Quote Originally Posted by nazgulnine View Post
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Just going ahead to bold that bit because I think that's the point. At the end of the chapter, Joe Dirt's title likely has little to no meaning other than to show he's the Vandenreich's leader, but we're all free to question the terminology (and I for one thank you for pointing out the distinctions between kingdoms and empires). I read a translation that simply said "the empire's king appears!" Whether he's their actual king or leader is still up to revelation.
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Actually, the more I think about it the more I think it was just sloppy translation. Reich is often translated empire in English, but my research suggests that it's meaning is a more general realm (disclaimer: I do not speak German) or, in Latin, regnum, as opposed to imperium (disclaimer: I don't speak Latin either, but these terms are used outside Latin in reference to sovereignty). That said I have no idea what word they are translating as king.