"The Kingdom of Edolas has undergone a complete transformation..."
For the regional nobles and officials far from the royal capital, the letter sent by Mystogan struck them like a bolt from the blue.
Everything had happened too simply and too swiftly, leaving them no time to react.
They hadn't even managed to "rally to the king's aid"—before receiving this "abdication notice," they were still puzzling over why the magical energy had vanished so thoroughly, without even a trace remaining.
Those who received the news first were all near the royal capital.
After the initial shock, they sent people to the capital to gather information.
After all, the timeframe for "attending court in the capital" was quite generous, so they wanted to gather as much intelligence as possible before deciding how to proceed.
Those who were truly close by had already rushed over early to pay respects to the new king, for they had genuinely witnessed the methods of the "rebels"—no, the "revolutionary army."
The earth-shattering battles, the terrifying vortex that drained all magical energy—these could be seen from areas near the royal capital.
Having witnessed the palace battle from afar, even without experiencing it firsthand, they were utterly terrified by the spectacle and harbored no thoughts of opposing Mystogan's "revolutionary army."
Their sole desire was to avoid being made an example of by the king.
These nearby officials and nobles arrived at the royal capital early and were received by Mystogan.
After reaffirming their "contract" and reestablishing their lord-vassal relationship, they returned to their respective fiefs and jurisdictions with peace of mind.
Mystogan had no desire for major turmoil in the "Kingdom of Edolas," so he naturally refrained from rashly targeting these local nobles and officials.
Especially the nobles—they couldn't be dealt with lightly.
They needed to be pacified first.
Even if he had plans for them, it would have to wait until this period passed, until the "Kingdom of Edolas" recovered its strength, and until he had the confidence to face a "noble rebellion."
Marco and "Fairy Tail" were Mystogan's pillars of support, but he knew he couldn't rely on their help for everything.
He needed to establish his own authority as well.
Otherwise, the moment Marco and the others left, he would be left floundering, utterly incapable of ruling the "Kingdom of Edolas" smoothly.
For this round of court visits, Mystogan kept a record of who came and who didn't—their attitudes were already clear.
Then, when the coronation ceremony was to be held, he would issue another decree, summoning everyone to "attend court by imperial order."
If anyone failed to come then, they couldn't blame him for not showing mercy.
The prerequisite for formally holding the coronation ceremony was that no one caused unrest.
If anyone did, suppressing the rebellion would take priority.
Those who didn't attend would then become the achievements of those who did.
And as it turned out, there were plenty who failed to read the situation, and fools were never in short supply—especially those farther from the royal capital.
They received news slowly and sparingly, making it easy for them to misjudge and engage in utterly baffling behavior.
Ambitious schemers immediately began agitating, loudly proclaiming loyalty only to King Faust and insisting they had never heard of any Prince Jellal.
In fact, those who simply ignored the new government were being polite—some truly loyal subjects were already preparing to raise armies and march back to the capital.
They aimed to rescue the old king and restore him to the throne.
This showed that King Faust was not without ability and could be considered a formidable figure of his era.
Otherwise, no one would rally troops under the banner of rescuing him—though whether their intentions were genuine remained uncertain.
Nevertheless, the banner had indeed been raised.
Apart from these rebellious provincial governors and nobles, many regions had only been conquered in recent years and remained inherently unstable.
As soon as news of the "upheaval in the capital" spread, chaos erupted in these areas.
Some provincial governors and feudal nobles failed to report to the capital simply because they were tied down by local unrest.
Of course, some never made it at all—they were killed outright by local rebel forces seeking to restore their former kingdoms.
Several small states immediately declared their restoration and began attacking into the territory of the "Kingdom of Edolas," attempting to reclaim lands that once belonged to them.
In no time, the entire "Kingdom of Edolas" was engulfed in the flames of war, torn between the "struggle for the throne" and "wars of restoration."
It was a scene of vibrant chaos, where everything seemed to be bursting with life and fervor—truly a spectacular tumult.
The most ironic part was that those vying for the throne and those seeking restoration ended up fighting each other first.
Their positions were fundamentally incompatible, leaving no room for compromise.
Since the provinces where these two factions operated were mostly remote and peripheral, they were geographically closer to each other than to the "Royal Army."
It was almost inevitable that they would clash first.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Marco marveled at the situation.
What was this? Rebels defending the nation's borders? How classic.
"This is even better than I expected."
Looking at the map on the table, Mystogan placed military pieces one by one, nodding in satisfaction as he did so.
The enemies included both "restoration rebels" and those coming to "save the king."
They were numerous, forming a dense ring around the outskirts.
But he, too, had plenty of pieces.
Many were positioned near the capital, as the nobles and officials in the surrounding royal domains had been exceptionally proactive, contributing significant troops, funds, and supplies.
Of course, the largest group was still those who remained neutral. Many nobles and officials chose to wait and see—neither willing to rebel nor placing much trust in Mystogan's new government.
For now, they held their forces in reserve.
"These fence-sitters will support whichever side gains the upper hand early on. They think they're clever, but in reality, they'll be the first to be purged after the war."
Marco sneered at the green "fence-sitter" pieces on the map.
Such indecisive types never achieved anything—by refusing to pick a side from the start, they'd end up alienating both.
"We do need a victory to prove ourselves."
Mystogan, however, maintained a calm mindset.
He found it perfectly reasonable for these people to adopt a wait-and-see approach.Their seizure of the throne was indeed abrupt.
The nobles and provincial governors hadn't yet grasped what was happening and had no understanding of their strength, so naturally they couldn't firmly stand by their side from the beginning.
It was enough that they chose not to take sides; I believe they would all make the right choice eventually.
In fact, Mystogan's approach of not hastily dealing with the nobles and officials earned him significant points at this moment.
If he had acted recklessly while the situation was unstable, the entire "Kingdom of Edolas" would only have become more chaotic.
"Then let's give them a victory." Marco spoke with a smile.
The reason he came was precisely for this moment—no need for words, just killing would settle everything.
"Marco, you'll need to hold the rear. Our forces are a mixed bag, and everyone's capabilities are probably similar. To be honest, I'm not confident about winning in a head-on confrontation."
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