Throne of the North.

Chapter 591 The Grand Duke's Fall (Part 4): The Papacy's Bloody Methods

In the emperor's palace, Grand Duke Freming helps wandering nobles gain benefits, while on the other side of the Grand Duke and the emperor, Count Castro's eyes seem to blaze with fury.

This count, whose territory was located in the province of a thousand lakes, was eager to draw nourishment from the soil of victory in the war to heal the wounds of war within himself.

At this very moment, however, the newly appointed Grand Duke Freming loudly proclaimed the importance of the wandering nobles to the empire and the widespread anxiety in the lands of the Kingdom of Carlos.

"The acquisition of land by wandering nobles will help the empire defend against all threats from the south."

Archduke Freming's words clearly resonated with the Emperor, who was indeed a competent nobleman and whose intentions had long been on the Emperor's mind.

"Your Majesty! This will undoubtedly deprive the nobles of their rights!"

Count Castro fought for it with force; the interests of that land belonged to the imperial nobility, not the wandering nobles. The emperor's actions would dishearten the nobles.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency Count Castro, the nobles have already given their approval."

Which nobles benefited the most from the battlefield of the Kingdom of Carlos? Weren't they the nobles who participated in the war? And those nobles were the ones who were most aware of the tense situation on the southern battlefield at this moment.

They felt the land was too hot to handle, and the nobles wouldn't mind if the risks could be shared among them.

As for the wandering nobles? They have longed for land for too long and would not care about the threats lurking there.

Regardless, for a wandering nobleman, the desire is to raise the ancient banner of his family on a piece of land.

Count Castro angrily left the emperor's palace and confronted many nobles about what had happened there, but their attitude surprised and shocked him.

“Count Castro, you may not know this, but six nobles in the Kingdom of Carlos, as well as three noble lords in the east of the Kingdom of Carlos, have declared that they have abandoned their faith in the Dawn and dedicated their souls to the immortal God of Light.”

"In addition, the nobles among the wandering nobles, the ones with the surnames Cody, Gilbert, and Ramirez, you should know the ancient glory of these surnames. They have made a promise to the Emperor that they will do their best to help the Empire gain the allegiance of the Iron Eagle Kingdom in the southern lands."

"The kingdom's army witnessed the Empire's power in the war with that Northern Baron and has sent an envoy into the Empire, shocked by its strength. Among the wandering nobles, according to genealogy and bloodline, some of them are even qualified to be their maternal grandfathers."

"If His Highness Freud's war in the South goes well, the Empire may gain the strength of two kings as allies, and we will achieve another great victory on our way to declare war on the Papacy."

"At that time, the Kingdom of Carlos, the Kingdom of Iron Eagle, and the noble territories between the two kingdoms will all be allies of the Empire, and the banner of light will be planted in a more distant place."

Count Castro stared at the other man in shock, muttering to himself:

"Why don't I know?"

The Viscount looked at Count Castro with some helplessness. Of course you don't know about this, because in this exchange of interests, the nobles of the Thousand Lakes Province are among the few... victims.

……

Ryan congratulated Otis Brooks at the Grand Duke's residence.

This wandering nobleman, who had been fighting in the Kingdom of Andara for several years, should have received a decent piece of land long ago, but he had been slow to do so, and now the Brooks family had acquired even more.

In the southern lands, the territory Brooks could acquire was already close to the size of an earldom.

He was also somewhat surprised that things had turned out this way; overnight, the wandering nobles had become the beneficiaries of the Grand Duke's succession to power.

Grand Duke Freming did not inherit all the power from his father, but he carved out his own territory of power. The wandering nobles looked on with longing, hoping to reclaim their family's honor from him.

"Grand Duke Freming cannot make the same choice as the other three grand dukes. Those who side with the emperor are already the biggest beneficiaries of this era. However, with the rise of the elector, Freming's interests will obviously be affected. This new grand duke is using this method to ensure that Freming's interests are not harmed, which will naturally unite the nobles who originally followed Freming."

"The emperor doesn't mind this matter, because he also needs to make compromises and exchanges with the Grand Duke, and this is the price to pay."

Count Pascal and Ryan whispered to each other that there were many things involved, and Ryan was also surprised to find that, overnight, not many nobles in the capital were talking about the First Duke anymore.

Throughout the conversation, all the words were praise for the new Archduke Fleming.

Praise is understandable, since this matter has nothing to do with most nobles; the only ones who are resentful are Count Castro and a few others from the Province of a Thousand Lakes.

At this point, with the discussion about the old Grand Duke fading away, the understanding of the new Grand Duke, and the transfer of power in Freming seemingly coming to an end, the nobles began to adapt to a brand new era.

Nobles are always very adaptable to such things.

At the banquet hosted by the Grand Duke, Ryan saw Volvo again, but the prince did not seem very happy.

“Mr. Ryan, the Northern Warriors Guild in the South has been established for almost half a year, with more than 500,000 registered adventurers, but we have not reaped the wealth we imagined, and many friends are already dissatisfied with this.”

Volvo looked at Ryan. The Northern Warriors Guild in the south hadn't brought him a single gold coin so far. On the contrary, Volvo had paid a lot to win people over.

Instead of answering the Elector's question directly, Ryan looked up at the warm sun above the castle.

"Is the weather getting warmer already?"

"Your Highness Volvo, there is no need to rush. The profits of the Northern Warriors Guild are enormous, but it will take some time. I think you will get what you want when autumn comes."

Why autumn?

Why? Because changes have clearly occurred on the southern battlefield. Before long, commoners will become knights. Autumn is a joyous season for harvest, but the people of the Kingdom of Carlos and the Province of Thousand Lakes are different. They have suffered greatly from the war and have no harvest.

Furthermore, with the establishment of the Mage's Guild imminent, Grand Duke Rodrigo had already gained the support of many nobles, especially due to their compromises on the southern battlefield and the support of the Elector Freud. Once the Mage's Guild was established, those mages would naturally be eager to obtain precious magical materials from the North.

Furthermore, because the war in the Western Sea was not as resilient as expected, Volvo, who rebuilt the Western Sea Fleet, did not restore the fleet to its former peak condition, and the war with the Siren required external intervention.

Survival and livelihood will soon become essential for those in the south who have been displaced by the war, including even the wandering nobles who are currently surrounded by happy smiles.

The nobles need far more than the peasants.

“I will have the Frozen Territory send a team to the capital to spread the word about the North’s wealth to the nobles at the right time. No, perhaps… we don’t need to spread the word.”

“The wandering nobles who fled from the north to the south know better than we do how much wealth is buried beneath that snowstorm. The first thing they probably did after acquiring the land was…” Ryan’s eyes flickered, and Volvo also realized what he meant, his eyes lighting up.

"They were originally nobles who came from the north and traveled south. They abandoned countless riches along the way, so they knew exactly where they hid their wealth, and they might even have treasure maps in their possession."

The Baron and the Elector exchanged a glance and laughed. The information they had gathered matched up at that moment, providing them with many answers.

"With the constant wars in the south, these nobles will need more and more wealth to strengthen themselves. After all, as wandering nobles, they need to do things personally, and they are very lacking in that."

"I've decided to continue expanding the Northern Warriors Guild. Count Castro of the Thousand Lakes Province certainly won't mind."

"That's what Volvo, the champion, said, as he had many thoughts in his mind."

“I will provide them with a convenient gateway to the North.”

Ryan responded elegantly, saying that nobles all have their own circles and interests, and the reason why the capital city is such an enchanting place is that interests can be realized very quickly.

"However, we'll have to wait a while; these few months belong to Grand Duke Freming."

Volvo was getting impatient, but had no choice but to wait.

The transfer of power in the Grand Duke of Freming's family began with a large number of wandering nobles excitedly rushing to the southern lands. All the nobles watched as these nobles, who would one day be qualified to stand at the same banquet as them, left. They took all the slaves for sale in the capital city with them, making the capital city much emptier.

At least, the arena is not as prosperous as it used to be. The owners of the arena, those great nobles, are now thinking about capturing some slaves from some other world.

The minor nobles from various places began to return to their own territories. After all, unlike the territories of the great nobles, which had a system of states within states, the territories of the minor nobles were subject to the orders and authority of their lord in many matters.

As the nobles began to disperse, the transfer of power of Grand Duke Freming in the imperial capital came to a complete end. The passing of a grand duke was poignant, but the rise of a new grand duke also showed the majesty of the empire like the rising sun. This was the first change of power among grand dukes since the interdimensional war of the gods.

Similarly, a new storm is brewing, confined to the political groups under the name of Freming. As far as Lane knows, the new Grand Duke Freming has not helped the high nobles in this political faction to obtain their original benefits.

Take, for example, Count Gardner of Twilight Province. When Grand Duke Fleming was alive, the Empire provided him with a lot of support for reconstruction. Now that support has stalled, the Emperor is reconsidering whether it was justified.

The new Grand Duke Freming could not, like his father, force the Emperor to make concessions. Count Gardner was still in the capital, but his mood these past few days was no better than that of Count Castro in the Province of a Thousand Lakes.

New interest groups are emerging, while old ones are crumbling. This is how the political circles of an empire always revolve and leap around interests.

Like dancers dancing around a campfire, they don't know who will be next to them in the next moment.

This is the inevitable scene after a Grand Duke's reign ends. Ryan couldn't help but gasp. The old ways fade away, and the new Grand Duke has a long way to go. In fact, this Grand Duke Freming may never reach the heights of his father.

"Grand Duke Freming is about to leave the capital and return to Fremingburg to retire. The other three grand dukes are also preparing to return to their own territories. His Majesty the Emperor has experienced the benefits of a young grand duke, a grand duke who dares not rebuke him. Naturally, he dislikes the other three grand dukes who dare to rebuke him in the palace even more."

These words came from Aatrox, the heir to the Earl of Clayton, who had found Ryan. As a member of the Clayton family, they also had their own things to do.

"We must get the support of the royal family."

Aatrox's words left Ryan Ray feeling quite uneasy.

"What do you mean?"

Ryan looked at his elder brother. He had previously learned about the obstacles and limited possibilities for Earl Clayton to become Grand Duke. Now he naturally realized that apart from his maternal grandfather, Earl Sterling, the small part of the royal family might be Clayton's only support.

But is it even possible?

Potential assistance doesn't guarantee it will materialize, and besides, the troubles involved seem no less significant than the power transition within the Grand Duchy of Freming.

"It's just an experiment, to see if those 'Enricos' in the royal family have the same idea."

Aatrox wasn't actually that concerned about it.

"This is a rare opportunity. With the change of power among the dukes, all the nobles have come. It's not easy to find them at other times."

That's true. Even Grand Duke Rodrigo has been frantically inviting nobles these past few days, and the Mage's Association in the capital city has already begun construction, right here... on the ruins of a slave market.

The wandering nobles took away the slaves that were being sold, leaving the slave market empty. Grand Duke Rodrigo bought one of the sites, determined to acquire the Mage's Guild.

I heard it's not far from the magic academy.

This has little to do with Ryan, who also needs to prepare to leave the capital city. He doesn't want to get involved in inviting members of the royal family or anything like that.

"In the southern lands, many noble territories that originally believed in the Dawn have gradually come to submit to the Empire. Their goal is probably to emulate the changes the Empire has undergone in the past century in order to strengthen themselves. However, the benefits to the Empire are real. The blockade by the Dawn Church has been broken, and for a long time to come, the war will be in the Empire's favor."

"Now is the best opportunity to gain merit. People are restless. The Holy Mountain has the ability to walk the Path of Dawn again, but even so, it will be useless. The Empire's army can directly block the Path of Dawn."

Ryan's remarks also garnered support from many nobles. In the capital city, every noble wanted to increase their influence, and the Grand Duke was no exception.

However, time soon came for him to leave, as Ryan had been in the South for quite some time.

Earl Winter will return to the North with Ryan, so their group is quite large, considering that Ryan led two thousand knights south.

"It's finally over."

Ryan turned around and looked at the majestic city walls of the capital. He had left from here years ago, and now he was leaving again, with completely different feelings. This city had witnessed history and created history. Even a noble figure like the Grand Duke could not dim the city's brilliance.

The end of the era of Grand Duke Freming signifies the rise of a new generation, a new grand duke who may not be as glorious as his father.

The warhorses galloped across the land like thunder, but after only a day's journey, Ryan had to stop, looking ahead with a gloomy expression.

Slaves knelt on all sides, commoners held sickles in fear, and knights trembled as they surrounded the wreckage of the carriage, then frantically searched for the assassins around them.

(End of this chapter)