?King''s office, Napuna.


    *Smash*


    *Bang*


    *nk*


    Nichs I is smashing all the stuff he can grab within his reach. The servants stay away from the office, afraid of being targeted. Right now, their king is throwing a tantrum akin to a small child. His tantrum bears a striking resemnce to Niall''s violent outburst.


    No one including Wendall ever expects that a single letter manages to throw the king off like this. He has never seen this side of Nichs I before.


    "The audacity of that brat...!!" Nichs I turned his head to his prime minister, "Wendall, prepared an army. We need to remove his bloodline."


    Wendall, who silently stood in the corner sighed. "Your Majesty, we can no longer do anything to him right now. In thest war, the strongest royal army was reduced to dust."


    "Do something!! That''s what you''re paid for." Nichs I barked. Things have never been his way for months now.


    Cerdeauxia still blocking them from using their ports.


    Barlia''s navy still attacked their ships and blocked their coastline.


    His beloved son died and the duke''s entire family died. The royal family lost Tetherswest''s support and nobles started to disobey him.


    "Your Majesty, you need to calm down. There is a most concerning matter you need to solve..." said Wendall.


    "What is it?" he asks.


    "About ways to keep the kingdom together. Now that the royal power and influence have declined, it is a lie to say the nobles didn''t harbour any intention to follow Ryntum''s footsteps."


    Nichs was silent at those words.


    "I suggest we turn them against each other."


    "How?" asked Nichs I.


    Wendall cleared his throat before speaking, "Let me exin. In all likelihood, the one who has that ambition is upper-rank nobles which are Count Naharog, Count Tetherswest, Count Caushilbo, Count Hajdu and Count Vofors. The viscounts and barons below them won''t. They couldn''t afford to have that thought. These lower-rank nobles are more eager to climb up the rank.


    We will let the lower-rank nobles keep the upper-rank in check by promising them nobility rank. If the upper-rank nobles in their region n to go independent, they will join forces to defeat them. The standing soldier for a count is less than 10,000 men and the lower-rank nobles'' forces are sufficient to overwhelm them."


    Nichs I tapped his temple, "What if the upper-rank nobles make a surprise attack on the lower-rank and eliminate them first?"


    Wendall replies, "Your Majesty canbel them as a ''betrayer'' and revoke their nobility rank. With this, Your Majesty will emphasize that theirnd now is noble-less and free to grab. To make this n more effective, announce that the amount of theirnd possession will determine their nobility rank. It will rally the nobles from all sides to increase theirnd even by an inch."


    "In short, if one of them moves and the other will move as well. The more nobles involved, the bigger it gets."


    Wendall affirms, "Exactly as you said. We also don''t need to send out a single soldier."


    For generations, nobles in this kingdom care more about pride and prestige than wealth itself. Wendall''s n to manipte this aspect has it worth being carried out.


    "We can''t use this n against the Ryntum?"


    Wendall shook his head, "We can''t because that kid has killed all the nobles below him and has a military strength that exceeds us. To be honest, I can''t believe it when I heard he killed his own step-grandfather."


    "He is ruthless for a sixteen-year-old kid. Anyways, I agree with your n. Send the letter to all nobles with haste."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Nichs I know he couldn''t hide the news for a long time and he is right.


    The next day, a piece of sensational news swept across the capital andnded in the public''s ears. The independence of the Ryntum Kingdom is widely talked about by people regardless of their social status.


    Formoners, this news meant nothing. Their life won''t change.


    For nobles, it meant a lot. Their heart resonates with the same thought, ''If a sixteen-year-old young man can do it, why couldn''t I?''


    All eyes are on Nichs I.


    Every noble is waiting for his response. They don''t want to make a useless move and be a target. Knowing their king''s personality, it won''t be a peaceful resolution.


    Later that afternoon, a messenger came to the capital square. Instead of announcement of criticism, disapproval or calling for war, Nichs I announced several restrictions aimed at the nobles.


    The message is clear. Have the same ambition as Ryntum and face the attack from all sides alone.


    "That old man, he can''t do anything to Ryntum so he chooses to tighten his grasp on us,"mented Count Naharog when he received the news.


    His eyes flickered to his butler, "What is the progress on the cannon development?"


    "Our cksmith managed to reverse-engineer it. The structure is notplicated. Nheless, the cost to produce one is high and weck thest piece of the puzzle. A material to propel the cannonball. Without it, the cannons we produce will be useless."


    "Send a spy to Bideford and find out for me." the count ordered.


    "I have already done that but they never return." replies the butler.


    "Keep sending more. It''s impossible they can fend off every single spy."


    Now that the situation had reached this point, he urgently needed this cannon. He doesn''t believe the nobles will just stay put.


    ....


    Tetherswest Mansion,


    "That kid is crazy!" grumbled Count Theodore.


    Countess Fiona happilyughs, "I guess we got ourselves a troublesome son-inw. I guess Theodora would be a queen now."


    Theodore scoffs, "He is not our son-inw yet."


    Fiona chuckled at her husband''s reaction, "But he definitely will. From the tone in Theodora''s letters, that boy is treating him well. He even appoints her as his finance minister."


    "Hmph...I guess it''s worth teaching her about finances. There is a more important subject to talk about."


    "Ah! yes, yes. How could I forget." Fiona remembers her main purpose in talking to her husband. "I''ve sent spies to Bideford but only one manages toe back. Our future son-inw didn''t leave a gap for our spies to prate. Here is the sketch."


    Theodore looks at the sketch of the field artillery while listening to Fiona''s information.


    "In his words, the rumoured weapon indeed exists. The principle behind it is still unknown but its function is the same as a trebuchet. Our spy has to flee Bideford before he could learn anything about it. Should I send another batch of spies?"


    Theodore shook his head, "No, you don''t have to. Riz probably knew we sent them but he chose to ignore it. Maybe as a sign of respect to us, his future inws. Right now, we need to take care of ourselves first. Especially when nobles are triggered by his independence deration."