[Tensura] I became emperor of the eastern empire?!?!

Time: Two weeks later.

Location: A building near the border of Nasca.

As the sun set, a meeting commenced between the rulers of the Magic Kingdom of Namri and the Eastern Union of Ulmeria.

The ruler of Namri, Rajnald Namrium, was a young man of 22. His appearance could be described as beautiful: he had long black hair, violet eyes, and a face women would envy.

He had recently taken power by overthrowing his father. Blaming his father for the famine in the country, he orchestrated a coup with military support and established a military dictatorship with himself at the helm.

In his arrogance, he believed he would quickly resolve the famine and win the people's love, but this did not happen. The famine only worsened. Fearing he would be overthrown like his father, he sought every possible solution to the crisis.

Then, while pondering his predicament, a messenger from Ulmeria entered his chamber. The message contained a proposal from Ulmeria's ruler.

The proposal was as follows: join forces and invade their mutual neighbor, Nasca, to seize its fertile lands.

The young ruler did not hesitate long and agreed, believing it was the answer to his problems. After all, if your land is not productive enough, you simply need more. As for the potential increase in mouths to feed, he planned to reduce the population on the conquered lands, believing this would suffice to maintain his rule.

On the other side, the ruler of Ulmeria, Joshua Ulmeria, was an older man of 42. His distinguishing features were a missing left arm and a scar running from above his left ear to his chin.

He was a seasoned warrior who had fought in numerous battles and wars. Over two decades, he invaded and annexed neighboring countries and eventually declared the formation of the Eastern Union of Ulmeria.

The name was meant to suggest that the countries had voluntarily united with Ulmeria, rather than being brutally annexed.

Amid the current crisis caused by crop failures, he decided, as usual, to invade another country to secure the resources he needed.

However, the weaker countries in the region lacked what he sought. It was then that his attention turned to Nasca.

Nasca was primarily an agricultural country and relatively poor, but still strong enough to have a chance of winning a war against Ulmeria. Thus, Joshua decided to find an ally to aid in the invasion. He chose Namri.

Knowing that the young ruler of Namri feared losing his power, Joshua assumed he would be easy to manipulate into cooperation. However, he intended to use Rajnald's forces to weaken both Nasca and Namri, allowing Ulmeria to take control with minimal cost.

However, Joshua underestimated Rajnald. Instead of recklessly declaring war, Rajnald gathered his army at the border and prepared for an attack. He agreed to the joint partition of Nasca on the condition that the attack be coordinated from a building on his own territory, with both rulers present.

Understanding that this would not be as straightforward as he initially thought, but impressed by Rajnald's reasoning, Joshua accepted the conditions.

Finally, the day of the meeting arrived. The two rulers stared at each other intensely, studying one another, and tension filled the air.

They remained silent until the commander of Namri's knights—appointed as the chief commander for this operation—rushed into the room. "Your Excellency, the troops are ready to launch the attack."

His firm voice echoed through the dark chamber, seemingly ignoring the presence of the neighboring kingdom's ruler.

Joshua, visibly irritated at being disregarded, remarked, "You should educate your subordinates better about manners." His expression appeared calm, but his tone betrayed his irritation.

Hearing this reaction, Rajnald chuckled quietly under his breath, while the commander broke out in a cold sweat.

He fell to his knees, pressing his head to the floor, and said, "Forgive me for this grievous error, my lord." Seeing this reaction, Joshua seemed satisfied and commented, "Perhaps you do have some manners after all."

Rajnald cleared his throat to draw their attention. "As you've heard, Joshua, my army is ready for the offensive. But what about yours?"

Hearing the question, Joshua replied, forgetting the prior incident, "It is ready. All that remains is to set the date for the attack."

"Very well. Then let us strike at dawn."

The ruler of Ulmeria nodded in agreement, then rose from his seat, left the room, and headed toward his army.

After one of the rulers departed, only two people remained in the room. They sat in silence for a moment until the ruler of Namri spoke.

"What do you think of him, Stanislaw?"

Stanislaw, the commander of Namri's forces in this military operation, was also one of Rajnald's most loyal men. Years earlier, he had played a crucial role in helping Rajnald execute his coup.

At that time, Stanislaw was a young officer driven by ambition. In his twenties, he joined the coup and became one of its most important figures.

After the coup, mass purges followed, during which many experienced knights loyal to the previous king were eliminated, leading to a shortage of skilled personnel.

Thanks to his contributions during the coup, Stanislaw was appointed as the supreme military commander.

Despite his rapid rise, he was not a man lacking in military skill.

"Well, my lord, if I were to describe this man based on our brief conversation, I'd say he's hiding something from us."

Rajald, trusting his subordinate's judgment, nodded and asked, "What do you suggest we do, then?"

Stanislaw, after a moment of thought, replied, "I believe we should betray this man."

Hearing this, the king tilted his head, signaling he wanted an explanation. Seeing this reaction, Stanislaw quickly elaborated.

"My lord, this man is clearly plotting something, and given his ambitions, we can assume that after conquering Nasca, he will turn on us. I believe we should pretend to follow his plan but strike him in the back at the right moment."

Hearing this, the king began to smile maniacally and said, "Hehe, first we'll weaken that foolish nation together, conserving our own strength for the future battle, and then we can defeat both countries at minimal cost."

Seeing the ruler's reaction, Stanislaw nodded and continued, "You are right, my lord. I suggest that once we destroy the core of Nasca's army, we launch a surprise attack on Ulmeria."

The king nodded in approval at this suggestion.

Meanwhile, Joshua, who had returned to his army's headquarters, began addressing his commanders about the meeting.

"The attack is scheduled for dawn. However, it seems their ruler is not as foolish as we initially believed."

The commanders exchanged glances, unsure if they should speak. After a brief moment, the highest-ranking among them, Commander Zugeler, spoke. "My lord, I understand the date of the attack, but what do you mean by 'not as foolish as we thought'?"

The ruler glared at the commander as if he wanted to strangle him for speaking without permission. After a moment, his expression softened, and he squinted slightly.

"It's quite simple—he may appear to be a fool, but he has a rather clever man by his side."

The senior commander, as if anticipating such a reaction, did not flinch at the king's initial glare. After hearing the explanation, he nodded.

The other officers, initially intimidated by the king's first reaction, quickly replaced their fear with surprise and respect for their leader.

After a quick discussion among the officers, one of them posed a pertinent question. "My lord, forgive me for asking, but do we know who the mastermind behind Namri's strategy is?"

The ruler, unfazed, replied, "Indeed. It is most likely their chief military commander in this operation, Stanislaw."

The officers nodded in agreement, adjusting their strategies accordingly.

Their initial plan was to let Namri's army exhaust itself against Nasca, allowing Ulmeria to annex both weakened nations at minimal cost. However, with this new information, they refined their strategies.

Assuming Namri's army would devise a similar plan to their own, they decided to employ a secret art of summoning demons, using the bodies of fallen soldiers as payment for the contract.

They had no intention of attempting to enslave the demon, as a northern kingdom had tried in the past—an endeavor that ended disastrously when the enraged demon destroyed the entire continent.

Afterward, the demon declared himself the first Demon King and claimed the continent as his domain. Numerous attempts to defeat him were made, but none succeeded.

Learning from this, the Ulmerians decided it would be best to summon an archdemon and pay him to eliminate the remnants of both Nasca's and Namri's armies.

Having finalized their plan, the commanders dispersed to their respective units.

Thus, the stage was set for a battle that would mark the first significant steps of humanity's first!