6 [1-6] Audience (2/2)

”I will!　With the sword given to me by the king and the honor of the Order, I will defeat the abominable monster and show it to you!

Lawrence looked blatantly relieved, and then he seemed to steel himself.

He's determined not to fail a second time.

”Time, my king. Something from the Federation: ......

Oh, right.

Lawrence asked, seemingly having completed his main business, but too curious to not ask.

Hilbert gave him a thin smile.

Nothing yet. They must be turning blue by now. They'll never get a single piece of scrap iron from our mines.

The Kingdom of Ciel-Teirah has close ties to the Federation of Gileshthal, a major power to the west.

The Federation protects Ciel-Teira, and Ciel-Teira gives mining concessions to the Federation. While mutual benefit sounds good, the reality is that it is unequal according to the difference in national power, and Ciel-Teira has been at a disadvantage.

...... At least, that's what the discontented forces in the country thought.

Hilbert's cause for the coup was to end this unequal relationship.

His move ignited people who were dissatisfied with the Union but had resigned themselves to the fact that there was nothing they could do about it. Even Hilbert himself was surprised by the support he received.

In particular, it was enthusiastically supported by miners and traders. They had a strong sense of grievance that they were being forced into unfair business practices by political agitation.

Lawrence was not directly involved, but he seemed to be burning with righteous indignation.

If there are any disturbances in the Federation, it is time for the Order to show its strength. We will cut off the heads of the Federation's idiots with human faces and animal hearts.

Lawrence clenched his fists and vowed victory.

”Hmm. But even if we have the advantage in the strength of our troops, the Federation is too powerful. It's not something we can fight alone.

Warfare begins when you are ready to fight, and you are ready to win. Please be careful not to provoke the Federation unintentionally.

Ha. I'll leave you at .......

I'll leave you to it.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I can do it.

Oh dear, it's exhausting to strike a heroic pose.

Hilbert is considered by the public to be a hardliner against the Federation who hates it like a scorpion, but in fact his views are a little different from the public's assessment. Rather, he is a man who sees the bigger picture.

He knew how much trouble it would be to break with the Federation and owe the four major powers. There was a huge enemy at his side, and negotiating with his virtual allies would not be easy.

If he was not careful, he would be used as a shield against the Federation. So far, there were no signs of conflict between the five powers, but how long would that peace last? From now on, Hilbert will have to engage in ”golem diplomacy” rather than ”tough diplomacy.

But even so, it's better than a lifetime of eating cold food. I got the throne, so I made a lot of money.

Which is more profitable for the country as a whole, ...... well, that's a story for the future.

As a usurper of the throne, Hilbert is very grateful for the public opinion that supports him.

If the people's opposition is strong, the lords may become opportunistic, even though Hilbert has the power of the four major powers behind him. In the wrong hands, some of them might have joined forces with the Union and sought protection.

However, the current situation has reached the point of dividing public opinion, even if we look at it a little harshly. In this situation, it would be risky to turn against the government.

The problem now is the radical and unstoppable people who are getting carried away under Hilbert.

They are looking for Feds in the streets and lynching them, and they are seriously planning to ride to the border and beat the Feds back to the Union. I've nailed Lawrence, but I can't control the actions of civilians who pretend to be volunteers.

I don't even want to think about what will happen ...... if public opinion in the Federation, stimulated by this, turns in the direction of ”Ciel-Teira must be defeated. If you're not sure what to do, you can always ask for help.

The same goes for the case of Rosalia, the former queen of the former king Elbert, and her daughter Rene. Hilbert himself had no intention of doing anything about Rene and Rosalia.

Even if some lord tried to push Renée to raise the banner of the ”legitimate royal family,” there would be absolutely no one to follow if she was a woman and an abomination. He knew that Renée would never be a threat to his throne.

However, Lawrence and other knights who were particularly critical of the former king Elbert, as well as citizens who supported Hilbert, continued to cry out for the ”extinction of the former king's bloodline. With no reason to stop them, I gave the go-ahead as a reluctant supporter.

If such an undead creature was born as a result of this, it was a terrible viper.

”Rene, huh? Don't hold it against me, ......,” he said, ”but is that too much to ask?

I've never even seen my niece before.

It was ten years ago that the father and son were forced to leave the court. It was shortly after René's birth.

Hilbert was one of the people who used René and his family as material to criticize Elbert. Hilbert was one of those who used Elbert as a material to criticize Rene. He loudly accused Elbert of bringing in a lowly woman from a commoner background, which resulted in the birth of an abomination.

I've received reports that a party of skilled adventurers called ”something” has been destroyed.

In most battles against demons, adventurers outnumber knights as regular fighters. Hilbert couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the thought that there might be undead out to kill him, who could strike down such adventurers with a touch of armor.

It's a good thing I'm not the only one with a headache. You're a king and you have a lot of work to do.

Well, Lawrence won once, so he'll win again, Hilbert thought.

He wanted to think so.