Throne of the North.

Chapter 690 The Empire's Nobles Weary of War

In his letter to Lane, Roland mentioned only one thing: the future emperor of the empire.

The death of Columbus III was actually a good thing for the Kingdom of Sera, though Roland didn't say it explicitly.

However, he mentioned that Columbus III put immense pressure on the Kingdom of Serra. The Kingdom of Serra gained a foothold because of Dawn, but the Empire's presence made it difficult for them to breathe. Now that Columbus III is dead, Roland feels that the sky over the kingdom has become clear.

Given Columbus III's influence, Roland worried that the future emperor of the empire would have a different attitude toward the Kingdom of Sera after inheriting that terrible power.

So, they want to place their bets in advance?

As Ryan looked at the message in the letter, Roland's concern was understandable; the world could not escape the presence of the two behemoths, the Empire and the Papacy.

But who will become the next emperor of the empire?

……

This is a question that not only Ryan is pondering, but those deeply involved are even more anxious to know the answer.

"Emperor Flor died so unexpectedly that no one could be sure of the next emperor."

"The success of the two electors, Volvo Columbus and Freud Columbus, will determine the different fates of the Kingdom of Sera."

Roland met his father, King McCrenos, the "Wind Emperor," in the palace of Sera.

The king awoke from his meditation, looked at his children, and asked:

"Roland, what difference do you think it would make if either of them became emperor?"

Roland already had his own ideas about this matter.

“Your Majesty, these two electors have different attitudes toward the Kingdom of Sera.”

"The elector Volvo is keen on political power, gaining prestige and influence from the political struggles of the nobles. If he becomes the new emperor, the empire will put pressure on the Kingdom of Sera."

"This pressure is not limited to the Empire forcing the faith of the Kingdom of Sierra to turn from dawn to light. If successful, it will be regarded as the glory and splendor of Volvo, the 'new emperor'."

"He will most likely gain the means to suppress the Kingdom of Sera through aristocratic politics, strengthen the empire, and demonstrate that he, the 'new emperor,' is no less capable than his father."

"If Freud Columbus becomes the emperor of the empire, then the Kingdom of Sera will become extremely dangerous."

"The Freudian electors were passionate about war, using war and killing to forge an even stronger and more invincible empire, so that everyone would submit to the empire and the fear of its power."

"The emperor of the empire has transformed from a mere emperor into a great emperor of light. The combination of royal and divine power will change Freud, and he will exert his influence over the entire world through war and faith."

"The Kingdom of Sera is the closest Dawn Faith to the Empire, and the Dawn Church cannot help us. Freud can choose a foolproof war to achieve his first victory as emperor."

"The Kingdom of Sera is the best choice."

"Once Freud has secured his position as emperor through the Kingdom of Sera, he can then legitimately wage war against the Dawn Church."

Roland spoke of his thoughts, while King McCrenos, sitting on the throne, remained calm, acknowledging the wisdom in Roland's words.

"However, the Kingdom of Sera has no way to influence the emergence of the emperor of the empire."

This is indeed a difficult problem. The Kingdom of Sera has no way to participate in the struggle for the imperial electorate. Moreover, even if they could participate, they would not have the same influence as the imperial native nobles in this matter.

“Yes, Father, the Kingdom of Sera can do it.”

Roland said this.

“We can influence the choice of the emperor through Ryan.”

"And the key to this matter is the orcs of the North."

“If the empire falls into the misery of war, then Freud may become the savior of the imperial nobility.”

“However, if the war with the alien races in the North can be resolved, Freud’s war fanaticism will lose its effect.”

"Volvo will have the upper hand in this process."

"Last time, the orcs' full-scale invasion brought heavy disaster to the Empire. This time, as long as the disaster does not occur, the importance of the war will be reduced."

……

Twilight Province.

Elector Volvo was desperate; he longed to return to the center of political power, where he could finally act with ease.

Columbus III, his father who was emperor, died so suddenly that the competition between the electors was never resolved, and now the nobles are saying that it is impossible for any of the electors to actually make that elector emperor.

They needed to earn the nobles' approval on their own, but Volvo didn't know how his stay in the Twilight Province would help in that regard.

Archduke Meyers was a supporter of the Elector of Volvo, and they corresponded frequently. The Archduke was well aware of the Elector's anxiety.

He sent his successor, Chrysus, to the province of Twilight.

"Your Highness, you shouldn't be in such a hurry."

"You have a tremendous advantage on the road to becoming emperor."

Volvo was bewildered by this statement. Did it have an advantage?
Within the Empire, the most prestigious figure is Freud, who led the Imperial army to victory over the Papacy. Moreover, with the Emperor dead and the Dawn Papacy being the prime suspect, the Empire's future path inevitably involves a life-or-death struggle with the Papacy. Therefore, Freud should be the one everyone hopes to see rise to power.

Why did I gain the upper hand?
"Most nobles are selfish and only pursue their own interests and those of their own territories."

"Your father, His Majesty Columbus III, will inevitably require the Papacy to pay with half of the Holy Mountain in his death, but before that, the nobles will think more about their own interests."

"The new emperor will unify the will of the empire and turn it into a sharp spear aimed at the Dawn Church, but before the emperor appears, the nobles' ideas are divided."

"Your advantage is that you are neither good at nor enthusiastic about war."

Chrysus said that these were the words his grand duke father had taught him, and to be honest, it took him a long time to understand why.

"Your Highness."

"The nobles of the empire do not crave war."

"This is the most serious problem the Empire is facing right now," Chrysus said.

Over the past few years, or even a decade, the Empire and the Papacy, as well as the orcish tribes of the North, have had far too many conflicts. Going back even further, the days when Grand Duke Meyers occupied the Northwind Province thirty years ago were hardly peaceful.

Going back further, it can be said that since the interdimensional war of the gods, the empire has had a war history of over a hundred years.

But the nobles, those lords who had gained immense power through hereditary succession, had little drive. The vast majority of nobles did not crave war; they simply wanted to peacefully guard their own small plots of land, remain lords, and enjoy their wealth and luxury. However, over the years, many things had been choices made out of necessity.

Tired of war, why would nobles yearn for the emergence of a war emperor?
This is Freud's biggest disadvantage, and the elector only has two choices. After not wanting the emergence of a war emperor, Volvo, no matter what, seems to have become a better choice.

Floyd's disadvantages became Volvo's advantages.

“The nobles were weary of war and averse to it, so when His Majesty was killed by the gods, they remained silent and did not agree to Grand Duke Rodrigo’s idea of ​​recommending Freud.”

Volvo's eyes lit up. Yes, the empire was the emperor's empire, but it was also the empire of nobles.

The nobles followed and were loyal to their emperor, and for this reason, they also needed to see what kind of political inclination their emperor had.

"So, the nobles prefer that I become the new emperor?"

Volvo got excited and wasn't in such a hurry anymore.

Chrysus thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“Your Highness, if you are given another ten years, the empire and the nobles will have completed their test of you, and you will surely become emperor.”

"But now, you have only gone through a trial and test. The majesty of the deceased King Columbus III still remains, but it is precisely because of this that you, the elector, still seem immature."

Volvo looked displeased, but didn't refute anything. Was he naive? He was no longer young.

"Of course, these are not the most important reasons."

"Most importantly, the threat from the North."

"Orcs are like a race of wild beasts, savage and ignorant. They will wantonly destroy and ruin human land, which belongs to the nobles."

"The nobles are equally worried that this larger-scale orc invasion will bring them disaster."

"This is war, a war with no other choice."

Krysius looked at Volvo and continued:

"Therefore, if Your Highness can resolve the war in the North, the nobles of the Empire will return to a state of weariness with war and thus recognize your worth even more."

“However, if you cannot deal with the orcs in the North, these evil alien races will destroy the nobles’ territories, then Freud Columbus will become the only option.”

"The nobles dislike war, but unfortunately, this time we are facing orcs. Those evil alien races will not care about the feelings of human nobles."

"Whoever can protect the lands of the nobles will be the sole emperor of the empire."

"And, the High Pope of Light."

Volvo's breathing became heavy as he listened. After hearing what Kryseth had to say about imperial politics, he finally stopped being in such a hurry to return to the capital.

"There will be no result in the capital city; Freud will not be able to obtain the title of emperor there. But Your Highness, you can gain the recognition of all the nobles on the border of this empire."

Volvo nodded. He had an exceptional talent for politics. When Chrysus got to this point, he already had many ways to deal with the nobles in mind.

However, there is a problem here.

Can he really keep the orcs out of this fortress?

This time, the orcs have launched a full-scale invasion, with ten times the number of the last one. Moreover, many of them are very powerful orc monsters that the six royal courts of the orcs cannot easily control.

The Empire suffered heavy losses last time, and Twilight Keep is still not repaired. No, they have barely managed to push the orcs back.

How can we win this war?

Chrysus also did not have a good answer to this question.

Because of the orcs, human nobles cannot use their own way of thinking to understand how the orcs think, so they find it difficult to define how to fight a war.

"Your Highness, this is the test that the Empire and its nobles have put upon you."

Chrysus could only say that; he had no answer.

He remained where he was, leaving Volvo to ponder his thoughts alone.

Myers helped him solve a very troubling problem, but it also brought about a new one.

He only needed to defend the Northern Territory against the Orcish invasion to become the Columbus IV of the Empire, and no one could compete with him for this position, because he was appointed by the deceased Columbus III, the most prestigious Emperor of Light in the Empire, to take over the Northern Territory as Supreme Commander.

Even in death, no one could oppose his will.

Volvo didn't feel anything while the emperor was alive, but as some say, it's only after a person dies that the living can feel how profound the majesty he brought.

Because of everything brought about by Columbus III, the nobles of the empire dared not easily elect a new emperor, fearing that the new emperor was not worthy of the noble royal power.

Volvo thought about it for a long time and came up with Baron Ryan of the Northwind Province.

He hadn't thought of it at first, because he would definitely side with Meyers between Meyers and Ryan.

"Your Highness, Baron Ryan of the Northwind Province has written again, requesting that the Empire provide the Northwind Province with more war resources to fight against the orcs in the north."

"Isn't the Marquis of Northwind in charge of Northwind Province? Why does a mere baron like him care about these things all day?"

Volvo was also annoyed. He racked his brains for a way to deal with the orcs, but people came to bother him three times a day.

However, this is also Volvo's strength: as an elector who is passionate about political struggles, he greets everyone with a kind smile.

Calmness was a rare emotion for Volvo, and he thought of Ryan's other title, which was different from that of a baron.

The Baron who was invincible in military affairs.

Ryan Clayton has never lost a single battle. Volvo may not like to say that, but as far as he knows, there has never been a defeat.

He stopped the royal family members who were being reprimanded and leaving, and asked:

"Is Baron Ryan now in charge of military affairs in the Northwind Province?"

"Yes, Your Highness, Baron Ryan has made a firm demand that the entire Northwind Province obey his command. He has also asked the nobles to send troops to the Fragrant Mountain Plain. Oh, that is the fortress for entering and leaving the Northwind Province. The orcs used to invade the Northwind from there."

What resources does Ryan need?

Volvo thought about it and decided to try to mend his relationship with Ryan.

(End of this chapter)