Although only half a month had passed, that was Gazef’s impression after comparing the King’s current appearance after his return with the one from before his departure.
His own beloved monarch. That head was already scattered with pale white hair, the emaciated body was beyond being described as healthy even as a compliment, and his facial complexion was also very poor. The hand holding the scepter was as thin as a twig, and the crown on his head seemed quite heavy.
After his reign of thirty-nine years, he was now sixty years old. Originally it was already time to abdicate the throne to a successor, but the problem lay in the fact that there was no suitable successor to choose from.
It was not that there were no princes who could be the successor. Although there were two princes, they were not qualified by far. If his abdication were to happen now, they would definitely become a puppet of the greater nobles.
The old man announced in a weak voice:
“Warrior Captain, it is truly splendid you were able to return safely.”
“Yes! Thank you very much, your Majesty!”
Hearing these words of concern, Gazef bowed deeply as he replied.
“Ah, of course we have already received the report, but we would still request the Warrior Captain to personally give a detailed explanation of the incident, and what exactly happened.”
(TL-Note: Gazef’s proper rank amended to “Warrior Captain”.)
“As your Majesty commands.”
Gazef explained in depth the events that took place in Carne Village after he had left the capital to the King. He went into particular detail about the mysterious magic caster of the name of Ainz Ooal Gown, but didn’t mention the suspected espionage by the Slane Theocracy. This was because in Gazef’s judgment, only a few individuals needed to know about this, and the circumstances were not appropriate to reveal it here.
Therefore Gazef talked extensively about the heroic deeds of the man he encountered and how that man risked his life to save the villagers from danger.
“This really is a beautiful story. Selflessly placing himself in danger to rescue the weak…”
The King’s sentence was filled with praise, causing several nobles to utter contemptuous remarks about this Ainz Ooal Gown.
A problematic and suspicious individual.
An eccentric person who did not dare reveal his true face to the public.
A magic caster with an odd name.
Eventually there even arose an opinion that he had orchestrated this attack in order to promote himself.
Gazef had to restrain himself from showing anger. He felt ashamed for being unable to utter a single word in defence of his benefactor who was criticised like this.
Of course, there was a good reason for this. Because the nobles who were cynical towards his benefactor had one thing in common: they all belonged to the large group known as the Greater Nobility Faction.
The Kingdom of Re‧Estize was a feudal state with the king controlling thirty percent of the territory, the greater nobles holding another thirty percent and the remaining forty percent being controlled by the other, lesser nobles.. Right now, the kingdom was internally divided into two camps, competing day and night against each other in a power struggle.
One side supported the monarchy, while the other side, which supported the Greater Nobility faction, included more than half of the six greater nobles. Although they were in the presence of the King, this place had also become an extension of their fighting, a battleground for the two competing factions.
Because of this, being of the pro-monarchy faction and also a confidant of the King, Gazef was unwilling to casually interject. He knew that his clumsy manner of speech had no chance of arguing successfully against these nobles, therefore it was necessary to avoid slipping up and giving others the chance to use his own words against him.
…The Slane Theocracy’s covert operatives were able to grasp our movements and appear at a timely moment… this indicates a spy has probably infiltrated the inner workings of the Kingdom. If this is the case, perhaps it is someone among the six greater nobles…
Gazef’s eyesight drifted towards one particular person amongst the ranks of nobility, a noble with a particularly cold gaze.
This person had his blonde hair tied to the back and a pair of slender blue eyes.
His skin had the unhealthy white coloration that suggested it was rarely exposed to sunlight. His lanky figure gave the impression of a viper.
Although his age should not have reached forty, his appearance looked exceptionally older because of that unhealthy skin tone.
He was one of the six great nobles, called Lord Raven. He constantly switched between the two factions like a bat in order to further his own profits. He was also a noble who covertly approached the King’s second prince.
If there is a traitor to the Kingdom, it should be this fellow right?
Noticing Gazef’s gaze, Lord Raven curled his lips which were already very thin. Seeing that kind of provocative attitude, Gazef’s expression became even more rigid.
“With that, the Warrior Captain’s report ends here. There are other important matters which need to be decided upon.”
The king declared, feeling a little exhausted, telling the nobles to back off for the time being. Gazef walked to the King’s side and surveyed the nobles. As a personally trusted subject of the King, he was long accustomed to unpleasant stares.
“Well then, in accordance with usual yearly custom, we shall war with the Empire in a few months time. This is the next item on today’s agenda. Lord Raven, explain to everybody.”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
Like a ghost, the man silently walked up and began to explain in a soft voice.
Nobody made a noise. Not only did he have influence over both factions, he was also the one with the most power amongst the six nobles. Nobody dared making an enemy out of him.
No objections were made as Lord Raven went through the planned course of action and who would send out how many soldiers. After he finished explaining, he smiled frivolously at the King and bowed:
“—The report has been concluded.”
“Thank you, Lord Raven. Does anyone have anything they wish to say?”
Once again the room became noisy, with whispers being exchanged.
“This time it is our turn to repel the opponent. With that, let us then proceed to directly counter-attack the Empire.”
“Absolutely correct. I’ve pretty much become tired of only merely repelling the Empire.”
“That’s true. Let those imperial fools experience our worst.”
“Correct, Earl-sama, just as you say.”
The room resounded with the merry laughter of the men wearing fine clothing.
Stop dreaming. If it were possible to refute in such a way, who knew how much fun it would be.
The Kingdom and the forces of the neighbouring Empire would meet every year on the battleground at Kaze plains.
Until this date, neither side had suffered too serious injuries, but that was because the Empire never committed its full forces. If there was any real intent to topple the Kingdom, there would be no need at all to set camp at Kaze plains and wait for the Kingdom’s army to arrive.