The minister's face turned bright red, and in the end, he could only stammer out,
"Your Majesty, as the ruler of a nation, how can you commit such an unjust act? Wouldn't it make you the laughingstock of the world?"
He went on with a bunch of stuff about righteousness, loyalty, and other lofty ideals that made no sense to anyone.
The hall was filled with an air of utter exasperation.
Oguro cast a look of pure disdain over the group.
Loyalty, righteousness… what a joke.
At the core, they were just worried about losing power.
With the young heir ascending the throne, they could do whatever they wanted.
But under Oguro's rule, whether they could even keep their positions was a real question.
No matter the world, officials were never any good.
"Relax! I'm not here to steal your kingdom!" Oguro said with a sneer.
At this, the opposing ministers' eyes lit up, while the ministers who had sided with Kalifa looked as if they had just lost everything.
They felt like they had been tossed aside!
But Oguro's next words made everyone's hearts drop.
"However, letting a bunch of children inherit? That's out of the question… they don't even bear the Furant name!"
The hall fell silent. People exchanged glances, then carefully asked, "Then, Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
Oguro waved his hand grandly.
"By tradition, when a kingdom loses its royal family, the throne is chosen from among the remaining nobility.
Looking at Furant Kingdom, there are still plenty of adult nobles. Picking a suitable king isn't that difficult."
At this, many in the hall showed a flicker of interest.
They were nobles themselves, which meant they could compete for the throne!
If their family became royal, wouldn't that be far better than being a mere minister?
Oguro then looked at Kalifa.
"Kalifa, which nobles in Flant Kingdom would make suitable kings?"
Adjusting her glasses, Kalifa stepped forward respectfully.
"Your Majesty, to my knowledge, Count Roland Osman is the most respected! His civilians live in peace and prosperity under his governance."
"What? I don't agree!"
Several ministers leapt up as if bitten by snakes.
Oguro raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem with him?"
"Well…"
Under Oguro's oppressive gaze, they dared not speak carelessly and could only mutter meekly.
"He's not suitable!"
"Hah!" Oguro snorted. "Whether he's suitable isn't for you to decide!"
"I just have one question—legally, does Count Osman have the right to inherit the kingdom?"
The ministers who had been allied reacted quickly.
"Of course he does! The Osman family is one of the oldest noble families in Furant Kingdom!"
Oguro immediately smiled and clapped his hands.
"Good! I think Count Osman will make a fine king! Who agrees? Who opposes?"
Only then did the crowd realize Oguro's plan.
He wasn't taking Furant Kingdom for himself, but he was installing a puppet on the throne!
With this puppet in place, whether Furant Kingdom fell under the Holy Spirit Empire hardly mattered.
"Your Majesty!" one minister could not help but speak up. "This is Furant Kingdom's internal affair. Please do not interfere!"
Oguro rolled his eyes.
"When did I interfere? I'm simply helping you find a rightful heir according to your laws and traditions. Do you intend to ignore your own laws in choosing a king?"
That one sentence left the ministers speechless.
Ignore the law?
They might want to, but could they really say it out loud?
"Kalifa!" Oguro ignored the ministers and turned to her.
"Contact Count Osman immediately! Furant Kingdom is at a critical point.
Someone like him should step up to lead the people out of this crisis. I'm confident many will support him!"
Several people's faces fell as if they had just lost everything.
Though unspoken, the meaning was clear: Go ahead and compete—he's backing you!
What a joke!
Who in this hall could possibly challenge the Holy Spirit Empire? They probably wouldn't even know how they died!
And opposition? Hah!
What proof do you have that Oguro is meddling in Furant Kingdom's affairs? He merely spoke fairly. You don't think Furant Kingdom would deny someone the right to speak, do you?
Before long, Count Osman was summoned by Kalifa's people.
He was a young man, barely in his twenties.
Facing everyone in the hall, Osman's face couldn't help but show a trace of fear.
Though the Osman family had long held the hereditary title of Count, in reality, they had been sidelined from the inner circles of power in the royal capital for decades.
They had been a marginal, almost invisible family.
Recently, some people had come to him, praising the Osman family's policies in their territories.
They had stayed to help govern, offering many valuable suggestions.
It gave Osman a sense of camaraderie.
And now, today, these same people were telling him they would support the Osman family to ascend to the throne!
It was like a pie falling from the sky, leaving him stunned.
Even before entering the palace, he thought he must be dreaming.
"Osman, are you willing to inherit the throne and become the new king of Furant Kingdom?"
Oguro asked with a cheerful smile.
"This…" Osman was still stunned, unsure how to answer.
The opposing ministers immediately seized the opportunity.
"Count Osman is too young! He cannot bear such a burden. I propose Duke Beliga inherit the throne!"
Duke Beliga represented the bureaucratic landowning elite.
He believed the commoners were the property of the nobility and that all wealth produced by commoners should belong to the aristocracy.
In short, a man who saw the common people as slaves.
The minister's words immediately gained support from several others.
These powerful figures craved more wealth and authority.
Someone like Osman, who distributed land to the people and only collected minimal taxes, was, in their eyes, utterly foolish.
Seeing the agitated crowd, Oguro feigned regret and said to Osman,
"What a pity. I had hoped that when you inherited the throne, you could bring all of Furant Kingdom's people a more prosperous life. But now it seems someone else will have to handle it."
At once, Osman's determination ignited.
If Beliga ascended, what future could the people of the kingdom possibly have?
***
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