German Reich, Neues Reich…
Armin II sat on his throne while tapping its armrest at regular intervals. He was looking at the current state of the nation around him… the utter chaos erupting around his nation.
"Your Majesty…" a man in formalwear bowed slightly while waiting permission to speak.
Armin II waved his hand for the man to continue, "You Majesty. Word just came from the South-East. 9 of the 15 tribes have allied together. They have declared war on the other 6 tribes."
"Hmm," Armin II nodded, and the man saw himself out.
"They will succeed, you know…" the elderly Jerry spoke out from the side of the hall, his back hunched and baldness out for the world to bear witness.
"Hmm…" Armin II nodded once again.
"Sigh… I don't understand you anymore. First you refuse to build up our military any further than what your father had done, only improving the foundation of talent sourcing for Magic. Then, you send emissaries and spies into the warring tribes beyond Hohenzollern and the Triple Monarchy, to get them to band together…"
Armin II finally looked up, and smiled at his grandfather, who was still alive and kicking, and had reached Rank 3 over this period of time, further extending his lifespan.
"Grandfather, as you know… the four kingdoms fighting each other would be mostly equally balanced. However, they will, at all costs, try to avoid attacking us, leaving us with no actual way to enter the war. I have already made so many changes to the kingdom after taking control, and my brother and those who support him are merely waiting for me to slip up," he sighed, placing his chin on his clasped hands.
"Thus your hands are tied… we cannot launch a war where soldiers will lose their lives without adequate justification…" the old man murmured while putting the pieces in place, "And the tribes will hand this justification to us?"
"No quite. But having the tribes unite, would create a nation at least half as strong in terms of national power as compared to the other nations around us. It will destabilise the situation, forcing one side to come to us to support them."
"Ah… not a bad plan… but you mustn't become complacent. We may be the most nation as of now, but we are not as united as the Tsardom, nor are we focussed entirely on either magic or technology like Kalmar or Hohenzollern…" the grandfather nodded before turning away from his grandson who was aging into his later years of life, "I will go now. Magic has shown me great prospects, and I wish to uncover as many of them as I can with my extended lifespan…"
"We still don't know how long it will be…" Armin II frowned at his grandfather, who now looked a few years younger than when he was a Rank 3 Mage.
"Ha! Brat! I will outlive your children if they don't become Magi!" the old man chortled before walking out of the throne room, leaving Armin II with his thoughts.