Throne of the North.

Chapter 693 The Decline of the Royal Family

Volvo left to pursue his expertise in politics, while Ryan curiously discussed the war with Harald.

The imperial family of the empire is very complex. The vast empire has stood in this world for many years, since the early days of human civilization.

The long period of time resulted in some members of the empire's royal family becoming supreme rulers, while others lived like ordinary people, struggling to make ends meet despite their royal bloodline.

Ryan wasn't interested in the past, which spanned thousands of years; what interested him was Harald, the legendary knight who had lived for over a hundred years.

He must be very clear about the changes in the status and position of the royal family over the past hundred years.

Harald was of the same generation as Columbus III, but in terms of age, he was comparable to Columbus I.

Most importantly... Harald can be said to be Enrique's surname.

The imperial family of the empire only came into being after Les Enrique refused the title of emperor, when Columbus Enrique, also known as Columbus I, took over, and the imperial family then became Columbus's.

Harald, the 'Lionheart,' is a legacy of that chaotic time.

However, he was far removed from the center of royal power.

As a top legend who failed to secure a place at the heart of the empire, Ryan was curious about what this member of the royal family thought of the current electors.

The two chatted about this and that, mostly about how big and high the mountains of Twilight Keep were, how massive the war was, and other such trivial things.

Harald paid no attention to Ryan's topic until Ryan brought up the royal family.

"His Highness Volvo, the chosen one, will become an excellent emperor, and I believe that under his leadership, the empire will continue to grow stronger."

"We have defeated the Dawn Church, and there is no one in this world that can make the Empire fear us."

Harald turned his head, looked at Ryan without saying a word, and after a long while spoke:
"Columbus was not the master of the empire."

"Rice is not dead yet; he is the true emperor of the empire."

Ryan looked at the Lionheart and said, "No wonder you're stuck in Twilight Keep."

"Your Highness, are you complaining that the royal family stripped you of your princely status?"

"Columbus didn't even leave you the title of marquis."

The former prince couldn't even become a marquis; Harald had clearly lost completely in the political struggles of the past.

To everyone's surprise, when faced with this question, Harald shook his head and denied it:

“No, I have no children, so I cannot become a nobleman and it is inevitable that I will be stripped of my title of prince, both in the past and now.”

The most important matter for nobles is the continuation of their bloodline, and this issue could indeed plunge Harald into despair.

Ryan nodded in agreement, without asking for details, and simply continued:

"So, you believe that Columbus and Enrique are different?"

The royal family used to be named Henry the Conqueror, but now it's Columbus. It's understandable that Harald has his own thoughts about this.

The legend paused for a long time, then sighed and said:

“Columbus was also of Henry’s blood. Bloodlines are noble, and a change of surname does not mean anything. Moreover, young baron, do you think Henry was the original surname of the empire?”

Harald shook his head.

"Both Columbus and Enrique inherited the bloodline of the former hero kings; they were both descendants of the Vikings."

Ryan felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes fixed on Harald beside him.

"Lord Harald, you wouldn't happen to be a supporter of His Highness the Elector Viking, would you?"

Harald thought for a moment and said:

"Viking's ideas are too extreme, but there's nothing wrong with him wanting to make the empire better."

Ryan suddenly distanced himself from the legendary Lionheart, not expecting to encounter Viking supporters in the Empire, and he didn't want to get into trouble.

"His Highness the Viking can never become emperor."

Ryan said this, and Harald sighed, neither denying it nor saying:
"Neither Volvo nor Freud can surpass their father, the emperor who died in the capital."

Ryan knew that the legendary 'Lionheart,' the former Imperial Prince and now Commander of Twilight Keep, would never return to the political center of the Empire.

He didn't know why Harald was saying these things to him... Ryan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"His Majesty ordered the expulsion of Prince Viking again, but because of Grand Duke Freming, Prince Viking has been placed under house arrest in a palace on the west coast. Now that the Emperor is dead, no one is qualified to deal with Viking Columbus until a new Emperor appears?"

Ryan looked at Harald, his eyes turning dangerous. As a beneficiary and a noble lord, his interests were certainly on the opposite side of the Vikings.

"Mr. Harald, have you seen His Highness the Viking recently?"

The legend's body tensed slightly, then he shook his head and said:

"He has no chance of appearing in the North. Even though the Emperor is dead, the Vikings can only stay on the west coast."

Yes, but it's impossible to go any further; the west coast is also within the Empire's territory.

Ryan never expected that he would encounter such troublesome political struggles within the royal family on this battlefield closest to the North.

Viking Columbus must have communicated with Harald, however the method may have been; there are far too many similar methods in the extraordinary world.

How did he manage to convince Harald, a top-tier legendary member of the royal family? Was it because he had no children and could simply watch the world descend into chaos?

……

This military palace houses many nobles, but more are clearly members of the Volvo royal family who follow Volvo. They not only serve Volvo but also hope that if Volvo prospers, they will also rise in status.

Unlike Harald, these members of the royal family lacked power and could only act according to the elector's wishes.

No, it's not just Volvo; they also have to consider the whims of the nobility.

Ryan ran into an acquaintance, Earl Gardner.

This count's territory suffered heavy losses after the last full-scale orc invasion and the fall of Twilight Keep. He went to the capital city several times to seek help from the emperor and other nobles, just like Viscount Landa back then, and embarked on the path of playing the victim.

The only difference between him and Viscount Landa is that Earl Gardner actually sold his property.

When Columbus III was in a good mood, the Earl of Gardner received a lot of financial support, and now he has regained his confidence.

Ryan felt that he was quite upright, and seeing Earl Gardner reprimanding a group of young royals, Ryan did not step forward to disturb him.

However, the Earl's sharp eyes still spotted him, and his serious expression instantly transformed into a smile. "Baron Ryan? What brings you to Twilight Province? I heard that a large number of orcs have appeared in Northwind Province as well. A couple of days ago, I even suggested to His Highness Volvo that we send some food to Northwind Province. It seems that you are always short of food there. I hope this can help you fight against the orcs."

"They should be setting off in the next couple of days. I've also arranged for a batch of local specialties from my territory to come along, which can help keep your territory warm, Baron Ryan."

That's why I say he was able to return to his peak by playing the victim.

Ryan smiled and bowed to the Earl, responding:
"On behalf of Northwind, I thank the Earl for his friendship. Northwind does not yet have a king-level leader among the orcs. Without a commander, the orcs will not be able to pass the fortress in a short time."

“Of course. Baron Ryan’s foresight surpasses that of all the nobles in the North. Who would have thought that before the orcs came again, Baron Ryan had already built a strong fortress to defend the northern border of the territory.”

At this point, Earl Gardner's expression was full of envy.

Ryan was also surprised; this count... his insight was truly sharp.

Of all the nobles during this period, Earl Gardner was the first to mention Ryan and the Wall fortress in the North.

"I wonder what the Earl was saying to these... members of the royal family?"

Count Gardner turned his head and looked at the members of the royal family, and couldn't help but feel angry.

“Ryan, you’ve come at the right time. These weaklings are wasting their Columbus name. I just wanted them to go to the battlefield at Twilight Keep and fight for Prince Volvo, but they refused because they were afraid of death.”

The count's voice was not quiet; the royal family members in the distance heard it clearly, their faces flushed, and they clenched their fists.

"We didn't say we didn't want to go!"

One person objected, but Earl Gardner snorted coldly, showing none of the smile he had given Ryan.

"You don't want to go? Then why are you still standing here? Your armor is so shiny it's practically glowing, but do you know that armor on the battlefield is never this shiny?"

"If His Highness Volvo becomes the next emperor of the empire, you will serve as his vanguard, heading south to fight against the Papacy and avenge His Majesty!"

Earl Gardner spoke with such conviction that the royal family members had no idea how to refute him.

They are not afraid to go to war with the Dawn Church because they are members of the royal family, and this status will prevent them from dying at the hands of the Dawn Church. However, they fear the orcs, who do not care whether their names contain the word "Columbus".

As for Gardner?
He stood in his area of ​​expertise; this count, to say the least, had just returned from the battlefield.

Ryan looked at Earl Gardner, surveying him. This earl had probably just circled the edge of the battlefield, experienced the tension of war for a while, and was sweating, his clothes wrinkled from the intense action.

There is a big difference between that and actually going to the battlefield.

But it doesn't matter. Those members of the royal family can't see it, and no one thinks that nobles need to actually carry swords and slash. Count Gardner's behavior is reasonable.

The royal family members slunk away, while the Earl held his head high like a victorious rooster. He still had to go find Elector Volvo, having heard that His Highness had transported another batch of supplies from the south. As a high-ranking nobleman of the Twilight Province, Earl Gardner had been busy distributing the supplies.

When he looked at Ryan, the Earl smiled again, then took his leave and waited for Ryan's response before leaving, instead of leaving immediately.

This count was quite a remarkable man.

Ryan didn't know whether to say that Earl Gardner was snobbish, that he could see through capable people clearly and was willing, even to the point of flattery, to communicate with them, while for ordinary people he had to show the majesty of an earl or nobleman; or to say that this earl was really good at judging people.

In Ryan's opinion, those royal members who had been made red-faced by his words wouldn't last five minutes on the battlefield.

They were simply not cut out for the battlefield; everything about them, including the Columbus surname on their bodies, was nothing more than a fancy decoration.

Ryan wandered around the huge, mobile palace for quite a while before finally returning to the central area, where Volvo had reserved a very spacious room for him. This area also served as the military command center for the entire Northern War.

Ryan saw many nobles glaring angrily at another group of people.

When these nobles gathered together, it seemed they had nothing to do but engage in political struggles.

Ryan looked across at the nobles and saw a large number of royal family members.

"Our army has already driven the orcs out of Twilight Keep, why are you so slow? You can't even build a single wall?"

The nobles questioned loudly, their arguments well-founded.

Admittedly, many nobles are incompetent, but within the imperial circles, the nobles' abilities... are still greater than those of the royal family members.

After all, nobles always have to manage their own territories, and that's experience. But what about the royal family? More than a hundred years ago, they could act arrogantly because of their status, but they didn't engage in any production. A hundred years later, they still can't compare to the nobles who have operational experience, and they've also lost their most important royal status.

Ryan even saw that Harald, the legendary Twilight commander, was also among those being criticized and denounced.

"His Highness Volvo ordered us to send powerful knight units to the battlefield to push the orcs further north, but why haven't you, the esteemed Twilight Commander, appeared?"

"Lord Harald, do you know how many of our knights that damned legendary orc has killed?"

Harald, who was not good at politics, was at a loss for words when faced with the nobles' questions.

The nobles did not care about the identities of these royal family members. The royal family they needed to respect had been reduced to only four people a hundred years ago: the emperor himself and the elector. Among these people, the only one who was qualified and whom the nobles dared not go too far was the Marquis of Twilight, a member of the royal family.

However… Ryan felt that the Marquis of Twilight was on the side of the nobles.

Over there, Harald was also furious at what he was being said, and his terrifying legendary aura descended.

"A hundred years ago, you damned bastards should have knelt down and bowed to me!"

After a brief moment of pallor, the nobles became even more radical.

They were united like never before.

Because they don't want to see the royal family regain its prestige.

"Cough cough!"

Ryan coughed. In just one day, he had already witnessed the conflict between the nobles and the monarch on this land. No wonder Columbus III went to great lengths to centralize power and consolidate the power of the nobles.

The aristocracy resulted in an emperor who wasn't quite an emperor, while the nobles were absolutely nobles. Which emperor wouldn't feel frustrated?

Columbus III died too young.

Ryan began to think that the Dawn Church was truly a cancer on the continent of Norris.

After Pope Dawn killed the emperor of the Flor Empire, the nobles who had been suppressed by the emperor immediately rebelled.

Their target wasn't the royal family members themselves, but rather the empire's political environment, which had nearly suffocated over the past year.

Many nobles probably thought it was a good thing that Columbus III died.

All eyes turned to him, and Ryan spoke calmly.

"How's the war at Twilight Keep going?"

(End of this chapter)