Chapter 255: [Chapter 255] Arthur Pendland's Gloom
The news about the defeat of the young noblemen fresh out of the academy hit the already tense imperial capital hard.
Arthur Pendland, who worked in the Foreign Affairs Department, strolled through the palace halls, his mind a whirlwind. Thoughts flitted in and out, but as time went on, one name rose above the rest, shining like a moon in the night sky.
'The Duchess.'
Neris Trude. No, she was now Neris Maindelant.
Arthur had shared classes with her back in the day. Even as a freshman, she was more knowledgeable than many of her seniors.
From the start, she had been different. Most kids her age, no matter how smart, craved their peers' approval and got caught up in trivial wants. But not her. She was indifferent to her classmates, even her upperclassmen.
Back then, she was just a little girl, and Arthur didn't think much about her status. But things had changed. Now, she was the only Duchess in the empire, and she had a Jewel Eye.
'The Duke.'
When he first heard that Maindelant had taken over Viscount Tipeian's lands and the royal family had declared war, Arthur figured it would all blow over quickly. But what started as a spat between the royal family and a minor noble family escalated into a full-blown war, and today, his department received a directive.
To inform all the nations on the continent, skipping the usual diplomatic pleasantries, about this disgraceful situation and ask for reinforcements. To make sure that the monarchs uphold the loyalty oaths they had pledged to the Vista royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Maindelant had pushed the royal family into a corner.
'How long will this last?'
That couple definitely had their sights set on clear goals. They weren't the type to just act on a whim. Arthur, with his experience in diplomacy, had a knack for sizing people up, and he saw them that way.
Just then.
"Lord Pendland."
Someone called out to him. Arthur turned to see who it was and was surprised by the unfamiliar face. Well, not entirely unfamiliar—he felt like he'd seen it before...
Oh. Arthur's jaw dropped.
"Isn't that Duke Ganiello's son?"
Edward Ganiello, who usually stayed indoors because of his health issues, was grinning. He looked healthier than Arthur had ever noticed from a distance.
"You remember me. Can we chat for a bit?"
"Uh, sure. Absolutely."
They hadn't really talked before. Arthur walked over to Edward, feeling a mix of confusion and surprise.
"Did you catch the news? Things are shifting quickly."
"Yeah, I did."
"Are you feeling uneasy?"
Arthur felt a chill run down his spine. Duke Ganiello was a crafty one, but his second son, Colin, was a bit of a simpleton. It made him think that even the sharpest minds couldn't always manage their kids' upbringing.
'I can't figure him out at all. There's another heir in the mix.'
Duke Ganiello had been missing from court for a while, claiming illness as his reason. As far as Arthur knew, the young duke wasn't officially involved either.
The vibe here suggests that the family has already made up their minds about things.
Edward flashed a smile at Arthur.
"Don't stress too much about my thoughts. I was introduced to you, and I've heard a bit about you. You seem a bit reserved, which I actually appreciate."
"Someone introduced me?"
"Yep! A very distinguished lady. She mentioned she took some classes with you at the academy."
Arthur couldn't recall many classes with a woman who would be considered noble enough to be brought up to the young Duke of Ganiello. A memory of a girl with striking blue eyes popped into his head.
Edward continued in a friendly tone.
"Given the current situation, I bet you're swamped. You'll need to send out letters asking for assistance from other nations. But do you think they'll be willing to help Vista?"
"Shouldn't they? No matter the real power struggles, all the kings and nobles in the empire got their authority through the empire's approval."
"True enough. Plus, my people are eager to support the three heroes. But what if things take a turn?"
"How so?"
Edward's eyes sparkled with intrigue.
"What if the empire actually had no authority to grant any titles, whether it's kingship or nobility?"
Arthur's jaw dropped slightly in confusion. Edward glanced around and leaned in to whisper a few words to him.
Betrayal. Vista's betrayal. The false hero.
Arthur was taken aback by the shocking revelation, which felt like something straight out of a fairy tale. Sure, he had followed the serialized chapters of the novel "Betrayal," but he never thought it could be based on reality.
With a look of disbelief, he turned to Edward and asked, "Is there any way to prove that? It happened 600 years ago..."
"I got the info from a reliable source. It's not about kicking the Duke of Elandria out over something that happened so long ago. What really matters is that the royal family no longer holds the sole legitimate claim."
That hit home for Arthur, and he gulped.
Honestly, the royal family had never been fair to the Foreign Affairs Department. They didn't bother to invest in building relationships with other nations because they thought they were above it all. Even when the Foreign Affairs team put in the effort and achieved great results, the royals would just act all high and mighty, saying, "Those who pledge loyalty should naturally respect us."
The way they framed the request for reinforcements as a matter of loyalty was just another example of their typical arrogance. Meanwhile, it was the officials in the Foreign Affairs Department who were left scrambling, pleading, and offering favors at the family level.
Edward couldn't shake the image of his clueless boss, who had been brought in by Abelus and put in charge. It was like his thoughts were on display, so he decided to speak up.
"It's not about turning our backs on His Majesty the Emperor, to whom we've pledged our loyalty. We need to ask for reinforcements. That's what a Foreign Affairs Department official does when their country is at war, right?"
"As you wish."
"But I just want to make sure your family doesn't have to shoulder too much of the load in all this."
In the empire, diplomats are often the offspring of foreign royalty or nobles who have integrated into the empire's aristocracy, or their descendants. The Ganiello family, with their royal lineage, had been in the diplomacy game for generations, often leveraging their heritage as a negotiating tool with other nations.
Arthur and Edward, both adept at using diplomatic language to navigate tricky conversations, exchanged knowing looks and smiles, parting ways without saying another word.
Arthur strolled down the palace hallway, taking his time this time around. He was well aware of the kind of rewards that hard work could bring in this court.
He couldn't help but think about how the Duke of Ricandelos, who had risked everything to win the prince's favor, had fallen from grace.
He could accept that the events of 600 years ago were just part of history. That family's drama had left a lasting mark on everyone in the court. Edward was right... A smart rival already had a solid claim, and with the Duke of Ganiello now involved, this war might not turn out as easily as he had hoped. So.
"I should give a heads-up to a few folks."
There was no need for him to grovel to his foreign relatives too much, only to have his family deal with the fallout later.
****
"They're too small and too slow to gather," Abelus remarked flatly as he scanned the report about the reinforcements from other nations. Nellusion smoothly replied, "I agree. It looks like the Foreign Affairs Department isn't pulling their weight."
"Why aren't they doing their job properly?"
"I'm looking into it."
"Can you even look into it? You're probably too swamped with the Duke's issues."
Abelus hit the nail on the head. The former Duke of Elandria, now the current one, had accused his son, Nellusion, of parricide and rallied the vassal lords to his side. Nellusion, lacking legitimacy, had lost most of his power that he once wielded in the Duke's name.
The little power he had left was tied up in fighting the Duke, making it tough to rely on the people he had nurtured. Nellusion fell silent for a moment.
Abelus noticed the brief flicker of fatigue on Nellusion's usually calm face and savored it, though he kept that to himself. A clever minister with no other options was just what a monarch needed.
"If only the Duke of Ganiello would step in. That crafty fox is still lying low, pretending to be sick or something, which is why the Foreign Affairs Department is dragging its feet. And that monster, Cledwyn, is inching closer to the imperial capital every second."
With a bang, Abelus slammed his fist on the desk, his expression fierce as he hissed, "Those ministers are nothing but puppets! Thieves! They walk around like they own the place, but they can't handle a mere pup; they always back down! They squander valuable talent and waste the nation's resources!"
Abelus kept going on about everything that was going wrong for him for quite a while.
He was acting like it was all someone else's fault, but honestly, the blame was mostly on him. He was the one who had kicked off this pointless feud with Maindelant, who was struggling to keep the war from slipping away, and he had thrown away money on gambling, giving the other side a chance to step in.
But what was the use of pointing that out? Nellusion, knowing he was at Abelus's mercy, just listened quietly, nodding here and there. Once Abelus wrapped up his rant, Nellusion calmly suggested a different approach.
"Your Highness, the enemy's forces are already quite substantial and only getting bigger. Isn't it going to be tougher to just hold them off?"
"You think we should just hold them off? Who's ready to launch a counterattack?"
Abelus's eyes lit up. If he had the chance, he would have struck back ages ago. Why would he want to keep taking hits like this?
Nellusion bowed deeply, his humility easing Abelus's frustration and giving him a little sense of pride.
Noticing that Abelus seemed to relax, Nellusion pretended to be aggrieved, saying, "Your Highness, the enemy's forces are already quite substantial and only getting bigger. Isn't it going to be tougher to just hold them off?"
Your Highness, I hope you don't take my loyalty the wrong way. Would I really be bold enough to criticize you like this?
"So what's your point?"
An army that moves fast often has a weak spot in the back. Shouldn't we take advantage of that surprise?
"I've tried hitting their rear. Haven't I?"
With all the defeats piling up, every military expert in the court was stuck there day after day, unable to go home, trying to come up with new strategies. They explored tactics involving terrain, weather, defensive structures, and surprise attacks... they had exhausted every option.
The secret base strategies that the experts thought would work had fallen flat because that monster, Cledwyn, managed to dodge every single one. Some bases were saved for ambushing the Maindelant army when they weren't directly engaged, but those bases had gone quiet. They were probably taken over.
Abelus grunted in frustration at the thought, while Nellusion just smiled at him.
"I'm not saying we should hit the actual rear of the advancing army. Given the Duke's track record, that wouldn't be very effective."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"If we target the land of Maindelant, which is now unguarded since the main force has left, what do you think the Duke will do? The morale of his main force, the Knights of Platinum, would take a serious hit."
"Are you serious? The Illium Gorge is protected by the forces the Duke left behind. How can we attack a place that's guarded, especially a road flanked by cliffs? If we lose that..."
"What if there's another option?"
Nellusion's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"I've got word of a secret passage that leads right into the Duke's territory."
****
"Nice job!"
Cledwyn grinned with satisfaction as he read the report confirming that he had successfully revealed the secret passage the former Neris had used to sneak into Maindelant after finishing up at the academy.
"To really help someone out, you've got to have your own needs too. Boost their confidence. Get them to put all their chips on the table."
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