Lord of Caldera - Chapter 364

Chapter 364: Chapter 364 The Empirial Court struggles
The pages were filled with elaborate phrasing and signatures from nearly all the southern lords. Once Sylas filtered through the unnecessary embellishments, the main point stood out:

“We offer to return these lands in exchange for being reinstated as lords under your rule. We pledge to pay taxes and fulfill our duties, including providing troops at your request.”

“Well, I’ll be…”

Sylas, who had anticipated most events based on his past life’s experiences, was utterly blindsided by this development. The dream of every noble was to own a fief, yet here they were offering to return theirs?

“Sure, if my rebellion succeeds, they’ll gain much more in return. But wouldn’t most hesitate even knowing that?”

As he blinked in disbelief, Sylas’s eyes fell on Halken’s subtle smile.

“What have you done?” Sylas asked.

“Nothing more than giving the hesitant a gentle push,” Halken replied calmly.

“No coercion or threats?”

“Only a nudge to their ambitions. The Emperor’s blunders helped immensely.”

“…Hahaha!”

Sylas burst into laughter. Now he understood. Halken’s cunning was nothing short of remarkable. He had known Halken was clever, but this exceeded all expectations—a gift of extraordinary value.

“Well, Baron Halken,” Sylas began.

“Yes, Your Lordship?”

“Do you know what constitutes a great noble?”

“That would be… those ranked above a count, correct?”

“Precisely. And without earning royal favor, it’s nearly impossible to rise above a count.”

Sylas paused, fixing Halken with a meaningful gaze.

“Yet, I believe you meet the qualifications.”

“…!”

“It won’t be long before you rise to the next rank.”

“Thank you, Your Lordship!”

The unexpected reward left Halken clenching his fists in triumph. It was a position only close confidants could dream of, and yet he had achieved it.

Sylas smiled at Halken’s barely contained joy.

“I gladly accept your sincerity. For now, return to your territory. Even with a change in ownership, little will change aside from the taxes.”

“Yes, Your Lordship!”

With a delighted expression, Halken exited the office. Alone, Sylas reread the document several times before setting it down.

In his mind, the faces of the Crown Prince Maximilian and Rogier came to the forefront.

“They must be seething right now. They thought they’d weakened my power, only for me to recover everything in such a short time.”

If they were merely bitter, they were lucky. The Emperor’s repeated mistakes, the reestablishment of the Mage Tower, the tax exemptions, and now the reintegration of Drakenfels had all turned the tables.

At this point, there was no strategy the Crown Prince could employ to overtake Sylas. The situation had moved far beyond anything that could be resolved through political maneuvering.

Maximilian would now be forced to act openly, knowing that giving Sylas more time would only strengthen his position. Sylas needed to act quickly in response.

“…I’ll have to send Ray back to the Hernning family.”

Sylas had originally planned to keep Ray by his side for several more years. However, with the rebellion timeline accelerated, he needed to send Ray to the western territories immediately to preempt any unrest.

“Summon Ray!”

Having made his decision, Sylas called out to the servant outside his office. The time to realize the dream he had harbored since his return was drawing closer.

Crown Prince Maximilian sat in silence, his eyes closed. He no longer felt anger—only a deep sense of despair weighed on his chest.

Despite all the political risks he had taken to divide Drakenfels, Sylas had reunited it in its entirety.

“How did it come to this? I can’t even be sure of victory anymore.”

Before, Maximilian had been confident that no matter how events unfolded, he would emerge victorious. Even if the Empire fell into ruin and the Imperial family lost its authority, he believed he could hold onto the throne and rebuild from the ashes if necessary.

But now, he wasn’t so sure.

“I could lose.”

The thought sent a shiver through him. He imagined being dragged from the throne, his head severed, and the palace claimed by another bloodline. Just acknowledging that possibility filled him with dread.

After a long silence, Maximilian spoke heavily.

“…What is His Majesty doing?”

“He remains in his chambers, drinking wine,” Rogier replied.

“…Hah.”

Maximilian exhaled deeply. There were no other options left. If he continued giving Sylas time, he wouldn’t even make it to the throne before his end came.

“Rogier, send secret letters to the court nobles.”

Maximilian’s voice turned cold.

“We must depose the Emperor.”

The imperial court nobles were on the verge of losing their minds. The Emperor had abruptly abandoned his duties, leaving all state affairs in their hands.

Initially, they were bewildered by the unfamiliar responsibilities the Emperor had previously handled alone. However, they soon adapted, as they were already accustomed to acting as the Empire’s bureaucrats.

The real problem, however, wasn’t the workload—it was accountability.

“We’ve received a complaint from Sir Sid, the Chief of Security,” one noble announced.

“What is it this time?” another asked.

“He says the budget is insufficient. Claims he needs at least double what we allocated just to maintain the security forces.”

“Wasn’t he the one who told His Majesty last year that the same budget was more than enough?”

One court noble slammed his desk in frustration. Roman Gross, the Empire’s Chancellor, let out a deep sigh and explained.

“That’s because His Majesty was in charge last year. He likely spoke truthfully then. But now that we’re the ones responsible, he sees an opportunity.”

“You mean he’s trying to extort a larger budget from us?”

“From his perspective, it’s worth a shot. Unlike His Majesty, we lack the authority to punish him for such demands. If even part of his request is approved, it’s a windfall for him.”

The Chancellor’s words made the court nobles grimace. It was infuriating to see someone who had once been too afraid to speak out against the Emperor now acting so brazenly.

Worse still, the Chief of Security wasn’t the only one pulling such stunts.

“Are other departments doing the same?”

“Yes. In fact, those who aren’t complaining are in the minority.”