NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 60
Episode 60: The Aftermath of Sosua’s Ascension (Part 4)
“Your Majesty, are you sure about this?”
“It’s fine.”
Secretary Linbelt Doulk hesitantly brought up the matter to Emperor Lubeus III of the Flastarl Empire, who responded with a single phrase.
“However, it seems certain that Lukult is trying to use our country.”
“Probably.”
“The transfer of the Duchy of Garsmice is clearly bait to lure us in. It’s likely that Lukult is trying to exploit the land inheritance laws of the Gildolq Kingdom to get free labor.”
“Obviously.”
Emperor Lubeus III responded to Linbelt’s words as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Seeing this, Linbelt’s expression softened with relief.
“Linbelt, no matter what schemes Lukult comes up with, they’re utterly meaningless.”
“Is that because…?”
“Without military power, whatever nonsense he spouts is pointless.”
Linbelt gulped at Emperor Lubeus III’s words. The emperor’s icy gaze sent shivers down his spine.
“The Gildolq Kingdom will fall once we take Zabeil. Zabeil has just undergone a succession. Exploiting that gap is clearly the best move.”
“Indeed, while Jilvol Zabeil has managed to consolidate the country for now, he only truly controls the Zabeil Border Duke Territory and the surrounding local nobles. The rest remain beyond his grasp.”
“Hmm, reports suggest that other nobles are not aligning with Zabeil’s rule.”
“Yes, it seems that with Princess Sosua’s ascension, anti-Zabeil factions are rapidly forming.”
Emperor Lubeus III smirked at Linbelt’s response.
The information about the Gildolq Kingdom reaching the Flastarl Empire had been manipulated by Jilvol. Of course, the Flastarl Empire also had spies, but they couldn’t quite grasp Jilvol’s true intentions.
This was because the Flastarl Empire only learned of the Gildolq Kingdom’s turmoil two months after it erupted, and most of their intelligence came from the Zabeil Border Duke Territory. Thus, the finer details of the central nobles’ situation were based on information flowing through the Zabeil Border Duke.
Jilvol had manipulated this information and let the Flastarl spies pick it up.
This didn’t mean the Flastarl Empire’s intelligence network was weak. For the Flastarl Empire, capturing the Zabeil Border Duke Territory meant they could swiftly dominate the Gildolq Kingdom, which is why they had focused their efforts there.
Outside the country, only Lord Giorg might have sensed the Gildolq Kingdom’s turmoil in advance. Even then, it was more of a possibility than a certainty.
In that sense, Giorg and Jilvol were similar, which is why they noticed. Others failing to notice didn’t necessarily mean they were incompetent.
“Lukult probably thinks he can pit the Flastarl Empire against Zabeil. If they destroy each other, he won’t be able to dominate the Gildolq Kingdom.”
“Indeed… When Your Majesty announced the deployment, Lukult briefly showed a nasty smirk.”
“Foolish. If he wants to deceive us, he should maintain a humble attitude until the end.”
“Understood.”
Linbelt responded briefly to Emperor Lubeus III’s sneer. He realized that his concerns were unnecessary to the emperor and secretly felt ashamed for bringing them up.
“Lukult is currently our justification. We can’t afford to lose him.”
“Understood, though it is regrettable…”
“Hmph, don’t be so dismissive. That man is also serving Flastarl. Until the Gildolq Kingdom changes its name to Flastarl under his puppet rule, we’ll keep him alive.”
“Understood.”
Emperor Lubeus III gave a cold smile at Linbelt’s response.
“Erikmelte or Kodelance… Which one should we choose?”
Linbelt didn’t respond to Emperor Lubeus III’s words. Erikmelte belonged to the Crown Prince faction, while Kodelance was part of the Second Prince faction.
The Flastarl Empire wasn’t a monolith; there was a succession dispute. Choosing either general would tip the scales in favor of one faction.
Emperor Lubeus III was in his mid-thirties, and under normal circumstances, he would reign over the Flastarl Empire for another twenty years without issue. However, there were movements among those around him to elevate one of the two princes.
(The Zabeil Kingdom… My hated enemy that has thwarted my ambitions time and time again… This time, without reinforcements, you won’t last.)
Emperor Lubeus III muttered this in his heart, and a twisted smirk escaped his lips.
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