I'm not a lord

Chapter 231 Otto III's Seduction

In Amber Harbor, Chloris isn't the only one who receives messages from the Southern Lands via carrier pigeons.

Although breeding homing pigeons is very difficult and using them is quite troublesome, these are not problems as long as you have money and people.

For example, two wealthy merchant councilors received messages from their trading partners via carrier pigeon, informing them that Otto III was leading his army toward the north.

Moreover, it is obvious at a glance that these two letters were written at Otto's behest.

In the letter, King Rui blatantly 'seduced' the Amber Harbor councilors to switch allegiance.

In his letter, he promised to defeat Duke Lothair of the Marsh, to maintain Amber Harbor's status as a municipality, and to protect the legitimate rights of the priests and councilors.

More importantly, he will bring with him an elite army of four thousand men, and he will use force to fulfill all his promises.

He didn't ask for much, just a crown from the North.

The two councilors did not panic after reading the letter, nor did they immediately notify King Maurice. Instead, they went to Mayor Neil, who was resting under the city walls.

Neil also stayed up all night, keeping watch on the city walls all night to guard against an enemy attack.

When dawn broke, he was too exhausted to stay afloat any longer, so he climbed down from the city wall, took off his armor, and rested for a while.

Upon hearing that two city councilors were visiting together and that the situation was urgent, Neil was instantly wide awake.

After reading the two secret letters brought by the pigeon, he immediately gave instructions:
"This matter must not be leaked. If the court and the citizens find out about it, the city wall defenses will collapse instantly."

Otto III's military expedition did not surprise Neil much.

With Neil's access to information, he certainly knew that Otto was preparing ships to attack the North.

The only thing that surprised him was Otto's speed.

From the time the news broke to the actual deployment of troops, only about a month passed.

Moreover, Otto's fleet will arrive at Amber Harbor in another week.

This incredible speed completely exceeded Neil's expectations.

The two councilors were well aware of the seriousness of the matter. One of them replied, "Of course, besides us, you are the only one who has seen these two letters so far, but we cannot rule out the possibility that others in the city have heard the news."

“We don’t need to worry about anyone else. We have to keep this secret. If those people aren’t idiots, they’ll definitely choose to keep it a secret too. Once Lothair outside the city gets in, everyone will die.” Neil sat up straight on the bed, becoming more and more energetic as he spoke.

The congressman who had just spoken asked again, "We all understand, but the question is, what should we do next?"

Neil's mind raced, and after a moment he made a decision: "This matter is not difficult to handle. Our best option is to abandon Maurice, this bastard son, and enthrone Otto III as king."

In Neil's view, the current king, Maurice, was an illegitimate son without a legitimate claim to the throne, and had lost most of his military and political capital in the crushing defeat north of Cologne.

The main reason Amber Harbor recognized this king was to establish a standard for its citizens, refugees, nobles, and mercenaries.

In order to protect the city, the city council must unite all forces that can be united, and for this, it must rely on the degree of sanctity bestowed by the monarchy.

Morris was quite cooperative; whenever there was fighting, he would come to the city wall that evening to offer his congratulations and encouragement.

But any king could have done this well.

Aside from this pitiful amount of moral support, the military and economic support that Morris could provide was practically nonexistent; even the newly recruited guards for the royal palace had to be funded by the city council.

In contrast, Otto III, the de facto king of the Kingdom of Rui, had money and troops at his disposal, and was even capable of waging a war across the ocean.

In other words, what Maurice could do, Otto III could do as well, and even better.

The main reason, of course, is that Amber Harbor cannot be attacked from both sides.

If the citizens knew that they not only had to resist the Duke of the Marsh, but also had to send troops to stop Otto III, their will to fight would absolutely crumble instantly.

Neil bears the trust of all the citizens and must be responsible for their lives and property.

He really had no choice; there were only three options, and Otto III was the only optimal solution. However, there were two difficulties in this matter.

First, Maurice was not deaf or blind; his mother also came from a wealthy merchant family, which held seats on the city council.

Even if Neil's secrecy is excellent, there's still a chance that Maurice's family will receive a message from the South by carrier pigeon.

The royal palace currently maintains an armed force of approximately three hundred men, primarily composed of nobles who are likely loyal to King Maurice.

Although the number of people was small, they could hold out for a while by relying on the palace walls.

If Maurice were to have a moment of despair and self-destruct, he could even drag the entire Amber Harbor down with him.

The second challenge was how to remove the crown from Maurice's head as smoothly as possible and then place it on Otto's head.

The Duke of the Swamp, that god of war, hasn't left yet; he's still launching a fierce attack on the city walls.

As Neil chatted with the two councilors, they could hear deafening battle cries coming from the other side of the city walls.

If anything goes wrong in the city due to a power transition or power struggle, the Duke of the Swamp can storm into the city in no time.

At that time, Amber Harbor will most likely become a battlefield where Lothair, Morris, the City Council, and Otto III clash, and the entire city will be destroyed.

Both members of parliament were seasoned veterans, and they could certainly see the risks involved. They exchanged glances, and one of them asked, "There's nothing wrong with supporting Otto III, but how exactly should it be done?"

The two members of parliament did not hesitate at all when it came to deposing and installing the king.

In the face of truly important matters of right and wrong, what is a mere king? He can be deposed at will, and sometimes even killed!

Given Amber Harbor's geographical location and economic status, whoever becomes king of the North must maintain the city's autonomy.

Moreover, Otto III was not an outsider; he married the eldest daughter of the former king, and thus naturally possessed the right to claim the throne.

Looking at his years of rule, he was not a fanatical authoritarian emperor, and he greatly respected the legitimate rights of nobles and cities.

Neil looked thoughtful, then let out a long sigh: "We need a lot of luck, and a well-thought-out plan."

Right now, he feels like he is solving one of the most complex mathematical problems.

Faced with numerous variables, he had less than a week to solve the problem.

Moreover, whether or not one can successfully solve the problem depends on whether Lady Luck smiles upon them.

At the very least, Maurice's carrier pigeon should die halfway there.

However, the probability of this happening is not low.

For a homing pigeon to fly from the Kingdom of Rui to Amber Harbor, it needs to cross the Boundary Mountain, a journey of over a thousand kilometers. It's normal for accidents to happen along the way.

Even with the goddess's favor, Neil can only take things one step at a time and see what happens next.

He held an hour-long consultation with two lawmakers, and concluded by emphasizing: "In any case, our priority is to protect this city, to protect our hometown, and all our actions are for justice, not for private gain."

"For Amber Harbor." The three people in the room said in unison.

So, did Morris hear any rumors?

The answer is no.

The carrier pigeon that delivered the message to his mother's family actually died in the hunter's trap.

But this did not prevent him from being vigilant.

It is common knowledge that Otto III is mobilizing ships in the south, and it is not hard to guess where Otto intends to attack.

Even so, Morris remained steadfast in his belief that he had a chance to turn things around.

(End of this chapter)