After Being Sold Out By The Empire, I Decide To Assist The Demon King
Chapter 346 - 89: A Warning to the Duchy

Chapter 346: Chapter 89: A Warning to the Duchy

The Novak council assembly was the largest parliamentary governance meeting on the Main Material Plane. Of course, this was related to the fact that the Novak Duchy was the only parliamentary state among the current major nations on the Main Plane.

In theory, such meetings were held only once every six months, and not all councilmen would necessarily attend each time. Especially... not everyone would bother to show respect to the chairman.

However, this assembly was very unexpected as every single councilman was present—

When it came time to carve up the carcass, every hyena was eager.

...

"During my tenure as chairman, I made many erroneous judgments. As the chairman, I must take responsibility for the whole Novak Duchy and am obliged to make the duchy great once more."

Marilagreta Orphelus, as the chairman, was the first to speak. But, to everyone’s surprise, she started by criticizing her own failings. This caught many off guard.

In fact, in the eyes of the entire assembly, Orphelus had done quite well. She cleaned out the remnants of the Caesar Duchy and negotiated beneficial trade routes with the Demon King Territory. Although, during the later stages of the imperial campaign, she was a bit too aggressive.

But that was not Orphelus’s fault. It was the empire that first tore up the "unpublicized treaty."

Even so, Orphelus’s mistakes were still a topic and means for many councilmen to attack her. However, Orphelus bringing this up proactively left some councilmen hesitant to act rashly.

In everyone’s hypothetical scenarios, Orphelus would either straightforwardly start dividing the spoils or begin to rack up credit for herself through various topics. But that did not seem to be the case.

This was definitely not a "self-criticism edict," because although the chairman was nominally "responsible for the duchy," the position was not akin to a king or an empress... it was more similar to a Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch.

So, this clearly had another agenda.

"So..."

Orphelus, under the watchful eyes of everyone, finished summarizing all her missteps. She took a deep breath and concluded, "I believe that after committing these errors, it might prove that my capabilities are no longer sufficient to hold the chairman position...."

"..."

"!!!"

All the councilmen realized Orphelus’s intention at that moment....

Because the duchy lacked royal constraints, the competition among councilmen was quite fierce, which led to the duchy’s internal hierarchy being determined by the councilmen’s own prowess (economic power) and influence.

There were not many big fools among councilmen.

Everyone could see that the current domestic situation was not good. Some people had even frozen to death in the central regions... and, even though the situation seemed to be favorable now, it was ultimately just a bubble.

It should have been summer, but the weather was akin to winter. After the cold calamity passed, the issues accumulated would erupt in the next real "winter" soon to come.

So, Orphelus... wanted someone to take the fall at that time.

The chairman’s position had turned from highly coveted to a hot potato... stepping down as chairman would not prevent her from participating in the division of profits, and might even allow her to gain more from it.

Because the identity of "Orphelus" and the position of "chairman" involved different ways of doing things. The reason Orphelus became the chairman... was largely due to her extraordinary sense of responsibility.

And if this sense of responsibility were wholly devoted to the "Orphelus family," it was something no one wanted to see....

"..."

However, what Orphelus said was beyond reproach; her displayed attitude was also intriguing... after all, this was not for everyone to decide.

If the chairman herself claimed she was no longer the chairman, no one else could force the title and responsibilities back onto her.

"Orphelus, I think your words are too biased. You underestimate yourself."

Novak spoke with a look of anticipation from everyone, confronting Orphelus. He said, "Perhaps the so-called ’grave mistakes’ you mentioned may not even be mistakes. The seemingly aggressive actions might have been our best response given the empire’s change in plans."

"Perhaps, if we weren’t so aggressive, it would have been..."

"..."

"..."

The discussion between the two did not last long, basically revolving around Orphelus claiming, "I made mistakes and cannot be chairman," and Novak countering with, "You did not do anything wrong, you should remain as chairman."

So only a few councilmen realized... "Oh! You two are in cahoots, aren’t you?!"

However, they were not foolish enough to say it aloud.

"..."

"Alright then, let time prove whether my actions were wrong. But as for the chairman position, I truly don’t deserve it... if anyone thinks my approach is problematic, I’ll voluntarily step down as chairman and give it to them."

An embarrassed Orphelus spoke so... to be honest, it was too obvious. Almost everyone saw through the two’s play-acting, but no one pointed it out.

Some councilmen who originally intended to attack Orphelus also held back their thoughts.

After all, Orphelus merely indicated, "Don’t bark, just eat the cake quietly."

...

"Then, let me briefly describe the reason I summoned you all."

To everyone’s surprise, Orphelus spoke as if not intending to discuss the "division of inheritance." She said, "Yila Elkaras... has issued a warning to us."

Originally, many councilmen were already impatient, but upon hearing Yila’s name... they respectfully closed their mouths.

Nowadays, you might not recognize anyone, not even recognizing Orphelus on the street might be normal, but you would definitely know Yila.

With a mortal body, she killed someone out of the range of possibility... it was no less difficult than killing a god in the Age of Deities.

"The future calamity is traceable. The first ’Calamity’ was a rampaging quadrupedal magic beast. The second ’Calamity’ is this abnormal cold. The third ’Calamity’ will occur soon... from the sea."

Orphelus said, passing around Yila’s letter and continuing, "My family does not live by the sea, and whether or not to relocate the entire family depends on your own will. I am not responsible for persuading you."

*A disclaimer... perhaps?*