Sounds as though as soon as he'd won one war, he'd have to go ahead and wage another. Not impossible, but definitely not wise. Your new enemies are freshly rested and ready to take you on, after all.

[ With better resources, to boot. The wealthy lazing in their coffers - like Claude himself, he supposes - have everything at their disposal. They have everything to lose, too, which can make them a little more toothless, but Claude can see it going wrong too. Hopes that he can; it's what he's planning on at home too, watching the Kingdom disintegrate Empire forces until it's time for his people to swoop in and take advantage of their weakness. ]

...but he lost in the end. [ He looks over at Vi, considering the venom in her expression. ] Were you the one to do it? To kill him, I mean. He already told me that he's dead.