The Count’s Youngest Son Is A Player - Chapter 232
Episode 232
“…So there are currently five princes in the Kingdom of Ruben.”
Callips Castle, the capital of Raoul’s First Viscounty.
In the conference room, all of the current executives of the territory and even the Purple Guild management department were gathered.
Commander-in-Chief Bernard and Chief of Intelligence Kane were continuing the briefing through a magic screen on the podium.
The content was the current situation of the royal family of the Kingdom of Leuven and the expected power reorganization.
“In terms of age and legitimacy support, the 3rd Prince Herdian is by far the most influential. Together with the crown prince, the first queen is now at the center of national administration. The biggest benefactor was the Marquis MacNeill. “Since the first queen was from the Marquess of McNeil, it was a natural step.”
Along with Kane’s explanation, a list of the current major officials of the royal family who could be considered part of the Three Princes was listed.
“…grunt. “It’s significant.”
“I guess because I have been running the government on behalf of the king for almost a year. “He must have replaced the ministers with his close associates.”
While each noble was unable to pay attention to the central government because they were busy building their fiefdoms, the Marquis McNeil and the three princes were seizing power by replacing or recruiting many of the officials.
Of course, I couldn’t touch the big spots.
The Marquis MacNeill was not the only noble family, and the Duchy of Templeton, the most powerful family in the kingdom, was located near the capital.
“…So, the current power structure in the capital city of Turiam is between the Marquis MacNeill and the Duke of Templeton, with the Earl of Randall and other prestigious families fighting for the remaining positions.”
“What is the influence of the Ashton family and our viscountess…?”
In response to Sir Philip’s question, Kane shook his head with a troubled expression.
“To be honest, we can say that there are almost no forces on our side. The Master maintains relationships with royal officials and prominent families in the capital, but it is at the level of friendship. In that case, I don’t know which family will remain loyal to us…”
Murmur.
The executives were in an uproar because the situation was more serious than expected.
If things continued like this, it seemed like the First Viscount would just sit back and watch what was happening in the capital.
Then someone raised their hand and asked to speak.
“This is Hughes Bryson, vicar of Bates Castle. Since the situation is like this, how about we set a clear line? “I don’t think it would be a bad idea to join forces with the existing forces or to form a third force by attracting moderate forces that are still waiting.”
In a way, this statement is like a correct opinion.
The people in the conference room became noisy again, talking about which force they should join or who they should allied with.
Bang bang bang.
“fist!”
When the meeting room became chaotic for a moment, Bernard stepped forward and focused the attention.
“I think everyone is getting ahead of themselves, but let’s check some more information first and then talk about it. The important thing is not which faction you join, but who becomes the next king? “Lord Kane.”
“yes. As mentioned earlier, the most likely candidate for the next king is the 3rd prince, Herdian. But he can’t be said to be the only candidate. “There are two other princes currently being discussed.”
Videos of people and their biographies appeared on the magic screen.
“First of all, this is 4th Prince Jonas. I am 27 years old and I am the third queen. Compared to the three princes, he has a neater and more decisive personality, so he has a good reputation within the royal family. He has received help from the Master during the last invasion of the palace, so he is a person who is friendly towards our territory. However, it appears that he recently decided to seek support from the Randall family.”
“this. “Do you mean the Randalls?”
“Looks like we were a step late.”
Several people expressed their disappointment.
“Next is the 5th Prince Edrad. 24 years old. 4The queen is alive. He had no particular external activities and was not well known to the public. And so far, no clear sponsor has stepped forward.”
“But why did you put it up as a candidate?”
Why is he being mentioned as the next king when his reputation is unknown and he has no sponsors?
“Queen 4 is the only queen currently alive in the royal family. And Queen 4 is the only person who freely enters and exits the bedroom of the current King Thaddeus II, who is living in seclusion.”
“…Right.”
Everyone was convinced.
From the beginning, the issue of succession to the throne was simple.
No matter what the power structure or reputation was, the moment the king designated a successor, the pendulum had no choice but to tilt.
Nobles who remain neutral will support the successor chosen by the king unless there is a special reason.
The knights guard that protects the royal family and the central army of the kingdom will also provide strength to the successor.
Nevertheless, the current uproar is because the king has not decided on a successor for some reason.
“Of course, things are not that simple. Even if the king announces a successor, too many forces have already gathered for the other princes to simply accept it. And if someone other than the Third Prince is designated as the successor, the Third Prince will never stay still.”
“Are you saying you are going to disobey the king’s decision?”
“well. The analysis team reports that this is highly likely if the successor does not have significant support. So I’d like to ask. Dalton, 1st Combat Team Leader. What are the intentions of the Duke of Templeton?”
Everyone’s eyes were focused on Dalton.
Currently, the most prestigious and influential family in the Kingdom of Ruben is by far the Duke of Templeton.
This meant that the succession structure could change depending on the duke’s choice.
“To my grandfather, no, the Templeton family will not move. He’s not interested in that at all. “Well, my father and uncles may be able to intervene a little, but they won’t be able to act openly.”
The people in the crowd nodded at Dalton’s words.
In the past, the Duke’s family rarely intervened in the succession to the throne, and even when the previous king changed, the Duke of Swords completely lost interest.
“Then there is a high possibility that it will end up being a power battle between the Marquis MacNeill and the Count Randall. Either way…”
“It won’t be a very good outcome for us.”
Marquis MacNeill.
Count Randall.
Both were not on good terms with the Earl of Ashton.
In particular, after confirming the circumstances of Marquess McNeil’s involvement in the Ashton family civil war, there was no need to join hands with them.
The executives’ concerns deepened and opinions abounded.
“Now that things are like this, shouldn’t we take our own path?”
“I’ve already lost the fight with McNeil. It would be better to join hands with the Randall family and aim for an upset…”
“How about persuading the Duke of Templeton? “There’s also Dalton…”
Most of those expressing opinions were guild branch heads or mid-level executives holding temporary permanent residence positions.
They seemed to be feeling a sense of crisis in the current situation of the kingdom.
That’s why it was common for a purge to follow and a reorganization of the power structure whenever a king changed.
As long as the Earl of Ashton and the First Viscount were outside the eyes of the current regime, it was only a matter of time before something happened.
“Everyone is thinking too much.”
Raoul, who had been quietly watching the discussion, finally spoke.
“We understand your concerns. It is true that it is uneasy to just give up and wait for the succession to the throne. But this succession battle. “We don’t make the first move.”
“…!”
“Ask the police. “Why do you think it is that the Duke of Templeton has maintained the power of the prestigious family despite always maintaining neutrality during the succession to the throne?”
People were lost in thought at Raoul’s question.
“Isn’t it because of the power the Duke has? “The power of the knights of the swordsman and dukedom cannot be easily surpassed by the royal family.”
Raoul nodded at Ken’s words.
“That’s right. Because the Duke family had power, they avoided the waves of political strife. So what about us now! “Do we really have to pay attention to what they think?”
“no! “They should be the ones to notice!”
“Our knights are not weak!”
Cholarang.
Raoul drew his sword.
At the same time, the executives of the First Knights, including Philip, who were seated on one side of the conference room, jumped up from their seats and drew their swords.
Guooooh.
And brilliant auror blades rose from the swords of Raoul and the knights.
“…!”
“Oh my god, are those all Auror Blades?”
“iced coffee!”
Raul. Philip. Jake. Pierce. Kane. Dalton.
The Master’s Auror Blade, both in name and reality, was shining from the swords of the six people.
And even the temporary Auror blades that rose from the swords of high-ranking knights such as Ken Homer, Davidson, and Josh.
As the Auror Blade, symbolizing superhumans, lit up the conference room, not only the executives of the First Territory but also the players of the Purple Guild were all looking at the scene with ecstatic expressions.
“We are strong! There is no reason to be swayed by the princes’ game of succession to the throne. Therefore, I declare here: No matter who is king, we will go our own way! Lord, I am Raoul de Ashton! And I hope that you believe in yourself and do your best in your position.”
“Yes Master!”
There were no unfamiliar shouts or applause.
And the attendees finally realized the meaning of today’s entire meeting.
pride.
It was an opportunity to instill confidence and pride in the strength of the First Territory.
‘A territory protected by six masters.’
There is probably no other family with this much power anywhere on the continent.
And their young master Raoul.
A genius among geniuses who became a master at just seventeen.
What is there to be anxious about while serving such a master?
In fact, they tried hard to suppress their pounding hearts and flushed faces.
Because I didn’t want to miss out on the emotion of the moment by expressing such light emotions.
The burden of the succession battle that had made them anxious until now had completely disappeared from their minds.
“Then we will continue the meeting. The next item on the agenda is about the newly appeared high-level gate…”
The meeting continued like that, and the expressions on the faces of the executives leaving the meeting room couldn’t have been brighter.
A conference room where most people have left.
Raoul, accompanied by Kane and Bernard, spoke separately with the Purple Guild leadership.
Unlike in the beginning, there were times recently when I met alone with them or held meetings, so there was no awkwardness.
“President, then what should the players do? If the policy of the First Territory is neutrality and neglect, then the players should also be instructed not to participate in this scenario…” “
No. We have no intention of excluding players from the main scenario because of the territory’s policies.”
Raoul treated players and district employees with respect.
This was because it not only made things less awkward, but also eliminated the sense of distance.
Ilwoo looked puzzled at Raoul’s firm answer.
“Then how…?”
“Mr. Ilwoo.”
“yes.”
Raoul asked, looking into Ilwoo’s eyes.
“Do you really think our territory can avoid war in this succession battle?”
Ilwoo thought for a moment at Raoul’s question.
A year after becoming assistant master of the Purple Guild.
Six months have passed since I became president of the First Players Association.
As he worked as a manager rather than an ordinary office worker, he started to get used to reading the big picture.
“…it will probably be difficult to avoid war. If the third prince ascends to the throne like this, Marquess McNeil will not leave this alone. If the territory’s power is exposed before then, any force will try to attract or keep us in check. Crucially… this scenario predicts that the entire kingdom will be caught up in war. “It’s hard to think that we’ll be the only ones to get out safely.”
“Yes. It may only be a matter of time before you end up getting caught up in it. So what do you think is best for the territory?”
Ilwoo seemed to vaguely know what Raoul was aiming for.
“What a fisherman. Do you plan to participate in the final battle after the different forces clash?”
“That is correct. So do you have a sense of how the First Players Association should move?”
“yes. That’s right.”
Ilwoo suddenly became curious about what was going on in Raoul’s head.
Honestly, if there are six masters, isn’t that a huge amount of power?
It may have been tempting to take the initiative to create something, but the young chairman did not seem to let down his guard at all.
It hides its strength until the end and waits for an opportunity, then at the last moment, it targets its prey that has lost its strength.
It’s easy to say, but not many people actually put this into action.
Ilwoo was simply amazed by his composure and skill.
“Oh, but you shouldn’t give instructions too directly. “You know that, right?”
“Of course. We will discuss this with the guild members and coordinate it so that there is as little resistance from players as possible.”
And the next day.
An official letter from the First Players Association was delivered to the players.
(Continued in the next part)