The King nodded deeply, and Gazef suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
“Is that so… well, if that’s the case… then you shall come along as well.”
“Yes! Allow me to present the false emperor’s head to you, Father!”
As he listened to Barbro’s enthusiastic reply, Gazef could only hope that the impending preparations would blow away the clouds of unease forming over his heart.
Marquis Raeven’s political ability was second to none among the Six Great Nobles, so one would expect that the office where he showed his abilities would be an impressive one. Yet, this was not the case. Many would be surprised by how the orders which determined the future of the Kingdom were drafted in such a humble, cramped place.
The room’s interior was filled with bookshelves, and the books and scrolls were neatly arranged in a way that hinted at their owner’s personality. However, it was not because of these things that the room was so small, although they were part of the reason for it.
The greatest reason could not be seen by the naked eye.
Raeven’s home was built of bricks coated in stucco. This was customary when it came to the construction of a noble home, and Raeven’s office was no exception.
However, the interior of those walls were coated with copper sheets that enveloped the entire room.
This was done to interfere with spells used to eavesdrop, observe or detect his location.
The windowless room felt a little claustrophobic, but from a cost-effectiveness point of view, it was practical and had to be endured.
Upon returning from Valencia Palace, Raeven had made a beeline for this office, which was proofed against magic. He crossed to the other side of his sturdy working desk before flopping down onto his chair, his body devoid of energy.
Then, he covered his face with his hands. He did not look anything like a great noble who commanded unrivalled power and privilege in the Kingdom. Instead, he looked like a middle-aged man, worn down to exhaustion by the weight of stress and responsibility.
He brought up the limp strands of his blonde hair in his fingers, combing them back up as his face twisted.
After taking a deep breath, the stress accumulated during the court session turned to anger, which filled his heart. In moments it had exceeded his limit, and burst forth like an explosion.
“Those bloody, bloody, bloody idiots!”
Nobody understood what was going on. No, if someone had understood and was taking advantage of the situation, they would be masterful schemers indeed.
Right now, the Kingdom was in great peril.
The Empire’s frequent sabre-rattling lead to severe problems such as food shortages, and then there were other issues that were starting to precipitate. The only reason why no cracks in the Kingdom had appeared so far was because the nobles honestly believed “we just need to hold on a bit longer until the other faction collapses first”.
The Empire employed professional warriors known as knights, but the Kingdom had no equivalent soldiers among their ranks. To resist the Imperial invasions, they needed to conscript peasants in their levies. And of course, this meant that the villages would run short of manpower.
With that as their objective, the Empire aimed to invade the Kingdom during fall, the harvest season, when they would need the most manpower.
During the busiest season of a farming village, the impact of their adult males ― the most important source of labor ― going missing could not be overstated. Of course, the idea of simply not conscripting as many people had come to mind, but in the face of the Empire’s military, who were far better trained and armed, the Kingdom could not muster any resistance without the weight of numbers on their side.
There had been one occasion when a lack of conscripts had resulted in a tremendous loss for the Kingdom. Fortunately, the counterattack led by Gazef had succeeded, killing two of the original Four Knights and putting an end to the war, since both sides had won and lost. However, the truth was that the national power of the Kingdom had decreased, and in light of the many citizens lost, the Kingdom had come out on the losing side of the equation.
And even during these circumstances…
“That traitorous filth! This foolish power struggle! Those idiots, fighting over a stupid seat!”
Marquis Volumlash, one of the Six Great Nobles, had betrayed the Kingdom by selling its information to the Empire. The nobles had split into two factions and were struggling for dominance. Both princes were eying the succession like dogs feuding over a bone.
Marquis Raeven pounded on his desk repeatedly, venting his anger.
“The King’s no better either! He’s no fool and he’s not drunk on power, but he isn’t thinking at all!
The way he’s clinging onto the throne will only fan the flames of the succession crisis to greater heights! Princess Renner gave him a good opportunity by making things favorable for the Royal faction, so he should hurry up and transfer power already!”
During the demonic disturbance, the one who had encouraged the king to take the field personally was Princess Renner.
Because of that, the Royal faction’s influence had increased greatly, and they should have been able to put Prince Zanack on the throne if they had advocated it then and there. However―
“It ended up like this because he pitied his first son. It’s not like I don’t understand his feelings, but nobody’s thinking about what’s important! Nobody at all!”
Strictly speaking, this was not true. There were people in the Kingdom who thought of the future and what was important for the country. The problem was that all of them were in Raeven’s camp.
He should not have concentrated them all under his wing. Instead, he should have carefully disseminated them throughout the other factions and had them influence the leaders from the inside.
However, his irritation was not aimed at himself for not doing this earlier, but at the members of the other factions, whose brainlessness was giving him headaches.
“Idiots, each and every one of them!”
Raeven shouted in frustration as he called them to mind, these simpletons who could only see the bait dangling in front of them, whose intellect was no better than goblins.
“―Even so, what should I do? Think, Raeven, think!”
Raeven’s frustration grew as his breathing calmed.
He had to think of how to keep the Kingdom going, even in the face of the dangers ahead.
“To begin with, this war with the Empire is dangerous, especially if that Ainz Ooal Gown commands great power. I should start by assuming he can cause over 10'000 casualties by himself before I begin strategic planning. Then at the same time, I’ll push for the prince to be the next king… Will that be too difficult? ”
Raeven spoke the words on his mind out loud while he organized his thoughts. Honestly, he wanted to share this matter with someone and discuss it with them.
That was why Raeven supported Prince Zanack. The Second Prince was his only ally ―though there was now another person, Princess Renner― amongst the royals. Both of them understood the danger which the Kingdom faced, and he considered her a comrade in arms when it came to planning for the future.