Chapter 93

The high-ranking official of the Ponsonia Kingdom's Interior Ministry hurried to the conference room.

The "Imperial Council" starting at 10:00 in the morning is a regular meeting attended by the King of Ponsonia. The topics discussed here often concern the entire country, and not a single day can be missed. Moreover, the meeting lasts only two hours.

At 9:30, the high-ranking official arrived at the large conference room.

"Hmm."

There was a throne for the king, and chairs were arranged in a semicircle around it, designated as "free seats."

These chairs were arranged in five rows, and those who couldn't get a seat had to stand from a distance.

Even though it was 30 minutes before the meeting, nearly 50 seats were almost filled.

"May I take a seat?"

"No, this is for my colleague—"

"Oh, thank you. I might miss some information if I stand."

The high-ranking official boldly took a seat. The person was probably from the Ministry of Finance, but he couldn't care less. His cousin was a marquis. There was nothing he could do even if the other person got angry.

If he couldn't get a seat, he might not hear the whispers of the royal attendants or the high-ranking nobles.

(I guess I need to come at 9:00 from now on. Everyone has been on edge lately...)

The attention to this Imperial Council was higher than ever.

Therefore, the high-ranking official wanted to bring back information for the princess Kujastria, whom he directly served. It wasn't out of "loyalty" or anything. He was far from the next king, the crown prince. He was just trying to find a way to advance his career through indirect means.

"His Majesty the King, entering."

At exactly 10:00, the king arrived.

The room was already filled with many standing spectators.

The main nobles—the crown prince, dukes, and marquises—were seated in the "designated seats" behind the king's throne.

Even the captain of the knights was present in the corner of the room.

"Hmm... Thank you all for your hard work this morning."

The man who entered had large, piercing eyes. His cheekbones were prominent, his hair had lost its luster, and it was almost entirely white.

He looked like he had aged ten years in recent times.

He seemed to be crushed by the luxurious red clothing he wore.

Until recently, he was always surrounded by women and seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Let's begin."

"Yes."

Standing next to the king was not the head of the Interior Ministry or any of the ministers, but the chief royal attendant.

Having successfully won the king's favor, he had become the one to preside over this Imperial Council.

"First, the movements of Gafrausti Nui Barbus."

"!"

The king gripped the armrest of his chair and leaned forward.

"He has already been stripped of his noble title!"

"Yes, that is correct. I will report on the movements of the traitor Gafrausti."

"Hmm."

The king knew that the chief royal attendant was deliberately mentioning the title "Nui" (Viscount). The high-ranking official thought it was intentional. The king showed great interest in this issue, and supporting Gafrausti would make one an enemy of the king—this was what the chief royal attendant wanted to demonstrate.

"Gafrausti, who suddenly claimed the right to the throne of the Ponsonia Kingdom, is now residing in Mount Elka."

The high-ranking official quickly took notes and recalled.

The main reason why Ponsonia had to stop its invasion of the Quinbrand Empire and retreat.

Gafrausti's claim that he was "a descendant of the legitimate Ponsonia dynasty" was also made in this Imperial Council.

The evidence and speculations presented one after another were so overwhelming that no one could speak for a while.

When the king said, "Capture and kill this man," everyone started moving.

But the Margrave of Grugshult stood up and shouted, "Do not move, knights." The knights guarding the meeting room were intimidated by the threats of this military heavyweight. Then the Margrave said, "It's an interesting opinion, and it should be investigated."

"Mount Elka? Isn't that Grugshult's territory?"

"Yes, it is."

"Are they in cahoots?"

"The investigation is not yet complete."

Mount Elka, where Gafrausti had fled, was the territory of the Margrave of Grugshult.

Gafrausti, who had committed treason by challenging the king's legitimacy, managed to escape from the capital with the support of Grugshult.

His whereabouts were unknown afterward, but it was likely that he was under Grugshult's protection.

The Margrave of Grugshult, whose territory bordered the Quinbrand Empire, had a powerful military. Although his territory was not part of the invasion route, he was exempt from the duty of sending troops, claiming it was to prepare for a counterattack.

Conversely, the capital was left with fewer troops due to the deployment, making it impossible to suppress the Margrave of Grugshult.

By the time the royal army, including the "Sword Saint" Lawrence, returned to the capital, the Margrave of Grugshult had already returned to his territory.

"Who else has sided with Gafrausti?"

"Yes—"

In response to the king's question, the chief royal attendant provided the answer. One count, three viscounts, and eleven barons.

These were the people who, despite being summoned to the capital after the incident, had not come, citing "illness" or "troubles in their territories."

(... They might really be sick or have troubles, but they are labeled as 'enemies' anyway.)

The high-ranking official felt gloomy. The king seemed to be overly sensitive about this matter.

"Is Lawrence here!"

"Yes, I am here, Your Majesty."

"Lead the knights and bring back Grugshult's head. Can you do it?"

The directness of the question sent a shock through the room.

(No, no, no, what? Domestic deployment? Is he serious?)

Moreover, the target was a margrave. Even if Lawrence was the "Sword Saint," could he take on the elite army within the kingdom?

However, Lawrence showed no signs of hesitation.

"I can."

"Good, then—"

"Please wait."

A young voice was heard.

The Crown Prince Austlin, with a cool expression and a look of disdain in his eyes, spoke up.

"What is it, Austlin?"

"Your Majesty's anger is justified. Grugshult, like Gafrausti, is a fool who has turned against you. However, he is not an opponent worth the 'Sword Saint' to personally defeat."

"Are you suggesting something?"

"Yes. Grugshult foolishly said he wants to 'investigate Gafrausti's claims.' We should tell him to 'come and be investigated.'"

"Nonsense! It's just a pretext. He won't come."

"That's fine. The king, in his magnanimity, will offer to 'investigate'—of course, it's a ridiculous claim, but he will offer to 'investigate' to the rebels. As the king predicted, Grugshult will not come. This will expose him as a liar. —Grugshult is popular in the military for his 'honest character.' If we can tarnish his reputation before the attack, we can prevent confusion in the military after the attack."

The high-ranking official inwardly nodded in admiration.

The Crown Prince might have received advice from someone, but he seemed to have his own thoughts. It was a win-win idea. This should be done—

"No."

"—Your Majesty, what did you just say?"

"I said no such 'investigation' will take place. No clever tricks either."

The Crown Prince was taken aback and couldn't find a counterargument.

The high-ranking official was also surprised. No one believed Gafrausti's claims. It was even surprising that Grugshult trusted him—this was the general sentiment in the capital. Therefore, the Crown Prince's suggestion was brilliant. It was also a chance to show the king's "magnanimity."

Yet, the king rejected the suggestion.

(... Is he that upset? Because the chance to crush the empire was ruined?)

The high-ranking official didn't know.

Gafrausti's claims were true, and the man on the throne was not a descendant of the Ponsonia royal family. Only the king was aware of this, and he feared even a mere "investigation" as a performance.

"Lawrence!"

"Yes."

"Leave the capital today and defeat Grugshult!!"

"Yes."

"Father! At least gather more information first. The special forces are skilled in information gathering. Lowering Grugshult's reputation for the future—"

"No. The special forces will not be involved."

"Father!"

"Go, Lawrence!"

"Yes."

Lawrence saluted and left the room.

The conference room buzzed with excitement. It had been decades since such a large-scale internal conflict—almost a civil war—had occurred.

(... What?)

The high-ranking official was puzzled.

The Crown Prince's suggestion was reasonable. The "special forces" that the king had raised were idle, so it would be better to use them for information gathering. Sending Lawrence directly was risky.

("Not involved"...? That's strange. They are supposed to be active on the front lines of war, but they didn't participate in the recent invasion of Quinbrand. So, they should be idle... Maybe they have another mission?)

The high-ranking official thought, but he couldn't think of any mission that would require the special forces.

The only big news recently, besides the invasion of Quinbrand, was the "assassination of Count Morgstadt."

(But the culprit was the count's daughter... and she was kidnapped or something, right? —I heard the special forces were involved in that... But it's not worth chasing her for so long, is it?)

As the high-ranking official pondered,

"Ahem. Silence."

The chief royal attendant continued the meeting with a detached expression.

"Next, about the breeding of monsters, a summer tradition. In the Wun El Portan Great Forest, where the borders of our kingdom, the empire, and the Forestia Union meet, the number of monsters has been increasing since spring and is expected to overflow again this year. We usually send the military to cull them—"

"Not this year. Let the adventurers handle it."

"Yes, understood."

The task of culling monsters.

This was a training exercise for soldiers during peacetime.

This year, with the current situation, the military would be kept in the capital. The task would be given to the Adventurer's Guild.

Thus, the Imperial Council ended, and Ponsonia entered a period of internal conflict.

This was the information from the Ponsonia side.

Next time, we will return to the Union.