Throne of the North.

Chapter 707 The Era of the Chosen Emperors

Floyd did not walk with Volvo.

There was no way around it; the head of the orc king would elicit a fervent response from Volvo's prestige in the capital. Why? Because their father, the most dignified and noble Emperor Columbus III, also possessed the head of an orc king.

To the nobles, Volvo and Columbus III were so alike.

If Freud had followed suit, he would have only brought trouble upon himself and become a point of comparison.

As for what Lord Rice said in the royal books, Freud was also inclined to disbelieve it; even if that colorful king were alive, it would be no different from being dead.

Freud walked quickly, while Volvo walked slowly, returning to the capital from Twilight Province. The long distance was not the key issue; what mattered was that there were many noble territories along the way, and Volvo wanted to visit those nobles.

Political power often stems from such exchanges.

"That idiot Freud never understood such methods in his entire life."

Volvo emerged from a baron's estate, a smug smile on his face.

But soon, the smile turned into sorrow.

His emperor father died.

……

In the capital city, the resounding victory of the Northern Frontier left the nobles dumbfounded. The news they received was delayed; one message was that the Northern Frontier was still requesting supplies to build defensive fortresses, and the next message came that the orcs in Twilight Province had been completely wiped out, the orc royal court had been defeated, and the orcs in the north were in complete disarray and no longer posed a threat.
The contrast is just too great.

"Volvo defeated the orc army in just seven days?"

Grand Duke Meyers shouted in surprise at the Senate, as if afraid someone wouldn't hear him.

On the other side, Freud, who had already returned to the capital city, snorted coldly.

"Your Excellency Grand Duke Meyers, the nobility have an excellent lineage of knowledge and are familiar with the Imperial script."

Grand Duke Meyers laughed.

"Your Highness, I apologize. I am truly astonished. After all, no one in the history of the Empire has ever achieved such military exploits. Your Highness Volvo is truly exceptional."

"Humph!"

"Volvo wiped out ten years' worth of tax revenue from the empire in one war. Is that considered excellent?"

"Because of him, the empire will find it difficult to build a new superhuman legion within the next thirty years."

“That is not a long time, and the Empire’s superhuman legions have never been built up simply because of taxes, Your Highness.”

"Furthermore, His Majesty's funeral is already being prepared, and you should not be present at the Council of Elders."

"As the elector, Your Highness only needs to wait for the Senate's answer."

"The Senate? Is it the Senate or you Volvo-supporting nobles?"

Freud looked at Archduke Meyers without backing down.

"Your Excellency Meyers, I'd like to know, what exactly makes Volvo qualified to be the Emperor of the Empire?"

“I, Freud, am the monarch who will lead the empire to even greater glory. Can Volvo, Volvo, avenge His Majesty?”

"His Majesty the esteemed Emperor Flor died in the shameless attack of the Dawn Church, and you remained indifferent. I question your loyalty."

This was the advice given to Freud by the nobles: to shift the blame to the emperor's death, because the emperor's death would inevitably lead to a struggle with the Dawn Church, and a struggle with the Dawn Church would inevitably involve Freud, the elector who had defeated the Church in the war.

“Your Highness, you have no evidence, but we all saw that His Majesty died under divine punishment. As for why the gods would impose divine punishment, we still need to find evidence.”

"His Majesty's death will not be quiet. After His Majesty's funeral and the rest of his soul, the Empire will do everything in its power to find the murderer."

"But His Highness Floyd should not be so hasty before there is evidence."

"Mortals are too weak; we need to pray to the gods to tell us the answer."

"The emperor of the empire is also the great pope of light. When a new emperor and great pope appear, they can naturally pray to the eternal god of light and receive the most truthful answers from the divine oracle of the great god."

“That was a divine oracle; we will follow it to find the murderer.”

"I think there is no other answer."

“Your Highness Freud is qualified to be emperor, and should have a devout faith in the immortal God of Light. Otherwise, I am very worried that we will not be able to get the answer because of Your Highness Freud.”

Freud was clearly not good at playing political games with these nobles, but fortunately, he was not short of nobles who supported him.

"Grand Duke Meyers, do you believe that His Highness Volvo should become the Emperor of the Empire?"

Meyers nodded matter-of-factly.

"That's inevitable. His Highness Volvo is highly regarded by His Majesty Columbus, and sending him to the North is the best explanation. Moreover, only His Highness Volvo can make the Empire more prosperous."

"The Flor Empire is already bloated, and we nobles always bring heavy pressure to the empire, but His Highness Volvo will solve all these problems."

The empire does indeed have many problems, all of which are hidden beneath its power and prosperity.

But the nobles were generally skeptical when Meyers said that Volvo could solve everything.

Of course, that's not the issue now. The important thing is that the clash between the two electors has already begun, and regardless of who is right or wrong, they can only support the elector they support.

"Is Grand Duke Freming still in the south? We need him to return to preside over His Majesty's funeral."

Grand Duke Fleming was a supporter of Columbus III, so the emperor's funeral required Grand Duke Fleming's presence. After all, in the entire empire, apart from the emperor, only four grand dukes held the highest status and were the most respected.

"He is taking precautions against a possible war launched by the Dawn Church. Pope Solarion is treacherous and cunning; the Empire cannot afford to be complacent, can it?"

"But he will return, and Grand Duke Fleming will also arrive in the capital. But are you running away? His Highness Volvo is capable of resolving the internal conflicts of the empire."

"Can he really solve it?"

Grand Duke Rodrigo sneered, then looked towards the other side of the Senate.

"Lord Clayton, what are your thoughts on Elector Volvo and Elector Freud?"

"As a dragon knight of the empire, you are qualified to judge the two electors."

"After all, none of the electors have undergone the complete elector test."

Columbus III died too young, preventing the electors from completing their trials. Both electors only underwent two tests, which was far from sufficient. The Earl of Clayton belonged to a group of nobles who were neither fully involved nor passive observers. Firstly, he had needs; secondly, his needs could not be directly met by helping anyone become emperor.

It could even be said that Earl Clayton supported both Volvo and Floyd.

Supporting Volvo allows one to pursue the interests of the Clayton family through political means. Freud's case is simpler: there are always achievements in war, and once those achievements reach a certain level, even the emperor cannot erase them.

However, the Earl of Clayton was unwilling to fight with these nobles in the Senate.

"The Clayton family will forever be loyal to Emperor Flor, and if His Majesty Columbus III had not left a message, I would have preferred to see the two electors compete based on their own merits."

Grand Duke Meyers laughed and said:
“Earl Clayton is right. Of the two electors, Freud and Volvo, Volvo possesses all the virtues that Freud has. On the contrary, Volvo’s care for the nobles is something Freud cannot have.”

“You all say Freud is a genius of war, but in reality, Volvo was able to defeat the orc army of Twilight Province in seven days, something no one else could do.”

"It's just spending money, Your Excellency, aren't you being too blind to the truth?"

"Is that so? Princess Hilder is currently acting as the military commander-in-chief in the North. If it's just a matter of money, why not have Princess Hilder defeat an orcish royal court within seven days?"

Grand Duke Meyers laughed, while the nobles on the other side scoffed, knowing it was impossible.

It's not that it's impossible, but rather that the aristocracy who support Volvo won't allow it.

Volvo's victory over the orc army of Twilight Province was the result of the concerted efforts of the entire empire. Even the nobles who supported Freud spared no expense in opening a spatial channel to send supplies to Volvo so that he could return to the capital as soon as possible.

Who would have thought that this would happen? The supplies they sent became Volvo's capital.

It's absolutely impossible to change course now. The nobles who support Volvo will never easily send supplies to the North and let Hilder squander them. They want to prevent the emergence of a second person who replicates Volvo's war tactics and make Volvo the only one.

In this way, Volvo's prestige can reach its peak.

"What about the royal family? Who does the royal family think is suitable to be the emperor of the empire?"

Grand Duke Rodrigo was dissatisfied, but he knew very well that from now on, Freud had fallen into a disadvantageous position. Volvo's return with the head of the orc king would completely destroy Freud's prestige.

There was a difference in numbers between the nobles who supported Freud and those who supported Volvo, but their overall strength was about the same. The nobles who supported Freud were fewer in number, but more powerful, since they had all chosen Freud during the war.

Moreover, as Grand Dukes, he, Grand Duke Roderick, was nearly equal to Grand Duke Meyers, making it impossible for the two electors to clearly distinguish between themselves.

There are too many nobles in the empire who are temporarily neutral!

This was still because Columbus III died too young. The test for the two electors had not yet entered the third, fourth and final stages. The difference between the electors was not yet apparent, and the nobles could not place their bets step by step.

"Damn Solarion!"

Rodrigo complained that if Columbus III were still alive, Freud would be a shoo-in.

Why? Because if Columbus III were alive, the war with the Northern Orcs wouldn't be any worse than it is now. In that case, the Empire's greatest enemy would still be the Dawn Church, and Freud was the vanguard of the Electors who were fighting against the Church.

Volvo can't compete with them.

But now, with Columbus III dead, the empire is facing internal and external conflicts, and the emperor it needs is no longer the same.

Volvo became a better choice for the nobility.

Volvo currently holds the upper hand.

"Doesn't the royal family have any objections?"

There were quite a few representatives of the royal family at the council of elders, many of whom were marquises from various provinces. Faced with the questioning of Grand Duke Rodrigo, these royal 'younger generation' also shrank back.

"The royal electorate is qualified to become emperor, and we are loyal to the emperor, regardless of which elector it is."

The royal family's statement remained unchanged: the empire belonged to the emperor and four grand dukes, members of the royal family who had lost all power as early as the time of Columbus II.

But this made it seem like Archduke Rodrigo's punch landed on cotton, and Floyd, standing beside him, was even more gloomy and angry.

For three consecutive days, the council of elders was filled with such noise and commotion, until Volvo Columbus returned to the capital.

He carried the head of the orc king and hung it high at the city gate of the imperial capital, proclaiming it as his achievement.

The capital city was bustling with noise as citizens lined the streets to welcome him. This clamor sounded even more jarring to Freud's ears!
"Damn it!"

It's another day of the elders' meeting.

The number of nobles in the empire has increased. Apart from the nobles in the northern border provinces and the nobles in the south who are worried about the Papacy's return, all the nobles in the other provinces have arrived in the capital city because of the emperor's funeral.

It's overcrowded, but the city is truly magnificent, not to mention that the capital is practically the second safest place in the world.

First? Of course, it's the sacred mountain at dawn, the place where divine light shines directly.

"Who will become the next Columbus Emperor of the Empire?"

Volvo!

This was a grand occasion unique to the nobility, because below the nobility, even the knightly class was not qualified to discuss who the emperor was.

At the council of elders, Volvo and Floyd were locked in a fierce battle. Both candidates for the throne were outstanding, and at this moment, they were showing their true colors, neither willing to give way to the other.

"As His Majesty's child, and as the elector of the empire, I will shoulder the empire's responsibilities."

"I will lead the empire to greater glory, and I will guide the nobles forward. We will not be bullied, we will defend the empire's lands, and we will gain more wealth. As emperor, this is my responsibility."

"As a descendant of Columbus, and as the chosen one of the empire, I feel a heavy weight of power and obligation in the support of the nobles. His Majesty the Emperor once said that the Emperor and the nobles together form the powerful Flor Empire."

"We will move forward together toward a more powerful empire."

Volvo spoke loudly, eliciting roars of agreement from the nobles. On the other side, Freud's words were much stiffer, and the nobles could guess that the manuscript had been provided to him by the royal family or other nobles.

Unlike Volvo's temporary declaration.

Of course, nobles wouldn't make decisions based on such matters; those nobles who could maintain their loyalty through such oaths were of little importance.

The most important reason is still that one.

The empire's war has been going on for many years.

The nobles have consistently supported the empire's wars, resulting in expenditures exceeding revenues.

(End of this chapter)