Reborn As Noble

After leaving the throne room, the advisor walked slowly down the hallway, his steps heavy with resignation.

Sigh.

There’s no way anyone could have a chance like Savran and the other former royal officials had. Savran, the Keeper of the Tome of Noble Law, they left even before Kimar was fully in power, taking their families and their loyalty with them.

And now Kimar is starting to tighten his grip, becoming increasingly paranoid. He’s controlling all his officers, enforcing strict ordinances, ensuring their families can’t leave the royal capital while their husbands are on duty delivering decrees or carrying out royal orders outside the city. It’s a leash, a way to guarantee obedience through fear and hostages.

No one can slip away now. No one can choose a different path.

A lot of us, the loyalists to Kimar before, wanted to inform him about some of the nobles starting their secret movements, forming splinter factions, quietly allying with each other, and stockpiling resources away from royal oversight.

But we knew if we informed him, it would only make things worse than they already are. He’d respond with arrests, executions, and even tighter restrictions, pushing more nobles into open rebellion instead of containing it.

It’s all because Kimar is too obsessed with making the royal army stronger. His obsession with defeating Garius has blinded him to everything else, the crumbling economy, the starving people, the discontent simmering among the nobility.

He’s forgotten that there are other ways to defeat Garius, even if not militarily first. Strengthen the economy. Make other nobles fear and respect him at the same time, not just rebel in silence. Build alliances, not enemies.

It was useless for me to become Kimar’s advisor only for him to ignore all my counsel. He hears what he wants to hear, sees what he wants to see.

Sooner or later, when it happens, the Human Kingdom’s internal stability will shatter. There will be vultures waiting, those on Kimar’s side only to seize more land, like Turka and Garka, and others who will turn on each other or even wage war against the royals themselves, having had enough of Kimar’s reckless obsession.

Kimar didn’t even notice.

The reason most nobles are now buying the new weapons the Royal Armory is producing isn’t loyalty, it’s preparation. More gunpowder, more cannons, more matchlock muskets. Some are even rewarding adventurers talented in magic, archery, or tank classes, building private forces under the guise of hiring guards or exploring dungeons.

They’re even quietly hiring talented dwarven blacksmiths, for what purpose we don’t yet fully know, but I know for sure, it’s not for the crown’s benefit.

Kimar has forgotten that the Royal Army nowadays only has 400,000 troops in total, with just 10,000 equipped with muskets and cannons. We no longer have 2,000 battle mages like before, only a few hundred remain. Most were lost in the Second War with Armand, during the late King Edmund’s failed campaign.

Not to mention, we’ve only recently managed to rebuild a few hundred wyvern units with skilled riders, after everything was decimated in that same war.

And the economy... it’s crumbling. Inflation is rampant, food prices have tripled since Armand closed its borders, and trade routes are collapsing. People are hoarding, merchants are fleeing, and tax revenue is drying up. The kingdom isn’t just weakening, it’s rotting from the inside, and Kimar is too obsessed with his army to see the foundations giving way.

With most nobles now maintaining private armies of over 40,000 troops each, some even reaching 90,000 to 100,000 strong depending on their wealth, funded from their own treasuries, equipped with better gear, the balance of power has fundamentally shifted.

From the investigations I’ve ensured our spy unit conducts, among the 35 remaining noble houses, if even half of them combine their forces, the Royal Army won’t stand a chance. And with vultures already circling within the royalist ranks, this won’t just be a rebellion, it will be a civil war. A war that will tear the kingdom apart from the inside, drain what little resources we have left, and leave us vulnerable to external threats, especially from those watching from beyond our borders.

We’ve just barely recovered from the Celestial Corruption War, and now we’re heading straight into another self-inflicted catastrophe.

What am I going to do?

What will happen to my family’s future?

Should I send them to ”visit” the Beastkin Kingdom under the guise of a diplomatic trip? Or perhaps further, somewhere safer, somewhere beyond Kimar’s reach?

Should I start preparing... quietly moving assets, securing escape routes, forging documents? When this war happens, there will be no neutrality. Either you’re with the crown, or you’re against it, and either way, you’ll be caught in the crossfire.

Meanwhile.

Armand Estate.

Garius’s private room.

Javier sat nearby, reviewing the report on a crystalline display that showed detailed images and moving footage of troop movements, supply lines, and noble gatherings within the Human Kingdom.

Garius just smirked, glancing at Alf and Erinette, who kept their amusement carefully hidden as they watched Javier.

”So, Javier...” Garius said, his voice stern but carrying a subtle, knowing edge.

”Yes, Father.” Javier looked up, his expression focused. ”As Father may already know from the analysis, the Human Kingdom is heading toward a civil war. The nobles are arming themselves, Kimar’s paranoia is escalating, and their economy is collapsing. It’s only a matter of time before the first house openly rebels.”

”Hmm... I don’t particularly care what happens to them,” Garius replied coolly, ”but you remember Gracielle, right?” A faint smirk touched his lips.

Javier averted his eyes, glancing sideways with a sheepish grin. ”Err... Gracielle?”

”Don’t pretend you’ve forgotten about her already. If I’m not mistaken, back when someone was...” Garius paused, smirking as he glanced at Alf and Erinette, who returned his look with barely concealed amusement. ”Eleven, right?”

”Ten, Your Majesty,” Alf corrected with a slight bow, his tone teasing. ”Someone was ten years old when he kissed her that time.”

”Ah, right...” Garius smirked again, his eyes shifting to Erinette.

Erinette smiled, moving gracefully to pour more coffee into Javier’s cup. ”That certain someone did it just to see Liana’s reaction~”

( End Of Chapter )