Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Rumors in the Royal Capital

In the Frankish Royal Capital, Louis III stared grimly at the report handed to him by a subordinate.

Earl Daniel also wore a slightly worried expression. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Have you found out? Who started this rumor?" Louis III demanded of Earl Daniel.

"Well... Your Majesty, all the leads have gone cold, and the news has already spread. It’s all up to the Prince now..." Earl Daniel replied, looking slightly awkward.

By rights, as the Chancellor, Earl Daniel was to bear the primary responsibility for this matter.

In the past few days, a rumor had begun to spread from an unknown source: the Kingdom’s Prince Noah and the enemy’s Fourth Prince were to have a decisive battle on the Western Front.

This explosive news ignited the patriotic fervor of the Franks in the Royal Capital. Throughout the Frank Kingdom, from commoner to noble, all strata of society were filled with hatred for the Beastmen.

The enmity between them had spanned generations without end. The appearance of both sides’ princes on the Western Front now ignited a frenzy of gossip.

Nothing was more satisfying than seeing an enemy utterly crushed, especially an ancestral foe like the Beastmen.

Suddenly, news that Prince Noah was fighting for the nation and that His Highness was one with the people spread through every street and alley. The populace all but deified him.

Under normal circumstances, Louis III wouldn’t have cared; he might have even fanned the flames. After all, the greater Noah’s reputation, the smoother his path to inheriting the Kingdom.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case now, because Prince Noah was truly on the Western Front and was genuinely about to lead a campaign.

This was the kind of news that should have been spread after Prince Noah had already achieved something, yet now, rumors were flying everywhere before he had even set out.

Originally, the expectations were manageable: a minor victory for Prince Noah would have been seen as a major one, a draw as a minor victory, and a small loss as normal.

But now that the rumors were out, the situation had changed instantly. News from the Royal Capital would quickly spread to all corners of the Kingdom, and soon, countless eyes from across the nation would be fixed on Prince Noah.

The pressure was now squarely on Prince Noah. He didn’t just have to win; he had to defeat their Fourth Prince.

But this was practically impossible. On the front lines, Prince Noah could, at best, mobilize the Kingdom’s Standing Army. The opposing Fourth Prince, however, was a bona fide Commander-in-Chief. It was a completely uneven fight.

"Forget it. Now is not the time to dwell on that. My dear Chancellor, who do you think can help Noah accomplish this mission?" Louis III asked with a frown.

’There’s no need to guess who’s behind this. Only a few families have both the power and the motive.’

Unfortunately, given the current situation, Louis III couldn’t make a move against any of them.

Upon hearing Louis III’s question, Daniel couldn’t help but frown as well.

’That’s a difficult question indeed. Who is capable of completing this task?’

’I do know one person, but he’s currently on the central front... and the King probably wouldn’t be too happy to see him.’

"Perhaps... Count Fernando has the ability?" Daniel asked, a little uncertainly, sensing the tense atmosphere in the room.

Fernando was one of the few truly capable commanders under Louis III. While it was still unlikely he could accomplish the mission, he could at least prevent Prince Noah from suffering a disastrous defeat.

Louis III rested his forehead in his hand, disappointed. The name was the same one he had been thinking of.

"Then arrange for Fernando to go to the Western Front. Make sure he takes plenty of troops."

....

「Meanwhile, in Devil City」 The royal banners had become exceptionally popular there lately. The rumors from the Royal Capital had now reached this major frontline city.

The King, for his part, had spared no expense to support his son, dispatching three hundred members of the Royal Guard Knight Order as reinforcements, with more of the Standing Army still on the way.

Within the council chamber on the top floor of Devil City’s administrative hall—which had been converted into the Kingdom’s Western Front command headquarters after a recent battle—Prince Noah was delivering a passionate speech.

He was, of course, aware of the events in the Royal Capital. Prince Noah knew someone was putting him on the hot seat.

But no matter how mature Prince Noah tried to be, he was still a young man. Whenever he went out and saw the looks of reverence in his subjects’ eyes, a heroic fervor would surge within him, an emotion he carried directly into the meeting.

"Therefore, the Kingdom needs true warriors! The Franks have never been passive cowards!" Prince Noah declared passionately.

’The dream of clashing spears and armored horses, of commanding a great army, is about to become reality.’ Even as Prince Noah warned himself to stay calm, his head still felt hot with excitement.

Unfortunately, one look at the nobles’ reactions made it clear they weren’t buying it.

Everyone present was a shrewd operator. In terms of age, perhaps only Valentino was his peer, but even she couldn’t empathize with him at this moment.

Everyone understood the current situation: it was not yet time for a counteroffensive. The war Prince Noah wanted to wage was a purely political one.

If Prince Noah possessed the skill of Marshal Grantham, no one would have objected. They wouldn’t have minded following him to serve the Kingdom and picking up some easy military honors along the way.

But Prince Noah clearly wasn’t at that level. Although he had previously claimed a great victory, killing over ten thousand enemies, everyone present knew just how inflated those numbers were.

Seeing the atmosphere grow cold, Marquis Oscillate stood up and began to applaud the Prince with a smile.

"His Majesty the King has personally issued a decree, requiring us to cooperate with Prince Noah’s operation. The Kingdom has been at war for so long; we need a great victory to bolster the morale of our people."

"All of you are loyal subjects of the King, the very pillars of our Kingdom. I trust you all understand what is best for the realm," Marquis Oscillate said.

’Can’t be helped,’ he thought. ’I did take the King’s money, after all. And accepting payment without delivering is hardly the conduct of a gentleman.’

’Honestly, I feel like I’ve been screwed. If I had known it would come to this, I would have demanded more interest from the King.’

The attending nobles, as if waking from a dream, began to chime in with their agreement one after another.

With Marquis Oscillate having spoken, the attendees clearly changed their tune.

If it were only a decree from the King, they could have weathered the pressure together. If it were only Marquis Oscillate, they could have simply ignored him.

But now that these two powerhouses were aligned, even the most entrenched high nobles had to take the matter seriously.

After all, no one was strong enough to withstand the consequences of offending two of the Kingdom’s most powerful figures at once.

At least, they could no longer openly oppose the idea. But that didn’t matter. Most of the nobility’s games weren’t played out in the open; there were countless ways to be uncooperative.

That is, unless Marquis Oscillate was truly willing to expend the immense effort to join forces with the King and conduct a major purge of the Western Front’s nobility.

But that was virtually impossible. While the relationship between the two men wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t good enough for something like that.

Watching the nobles applaud, Prince Noah breathed an inward sigh of relief.

’With the support of these Western Front nobles, my life here will be much easier. I’ll release the funds from the Kingdom immediately. That should make them feel indebted to me quickly.’

’I just hope this will be enough to make these parasites cooperate for now. Otherwise, my future here looks anything but optimistic.’