Chapter 245 - 19: Enfeoffment Ceremony (2)
Chapter 245: Chapter 19: Enfeoffment Ceremony (2)
Marquis Oscillate nodded, his gaze on Robson filled with a hint of admiration. ’Now this is the kind of promising talent one can cultivate with peace of mind.’
"I’ve only heard things myself. Sometimes, baseless rumors just seem to spring up out of nowhere," Marquis Oscillate said with a smile.
"Baseless rumors... When did this ’wind’ start to blow?" Robson asked.
’Heard things? It’s already reached the ears of Marquis Oscillate himself. Someone is clearly fanning the flames behind the scenes.’
It couldn’t be helped. Robson had had too much on his plate since arriving in the Royal Capital. Unlike the other families whose positions had been decided long ago, Robson had risen with meteoric speed in just the last month or two.
His pace of advancement was even more astounding than that of the military faction.
This meant Robson had a massive number of things to prepare for: his fiefdom, his relatives, his engagement...
Facing these political storms from the Royal Capital, there were bound to be oversights.
"Who knows? A good show always requires a lot of preparation before the main actor takes the stage," Marquis Oscillate said.
"Grandfather, how do you think this show ought to be played?" Robson looked to Marquis Oscillate, primarily asking if the Marquis had any specific guidance for him.
’Every leader has their own unique style. After all, he and Marquis Oscillate had only known each other for a couple of days; he was completely unfamiliar with the Marquis’s methods.’
’There was no harm in asking. Some people might seem friendly and cheerful, but who knew how many daggers they kept hidden away.’
"What do you think of Grantham?" Marquis Oscillate suddenly asked.
"Speak freely."
"A hero of the kingdom, a military genius," Robson replied. It was the standard, official answer—one you could get from anyone you pulled off the street.
"A genius?" Marquis Oscillate mused for a moment.
"Would a true genius place himself in the crosshairs of so many?"
Robson didn’t respond, even though Marquis Oscillate’s words were exactly what he had been thinking.
While at Thermopylae, Robson had carefully studied the history of recent years, the acts of the Kingdom Council, and all the major political events.
The military faction was just an umbrella propped up by Grantham himself. Without Marshal Grantham, they were nothing.
In fact, even with Marshal Grantham, the moment the Marshal’s myth of military invincibility was shattered, or if he temporarily lost his usefulness, he would immediately be surrounded by a pack of wolves and devoured until not even a skeleton remained.
Marshal Grantham might be an ambitious reformer, but the first person to initiate reform often ends up dead.
"The Frank Kingdom has hundreds of years of history, yet its territory has not advanced one inch..." Marquis Oscillate said.
This was another major problem with the military faction.
In other kingdoms, like Algeria for example, a military faction might flourish for a time.
For the Algeria Kingdom, war was profitable. If a figure like Grantham were to appear among them, he would surely be lauded and sought after.
But it was different for the Frank Kingdom. For the Frank Kingdom, the only possible victory in the war against the Beastmen was to keep the enemy outside its gates.
Even if Marshal Grantham performed miracles on the battlefield, no one saw any benefit from it. Yet, the military faction was verifiably encroaching upon everyone’s interests.
"Take this Sriphine fellow, for instance. Come to think of it, I’ve met his father a few times. The son has never shown any particular merit in warfare. How many true pillars of the state does this kingdom have? And the military faction isn’t entirely composed of mediocrities.
So tell me, why would Grantham put forward someone like that?"
’Why would Grantham nominate someone like that?’
Robson was beginning to understand Marquis Oscillate’s line of thinking.
’The fiefdoms this time went to the southern faction, the northern faction, and the military faction. Conspicuously absent was the royal family.’
’According to precedent, the royal family should have received the lion’s share. It’s not as if Prince Noah is the only heir, either—Louis III is notoriously dissolute.’
’Was Count Sriphine really the person Marshal Grantham wanted to choose? Or rather, was Marshal Grantham even capable of nominating such a person? How much power did the military faction actually have? On what grounds could they carve out a piece of the pie in this round of enfeoffments?’
’Could the Marshal be unaware of all this?’
In an instant, drawing on the experience from his past life, Robson’s mind raced, launching into a brainstorm.
’Whether he knew or not was no longer important. The moment Count Sriphine’s name appeared on the list of fiefdoms, the military faction had been dragged out into the glaring sun for all to see.’
’Marshal Grantham was completely powerless to resist.’
"The military faction won’t last long," Marquis Oscillate said with a sigh, then patted Robson’s shoulder.
"As for the play... the lead must be the one to sing."
After saying this, Marquis Oscillate smiled, changed the subject, and after a few more words of small talk, headed toward the center of the altar.
"So? What do you think we should do?" Valentino looked at Robson.
"We’ll just do as the Marquis said," Robson said without offering further comment.
’He should heed the Marquis’s words, but not follow them to the letter.’
’Considering his current connection to the Marquis, his own usefulness, and how highly he was regarded, as long as he didn’t cross any fundamental lines, the Marquis wouldn’t object.’
’In a nation run by aristocrats, there was no such thing as absolute leadership within any faction.’
’What’s more, his and Valentino’s marriage was now set in stone.’
’And given the Fengman Clan’s code of honor, the Marquis couldn’t go back on his word now.’