Chapter 140: Chapter 133:The demonstration end

The demonstration ended shortly before sunset.

Yet long after the final artillery round had been fired, nobody seemed eager to leave the grounds

Groups formed naturally throughout the testing grounds.

Generals gathered around maps.

Engineers argued over calculations.

While nobles spoke in hushed voices.

Every conversation revolved around the same subject.

Elarion.

Lucien stood near the edge of the field, quietly observing the aftermath.

The reactions interested him more than the demonstration itself.

The military officers looked concerned about the Warhound and lefh.

Every experienced commander present had immediately understood the implications of what they had witnessed.

The Warhound alone would force changes to military doctrine.

The LEFH would force changes to warfare itself.

The realization sat heavily upon them.

Nearby, the Grand Marshal remained engaged in a heated discussion with several senior generals.

The old commander appeared unusually animated.

Lucien caught fragments of the conversation.

The topics changed constantly.

The conclusion remained the same nothing would remain unchanged,the formations,strategies worked now would prove disaster so new formations must be formed.

Elsewhere, several nobles looked considerably less comfortable.

Many had arrived expecting another exaggerated tale regarding Elarion.

But now after seeing everything, seeing the proofs right before their eyes they were finding it hard to deny it anymore

The Royal Guardian stood quietly beside the observation platform.

His expression remained calm.

The demonstration had accomplished exactly what he intended.

No more rumors or speculation.

The leadership of Asterion had now witnessed reality with their own eyes.

Eventually the carriages began departing.

One by one.

The engineers left first.

Then the generals.

Lastly the nobles.

The conversations continued even as they departed.

Nobody spoke of anything else.

Lucien watched Duke Harcourt leave.

The elderly noble looked deeply troubled.

A man like Harcourt rarely appeared unsettled but today even his expression appeared deeply fearful.

The last royal carriage remained behind.

King Alaric had not yet departed.

Neither had Crown Prince Cassian.

The Royal Guardian, however, simply finished his tea before quietly leaving without explanation.

The old mage had a remarkable talent for disappearing exactly when politics began.

(The author also need this)

Lucien suspected it wasn’t accidental.

Eventually the King approached him after most of the crowd had dispersed.

His expression remained unreadable.

"Well."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

The King’s lips twitched slightly.

"The demonstration exceeded expectations."

That sounded suspiciously close to praise but coming from Alaric, it practically counted as a celebration.

Cassian laughed.

"It terrified half the nobles."

Lucien considered that.

"Only half?"

The prince grinned.

"Perhaps three quarters."

The King shook his head.

"Unfortunately."

Both men looked toward him.

"That is precisely the problem."

The amusement disappeared.

The King turned toward the distant horizon.

For several moments he remained silent.

Then he spoke.

"Do you know,what happened today will not remain confined to the testing grounds."

Lucien nodded at this,he already knew that.

The King continued.

"Tomorrow every major noble house will discuss Elarion."

"The day after, every merchant consortium will discuss Elarion."

"A week from now, foreign intelligence agencies will discuss Elarion."

His gaze shifted toward Lucien.

"Power attracts attention and attention attracts danger "

The statement carried considerable weight.

Cassian folded his arms.

"The nobles are going to lose their minds."

The King nodded.

"Some already have."

That wasn’t encouraging but unfortunately it was also true.

The demonstration had changed things.

Before today, Elarion had been impressive.

Now it was both dangerous and impressive.

And dangerous territories attracted enemies.

The King looked toward Lucien.

"You understand this."

Lucien nodded"I do."

"Good."

The King’s expression softened slightly.

"Because pretending otherwise would be foolish."

Eventually Cassian sighed.

"Can we have this conversation somewhere that isn’t covered in artillery smoke?"

For the first time all day, the King actually smiled.

"An excellent suggestion."

Several hours later.

In the Royal Palace.

Lucien found himself seated within a private chamber overlooking the capital.

Only three people occupied the room.

King Alaric,Crown Prince Cassian And himself.

The absence of anyone else alone indicated the importance of the discussion.

A fire crackled quietly within the hearth.

Outside, evening had settled over the city.

The atmosphere felt strangely informal.

The King poured himself a drink before taking a seat.

For several moments nobody spoke.

Then Alaric got directly to the point.

"What I witnessed today changes things."

The King simply stated the truth.

Lucien remained silent as though agreeing with it.

The King continued.

"The Crown can no longer treat Elarion as merely another territory."

Cassian nodded immediately.

"Not after today."

Alaric leaned back.

His gaze remained fixed upon Lucien.

"Do you know what the nobles saw?"

The question seemed strange.

Lucien answered anyway.

"Military power."

The King shook his head.

"No."

Lucien frowned.

Alaric continued.

"They saw the power of industrialisation."

"A different thing entirely."

The room fell quiet. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The King folded his hands together.

"Armies can be defeated."

"Fortresses can be captured."

"Wealth can be spent."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Industry creates more."

The meaning was obvious.

A single Warhound wasn’t frightening.

A factory capable of producing hundreds was.

Neither was one artillery piece wasn’t frightening.

A manufacturing base capable of replacing losses indefinitely was.

That was the true source of Elarion’s strength.

Not individual weapons but production.

The King continued.

"The capital also has weapons comparable to what you have but they are both expensive and rare but today every noble realized the same thing."

A pause.

"Your strength isn’t temporary."

That was when Lucien finally understood where this conversation was heading.

And why the King had summoned him privately.

The demonstration hadn’t created a military discussion.

It had created a political one and politics were often more dangerous than war.

The realization settled slowly.

The demonstration had never been solely about military power.

Military power had merely been the trigger.

The true consequences would be political.

Lucien leaned back slightly.

"The nobles."

The King nodded.

"Yes the nobles."

Cassian sighed.

"You should have seen their faces after the artillery demonstration."

A faint smile appeared.

"Actually, you did."

Lucien almost laughed.

The King remained serious.

"Fear is manageable."

The statement drew both men’s attention.

Alaric continued.

"Fear follows logic."

"It identifies a threat and responds accordingly."

The King’s gaze hardened.

"Greed is different."

The room fell silent.

Because everyone present understood exactly what he meant.

The nobles had witnessed something extraordinary.

Some would fear it while others would desire it.

And desire often proved far more dangerous.

The King rose from his chair.

Slowly walking toward the large window overlooking the capital.

The city lights glittered beneath the night sky.

For several moments he simply observed them.

Then he spoke again.

"Some nobles will attempt friendship."

"Some will attempt influence."

"Some will attempt marriage alliances."

Cassian snorted.

"Those have probably already started."

The King ignored him.

"Others will attempt acquisition at any cost imaginable or unimaginable."

That word carried considerably more weight.

Lucien’s expression darkened slightly.

The King noticed.

"As expected."

A brief silence followed.

Then Alaric turned toward him.

"Today they saw power."

The King’s voice remained calm.

"Tomorrow they will begin calculating how to obtain it."

Lucien didn’t disagree.

Because the King was correct.

Several houses would undoubtedly attempt to gain influence within Elarion.

Others would seek access to the factories.

Some would simply want a share of the profits.

The most ambitious might attempt something far worse.

The King returned to his seat.

Then finally revealed the true purpose of the meeting.

"The Crown intends to act before that happens."

Lucien became attentive.

Alaric folded his hands together.

"There are two matters we must discuss."

The King raised a finger.

"The first concerns industry."

A second finger followed.

"The second concerns rank."

Now things were becoming interesting.

The King looked directly at Lucien.

"Let’s begin with industry."

Alaric continued.

"The Crown wishes to establish a central armaments manufacturing consortium."

Lucien’s expression remained unchanged.

Inside, however, his thoughts accelerated.

That wasn’t what he had expected.

The King continued.

"A joint enterprise."

"Not ownership or seizure."

His tone became slightly firmer.

"I have no intention of taking Elarion’s factories."

That statement eliminated several concerns immediately.

Cassian nodded.

"The weapons only exist because of Elarion."

"The Crown would be stupid to interfere with that."

The King pointed at his son.

"Exactly."

Then his attention returned to Lucien.

"The Crown provides resources."

"Land."

"Transportation infrastructure."

"Political support."

"And lastly Protection."

His voice remained steady.

"Elarion provides technical expertise."

"Production leadership."

"Design authority."

"The knowledge required to build these weapons."

Lucien considered the proposal.

On the surface it sounded reasonable.

Perhaps almost too good to sound true.

The King seemed to anticipate the thought.

"You’re wondering what the Crown gains."

Lucien didn’t deny it.

The King smiled faintly.

"Good."

Then he answered his own question.

"The Crown gains stability."

That wasn’t the response Lucien expected.

Alaric continued.

"Elarion cannot remain isolated forever."

"The kingdom requires a formal relationship with your industrial base."

The King leaned forward slightly.

"And you require protection. I know you have legendary dragon but even he has limits but greed doesn’t and i can make sure it stays in limit one way or the other "

The room became quiet.

Because there was truth in those words.

The demonstration had fundamentally changed Elarion’s position.

Protection would become increasingly valuable.

The King continued.

"With royal involvement, any attempt to pressure Elarion becomes pressure against the Crown."

Cassian nodded immediately.

"Which most nobles are smart enough to avoid."

The prince paused.

"Most."

The King’s expression suggested he shared that assessment.

Then Lucien asked the obvious question.

"Ownership?"

The King’s smile widened slightly.

Apparently that was the response he had hoped for.

"Sixty percent Elarion."

"Forty percent Crown."

Lucien blinked.

That was significantly more generous than expected.

The King noticed.

"I am interested in cooperation ."

His voice became firmer.

"Not theft."

The statement carried enough sincerity to be believable.

Cassian looked amused.

"My father prefers profitable alliances."

"I’ve noticed."

The prince laughed.

The King ignored both of them.

Then he raised a hand.

"Which brings us to the second matter."

The atmosphere immediately changed.

Even Cassian became more serious.

The King looked directly at Lucien.

"Today every noble in the kingdom witnessed something."

Lucien remained silent.

Alaric continued.

"They witnessed military and economic power."

His gaze never wavered.

"Yet officially..."

The King leaned back.

"...you can become a count at most according to the pioneering agreement ."

The words hung in the air.

A contradiction existed.

One impossible to ignore.

The King continued.

"Technically your territory is one of the largest in whole kingdom"

"And you possess military capabilities exceeding your title."

The King’s expression remained calm.

"Yet your rank does not reflect reality."

The room became silent.

Cassian folded his arms.

"The nobles have noticed."

That was putting it mildly.

The King nodded.

"And that imbalance creates tension."

Lucien understood immediately.

Power and status were supposed to align.

The aristocracy depended upon that principle,when they didn’t, problems emerged.

The King finally delivered his proposal.

"The Crown intends to elevate House Valen."

For the first time, genuine surprise crossed Lucien’s face.

Alaric continued calmly.

"Elarion shall be recognized as a hereditary duchy."

The room fell completely silent.

Even Cassian seemed impressed.

The King continued.

"And you shall become its first Duke."

For several moments nobody spoke.

The significance of the offer was immense.

A Duke stood among the highest ranks of the kingdom.

Most nobles would instantly lose any claim of superiority while many would lose leverage entirely.

The King’s voice broke the silence.

"Some houses will oppose the decision."

A faint smile appeared.

"Fortunately, their approval is unnecessary."

The crown prince gave a stifled laughter at this

The King allowed himself a small smile.

Then his expression became serious once more.

"This is not a reward."

The statement surprised Lucien.

Alaric continued.

"It is recognition."

The King gestured toward the city beyond the windows.

"The kingdom already treats Elarion differently."

"The military treats Elarion differently."

"The economy treats Elarion differently."

A pause followed.

"The law should do the same."

The logic was difficult to dispute.

For several moments silence lingered.

Then Cassian spoke.

"You know..."

Both men looked toward him.

The prince leaned back.

"A year ago half the kingdom thought Elarion would collapse."

Another pause.

"Now we’re discussing a duchy."

A faint smile appeared.

"Life is strange."

Lucien couldn’t argue with that.

The prince wasn’t finished.

"You discovered the truth regarding your mother."

"You gained Grandfather’s support."

"You’re preparing to attend a summit of the Supreme Mage Council."

His grin widened.

"And now you’re being offered a duchy."

The room became quiet again.

Because hearing it spoken aloud made the changes seem even more dramatic.

The King rose from his chair.

The discussion was clearly nearing its conclusion.

"I do not require an answer tonight."

That surprised Lucien,most rulers would demand one.

Alaric merely shook his head.

"This decision deserves consideration."

The King moved toward the door.

For a moment he remained silent.

When he finally spoke, his voice carried unusual sincerity.

"Meet your father too..."

He looked directly at Lucien.

"...the man has it hard."