The Rise of the Black Plain

"It seems that this fellow is quite clever..." Iris commented to her youngest daughter, surprising Lulu.

"What? What do you mean?" Lulu looked at her mother doubtfully, not understanding how the queen could make positive comments about Minos when this fellow wanted such absurd things.

The queen then said. "It seems improper for him to want to rule Vogel with his little power. But that is why he is clever. He wants to use the situation of the three kingdoms under threat from the Flaming Empire to consolidate his position as a candidate for the leadership of that state."

"In other words, he wants to force us to help him get that place, which will undeniably enrich the Black Plain and take him further into the future!" She rose from her throne as she spoke about this, impressed by Minos' move.

Such a thing did not go against his agreement with Lulu. On the contrary, by making this move, he would be indirectly helping Albano through Vogel's organizations.

But considering how he would be the great beneficiary of it all, Iris could not help but be impressed by the movements of a young man of just over 30.

'Why do I feel like I've been fooled?' She wondered as her daughter watched her along with the subordinates in that hall.

Lulu then questioned the obvious. "Wait a moment! How is Minos going to apply for that position? What does the Black Plain have to do with Vogel? Plus, what difference does it make that we support him in this? How is that going to help us?"

A subordinate then answered in the queen's place. "With a royal family in Vogel, there would not be a need for a civil war to choose a new sovereign. That way, the families of that state would have a chance to turn their attention to our problem."

"Oh?" Lulu understood the point. "Could our support help him achieve that?"

"Maybe..." That subordinate dared not assert anything since it was tough to say. 'If many concessions are made, it is not unlikely...'

The queen then commented. "I don't know exactly how he'll go about it, but he must have his means. As for how it helps us, it is, as Adele said. As long as order and harmony exist among the powers of Vogel, we can count on their support in an eventual fight against the Flaming Empire."

"But there are still other factors. For example, Minos has relations with the Gray Clouds Sect and the Spiritual Church. So he naturally has options that no family in that state has. That will give him some advantages in an eventual conversation both to become the king and to avoid a war." Iris said in a low voice.

Lulu's eyes sparkled with hope. "So what are we going to do? That seems to me to be the best alternative for us."

"Hmm, indeed." Iris looked at the subordinate who had read the message from the Black Plain. "Send messages to our allies in Rosser and Blackrock. I want to begin conversations with them regarding this support for Black Plain before we send people to talk to the greater powers of Vogel."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Iris turned her attention to her youngest daughter. "Go to the Black Plain. Then, when things are settled between the other monarchs and me, you should accompany someone from Minos' government to Vogel."

"Let's take advantage of the fact that the Spiritual Church is keeping that state under protection so we can negotiate with the local organizations."

"OK!"

...

Three days later ...

After Iris discovered Minos' intentions, her people acted quickly. They managed to notify the other two royal houses under the threat of destruction due to the risk of a new war.

So, while the queen of Rosser's investigation group was working in the new volcanic region of this state, this woman was in her palace thinking about this possibility alongside her wives.

She knew little about Minos until a few moments ago, but now she would have to decide if she should support this young man who should only be a Spiritual Emperor to become the king of Vogel...

That was a lot for her!

However, this woman was aware of the precarious situation for the three alliance states against the Flaming Empire. So even though she did not like giving so much power to someone weak and little known, she had to consider it carefully.

"What do you think?" This woman asked three of her wives as they stood in a garden of the queen's residence.

One of them played with a flower next to the stone bench they were sitting on and said. "There's not much to think about here. It's not like we have any choice..."

"Hmm, Sharon is right. Now is not the time to be careful with a mere Spiritual Emperor. If he can help us get more support to persuade the Emperor not to act rashly, it will be worth giving Vogel to him." Another woman commented before the third woman smiled.

This smiling woman then said. "Besides, he is the one who will have trouble relating to that state. How will the Church react to someone like him owning two states simultaneously? Will the Church rules for the northern region change? Also, he will get involved with people of much higher levels than his own..."

"Who knows what might happen?"

But the queen did not agree with these suggestions of how foolish Minos' idea was. "That young man is Oswald Coleman's grandson. Will anyone in that state have the courage to do anything against him? Even more so considering that it is more advantageous to have him on their good side..."

The woman from before closed her eyes and shook her shoulders. "You know how men are. They think they're rational but use their emotions to decide their lives... How will the experts in that state feel about having a weak leader and grandson of a famous enemy?"

...

A similar discussion was happening in the capital of Blackrock, where the king of this state was dialoguing with his top advisors.

"Let's support the queen of Albano, Your Majesty." A gray-haired man said in a tone full of certainty. "We have nothing to lose by that. The Vogel family is already lost, so helping to choose a new royal family for that state is already the best we can do."

"Hmmm, true." Another agreed. "If this young man can at least keep that kingdom together in the short term, that will already be well worth it, even considering that his family does not have enough power to help us."

"But what about his relationship with an ancient enemy? I feel strange considering giving one of our states to the grandson of an enemy..." A middle-aged woman said, reminding her colleagues of this critical factor.

Upon hearing that, the king sighed and commented on what he had learned about Minos earlier. "Perhaps that is not as much of a problem as you think, although it is a nuisance."

"Oh? Your Majesty?"

The king then explained. "This Minos seems to have been raised in the northern region, in the Brown Kingdom. He has no connection to the Gray Clouds Sect and supposedly has a bad relationship with his absent mother."

"So maybe he doesn't have the culture of the enemy..."