Blood tax

Chapter 423 My wife taught me a lesson!
When the official announcement of the attack on the Imperial Council reached the Typhon, Griffith was discussing the information provided by Pilotis with Galadia and Erza.

"At the same time, the Echo Hub of the Senate and Bayeran was also attacked, and the command system of Bayeran has also fallen into silence..."

Griffith looked solemn, sinking deeply in the chair, holding the notice from Byelan in his hand, and two restless psionic crystals were placed on the table in front of him.

Haranduil offered to take some sailors to stay on the wrecked battleship to verify the situation and settle the wounded.The chosen ones who originally boarded this battleship were beaten away by Pilotis, and the emblems they held were also sent to Griffith as a gift for the long-lost reunion.

The joy of the unexpected harvest was quickly tempered by the shock of the assassination of the king.The horrifying news spread among the government and the people, and then it was received by the Typhon, rewritten by magic, and presented on parchment.

"Rebellion! Shameless conspiracy! Assassination of our beloved Majesty Aurelius!"

"His Majesty is injured! General Fromm is unfortunately killed!"

"His Majesty Aurelius' imperial decree—martial law, conscripting legions into Bayeran to hunt down the assassin and his accomplices!"

"The Praetorian Guards are on the move, search and arrest the whole city, and hang the rebels!"

In addition to these proclamations, there are some images attached-the Janissaries found a large hook for killing pigs from the slaughterhouse, hung a noose made of piano strings on it, and hanged the captured assassins.

Galadia only glanced at it before hastily throwing away the scroll with the picture drawn on it, covering her mouth in disgust.

"That's not right, there's something wrong with this notice," Griffith said with a frown, "The guard flag team is strong enough, with the assistance of the investigation department and the military police, catching the rebels is just a matter of a team of police and a few ropes. Why do you want to mobilize the army!"

Erza sat opposite him, with a calm expression: "The king's physical condition was not very healthy in the past, but now he is even weaker. His mental stability is even more worrying. He has experienced the Duke's betrayal and assassination. , has been completely destroyed. Madness and anger are fully vented through the wounds of the flesh, and can no longer be restrained."

"This is groundless speculation!" Griffith jumped up, "Until I get His Majesty's confirmation, I can't do a single word on these pieces of paper."

Galadia and Erza glanced at each other, then at the irritable knight: "What's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing," Griffith replied, "I can't stand someone using His Majesty's name to create chaos. Citizen representatives from other provinces are negotiating with the Senate and the Arcane Council. If they cannot compromise, civil war will be inevitable. In such a During the critical period, any behavior that may irritate all parties must be restrained, how could His Majesty the King not know this, and how could he summon the legions from other provinces to aggravate the situation?"

Erza stood up and grabbed the knight:
"You are not the only one who is troubled. Calm down, Griffith, let's go and hear what other people think. Galadia, we will excuse you for a while."

Today is the first day of January, the day Mr. Hermit calls a party.Griffith followed the huntress and dispersed the psychic barrier.Galadia watched them take a few steps up the steps, and then disappeared into a cloud of light and mist without a trace.

Miss Elf didn't expect this to be the meaning of excuse me.She stared dumbfounded at the stairs where the two disappeared for a while, rubbed her long hair, and pinched her ears to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"So they meet every month without telling me!"

……

Griffith once again came to the vast hall like a starry sky.

Mr. Hermit's party is held once a month.The guests attending the meeting exchanged information, traded with each other, and shared occult knowledge.Mr. Hermit, the host of the party, occasionally commented or gave enlightenment.Overall, it was an uneventful and very relaxed get-together.

However, according to Griffith's test results, the Lord of the Rings from Mr. Hermit may be linked to the will of this mysterious being. If the ring bearer is not firm enough, he may become a slave to his will and take away his body

Miss Magician is already waiting for everyone at the round table.She stood up, lifted the hem of her skirt, and greeted the two briskly and charmingly: "Good evening, Miss Fengxiang, Mr. Death Knight~"

Miss Mirantis seems to be in a good mood, isn't she worried that the king was attacked?Griffith muttered in his heart while saluting the future princess.

Brunav, who hadn't seen him for a long time, grinned and asked, "Hey, Brother Death Knight, I heard that your chief was killed by the minions of the Death Knight. Could it be you who did it!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Miss Dark Priestess Aslanta criticized the orc, who immediately fell silent.

Griffith shook his head and sat down in his seat.

"Hey? Didn't you do it?" Iletia, the lover, tilted her head curiously at him, "I just added fifty points to you, but it wasn't... I'm a little disappointed, so I'll deduct it now."

hiss--!This elder sister is probably also a Shoggoth, what is the purpose of giving me extra points?Dare not dare to think.Griffith rubbed his forehead, the mental shock of witnessing Pilotis hadn't completely subsided, and just a single thought made him terrified.

Soon, other people also arrived, greeting each other warmly or coldly.

I know almost everyone at this party.Erza, the princess, Roland, the uncle, Borunaf and Aslante, the seniors from the Silver Moon Tower, are all my acquaintances... Griffith glanced at the party Circle, falls on the arbitrator.

This gentleman whose identity is still a mystery is a human being in appearance, with gentle manners and decent manners. His status should not be low, but he never reveals any clues about his identity.He seemed to know Aslante very well, having been in the smuggling business for a long time.

Who is he?

At this moment, Griffith suddenly felt a vast and sublime aura.An unspeakable existence descended.

All the guests present stood up one after another and paid homage to the hermit.At this moment, everyone felt an unprecedented strangeness—if the hermit was as illusory and elusive as fog before, at this moment, He already had substance, with a powerful indescribable power that made people want to kneel down uncontrollably, Worship.

"Your strength has grown stronger, Mr. Hermit," said the arbitrator, "the time for you to return to the Holy Sea is at hand."

The hermit neither approved nor objected.Sitting high on a throne-like seat, He nodded to the crowd.

"Then, the party begins," said the arbitrator. "According to the usual practice, we first exchange information and then discuss transactions, all under the watchful eye of the great Mr. Hermit."

Seeing that everyone had no objections, the arbitrator paused for a while.

Griffith looked at him, and felt that this imposing and unpredictable figure seemed to be sorting out his emotions and soothing his heartstrings, and he was bound to say something shocking to the world.

"The king, Aurelius, has been attacked," said the arbiter, "and I have heard that the life-woven threads of the Void are behind it. After the failure of Odessa's descent, his order and the hand of God have been Seek opportunities to create disaster and turmoil. New strife and smoke are a necessary part of their divine descent ritual."

"Oh—!" Brunaf thumped the table, "I knew it must be something good done by these broken bones!"

"The evidence for this matter is not sufficient, and it is too early to say," the stargazer, Sidious, took over the topic, "The king tends to support the representatives of the citizens to check and balance the Senate. However, he lost his ability to discuss matters due to injury and coma. Capability. With the assistance of the Imperial Council, the Senate is acting in the name of the king. The National Defense Forces loyal to the Senate will take action at any time to crush the citizens' representatives for the parliament."

Sure enough, I knew it!What a conspiracy!Griffith clenched his fist angrily.

"It turned out to be like this! I know, this is an attack by the Senate disguised as a cult!" Borunaf yelled again, "This kind of thing is not uncommon in our gang, the enemy is the Senate! Death Knight , Are you right!"

Griffith couldn't help but nodded.Erza, who was sitting next to him, stretched out her foot and stomped on him hard under the table.

Aslante subconsciously covered her face.

"Hmph, naive, too young and too simple," the brave man who does not belong to this era, who is definitely Roland's undoubted guest, interjected presumptuously, "The representatives of the citizens are not good at it. They have been in series for a long time, and there are their organizations everywhere. Militia and armed groups. In order to drive the Senate out of power, they will not hesitate to launch a civil war. Don’t forget, the towns of Bayerand and Bremi are already full of turmoil before the legions from the provinces have gathered. Even children know that the army is going to fight.

"The townspeople are already arming themselves to seize the arsenal and the palace against the army.

"Just imagine, if the Senate really wants to take action, why not cover it up and concentrate the army secretly?"

Makes sense, as expected of Roland, why didn't I pay attention to this detail... Griffith nodded secretly.Erza glanced at him and stepped on it harder.

"Aha!" Brunav elongated his tone, "Isn't that right! My lumpy warg would hide quietly in the grass before catching rabbits, and he would never be exposed until the moment he made a move. Myself. I think the brave master who does not belong to this era is right, the prisoner who attacked the great chief was, persimmon... my dear, how did you pronounce that word just now?"

"Citizen representative," Aslante sighed, "Can you not become so fast~"

"You taught me a lesson," Brunave nodded repeatedly, and shouted with his head held high, "my wife taught me a lesson!"

Miss Shadow Priest threw a fear spell, beating the orc and running away like a rabbit.She withdrew her hand, and her eyes fell on Roland: "If you want to talk about the motive for murdering the emperor, you can't say no?"

"Oh? Ah?" The brave man who does not belong to this era looked left and right, and found that Miss Magician and Sidious on both sides had moved away, and couldn't help laughing twice, "I, save the world What kind of bad thoughts can the brave man have?"

"Your Weifu coupons are about to expire soon, and the creditors are all the most powerful monarchs, governments, popes and leaders in the world. If you don't pay, unless you hide in the abyss, sorry, there are also customers there." It’s full,” the shadow priestess said softly, “You are longing for a war, a war that will spread to the world. Only in this way can you save yourself. The situation in Byelan is indeed critical, but without a spark, the fuse will not It burned itself."

The unfathomable temple fell silent, as cold as water dripping into ice.

"What..." Borunav, who walked back to his seat from a distance, exclaimed in a low voice, "Roland is a prisoner, he became a hero, and he wants to be a kingslayer... Wow! This really makes me unable to deal with it... "

(End of this chapter)