Ewan finally died…
He had brought a victory report to Rosen Territory. Not only had he raided the camp of the noble coalition and slain a Viscount, but he had also brought back a massive number of prisoners…
This gave the commoners a glimmer of hope for victory.
However, what the commoners did not know was that on this night, a knight who had sworn his life to loyalty died on the path of serving his lord. This was something worthy of praise!
Yet, the person who had caused his death was hiding in the shadows, and he was the very person Ewan was loyal to. This was a tragedy…
Fortunately, someone was living on in his place, wearing his skin.
What a stroke of luck… No one even knew he was gone!
Inan stood on the street, surrounded by crowds celebrating the victory, his heart devoid of either grief or joy.
The Thief knelt on one knee before Inan, offering Inan’s sword with both hands. “My Lord, I have successfully fulfilled your command!”
Inan looked at the Thief kneeling before him, disguised as Ewan, and slowly reached out to take the sword stained with Ewan’s blood.
Inan publicly praised General Ewan’s greatness and extolled his achievements. Finally, he introduced the concepts of War Bonds and the Victory Fund to the commoners.
After patiently explaining the potential profits to the commoners, he handed the remaining work over to Karl…
Inan returned to the castle, hoping this money would serve its purpose. Meanwhile, the Thief, still wearing Ewan’s appearance, knocked on the door of the study.
“Come in,” Inan’s deep voice drifted from inside. He looked up at the fake Ewan. “Is there something?”
The Thief sensed that Inan’s mood was not particularly good, but he eventually spoke slowly. “He told me to bring you one last message…”
“Oh? Go ahead…” Inan took a gulp of Dragon’s Breath Ale and spoke slowly. “Did he want me to take care of his wife and daughter, or something else?”
“He said: ‘Inan, you bastard, if you dare to lose, I’ll beat you up in hell!'”
The Thief left after delivering those words, returning to the military camp…
Inan suppressed his emotions. The original host’s memories were etched into Inan’s mind, making it as if he had actually experienced their childhood together.
But… ‘Sacrifice a friend, and gain boundless power!’
Inan listened to the sound of the Thief closing the door as he left, contemplating his next move. Finally, Aurora knocked on his door, bringing him back to his senses.
“Come in,” Inan responded to the knock.
Aurora gently pushed the door open and entered the study. She frowned when she saw that Inan was not drinking red wine this time, but hard liquor.
“Fa… Brother Inan.” Aurora walked to his side, her eyes filled with a complex gaze.
Inan looked up and saw Aurora. “What is it? I told you not to disturb me during this time.”
A flash of grievance appeared in Aurora’s eyes at Inan’s slightly impatient tone, but she still sat down in his lap.
Inan did not reject her, but right now, he had no interest in romance.
Aurora nestled in Inan’s lap, sensing his stiff body and troubled heart.
She did nothing, simply falling into a deep sleep in Inan’s arms… She wanted to tell Inan that she would always be by his side!
The next day, Inan received a massive sum of money. Those gamblers had frantically wagered their entire fortunes, waiting to strike it rich!
This was enough for Inan to pay off his debts with money to spare. However, he had now turned into a gambler himself, upgrading fifty Violet Light Armored Warriors into Violet Archers!
This once again emptied his entire treasury…
He prepared to take the initiative and strike, refusing to give those nobles time to manufacture the virus!
—
In an instant, the entire northern region seemed shrouded in dark clouds, and the Imperial Capital was no different.
The nobles were arguing incessantly in the Imperial Council. No matter how strong Nancy and Atiya were, they could not easily deal with the four Grand Dukes.
No matter how great one’s martial power was, it eventually had to bow to authority!
This was the main theme of this continent. No matter how sharp a sword was, it was merely scrap metal without a master.
This time, there were three people campaigning for the position of Chancellor!
The first person to stand up was the Empire’s Finance Minister. He controlled the Empire’s financial power and formulated the national economic development strategy and fiscal policy.
Meron was a hereditary Marquis of the Empire whose family had served in the capital for generations. He had a stern, square-jawed face, and his dignified expression made people think he was an upright and incorruptible minister!
He wore a magnificent diplomatic uniform with his family’s golden crest pinned to his chest, highlighting his noble status and position.
At this moment, showing no emotion, he stood up and read his governing philosophy to the crowd. “Respected Her Majesty Theresa, the Empire is currently prosperous. We must not allow foreign nations to destroy this stability. If I am fortunate enough to serve as Chancellor, I will focus on stabilizing the Empire’s situation.”
He paused, his eyes firm as he continued, “I advocate for strengthening control over the surrounding small nations to ensure they completely become vassals of the Empire, providing a continuous flow of resources and manpower…”
He went on for a long time. In short, his political demand was to strengthen the Empire’s hegemony abroad!
However, this rhetoric won cheers from the majority of the nobles present.
“This is the candidate for Chancellor our Empire needs!” The Grand Duke of Frost Wolf took the lead in applauding him. “Only by strengthening the Empire’s hegemony can we stand tall on this continent!”
With the Grand Duke of Frost Wolf leading the applause, it was like lighting a fuse. The nobles cheered even more fanatically, their shouts nearly taking the roof off the council chamber.
Meron smiled slightly and nodded, looking at the crowd with humility. Nancy, however, let out a cold sneer. “Marquis Meron, regarding what you said about consolidating the Empire’s hegemony, I have a question for you.”
Meron nodded and looked at Nancy calmly. “Countess Nancy… Oh, no, Lady Saintess, please speak.”
His deliberate change of Nancy’s title was nothing more than a reminder to everyone that this woman was not entirely one of their own!
“There are a few things I would like to tell you.” Nancy paused. “Last year, the tax revenue of the entire Isar Empire was 34 million gold coins, while four years ago, the annual tax revenue was nearly 50 million!”
“In these four years, a total of 358 nobles have died. They did not die on the battlefield defending their country, but fell during the Empire’s internal strife! In these four years, fifty-three large-scale internal conflicts occurred, along with hundreds and thousands of small-scale ones. Many territories became battlefields. Not only is the Empire’s military strength shrinking, but tax revenues are also dropping year by year, while many people’s pockets are getting fuller…”
“Some nobles even use the excuse of declaring war on foreign nations to demand funds from the national treasury! This accounts for 10% of the treasury’s annual expenditure, and every single one of those funding grants was signed by you!”
“Many nobles have seized others’ territories under various pretexts, yet the gold coins they pay annually are almost the same as in previous years. Is such a tax system reasonable? Does consolidating hegemony under these circumstances help the Empire’s development at all?”
“Tell me, in the midst of the Empire’s deteriorating situation, how will you carry out your political ambitions? How will you strengthen the Empire’s hegemony abroad?”