Throne of the North.

Chapter 708 Hidden Dangers, Early Signs

The nobles from the southernmost part of the country gradually arrived at the capital city, but the atmosphere in the heart of the empire was not so good.

The emperor's funeral, the struggle of the electors—an invisible shadow fell over the empire.

Grand Duke Freming was also forced to return from the south, along with his father, Grand Duke Freming the Elder.

They represent a large portion of the empire's nobility.

“Father, the nobles of the empire all hope that Volvo can become emperor.”

"His Highness Freud has already lost ground."

"And, the Earl of Clayton did not come to visit the mansion, it seems he has decided to break away from Fleming."

"The Senate is trying to seize power. The royal family's goal is simple: whoever becomes the new emperor of the empire will be their loyal monarch."

"The nobles want to know the attitude of the Grand Duke Freming family."

Feridias Fleming said to his father that he already knew that his father, the eldest duke, was not as weak as he appeared.

Since the news of Emperor Columbus III's death spread, Archduke Fleming seemed to have regained his vitality and was no longer the old man he once was.

Is this an attempt to circumvent the authority of Columbus III? After all, in that era, only the four Grand Dukes could debate with the Emperor.

Grand Duke Fleming sat upright in his carriage, gazing at the silent capital city outside, his tone becoming calm yet sarcastic.

"Volvo will be the victor in this farce, becoming the emperor of the empire, but Freud will not lose so easily."

"In the end, they failed to complete the entire path that the electors should have taken. Volvo became emperor, but Freud's prestige did not disappear. Most importantly, after Volvo became emperor, he could not settle Freud."

"what?"

Fredias gaped in astonishment. The thoughts of the old Grand Duke Freming were something that probably no one else in the empire would consider.

"After the elector fails, he will become a marquis of the empire and a governor of a province. The North Wind Province was originally reserved for the loser of the two electors."

“But now we have the Marquis of the North Wind, Freud’s son, Fredias. Isn’t that interesting?”

"And the province of Carlos."

Ferredias said that their Grand Duke Freming's extraordinary legion was currently stationed in the province of Carlos, the imperial province that became the country after the fall of the Kingdom of Carlos.

“Floyd wouldn’t go there; to him, it was a battlefield.”

Grand Duke Freming said this with a meaningful smile.

"Furthermore, Ferredias, you've forgotten one thing: the nobles won't allow Freud to go to the province of Carlos."

"Because the nobles also have their own interests."

"Volvo's path to becoming emperor is not authoritative. Once Volvo becomes emperor, the nobles who support Volvo will demand that he implement preferential treatment for the nobles, but this will inevitably harm the interests of other nobles."

"Freming, the first to be hit."

During Columbus III's lifetime, the Grand Duke of Fleming's family was the most benefited noble family. Even when the Grand Duke and the Emperor had a disagreement, it only meant that the Grand Duke of Fleming's family benefited a little less.

Besides the Grand Duke Freming's family, there were many other similar noble families.

Volvo wanted to reward the nobles who supported him and enhance their power in the empire, which would inevitably damage the authority of Grand Duke Fleming.

“We will not confront the emperor of the empire. Freming may relinquish some of its interests and power, but what belongs to Freming, even the emperor cannot take away.”

Grand Duke Freming said to Fredias, after all, the current Grand Duke Freming was his son.

"What you need to do is protect Freming's interests and ensure that the nobles who follow us firmly uphold your authority."

"As for who the emperor is? That's none of Freming's business."

Ferredias nodded solemnly.

"I understand, Father."

……

Grand Duke Freming's arrival in the imperial capital was the focus of countless people's attention, and in response to the probing of the nobles and electors, he simply made a public announcement.

"I will return to the capital city and preside over His Majesty's funeral with the royal family. The potential threat of war in the south could come at any time, but fortunately, His Majesty's spirit has blessed us, and war has not ravaged the empire's lands again."

Grand Duke Freming's refusal to participate in the Electors' struggle disappointed the nobles, but privately, he did not reject contact with the two Electors.

The eldest duke is right; the Fleming family needs to maintain its existing interests.

They could give away the excess, but what originally belonged to Freming, the emperor had no right to take away.

Thus, amidst the disputes among the electors, a third faction of nobles emerged.

Grand Duke Freming did not display any sharpness, but his words and actions put pressure on and gave the electors a headache.

"I need to become emperor, and all the nobles should support me."

Volvo stood before Archduke Freming, his voice cold as he questioned him. He had been in high spirits these past few days in front of Freud, but he never expected that Archduke Freming's return would deliver such a heavy blow.

The nobles, as if they had found their pillar of support, went from being enthusiastic to indifferent. Volvo's sense of frustration was understandable; he had always believed that he was the chosen one of the empire's destiny.

"The nobles certainly support and are loyal to Emperor Flor, so Your Highness has absolutely no need to worry."

Grand Duke Freming said casually, a hint of pride in his eyes. This was the height of the Freming family's authority. Although they had suffered a setback last time, the old Grand Duke Freming had already borne the consequences.

The lion's might still lingers, and Fleming's majesty is no less than that of the emperor.

Volvo was unwilling to accept this outcome; he wanted to become emperor, by virtue of the loyalty and following of the nobles.

He felt frustrated.

Floyd felt it more acutely than Volvo.

His decline is already evident, and the struggle for the world's emperor has its limits.

The nobles, including several grand dukes, chose to support the elector, but this support was not a complete sacrifice; they would not give up everything for the elector.

Similarly, even if this support is lost, they will not lose everything; at most, they will not gain any additional benefits.

The nobles crave more benefits, but they will never give up what they already have.

For them, what they possess is theirs, and any extra benefits they obtain through their own means are a reflection of their honor and ability.

Therefore, when Freud demonstrated that he could not bring additional benefits to the nobles, the nobles began to find ways to protect their rightful interests. The difference between 'principal' and 'interest'.

In this situation, support for Floyd naturally dwindled.

Floyd's expression has been particularly grim these past few days; he feels himself growing further and further away from being the emperor.

At this very moment, Freud made a routine visit to Grand Duke Fleming, but instead saw new opportunities and power in the Grand Duke's presence.

"No matter which elector becomes emperor, he is not fully qualified to lead the Flor Empire, because none of the current electors have gone through the complete elector path."

"His Majesty Emperor Columbus put the elector to a test, but this test has only been conducted twice, which is far from sufficient to determine whether the elector is suitable to be the emperor of the empire."

"Therefore, even after becoming emperor, the elector is still undergoing a test."

Freud's eyes lit up as he stared at Archduke Freming.

"You mean, I still have a chance to become emperor?"

Grand Duke Freming shook his head and said:
“Your Highness, what I mean is that for the elector to become emperor, it is still a ‘test’ for the elector.”

"This is not a test from Emperor Columbus III to the current elector, but a test from the Empire to the Emperor."

Archduke Fleming was the sole leader in protecting the 'principal'.

It is conceivable that, whether it was Volvo or Freud, the first thing they would touch upon after becoming emperor was the interests of Archduke Freming. This was a historical tradition and a process that had been followed for countless years in the political struggles of the empire.

This time it was Grand Duke Freming, next time it will be Grand Duke Meyers. In short, the last grand duke to win the Electors' Struggle will be the whale that brings life to all things in the next Electors' Struggle.

Therefore, Archduke Rodrigo, a supporter of Freud's Elector, was not Volvo's enemy.

Freming was the one.

Volvo hadn't realized this yet; he wasn't quite so adept at dealing with the politics of the imperial tradition. But Freming, the great nobleman with a long-standing lineage, had already taken this matter seriously.

Freud Columbus was the one Fleming would support next, of course, after the dust had settled on the emperor.

Otherwise, if he overstepped the rules for emperors and nobles, Freming would also vanish.

Freud and Ferredias locked eyes, and the elector was once again filled with confidence and ambition.

"Yes, the young emperor has not been tested on the path of the chosen emperor, and no one knows whether he can become a qualified emperor."

"Hereditary authority is not enough."

Fredias laughed. This was exactly the kind of Freud the Grand Duke of Fremin wanted, and he was going to show him the way.

Without the help of the nobility, Freud could not have accomplished anything.

"The shock and surprise brought by the emperor's death were too great. We have seen that the Senate can play a role in stabilizing the empire in such a situation."

"Perhaps the existence of the council of elders is necessary."

Freud nodded. It seemed he had no one else to turn to, and the old nobles in the Senate were facing the same predicament.

Taking advantage of the vacancy in the emperor's seat, the Senate jumped out to try to regain power. Now, the dust is about to settle, Volvo has a huge advantage, and the Senate is about to be buried again. The magnificent Senate has once again become a stage for nobles to show off their political skills.

The elders were also anxious.

"So... Volvo shouldn't think it'll become emperor so easily."

Ultimately, this was because Columbus III died too young and too unexpectedly. There was no clear superiority or inferiority among the electors, and Freud himself simply did not acknowledge his own defeat.

As Freud left, Fredias hesitated. He didn't know whether stimulating the other's desires in this way was a good thing or a bad thing for the Empire and its nobles.

However, the Archduke of Freming quickly relaxed.

He did it for the benefit of the Grand Duke Freming's family, and this is the best outcome for them.

As for the rest, let's wait until it actually happens.

……

……

North Wind Province.

Frozen soil collar.

Ryan was incredibly busy because he also had to prepare to head to the capital. The emperor's funeral was a grand affair, an unavoidable mourning event for the nobles. As a nobleman of the empire, he was naturally a loyal follower of the deceased Emperor Columbus III.

In addition, when Volvo is crowned, he will have to swear allegiance and loyalty to the new emperor.

"It's really troublesome."

This is also where Ryan is busy, because in a few days at most all the nobles of the Northwind Province will leave, but a war with the orcs is still raging here.

Those werewolves... Although those werewolves appeared to be lax in their attitude towards the war, the cannon fodder beastmen under their command were extremely spirited. Among the several royal families of the beastmen, the werewolves were the most cruel.

Driven by fear, countless orc armies swept across the southern human lands. Not a single soldier at the Fragrant Hills Plains fortress could sleep soundly for a single day. Meanwhile, at the Northern Wall fortress, Ryan had begun frantically drawing slaves from Nidhogg and subjecting them to dragon spirit blessings at any time. They simply could not withstand it and would only mutate into beast-like dragon warriors, dying on the fortress battlefield in place of Ryan's soldiers.

This full-scale orc invasion is a war of attrition for both the orcs and Lion.

This is why Ryan frantically obtained war supplies from Volvo; he clearly understood that as long as there were enough resources, the orcs' invasion was insignificant.

Moreover, Volvo has already set an example for him, proving that his thinking was correct.

He cannot allow the north wind, or even the kingdoms and nobles to the east, to cause trouble.

So, these days, the person I saw most often in the Frozen Territory was Aetria, the chief administrator of the Frozen Territory and the sister of the legendary blacksmith master Brock.

The two don't look alike at all.

"During my absence, you will become the highest governor of the Frozen Territory, the Northwind Province, and even the entire Northern Lands."

"Wear my ring."

Ryan handed the crest representing the Ryan family to Aetria, asking her to wear it.

"The Frozen Territory has cultivated thousands of governing officials over the years, and I need them to demonstrate the capabilities they have shown me to ensure the prosperity of this land during the time the nobles are away."

"Follow your will."

Aetria knelt on one knee before Ryan and solemnly received the ring that symbolized Ryan's power.

(End of this chapter)