Lilith probably didn’t expect calling him ‘brother’ would actually work.
The governor of the North Border granted permission for the Royal Capital to procure new types of firearms.
Although it was merely a sale, the fact that the other party was willing to sell an updated model was already a form of support for Lilith.
Moreover, the shipment volume from the other party was astonishingly high. Lilith said she would take as much as they had, hoping they would sell a bit more, but unexpectedly, it seemed like they indeed wanted to clear their stock. No, Lilith even suspected that they might be in the process of producing a new generation of firearms.
As a result, the first batch of goods was already more than Lilith could handle, so she urgently contacted Judith and Scott for ideas, especially since the other party said they could provide materials in place of payment and also offered credit.
Knowing that doing so was strengthening the other party’s power, Lilith had no choice but to accept.
Even though Lilith repeatedly emphasized in the roundtable meeting that no one was allowed to use this matter to create difficulty for Judith and Scott, especially the two dukes.
But even under Nora’s strict guard, voices began to emerge within the Royal Capital, and the more Nora suppressed it, the louder those voices became.
It was all because of the incompetence of the southwestern dukes that caused Her Majesty the Queen to lose face.
This was already considered relatively mild, because Lilith had previously forbidden using this matter to attack Judith and Scott. Additionally, there were rumors that Lilith had fallen in love with Alberto, which was why discussions on this topic were strictly prohibited.
Even though Lilith had never met Alberto, the knight novels in the Royal Capital had already circulated several story versions.
Upon hearing this rumor, Nora and some nobles were furious, but they had no power to do anything. These rumors were rooted in uncertainty as to where they originated. To break these rumors, a victory against Anju Kingdom was necessary.
Even a small victory would suffice.
Looking at the semi-automatic firearm in her hand, which was close to modern design, Lilith felt both excited and afraid.
With these firearms, at least she could keep the southwestern Anju Kingdom quiet for a while, but the fact that the other party was willing to trade such weapons indicated that they must have something even stronger.
Selling you one generation, then showing you the next, while in reality, they were using the generation beyond that. Planning even further generations as well, all with the money you provided.
Lilith suspected that the weapons from Graywhite Territory were at least two generations ahead of this world.
Otherwise, Lilith couldn’t believe that just by calling the other party ‘brother’ twice would result in them providing her the latest weapons. They weren’t really her brother.
The other party probably had weapons two generations ahead, and if they unified the North Border, Lilith felt she could just relax.
“I heard that Alberto also wrote a letter to Governor Lind.”
Lilith asked Nora, somewhat puzzled.
“That’s right.”
The letter wasn’t deliberately hidden, so it soon spread throughout the North Border. Although it was mocked, the governor didn’t seem anxious.
Let’s not mention how far Anju is from the North Border; most northern people didn’t even know what Anju was, let alone the fact that the northern governor was riding a wave of victories, rendering the mocking of Anju’s king inconsequential.
In his reply to Lilith, the governor also advised her not to let mockery cloud her judgment, suggesting she should respond calmly. The North Border would always be Her Majesty the Queen’s most solid support.
Lilith’s feelings were a bit complicated; how can there be solid support thinking about subservience?
But in any case, with this batch of weapons, the southwestern side could indeed become more active. Even if they couldn’t win, they still needed to show some attitude.
Judith was probably even more shocked than Lilith. She never expected her distant younger brother would start offering substantial assistance, leaving Judith unsure of the reason behind this support.
Rationality told Judith that it was clearly for money, yet she felt that there must be a deeper conspiracy.
In Lind’s secret reply to Judith, he showed no surprise regarding his so-called descent from the Old Empire, which Judith found predictable since the rumor originally spread in the North Border.
What puzzled Judith was Lind’s attitude, which was more indifferent than surprised. It wasn’t an indifference born of understanding, but rather a feeling that this identity was unnecessary.
In other words, Lind wasn’t helping Judith merely out of solidarity as a fellow descendant of the Old Empire.
There had to be some other reason; her distant younger brother was definitely not merely doing it for money!
Judith began brainstorming and recalling every detail, even having someone fetch a true portrait of the governor.
Originally, the portrayal of this governor circulating in the Royal Capital was still that of a muscular man who ate two children every day. Furthermore, since he had always been based in the Graythorn Territory, this portrayal had never been corrected.
Only when he recently started inspecting the areas already occupied in the North Border did some people sketch this governor.
One could say he was more refined than imagined; at least, he didn’t look like someone who would eat two children. He looked quite handsome, fitting for someone inheriting the bloodline of the Old Empire.
“Lord, Her Majesty wishes to see you.”
At this moment, a maid came to announce at the door.
It probably pertained to the new arms trade in the North Border. Judith nodded and said, “I understand, prepare to go to the Royal Palace.”
Judith was quite familiar with the journey to the Royal Palace, but seeing Claire, who was in charge of guarding the palace, made Judith feel somewhat strange.
The Augustines weren’t particularly friendly toward Her Majesty, so why did Her Majesty choose an Augustine to be responsible for the palace’s defense?
While an adjutant from the Church had been assigned to Claire, Judith still felt this decision was a bit hasty. Even for the sake of balancing the situation in the Royal Capital, one shouldn’t hand over personal safety to the royal family.
Upon further reflection, since Claire was a close friend of Her Majesty before her ascension, Judith felt more at ease. If that were the case, it was indeed a good decision, ensuring the palace remained under control while balancing and bringing in the Augustines.
Seeing Judith arrive, Lilith gestured for her to sit down and then began to speak:
“Lady Judith, I believe you can guess the reason I called you here. The North Border has now provided us with a batch of new weapons, and with these weapons, I think we can begin to organize a counterattack against the Anju Kingdom.”
“This counterattack doesn’t need to be grand; the most important thing is to win. At the very least, we can’t lose too much. As long as we don’t lose too much, we can claim victory.”
“Also, the military expenses for this procurement of weapons might not be gathered in time, and I need to inform Sir Judith and Sir Scott. We need to consider exchanging the specified materials with the other party; this will require the assistance of both gentlemen.”
Lilith spoke quite a bit before realizing that Judith remained somewhat silent.
Judith was staring blankly at Lilith’s face, and then she quickly became aware of her own demeanor, saying, “I understand, Your Majesty. Please allow Chancellor Nora to provide me with a seal; I will arrange everything immediately.”
For some reason, Judith seemed somewhat anxious, but Lilith didn’t pay much attention. After all, she had her own matters to attend to, so she continued, “I understand. Chancellor Nora will come to discuss the details with you.”
After concluding the meeting, Judith promptly returned to her residence, pacing in front of Lind’s portrait as if confirming something. Then she summoned her personal maid and said, “Investigate Her Majesty’s background again; it must be thoroughly investigated, and even those rumors should all be collected. Understood?”
Judith had an astonishing hypothesis.
