'Northwind Army, King Ryan'

"Northwind Province?"

It seemed Northwind Province had indeed gained the Empire's recognition. Even noble armies returning in triumph now had to pass through here to return to the mighty Empire.

They really... had ideas.

Ryan had also received firsthand news from the Imperial Capital from his father and understood why Floyd was not taking the route through Carlos.

He had to return to the Imperial Capital and report to His Majesty the Emperor as the army's supreme commander, rather than remain in his own castle in Carlos Province.

And after making his report, was a marquis not allowed to remain in the heart of the Empire, by the side of His Majesty the Emperor?

The Empire had become very open. Nobles could visit one another freely, and now, nobles seeking greater power from the Imperial Capital had become the prevailing trend—the trend of human civilization's integration.

As long as he did not go to Carlos Province to accept the marquis's original appointment, Floyd could retain the title of "Your Highness."

Floyd could not have managed it alone. Without the help of the nobles—one could even say most of the nobles—he would have long since been sent to Carlos in disgrace under a single imperial order.

At this point, Count Clayton also told Ryan that, in order to leave the Emperor with no other excuse, the nobles had carried out an exchange of interests within the Carlos Kingdom—or rather... on the half of the Carlos Kingdom's land that remained.

As a result, that land, once chaotic and constantly plagued by civil war, had become incredibly harmonious. There was no sign at all of even the slightest military threat.

This included the new nobles of Carlos Province.

Yes, the descendants of those great nobles—the former Wandering Nobles who had received land from