Chapter 124: The Shifting Situation

"How is this possible? I don't believe it. It was merely a Dark-class monitor, a shallow-draft gunboat—how could it possibly defeat the Monarch-class battleship? They must have cheated." In the assembly hall, the Prime Minister stared at the scene before him in disbelief. The United Kingdom’s formidable Monarch-class battleship, a vessel that commanded awe far and wide, had actually been bested by an obscure Dark-class monitor. For such a thing to happen at this juncture was a devastating blow to their military prestige.

He knew that deploying the Monarch-class battleship had already been a breach of protocol. Yet, had they succeeded and secured this victory, he would have possessed the power to suppress the incident entirely. Now, however, that was impossible, for the Scottish forces had been utterly routed. Despite possessing the pride of the United Kingdom—the Monarch-class battleship—they had been unable to defeat a common monitor.

Watching not only the status of his military faction crumble but also the potential loss of his own position as Prime Minister, he felt a complex mix of emotions. At the very least, he was safe for the remainder of the year; cabinet elections were not until the end of the year. If he could stabilize public sentiment through his political performance, he might still retain his seat.

But the hall was now filled with cheers for Wales. Under the assumption that the Monarch was invincible, the fact that Wales had managed to thrash it with a common monitor highlighted an undeniable disparity in strength. This was the work of Cole alone; the Chief Scientist of the Royal Academy of Sciences truly lived up to his reputation. Even in fields outside his specialty, such as military science and electromagnetism, he had managed to destroy such a powerful warship in one stroke.

By using the prestige of the Scottish and English factions to build his own, Wales had achieved exactly what it intended. The support ratings for the Scottish Liberal Party and the English Democratic Party plummeted instantly. Conversely, the support for the Welsh Party soared. As their Crown Prince appeared once more, the entire venue erupted in shouts of his name and the word "Wales." It seemed the Crown Prince’s presence had rekindled hope among the former supporters of the Welsh Party.

Support for the Welsh Party surged past 50 percent. If this momentum held until tomorrow morning, the military cabinet would fall under the control of the Welsh Party. It appeared that, tonight, the Scottish cause was lost.

"Oh, honestly, you lot are insufferable. It was just a small demonstration of my electromagnetic cannon technology, no need to get so excited! Just a little talent show. Sigh. If only I didn't object to my technology being used for warfare, our United Kingdom would have been the most powerful nation in the world long ago. But let me state this clearly: technology is not meant for war; it is meant to benefit humanity. Therefore, my technology will not be used for military purposes. Even if it is used for testing, it will never be truly deployed. I couldn't stop them regarding the mechs, but my own mechs will never be made public." As Cole appeared, the entire hall roared his name, and he began to acknowledge the audience.

"I must take my leave now, Trexi. I leave the rest to you." With those words, Cole traced the shape of a doorway in the air, stepped through it, and vanished from the hall. "My apologies, everyone, but he had to return for urgent matters. If you wish to see him again, I suppose you will have to wait until the next public event. However, I believe you will see him at the United Nations General Assembly. After all, he is the one representing our United Kingdom’s Royal Academy of Sciences at that meeting." Trexi offered a brief explanation, leaving the audience with something to look forward to. The United Nations General Assembly—what a grand honor! It was a distinction that even the current two Chief Scientists of the Royal Academy of Sciences could not claim.

"Now, let us congratulate the Welsh faction on their victory, and congratulate our Crown Prince on winning this military exercise." Seeing the situation, the host, Phelps, immediately changed the subject. If he let Wales continue to dictate the rhythm, this public meeting would lose its purpose. "I imagine everyone is quite curious: how exactly did Wales defeat Scotland? Your Highness, could you enlighten us?"

"Oh, certainly. How should I put it? We provided some technical support to Cole, so the level of technology here in Wales is on par with, or perhaps even slightly higher than, that of the Royal Academy of Sciences. Of course, that might be an exaggeration. But as everyone has seen, Cole’s technology is simply incomparable to the legacy battleships of the Royal Academy. Such antiquated things, without extensive modernization, are bound to be slightly behind the times. Even if it was once the pride of our United Kingdom, there comes a time for retirement. Although Cole won't let us use his most cutting-edge technology, we are permitted to use what he considers obsolete. Yet, what he deems 'obsolete' seems to be a bit more advanced than what the Royal Academy possesses. After all, our United Kingdom has successfully created a time machine; why should creating other things be impossible?"

Prince Trexi explained it all in one breath, and the crowd listened with rapt attention, largely because Wales had won this exercise. "Brother, I am truly curious how you managed this. While I do not know where the Monarch came from, I do know this: you have overcome an impossible miracle. You and I both know the strength of the Monarch-class battleship. Brother, I concede defeat this time, but I still wish to know."

"Brother Kevil, and all you citizens of the United Kingdom, I want you to know this: nothing is invincible. Even the Monarch-class battleship, which we deemed the strongest, is no exception. What is truly invincible is technology that surpasses that of other nations. As of now, the level of the Royal Academy of Sciences does not match that of the former Chief Scientist we support. Of course, the fact that he is my brother is a separate matter. However, I am curious: why has the politics of the United Kingdom become a plutocracy of the nobility? I do not like this. I only wish for capable people to stand on this stage; they have the right to do so, and they have the right to enjoy the fruits of their labor, because they possess true ability." Prince Trexi began his impromptu speech. Everything he said was dangerous to the nobility, for he was championing meritocracy and opposing aristocracy. This was particularly unfavorable to the middle and lower tiers of the nobility—such as Barons and Viscounts. After all, families of the rank of Earl and above had made indelible contributions and achieved significant political success in the United Kingdom’s parliament, and their children served in the military and other sectors. But the Barons and Viscounts were different; many of them did not participate in the infrastructure or military construction of the Kingdom. Many were essentially living off their titles without contributing to actual labor. This was something Prince Trexi despised.

Yet, no one dared to speak up, for the truth was that Prince Kevil was in the same position. You might offend someone without current power, but when a person with real authority supports someone without it, it is no longer a matter you can afford to offend. Especially since the person currently without power would soon be in command.