"..." Upon hearing Emperor William's decision, the entire palace fell deathly silent.
The eyes of all the councilors flickered. Those of the Old Guard Party on the left instinctively turned toward the leader of their own faction.
As the true power holder of the Upper House, Wolf knew very well that although Emperor William appeared to be seeking everyone's opinion, it was ultimately nothing more than a test aimed at him.
The Emperor wanted to reclaim the military authority, administrative authority, and even legislative authority that had gradually been devolved since Perus I ascended the throne.
After all, the actions he had taken during the eight years since his accession had long proven him to be a monarch with boundless ambition.
With the Empire suffering successive defeats on its other three fronts, Dormammu's great victory had given Emperor William a perfectly legitimate reason to do so.
Although Wolf was deeply curious about what kind of cunning scheme Dormammu had used to turn around a war that should have been lost after their supply lines were exposed—
The facts now stood before him. By reason and by sentiment alike, he had no way to refuse.
Yet Wolf, who understood this perfectly well, did not state his position.
Instead, he calmly looked across at Duke Ostan, who had somehow begun staring back at him from afar, waiting for the other man to speak first and ignite this dispute.
"When it came to discussing how to handle the defeat, everyone's enthusiasm was plain to see. Why has no one said a word now?"
Seeing that Wolf had not taken the bait, Emperor William could not help cursing the old fox inwardly. Outwardly, however, he still looked warmly at this "loyal" Prime Minister, speaking in an intimate and gentle tone as though conversing with