The Rose Palace was the power center of Legrand, so being able to step into the Rose Palace had always been regarded as a sign of status. To the extent that if a nobleman entered the Rose Palace less frequently, people would be less courteous to him.

However, it was difficult for the many nobles who were “invited” into the Rose Palace today to smile at this glory.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

These guys were thrown into the Rose Palace by the King, and the Duke of Buckingham also thoughtfully equipped everyone with a personal guard to watch their doors.

The New Royal Party felt that the Duke of Buckingham did this entirely out of the King’s will.

Everyone in Legrand knew that when the King tried to do something improper, and if the Duke of Buckingham could not stop him he would then choose to take care of the matter first, so that his nephew’s reputation would not worsen further——Of course, if the King had any reputation in the first place.

These nominal “guests” and actual prisoners of war opened their respective doors from time to time and asked the guards when they could leave the palace. They had stayed here long enough.

The guards regretfully told them: His Majesty is very warm and hospitable, so gentlemen, please enjoy the delicious food in the Rose Palace before leaving.

What delicious food? Their last supper?

The pitiful New Royal Party nobles paled with fright by their own conjectures, feeling as if the King’s curved sword was pressing against their necks.

Finally, on the second night after the “coronation” ceremony ended, the nobles were notified——

The King planned to see them.

Some of them fainted on the spot. Holy Lord! That blade had finally fallen.

………………

Rose Palace, Bright Room.

Bright candles lit up the gorgeous meeting venue, and everything looked no different from the emergency meeting held some time ago. The angels, symbolizing judgment and justice, still looked down at the people from the dome, and the dignified megalithic building still carried the distinct majestic bearing of the royal family.

But there was still some difference.

For example, at the highest seat of the conference table, the high-back chair was finally occupied by its owner.

The New Royal Party nobles stepped into the Bright Room with a heavy heart, seeing His Majesty the King at first glance.

The King returned to his usual appearance again, wearing a coat with exquisite gold embroidery, a white silk scarf folded into several layers with fine diamonds gleaming on it. But what stood out was what the King had placed next to him.

On the left, was placed the curved blade that cut the throat of Grand Duke Grice.

On the right, was a thick stack of paper printed with unknown information.

The hearts of the New Royal nobles sank instantly. As they sat stiffly in their positions, they looked up to see that the Royalist nobles were about to get up and leave. They must have been here for a while, but each of them smiled very brightly, likely at the rewards they got from the King.

A thought swept through the minds of most of the New Royal nobles:

If only they had accepted the iron rose badges.

“Should I admonish my chef? Gentlemen.”

The King spoke, the disagreeable and tyrannical gaze in his eyes were not at all softened by the candlelight, so even if his tone of voice could be called mild, the words still did not seem like anything good.

“I told them to prepare sumptuous meals for you, but your complexion looks really terrible. Could it be that they actually dared to violate my orders?”

The meals in the past two days were indeed rich, with thick soup and fresh meat.

But who was in the mood to enjoy it at this juncture?

The New Royal Party nobles did not know what the King’s intentions were, so they had to answer his question and praise the food over these two days.

“Ah, naturally.” The King laughed, but the following words made the nobles’ faces suddenly change, “They are all my loyal and good servants, even if I told them to mix belladonna in the baking of the bread they would have definitely done so.” [1]

After all, nearly two days had passed so the New Royal nobles all had something to eat more or less. So the noblemamen who had eaten the bread subconsciously pressed their stomachs, almost wanting to vomit it out on the spot.

“Mind your decency, sir.” The King watched the changes in their faces, “The weather is cold, and a harmless joke is good for digestion after a meal.”

For the sake of the Holy Lord, this kind of joke was better avoided.

The New King nobles sat in embarrassment.

“Compared with the chef, you all have disappointed me deeply.”

The King’s voice suddenly went cold. He had always been mercurial, and there was always a flame of violence and rage hidden under his smile. A cold wind seemed to blow through the meeting room, and everyone went still and silent.

“Let’s talk about what good deeds you have done during this time.”

“Sevic Dupre.” The King picked up the top piece of paper on the stack of papers on his right hand. “Sir, your trebuchet is truly superb. It blasted through the gates of Sylvia Castle.”

Mr. Dupre, who was named, did not say a word, only collapsing bonelessly against the back of his chair.

Wonderful, the nobles of the New Royal Party now knew what the stack of papers next to the King was for.

The Duke of Buckingham wrote down all the “good deeds” they did during the civil strife, and it seemed that it was all clearly recorded.

“Mr. Simon, I have to say that the fire your cavalry set on the lower reaches of the Doma River was truly beautiful.”

“Mr. Lucel, don’t be discouraged. Although your soldiers are a little bit inferior at attacking castles, they have performed well in robbing villages.”

“Oh, and our Mr. Roche, what you did in the east was truly impressive…..”

“…..”

The papers were flipped over one by one.

The King’s tone was very cordial, so cordial it caused everyone’s faces to pale and almost faint on the spot.

These nobles with keen political sense found that the King only called them by name without any titles. This detail was enough to reveal some terrible possibilities.

“Should I applaud you all?”

The King recited the deeds of every person patiently. He raised his head and looked at everyone with a smile. The smile was exactly the same as the one he had when he was in a duel with Duke Grice. Don’t forget that the curved sword was at the side of the King still.

Mr. Dupre, who was named first, reacted the fastest. He immediately got up from his chair and crawled on the cold ground, begging: “Your Majesty, please forgive me for my ignorant mistakes.”

Among the nobles here he was considered to be one of the relatively minor ones. He originally had the idea of ​​performing well in Grand Duke Grice’s coup in order to improve his status, so he worked very hard during the civil war. But the hard work to improve his status turned into a rope that now tied around his neck. He dared not think about why the King called his name first.

Dupre wept bitterly and pleaded with the King.

With the first one, more followed.

Their King was a fellow who could even throw his uncle, the Duke of Buckingham, to the guillotine when furious. None of them thought they were more noble than the Duke of Buckingham.

“What’s this? Aren’t I just expressing my gratitude for your courage?” The King said in surprise, “I even plan to have a medal created for each of you, to be placed right in front of your grave, how about it?”

It was out in the open…..

The New Royal nobles’ paled further, the King really seemed to want to chop off their heads.

“You should give them a chance.” The sound that could be called heavenly sounded, and the Duke of Buckingham stepped into the Bright Room under the grateful eyes of everyone. He looked at his nephew with indulgence, “Metzl’s executioner would not want too much work in one winter, Your Majesty.”

“I thought you would be happy to help me solve this problem, my dear uncle, aren’t your soldiers very talented?”

“You can’t let them act as executioners. This is not the treatment your loyal knights deserve.” The Duke of Buckingham said helplessly.

“Fine then.”

The King pondered for a while and took a step back.

“I think you all must be willing to make some compensation for the damage you have caused?”

What could the New Royal nobles say?

They could only respond with endless gratitude.

——The King’s curved sword was still by his left hand.

The paper stack on the right had all been read and thrown on the ground. Now there was only the sword left on the desk.

The King clapped his hands, and the King’s secretary quickly walked into the Bright Room, carrying a new stack of paper, ink and quill.

The papers were passed out.

“Come, my dear gentlemen.” The King said briskly. “Please write on this paper how many pounds you think the thing on your neck is worth. Of course, allow me to remind you of one thing. “

The King’s smile was like a nightmare in the eyes of the nobles.

They never wanted to hear the clap of hands as a signal in their entire lives.

“I hope…..” The King’s tone was very soft, “You will not have a certain illusion…..an illusion that I am discussing this with you.”

The candlelight shone on the King’s face, casting it in bright and dark shadows, and there was no smile in those icy blue eyes that were cold as winter ice.

The nobles shuddered.

………………

The King flipped through the sheets of signed names, and was satisfied to see that the numbers on them even exceeded his original expectations.

“Sure enough, it is more reassuring to end trouble permanently.” The King sighed regretfully.

The King really had possessed murderous intent towards the nobles because they had too much power.

The nobles who own land could collect taxes on their own territories, could hold court trials on their own, and could even hang caught thieves. Legrand’s territory was composed of thirty-six states, and the laws and regulations were varying and mixed. Some lords even had the right to ignore the rulings of the royal court on their own territories….. [2]

Obviously, this was something that the King could not tolerate.

Take things slowly and gradually.

The King said to himself.

“Alright.” He patted the papers in his hand and said to the Duke of Buckingham, “Now is the time to take cousin Johan back. You must know that the cost of the extension of the deadline is quite high.”

With the mention of General Johan, the King remembered another thing.

“The negotiating mission was detained?”

Upon hearing this news, the King raised his eyebrows.

“The cold winter is here, and it’s time for our officials to run some errands.”

There was nothing to do in winter, so wasn’t it a good time to do some accounting? Hopefully, no one really thought that the King would just let this pass with a mere ransom.

The time to settle accounts had just begun.

“One thing.” The King pondered for a while and looked at the Duke of Buckingham, “I want to know about our family’s Templars.”

The Duke of Buckingham looked at him with suspicion, and said tactfully: “Your Majesty, the power of the Holy See is still strong now, and the new Pope is a man of skill.”

“Don’t worry, uncle.” The King replied. He watched the flickering candlelight, the flame  inexplicably cold when reflected in his eyes. “I don’t intend to go to war with the Holy See for the time being.”

If there was anything in this world that could make the King completely angry, it was obviously someone trying to actively plot his death.

Unfortunately……

Mr. Devil, who seemed to be quite capricious, committed this blunder some time ago.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

AN: King: As a tyrant, is there anything wrong with getting rid of someone once he has ceased to be useful?

Devil: As a devil, is there anything wrong with sticking the knife in?

[1] Belladonna: can make poison

[2] Refer to “Edward I” by Mark Morris

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After a significant duel was over, there should indeed be enthusiastic cheers. But the nobles present were all too horrified by the ruthlessness the King had just displayed, and no one reacted for a while.

Except for one person.

The Duke of Buckingham.

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The old Duke wore a scarlet cloak similar to that of his nephew. He walked out of the honored guest seats and came to the middle of the nave where he knelt down on one knee in front of the young King still on the high platform, performing a knight’s oath of allegiance. It was just like when the King was crowned here many years ago, and he had led everyone in swearing their allegiance to the King.

“God bless the King!”

The voice of the Duke of Buckingham echoed in St. Wyth Cathedral.

“God bless Legrand!”

The Royalists wearing iron roses followed the Duke of Buckingham and left their seats. They also came to the long and narrow red carpet and knelt down on one knee towards the King on the high platform.

“God bless the King!”

“God bless Legrand!”

Their voices rose together, stirring up the hot rushing blood in the people’s hearts.

The weapons in the hands of the New Royal Party nobles fell to the ground one after another. With pale faces, they left their seats one by one, joining this impromptu ceremony where they once again pledged their allegiance. In the end, all the knights present knelt to the ground, and this first large-scale deference to the throne after King Pureland I had ascended achieved its due political aims.

The cardinal had on a grim face as he watched all of this happen but was powerless to stop it.

He understood that his actions to strengthen the influence of the Holy See in Legrand this time had been in vain. Amidst the cheers, the royal sovereignty in the Legrand Empire was strengthened as never before.

His plans had gone up in flames! His dreams of promotion were over!

Outside the St. Wyth Cathedral, Edmund, the general of the Ingres army who was standing guard, sighed softly.

The people had mistakenly regarded a male lion as a stray dog this whole time.

General Edmund could foresee the glory of the Rose family flourish once again…..God! Please bless Ingres! He hoped that their gamble this time would not be in vain.

Cheers echoed under the glorious dome of St. Wyth Cathedral.

The winter wind whistled by, and the body of the would-be usurper lay lying under the throne behind the young King, blood still gurgling out. For hundreds of thousands of years, day after day, blood soaked the chair that symbolized supreme power. The King stood looking down on the people, his gaze passing over everyone.

This was Legrand.

This was the place ruled by generations of people who had the blood of the Rose running in their veins.

God bless the King!

God bless Legrand!

……………………

Rose Palace.

This historic palace once again welcomed back its true owner.

In the King’s room, the fire in the fireplace was blazing, and the light of the fire gave the exquisite relief paintings on the walls an even more lifelike ambiance. Here, rose patterns could be seen everywhere, and the floor of the room was covered with a carpet embroidered with complicated and slightly strange images.

The King lowered his eyes slightly, looking at the embroidered pattern on the carpet.

The craftsmanship was very exquisite, but what attracted the King’s attention was the content of the pattern.

It was a pale dragon skeleton with scarlet roses coiling and entwining around the bones. Judging from the ratio of the dragon’s bones to the mountains on which it rested, the dragon must have been shockingly huge before it died.

“Your Majesty.”

The Duke of Buckingham, who had changed his clothes, walked in. His nephew having returned safe and sound had him feeling a lot easier. When he saw the King, he smiled slightly.

“You arrived in time.”

“Thanks to you delaying them.” The King closed the book in his hand, and he placed a chair beside him, obviously for the Duke of Buckingham. With the King’s character, this was already a kind of implicit intimacy, “The Holy See’s hand stretches longer and longer.”

“They have been eager to move these years.”

Speaking of the Holy See, the Duke of Buckingham’s expression flickered with a trace of coldness.

“I heard that different factions have begun to fight in the Holy See on the other side of the Abyss Strait. Coupled with the booming trade, I am afraid that some old fogeys won’t be able to sit still.” The King remarked thoughtfully.

After that second pledge of allegiance at St. Wyth Cathedral, the young cardinal, the Pope’s special envoy, quickly left Metzl.

It seemed that he also understood that after the King’s return, the King must have deeply murderous intentions to kill him.

It was not impossible for the King to stop him, but now that the civil strife had just subsided, it might not be a good idea to completely antagonize the Pope. So the King only sent people to make a round at the cardinal’s residence. The young cardinal was so frightened that he climbed the walls of his residence and fled overnight in a hurry.

It could be regarded as a little bit of revenge from the King.

The Duke of Buckingham stared at his nephew, and let out a long sigh: “You have grown up.”

“You say that in a tone that makes it clear you still treat me as a child.” The King replied, “Let me remind you that I am an adult.”

The Duke of Buckingham laughed and said nothing.

The King also smiled.

In the eyes of others, everything that happened today might seem like a miracle aided with help from the Holy Lord or the Devil——well, actually it was indeed——but only the King knew that this was actually an all-out effort of cooperation from all sides.

Oh, Grand Duke Grice himself also contributed a lot of effort in this cooperation.

Though the Grand Duke wouldn’t be happy at all if he heard this.

The events must be analyzed from the beginning.

Naturally, the most critical turning point was the King rescuing the Duke of Buckingham in time in late September.

The King, guarding against possible assassinations and coups, sent the Duke of Buckingham back to the Rose Palace and granted him the right to reign as regent. Therefore, when news of the King’s death spread, the Duke of Buckingham could suppress the deterioration of the situation as quickly as possible.

While the Duke of Buckingham tried his best to reduce the influence of rumors at Metzl Castle, the King also sent the knight commander and another vow knight to act as messengers.

As an exiled member of the Ingres royal family, the knight commander went to contact the state of Ingres on behalf of the King himself, while another vow knight carried the King’s letter under disguise as he made his way to Metzl Castle as soon as possible.

This second letter was for the Duke of Buckingham.

In the letter, the King described his situation and the next steps of his plan carefully.

Due to the heavy military patrol from Grand Duke Grice along all the roads to the capital, the vow knight had to spend some time and energy in order to get rid of those pesky little mice, otherwise he would have arrived earlier.

Fortunately, the Duke of Buckingham, who was in the Rose Palace and loyal to his nephew, fought a strong open battle with Grice, winning precious time for the King. When the Pope’s envoy arrived, the vow knight also successfully delivered the letter secretly to the Duke of Buckingham.

The Duke of Buckingham, who had been almost desperate, received the letter from the King just in time and immediately regained his faith.

The King mentioned in the letter which route he would take to reach the capital. The experienced Duke of Buckingham immediately dispatched his subordinates to get in touch with the King. This was also the reason why the members of the Royalist Party who attended the coronation ceremony of Grand Duke Grice were so few.

After contacting the King, the Duke of Buckingham immediately gave up opposing the Grand Duke Grice and chose to give in.

In order to put up a realistic act the old Duke resisted the desire to cut off Grand Duke Grice’s head with his sword and even pretended to hold a welcoming ceremony for the occasion outside the gate of Metzl.

Of course, Grand Duke Grice, who had lost his life, was not that stupid.

He remain vigilantly on guard against the Duke of Buckingham, but this happened to be within the plans of the King and the Duke of Buckingham.

In order to attract the attention of Grand Duke Grice, the Duke of Buckingham refused to surrender the Rose Palace, and personally took up residence at the Rose Palace, forcing Grand Duke Grice to pay close attention to the Duke of Buckingham’s movement.

Let’s take a look at the general spheres of influence of the Royalist Party and the New Royal Party.

The Royalist Party represented by the Duke of Buckingham was mainly concentrated in the north, while the power of the Grand Duke Grice, which relied on the Five Port Alliance on the southeast coast, was mainly distributed in the south. In order to prevent any revolt from the Duke of Buckingham, Grand Duke Grice had to deploy troops to guard against the north.

However, while Grand Duke Grice had all his attention on the north, the King had led an army disguised as Grand Duke Grice’s troops and quietly circled around to the side of Metzl City from the south.

Much thanks to Grand Duke Grice for constantly shifting his troops to the north during this period. After the King had his army put on the white rose battle flag, the traveling speed of his army was much faster.

It must be said that Grand Duke Grice was truly a good man.

The Duke of Buckingham understood his old opponent very well and could guess which person the Grand Duke Grice would choose to command the reinforcement army. He promptly conveyed the news to the King.

After receiving the news, the King immediately realized that this was a good opportunity.

As the capital of the Legrand Empire, Metzl had a tall and thick city wall that was very suitable for defense. If one wanted to attack Metzl, it would not only consume a lot of manpower and material resources, but also take a long time. Originally, the King planned to cooperate with the Duke of Buckingham with one on the inside and one on the outside, opening the city gate from the inside.

However, Grand Duke Grice was closely watching the movements of the Duke of Buckingham, and doing so would be risky.

But now, Grand Duke Grice had practically placed the key to the city gate in the King’s hand.

The Ingres army traveled lightly and simply so the speed of their march was faster. In truth, on the evening yesterday, the King and his army had actually already arrived in the vicinity of Metzl.

After carefully observing the terrain, the King stationed his army on both sides of a valley that the enemy army must pass through. In the faint light of that morning, the reinforcement army of Grand Duke Grice arrived in the valley only to be met by huge boulders and tree trunks that rolled down the slopes on both sides. Many cavalrymen lost their lives before they even figured out what had happened.

That was not a battle at all, but a massacre.

The reinforcements were completely thrown into disarray and confusion, crowding together and trampling on each other, while the well rested army of the King was like sharp canine teeth ripping them to pieces.

In the end, they practically had to trod through blood and corpses. Including the King, everyone was covered in blood.

Baron Bourne survived.

But it was not because of luck or his bravery, but because the King had ordered to spare his life in advance.

Baron Bourne was the key to opening the gate of the city.

However, in order to prevent Baron Bourne from betraying them, Baron Bourne’s armor was stripped off, and when he rode away from the army, at least ten archers had their bows aimed at the back of his head——the King’s dictionary didn’t seem to have the words “follow the conventional rules”. He didn’t care whether the methods used were contemptible or not.

The white rose banner representing the New Royal Party, the familiar Baron Bourne, the correct semaphore…..

The city gate opened.

From that moment on, everything was decided.

The King returned to the throne in the wake of blood and war.

The Duke of Buckingham sighed softly in his heart when he listened to the King lightly recounting the events on the road.

Too similar.

To his father.

“Well, I am very happy.” The Duke of Buckingham gave a relieved smile, “Legrand now has a real King.”

The King hummed once and did not refute his words.

The King knew exactly how much risk the Duke of Buckingham took in this series of plans.

If the King really died, then the Duke of Buckingham would be completely ruined. If the King did not arrive at St. Wyth Cathedral in time, the Duke of Buckingham would have to fight to the death with the New Royal Party…..

And the final result would only be the Duke of Buckingham and Grand Duke Grice ending in mutual destruction.

None of this was mentioned by anyone.

The result was the desired one, and the people who should remember would naturally remember the things that should be remembered.

“God bless Legrand.”

The Duke of Buckingham said.

The King disagreed.

It was more appropriate to say that this was aid from the Devil.

The King defended his throne with the blood of Grand Duke Grice. The matter was largely over, but there was still a lot to do next.

For example…..

Settling accounts.

Ah, don’t forget that our King was also very good at holding grudges, and it was time for the New Royal nobles to pay the price for their actions.

It was worth mentioning that after the “coronation” ceremony, the King simply and directly invited all the participating nobles to the Rose Palace——he just had the soldiers aim their iron arrows at them and not put their blades on their necks. Wasn’t this already giving them the utmost courtesy?

“What do you plan to do?”

Asked the Duke of Buckingham.

“It would save a lot of trouble to kill all of them, right?”

The King replied nonchalantly.

In the eyes of the King, Legrand lacked everything, but the only thing it did not lack were nobles.

Of these noblemen, who among them did not have dozens of children waiting to inherit the title. With this group of troublemaking nobles dead, the time it would take for their successors to grow up would be enough for the King to strip their power clean.

However, after thinking about it, the King regretfully gave up this plan.

After all, in this era, the knights’ code of conduct was still there. In a battle, the nobles who were defeated would not be killed, but would be released after paying a ransom. Moreover, while the King was incognito during this period, he incidentally got a rough analysis of ​​the situation of the counties and the lower classes in Legrand.

The great aristocrats played an important role in the country’s political system, and getting rid of too many at one time would cause new turmoil.

It was very regrettable.

However, there were still long days ahead.

The Duke of Buckingham looked at the King speechlessly.

“It was a joke, don’t be so serious.”

The King said lightly.

No.

The Duke of Buckingham thought to himself.

I don’t think you are joking at all.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“Alright, let us go and meet these…..” The King stood up, paused, and revealed a meaningful smile, “These rich and generous gentlemen.”

He bit out the words “rich” and “generous” with much emphasis.

AN: King: Just kidding.

The Duke of Buckingham: You don’t seem to be just joking.

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The whistling north wind swept into St. Wyth Cathedral.

There was such a strong scent of blood coming in on the wind. And combine that with the screams just now and the curved sword in the King’s hand, the New Royal Party realized what happened to the soldiers that belonged to Grand Duke Grice outside.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The King was not dead!

He suddenly came back at this crucial time!

After the aristocrats in the New Royal Party realized this, they all cursed the Duke of Buckingham from the bottom of their hearts.

No wonder this old guy was willing to give in during this period but was reluctant to hand over the Rose Palace. By demanding that Grand Duke Grice follow the regulations, the Duke of Buckingham was delaying time for the King.

Damn it! The Duke of Buckingham must have already made contact with the King, and he was just waiting to join hands with the King to put on today’s big show! The Holy Lord above! This cunning old bag of bones that should go to hell!

Da, da, da.

The war horse walked into the nave of St. Wyth Cathedral, hooves making dull thuds on the red carpet.

The design of the entire St. Wyth Cathedral was like a cross. At this time, the red carpet was spread along the long central axis of the nave. The inner hall where everyone was located had a long corridor composed of two arcades. The white marble column stretched straight up, and the reliefs on both ends of the column depicted the stories of the saints.

The King passed by the stone pillars on both sides of the separation.

When constructing this church, the design of ribs and beams was adopted. The tops of each of the four adjacent pillars formed vertical beams. The curved long beams gracefully protrude diagonally, which looked like the ribs of a sacred creature from a distance. Sunlight would fall down through the stained glass windows on the top, casting radiant and colorful lights inside, just like the radiance of the Holy Spirit shining over the world.

Those brilliant lights now fell on the King at this time.

As the war horse paced forward unhurriedly, the people saw those brilliant lights and shadows alternately playing and shifting on the coat of his war horse, his cloak, and his silver hair.

The New Royal Party aristocrats in the narrow and long nave before the honored guest seats were in a dilemma. They had made preparations to fight before they came to participate in the coronation ceremony, but raising their sword to the King and raising their sword to the Duke of Buckingham were two different concepts!

What’s more, the strong smell of blood in the air had shown that——

Their determination was irrelevant. The King had already wielded the butcher knife to punish traitors.

Of course, the reason why the New Royal Party did not dare to act rashly was because of the soldiers who followed the King and could now be seen at the gate of the church.

The New Royal Party had huge doubts in their hearts——why would the Ingres soldiers, who had always been at odds with the royal family, fight for the King?

Now, those damn barbarians have dismounted from their horses, and each and every one of them was pointing their bow and arrows at them. With such a close distance and such a narrow space, so long as someone dared to act rashly, he would be turned into a pincushion.

Everyone could only watch the King approach.

When the war horse passed by, the nobles standing at the front could clearly see blood dripping from the King’s cloak.

The Devil was right.

If he was a king, he must be one robed in blood.

“I am very happy.”

The King sat on his horse, pulling on the reins with one hand, and holding a blood-stained curved sword in the other. Beneath the King’s brows, his ice-blue eyes were slightly narrowed as he looked directly at Grand Duke Grice, who was wearing a purple robe on the high platform, a look of astonishment on his face.

At this moment, when the two were compared side by side, people were shocked to discover that in front of the King, the royally dressed Grand Duke Grice looked nothing more than just a ridiculous clown.

The young King had a more daunting and fearsome aura.

There was something about the King that the older nobles were very familiar with.

The invincible and awe-inspiring shadow of William III traveled through more than ten years and merged with his son. For a moment, the figure of William III overlapped with the young King who brought blood into the church under the holy light. The crazed blood of the ancient Rose family uttered its terrible roar at this moment.

“You all have prepared such a grand welcome ceremony for me.”

The King was still watching Grand Duke Grice, but he also tilted his head slightly, his lips curled upwards as he flashed the New Royal Party a cold smile that left them fearful in place.

“Maybe I should pay back your loyalty?”

Pay back loyalty? How did he plan to pay back?

Have the archers at the gate of the church launch a volley of fire at their heads?

There were weak-willed people in the New Royal Party who could no longer endure the pressure, their bodies collapsing bonelessly, almost fainting.

More people with pale faces placed their last hope on Grand Duke Grice on the high platform.

The nave was long and narrow, but it was only long and narrow, and the war horse quickly reached the high platform.

“Bishop! Bishop!”

Grand Duke Grice looked at the cardinal, who was the special envoy of the Pope, with trepidation. He was completely unable to understand what had happened, why his reinforcements did not arrive, and why instead it was the King who surrounded St. Wyth Cathedral with a terrifying Ingres army. But one thing was very clear.

According to the practice of the Rose family, the challenger who coveted the throne would be executed by the King himself!

This was a bloody, ancient practice of the Rose family.

The Rose family, which had ruled the Legrand Empire for so many years, had many legendary traditions. Among them was the one related to the throne, and it was not an understatement to call them the craziest royal family of all the kingdoms.

Enemies who provoked the King’s dignity could only be executed by the King himself! With blood and death, the King would announce to the people——

He would defend his throne to the death.

John Summerton, Grand Duke Grice’s grandfather, once competed with the mad King Henry for the throne, but ultimately failed and was beheaded by the mad King. The son of John Summerton——the father of Grand Duke Grice——the Duke of Bedel was forced to retreat to the southern part of the empire. It was not until he married the widowed Queen Isabel, the mother of William III, was he able to return to the center of power.

The fate of the royal family was like an ancient prophecy that repeated itself.

What happened to Grand Duke Grice’s grandfather would also happen to Grand Duke Grice today.

“A thing that is a Rose in name only without the blood of the Rose.”

The Duke of Buckingham was very close to the platform, and he clearly saw the scene where Grand Duke Grice begged for the cardinal’s help. He had always looked down on his half-brother, and his contempt was even worse today with the pride he felt.

He was proud of his nephew.

The cardinal did not take his eyes off the returning King, and he quickly went through many thoughts and ideas in his mind.

Grand Duke Grice, the useless thing, didn’t he swear that Pureland I was dead?! Bastard!

According to the cardinal’s own wishes, he would prefer that Grand Duke Grice survive, so that Legrand’s rebellion could continue. But he couldn’t express this idea too strongly, otherwise it would damage the majesty of the Holy See. Intervention in Legrand’s succession to the throne was enough to arouse strong warning signs in the royal families of all kingdoms!

The black-clothed monk behind him coughed slightly.

The cardinal understood, he was reminding him that he should not let the Pope be criticized.

“The Lord is merciful, and God bless the son of the saint.”

As the Pope’s special envoy, the cardinal tried his best to put on a smile of joy as he stepped back slowly and made room.

These words directly snuffed out the last hope of Grand Duke Grice. He couldn’t believe it as he looked at the Pope’s special envoy stepping back and essentially taking a clear stand against him.

“Who wants to give our Grand Duke Grice a sword?”

The King had already walked up the stairs of the high platform. He smiled and asked towards the audience.

His boots tread on the red carpet step by step, and the sound of his footsteps was like a drumbeat of death. His scarlet cloak nearly dragged to the ground, and people had the illusion that the red carpet, like the cloak, was stained with blood.

No one in the New Royal Party dared to respond.

They all bowed their heads, avoiding Grand Duke Grice’s gaze, and a tense atmosphere of terror permeated this sacred church.

“Is there no one?” The King asked regretfully, “My poor Uncle Grice, your men seem to be just a bunch of useless cowards…..then…..”

He suddenly raised his voice.

“My dear uncle, are you willing to condescend your sword and lend it to this poor delusional man?”

Both were called uncles, but the King’s tone clearly expressed his affection and disgust.

“If this is your order, Your Majesty.”

The Duke of Buckingham responded softly. He understood what his nephew intended. Today was the time for the King to kill the rebels and put down the civil strife. He wanted everyone to clearly see that his enemy was vulnerable in front of him. The Duke of Buckingham threw his long sword onto the high platform.

“Go on.”

Grand Duke Grice startled and took a step back.

Obviously, the Duke of Buckingham would not lend the sword to Grand Duke Grice properly. When the sword was thrown over, it was like a violent lightning bolt.

The long sword was nailed into the sacred platform, and nearly embedded into it up to the handle.

“Pull it up, sir.”

The King was too lazy to call his uncle in name only with the proper familial term. He ascended the last step, and the cold wind blew at his cloak, causing it to billow and flap.

Grand Duke Grice felt as if he was back in his youth. He was thrown from the boat by the Duke of Buckingham and could only watch as the Duke drew his sword in mid-air——they were indeed a pair of real uncle and nephew! So similar in their hatefulness!

Grand Duke Grice understood that this was the last chance.

Either die or become King!

He calmed himself and let out a sneer. He leaned over and held the handle. With a hard tug, the long sword pulled out.

Logically, there should be a judge who presided over the duel. However, before the King could order someone to serve as the judge, Grand Duke Grice roared and swept his sword towards the King. As far as swordsmanship was concerned, he was not too lacking, and at this time the sudden sneak attack he had launched did have a bit of fierce momentum to it.

Under the high platform, the nobles who witnessed this scene could not help booing, even the ones from the New Royal Party.

Grand Duke Grice’s move to initiate a surprise attack was undoubtedly contrary to the spirit of the duel, and was very different from the image of a chivalrous knight he usually displayed. However, Grand Duke Grice was actually such a guy down to his bones——how much courage and honor could you expect a person who relied on assassination and the Holy See to obtain the throne?

Clang——

Under the tense gaze of the Royalist Party, Grand Duke Grice’s sword collided with the King’s curved sword.

Sparks flew from the place where the swords collided, indicating that both sides had attacked with the intention to kill.

The sound of the colliding swords caused an electric current to slide over the heads of every nobleman and their breathing became rapid correspondingly. Dueling, shedding blood…..all of this was originally something that flowed in the blood of any knight.

You must know that knights were born for war!

At this moment, even the people who originally complained about the King were aroused by this deadly duel, and they roared and cheered for this duel in which the two participants were of the most noble status they had witnessed in their lives.

“Kill! Kill! Kill him!”

The people roared indiscriminately and it was impossible to tell who they were cheering for.

The sound crashed like wild waves.

“There is one thing…..”

The curved sword and the long sword locked in a stalemate, and the distance between the King and Grand Duke Grice was close enough that they could hear each other’s breathing. The King spoke in a voice that only the both of them could hear.

“…..in truth, I also didn’t plan to let anyone act the judge.”

After he finished speaking, he let out a light and cold chuckle.

Grand Duke Grice, who originally wanted to attack suddenly to gain the upper hand, felt like a poisonous snake had slid across his back.

What did he mean? What did he mean by not appointing a judge?

However, Grand Duke Grice had no time to think about this sentence.

The stalemate of the swords was only for an instant, and with the cold chuckle still echoing in his ears, the two sides had already separated.

The young King’s curved sword left crescent arcs in the air. He was one who could still wield his sword flagrantly in the face of the Gulundi heavy cavalry. At this time, this high platform seemed to have transformed into his stage. He was destined to be the only protagonist of this grand performance. He was not here for a duel, he was here to crush his enemies!

The leader of the heavy cavalry of Gulundi had once felt the King’s scythe-like sword. It gave one the feeling that the sword was entwined with poisonous spider silk.

The last person who felt the King’s sword was now buried in the mud, and this time was no exception.

The nobles originally thought they would be seeing a close duel, but now it had evolved into a one-sided slaughter.

Grand Duke Grice tried his best to hold up under the continuous attacks of the King’s sword.

The person wearing the armor was Grand Duke Grice, but he dared not rashly launch a counterattack. Because the King was simply a lunatic. The lunatic King did not wear heavy armor, and his body was full of openings. Clearly, the King did not take his own vital parts seriously. The King just kept swinging his sword, and so long as he failed to parry even one blow from the other’s sword, Grand Duke Grice’s throat would be cut open neatly.

Grand Duke Grice could clearly feel the ice cold of the other’s blade.

That icy coldness caused him to tremble.

How could one be able to win against a desperate madman?!

Grand Duke Grice lost ground step by step.

The King’s scarlet cloak billowed and swirled around him. He was the only master of the stage from the beginning to the end. He swung his sword in a deadly dance, and Grand Duke Grice was not worthy of being called an opponent at all. The Grand Duke was just a puppet under his sword, helplessly manipulated by the King to take part in this performance that would cost him his life.

The voices gradually became quieter.

The nobles vaguely felt something that made them shudder. They finally understood the meaning of the King’s duel.

——This was deterrence! He not only wanted to kill Grand Duke Grice, but also flash his blade in front of them arrogantly, and ask, was his blade sharp enough for them, was anyone going to be the second dead soul to be reaped by it?

In the silence, someone suddenly began to applaud.

It was the Duke of Buckingham.

He stared at his nephew, feeling that the burden that had been on his shoulders for so many years was finally relieved. Thus, he applauded the King, feeling both gratification and pride.

The Royalist Party wearing the iron roses were all brought back to themselves by the applause of the Duke of Buckingham. Although it was out of loyalty to the Duke of Buckingham that they guarded the throne, at this time they could not help but feel ecstatic about their gamble!

The King was back!

They had won!

They began to shout and holler and the sound wave once again swept across the sacred St. Wyth Cathedral.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

Amid the shouts of the Royalist nobles, Grand Duke Grice was finally dragged down by the heavy armor on his own body. He had been holding up for long enough. At this time, his hand was sore and the sword that was swung slowed for a split second.

The King must be the most keen hunter in the world.

He seized this fleeting opportunity.

The curved sword left a thin and beautiful cold crescent light in the air.

The battle was over.

A gush of blood sprayed high into the air, and all the voices stopped abruptly.

The Duke of Buckingham’s sword fell to the ground with a clang, and Grand Duke Grice fell to his knees, trying to cover his throat in vain. But life quickly passed from him, and the cold began to overtake him. With his eyes still open, he fell down on the red carpet, only a step away from the gorgeous throne.

The blood flowing from his throat soaked the base of the throne.

Seeing this scene of Grand Duke Grice’s fall, the cardinal sighed in his heart.

But before he finished sighing, the curved sword suddenly turned towards him.

Suddenly seeing the light of the blade passing in front of him, and the cold on the surface of the blade millimeters away from him, cardinal Hart took a big step back and almost directly hit the black-clothed monk behind him.

The one who was even more fearful was the archbishop of St. Wyth, because the sword was actually directed at him.

The archbishop exclaimed, his brain going completely blank.

The sound of metal colliding.

The archbishop of St. Wyth only felt the weight in his hand lighten, and the new crown that was originally placed on the velvet tray in his hands was raised into the air by the King using the curved point of his sword.

The newly made gorgeous crown spun in mid-air. With a wave of the King’s arm, the curved sword slashed out.

A crescent arc flashed in the air, and the falling golden crown was cut in half by the King.

The two pieces of the new crown that had been split in half fell to the ground, making a clanging sound as they rolled down from the high ceremonial altar to land on the cold and hard marble floor below. The crisp metallic sound could be heard as the halves of the crown bounced up high and finally fell down again.

The eyes of the nobles moved with the two halves of the crown.

In the end, the two pieces of metal lay motionless on the ground.

Deathly silence.

The King stood upright on the high platform, behind which was the throne that symbolized supreme power. He slowly pushed his sword into its sheath as he looked down at everyone.

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The nobles of the New Royal Party felt that they had been cut in half with a blade. They had no expression on their faces but the hands holding their weapons were shaking slightly.

“What’s this?”

In the silence, the King’s voice was so clear.

“Everyone, have you forgotten to cheer for your King?”

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The capital of Legrand, Metzl.

A restless atmosphere enveloped the city.

The commander of the guards guarding the city huddled in the turret on the city wall, waiting for the arrival of the army.

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Today was the day when the new King, Grand Duke Grice, was crowned.

At this time, Grand Duke Grice’s procession should have already crossed the streets and arrived at St. Wyth Cathedral in the southern part of Metzl. Just a few days ago, the Pope’s envoy crossed the sea to spread the Pope’s will throughout Legrand’s land. The Duke of Buckingham, who had been deadly enemies with the New Royalist Party, had no choice but to bow his head in front of the will of God.

The civil war was over and the new King was about to be crowned.

Only after being crowned could he officially become the King. In order to prevent unexpected occurings from cropping up, after Grand Duke Grice received the news that the Duke of Buckingham had finally conceded he had quickly arrived at Metzl City.

On the day of Grand Duke Grice’s arrival, the Duke of Buckingham held a very simple welcome ceremony outside the city gate. Although the hostility between the two sides was still strong, under the witness of the Pope’s envoy, it was “a reconciliation to the harmony of before.”

On the one hand it was out of eagerness and on the other hand it was out of vigilance, Grand Duke Grice tried his best to reduce the entire process of the coronation ceremony——completely different from the previous grand coronation ceremonies, this coronation ceremony was cut down to only the necessary steps. It was even forbidden to hold any celebratory parades.

Throughout the process, the Duke of Buckingham seemed to have already given up and did not make any drastic moves.

The only thing he refused to do was to hand over the Rose Palace.

The reason was that the Rose Palace was the King’s most important residence, and he could only move in when he had officially become the King.

Grand Duke Grice was unwilling to offend the old Duke at this critical juncture, so he had to give up temporarily and work overtime to plan the coronation ceremony.

The coronation was to take place today.

The order of martial law was imposed on every gate of the Metzl city wall. Obviously, Grand Duke Grice did not really relax his vigilance. He even brought in an army from the south to prevent the Duke of Buckingham from rising in revolt during his coronation.

“Damn the weather.”

It was now October, and the commander shivered from the cold as he cursed quietly while holding his sword. He looked out from the viewing gap in the turret again and this time a galloping cavalry vaguely appeared in his vision.

They had arrived!

The commander’s spirit suddenly lifted. He hurriedly stretched out two white rose flags from the turret and played the agreed semaphore towards the outside.

The army was fast, and in a blink of an eye it was nearly at the city wall. Two identical white rose flags were flying over the cavalry. A cavalryman urged his horse out of the line, a flag in his hand as he arrived under the city gate. He waved the flag vigorously and played the agreed semaphore.

The commander was relieved.

“Let down the suspension bridge!”

He saw the cavalryman clearly from his height, and recognized that it was Viscount Bourn from the New Royalist Party——the army transferred over from the south by Grand Duke Grice was under his command.

The walls of Metzl were tall and strong, and there were sturdy trenches outside the walls. There were a total of twelve city gates distributed in all directions. The city gates were all situated on a solid stone platform in the middle of two circular towers, and were equipped with heavy suspension bridges. It would take months to break through Metzl City from the outside, it was practically indestructible.

Today, the only one allowed to be put down was the suspension bridge to the southwest.

The wide suspension bridge was lowered, and the cavalry charged over it like a whirlwind. At this time, the commander had just stepped down from the tower, ready to step forward to meet Viscount Bourn and convey the Grand Duke’s arrangements.

He had just walked down the stairs when he realized that something was wrong.

Blood!

A very strong smell of blood!

As soon as the gate of the city opened, he finally noticed that the oncoming cavalry practically reeked with blood!

“Have you encountered an attack?”

The commander stepped forward in confusion. However, his face changed as soon as he finished speaking.

Because he saw Viscount Bourn who had played the semaphore, his face frighteningly pale and without any armor on——how could a general not wear armor?

However, without waiting for him to understand other things, everything was already over.

The extremely fast cavalry passed the suspension bridge in an instant.

The leading horse directly kicked the commander over. The man on the horse was wearing a scarlet cloak. He held a long and narrow curved sword and swung it down, a spray of warm blood spattering out instantly. Succeeding with just a single slash of his blade, the young knight rushed into the city gate like a gust of wind without stopping.

His red cloak billowed, flapping fiercely in his wake.

The rest of the cavalry followed closely behind.

The soldiers guarding the city gate noticed this drastic change. They realized that it was not a comrade-in-arms but an enemy, but it was too late. The cavalry had all crossed the suspension bridge, and the city guards could only step forward with their spears to block them in vain.

But how could they match this Ingres cavalry?

Yes, they recognized it.

It was not the cavalry of Viscount Bourne, but the light cavalry of Ingres. These wild cavalrymen who lived in Ingres wore simple leather armor. They used a single-edged sword with a narrow and slender blade. It was most suitable for slashing from a horse, and it looked like a thousand arcs of crescent moons when it was cut downwards.

They laughed loudly, carrying long bows and quivers, and wielding their swords as they followed their leader.

The man who led this cavalry was incredibly young, his silver hair flying in the morning mist and contrasting sharply against his bloody robe.

It was the King!

Pureland I.

The King who was determined to be dead by everyone had reappeared in front of the people. And as soon as he appeared, he brought with him a bloody cavalry that seemed as if they were a signal to more bloodshed to be had.

……………………

St. Wyth Cathedral.

This was the place where the kings of the past had been crowned. Today, many powerful nobles had gathered here.

The Duke of Buckingham had given up resistance, and the Royalist Party had been defeated. The New Royalists all looked at their enemies with barely hidden triumph and glee. The most proud of them was Grand Duke Grice.

His private guards were scattered outside the St. Wyth Cathedral, his opponents in the church were all depressed, and the crown was within reach.

——Oh, not the one that had been passed down from generation to generation.

The Rose Crown was likely buried in the soil with the former King, and Grand Duke Grice paid for a new crown personally.

The coronation would be held at the intersection of the nave and the wing of the St. Wyth Cathedral. The Grand Duke Grice had cut down the procedures making up the entire ceremony as much as possible out of caution, but in order to declare his victory to the people, he still held the coronation in accordance with the tradition. A huge wooden stage was placed in the center so that the people in the nave could clearly see the crowning of the new King.

The bell was rang.

This was probably the strangest coronation ceremony in the entire history of the Legrand Empire. The atmosphere was so cold and antagonistic that it did not seem like a grand ceremony was being held, but more like an invisible war was taking place.

On the honered guest seats near the altar.

The group of people headed by the Duke of Buckingham remained silent and did not cheer. Their cloaks were still decorated with the badge of the iron rose. Although the members of the New Royalist Party took off the white roses and put on beautiful and luxurious clothes, they also wore close-fitting chainmail under the velvet and silk and carried swords on them.

Under the royal robes of the “New King” Grand Duke Grice, there was also an exquisitely crafted chain mail armor.

If it were not for maintaining his majestic appearance, he almost wanted to put on a plate armor to attend the ceremony.

In the solemn chanting, the choir played brilliant hymns, all of which concealed the antagonistic atmosphere in the air. Grand Duke Grice stepped solemnly on the long red carpet in a purple robe with gold threads and walked into the church.

He walked up the steps and climbed onto the high platform.

The young cardinal, the special envoy of the Pope, was the host of this coronation ceremony. He stood in front of the altar in the middle of the high platform, and behind him was the archbishop of St. Wyth. On the tray held by the archbishop, the new crown was placed in the middle of the soft velvet.

Grand Duke Grice and the cardinal exchanged glances.

The cardinal coughed slightly. He looked at everyone and made a speech: “……In front of the benevolent Holy Lord and the Holy See, I ask everyone to allow Grand Duke Grice to claim the crown of the Legrand Empire based on his rightful status……”

The core members of the Royalist Party instantly turned their attention to the Duke of Buckingham.

This was not in line with the convention of the coronation ceremony!

According to the normal order, the coronation vows should be taken first, then the holy oil should be given, and then finally the crowning ceremony!

But now, it was clear that Grand Duke Grice had colluded with the cardinal and brought the final crowning ceremony to the forefront. The New Royalist Party had already known about this change. Almost as soon as the cardinal’s voice fell, they all cheered and shouted “Aye! Aye!”

The Duke of Buckingham’s face darkened, and he made a simple and powerful gesture.

The Royalists in the honored guest seats suddenly stood up, opened their beautiful cloaks, and drew sharp swords.

Almost at the same time that the Duke of Buckingham and the others got up, the New Royalist party also stopped shouting. They also lifted their outer robes and drew out the weapons hidden under their cloaks.

In a flash, a deathly aura swept across the church.

“Lord Duke of Buckingham.”

The cardinal looked at the Duke of Buckingham with a cold face on the high platform.

“Blood before the Holy Lord, is this your reply to the Holy Lord? This is the place where the Holy Spirit inhabits, not your battlefield!”

“If the Holy Lord’s rules can be changed by humans, then it is not a big issue for the church to become a battlefield.”

The Duke of Buckingham replied as he slowly drew out his sword.

“Either follow the rules or go to war now, this is my answer.”

Grand Duke Grice’s face was blue with anger.

According to the traditional rules, the coronation oath was proclaimed, the sacred oil ceremony was carried out, and the crown was finally granted……The whole process would take at least half of the morning. But he didn’t want to delay for even a second at this time.

Don’t know why but a kind of anxiety shrouded the heart of Grand Duke Grice. And this kind of anxiety reached its culmination when both sides drew their swords.

The two sides were deadlocked for a while.

The cardinal looked at the archbishop of St. Wyth, implying that he should ease the atmosphere.

However, at this moment, the sound of the collision of iron on iron came from outside the church accompanied by dying screams. Grand Duke Grice was greatly shocked, and everyone suddenly looked towards the entrance of the church.

The clopping of horseshoes could be heard.

It seemed as if a whole cavalry was charging forward, the sound of the war horses galloping, making no secret of their murderous intentions.

This was not his army!

Grand Duke Grice realized this.

The nobles exclaimed.

A war horse appeared at the entrance of the narrow nave of the church.

Under the high arch, the man on the war horse had his back against the light. He was shrouded in the shadows and people could only see his thick scarlet cloak and the long and narrow curved sword hanging from the side of the war horse. A drop of blood slowly descended along the graceful lines of the blade.

Drip.

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The drop of blood fell on the red carpet.

“If I remember correctly——”

The man on the war horse slowly raised his head, and the light coming in through the stained glass windows fell on his face.

“I am still the King!”

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The cardinal boarded the white carriage that had been long awaiting his arrival and arrived at the residence of Grand Duke Grice.

The Grand Duke, dressed elaborately and magnificently to show his respect, had been waiting for a long time like the person in charge of the port had waited. Grand Duke Grice had made meticulous preparations for this decisive and meaningful meeting. He respectfully prostrated himself at the feet of the cardinal who was much younger than himself, tearfully expressing his longing and admiration for the Holy Empire.

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The cardinal did not avoid his ceremonial salutations.

Because at that moment he represented the Pope himself.

When the Grand Duke finished his statement, the cardinal helped him up: “The Holy Lord bless Legrand.”

“The Holy Lord bless Legrand.”

Grand Duke Grice let a smile spread over his face, a smile that came from the heart.

Of course this smile came from the heart as the show he had put on was not in vain. The cardinal opened the small box he carried with him and showed him what he had longed for:

The Pope’s manuscript and the holy oil in a golden eagle-shaped bottle.

The cardinal settled in the castle of Grand Duke Grice.

“You disdain him.”

A monk in black suddenly spoke after Grand Duke Grice excused himself. He followed the cardinal like a shadow, but remained silent the whole time.

“A greedy but incompetent fool with too much ambition.” The cardinal’s gentle smile had disappeared on his face to be replaced with a cold expression. “Don’t even mention comparing him with William III, even the Duke of Buckingham can easily suppress him. This kind of person will either become other people’s puppet or fall to his own destruction.”

“Then why did the Holy See choose such a person? I’m afraid he can’t serve well as the King of Legrand.”

The black robed monk was puzzled.

“Because he is greedy and stupid enough.” The cardinal looked at a painting hanging in his room. “My dear Aynauld, what does the matters of Legrand have anything to do with us? We only need a pious king——at least on the surface he must appear pious. The appearance of one William III is bad enough.”

The painting was a picture of the Holy Cross done in the classical style.

The Holy Son wore a king’s crown and a gorgeous robe. Bishops, monks, and mortal monarchs of the world all prostrated themselves at the feet of the Son like meek lambs. The meaning of the picture was very simple: the Holy Lord had both spiritual and material sovereignty, and all the mortal monarchs must bow to him.

Just like his ceremonial salutations outside his residence, this was another expression of loyalty to the Holy Church by Grand Duke Grice.

The cardinal smiled slightly.

“Whether it is a king or a commoner, all should docilely submit to the Lord of the Apostles.” The cardinal said, “The Millennium Kingdom is coming. We not only have the right but also the duty to build an empire that belongs to Him.”

The black monk tapped four times on his chest.

The cardinal was still looking at the picture of the Holy Cross.

God came to this world not to make people love each other, but to make father and son hate each other, husband and wife betray each other, and brothers and sisters kill each other. The Holy Lord shall cleanse the world with holy fire. That fire was the fire of war, and the kingdom of God shall be re-established in the fires of war.

The emergence of a William III uniting 36 states had already touched their most sensitive nerves. For this reason, the Pope sent his envoys to intervene in Legrand’s civil strife.

………

Since the beginning of the war, the Royalist Party under the command of the Duke of Buckingham had been as aggressive as the fiery summer sun.

The Grand Duke Grice might be very powerful and wealthy, but in terms of military command, he obviously could not be compared with the prestigious Duke of Buckingham. Over time, the New Royalist Party had gradually fallen into a depression.

However, this situation was quickly reversed.

The news from the Holy Church spread far and wide under the continuous propaganda of Grand Duke Grice:

The Pope lamented the death of the young Pureland I and claimed that “the Holy Lord had taken back His child on earth.” In addition to his deep sympathy, the Pope also conveyed “His” sacred words——Grand Duke Grice shall complete the unfinished mission for his nephew who died young.

The first blizzard in October swept across the land, and the power from the other side of the Abyss Strait brought Legrand’s boiling civil war to a standstill.

The core of the Rose Crisis was that one side believed that the King was dead, and the other side believed that the King had not died.

The Pope who suddenly stepped in had taken away the cornerstone of the Royalist Party’s struggle.

Perhaps there would still be disputes about the boundary between states and wars between kingdoms that could last for hundreds of years, but the world ruled by the Lord of the Apostles was beyond doubt. This was why, when the Duke of Buckingham was on the guillotine, he had signaled to the King to give in to the archbishop.

Now it was the Royalist Party who had become depressed.

The Duke of Buckingham sat still in the silent Rose Palace——he shall continue to guard Legrand’s heart for his nephew.

When the Holy See suddenly intervened, the civil war came to a standstill.

The Pope’s envoy earnestly asked Legrand’s people not to kill each other, the benevolent Lord did not want Legrand to be caught in the flames of war. The Holy Lord shall bless those who love their neighbors and shall cast aside those who violate humanity. All who are immoral shall be excommunicated.

This was a double threat.

People believed the Pope’s words, so if the war continued, the Royalist Party would not only face the danger of being expelled from the church, but would also be isolated and helpless.

“What shall we do next?”

The long time retainer of the Duke of Buckingham asked him softly.

The Duke of Buckingham had been sitting in this dim hall for a long time.

“I shall go and meet someone.”

………………

The Duke of Buckingham came to the northwest tower of the Rose Palace, a place no one had come to visit in a long time. William III personally ordered the sealing of the tower, and it had been forgotten ever since.

The Duke of Buckingham held a torch.

He made a gesture and the hidden guards of the Rose family walked out from the shadow of the tower. They stepped forward and opened the heavy iron gate of the black tower.

As soon as the iron gate was opened, the cold wind rushed out of it, and along with the wind came strange, incoherent singing.

“She is still the same as before?”

“She has been singing for a long time.”

The Duke walked in alone.

“……They poured the blood out of the eagle’s mouth, and they claimed to be the glorious mercy of God……Look, the child who is baptized by the holy oil is so adorable, so like an angel, look, he has become His child……”

The unkempt woman sat in the center of the black tower, sitting on the icy basalt ground with heavy iron chains that wind into the surrounding shadows like thin black snakes. Candles were lit on the stone walls on all sides, shining dimly on the woman’s body.

“Eleanor.”

The Duke spoke in a low voice, the name that came from his lips was enough to surprise anyonewho heard it.

William III’s Queen was called Eleanor, and her reputation was not inferior to her husband. With Keya, one of the 36 states as her dowry, she married William III. She was a famous warrior queen. When William III and the Duke of Buckingham led punitive expeditions on the 36 states, she had guarded the Rose Palace and put down the rebellions that sprung up in various places of the empire.

However, after the death of her husband, Queen Eleanor, who had been deeply in love with William III soon became heartsick, passing away in short order.

But, at this time, the Duke called the mad woman locked in this black tower “Eleanor”.

The Mad Queen stopped singing. She turned her head and her empty green eyes looked at the Duke of Buckingham. The Duke of Buckingham couldn’t tell whether she was clearheaded or still lost in delusions.

“They said that Pureland, your child, is dead. Do you feel it?”

The Duke of Buckingham stared at the Mad Queen, trying to find the last strand of hope.

“My child?”

The Mad Queen suddenly laughed wildly. She jumped up from the ground and rushed towards the Duke of Buckingham at the speed of an armored warrior on the battlefield, as if to tear him to pieces.

“No! That’s not my child!”

“That’s His child! His child!!”

“You took my child away! AHHHHHHHH!!!”

The iron chains was stretched taut, and the Mad Queen fell to the ground. She pulled at her hair as she fell into a nightmare that had tortured her for more than ten years.

“My child! My little Pureland!”

She wailed in pain as she rolled on the ground and clutched at her hair, slamming into the walls of the iron tower desperately.

The silence of the black tower was suddenly broken, and the chains flipped and collided. The mad woman seemed to be robbed of her mind by the evil spirits of hell, and the Duke of Buckingham knew that his hopes had been in vain.

The gate of the tower was closed once again.

The cold wind was biting, and the huge disappointment made the Duke of Buckingham look much older. At this moment, the retainer of the Duke of Buckingham rushed over with a man.

“My lord!”

He was panting, his face full of ecstasy.

The Duke of Buckingham was struck by a feeling, and he suddenly looked up.

A dusty knight knelt down in front of the Duke: “His Majesty, His Majesty’s letter!”

The Duke recognized him, he was one of the vow knights at the side of the King. Huge joy swept over him and he grabbed the knight, his hands trembling slightly: “How is he……how is he?”

“His Majesty is completely unharmed!”

The knight replied.

“That’s good, that’s good.”

The old Duke’s previous depression was swept away, his back straightening and eyes moistening, white hair flying in the wind.

………………

Caernarfon.

The King saw his knight commander.

“I have accomplished my mission.”

The knight commander knelt towards him on one knee.

Not only did a large number of elite soldiers of Ingres arrived, there was another important figure, and that was Edmund Leverin, the cousin of the King of Ingres. General Edmund had the typical characteristics of the Ingres, tall and burly. But he acted more like a Legrand noble, proper and cautious.

General Edmund was very humble in front of the King. He knelt on one knee and kissed the ring on the King’s hand to show his loyalty.

“……This is in the place of my royal brother, Your Majesty.”

General Edmund explained.

“He is very happy to receive your tolerance and gift.”

“The people of Ingres are also citizens of Legrand.”

The King answered calmly.

Except for themselves, it might be difficult for anyone to understand their puzzling remarks.

However, it was certain that the King and the State of Ingres had reached an agreement that was very beneficial to both parties.

“Put on their flags and we will set off.”

The King stood up and glanced over the army led by Edmund. Following his words, the vow knights took out a white rose battle flag.

General Edmund’s mouth twitched, and he understood what the King meant.

Clearly, this King of the Rose family who could reach cooperation with the Ingres royal family was not a person of chivalry……

He actually planned to disguise his army as the army of the New Royalist Party! The Holy Lord above, this kind of behavior would definitely not be praised.

The King did not pay attention to General Edmund anymore. He looked at the direction where St. Wyth Cathedral was located, his face as calm as stillwater.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Dark creatures like the Devil were afraid of something which caused them to dare not directly join the mortal wars on earth, but there was another force that could cleverly influence the politics of the earthly kingdoms in other ways.

The King rubbed his sword hilt.

You want to reach your hand into Legrand?

Then you must see if I agree!

“We set off!”

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The outline of the gray castle main tower was clearly visible in the evening setting sun.

The King stood still in the shadows, his silver hair fluttering in the gentle breeze, pale blue eyes cold and hard. Not even the warm yellow glow from the sun could soften those wintry blue eyes. He stood in the shadow of the trees on the hill, observing the battlefield not far away.

The Rose Crisis had affected almost the whole of Legrand.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The so-called “Rose Crisis” referred to the recent split between the “Iron Rose” and the “White Rose”. A romantic palace poet had coined the name. Although it sounded beautiful, what it brought was a bloody war.

This flower that had bloomed in Legrand was one that reeked of blood.

With the Rose Palace as the center, disagreements and opposition gradually spread outward, spreading to the more powerful counties——those places with important castles. The owners of these castles had no choice but to also erect a distinguishing flag on the main tower to announce their position.

However, the King’s prediction was not wrong.

The war was indeed carried out with restraint.

The two sides fought their battles around important castles.

Every castle was an important military checkpoint as each towering castle was the most important fortification and military weapon integrated into one. While struggling to avoid direct confrontation, they carried out sieges and counter sieges, surprise attacks and counter surprise attacks. This led to the duration of the war to be continuously prolonged.

Right now a siege was occuring.

The whole time the King was traveling he did not avoid the fighting taking place.

He must witness the war of this era with his own eyes. Whether it was the education that Pureland himself received or the knowledge that Zhu Chi had acquired in his previous life, they were just stories from others. Only by witnessing and experiencing with his own eyes could he truly understand the wars of this era and avoid making wrong judgments based on the arrogance that stemmed from possessing modern day knowledge.

There was no room for error in war.

“Your Majesty, the battle horn signaling the start of the siege is about to sound. Are you interested in watching at a closer vantage point?” The Devil quietly appeared behind the King and asked with thoughtful consideration, “Of course, you can rest assured that they won’t discover you let alone hurt you.”

The King turned his head slightly and looked at the Devil.

The Devil stretched out his hand and made an inviting gesture: “Don’t misunderstand, Your Majesty. I’m just curious about you.”

He didn’t say what he was curious about, only waiting for the King to make a decision.

At this time, the horn blew.

On the main tower of this castle that they had encountered on their travel, a flag painted with the white rose was flying.

The soldiers laying siege on the city had bright red cloaks donned over their armor. The commander was a middle-aged knight. The King did not know him, but judging from his aura and insignia, he should belong to one of the old soldiers under the Duke of Buckingham.

The commander issued an order to attack.

“God bless my King!”

The soldiers shouted, the battle flag raised high.

The King stared at them for a while and accepted the Devil’s invitation.

The Devil indeed had his methods. He whistled softly and a nightmare horse slipped from the bone carriage quietly and trotted over to the King docilely. The Devil stretched out his hand and instantly a golden saddle appeared on the back of the nightmare horse, allowing the King to mount and sit on its back. The Devil patted the nightmare horse on the neck and held the reins.

“Alright, let us be off.”

He said briskly.

The setting sun was almost completely below the horizon and the sky was on the edge of twilight. The Devil took the nightmare horse’s reins and led the King into the battlefield as silently as if they had turned into shadows.

Just as the nightmare carriage was able to pass through the giant trees in the Konosen Forest that day, today the Devil and the King were also walking through a space that overlapped with reality. The King could smell the scent of blood coming from the battlefield, could clearly see the glinting of the sharp swords, and could clearly hear the sound of metal colliding on metal.

But no one around them noticed them and the flying arrows on the battlefield could not reach them either.

The King watched the war in person, experiencing it all in a complete full body immersion.

First, it was necessary to capture the outer fort field of the castle. The trebuchet was pushed out onto the battlefield and the boulder it let loose smashed a hole in the solid tower. There was no doubt that the archers hidden on the tower had now become minced meat. There were not many trebuchets, used just to interrupt the rain of arrows that continued to fly from the archers.

With the help of the trebuchet, the soldiers pushed forward and quickly filled the ditch under the castle. The commander who guarded the tower quickly discovered this. At the Devil’s deliberate calling attention to, the King saw that the guards of the castle had poured boiling oil over the castle walls. Some of the soldiers filling the trenches avoided it while some were not so lucky, howling as they fell to the ground in pain.

The King sat with a straight back on the back of the nightmare horse.

He did not look away and watched the scene calmly.

The King observed the battlefield and analyzed the general combat effectiveness of the soldiers, while the Devil observed the King.

Many people didn’t understand the principle “If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.” Many people yearned for power, but could they really bear the weight of all of the responsibilities and consequences that power brought?

The general must watch his soldiers die, and the judge must be responsible for every life he tried. And what about the King?

The King was the backbone of this country, even if it was bloody, sinful, good or bad……all the things that ordinary people would be unable to face with an easy conscience, he must accept without a change in his expression, without showing any weakness at all.

The battle had reached its cruelest part.

The commander took the lead and urged his horse underneath the suspension bridge, roaring commands to the soldiers to erect a high ladder. A soldier hurriedly climbed up the tower on a ladder. The enemy guards shouted and launched into a close combat fight with them. Soldiers continued to fall from the tower.

The King was just under the suspension bridge. He raised his head and watched the soldiers fall, his fingers moved slightly but did not lift up from their resting position.

He knew clearly that he could not touch them nor could he save them.

But he did not lower his head, and the falling figure of every soldier was reflected in his ice-blue eyes.

The suspension bridge was lowered, and the commander rushed in with the long-awaiting cavalry. The enemies retreated to the depths of the castle unwillingly and fearfully.

The outcome of the battle had been determined, and what came after was victory.

“Do you want to share the victory with them? Your Majesty.” The Devil asked.

“No need.”

The nightmare horse came to the edge of the battlefield. It was already dusk.

The King suddenly jumped from the back of the nightmare horse. The Devil was surprised when he saw him pick up a blood-stained longbow from the ground. Immediately afterwards, the King pulled out an arrow stuck in a soldier’s body and positioned it on the bowstring. He then turned and faced the gray tower with the arrow ready.

He let go.

The blood-stained iron arrow cut through the air and the next moment, the rope tied to the white rose flag was shot through, the flag falling down from midair.

The White Rose banner fell into the flames of war, and the King said, “We leave.”

“Your Majesty, if you are a King, then you must definitely be a King robed in blood.”

The Devil sighed quietly.

………………

The vow knights who had stayed with the King had already been waiting for some time so they were very relieved to see the King returning unharmed. They rode in a decently disguised carriage and passed quietly by the edge of the battlefield.

Their destination was Caernarfon.

There, the King would join Ingres’ army.

Yes.

The King used a single letter to make the State of Ingres agree to his request.

He finally borrowed that sharp knife.

According to the King’s request, Ingres’ army did not pass through the wide official roads, but chose a more rugged and hidden mountain road. But this was not a difficult request for the Ingres living in the mountainous areas.

Suddenly, the King remembered something.

He asked the Devil driving the carriage: “Will your kind participate in the war among mankind?”

“It depends on how you define it, Your Majesty.” The Devil seemed to have thought of something, “Ah, one or two hungry ghouls chewing a few corpses secretly will definitely happen. You can’t expect those guys to have any morals, right? But……with that damn knife over our heads, I don’t think any guy has the courage to directly participate in the war.”

The Devil did not explain what “the damn knife” was.

The King knocked on the carriage window, his face suddenly cold for some reason.

“Don’t bother with these battles anymore, rush to Caernarfon at full speed.”

The King ordered.

The carriage turned into a light smoke and flitted over the hills.

………………

A port belonging to the Five Ports Alliance on the southeast coast of Legrand.

A ship passing through the Abyss Strait docked here quietly.

At this season, the Abyss Strait was shrouded by the monsoon. While it was a smooth sail to the east from Legrand, other ships would have to face violent storms when they come to Legrand. However, this ship did not seem to be affected by the wind and waves at all. It cut through the wind and waves as easily as one walking on a flat ground.

This was a very beautiful big ship, flying a snow-white flag with a sacred cross painted on it. The sailors on the ship were all silent.

The person in charge of the port waited there respectfully.

The white stairs were lowered, and a man wearing a bright red cassock and a scarlet cape over the shoulders walked down slowly. His clothes showed his identity as a cardinal.

As such a high-ranking member of the Holy Church, he appeared to be relatively young. Under the square-ridged cap was a gentle face that appeared very approachable. The light brown hair swayed slightly from the breeze and the facial features were softly hadsome——if anyone had met the Pope in person, he would find that the young cardinal’s eyebrows were somewhat similar to that of the Pope.

Of course, no one dared to point this out.

The young cardinal looked at the land of Legrand and held the golden cross on his chest as he said softly: “May the Holy Lord bless Legrand.”

“May the Holy Lord bless Legrand.”

The person in charge of greeting the new arrivals echoed the words.

The young cardinal smiled slightly, in his hand he also carried a small box.

In the era where states were divided and the kingdoms often conquered each other, there was actually an invisible kingdom. It had no walls or borders, but it covered the two sides of the Abyss Strait, high above every castle tower. From the ringing of the bronze bells the sound of this kingdom echoed throughout the four seasons.

It was——

The kingdom of God.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

God’s kingdom was everywhere, and every heart that sounded with the holy voice was His realm.

The young cardinal came for this. He was not just a cardinal.

He was the Pope’s special envoy.

——He came to crown Legrand’s new King in the place of the Pope.

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