After the Round Table Meeting ended, some of those present rose from their seats and left through the doors behind them.
Only six people remained seated.
At that moment, Count Henry impatiently asked Duke Henry, "Grandfather, why didn't we use William's defeat in this war as an opportunity to strip him of his title?"
"Yes, Uncle, I thought it was a good opportunity too," Baron Henry said. "Originally, the Round Table Meeting had eleven seats, and our family held six. We had absolute control over the Round Table Meeting and could always keep Marquis Madison's faction in check."
Then he sighed. "But ever since Baron William joined, it's become six against six. Every decision we make in the First Domain meets resistance."
"Uncle, I think everyone is right," Count George said. "Before, Marquis Madison and his people only had a little over five hundred Domain Sequence ability users under them. Since William appeared, that number has more than doubled. Even with the heavy losses William suffered on this campaign, they still have several hundred Domain Sequence ability users serving them. That's an enormous threat to us."
"I agree with my father," Baron George said briefly.
As he listened to his relatives and fellow members of the Twelve Nobles arguing, Duke Henry closed his eyes wearily, seemingly unwilling to listen to their noisy remarks.
When he gave no answer, Viscount Mary asked, "Uncle, what exactly do you think?"
Seeing this, the others fell silent as well, waiting for Duke Henry to speak.
Only after the silence had lingered for some time did Duke Henry slowly speak. "Do you know why I'm a duke?"
"It's not because I've lived the longest, nor because I have the most experience. It's because I know how to pass the [Succession Trials] of at least a