Throne of the North.

Chapter 746 New Common Interests, A New Legendary Mage Offering to the Empire
Ryan has misunderstood. The nobles of this world don't have such high awareness.

The idea of ​​starting anew under a powerful banner is something these nobles simply don't have the capability to do, let alone the idea itself.

Ryan didn't ask Grand Duke Russell why he didn't seek help from the Emperor or other nobles to deal with the Black Swan assassins.

This is a stupid question, like asking Grand Duke Rodrigo why he wanted to take the lead when establishing the Mage's Association, or asking Grand Duke Meyers why he didn't let the Emperor make the Northwind Province his fiefdom.

Their interests are different. In the province of Thermopylae, the interests of the two great nobles, Earl Ferguson and Marquis Thermopylae, are completely different, let alone the Grand Duke.
Whatever the Grand Dukes wanted to obtain or do, they could never, and had no way to, demand from the Empire; they had to create it themselves.

It's still the same reality.

The empire was the empire of the emperor and four grand dukes.

They had already reached the pinnacle of the empire; how could they possibly gain the consent of others? Even the emperor could only consult with the grand duke.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the empire had five emperors.

Moreover, the Wings of Light is a loose organization, designed from its inception to be one that does not involve politics, military affairs, or economics.

Duke Russell wanted to turn the Wings of Light into a sharp blade, making the simple complex, yet maintaining its ordinariness on the surface, so that the Wings of Light would have another side.

Therefore, Archduke Russell cannot put certain things in the open.

What does "in the open" mean?
Grand Duke Russell's practice of pocketing the war resources from the North was, in the eyes of the empire's nobles and the emperor, perfectly acceptable.

He could choose to come secretly or openly, unlike Ryan who now has to engage in various political exchanges and compromises.

The Grand Duke of the Empire was so majestic.

So what does "under the table" mean?
Grand Duke Russell was willing to risk everything for his father's revenge, even if it meant sacrificing the entire Russell family. However, he could not drag the entire empire down with him to fight for the same cause.

Grand Duke Russell was not an emperor, nor a monarch to whom all the nobles of the empire were obliged to be loyal.

So... in the end, the empire only had one emperor.

On the first day of inheriting or establishing a title, nobles all say the same thing: to follow the will of the monarch they are loyal to, to be loyal to him, and to be his followers forever.

Ryan might have initially thought it was just political correctness, since he only treated these oaths as a formality. But he later realized that it was a cultural heritage, a spirit that could truly make countless people forget their own lives.

The death of Columbus III and the funeral of that emperor are over, but is his death truly the end?

The nobles didn't have time to deal with this because the living were experiencing more and didn't have the time or energy.

Now... the war with the Northern Orcs is over.

Russell saw it very clearly and said it very clearly: if Columbus IV, Volvo Columbus, did not solve this problem, then he would never inherit the entire empire.

Why do Freud, the Senate, Grand Duke Freming, Grand Duke Rodrigo, and others still dare to chat with the Emperor in the capital?
That's where our confidence comes from.

Thinking about this, Ryan also understood what Count Pascal had told him about what had happened in the capital.

The emperor is so troubled. Should I reduce the number of letters sent to the capital to avoid troubling His Majesty the Emperor?

Ryan decided that he would add an extra letter every day after he returned.

The fog before Ryan's eyes cleared up a bit more, and he became completely clear about Grand Duke Russell's purpose and thoughts.

Then this will be easy to handle.

"Your Excellency, do you wish to make the armed forces of the Wings of Light even stronger?"

Ryan pretended to think for a moment and said:
“In my frozen territories, there are many highly skilled craftsmen who are fully capable of forging the equipment the Grand Duke needs. I personally believe that they are no less skilled than the dwarven craftsmen of the south.”

Most of the blacksmiths under Ryan's command came from Exner. In addition, these craftsmen had received one or two blessings from Ryan, which were used to improve their blacksmithing skills. Ryan believed that they were no less skilled than craftsmen from anywhere else.

"Since Your Excellency has put it that way, I can directly turn the iron ore from the Northwind Province into weapons and armor and hand them over to Your Excellency."

Grand Duke Russell has already mentioned the Black Swan assassin to Ryan, clearly indicating that he wants Ryan to become the second-in-command of the Brightwing.

Not the overt part, but the covert part.

Ryan could no longer pretend he hadn't heard anything; he now knew the Grand Duke's true thoughts.

"However, I think this matter involves the war resources of the North, and there will inevitably be trouble and chaos in the future. His Excellency the Grand Duke may not care, but it would be better if it could avoid arousing the resentment of the nobles."

Fame and fortune are something even grand dukes cannot avoid. For ancient and long-standing noble families like grand duke families, what they care about most is their reputation.

"Then, this is a separate transaction."

Grand Duke Russell nodded in agreement. It would be best if it didn't involve the wealth of the entire southern nobility. He was more curious that Ryan hadn't reacted at all after hearing him talk about the Black Swan.

He had been observing Ryan, the youngest yet most powerful minor nobleman in the empire.

Do they have no reverence or fear for the gods?
“Ryan, you just said that such an important matter requires the joint discussion of the nobles. In that case, I will send a message to the nobles of the Hot Spring Province to discuss it together.”

This is no longer about the interests and politics between Ryan and Grand Duke Russell, but a new political conflict, openly about deciding exactly how much of that 'part' is in His Majesty Emperor Flor's order.

Furthermore, all of this has absolutely nothing to do with what Duke Russell just mentioned about the Wings of Light, the Black Swan assassins, or anything like that.

At the same time, as a nobleman, Grand Duke Russell could not let his emotions cloud his judgment and include his friendship with Ryan in the Brightwing affair in this matter.

Because it involves different interests, that's how nobles are; they can start a war one moment and be all smiles the next.

Everything, because the interests involved were different at the time and afterwards.

therefore--

“Ryan, after the nobles have decided on the resources to be sent to the Northwind Province, we still need one more person’s signature.”

Grand Duke Russell had already allocated the resources to the Northwind Province as a reward for Baron Ryan's military advice during the war between the six royal courts at Thermopylae Fortress.

Because of this, when allocating resources, the Archduke of Russell did not need to consult with the nobles or the emperor to see if his decision was reasonable.

He is the Grand Duke; he can do this.

But now, since everything is to be handled officially, and this matter must be decided openly and at the political table of the nobles, it cannot be avoided. Therefore, someone must sign at the bottom of this decision.

“Hilde Enrique”.

"Since Volvo, after our Majesty returned to the capital from the North, Princess Hilde has been the nominal supreme commander of the ongoing Northern War. Now that Volvo has become emperor, Princess Hilde is no longer just acting as emperor."

Even if he can't manage or do anything.

If Ryan had included the military equipment that Grand Duke Russell needed in the resources for the Northern War, Grand Duke Russell wouldn't have cared about Princess Hilde. But now, this exchange of benefits has been removed.

Hilder is unavoidable.

After saying all that, Russell looked at Ryan's face, which remained unchanged, and suddenly laughed.

"But Ryan, you don't need to worry. Princess Hilde won't stop it. It's just a formality."

"That old man can't even read properly now."

Ryan sensed the disdain in Grand Duke Russell's voice, but he also knew that nothing would go wrong. Even if Princess Hilde was clear-headed and shrewd, she couldn't possibly stop the decision made by all the nobles.

……

What followed went smoothly. Earl Ferguson, Marquis of Hot Springs, Grand Duke Russell, and many nobles gathered together and transformed what His Majesty the Emperor had described as 'part' into something that satisfied Ryan.

Furthermore, during this process, Ryan and the nobles of the Hot Spring Province forged a deep friendship, filled with laughter and joy, brimming with pure love and kindness between people.

"The journey from Hot Spring Province to North Wind Province is long, and transporting so many supplies there would be quite troublesome. I wonder if Baron Ryan has any ideas?"

These words were spoken by the demigod Anselmo to Ryan. Even if Anselmo wasn't a demigod, his status was no less than that of a great noble.

Ryan certainly had a way. He couldn't possibly wait for months for the supplies to arrive in the North Wind; the costs along the way would be an amount he was unwilling to bear.

Ryan, who had initially intended to say he had a solution, became humble upon hearing the demigod's tone.

“I’m also worried about this matter. I even considered sending wolf riders and dragon riders to transport the supplies, but I’m concerned that this might displease His Majesty the Emperor. Does His Highness Anselmo have any better suggestions?”

The demigod smiled. The exchange between Ryan and Grand Duke Russell had already created common interests for both sides. If they weren't exactly on the same boat, they were at least on the same path.

"Lord Ryan, do you know how these war resources got to the North?"

"His Majesty the Emperor dispatched space mages to open up paths through the void, allowing resources from all over the southern part of the empire to reach the northern border in a short time."

Ryan was well aware of this; in this extraordinary world, what could be more attractive than extraordinary power, the magic of those mages?

"I heard that Grand Duke Rodrigo contributed a lot to this, which is why he was able to obtain some of the benefits from cleaning up the battlefield after the war in Hot Spring Province."

Normally, even nobles need to reason things out for things to proceed smoothly.

How can you reap benefits without putting in some effort?

"Grand Duke Rodrigo did indeed spend a lot to invite space mages, but the key is not the space mages he invited."

Anselmo said that such a massive system of void passages could not be created by just any random space mage.

After all, this is a collection of resources from all over the empire, and the spatial passageway can be said to have become an extremely terrifying strategic tool.

The timely arrival of supplies will ensure the smooth progress of the war. The power of spatial mages has been of paramount importance ever since Grand Duke Rodrigo proposed the Mage Association.

"The empire has ten legendary mages to serve as its retainers. It's not that it can't have more, but the empire only needs ten of the most powerful legendary mages to serve as retainers."

"The [Eternal Silence] mage perished in the war."

Lan, known as "Eternal Silence," is a terrifying legendary mage. The forbidden magic he unleashed even froze and sealed the gods. When Ryan saw the report from the capital city, he was shocked. How could a mage be so powerful?

That wasn't some divine incarnation, but rather the power released by the deity itself.

"The fall of Lord Lan is a loss to the Empire, and it is regrettable."

Ryan said that it was a pity that such a powerful mage had died. She stood deep in a certain direction and touched the truth.

He was curious about Anselmo's reason for saying this.

"After Lan's death, the empire is inviting another legendary mage to fill her honorary position."

“Ophelia, the Immortal of the Void, once refused the Empire’s offer of service, but not long ago, after helping the Empire open up a path through the void, he agreed after the fall of Eternal Silence.”

Ryan blinked; the name wasn't unfamiliar to him.

In the world of Nidhogg, he, along with his father, Earl Clayton, and this man, did quite a lot.

Wasn't he always filled with awe for the gods? He was searching for the demigod Isabella before, so why has he now agreed to join the Flor Empire, the stronghold of blasphemers?
"As the most powerful space mage, he faced this choice: become a member of the empire, or leave the continent of Norris."

Anselmo said this, whether with the confidence of a demigod or an imperial nobleman, it was unclear whether he was referring to a legendary space mage.

However, it seems that whatever it is, it's enough.

The empire is powerful, and so are the demigods.

"You can invite his help as an imperial nobleman."

Since it has become a legendary deity of the empire, it is naturally subject to many restrictions; the nobles and the emperor did not invite their ancestors here.

Of course, the prerequisite is having sufficient qualifications. Even legendary mages entering the empire are addressed as "Your Excellency," a title that proves their status is no less than that of any high-ranking noble.

This is the nobility that belongs to legend.

Should he take a Space Express? Ryan pondered. He certainly didn't have to, but he didn't make a decision immediately.

He can't stay in the North forever.

(End of this chapter)