My family runs an adventurer's guild.

And in the next instant, he made a perfectly natural reaction.

"……Eh?!"

Chapter 165, The Kingdom of Ri Yestize's Response (Part 1)

The capital of the Kingdom of Riyestege is Lorenti, the royal city located at the deepest part of the capital.

This is a magnificent and vast palace city, surrounded by more than twenty sturdy circular towers, each connected by equally solid stone walls, making it virtually impregnable. Its scale and defensive capabilities are among the best in the entire continent.

However, while the fortified palace could withstand attacks from foreign enemies and rebellions by its subjects, it could not prevent the internal corruption of the ruling class.

Today, both this palace and this city, this kingdom, are filled with an indescribable sense of decay.

Many people have already vaguely sensed that the future is not looking good, and have begun to actively plan for the future, or simply choose to enjoy life while they can.

Nevertheless, the country's rulers are still struggling to keep the dilapidated state apparatus running and cope with various changes.

—In the audience hall of the royal palace, many lavishly dressed nobles and high-ranking officials are gathered for a royal meeting.

Among them was Gerdev Storonov, the kingdom's warrior captain and the nation's strongest warrior, who had just returned from the border.

He was kneeling before his sworn master, King Rambusha III, who sat on the throne, and bowing to the king in greeting.

Although only half a month had passed, Gerdov felt that His Majesty the King had aged considerably.

His pale hair was sparse and disheveled, and his thin body, no matter how flattering, could hardly be described as healthy. His complexion was also poor, without a trace of rosiness. The hand holding the scepter was as thin as a withered twig, and the golden crown he wore looked as if it were about to collapse, as if it could not bear the weight.

The old man, Lambusa III, sitting on his throne, let out a weak sigh: "...Commander, it is so good that you have returned safely."

"...Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty! It's a pity we couldn't annihilate the attacking Imperial Knights this time; they escaped!"

Gerdoff bowed deeply and replied, "...They disappeared after their failed attack on Carne Village. We searched until our supplies ran out and our men and horses were exhausted, but we still couldn't find any trace of them. We had no choice but to abandon the mission and return to the capital. I'm truly sorry for letting you down."

"...Well, it's good that you're back safely! We can't worry about the little tricks these Imperial Knights are up to now. Today's topic is about the fortress city of Ye-Lantil. Since you've just returned from Ye-Lantil, why don't you join the meeting?"

The old King Rambushe III said somewhat wearily, and then instructed his secretary to read out a latest intelligence report.

In short, an unidentified armed invading force is constantly attacking and seizing territory in the countryside surrounding the fortress city of Ye-Lantir.

Moreover, unlike the "Imperial Knights" who previously raided border villages, this enemy force did not simply strike and leave like bandits, content with looting the villages and towns. Instead, they took control of each village and town they conquered, seemingly aiming to annex the land and establish a new ruling order.

Currently, the villages and towns surrounding the fortress city of Ye Lantier have been almost completely occupied by this enemy army. Mayor Panasore has few soldiers and generals under his command and is powerless to go out of the city to fight back. He can only be trapped in the fortress city and keep sending messengers to Lambusa III for help.

At first, the capital authorities thought it was just a peasant rebellion and didn't take it seriously—in this corrupt and turbulent country, peasant rebellions were nothing new. A poor villager, feeling he couldn't survive, would grab torches and hoes, and storm the local knightly manor or noble castle, hoping to overthrow the nobles' rule. The end result was either that he would scatter to the mountains and become a bandit, or that he would be easily wiped out by the knights, his body hung in the open to be eaten by crows, as a warning to the rest of the peasants not to have any ideas.

However, as more intelligence arrived from the border, King Lambusa III soon realized something was amiss—adventurers and gentry were fleeing from the southeastern border, telling everyone that a monster army had emerged in the Kaz Plains, an army that mortals could not possibly defeat. Commanding these monsters was a "Priest of Ancient Magic" resurrected from his grave, who sought to rebuild the ancient Kingdom of Nazarick from a thousand years ago.

The above statement was partially confirmed in the numerous letters of appeal sent by the mayor of Panasore from the fortified city of Ye Lantier.

Therefore, Rambushe III, feeling threatened, convened a royal council of nobles to devise a plan to deal with the enemy.

Unexpectedly, the nobles and courtiers scoffed at the matter, even glaring at the king with contempt and rudely opposing him.

"...Your Majesty, how foolish you are! How could you believe such absurd nonsense?"

"...An ancient king who emerged from an underground tomb? What kind of myth is this?! It must be the mayor of the fortress city of Ye Lantier making up rumors to reduce taxes so he can embezzle and line his own pockets?"

"...Or perhaps the commoners there rebelled against taxes? And then the mayor of the fortress city of Ye-Lantir failed to suppress the rebellion and couldn't explain why, so he made up this story to get the capital to send troops to help him solve the problem?"

"...That shouldn't be possible, right? Although the fortress city of Ye Lantier doesn't have many permanent troops, surely they can't even suppress a group of lowly people? Just how incompetent must the mayor of the fortress city of Ye Lantier be to behave so poorly?"

"...This problem, perhaps it's because he's been receiving too much salary without actually working?"

"...So important border towns shouldn't be directly governed by the royal family, and some bureaucrats with no military experience should be sent to oversee them! If the royal family were willing to give up the taxes from that land and let seasoned hereditary military nobles grant fiefdoms there, this embarrassing situation wouldn't have happened, right?"

—Although they were contradicting others, even their contradictions were incredibly foolish, consisting mostly of completely unrealistic daydreams.

Moreover, such an arrogant and rude tone, at first glance, does not sound like what a subject would say to a monarch; it could almost be considered a grave offense of disrespect.

However, Rambusha III had long been accustomed to such disrespectful remarks and remained unmoved. This not only demonstrated his tolerance and self-cultivation but also fully revealed the current state of the Kingdom of Riyesteje, where royal power had declined and the monarch's authority had been lost.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

—The Kingdom of Ri. Yestize is a human nation that has been established for nearly two hundred years and has the second largest population on the continent after the Slane Theocracy. However, it is also a decadent regime that is permeated with decay and chaos from the inside out, and seems to be on the verge of collapse.

The kingdom's political system is similar to the feudal lord system of medieval Europe on Earth. Of the country's territory, the royal family directly controls about 30%, the territories of the six great noble lords account for 40%, and the remaining land is owned by many minor nobles, autonomous cities, and semi-barbaric tribes that are nominally loyal to the kingdom. It is like a country within a country, with a weak central government and local forces maintaining a delicate balance with each other.

The country has never established a standing army; its armed forces mainly rely on the private guards of noble lords and temporarily conscripted armed peasants.

Although the royal family theoretically owns 30% of the country's land, this land is not contiguous but fragmented. Over time, the royal family's control over these directly governed territories has been steadily declining, and in many places, even taxes have gradually become uncollectible.

Despite the declining power of the royal family, kings were able to maintain control of the domestic political situation and preserve order by virtue of their status as monarchs and by exploiting the conflicts between local nobles and lords.

However, as time went on, most of the hereditary feudal lords of the Kingdom of Riyestege gradually formed a powerful political alliance known as the "Noble Faction," joining forces to suppress the royalists within the country and continuously weaken the power of the monarchy. Coupled with the monarchy's ineffective response, the authority of the monarch, or rather the central government, declined sharply in these years, and the country gradually descended into a state of anarchic chaos.

The current king of the Kingdom of Riyestija is Rambusha III, who has reigned for thirty-nine years and is now sixty years old.

While this king was neither incompetent nor cruel, he was not a particularly charismatic or wise ruler either.

Kind, gentle, and easily influenced.

Rambushe III was roughly that kind of person.

The qualities described above might be considered good in an ordinary person, but in a monarch, they would most likely lead to tragedy.

Therefore, under Lambusa III, the royal power of the Kingdom of Riyestege further declined, eventually reaching an astonishing state. The royal family even gradually lost control of the garrison of the capital, Lorenzo, and even the palace became unsafe.

Therefore, Rambushe III had no choice but to promote the commoner Ghaziev to the position of commander of the army and establish a new army loyal to the royal family.

However, due to the royal family's dire financial situation, the troops under Captain Gazef numbered only a few hundred, and their weapons and equipment were cobbled together. At first glance, they looked like bandits and outlaws, completely lacking the imposing appearance of a royal guard.

In recent years, King Rambusha III has become so corrupt that his decrees no longer extend beyond the capital or the palace; in fact, they have become largely ineffective even within the palace itself. The entire court is filled with cronies placed by powerful nobles, with very few truly loyal to the monarchy.

The reason this poor and mediocre king has not yet been overthrown is mainly because the aristocratic faction is not united. The six most powerful nobles in the country are evenly matched, mutually opposed and wary of each other, and none of them are a strong leader capable of subduing the masses and replacing the royal family. If anyone were to openly commit regicide or rebellion, they would become the target of everyone's wrath.

More importantly, the country's aristocracy as a whole was corrupt, arrogant, foolish, and incompetent, unable to effectively control the territories that nominally belonged to them. Even if they wanted to plot a coup, they lacked the drive and organization to do so.

Therefore, thanks to the conflicts and antagonism among powerful vassal states and the decline of the aristocratic class, King Rambusha III still had some room to survive.

On the other hand, no matter how weak the royal family of the Kingdom of Riyestij is, it is still a force to be reckoned with. It still has a few relatively reliable directly controlled territories within the country, such as the fortress city of Yelantil, which is the foundation of the royal family's strength to maintain its status.

Therefore, while the king and the royalists were deeply worried about the strange disturbances that had occurred in the fortress city of Ye-lantil, a directly controlled royal territory, the noble faction was gloating and even hoped that the chaos would escalate further, thereby further damaging the power and prestige of the royal family.

Despite these concerns, the aristocratic faction, which has gained the upper hand in the political struggle, is not yet ready to openly overthrow the monarchy, but they remain very much in agreement on the issue of further weakening royal power.

"...In my opinion, it is more likely that the mayor of the fortress city of Ye Lantier has betrayed his country and colluded with the Blood Emperor of the Bahars Empire, wanting to set a trap to bury our main reinforcements in one fell swoop, thereby ending the long-standing tug-of-war between the two countries?"

"...You mean, that so-called 'ancient king in the tomb' is a hoax concocted by imperial spies in collusion with traitors from our country? That doesn't make much sense, does it? Even if it was a trap to deal with reinforcements from the capital, it shouldn't have been made so absurd that no one would believe it!"

"...Who knows? Maybe the mayor was just too stupid? Or maybe the spies from the Empire made a foolish mistake?"

"...I think you're the one pretending to be stupid, aren't you?"

"...Think whatever you want, but the riots in the fortress city of Ye-Lantir are no joke!"

"...Alas, His Majesty truly lacks discernment. The lowly warrior captain he promoted against all precedent should have been sacrificed to repay the Emperor's favor, but recently he wandered around the border, wasting countless military funds, yet he couldn't find any trace of the Bahars Empire's invaders."

Now, in Ye Lantier, a fortified city crucial to national security, another such absurd mayor has emerged! Such an incompetent and shameless mediocre person should have been severely punished, demoted, and exiled long ago! It seems His Majesty has reached the age to retire!

"...That makes sense. His Majesty has indeed reached the age where he should be enjoying his retirement and should no longer worry about these tedious state affairs!"

So, the topic of the royal council somehow shifted from how to deal with the border rebellion to whether the king should abdicate!

Moreover, he did this in front of King Rambusha III, publicly stating that he was now senile and should abdicate!

Chapter 166, The Kingdom of Ri Yestize's Response (Part 2)

Seeing the absurd and ugly scenes at the royal council, Captain Gazef could only sigh helplessly, utterly despairing of the factional strife within the kingdom. In recent years, although the various noble factions in the country had been constantly fighting among themselves, they had become increasingly united in their efforts to suppress the royal power, and recently it had developed to the exaggerated point that "whatever the king approves, they must oppose."

Even if the king said milk was white, they would probably insist it was black...

However, even so, you cannot say to His Majesty that he is senile and force him to abdicate!

Where in the world can you find such a way of being a subject?!

Even if Rambushe III was kind, honest, and even a bit cowardly, he simply couldn't tolerate such mockery!

Didn't you see His Majesty the King on the throne? His face was flushed with anger, and the veins on his forehead were bulging.

Seeing the expectant look and veiled signal from King Rambusha III, Gazeta, who was not good with words, could only cough and force himself to speak:

"...Please wait a moment. Gentlemen, today's meeting seems to be about the border unrest. It wouldn't be appropriate to stray from that topic like this..."

He tried to correct the increasingly absurd imperial conference, but was immediately met with disgusted looks from the entire court.

—In the kingdom's officialdom, which was basically monopolized by nobles, the commoner-born warrior captain Gazef was naturally an outlier among outliers.

Relying solely on his swordsmanship skills, Gazef, who has no noble blood, has climbed to his current position. In the eyes of those nobles who have a long history and have always valued bloodlines above all else, he is like a nouveau riche who has become wealthy overnight through some unreasonable means, and naturally they find him extremely displeasing.

His swordsmanship, in particular, was unmatched in the country, which greatly intensified the hostility of the traditional nobility. For these nobles, who were of high status but utterly useless, the most intolerable thing was that someone of lowly status dared to be more skilled than themselves.

So, while they might have some reservations when facing the king, all the nobles were completely unrestrained in front of Gazeta.

Suddenly, the nobles who had been discussing and arguing all turned against Captain Gazef.

"...Shut up! Soldier Captain Gazef, is this a place for you to interrupt? We haven't even held you accountable for your failed mission yet!"

"...Yes, yes! You were ordered to go to the vicinity of the fortress city of Ye. Lantier to suppress the Bahars Empire cavalry who invaded the kingdom's borders and burned down the countryside! And what did you find? You came back with no shame. Can you call that fulfilling your duty?"

"...Speaking of which, not only did the Warrior Captain fail to find the invading Imperial Knights this time, but almost at the same time that the Warrior Captain returned from the border, an unidentified enemy army, or rather, a rebel, appeared on the outskirts of the fortress city of Ye. Lantier. Who knows if there is any connection between these events?"

"...Hmm, from this point of view, it does seem very suspicious! There must be something fishy going on!"

"...During the border operations, Captain Gazef should have also met with that rambling mayor of the fortress city of Ye. Lantier, right?"

"...This is becoming increasingly suspicious...It seems that Soldier Captain Gazef must undergo an investigation to fully prove his loyalty!"

"...Also, the men under Captain Gazef should naturally be investigated. Just in case, let's disarm and detain them now!"

Watching the nobles and ministers below endlessly arguing and attacking Captain Ghaznef, even going so far as to accuse him of treason and collusion with the enemy, King Rambusha III, seated on his throne, finally lost his temper. He trembled as he raised his scepter and slammed it forcefully onto the ground.

"...Alright, quiet! All of you shut up! I believe the Warrior Captain has not made any mistakes! Moreover, today's topic is how to deal with the riots in the villages surrounding the fortress city of Ye Lantier! Not anything else! Don't go off-topic!"

"...Hmm...If that's how Your Majesty sees it...Let's stop here for now."

Faced with King Rambushe III's blustering yet cowardly rage, the nobles in the hall exchanged glances and temporarily suppressed their mocking smiles.

However, the discussions continued to be unsuccessful. The king wanted to urge the nobles to send troops to help quell the rebellion, but the nobles were unwilling to expend their wealth and military strength without compensation. They either made excuses or demanded compensation from the king. However, sending troops to fight for the monarch was the most basic obligation of a vassal!

And so, a stalemate ensued. It wasn't until a new, devastating piece of news arrived that these people, still not fully engaged, were jolted awake from their reverie:

"...It's terrible! Your Majesty! My lords! The fortress city of Elantier has fallen! It has been conquered by the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown, who rose from the grave, and his demon army! This is the last letter the mayor sent before surrendering!"

A sweating messenger burst into the conference room, panting, "...and these are also letters of appeal from lords near the fortress city."

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

It wasn't until news of the fall of the fortress city of Ye Lantier arrived that the previously nonchalant and gloating nobles began to take things a little more seriously. As more intelligence about the "Magic King" and his army came from the front lines, everyone gradually became more serious.

However, although they were beginning to believe that the legend of the "Tomb King" in the fortress city of Ye Lantier was not fiction but had some basis in reality, they still discussed the matter in a tone of curiosity and casual conversation.

"...This [Sorcerer King] who suddenly appeared on the southeastern border, is he an ancient king resurrected from his grave? Does he want to restore the Kingdom of Nazarick from a thousand years ago? Damn it, was there ever such a kingdom near the fortress city of Yelantil a thousand years ago?"

"...Who knows? Even if the Six Great Gods, who represent the beginning of human history, descended, it was only six hundred years ago... Let alone a thousand years ago, there aren't any decent records of history from three or four hundred years ago, only some legends whose truth or falsehood is anyone's guess..."

"...Legend has it that two hundred years ago, before the Demon God Chaos broke out, there was a very advanced magic city on the Kaz Plain. It used many magical techniques left behind by the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings. Unfortunately, they have been completely lost now, and even the location of that magic city can no longer be found... As for a thousand years ago... who knows what the world was like back then?"

"...A thousand years ago, the six great gods had not yet descended, the Slane Theocracy had not been established, and we humans did not have our own civilization or kingdom. That should have been the era when dragon kings, elves, and beastmen ruled the world, right?"

"...Could it be...that this so-called Sorcerer King, who claims to have been asleep for a thousand years, is actually a wise dragon? Or perhaps an orc or an elf?"

"...Some witnesses claim he is immortal, while others suggest that this Sorcerer King may be human, or at least human in his previous life..."

"...I'm more inclined to believe this is a fraud. He must have discovered and occupied some ancient ruins with his accomplices, then violated the law to seize them for themselves, and even used the artifacts within the ruins to commit evil deeds, just like [Zhilanong] who caused the undead massacre twenty years ago! I remember that [Zhilanong] also first occupied an ancient ruin, gained immense power, and then sacrificed an entire city to the Grim Reaper..."

"...The evil organization [Zhranon]? Come to think of it, could this Sorcerer King have some connection with [Zhranon]? Right, when the fortress city of Yelantier fell, wasn't there a [Zhranon] necromancer who summoned a large number of undead to wreak havoc? Although the report says that this guy has nothing to do with the Sorcerer King, judging from the development of the situation, he seems to be an ally or subordinate of the Sorcerer King!"

"...But wasn't that necromancer from [Zhilanong] publicly hanged by the Sorcerer King in the streets of Yelantil afterward?"

"...How do you know that the guy who was hanged on the streets of Ye Lantier was definitely that necromancer, and not some nobody from somewhere? With that Sorcerer King's power, finding a scapegoat wouldn't be difficult for him?"

"...Besides, even if he really did hang that necromancer, it doesn't prove anything. Aren't allies sabotaging each other allies all too often?"

……

Seeing that the royal council was about to turn into a casual tea party, King Rambusha III had no choice but to angrily slam his scepter again, ordering his ministers to return the discussion to how to deal with the strategic situation after the fall of the fortress city of Yelantil.

The nobles and courtiers did not object to this, but in reality, from a strategic perspective, there was nothing to discuss. The Kingdom of Riyestege could only offer two solutions:

Alternatively, they could simply accept their fate, send envoys to the Sorcerer King to acknowledge his occupation of the area surrounding the fortress city of Ye.Lantir, and then redraw the borders, making this newly born small nation a buffer state between the Kingdom of Ri.Estize and the Bahars Empire.

Alternatively, they could launch a counterattack, assembling a large army in the capital to launch a counterattack on the fortress city of Yelantil and restore everything to its former state.

Clearly, as the party most directly affected, King Rambusha III believed that the fall of the royal domain of Ye Lantier was unacceptable and that the dignity of the kingdom should not be insulted. He felt that the entire nation should mobilize its resources and send a large army eastward to conquer the lost territory.

However, the nobles of Anxie, who were used to contradicting King Rambusha III, showed little interest in this campaign and seemed to have become pacifists.

On the one hand, they were all happy to see anything that could weaken the power of the royal family; on the other hand, they were reluctant to mobilize the whole country and gather a large army, expending the manpower and financial resources of their own territories, just to help Lambusa III reclaim a directly controlled territory of the royal family.