. If the Gauss Territory were to perform the alchemical processing itself without needing to supply them, and sell them directly on the market, we could obtain much greater profits. Supplying them at that unit price was a favor. Frankly speaking, the Floating Castle has been no different from exploiting us for a long time."
The word choice was excessive, but one couldn't say it was wrong. In reality, the Gauss Territory was supplying at a price lower than its appraised value.
Of course, one had to take into account that the mining cost of iron ore in the Gauss Territory, which possessed the Territory's Rule and a Unique Magical Path, was overwhelmingly low. But that was the result of the Gauss Territory's continuous innovations. Who could accept being told to supply even cheaper just because they mined it cheaply with their Unique Magical Path?
"The Gauss Territory has been paying its respects to the Demon King who protected the Magical Federation for a long time. But now that the Demon King has disappeared, we have no need to follow the past contract. From now on, the Gauss Territory will trade with other territories on an equal footing."
They spoke of respect, but simply put, it meant that since the Demon King was gone, there was no need to follow their orders. The Lord of the Blue Tower responded to that transparently obvious attitude.
"My Master is still in the Floating Castle."
"If she is still there, why does she not show herself before us? Why did the heir of the Celsius Territory arbitrarily succeed her? Why did she arbitrarily take a seat in the Celsius Territory?"
Greatly damaged by the meteorite (actually by the Sword Saint), the Floating Castle made an emergency landing in the Celsius Territory. The reason the Celsius Territory was chosen wasn't anything special. It was simply because they had just descended upon the Celsius Territory, so the land was empty. Also, the fact that the Celsius Territory was a land capable of supporting the population of the Floating Castle played a part.
But was that really why Elisha Celsius chose the Celsius Territory?
No. Surely, somewhere in her heart, affection and familiarity for her hometown remained. Even if she wasn't conscious of it, that feeling definitely influenced the Lord of the Blue Tower's judgment.
"If the Floating Castle was damaged and needed alchemical steel, you should have naturally come to the Gauss Territory. Because when it comes to magic that handles iron, the Gauss Territory is second to none. That is, unless you intentionally ignored the Gauss Territory."
However, thinking coldly, they should have gone to the Gauss Territory. That would have been more rational. The Lord of the Blue Tower spoke as if making an excuse.
"The Gauss Territory is in a mountainous terrain, with little flatland and a low food self-sufficiency rate. You would face starvation before fixing the Floating Castle."
"You could just have the Celsius Territory 'bring' the food, couldn't you? Just like you ordered us in the Gauss Territory."
The Lord of House Gauss said so, as if his heart had already left.
"Don't make excuses. The reason the Floating Castle landed in the Celsius Territory? The Lord of the Blue Tower, who seized power for unknown reasons, landed the Floating Castle in the Celsius Territory to bring glory to her own house, didn't she?"
What is right and what is wrong? She didn't know. Probably couldn't know. Even the Lord of the Blue Tower, Elisha Celsius, a cold and rational magician, was human. She ended up deciding a major state affair as her heart leaned.
It might have been the Lord of the Blue Tower's mistake, or if examined closely, a choice close to corruption.
"We moved in a hurry and had no time to consider it. Please understand."
"It is the same for us. We ask for your understanding."
"But the secession and independence of the Gauss Territory is an issue that shakes the foundations of the Federation. I will give you a chance to withdraw."
"We don't need such a chance."
"Is that so."
Her head understood. But she absolutely could not accept it. The Lord of the Blue Tower judged with cold reason.
"House Gauss is also a family of sages who received the teachings of Saint Rene in the distant past, and many disciples have received teachings in the Red Tower and the Blue Tower. The Gauss Territory, which has inherited the magic and knowledge of the Floating Castle, cannot declare independence as it pleases."
The surroundings freeze slightly. Mental imagery encroaches on the space. The expansion of a completed self-world, a Unique Magical Path.
Sensing that, the Lord of House Gauss hastily opened a wooden barrel. Inside were iron fragments. High-purity iron powder scattered into the air and aligned along the magnetic field lines.
Unique Magical Path, Magnetic Needle Sword.
Gauss's magic that handles magnetism.
Within Gauss's Unique Magical Path, iron powder becomes the strongest spear and shield. This steel storm belongs to the category of Unique Magical Paths with the most powerful lethality. The sharp iron fragments spinning in place would easily grind away human skin.
However, the opponent was bad.
"Ugh!"
The iron fragments freeze. Oxygen and moisture in the air crystallize and oxidize on the surface of the iron fragments. A change in physical properties resulting from crystallization. The iron fragments, which rapidly lost their magnetism, fell powerlessly to the ground.
Its anti-personnel lethality is powerful, but it shows weaknesses against other Unique Magical Paths or magic. This was the source of the Gauss Territory being implicitly ignored and their inferiority complex.
It was the same this time. The Gauss Territory lacked the power to resist even the Lord of the Blue Tower alone. If the Floating Castle set its mind to it, the likes of the Gauss Territory would have to raise the white flag.
'But, shouldn't the Lord of House Gauss also know this...?'
Just as doubt crossed the Lord of the Blue Tower's mind. Flames erupted, piercing through the moment. A spear wreathed in flames dropped between their fields of vision.
'Qigong! This is...!'
Fast. But if it's flames, she had dealt with them often when fighting the Lord of the Red Tower. The air around the flames disappears. The Lord of the Blue Tower's Determinism deprives the air, killing the breath of the flames. At the same time, condensed ice covers the flames.
Flames submerged in ice. It should go out immediately. It should, right?
The flames did not go out.
No, it burned even redder and embraced the world. It embraced the world, resisting as if it had a will. That is different from an ignition phenomenon. The Lord of the Blue Tower, whose insight had broadened by watching the fight between the Sword Saint and the Demon King, immediately realized this phenomenon.
'Riya!'
The realization was late. She had allowed the approach of a Master, and had underestimated their ability. If the Master had the will, the Lord of the Blue Tower would die.
However, the owner of the spear did not take any action.
"Now, now, now. Negotiations must be done peacefully. Using force is no good, you see."
He was a good-looking man with brilliant blonde hair. With round eyes, he wore a friendly smile as he picked up the spear. At the same time, the flames naturally wrapped around him and coiled.
A muscular body that couldn't be hidden even by clothes. He was tall, and his posture was straight. He freely swung the heavy spear with just one hand. Lightly shattering the Lord of the Blue Tower's Determination that had bound the space.
That transcended simple Qigong. The Lord of the Blue Tower asked with a wary expression.
"You hired a Master as a guard. Is a mere Master the source of your courage?"
"Hmph, hah! This person is not just a Master. He's different from those cheap mercenaries!"
The Lord of House Gauss, having escaped the crisis, shouted with a thoroughly triumphant expression.
"The shining star of the Empire. The strongest twelve. A member of the Zodiac! Lord Antares of Scorpio!"
The hegemon of the continent. The Empire.
The Empire had written a history of war since the distant past. From the Human King and the Five Monarchs, to the emergence and absorption of countless nations, the bipolarity of the Victory King and the Defeat King, and up to the Unified Empire and the current Empire - Vassal State system. How much blood must have been shed before the current order was established. The Empire's code of law was written in dried blood.
If the Magical Federation learns magic by pursuing truth, the Empire reveres martial arts and cultivates Qigong. A long and brutal history. Amidst wars and battles, conflicts and disputes, Qigong developed by drinking blood.
Countless Qigong arts appeared and disappeared, sometimes continuing as an individual's undefeated streak, sometimes as a massive martial sect, and only the outstanding survived. Both humans and Qigong.
Among the strong who reached the Truth, the twelve most outstanding Qigong Masters personally selected by the Empire were the Zodiac.
Antares was one of them.
The existence before her was a figure of that magnitude. Not only power but also influence was immense. There were even units and magicians solely dedicated to supporting that single person.
"...The Empire. Are you willing to betray the Federation even by borrowing the power of a foreign force?"
Antares answered that question on his behalf.
"They are no longer a foreign force. The Empire has come to restore 'justice' to the Gauss Territory, you see."
Antares took out a scroll from his bosom. The purple silk scroll had a gold-carved dragon head attached, and was sealed with the precious silk thread of the Golden Silkworm.
A scroll that could buy a house even if just a piece of it was sold, Antares carelessly spread it out. Riiip. The scroll, unable to withstand the force, tore, but Antares didn't care much and read the text.
"The owner of the Seven Guardian Merchant Guilds and the protector of freedom and justice. A devout believer of the Heavenly God and the executor of the Holy Scripture. This is an imperial decree bestowed by His Great Imperial Majesty the Emperor. It is hereby proclaimed to the nation calling itself the Magical Federation."
An imperial decree that could send a vassal state to hell or raise it to heaven in a single moment. Even though the Magical Federation was another country, they couldn't ignore the imperial decree of an Empire that ruled hundreds of millions.
"The Magical Federation has exploited the Gauss Territory under the guise of a federation, and with the money squeezed from the blood and sweat of the people, has threatened the peace of the continent and the Empire, and thrown the world into chaos. The Empire will take all necessary measures against this act of aggression."
All necessary measures included economic measures, diplomatic pressure, and of course, war. What was lacking was a justification, but now even that was fulfilled.
"Furthermore, as the Gauss Territory wishes to secede from the Federation. The Empire respects the judgment of the Gauss Territory, which wishes to stand on the side of justice and civilization, and will protect it."
"Internal interference..."
"Internal interference? No. The Gauss Territory asked for help, didn't they? The Empire merely responded to it. To protect the people of the Gauss Territory."
The Lord of House Gauss nodded vigorously, as if emboldened by those words.
In reality, the Gauss Territory must have harbored dissatisfaction over the alchemical steel procurement issue. It was just that the massive existence called the Demon King was silently suppressing that dissatisfaction, so it couldn't burst out.
The Empire neatly resolved that dissatisfaction, and at the same time, created a justification to intervene in the Magical Federation.
"Now the Empire has decided to protect the Gauss Territory. If you try to retaliate against the Gauss Territory with force, the Empire will not stand by. For the Empire is the protector of freedom and justice."
Because the Gauss Territory asked the Empire for help. The Empire responds to that help. Simple and just. No further questions are needed. To save the people of the territory, a single word is enough.
Of course, behind the scenes, the Empire's Ministry of Foreign Affairs must have continued their support, persuasion, and appeasement, but who cares. Justice doesn't care about such trivial things.
A few years ago, a philosopher standing in the midst of war cried out.
It is natural for justice to prevail. Because only the victor is justice.
The Empire was the world's answer to that cry.
The Zodiac. Scorpio's Antares. He declared proudly even in the middle of the Magical Federation.
"The Empire is justice. Magical Federation. You've picked the wrong fight."