Some conflicts did not cease to exist simply because they had not erupted.
The conflict between the royal family and the local lords had existed since the kingdom's founding. It was merely that the Alpha Kingdom's primary social conflict had been racial conflict.
The Beastfolk invasions that came every few days had concealed the kingdom's internal conflicts.
As the Orc Empire declined, the internal conflicts that had once been suppressed had already shown signs of erupting.
The political reforms previously launched by the Kingdom government were not only intended to solve the kingdom's financial problems, but also to eliminate internal dangers.
The plan had proceeded very smoothly. The increase in productivity brought by the successful Agricultural Reform had already resolved more than half of the kingdom's problems.
Even the Underworld Race invasion had failed to halt the Alpha Kingdom's advance.
In theory, the next ten to twenty years would be the critical period for the Alpha Kingdom to achieve the Annihilation of the Orc Empire.
The major domestic factions had all been working toward this shared goal, tacitly suppressing their internal conflicts.
Yet all of this became precarious with the developments at the front.
It appeared that only a commander-in-chief, a duke, had died, but in truth, the tacit understanding between the local lords and the royal family had been shattered.
If Alpha I could not offer a reasonable explanation for Duke Thous's death, relations between the royal family and the great local nobles would inevitably deteriorate.
The moment the incident occurred, Caesar IV ordered a high-level meeting.
As the head of the military, Hudson naturally could not be absent and could only rush to the Royal Capital.
Deep down, he had already cursed Alpha I's entire family.
Rationally, Hudson was willing to believe that Alpha I was innocent. Even