Volume 23: Rising Winds and Swirling Clouds, Chapter 16: Continued Battle

Komer fell into deep thought. Now that the central power system of the kingdom had collapsed, it had completely lost the ability to check the Great Aristocracy, Hoffman and Katya had each set up their own camp, opposing each other. The Great Lords had also begun to connect with one another, and their purpose was clear without asking—they too hoped that the kingdom's chaos would drag on. The longer this situation dragged on, the more the kingdom's cohesion would dissipate. If this state of affairs continued for several years, the Romanov family would lose all its prestige among the people, and the only ones who could take their place would be the Great Lords, and the sight of numerous duchies reappearing was inevitable.