novelraw Chapter 161: Usurping the Throne
Chapter 161: Usurping the Throne
Norway's land was barren, and its tax revenues fell far short of other regions. King Erik's standing army consisted of a mere five hundred royal guards. Dispatching three hundred to occupy Zealand Island meant that only two hundred remained in all of Oslo.
"This is far too meager. We should cut expenses in other areas and squeeze out a hundred pounds a year to hire more guards."
Over the next few days, the old king busied himself with tallying the accounts. Occasionally, he would mutter to himself while poring over the ledgers, then suddenly freeze for a moment, as if possessed by some evil spirit.
One day, he thought he saw the figure of his eldest son.
"It must be an illusion," he mumbled. "That boy is living it up in Bergen. Why would he come back here with nothing to do?"
The old king lowered his head and continued processing the accounts, but unexpectedly, his eldest son's face drew closer and closer, finally leaning in right before him. "Father, I have returned."
"Why have you come back?"
Erik Jr. remained expressionless. "I wanted to tell you something. I heard that Niels found a crown in the lord's longhouse in Schleswig."
'Crown? Why would Hrolf forge a crown in secret?'
The old king snapped the ledger shut, his previously dim eyes suddenly flashing with a sharp light. "What is your source for this information?""Niels wrote to me himself. He also mentioned that Hrolf's study contained a map of Oslo, as well as two letters."
The old king slowly propped himself up against the desk to stand. "Are you trying to accuse your uncle of coveting my throne?"
Erik Jr. sighed and pulled out two letters. They were written in the simplified Norse script developed by Viggo, which had already spread widely across Northern Europe. The old king took the letters and read them word by word.
Once his father finished reading, Erik Jr. clapped his hands, signaling the soldiers to bring in two nervous and fidgety clerks. "Would you like to interrogate them yourself?"
Ten minutes later, the old king dismissed the two traitorous clerks and focused his attention entirely on his eldest son.
Since the boy was in contact with Niels and had obtained Hrolf's letters, coupled with the series of recent incidents, the old king came to a grim conclusion.
"Niels capturing Denmark so easily... was that your doing behind the scenes?"
Erik Jr. wore a look of dismay. "Yes. My original plan was for him to raid Schleswig in passing, but he took the opportunity to gamble everything he had. These lowborn wretches simply love to gamble; the moment they see a chance, they throw themselves into it without hesitation. Ragnar, Ivar, Viggo, Gunnar... in the end, this bunch of rural peasants ended up surpassing us nobles. You, as a King, are forced to lower yourself to deal with a junior like Ragnar. How does that make you feel?"
The old king ignored his eldest son's thinly veiled mockery. Gazing across the empty hall, he faintly guessed the true purpose of this visit. It was not to offer counsel, but to usurp the throne.
Indeed, the soldiers from earlier had acted entirely on the young man's cues. They had clearly been bought off, likely with smuggling profits from Bergen.
Slumping weakly back into his seat, the old king supported his forehead. "I have lacked energy lately and inadvertently overlooked your plotting. Since I have lost, I have nothing to say. The question is, how do you intend to deal with Eve and Heath?"
"Kinslaying invites the curse of the gods. I will distance myself from such a sin. It just so happens that the temple you funded has recently been completed. Let them serve as shamans and dedicate their lives to the gods, sparing them the burdens of the mortal world."
As he spoke, Erik Jr.'s delivery became increasingly fluent. He then took up parchment and quill, helping his father draft an abdication edict. At that very moment, in a dark corner of the hall, Eve covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. With tears falling from her eyes, she tiptoed away.
Returning to her bedroom, Eve changed into the modest clothes of a commoner and slipped away to the harbor. The midday sun beat down on the rough wooden docks. Dozens of ships of varying sizes were moored beside the pier, the waves slapping against their hulls with a rhythmic thud.
"Are there any ships heading out to sea?"
Eve asked around and discovered two merchant vessels about to set sail. One was bound for Londinium, and the other for Schleswig. Suddenly, the dull clatter of metal echoed from afar. A large group of guards surged toward the docks, their iron scale armor gleaming blindingly in the sunlight. Londinium, or Schleswig.
The two choices tortured her reasoning. Should she sail to Londinium to seek refuge with her aunt Sola, or go to Schleswig to find Niels—the man who had admired her for over a decade?
Just then, a ship captain could not help but shout, "Hey, are you getting on or not?" Although he did not know exactly what was happening, the sudden appearance of a horde of armored guards on the streets guaranteed trouble. The captain just wanted to flee as fast as possible to prevent his ship and cargo from being seized.
Eve narrowed her eyes and looked up at the sky. Now that her brother had seized power, she was no longer a pampered princess; she was merely a woman bearing a useless title. Even if she fled to Londinium, she would ultimately be reduced to a bargaining chip in political trades.
In the end, she boarded the knarr ship headed for Schleswig. Niels had risen rapidly amidst the chaos. Even if he could not become the King of Denmark, he would at least hold the title of Duke.
Beating the soldiers' arrival, the knarr ship weighed anchor and set sail. As she gazed back at her receding homeland, Eve's vision grew increasingly blurred, forcing her to feign composure to comfort herself.
'Duchess... that doesn't sound too bad.'
Enduring the covetous stares of the captain and sailors, Eve arrived in Schleswig without major incident. When she saw Niels again, the man seemed to have transformed. The goofy smile that used to plaster his face was gone without a trace, replaced by the deep frown of a ruler surrounded by a large entourage.
"Your Highness?"
Niels dismissed his chattering retainers and poured Eve a cup of mead. As he listened to her recount her recent ordeal, his expression remained exceptionally aloof.
'Hah, I never expected the fat man to have such nerve. I misjudged him.'
After understanding the entire sequence of Erik Jr.'s usurpation, he fell into deep thought. He then called in two maids. "You have traveled a long way and must be exhausted. Please retire and rest for now."
'Nothing else? I thought we had a lot to talk about.' Eve felt a mix of astonishment and panic. Urged by the maids, she left the lord's hall.
For the next ten days or so, she was confined to a narrow bedroom. The maids delivered food and fresh water on a regular schedule, treating it like a veritable house arrest.
It was not until a certain day that a maid informed Eve that the Lord wished to see her.
'Lord? It seems Niels is still agonizing over his title. He lacks the courage to declare himself King, yet he refuses to settle for Duke.'
Guessing at the man's intentions, Eve intended to offer some advice to prove her worth.
After changing into respectable attire and carefully grooming herself, she made her way to the lord's hall at an unhurried pace. Niels still wore the same exhausted and irritable frown, repeatedly scrutinizing a parchment map. He was flanked by three yammering knights; judging by their accents, two of them seemed to be Angles.
"Please wait a moment. Allow me to settle this territorial dispute for the knights first." Over this recent period, Niels had been worn down to near exhaustion by the constant bickering of his subordinates.
Beyond the merits and talents of those receiving lands, he had to carefully consider internal balance: Viking raiders, Angle militiamen, sailors, and the surrendered local nobles. He had to ensure that no single faction grew too powerful and threatened his own authority.