Imperial Crown.

Chapter 527 Tail Bites Dog
Within just half a month, nobles in all the provinces of the Keynes Empire received a letter from the Council of Nobles.

The letter was informing Raven that he had been granted the title of Marquis.

Upon hearing the news, Hyde hurriedly scrambled out of the group of naked women, enduring the headache from his hangover and the exhaustion from the battle, dressed, and headed towards Snake Castle.

"Father!!!"

"Father!!!"

Soon, Hyde's hoarse voice, shrieking like a goose, burst into the study of the Earl, or rather, now the Marquis and Governor of the Nord Province.

Seeing that his father was still sitting calmly in his chair, Hyde immediately said anxiously, "Father, something terrible has happened!"

"Oh?"

Tyrone was writing something when he heard this and replied calmly.

"Father! King Keynes XVI has made Raven a marquess!" Hyde cleared his throat and said excitedly.

"Oh."

Tyrone didn't even look up, as if he had heard something insignificant.

"Why are you so calm?" Hyde asked incredulously. "Did you already know about this?" It's true, as the governor, his father would definitely get information faster than he did. But there was no need to appear so calm! This meant the Nord Province would now have two marquises! This was definitely not a good thing for the Slater family!
"Close the door first, I have something to show you."

Tyrone finally raised his head and looked at his son Hyde.

After Hyde did as he was told, Tyrone carefully took out a photographic crystal and handed it to Hyde.

Hyde activated it with his fighting spirit and immediately saw the contents of the recording crystal. He was so shocked that he stared wide-eyed, his mouth agape as if he could swallow two large duck eggs!

"Is this real or fake, Father?" Hyde asked, somewhat disbelievingly. "I don't think Raven is the kind of person who would do something like this." After all, Hyde had fought alongside Raven in Eivor, so he knew Raven to some extent. The person in the picture, apart from vaguely resembling Raven in appearance and physique, was completely different from the Raven he knew!
"hehe"

Talon chuckled dismissively. "You're still young; naturally, you can't feel the fear of your impending doom." "This image crystal cost me a whopping 3.7 gold coins. Are you serious?"

Hyde was astonished; nearly 4 gold coins—it couldn't be more real.

"Father, what should we do next?" Hyde asked, frowning. He then sighed deeply, "I never would have imagined! In just a few years, Raven has become like this! Things have really changed!" But he quickly frowned again, "But Father, I heard that Raven seems to have subdued that dragon? He even flew to Eagle Territory a while ago."

“It’s Thomas.” A flicker of displeasure crossed Tyrone’s face at the mention of this. “I wonder what kind of deal that little bee struck with Thomas that made him support him so wholeheartedly! I guess Thomas secretly arranged for a powerful figure to spare his life! As for the dragon, I heard it was his men who captured the mother dragon’s cub, forcing the dragon to submit to him!” After briefly explaining the situation to his son, Tyrone’s expression returned to normal, and he asked, “Hyde, have you ever heard of a tail biting a dog?”

"The tail bites the dog?" Hyde's face showed a puzzled look. "Father, I've only ever heard of a dog biting its own tail, this is the first time I've heard of the tail biting the dog." "What do you mean?" Although he knew perfectly well that his father was intentionally testing him, the news of Raven being made a marquis and then seeing Raven kneeling trembling before the dragon like a dog was too shocking. Hyde's mind was in turmoil, and he had no mind to ponder his father's veiled words. He could only ask. After all, Raven was only a year older than him and had already become a marquis, while he was only a viscount. Fortunately, Raven was finally dying, which made Hyde feel much better. "Eh, strange, why did I think of using the word 'finally'?" Hyde thought for a long time before remembering that when he first met Raven, Raven had used the excuse of "being about to die" to extort a full 6000 gold coins from him! This had caused him to be depressed for half a year and almost developed depression! He was only 19 years old back then! Looking back now, Raven really treated him like a child! In the blink of an eye, it's been 13 years!

"The 'dog biting its tail' analogy in politics perfectly describes the relationship between a chess player and a chess piece." Tyrone, oblivious to Hyde's inner turmoil, patiently explained, "The dog represents the chess player, and the tail, naturally, is the chess piece." "So now you understand what 'biting the dog with its tail' means?"

Hyde nodded. "It means the piece has become too big to handle and is about to turn against the player."

"correct."

A hint of admiration flashed in Tyrone's eyes. "Keynes XVI has always used our Slater family as pawns to control Raven. Now, it's time for him to taste what it's like to bite the hand that feeds him!"

Hyde's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. "Father, are you disloyal to His Majesty the King?!" Although King Keynes XVI was still young, he was ruthless and unscrupulous. Perhaps, in another sense, he and Raven were the same kind of person—the only difference being one's noble birth and the other's humble origins. How did the Fox family perish? Had Father already forgotten so quickly?
"Foolish!" Tyrone roared in extreme dissatisfaction. "Hyde, you're 32 years old! Yet you're still as naive as a child!" "Do you even know what politics is?"

"Uh..." Seeing his father's anger, Hyde dared not joke around anymore. He immediately stood up straight and, quick-wittedly, said, "Politics is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions."

"Bullshit!"

Enraged, Tyrone stood up, threw his quill aside, and shouted, "Remember these three principles of politics!"

"The first thing is that in politics, there are no truths, only lies."

"Secondly, in politics, there are only opponents, not loyalties."

After saying those two sentences, Tyrone deliberately paused.

Hyde couldn't help but ask, "Then, Father, what's the third?" Tyrone took a sip of his drink before replying, "The third is that in politics, to climb the ranks, you have to rely on your opponents making mistakes." "You're so naive; you should give up on the idea of ​​becoming a nobleman as soon as possible." "You're no match for Raven. You'll just be manipulated by him." Tyrone couldn't help but give Hyde a few cold glances. "A true political master will actively lure his opponents into making mistakes." "Look closely at everything Raven has done. For the title of Earl, he killed his own brother-in-law; now, for the title of Marquis, he's made himself into a clown for everyone to watch. Otherwise, why do you think his title has been promoted so smoothly?" "If he hadn't killed Gul'dan and proven his absolute loyalty to Habsburg to the capital, even if he had wiped out all of Eivor's men, he wouldn't have become an Earl!" "And this image crystal proves he poses no threat to anyone, which is why he got the title of Marquis!" "Can you really understand all of this, Hyde?!"

Despite the powerful temperature-controlling array within the Serpent Fortress, Hyde's forehead was covered in beads of sweat the size of soybeans, making him look somewhat disheveled. If his father hadn't explained everything to him today, he truly wouldn't have been able to grasp the intricacies of the situation. Moreover, he lacked his father's far-sighted political vision and strategic perspective.

"loyalty??"

Tyrone's tone was thick with sarcasm and irony. "Hyde, my son, talking about loyalty in politics will only get you killed faster." "If Raven were truly that loyal to Habsburg, he wouldn't have killed Ramsay Bolton, much less annexed Ramsay's territory." "And he certainly wouldn't have killed Anthony, now ending up in a situation where he dares not return home."

Tyrone finished his drink, then picked up the Angel's Tear beside him and refilled his glass. "Habs hates Raven, that's true, but he's never taken us border nobles seriously. Do you think the Slater family is nothing more than a dog he can discard at any time?" "In that case, we need to make him take us seriously. Didn't Raven win in the Orc Empire? Didn't he get a marquisate? It's time for me, the governor, to do my part. I've already issued orders to start procuring large amounts of gold, equipment, logistics... and personnel, all of which will be sent to the Orc Empire!" "Furthermore, in the name of the governor, all of the Bloodhowl Province in the Orc Empire will be divided up as human territories. I want to see how Keynes XVI and Raven will cope when the Court of Mountains and Seas erupts in fury and launches a full-scale war against the Keynes Empire!"

After a long pause, Hyde finally understood the meaning behind his father's words. This was what his father meant by "biting the dog with its tail."

Since King Keynes XVI had already bestowed the title, my father simply leveraged his power, channeling substantial resources into the Orcish Empire. This was tantamount to responding to a call to action, leaving Keynes XVI with a bitter pill to swallow. And the reason Raven had managed to survive in the Orcish Empire was precisely because they hadn't taken him seriously enough. Therefore, my father directly converted Bloodhowl Province into human territory! This would inevitably enrage the Orcish Empire! And, conveniently, he bestowed a large number of titles upon them! It was truly killing three birds with one stone!
Why are titles of nobility so precious? It's because land is limited, making it difficult to bestow titles! Each bestowal of a title means the lord has to divide his own territory among others—what's the difference between that and cutting off one's own flesh and drinking one's own blood? Even Hyde himself, who was made a viscount and only received a small amount of land, had his elder brother Minsk strongly objecting. Fortunately, their father was later promoted to marquis and received a large portion of Fox's land, which finally calmed the matter. This shows that land is more important to a lord than even his own parents!

The more he unraveled these details, the more a profound sense of powerlessness and loss seeped into Hyde's very being, like vines creeping over every pore. His father's profound understanding of politics was a height he could never reach in his lifetime. For example, his father had seen through Raven's greatest fears at a glance—a question he himself probably wouldn't even consider.

“I understand, Father,” Hyde said with heartfelt conviction.

Tyrone nodded. "Go out, I have things to take care of." But just before Hyde left, Tyrone's voice rang out again, "Hyde, you're a married man now. Don't spend all your time with those low-class prostitutes. Remember, a man who doesn't spend time with his family isn't a real man." After saying that, Tyrone sat down again, picked up his quill pen, and began to write furiously.

This is a letter that is about to be sent to Count Comos of the province of Molineux.

Comos is a member of the new faction in the capital, and his master is Serafino of the Quetzalland family. Therefore, from this perspective, there is an irreconcilable conflict between Comos and Raven. Furthermore, Raven previously extorted millions of gold coins from Comos, making him a useful pawn.

"The entire province of Nord must belong to the Slater family!"

Tyrone murmured in a deep voice, his eyes filled with profound emotion.

……

"Shameless!!!" "Despicable!!!" "Shameless!!!" "Ingratitude!!!"

Meanwhile, in the church of Howe in the province of Nord, Thomas's unrestrained and furious curses could be heard!
Howe City, the former capital of the Nord Province and home to the Fox family's castle, was far more prosperous than Monen City, where Tyrone was located. However, with the demise of the Fox family and Tyrone's rise to governorship, Monen City gradually prospered, while Howe City declined.

Montreal, in a moment of folly, agreed to the Holy See's request for troops to be stationed there, and Cardinal Thomas, as the Archbishop, naturally moved into the church. However, Montreal's original intention was to use the Holy See's power to annex the Slater family and thus control the entire province of Nord. Unfortunately, before he could act, the current King, His Majesty Habsburg, wiped out the entire family overnight. The once-powerful Earl Fox family was thus quietly extinguished in the province of Nord. One can only say that fate is fickle.

To be honest, if Raven were here, he would be very curious about who the culprit was if the usually pampered and polite Cardinal Thomas could be so unrestrained and hurling insults.
"Damn Raven—!!!!!!!!! You lowly little bee—!!!!!!!!!!"

Thomas, enraged, tore the letter in his hand to shreds! He let out a heart-wrenching scream of pain!
Opposite him stood a young man with sharp, chiseled features. However, this young man seemed expressionless; even as Thomas raged, his red bowler hat trembling precariously and his gilded cloak half-fallen off, he remained unmoved. His eyes, devoid of any human emotion, stared at Thomas with a cold indifference.

"Lord Thomas, will you sign this magical contract or not? I've already been here for quite some time, and the Marquis... has some other instructions." The young man's voice was icy.

"I'll sign! I'll sign your mother's ass!!!"

Thomas roared angrily, "Simon! I'm asking you, did you even read the contents of that letter?! Huh?! Speak!!! That bastard Raven! I trusted him so much, I mobilized so many resources from the Holy See for him! And what did I get in return?! This image crystal, a magic contract, and a letter that wiped out all the supplies without giving me a single gold coin?!"

"The contents of this image crystal are actually a scene of the Death Hand Order's necromancers helping Raven attack the orcs!"

"Raven actually used this to threaten me! If I don't sign the magic contract, he'll offer up the entire Holy Knights to the Hand of Death! How can someone be so despicable! How can he repay kindness with enmity?! Is Raven's heart black?! No! I even have reason to suspect that this beast doesn't have a heart at all! He's a complete and utter devil!"

"Fine, they don't want to give me a single penny for those supplies! I'll just consider it feeding the dogs! Damn Raven's mother!"

"But this magical contract actually stipulates that the Holy See of Light cannot pursue Raven's collusion with the Hand of Death! And it also guarantees that—from now on, the Holy See of Light will not oppose Raven in any form! Especially the Holy See of Light within the Nord Province! Does this mean that if Raven wants to join the Hand of Death and sacrifice an entire Nord Province, our Holy See of Light will just sit idly by?!"

Simon had heard these words countless times over the past few months, to the point where his ears were practically calloused. Upon hearing this, he calmly replied, "So, Archbishop Thomas, will you sign or not?"

"You"

Thomas stared at Simon, who was as hard as a rock, and his lips and eyes twitched involuntarily.

……

(End of this chapter)