NOVEL NEXT Chapter 327
The Emperor Commodus issued a command to summon his army.
Not an army assembled through other lords, but the one established and trained with the country’s funds by the Emperor himself. The Emperor’s Imperial Guards.
Sure, gathering forces from other lords would amass a greater number, but that would take time, and he didn’t trust their commands to be followed, so he opted for his personally trained army.
Of course, the scale of his forces was smaller than that of an army gathered from other lords. However, the Emperor felt a great sense of security knowing that this army would heed only his orders.
“Indeed, it seems wise to follow your suggestion. After all, giving summons to other lords would lead to half-hearted compliance or outright defiance,” he mused.
“A sword only the Emperor can wield. Isn’t that splendid?”
Nodding slightly, the Emperor acknowledged the elder’s words.
A pompous knight order or a lord’s army thrown together from various nobles wouldn’t compare to this.
When the Emperor commanded, it felt like his elite soldiers would leap into hell itself. The Emperor’s Imperial Guards.
With this force, they could easily suppress the elves and dwarves in that small city and seize control.
Thus, a confident smile spread across the Emperor’s face.
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“Do you really think that will work?”
“Of course, you wouldn’t know. You could hardly find a scrap of military talent, hardly worth a toenail,” came the retort.
In a room lit by a dim candle, several people were gathered around a large table, engaged in conversation.
They hid their faces under hoods as if to disguise their identities, but they all recognized each other.
These were the esteemed nobility affiliated with the North Romania Empire.
Grand nobles leading factions from all over the land. While they usually looked like they were ready to devour one another, today they shared one common thought as they convened.
“This won’t end well…”
“What can a mere few thousand Imperial Guards do against elves and dwarves? Even summoning the power of North Romania might not guarantee success!”
“You’re clearly trying to ruin the nation!”
The nobles voiced their grievances, all brimming with discontent towards the Emperor.
“The bigger problem is, should it go terribly wrong, the South Romania won’t sit idly by.”
“They desperately want to strip North Romania of its legitimacy.”
North Romania, holding the capital, Sirius, possessed far greater legitimacy than the south.
They were unifying numerous nobles based on that legitimacy.
Thus, South Romania, despite its immense wealth compared to the north, couldn’t take action against it.
“If the Emperor’s Imperial Guards suffer annihilation, it won’t weaken the southern border… but the real issue lies with the elves and dwarves.”
“Up until now, we’ve managed to coexist without any major issues, but if the Emperor strikes first, we’ll have to prepare for their retaliation.”
From the North Romanian perspective, focusing on South Romania while just keeping an eye on the Rattkinia and nomads would change dramatically with the addition of the elves and dwarves as foes.
To make matters worse, neither the elves nor the dwarves could be stopped even if all the military strength of North Romania was concentrated against them.
“Clearly, issues will arise,” one noble remarked.
“Ugh… this is incredibly troublesome.”
The Emperor was a fool who repeatedly caused trouble while fooling around with his army; there was typically no need to worry.
It was all within North Romania. The foolish Emperor was just being his usual foolish self, indifferent to whether his subjects suffered, as long as he didn’t create monumental problems.
However, this time was different.
With the Rattkinia as allies from South Romania, stretching their defensive lines made things even more complicated; now elves and dwarves were becoming enemies?
It felt like two sharp knives were pointed at the back of their necks.
This was something that absolutely should not happen.
“Indeed, we’ll have to take action.”
“Is there a good plan?”
As the elder noble, seated in a place of honor, spoke, all eyes turned to him.
He was the most powerful of all nobles under the fool Emperor, and surely he must have a good idea.
Usually, a foe they’d keep watch over, but now felt reliable in this situation.
“It seems the time has come to dethrone the Emperor.”
“Dethrone the Emperor?!”
“Are you suggesting treason?!”
Whispers of unrest swept through the room at those words.
Dethroning the Emperor. Treason.
Everyone knew the gravity of those words.
“How could… such a thing…”
“Yet, it’s an unavoidable choice.”
“We can’t leave that fool Emperor as he is…”
Some among them agreed, others wished to deny it, but they all focused on one idea.
The word they had deliberately been avoiding: treason.
Its weight was anything but light.
“Clearly, this is something that can’t be done during peaceful times. However, if we leave him as is, North Romania will cease to exist.”
“But… treason…”
“I’m aware. Thus, I shall bear the responsibility.”
Once more, a murmur of surprise filled the space.
The leader of the greatest noble faction claims to take responsibility?
“Once everything is settled and resolved, I shall retire and pass my title to my son. He has matured, so the time is ripe.”
“But…”
“Do you think I’d suggest treason without the resolve to go through with it? Absolutely not.”
The nobles nodded in agreement.
Some nobles chuckled inwardly at what he said, but they maintained their composure.
Who wouldn’t find it funny if a towering figure in North Romania’s political landscape stepped down voluntarily?
“If we can pull it off, wonderful. But how do we proceed with dethroning him?”
“Time is of the essence. If that fool Emperor leads the Imperial Guards to attack Betelgeuse, we’d be too late.”
“Indeed, urgency is critical.”
The elder noble surveyed the room filled with nobles and then spoke.
“In this situation, we can only work on the Imperial Guards.”
“The Imperial Guards?”
“But they follow only the Emperor’s commands. How can we manipulate them?”
The Emperor’s Imperial Guards—his exclusive army—took orders solely from him.
Though they might follow the foolish Emperor’s commands, they were trained well enough to be beyond the reach of a disorganized lord’s army.
“Even if we summon troops right now, it would be too late.”
“What about using the knight order?”
“They won’t move easily.”
“Then how do we manage the Imperial Guards?”
All eyes turned toward the elder noble.
He opened his mouth to speak.
“Didn’t everyone place someone within the Imperial Guards?”
At those words, the nobles momentarily gasped.
“That’s…”
“Let’s discuss this openly. Surely everyone planted someone within the Imperial Guards with some influence.”
None of the nobles could respond; it was indeed the truth.
Anyone with considerable power would have thought to have an informant within the Emperor’s Imperial Guards to keep track of their movements.
“Let’s use them. It’s better for the Emperor’s army to rebel against him than for us to topple the Imperial Guards directly and commit treason.”
“Indeed… if we say this is a rebellion against the Emperor’s orders, it would lessen our liability.”
Directly committing treason was a perilous matter.
Those involved would forever bear the label of traitors, carrying the stigma indefinitely.
Thus, using the Imperial Guards was the answer.
“If we gather the informants planted by the nobles here, we’ll have dozens to work with. We’ll spread rumors through them.”
“Rumors?”
“That the Emperor has gone insane and is about to pick a fight with the Church of Life.”
Rumors become stronger with more visibility.
Spreading the news that the Emperor has gone mad and is making an unwise choice would wield tremendous influence.
And most importantly, all of it would be true.
“The Emperor’s lust is leading him to target the beautiful elves and dwarves, planning to attack Betelgeuse, followed by the suppression and closure of the Church of Life… Hmm, perhaps I should throw in something more dramatic…”
“What if we involved the Dragon Priestess in the dramatic narrative?”
“The Dragon Priestess?”
“Yes, it’s been said one has been discovered recently.”
The Dragon Priestess—the saint of the Church of Life.
Her name carried significant weight.
“Indeed… if it’s the Dragon Priestess, she’d be capable of overturning the entire Imperial Guards. So let’s also mix in the rumor that the Emperor seeks her hand, intending to shut down all temples of the Church of Life in North Romania.”
Nodding, the elder noble spoke again.
“Now, let’s disperse. We have much work to do. Each of you should handle spreading the rumors regarding your informants in the Imperial Guards. Once rumors spread regarding the Dragon Priestess, the Church of Life won’t remain idle either… We might just thwart that foolish Emperor.”
Thus, the nobility of North Romania resolved to commit treason against the foolish Emperor.