The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military

Translator: Pai_

The Governor-General stepped down, and in his place stood Iron, hailed as the Empire's hero.

At that, every member of the Parliament swallowed nervously and stared at him with tense expressions.

"Greetings. I am General Iron Carter, currently serving as the Commander of the Mobile Field Army."

At Iron's self-introduction, everyone gave a brief round of applause.

It was a historic moment as it was the first time since the establishment of the Parliament that the highest-ranking military commander had stood before it.

And the fact that the person was the Empire's hero made it even more exceptional.

Had it not been for the current sensitive situation, some members of the Parliament might have even let out cheers.

"I've heard my name being mentioned in various places regarding this state of national emergency."

At Iron's words, the members of the Parliament swallowed nervously with tense expressions.

The sight of the strongest warrior of present-day humanity gazing coldly at the members was so terrifying that it made their legs tremble.

However, they did not back down.

Especially the members of the Free Union, who had criticized Iron the most, stared back at him with forced wide eyes.

"There have been various disturbances within the Empire due to the movement of the Holy Alliance, and knowing that I have been involved in that process, the Governor-General personally summoned me here to give me an opportunity to explain."

Saying so, he looked toward the members of the Free Union.

"Some of you may not be fond of me."

At his words, the members of the Free Union flinched.

However, their leader, Lenin Kimosia, stared directly into Iron's eyes.

Seeing him, Iron opened his mouth again.

"First of all, I am not opposed to the major bills that have been passed in Parliament thus far."

At Iron's words, the expressions of the members of Parliament began to brighten slightly.

Seeing them like that, Iron continued to speak.

"I am a soldier and do not know much about politics. Therefore, I am not in a position to evaluate the bills discussed here. However, as a soldier, I cannot help but prioritize the upcoming external threats, and that is why I stand here today."

As Iron said this, he projected the materials he had prepared onto the image sphere.

He began explaining based on the information he had gathered through personal investigations and that which had been accumulated during battles fought by the Mobile Field Army.

1. The Apocalypse progresses in stages.

2. The enemies become stronger with each stage.

3. Perhaps the current system is preparing us for the real Apocalypse when it arrives.

These were the three main pieces of information Iron presented regarding the Apocalypse.

To prove them, Iron revealed the battles he had been through and the information he had acquired from them.

He shared the knowledge he had obtained from the witch, the insights he had heard from the World Tree, the facts he discovered while eliminating the Phantom Tree and dealing with Ancient Species, all while explaining the grounds for his beliefs.

Perhaps due to Iron's efforts, the members of Parliament were listening attentively.

"Whew… That concludes my personal opinion regarding the Apocalypse."

At Iron's words, silence fell over the Parliament.

They realized the situation was more serious than they had thought.

"Thanks to His Late Majesty's sacrifice, the power of the gods crossing over to the continent has weakened. However, just like the Ancient Species, the restrictions on their power may loosen over time… and in the worst-case scenario, the Holy Alliance could somehow summon an external god of near-perfection."

This was the worst-case scenario Iron had considered.

It was the descent of an external god with its full power intact.

Even restricted Heurimre had been difficult to handle, so what if the gods descended with their full power?

The moment they appeared, humanity would be destroyed.

"In conclusion, I believe that preparing for Destruction should take precedence over anything else."

At Iron's words, all the members of Parliament fell into contemplation.

Honestly, although there had been several crises during the defense against the attacks of the Ancient Species, the news that humanity's Military had quickly grown and driven them back had made them somewhat complacent.

Despite the beginning of the Age of Destruction, the Empire was still livable.

The border had collapsed, and with monsters appearing everywhere, people had once thought they might be forced to live only around fortresses, but all things considered, life was bearable.

Perhaps because of that, when the Holy Alliance began to move, although it was said that the Empire would concentrate its power on a grand strategic level, in truth, each group tried to secure their own interests within that effort.

In the case of the Free Union, they even went so far as to assert that basic rights must absolutely be protected, no matter the war.

However, cracks began to form in such thinking.

"There were many dangerously close and risky moments in the battles against the Ancient Species, with a great deal of sacrifice. But the war with the Holy Alliance could be even worse."

As Iron spoke, he looked around the chamber.

"My top priority is humanity's survival in this age of Destruction, and for that, I am prepared to do whatever it takes. Even if it appears to be my own dogmatism, I am willing to bear that."

At Iron's warning, the expressions of the members hardened.

Everyone became serious at the Empire's hero saying he would press forward even at the cost of his own honor.

"Thank you all for listening to my inadequate words."

When Iron finished those words and stepped down from the platform, the Governor-General looked at him with a sorry expression.

But Iron, in turn, gave him a look of trust and bowed before leaving the Parliament.

Thus, as the Empire's hero exited the Parliament and everyone was still deep in thought about his speech, the Governor-General came back up.

"Not long ago, upon hearing that the Holy Alliance was moving, Commander Iron came to see me. And the conclusion reached at that time was that the Empire must use all its resources to prepare for the next war."

At the Governor-General's words, all the members of Parliament looked at him.

"Each of you surely has your own desires, and probably has grounds to convince many others. However, I believe that before all of that, the top priority must be preparing for war with the Holy Alliance. Therefore, after much deliberation, the Governor-General's Office has come up with a compromise proposal that should satisfy many of you."

With that, the Governor-General projected the prepared data onto the image sphere.

1. The Merchants' Union's railway development will be prioritized in the Western region.

Upon hearing this, the members of the Merchants' Union let out cheers.

On the other hand, the members of the Artisans' Union frowned, feeling as though they had lost.

But when the next part of the compromise was revealed, the Artisans' Union began to smile brightly.

2. Golems will be given priority in the railway construction projects. If their effectiveness is proven, a project will be launched to deploy golems in all construction along the Western front.

With Articles 1 and 2, a slight favor was shown to both the Merchants' Union and the Artisans' Union.

By narrowing the scope from the entire nation to the Western region, the proposal supported the bills pushed by both unions.

The two factions began to confer with each other with subtle expressions over the compromise proposal.

3. No power struggles will be allowed until the war ends. Furthermore, the rights of the Nobles' Faction will also be temporarily deferred until the war is over, and the matter of abolishing their rights will be discussed later. However, the hierarchical relationship of positions must be strictly enforced regardless of status.

4. The basic rights proposed by the Free Union are recommended to be upheld by all institutions of the Empire, but enforcement is limited.

The third clause didn't sit well with the Nobles' Faction, but they nodded.

They had already anticipated that even their last rights would one day disappear, and most of the high-ranking nobles were from elite backgrounds, so they held high positions anyway.

In that sense, if a strict hierarchical relationship was enforced based on position, it was actually favorable for them.

Unlike the Nobles' Faction, however, the unions that had split off from the Revolutionary Faction all voiced opposition at once.

"Laying railroads only in the West is meaningless. The proposal we submitted was to lay railroads in key areas across the entire nation to construct a rapid distribution network!"

As Pierre, the chairman of the Merchants' Union, objected to the compromise, the chairman of the Artisans' Union also voiced his opinion.

"Our golem plan is the same. It was meant not just for the construction sector but to deploy various golems across all fields and reduce production costs through mass production. At this rate, golem prices will inevitably rise."

In response to the claims of the two union leaders, other members also voiced agreement and addressed the Governor-General.

However, the Governor-General firmly shook his head and once again emphasized the importance of war preparedness.

At that moment, Lenin Kimosia, the chairman of the Free Union, stood up from his seat.

"I have something to say to the Governor-General."

At Lenin Kimosia's words, the Governor-General looked at him.

Then, with a cold gaze, Lenin spoke as he stared at the Governor-General.

"It seems you've given some consideration to the claims of other unions… but why is it that our Free Union's demands have been completely ignored?"

At his words, P.S. Welch looked at Lenin Kimosia and said.

"Isn't clause number 4 a compromise made out of consideration for the Free Union?"

"You call that even partially accepting our demands?"

"Yes."

At Lenin's question, Pierre nodded and answered.

"That's not acceptance. It's just wordplay."

As Lenin said this, he glared at the Governor-General.

"Recommending that basic rights be protected? Who's going to listen to that? Even if we catch a few of those who seriously violate it, with weak legal enforcement, there's no real punishment!"

Lenin looked at the Governor-General and laughed in disbelief.

"Isn't that practically no restriction at all? And what's more, just basic rights? All of the welfare budget proposals we submitted are gone, and this is the only thing tossed our way, and even that is just an empty phrase..."

The moment Lenin said that, all the members of the Free Union stood and stared at the Governor-General.

It was a clear signal that they could not accept the compromise.

Seeing them, the Governor-General calmly opened his mouth.

"Chairman Lenin."

At the Governor-General's call, Lenin quietly stared at him.

Even as Lenin refused to respond, the Governor-General maintained a calm expression and spoke in a low voice.

"If all the proposals the Free Union submitted to the Governor-General's Office were to be honored, how much do you think it would cost from the national budget?"

"Thirty percent."

Lenin replied, as if he had already done the calculations.

Only thirty percent.

It was a low price if it meant establishing the people's basic rights and minimum welfare.

The Governor-General agreed with that point as well.

But that would only be the case in peacetime.

"Yes. Thirty percent. But since it would be the first time implementing such a policy, if you factor in trial and error, it could cost closer to forty percent. If we spend forty percent of the budget on welfare at this time, what do you think will happen?"

"Well…"

At the Governor-General's question, Lenin frowned.

"The basic operations of the Empire and essential expenditures account for at least forty percent. On top of that, over ten percent is allocated to the Northeastern region."

At the Governor-General's words, all the members of Parliament fell silent.

"With the remaining funds, we're supposed to prepare against the Holy Alliance… Let's say we try. But from that remaining money, we have to construct railroads and build new production facilities including golems and magitech vehicles. And then, with what's left after all that, we have to recruit the Military?"

The Governor-General looked around at all the members.

"I guarantee that you'll have to face the wrath of General Iron and the Military."

As the Governor-General said this, he looked toward one side.

There, Iron, whom everyone thought had left, was staring coldly at the chamber.

"Even now, soldiers are dying in the Northeast. Basic rights? Of course they must be protected. Railroad construction is necessary. Golems and magitech vehicles? They're vital for the future. But before all that… shouldn't survival come first?"

At Governor Chevara's question, Lenin could not say a word.

Nor could the other chairmen give any reply.

***

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