The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

The roundtable meeting didn't make any real progress; everyone was just going through the motions of discussing how to fight the Kingdom of Anjou, but everyone knew that the key issue now was the North.

Only Judith gave it serious thought and suggested moving the church's resources to the southwest to support the war effort there.

However, this point was not approved. Although the Church is currently weak, it will not easily start a war with a country. After all, although Anjou mainly worships the God of War, it also has many followers of the goddess. Alberto himself has great respect for religion, so the Church has no reason to intervene.

At most, the cultivators can provide some assistance.

In the end, Lilith allowed the nobles to spy on the North on their own, which was almost an implication that how to contact the two forces in the North was their own business, as long as it did not involve the capital and the royal family.

I've set it up; you guys are free to do whatever you want.

The meeting ended with praise for Lilith, and the nobles, each with their own agendas, left the palace.

After leaving, Claire, as usual, visited various nobles to gather their opinions for Lilith, and finally made a perfunctory contact with Monroe.

"Your Highness, aren't you tired of this? Every time you talk to me, you have to chat with all the other nobles first."

The charcoal in the fireplace crackled and popped as it burned. It seemed to have been treated with alchemy, producing no smoke and even emitting a pleasant fragrance.

Although it seems cheaper than activating a magic circle for warmth, these specially made charcoal pieces are actually more expensive to burn.

"There's no other way; only in this way will His Majesty feel at ease entrusting certain matters to me."

Lilith was more cautious than Claire, but after all, Lilith was outnumbered and didn't have many people she could actually rely on. So even if Lilith had some doubts, she could only trust herself for the time being.

Claire put down her teacup and said casually, "This governor of the North is really audacious. At this hour, he still wants to stir up trouble."

Claire was still excited when she learned that the Gray Collar army had suffered a crushing defeat on the Golden Harvest Plain. When she learned that Linde had personally gone to the front line, Claire began to look forward to the scene of Linde's defeat and death.

But the intelligence Claire was hoping for had not arrived from the North. Battle reports could be deceiving, but the battle lines could not. The battle lines were now firmly stuck on the Golden Harvest Plain. Claire would not believe that the governor had been in trouble.

The main reason Claire sought out Monroe this time was that she wanted to know the latest developments in the battle at Golden Harvest Plains. To some extent, Claire had begun to doubt whether the Demon Clan was truly capable.

"Isn't that right? They're already in dire straits, yet they're still thinking about making money."

Monroe leaned back on the sofa, his body spread out loosely, looking very relaxed.

"Oh? Is it really a matter of life and death?"

Claire looked out the window; the sky was already foggy, and there had been intermittent snowfalls for the past few days. When the demons provided Claire with intelligence earlier, they were full of confidence, believing that the gray-collar workers wouldn't survive the winter and urging Claire to prepare in advance. Later, they advised Lilith to change her policies.

However, after Lind's letter arrived, Claire began to re-evaluate the situation, especially since the information about the demons had become increasingly vague.

This inevitably made Claire a little worried: was the Demon Clan really worth investing in?

"Don't worry, these are all technical adjustments."

Monroe sat up straight and explained, "Your Highness, I believe you have also heard about the terrifying monsters created by the demons in the intelligence report."

"And those monsters are stronger than you and I can say for sure that no human being can withstand their onslaught, not even the small kingdom of Anjou in the southwest."

Claire, however, was somewhat dismissive, retorting, "The gray-collar workers already block it, don't they?"

"That's only temporary. After all, Your Highness, you know that the Grey-White Collar's firearms have always been superior to ours. According to the Demon Clan's intelligence, the Grey-White Collar also has even stronger cannons. But even the Grey-White Collar, in their first encounter, couldn't defeat those terrifying monsters, could they?"

That's true. After all, based on the intelligence the capital has received so far, from any perspective, the Gray and White Collars have been defeated. It's just a matter of to what extent they've been defeated.

But Claire sensed something was amiss, because Monroe's eyes were too fanatical. Monroe should be an ally of the demons, so why was he acting like a cultist?

"And do you know how those monsters came to be? If you did, you wouldn't have any doubts about the demons' victory."

The dignified Grand Duke of the Eastern Territory was actually preaching to Claire like a fanatical heretic, but Claire still maintained her elegant demeanor and asked, "Oh? How did that come about?"

Monroe asked in a calm voice, "Your Highness, do you remember what I told you before, that the demons unearthed their god in the eternal frozen land?"

Claire nodded: "So?"

In Claire's opinion, even if it wasn't a trick by the demons, it was probably just some kind of cult statue that had been unearthed, nothing to worry about.

"Those monsters were created by their gods! Their gods parted their own flesh and blood to turn the demons into these monsters!"

Upon hearing this, Claire immediately understood why Monroe's attitude towards the demons had changed, becoming so cautious.

This statement contains a wealth of information. First, the demon god of the demon race does not need any divine pronouncements to command believers to do things; he can directly interfere with the world. Second, separating his own flesh and blood shows that this god has a physical body, rather than being an ethereal symbol.

But Claire quickly found a flaw in this logic: if the gods could directly turn demons into those monsters, why didn't they personally intervene and destroy the Gray Collars?

It's clear that the demons were withholding some information from Monroe.

Claire immediately thought of the Lantern Dream. The demons probably stole the power of the gods in some way, just like in the Lantern Dream, and the so-called flesh and blood were just a medium.

After careful consideration, Claire licked her lips. Unlike Monroe, who became even more afraid of the demons after learning about the monsters' origins, or fanatically converted to the demons, Claire immediately thought about how to borrow or even control this power.

Seeing Claire's unusual expression, Monroe assumed she was frightened and continued, "So you understand now, Your Highness? How can humans contend with gods? Unless the goddess manifests herself again, the gray and white collars are doomed to lose. We'd better make plans as soon as possible."

Claire nodded. Indeed, they should make plans sooner rather than later. Having learned about the source of the demons' power, Claire felt that the demons might not be able to defeat the Gray Collar.

After all, even the so-called Lantern Dream was helpless against this Governor of the North, and even took the initiative to seek cooperation. This Governor of the North may have some special power, so his ease in the letter can be explained.

Claire found the plan increasingly reasonable and immediately drafted a new plan.

Claire is now even looking forward to seeing the demons defeated, because only a weakened demon can be better controlled by her.

Finally, Claire carefully analyzed the current situation in her mind. Neither Anjou nor the demons had a very friendly attitude towards the capital. Even the gray and white collars, who were nominal allies, mostly maintained a balance towards the capital. As for sworn brothers and sisters, only children would believe that if Her Majesty the Queen was in trouble, Governor Linde would rush to her rescue at all costs.

Adults only care about their own interests.

A new plan that could balance the interests of all parties gradually took shape in Claire's mind.

"Your Highness, have you made up your mind?"

Monroe thought Claire was considering whether to completely side with the demons, so he frowned slightly and urged her on. In Monroe's opinion, this was something that did not require any hesitation.

"Sir Monroe, do you remember what I told you back then? Why can't I, the rightful heir, sit in that position?"

Claire narrowed her eyes, staring intently at Monroe: "You'll support me, won't you?"

Monroe felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake, but he still replied, "Of course, Your Highness. The Kingdom of Capet will always need a new leader, and no one is more suitable than you."