Chapter 481: Chapter 224: The Marquis’s Plan (2)

Earl Far nodded. As the heir to a great noble house, he had received an excellent upbringing and naturally understood this principle.

There are some people you simply cannot compete with.

"You, go and summon His Highness, the Prince. Tell him I have an urgent matter to discuss."

The Marquis said to a messenger at his side.

"As you command, my lord." The messenger nodded and promptly departed.

Marquis Oscillate looked at the letter in his hand. He still hadn’t read Robson’s.

Robson’s letter contained much of the same information, but with a few additions. He told Marquis Oscillate that he had used Alien Race Warriors in battle, but that His Majesty Louis had approved it.

Clearly, Robson was giving him a heads-up. Information like this could be a lifesaver at a critical moment.

After finishing the letters, Marquis Oscillate was in high spirits and returned to the command tent.

Next, he needed to discuss the future of the war and its aftermath with Prince Noah.

Prince Noah had not attended the previous meeting.

His Highness the Prince had been on the front lines recently, constantly building his military record.

This was practically a required rite of passage for Frankish Monarchs. Even if their military abilities weren’t outstanding, they still had to accumulate some military merit.

Coincidentally, thirty years ago, it was Marquis Oscillate and his allies from Algeria who had helped Louis III build his military merit. Now, thirty years later, it was the same group of people helping Prince Noah do the same.

When Prince Noah returned to the main camp and heard that Marquis Oscillate was looking for him, he dared not delay and immediately hurried to the command tent.

Prince Noah’s position was not yet secure; he had only recently been confirmed as the Crown Prince.

In the past two days, Prince Noah had witnessed the terrifying power of the Edward family’s connections, as well as the unfathomable prestige of Marquis Oscillate.

In the presence of such an elder, Prince Noah had to remain respectful.

Arriving at the central command tent, he found Marquis Oscillate studying a map.

The map was a panoramic view of the entire Beastman Empire, including the central and western fronts.

Hearing the footsteps, the Marquis turned to look at Prince Noah.

"Your Highness." Marquis Oscillate bowed.

"Marquis." Prince Noah returned the gesture.

The two had interacted frequently since arriving at the central front, and both knew there was no need to beat around the bush.

Marquis Oscillate directly took out the letters that had arrived from within the kingdom and handed them to Prince Noah.

"Your Highness, have a look?" Marquis Oscillate said.

"Oh?"

Puzzled, Prince Noah opened the letters.

The Prince’s first read-through was very fast—a bad habit he had picked up at King’s College. After finishing the letter, he still hadn’t grasped what was happening.

He mulled it over for a moment, and it dawned on him that something wasn’t quite right. He read it again.

Reading it carefully the second time, he truly understood what had happened and, just like Marquis Oscillate, broke into a laugh.

"This Robson! When I first saw him on the Western Front, I knew he was destined for greatness!"

"I never imagined he would cause such a stir on the eastern front," Prince Noah replied.

His smile was half-genuine, half-feigned. The feigned part was to humor Marquis Oscillate; everyone in the kingdom knew that Robson was the Marquis’s grandson-in-law.

The genuine part was because Robson was his contemporary, and the two had cooperated twice before, forging what could be called a life-and-death bond.

’I wonder if Oscillate and Grantham used up all of the Frank Kingdom’s military fortune,’ Noah thought. ’Right now, I can’t see anyone in the kingdom who can match their military genius.’

’At least, I haven’t found anyone.’

’The Frank Kingdom was founded on martial prowess; this situation is unacceptable.’

’Now, Robson’s appearance has solved one of my biggest worries. Judging from his current record, I don’t know if he can surpass Grantham, but he can definitely hold his own against Marquis Oscillate.’

’Being able to hold his own against Marquis Oscillate is good enough. He’s an ace, after all. I can’t ask for too much.’

When Marquis Oscillate saw that Prince Noah had been talking for some time without getting to the point, he realized that for two generations, the royal family had truly lacked anyone with tactical vision.

"Your Highness, in your opinion, what will Earl Robson’s next target be?" the Marquis asked.

"The next target?" Prince Noah adopted a thoughtful expression.

"The Tiger Race Royal Court?"

Although Prince Noah lacked genius, he was, after all, well-educated and had a solid foundation. The only difference between a genius and an ordinary person was that singular flash of inspiration.

Marquis Oscillate nodded, then spread the map out, patiently guiding him. "Your Highness, look. Here is the Centaur King City, and here is the Tiger Race Royal City. What lies beyond the Tiger Race Royal Court?"

"Beyond the Tiger Race Royal Court... is the central front."

"Impressive. Robson is truly formidable, fighting his way from the eastern front all the way to the western front. He is worthy of the title Court Count..."

Prince Noah was about to offer his customary praise when his eyes fell on the map, and he suddenly understood.

’That’s right. If Robson breaks through the Tiger Race Royal Court, he’ll be on the Beastmen’s central front.’

’So the question is, who is the Beastman commander on the central front right now?’

Prince Noah’s breath caught in his throat. Looking at the Marquis’s faint, knowing smile, he understood everything.

’The Emperor! The Emperor of the Beastman Empire!’

’The Emperor of the Beastman Empire—that would be an astronomical military achievement!’

’In past wars between the Beastmen and the Frank Kingdom, it was unheard of for the supreme leader to be killed!’

’Just think, not even the Knight King managed to kill a Beastman Emperor, because the Beastman Empire is too vast! The Beastmen always have an escape route.’

’The only one who ever killed a Beastman Emperor was my great-grandfather, the Sun King, Louis I.’

’If Robson charged over from the Tigerman Royal Court right now and intercepted Beast Emperor Kemal on the central front...’

’Then, if I, Noah, were to charge in... even just to share in the glory, what a magnificent story that would be!’

Marquis Oscillate was very satisfied with Prince Noah’s reaction. He then produced another letter.

It was from His Majesty Louis III.

Prince Noah took it. As he’d suspected, his father’s thoughts were identical to his own.

Louis III had even made all the arrangements for him.

Prince Noah clutched the letter tightly, his mind reeling with excitement.

"Your Highness, everything is clear now. However, there is one matter that is rather complicated," said Marquis Oscillate.

"What is it?"

This was an opportunity for once-in-a-lifetime glory. Even Noah, who usually projected an image of calm and kindness, was getting anxious.

Once this was accomplished, his claim to the throne would be ironclad.

"It seems that on this campaign, Robson intends to cooperate with the Grey Dwarves Royal Court."

"His Majesty has already approved this, but as you know, there will always be those who spread rumors and slander the kingdom’s heroes. I suspect Earl Robson is worried about this very thing," Marquis Oscillate said.

He had summoned Prince Noah today for this very reason: to prevent the Prince from turning on them later and using this old affair against them.

This wasn’t impossible. Noah was, after all, only the Crown Prince. History was filled with crown princes who appeared virtuous and talented, only to reveal themselves as monsters after taking the throne.

Though Prince Noah wasn’t militarily astute, his political instincts were in no way inferior to Louis III’s.

The Marquis hadn’t even finished speaking before Noah understood his meaning.

Faced with the immense temptation of Kemal, Prince Noah knew where his priorities lay.

Prince Noah slammed his hand on the table.

"Let them dare to spread rumors! Earl Robson is a hero of the kingdom! So what if he allies with the Dwarves? It is a necessary expedient! This shows he is a great and loyal subject, one who prioritizes the bigger picture and is willing to sacrifice his own reputation for the kingdom!" Prince Noah declared righteously.

Marquis Oscillate just smiled.

Prince Noah was bewildered. He knew the Marquis must have a Memory Stone active. ’Was my performance not convincing enough?’

"Your Highness, about Viscount Robertson..."

"What Viscount? Marquis, although Earl Robson is currently a Court Count, our Frank Kingdom never mistreats its heroes. Once he achieves this great merit, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a formal Earl. Even if Earl Robson’s own power is not substantial enough, the kingdom will make up for it."

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