mark6

To Grimmacht:

I have been sickly and weak ever since I was a child. Sturmland under my rule is remote and prone to disasters, and in recent years, illness and old age have prevented me from making my pilgrimage for quite some time. Never did I expect to receive Their Majesties' love. I am ever grateful that you are greatly concerned about the state of Sturmland as well as my own health, despite the demands of your national affairs. The court physicians who arrived from the Twin Spires tried their best to delay the progression of this stubborn disease, and I am thus able to temporarily stay healthy; and with this health, I will continue to sit atop the spire of Sturmwind, and continue building the glory of the empire.

However, how can the life of a measly Kurfürst compare to the glory of the empire? How can it be as long-lasting as the empire's dominion? Even if the spire of Sturmland is completely sealed shut and the lords and their men are completely safe, the disease that has plagued me for years will come to claim my life sooner or later.

The position of Kurfürst was never mine to begin with, but since taking over, it is no longer a responsibility I can run from. And this responsibility does not vanish simply because I am bedridden. While I was ill, the spire has already become coveted, with several Herzöge already butting heads. When I die, the spire will be left without a master, and they will surely erupt into chaos in an attempt to seize the vacated throne. Sturmland is already plagued by disasters, and its people will not be able to withstand yet another calamity. At that time, the Güldenesgesatz will break down, and the blame will fall solely upon me.

The first half of my life was cut short on the day my father and brother died in battle; and the latter half, these twenty-three years, have been spent placed upon Sturmland's throne. Perhaps it is this very responsibility that has made my life akin to a flower in the wind, burnt into gasping embers amidst a raging storm. Perhaps that greater responsibility, that of an empire – will eventually burn us all out. The only unfortunate thing is, that scenery seems only to exist behind me; after all, I was never able to witness it with my own eyes.

I only hope that after the death of Werner von Hochberg, the glory of the empire burns even more radiantly, and the empire's dominion continues forevermore.