Chapter 623
Candy (2)
# The Kingdom of Ters has a tumultuous history.
Despite its reputation as a cultural powerhouse, it all began when the Jeiros Revolution erupted after attempts to censor culture.
After a period of calm, it was revealed that King Friedrich had an illegitimate child, and because he denied it to the end, he was forced to abdicate.
Fortunately, Queen Maria, who ascended to the throne, resolved the situation quietly and governed the nation well, preventing any further disturbances for the time being.
She also managed the kingdom effectively during the worldwide Great Depression, allowing them to weather it with minimal damage.
Above all, Queen Maria was viewed as a “victim” in the eyes of the people, making it possible for them to follow her without complaint.
While the Kingdom of Ters had been living comfortably under Queen Maria’s rule, there had been some concerning developments recently.
[Cultural center moving to Marshall Territory?]
[Growing number of artists relocating from the Kingdom of Ters to Marshall Territory…]
[Not only that, new faces are gradually appearing in Marshall Territory.]
The issue was that Marshall Territory was rapidly growing as a cultural city. Not just rapidly—it was growing at an abnormally fast pace.
There are various reasons why the Kingdom of Ters established itself as a cultural powerhouse. It became what it is through the mixing and blending of elements that cannot be unified into one.
However, Marshall Territory began gaining tremendous support by introducing new cultures that had never existed before, starting with The Chronicles of Zenon.
First, the new invention called “movies” caught public attention. It wasn’t just attention—visitors came from far away just to watch a single film.
Recently, they introduced a sports culture called “soccer,” which generated significant interest. Soccer can be enjoyed by people of all ages, genders, and social classes.
In contrast, rugby, which originated in the Kingdom of Ters, is entertainment that only certain classes can enjoy. It’s completely opposite, but it can’t compete in terms of reach.
While Marshall Territory promotes culture that everyone can enjoy, the Kingdom of Ters maintains high barriers with its noble culture.
As the saying goes, “stagnant water rots,” and the Kingdom of Ters was exactly in that situation.
[Young people will seek out Marshall Territory rather than the Kingdom of Ters in the future.]
[People want to find new entertainment. Marshall Territory fulfills that condition.]
[In five years, the cultural powerhouse will be the Minerva Empire, not the Kingdom of Ters.]
The Kingdom of Ters couldn’t help but feel a sense of crisis. Moreover, if a “station” were to be placed in Marshall Territory, the effect would be doubled.
Coincidentally, with the establishment of factories, the effects of the Great Depression were gradually disappearing. This meant people were gaining more leisure money to spend.
Therefore, the Kingdom of Ters needed to work harder than before. Being called a cultural powerhouse meant they had invested only in culture.
Just as strengths become weaknesses when they disappear, they could potentially be consumed by the Minerva Empire if they weren’t careful.
[Kingdom of Ters. Establishment of sponsorship organization for artists. Coordinating with the commoner parliament…]
[The Kingdom of Ters feels the crisis. Now it will transform into a competitor.]
Queen Maria, recognizing the seriousness early on, quickly took countermeasures. One of them was establishing a sponsorship organization.
Isaac was also planning to establish the Zenon Foundation for sponsorship, but the format was different.
Isaac aimed for science that could keep up with culture, while Queen Maria wanted to make stagnant water flow.
It was a decent compromise, but it wasn’t without difficulty in keeping up with the culture that Isaac was pouring out.
Above all, there was a huge difference in reputation. While Isaac was at the level of a prophet who could easily spread any culture, Queen Maria had a harder time.
Realistically, she could only announce policies to maintain the status quo. Still, these efforts seemed to work, as she was able to attract artists.
Marshall Territory’s greatest strength was culture that everyone could enjoy. This meant that while the barriers were very low, there was a high possibility of low-quality products emerging.
So-called “mass-produced” works could pour out, meaning that unless they were “bored” masters, there was no need to go to Marshall Territory.
With the Kingdom of Ters offering timely sponsorship, the balance of power continued.
However, an unexpected situation occurred that threatened to break this balance.
“Sigh…”
Queen Maria of the Kingdom of Ters let out a deep sigh. She was currently reviewing state affairs in her office.
When she ascended to the throne in place of her beloved husband Friedrich, it wasn’t this difficult. She just thought her husband had made a mistake.
Her husband’s love and affection were more sincere than anyone’s, and it was literally just a mistake. She could understand that perfectly.
Although his immature handling plunged the kingdom into great confusion, that was now a thing of the past.
Even now, they maintain a good relationship, and Friedrich himself lives with regret.
“Why are these people saying such useless things…?”
Since ascending to the throne, every day had been filled with work. Although Friedrich helped with his experience, even that was overwhelming.
Especially when the Great Depression hit, both she and her husband stayed up all night. Once, they both collapsed side by side and were taken to the temple.
That experience strengthened their affection, but recently something seemed amiss, whether outside or inside the palace.
“Laos, perhaps…”
Queen Maria’s eyes narrowed. The palace had been in turmoil since the incident involving Adelia.
Her beloved second daughter, Hiriya, had become incapacitated before barely recovering, and her youngest daughter Lala was shedding her girlish traits one by one.
The problem was Laos. After that incident, Laos’s behavior became strange. He frequently disappeared without a trace.
Fortunately, he didn’t cause any harm to the palace, but his personality became somewhat sharper. According to the servants, his expression had become fierce.
Everyone accepted and moved on from the incident related to Adelia as it was entirely their own fault, but Laos was different.
‘It’s difficult for the palace to directly confront the press… ‘
The first press was in the Kingdom of Ters. It emerged after the Jeiros Revolution and mostly appeared with good intentions.
But as time passed, they only produced sensational stories, and even frequently published fake news.
Of course, they amended the law to severely punish false information. This was possible because of the “censorship” that the Kingdom of Ters once practiced.
As with other countries, if evidence of press suppression emerges, the repercussions are unimaginable. And the Kingdom of Ters is worse than other countries.
For this reason, there is almost no pressure on the press unless it’s false information. The current situation is no exception.
‘Although it was the Marshall family who introduced devils… why now?’
The Marshall family, who created devils and threw the world into chaos. The press is now pouring out articles saying that family should be punished.
It’s not just journalists trying to attract attention; they’re drawing attention by elaborately writing unnecessary words.
This means they’ve written only correct statements. The birth of devils and the suffering the world endured because of them.
Finally, they carefully mentioned God and ended brilliantly.
Maria’s response to this was concise.
“What bullshit.”
Despite her normally noble character…
“They’re full of it.”
Her personality has become somewhat sharper from managing internal and external chaos. She clicked her tongue and crumpled the newspaper.
She would like to round up all the press and execute them, but what the press has said is the “truth.”
What’s wrong with spreading facts with a little seasoning? If you suppress this too, won’t you suffer more damage?
Even Queen Maria was caught in a trap she couldn’t escape. Usually, such content isn’t published because it damages image.
But the fact that they published such an article at the risk of their lives… it’s as good as saying there’s backing behind it. Backing unknown even to her, the queen.
‘Did Laos really do this?’
Based on the circumstances, the crown prince, Laos, is the most likely suspect. The problem is that there’s plenty of suspicion but no physical evidence.
In a palace where politics runs rampant, who to trust depends on individual choice. People reporting on Laos’s movements can’t be easily trusted.
‘Someone like him wouldn’t fall for such an obvious trick… but he’ll have to take the bait regardless.’
Isaac wouldn’t fall for such an obvious ploy. But since it involves family, he has no choice but to take the bait.
Moreover, it’s a matter closely related to the Demon race, the biggest victims of the devil war. It’s even mentioned in the article.
Here too, a cowardly strategy emerged—they didn’t criticize the Demon race but rather defended them as victims.
They claimed that the Demon race was being discriminated against because of the Marshall family, directly touching the Demon race’s sore spot.
Additionally, the Demon race has a lifespan of nearly 1,000 years. From their perspective, their grandfather’s generation suffered.
‘For now, I can only watch the situation. I should send a personal letter.’
Both as a leader governing a nation and personally, watching is the best option.
If Isaac’s reputation is damaged by this, the cultural center will naturally shift toward the Kingdom of Ters, and if not, it doesn’t matter.
No matter how strong his position is, a nation cannot bow its head first. They can compensate later.
Of course, she expected Isaac to make a big move first. She needed to prepare for that.
And Maria’s prediction came true. After a few days, Isaac’s response appeared in the newspaper.
[Actually, The Chronicles of Zenon is based on the story of a real hero that I adapted.]
Though it emerged in a completely unexpected direction.