Bargnar's Dilemma

“Do you also believe war is imminent?” Du Chen asked Porter, sighing heavenward as he clasped his arms. After calming down, he had meticulously re-evaluated the calamity his elder brother had instigated and vaguely sensed that the common folk were doomed.

“War?” Harry stood close behind Du Chen, his pale face a mask of distress. “My sagacious Master, surely… we won’t be sent to the battlefield, will we!?”

Du Chen merely raised a hand, gesturing towards Porter opposite him, bidding him explain.

Porter cleared the table, leaving only a single glass of red wine, and stated with certainty, “This war, I fear, is unavoidable!”

Dipping a finger into his wine, he traced a rough map of the Aethelgard Continent’s eastern lands onto the tabletop. McAllen lay to the north, Lanning to the south, separated by Heaven's Ocean Pass.

“I needn’t elaborate on the relationship between McAllen and Lanning; Butler Harry, you must have surely heard tales.”

“Indeed, Harry knows they are frequently at war. The most recent major conflict between the two nations was seventeen years ago, during Master’s birth, when Grand Duke Arges led an expedition against McAllen and emerged victorious!”

Porter’s finger rested on the map of Lanning as he continued, building on Harry’s words, “Thus, these two nations are certainly not allies, merely enemies who haven't yet turned on each other. Now, Steve has assassinated the Crown Prince of McAllen, and Beast Emperor Rebadon has mobilized six grand legions, threatening Heaven's Ocean Pass. What choice do you think Bargnar will make!?”

Harry thought for a moment, his eyes lighting up. He eagerly blurted out as if presenting a treasure, “Either fight the beastmen, or appease their wrath with the Saint Sigurd Cain family… Bargnar has only these two paths!”

Porter nodded. “From the intelligence at my disposal, if he were to wage war against the beastmen, Bargnar is currently ill-prepared. However, betraying the Saint Sigurd Cain family would come at no small cost. A millennium of the Saint Sigurd Cain legacy! Not to mention that Grand Duke Arges commands nearly two hundred thousand elite main battle legions in northern Lanning. Even among the legion commanders of Lanning’s various grand legions, many were personally promoted by the Saint Sigurd Cain family. If Bargnar were to betray the Saint Sigurd Cain family, he would have to consider the military’s reaction! A misstep could ignite…”

Harry opened his mouth, then closed it again. Only when Du Chen gestured that he could speak freely did he say, “Steward Porter, Steve alone killed Salon. Wouldn’t it suffice for Bargnar to negotiate with Arges and simply hand Steve over to the beastmen? That way, the beastmen lose their pretext for war, and the Saint Sigurd Cain family loses but one son, yet there’s still Second Young Master Charles to inherit the noble title!”

Porter subtly shook his head, pulling out a few slips of paper he’d been using for his analysis and handing them to Harry. Harry glanced at them and exclaimed, “Oh my! So the Holy Church’s Code stipulates that in Steve’s situation, not only would he be executed, but the Saint Sigurd Cain family would also be stripped of their Divine Scion prerogatives—blasphemers are unworthy of divine grace!”

Du Chen interjected, “Do you remember how, last time I was in Saint John City, I brought down Minister of Rites Wedno? In the end, Wedno’s crime alone led to his entire clan’s demotion, and the entire Aruman Divine Scion lineage was purged from Lanning’s political arena—all because I exploited that very law! Now, the Beast Emperor is using this same law, openly declaring that for them to withdraw their troops, it must be in exchange for the blood of the entire Saint Sigurd Cain family. Just my elder brother alone will not suffice!”

Porter continued, “Butler Harry, do you now grasp the full scope of the situation? Imagine, if you were Bargnar, what choice would you make? War, or betraying the entire Saint Sigurd Cain family!?”

Harry thought for a long time, then offered a sheepish smile. “How could a dull Shieb possibly fathom the mind of an Emperor?”

Porter chuckled. “Butler Harry, you’ve actually already figured out the answer, haven’t you—Bargnar will choose war! Because if he were to betray the Saint Sigurd Cain family, he would lose the support of many legion commanders in the military. Furthermore, the Sigurd Legion, the northern bulwark of Lanning and essentially the Saint Sigurd Cain family’s private army, would rebel under Arges, who would refuse to wait for his demise! Lanning would face the peril of civil war! And even if Bargnar did betray the Saint Sigurd Cain family, once the beastmen saw the northern bulwark of Lanning, which had defended them for years, disappear, wouldn’t they immediately find another pretext to attack!? Am I right? Haha!”

Harry, suddenly enlightened, gave another sheepish laugh. “I understand! In Bargnar’s dilemma, if he chooses war, he’ll fight a war he’s ill-prepared for! But if he chooses to betray the Saint Sigurd Cain family, he’d sever one of his own arms and offer it to the enemy—an arm that had once defeated that very enemy! Disarming himself would leave his body severely wounded and unable to recover, but in the end, the enemy would still seize the opportunity to attack! Why… even a child would know what to choose!”

Porter adjusted his spectacles, his smile fading, and concluded, “Therefore, my conclusion is that Bargnar will surely choose war; it is now unavoidable. And Steve’s true crime isn’t that he killed the Crown Prince of McAllen! It’s that he acted as the fuse for the war when Bargnar was still ill-prepared for it! This alone is enough to warrant his death a thousand times over!”

…

Du Chen tapped the table rhythmically, signaling Harry to refill Porter’s wine glass, and mused, “I’ve also arrived at an answer for Bargnar’s dilemma! But in that case, my elder brother is in even greater peril!”

Harry, perplexed, eagerly asked why!

“The Saint Sigurd Cain family, the northern iron bulwark of the Empire, is someone Bargnar must protect! Yet Bargnar must also punish the one who prematurely dragged the entire Empire into war—my elder brother! Moreover, my elder brother murdered a Crown Prince, and all the nations of the Three Continents are watching Bargnar. To uphold his prestige, Bargnar must provide an explanation to Lanning, to the Holy Church, and to the Three Continents!”

This explanation, naturally, meant the Saint Sigurd Cain family would have to ‘forsake’ Steve.

Du Chen rose and walked to the window, gazing at the distant Saint John City, whose outline was now visible.

Porter came to his side and whispered, “If you accept my analysis, then the next steps become clear. Bargnar is likely negotiating with Arges right now. He might even promise immense benefits to the Saint Sigurd Cain family as a whole! But Arges must ‘forsake’ Steve, the individual, while simultaneously preparing for war against McAllen. As for us…”

He pointed towards an ominous rain cloud, saying quite expressively, “Under the shadow of war, we must bring a ray of sunshine to Steve and prove his innocence!”

Du Chen suddenly scoffed. “I wonder if Arges will accept Bargnar’s benefits or fight to the death to protect my elder brother!? In my opinion, that old man will probably ‘forsake’ my elder brother!”

…

At this very moment, in the secret parlor of Saint Sigurd Cain Estate in Saint John City!

Imperial Prime Minister Antoine tapped the table, his grand beard trembling. “Grand Duke Arges, my old friend Arges!”

He paced around Arges, who sat with closed eyes, remaining silent. “I’ve said more than enough! You and I have cooperated in Lanning’s official circles for over a decade; even if not friends, we’re certainly not enemies! Today, I won’t speak in officialese; let me speak plainly, as an old man to a friend… Accept His Majesty’s terms!”

Arges subtly shook his head.

Antoine spoke earnestly, “What time is this for such stubbornness!? McAllen’s vanguard is less than three hundred li from Heaven's Ocean Pass! Just consider His Majesty’s proposal… If you abandon Steve, His Majesty will bestow upon your family a hereditary princely title and an additional three thousand li of granted territory! Then you leave Charles as a hostage and lead troops on an expedition against McAllen. On the day of your triumphant return, your Saint Sigurd Cain family will be the foremost clan beneath the Lanning Imperial family!”

Arges was still shaking his head!

“My friend! Although Steve is your eldest son, he is but one man, and a rather unaccomplished lecher at that. Can he truly compare to the entire Saint Sigurd Cain family?! And he has indeed committed a crime! Is it not worth it to abandon him, one man, for the glory of your entire family!?”

Arges suddenly waved his hand. “Guards, escort our guest out!”

“You!!” Antoine flung his sleeve and stormed off!

After several Household Guards escorted Antoine away and returned, they exchanged glances, then a senior one stepped forward and said, “Master, what are your intentions…?”

“Steve is Phil’s son; as long as I live, he will not die!” Arges abruptly stood up. “I care not what Steve has done, nor what crimes he has committed! But I promised Phil that the Saint Sigurd Cain family’s legacy would be passed down from my hands to Steve’s! Do you understand my meaning!?”

“We… understand!” the Household Guard responded with difficulty.

“Excellent! Charles should be returning to Saint John City soon, correct? Inform the Holy Flame Knights protecting him to find someone to impersonate Charles entering the city! Then escort Charles to Heaven's Ocean Pass. If things turn for the worse in Saint John City, and neither Steve nor I can return… then have the Sigurd Legion pledge loyalty to Charles and proceed along the Heaven's Ocean River to the Duchy of Ferim!”

Unexpectedly to Du Chen, Arges, whom he utterly loathed, had just made a decision that would astound him in the future!

The senior Household Guard noted the commands, then hesitated before saying, “Master, Prime Minister Antoine asked me to convey two messages to you upon his departure…”

“Speak!”

“The first message is: Francis and Steve share a profound brotherly bond; he will never stand idly by. In the coming days, he will surely return to Saint John City with an incredibly forceful attitude, using the Holy Church’s authority to pressure His Majesty Bargnar… Regardless of the deep animosity between you and Francis, at this moment, your objectives are aligned…”

“A joke! Do I need the strength of an outsider, one I myself banished from my family, to save my own son!? What is the second message!?”

“Prime Minister Antoine said that Francis’s movements are elusive. If he cannot return to Saint John City immediately, then there is still one ‘clumsy method’ that can delay His Majesty’s decision-making time, to buy a little room for maneuver, at least preventing Young Master from being immediately sent to the execution pyre…”

…

The Saint Sigurd Cain Estate suddenly bustled with activity. The common folk of Saint John City were astonished to discover a wondrous sight they might only witness once in their lifetime, appearing in Sigurd Square.

Meanwhile, Du Chen had already arrived above Saint John City. Harry asked, “Should we still land in that orchard from last time!?”

Porter chuckled, waving a hand. “No, we are bringing sunlight to Steve, and sunlight is always scorching hot!”

Du Chen thumped heavily on the crystal window. “Orchard, my ass! Replace the outer family crest with the Statue of Du Chen, the Divine, of the Holy Church! Fly directly above the Verne Imperial Palace, then descend into Saint John Cathedral across from it! Tell Godfather Ferdinand that Father Francis, the worldly representative of Du Chen, the Divine, along with Grand Pontiff Brook of the Divine Cult, has arrived in Saint John City!”