Chapter 322 - 78: The Game
Chapter 322: Chapter 78: The Game
The next morning, Marquis Oscillate and his wife were up and ready early. Because their discussion the previous night had run late, Marquis William had also stayed the night at Edward Manor.
Once ready, Marquis William and Marquis Oscillate and his wife rode together in the same carriage to the Royal Palace.
A king’s business is never personal. Louis III had summoned Marquis Oscillate this time, undoubtedly to discuss the conclusion of Prince Noah’s meeting.
Although Marquis Oscillate didn’t hold a formal position within the Kingdom Government, he certainly had to be informed of such major state affairs.
Upon arriving at the Royal Palace, the group was led by a Guard to the rear of the palace.
"Ha! Oscillate! You’ve finally arrived!"
The moment they reached the rear palace, Louis III immediately came forward with the Queen to greet them.
"Blessings on Your Majesty."
"Blessings on Your Majesty."
After they had spoken for a while, Marquis Oscillate’s gaze drifted, and he noticed another person in the rear palace garden.
Marquis George!
Typically, when it came to major international affairs, Louis III would always consult with Marquis Oscillate first.
This was a signal freighted with political meaning.
Despite Marquis Oscillate’s current prestige and influence, on the surface, the most powerful political factions in the kingdom were the Royal Faction and the Northern Faction, followed by the Southern Faction, and lastly, the Military Merit Faction.
This was reflected in the bureaucratic structure of the Kingdom Government and the composition of Louis III’s cabinet.
But what was true on the surface was one thing. Although the Southern Faction was not politically prominent, it didn’t mean that people disrespected Marquis Oscillate.
Marquis Oscillate was the kingdom’s tacitly acknowledged second-in-command, a seasoned operator second only to Louis III himself.
Marquis George had only begun to appear on the political stage a little over a decade ago, and his rise to prominence had only occurred in the last few years.
Now, Louis III’s actions were clearly intended to elevate Marquis George’s status.
As for why, Oscillate himself couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps it was some kind of deal, or perhaps it was simply a move to contain his own power.
"Marquis, it’s been a while," Marquis George said with a smile as he approached.
Marquis Oscillate smiled and extended his hand.
Oscillate himself had nothing to say about Louis III’s arrangement.
If the King wanted to use him to elevate someone else, so be it. In politics, as long as his own vital interests were not at stake, Marquis Oscillate generally supported Louis III.
This was also related to the Frank Kingdom’s history. The Beastmen had once scoured the entire kingdom in a bloody rampage. In such circumstances, the entire kingdom naturally had to focus all its energy on internal recovery. How could there be any time for infighting?
After the group chatted for a while, the Queen led the two marchionesses away, and the men took their seats in a pavilion in the garden.
"Oscillate, I saw your last memorandum—the matter of that, uh, general’s bill.
It’s a good idea. As you know, I must focus my energy on international affairs right now and can’t break away.
You haven’t come forward to manage any major affairs in a long time. How about it? You take charge of this matter?"
The moment the ladies had left, Louis III got straight to the point, holding nothing back.
The general’s bill Louis III mentioned was one that Marquis Oscillate had proposed over a decade ago.
So much time had passed that Louis III himself had forgotten about it and had made no preparations in advance.
When Oscillate brought the matter up, the initial reactions of Louis III and Marquis William had been quite similar.
But Louis III had made no prior arrangements, which led to the current awkward situation: there was a plan, but no one to execute it.
After all, this was an attempt to dig out the Military Merit Faction by the roots, and it was certain to provoke a frenzied counterattack from Grantham.
Of course, the reason Louis III dared to bring this up now was that the Human Alliance Army had recently begun to assemble. By the time the bill was implemented, the army would have likely arrived.
And with the arrival of the Human Alliance Army, it would be time to deal with Grantham and the Military Merit Faction.
This thorn had been stuck in Louis III’s heart for a long time, difficult to remove.
Grantham had offended far too many people during his rise to power.
"Well... Your Majesty, I have no problem with that, but as it happens, I have other matters to attend to recently," Marquis Oscillate said, putting on a troubled expression.
"As you know, the situation on the eastern front is not ideal. Most critically, I’ve heard that there is a certain gentleman on the eastern front, an Earl Uman.
Count Valentino often complains in his letters home that this Earl Uman is insubordinate," Marquis Oscillate said slowly.
Marquis Oscillate didn’t actually mind spearheading the charge against the Military Merit Faction.
He had anticipated this when he first proposed the bill. Bringing it up now was a calculated move; he knew Louis III’s hands were tied and that the king would need his help.
It had to be done sooner or later anyway, so he might as well seize the opportunity to gain some benefits.
As soon as he said this, everyone’s gaze immediately shifted to Marquis George. Anyone with eyes could see that this was aimed at him.
It was likely that the Southern Faction wanted to swallow the lands beyond the pass, and Marquis George was a gatekeeper they had to get through. If Marquis George refused to relent, there wasn’t much they could do.
Everyone present had their own information channels, so they naturally knew that the situation on the eastern front wasn’t actually that serious. In fact, the Southern Faction held the absolute upper hand there.
But this was precisely the advantage of Robson reporting to Marquis Oscillate first, instead of to the Kingdom Government.
They might know, but their knowledge was limited to hearsay. As for the concrete details, they would have to wait for the official battle reports from the front lines to confirm anything.
And this time lag gave Marquis Oscillate, who had already received accurate information, plenty of room to maneuver and help Robson and Valentino secure more benefits.
"Count Valentino is the army’s commander, appointed by His Majesty. Naturally, all will be done according to Count Valentino’s orders," Marquis George said with a smile.
’He agreed?’
This time, it was Marquis Oscillate’s turn to be surprised.
After all, George was usually the first one to play devil’s advocate.
Marquis Oscillate looked toward Louis III, only to see the king calmly sipping his tea.
’Louis III must have promised Marquis George something...’
Regarding this, Marquis Oscillate had nothing more to say.
If it were the Louis III of the past, Marquis Oscillate might have tried to guess what he had promised. But now...
He could only chuckle grimly. The Algeria Kingdom, after all, had just been swindled not long ago.
No matter how good the promise sounded, a possibility was just a possibility, and an impossibility remained an impossibility. Marquis George was still too young.
"Mm, in that case, I am relieved. Give me some time to prepare, and then I will take care of this matter," said Marquis Oscillate.
"Oscillate, since when did you learn to be so coy?
The Warriors on the front lines are all eagerly awaiting adequate rewards. This bill has the public’s full support.
You must throw yourself into it immediately. Tell me, what preparations do you need?" said Louis III.
"Well... Your Majesty, I heard the Human Council has provided a number of Magic Artisans as support?
I don’t mean anything by it, but as you know, the Edward family has also been researching Magic Crystal Cannons recently..." said Marquis Oscillate.
Magic Artisans, as the name implies, are craftsmen who can use some Magic—usually commoners who have studied it.
The creation of things like Magic Crystal Cannons and Magic Crossbows requires Magic Artisans.
In the entire Human World, most Magic Artisans come from the Tilia Kingdom.
The Magic Artisans provided by the Human Council this time were no exception.
"I’ve heard recently that Robson captured the armor of a Beastman Prince beyond the pass.
I don’t know if it’s true or not, but with the fighting on the front line being so tight, I was thinking we could send him some Magic Crystal Cannons as support," Marquis Oscillate said with a smile.
"The armor of a Beastman Prince?" Louis III raised an eyebrow.
That certainly piqued Louis III’s interest.
"If that’s the case, then we should indeed provide some support for the eastern front," Louis III nodded.
This was a gesture full of sincerity. It was "support," not a "reward," which meant that there would be another reward for Robson after the campaign on the eastern front was over.
This matter was soon set aside, and the discussion turned mainly to Prince Noah’s experiences in the Algeria Kingdom.
Specifically, the matter of the Algeria Kingdom’s war with the Giant Demon Alliance.
That was a major event for all of humanity, in the truest sense of the word.