After the smaller nations of the North Continent had finished speaking, Altair heard them turn to Loen. He cleared his mind of its drowsiness and listened.
"Our influence over the Loen Kingdom is still woefully inadequate. We originally planned to weaken Loen by repealing the Grain Act, but there's no way to implement that plan."
"Ever since the bill was proposed, Conservative Faction nobles have been blocking it. The main reason is that it would cost them a great deal. Among the key members refusing to pass it are Duke Negan and his younger brother, Lord Aguesid Negan, Baron Kieran Sawyer... and many others. There are simply too many to name."
When Altair heard the names in the man's report, he began to wonder if the speaker belonged to the Royal Family's Augustus Family.
He knew that list all too well. It was the list of people who had refused to sign—the one he had obtained through his inquiries a while ago.
After the man, who seemed to be from the Augustus Family, finished speaking, a hot-tempered person replied, "As you said, this would cost them too much. They'd never agree to it. I propose using force to make them comply."
Before he could continue, someone interrupted, "That's impossible. Those nobles aren't fools. Target even one of them, and the consequences will be unpredictable."
"I still think we should stick to our earlier decision and slowly 'boil the frog.' There's no need to rush. The proposal was only put forward recently, after all. Let's take our time."
"Although we can't use force, we can spread the news among the public and let ordinary people apply pressure. Then the Royal Family will be forced to choose between a small number of nobles and a large number of commoners. If the Royal