The Bach Empire's representative looked as though his face was about to turn green after hearing this.
Although he had long expected the Blue Shield Empire to speak up for Nalant as well, they had now directly declared Nalant innocent.
That meant the Bach Empire was being opposed by two empires, and both of them were doing so for the sake of a mere minor foreign noble.
Sure enough, as the two great empires stepped forward to speak for Nalant, the representatives of the various duchies began whispering among themselves.
In the past, the six great empires only disagreed over major matters, because each had its own interests.
Yet they were now divided over Nalant, which showed that Baron Nalant was no longer someone to be underestimated.
At the very least, many small duchies did not have enough influence to make two great empires speak up for them at once.
"Marquis Kake, under the current circumstances, it is clearly no longer possible for me to make the decision alone, seeing as the representatives all hold differing opinions."
"Now, in accordance with the Council's usual practice, let us put it to a vote!"
"Esteemed noble representatives, regarding this matter, do you believe Baron Nalant is at fault, and should he be held accountable? Please write your opinions on the sheets of paper before you."
"Once the papers have been collected, we will tally them together!"
With the Blue Shield Empire and the Nock Empire backing Nalant, Theodore, as chairman, found his next move much easier: he directly called for a vote.
He believed that at least most of the duchies would choose to support Nalant.
After all, no matter what, Nalant had saved everyone's lives this time.
Moreover, Eric's conduct was certainly unpopular. There were likely a great many people secretly