A country had to have many people of talent, seeing as an unfortunate accident or illness could cause claim one’s life at any moment. If maintaining the family line was a noble’s duty, cultivating talent for the country was a minister’s duty, and none in attendance took that lightly. The king’s eye for choosing his ministers was praiseworthy.
Just as Werner had realized, the Kingdom of Wein was already considering a possible loss of Anheim. Should the land fall into enemy hands, they simply needed to recover in another way. They couldn’t realistically keep all their territory intact. Choosing which lands to protect and which to abandon was just another part of politics.
The crown prince put on a slight grin. “He’s made quite an interesting move. To think he would employ that spy.”
“Even though his targets had been the Hero’s family, he did fail to capture them.”
As he failed in carrying out his crime, his treatment could be adjusted accordingly. To provide an extreme example, if Rafed offered Mazel’s family an apology and they accepted it, the kingdom couldn’t force the matter. They could, of course, still punish him for targeting the Hero’s family to the full extent of what that entailed.
“If he wins this battle, he’ll win the reputation of someone who can manipulate even the agents of our rival states. If he loses, none will pay mind to how he treated a single criminal. And yet, this appointment will put a check on noble society. The viscount exceeds expectations.”
“You seem to be quite happy about it, Your Majesty,” said Lord Audenrieth.
“A firm grasp of strategy is an admirable quality,” the king replied. Some people’s personalities didn’t lend themselves to political maneuvering. It was difficult to make such people central to the nation. It wasn’t a matter of ability, but aptitude.
But if they proved they could make the right call when it counted, then things were different. That kind of ability proved them suitable for key positions. Nobles often strategized against the country for their own gain, and thus, it was not enough to offend the king. While it did not improve the king’s opinion of Werner, it was enough to maintain his current one.
However, the royal family had another reason they considered Werner so important. He was valuable simply for being a talented noble with close ties to the Hero. The king didn’t hold absolute power, and should the majority of nobles decide that a hero capable of opposing the Demon Lord was a threat to be eliminated, the crown would have to consider it—or at least, make it appear as if they did—no matter how important the hero was as a figurehead.
There was a latent danger that a majority of nobles could eliminate a powerful individual like the Hero, but Werner had stifled that possibility. Their relationship as best friends was well-known, and if anyone attempted to eliminate Mazel, Werner may seek asylum in a foreign country. That would spell a hefty loss of talent. A minister’s son and heir to the seat of a count fleeing his country would bring shame to Wein, and the foreign country lucky enough to take him in would benefit from his talents. Even if certain parties were wary of the Hero, they couldn’t openly move against him.
On the other hand, if Werner came to harm as a result of conspiracy, the Hero would likely see the kingdom and its nobles as enemies. This kept any nobles from carrying out such a plan. Mazel had shown himself strong enough to defeat two Demon Commanders and one of the Four Fiends. Any noble house that went up against him faced certain defeat. Getting rid of Werner posed such a threat that no one could make that choice.
Because the Hero stood not on his own but alongside a noble—even if that made some dissatisfied or jealous—nobody could slight them by trying to eliminate them or getting them executed through false charges.
The crown was exploiting this stalemate. The king had faith in Mazel, which he made a point to demonstrate publicly from time to time. Meanwhile, the crown prince praised Werner and made it clear he had high hopes for his future. Between the two of them, both young men had a royal backer.
This meant that even should some noble fear the two friends would rebel, they couldn’t speak of it openly as it would mean questioning both the king and crown prince’s judgment. That noble would lose standing in court. If they wanted to protect their position, they’d have to abandon such ideas.
But as a result, there were others who had, unexpectedly, risen to prominence in their own rights.
“By the way, Count Zehrfeld,” said the king, “how is the Hero’s sister?”
“I actually intended to discuss that matter with you, Your Highness,” responded Ingo with an unchanged expression. He explained the most recent issue, leaving the king looking glum.
“I see. I shall issue a warning as well.”
“I am ashamed I could not be of more service to the crown.”
“It is not a matter a single family could solve on its own. Do not fret. What of other matters?”
“As of now, there is no need for the kingdom to act.”
The king nodded. Next to speak was the crown prince. “And what of the Demon army?”
“A small group appeared on the western border, but our forces there have suppressed them. There are no other signs of their activity.”
“Stay vigilant. Make sure our that our agents abroad are not lax in gathering intelligence.”
“Yessir!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Next…”
It wasn’t just in Werner’s territory where monster numbers were on the rise. In order to properly determine where and how to mobilize the kingdom’s forces, it was important to stay abreast of developments in other lands. They had to consider those alongside the issues of managing refugees and succoring victims of the Demon army. But most importantly, they had to prepare for their next attack.
The Demon army was humanity’s ultimate foe, but there was no guarantee foreign powers wouldn’t make a move should battles with the demons leave them exhausted. There was a never-ending list of things to consider.
Their meeting continued a while longer.