Imperial Throne, Franz-Austria-Hungary Triple Monarchy, Neues Reich…
James was still confused as to how and why this unholy abomination of a nation was actually formed, and how it was able to maintain itself despite the nature of the Jerries.
Before the rule of the current monarch, the nation was quite large actually, and had split its focus on a mix of technological improvements to industry, Mana-related improvements to utility and combat, and researching and improving the Berserk nature Jerries could activate in times of danger.
To James, the kingdom of Austria had seemed like an ironic name for a rather promising nation, but as it turned out, the irony was on him.
Somehow, just like history, almost as though the name itself was cursed, the nation ended up being split under the current king's leadership. The Austrian kingdom was split into three regions, something most kingdoms and nations had done for administrative purposes.
These regions were named Franz; to the north, Hungary; to the south, and for reasons James could not quite comprehend, Austria at the centre.
'They made a region called Austria within the kingdom of Austria… I don't even know what to say…' James sighed at the stupidity of the founders of the nation.
He could have changed it, but just decided to let history decide if this was a smart decision or not. And unfortunately for the current king, this fact came back to bite the kingdom during his reign.
It might just seem like a name, but even names hold great power. And with power-hungry individuals fanning the flames after igniting the sparks themselves, they were able to frame the region of Austria as a separate state within the nation, using the name itself as justification.
This worked out especially well in the more educated and technologically superior region of Franz, where around 60% of the entire kingdom's technological factories and industries were placed due to their abundance in essential resources like iron and coal.
This also worked out well in the region of Hungary, where most of the magi institutions created by the current king were concentrated due to the higher population giving rise to more potential Magi.
These two regions, within just a few years, had rapidly devolved into anarchy, with protests occurring almost daily, demanding independence from Austria.
And yet, somehow, the current king of Austria was able to navigate the minefield of a kingdom, and successfully maintain it as a full nation. He allowed some autonomy to the two regions of Franz and Hungary, keeping himself as a constitutional monarch in the two newly created 'states' which were still under the umbrella of Austria as a triple-monarchy.
He had also forced the two states into having a parliament that was elected by the people. Granted, he had also made the same changes in Austria itself, turning himself entirely into a constitutional Monarch, but he had simultaneously limited the control those power-hungry hyenas had over the newly created states.
Further, he had conveniently placed his own people into the newly created electorate commission, which would not only prevent fraud or misleading the people, but also allow his own royal faction to be present within each of the three parliaments.
Plus, he had maintained his own control over the military, while also creating a separate Judiciary that would rely on himself for executive authority. Thus, the parliament only had legislative authority, which still allowed him to maintain good control over the entire Frankenstein nation.
James watching in horror-stricken-fascination as the current monarch of three states of his own kingdom received the news of the war.
A feral grin appeared on his bald face. This was what he needed, a war. And with the war, he would be able to consolidate his power while eliminating those troublesome elements of the triple monarchy.
And he did not even need to fight against the Main warring nations, and instead, he would backstab the Kalmar Union once it got intrenched in the war by choosing a side.
"Become the Fisherman in Troubled Waters; created by the fisherman in troubled waters, trying to fish in troubled waters, and failing to successfully fish the fish from the troubled waters," the clearly mad king began chuckling maniacally as the veins on his head bulged and his skin turned red.
'A mad king of a mad nation held together by madness…' James finally came to the conclusion after seeing the actions and words of the mad king, and then turned his attention back to the war that was finally beginning between the southern Hohenzollern kingdom, and the western Tsardom of Moscow.
'So it begins,' James watched with his breath held at the sheer quantity of Collective Energy he was about to gain from a war similar to the Great World War that was meant to end all wars.
Word Count: 808 words
{Sorry for the delay of updates... was busy with irl stuff. Back on track I think now. Also, the War finally begins. I think it will be a good bit of pov changes while overall situations from James' POV. Not too many chapters on this, but guess who wins?}