READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 57
“Sosua’s ascension… huh.”
Jilvol muttered as he received the report. His voice carried a genuine surprise, as if caught off guard.
“Your Majesty, I never expected Demitul to hand over the throne to Sosua…”
Elvis, too, couldn’t hide his astonishment. Both he and Jilvol had grasped the situation of Sosua’s ascension through Ryoshua’s report.
“Yes, it was completely unexpected. But, naturally, Galvate’s schemes are at play here.”
“Galvate, you think?”
“No doubt about it. Otherwise, Demitul would never consider handing the throne to Sosua.”
“I see. But how did Galvate get Demitul to write that letter?”
“And for what purpose…?”
At Jilvol’s words, Elvis gulped audibly.
(Right… the real question is, why did they make Demitul write that letter? What benefit does Galvate gain from Sosua’s ascension?)
Jilvol pondered Galvate’s motives but couldn’t come up with anything. If Galvate wanted quick gains, they could have just had Demitul declare his own ascension. But instead, it was Sosua who took the throne, which doesn’t seem to benefit Galvate at all.
(Not for profit… then what? What’s the goal?)
Jilvol stood up and began pacing back and forth. Elvis silently watched, knowing that interrupting Jilvol’s thoughts would only hinder him.
(Giorg Zarfing is definitely involved.)
Jilvol’s mind turned to Giorg. He had ordered an investigation into Giorg and, while the information was only at a street level, Jilvol had a decent grasp of the man known as Giorg Zarfing.
Jilvol’s assessment of Giorg was that he was “a man you can’t let your guard down around.” Giorg had poisoned his own mother, the former Marchioness, and executed his biological father and stepmother through the brutal method of disembowelment. Despite such cruelty, Giorg’s subjects held him in high regard.
This wasn’t just due to good governance; Jilvol believed that Giorg was exceptionally skilled at manipulating information.
“…Are we being tested?”
“Huh?”
Elvis couldn’t help but react dumbfoundedly to Jilvol’s unexpected words.
“If that’s the case… Elvis, the Flastarl Empire will invade in about three months.”
“What? But Your Majesty, your estimate was that the Flastarl Empire would invade in six months…”
“The situation has changed, hasn’t it?”
“…Sosua’s ascension.”
Jilvol nodded heavily at Elvis’s response.
“Exactly. With Sosua on the throne, the Flastarl Empire, which supports Lukult, will have to accelerate their invasion plans.”
“Indeed… the longer this drags on, the more remnants of the Central Nobles will gather under Sosua. This would make it impossible to drive a wedge between Lukult and Sosua as initially planned…”
“But… aside from the invasion happening earlier, the outcome will be almost the same as my original plan.”
“Ah…”
Elvis finally managed to squeeze out a word in response to Jilvol’s statement. As Jilvol predicted, Lukult and Sosua would not unite. But this wasn’t due to Jilvol’s plan; it was the result of Sosua’s ascension, something that had slipped out of Jilvol’s control.
This was similar yet entirely different. Because the situation had slipped from Jilvol’s hands, it could now swing in favor of or against Zabeiru’s interests, depending on who was pulling the strings.
“B-but, Your Majesty.”
“What is it?”
“Why do you think the Flastarl Empire will invade in three months?”
“What happens in three months?”
“In three months… ah!! The meeting with Duke Zarfing…”
“Exactly. The current situation, brought about by Demitul’s letter, is undoubtedly Galvate’s move. No, wait. It’s Giorg Zarfing’s move.”
Elvis couldn’t help but shudder at Jilvol’s assertion. Giorg had hijacked Jilvol’s plan and turned it into a pawn to advance his own agenda. And to make matters worse, even with their inside knowledge, they couldn’t fathom how Giorg had seen through Jilvol’s plan.
“Then… does that mean Demitul has joined forces with Duke Zarfing?”
“That’s a strong possibility… According to Azein’s report, Demitul is being treated quite well.”
Jilvol had taken Azein’s report at face value, believing that Demitul was being treated favorably.
“But Giorg Zarfing is exceptionally skilled at information manipulation. It’s dangerous to take Azein’s information at face value.”
“Your Majesty, are you suggesting Azein might have betrayed us?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Jilvol immediately dismissed Elvis’s suspicion, showing his trust in Azein.
“It’s more likely that Azein is being fed information that favors Zarfing.”
“So the information from Azein has been manipulated by Duke Zarfing?”
“That’s the natural conclusion.”
At Jilvol’s words, Elvis gulped again.
“Your Majesty, if Duke Zarfing is testing you, then for what purpose?”
Jilvol smirked at Elvis’s question.
“It’s a declaration not to underestimate Galvate.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a counter to our attempt to use Demitul as a pawn against Galvate. Zarfing is showing that he can read our moves and interfere. And if we want to ally with Galvate, we’ll have to navigate this situation skillfully.”
“…What a move.”
“In that case… our next move is clear.”
“Huh?”
“The Flastarl Empire will invade before or after the meeting. In this situation, we can’t afford to clash with Galvate. It’s a masterstroke. Zarfing has almost checkmated us.”
“Then… we’ll be forced to accept unfavorable terms?”
“No, not quite. We’ll accelerate our own move. That way, it won’t be checkmate.”
At Jilvol’s words, Elvis gulped once more.
“Giorg Zarfing… what a player.”
Jilvol’s voice carried a hint of admiration.