Throne of the North.

Chapter 441: The framed war, the dignity of justice, and the sudden arrival of the Holy See
The people in this world are still too simple and honest, Ryan thought as he watched the news coming back from the Kingdom of Sera.

But it is understandable if you think about it. Before the first person who used the Thirty-Six Stratagems appeared, humans had never thought that things would develop in this way.

The new ending is that someone needs to bear the bitter consequences.

"The dignity of Valencia cannot be violated!"

In the Kingdom of Serra, the bloodline of the Valencia family openly declared war on the Mendes family.

"We have lost our land and our noble status. We are wandering in this land that does not belong to us!"

"Blood, dignity, the ancient glory and honor of Valencia are all we have left!"

"No matter how much Valencia has lost, our blood is still the noble blood of the nobility! The ancient land and the immortal gods bear witness to our dignity!"

“But Mendes actually dared to wantonly trample on Valencia’s only glory!”

"They shamelessly killed Zar. Do they think we will swallow our anger for the sake of our family's inheritance?"

"I swear on the blood of Valencia that this will never be allowed! We will sacrifice everything to tell the Mendes family that the dignity of the Valencia family cannot be violated!"

"Revenge! Kill them!!!"

Caird roared loudly. In the land ruled by the nobles, only those who represented the nobles could shout and yell, but now no one showed up to stop the Valencia family's parade.

They gained the support of some wandering nobles. Although the wandering nobles had no land, no people, and no wealth, they still had some relationships between people.

For example, the nobles who came to the Kingdom of Serra could always find the ancient relationship between them and the nobles of the Kingdom of Serra through their own blood. This was the threshold for them to come to the Kingdom of Serra.

The lobbying of the wandering nobles made some nobles choose to wait and see in confusion. They did not understand the truth until they heard it, then they suddenly realized it, and then looked at the Mendes family strangely.

Is Mendes so sinister and cunning?
The nobles did not realize that this was Valencia's deception of them, and they did not think that anyone would dare to deceive all the nobles.

So... Mendes was confused.

The Baron Mendes family looked at the sudden outbreak of war in a daze, listening to the unrealistic words from the other side. The Mendes people opened their eyes wide and felt like they were going crazy.

Or the world has gone mad.

"Valencia lunatics! What are you talking about? We didn't frame Zal."

"He was killed by the Dean family."

The Mendes family watched in disbelief as the rumors intensified outside. Those rumors said that Mendes was evil, that he had deceived the people of Valencia, a wandering noble family, and lured the knights of the Valencia family into his own home, and then killed them behind closed doors. Before killing them, he shamelessly used the other party's power to kill the heir of the Dean family.

Everyone was well aware of the conflict between the two noble territories of Mendes and Dean because of the forest, so after a brief reasoning, they believed this sudden thunderbolt.

They think this is very likely to happen. Of course, it has nothing to do with them. They are just spectators and hope that this incident will become more explosive.

"That absolutely did not happen. Mendes' reputation cannot be desecrated by a damned wandering noble like you!"

"I will swear by the dignity of Valencia's bloodline. Under the blood oath, all the descendants of Valencia will launch an endless war of revenge against Mendes!"

Caird's face flushed, his eyes were filled with anger as he roared. His miserable appearance made the nobles feel pity for him.

When interests are irrelevant, nobles are kind and compassionate, which is a fine virtue they possess.

"Damn it, how dare you frame Mendes!"

The people of the Mendes family were also angry. The family's honor was threatened and persecuted, which made their anger unable to be extinguished. Someone immediately led the knights to kill in the direction of the Valencia family, determined to cleanse the filth of the Mendes family.

But at this time, Connie of the Dean family made this matter rush to the top of the traffic of the nobles' attention.

"The Mendes family is slandering us. I can swear on the family emblem that no one from the Dean family killed Zar Valencia!"

"If the oath is violated, the great and immortal gods will condemn the bloodline of the Dean family, and all honor of the Dean family will be stripped away."

The vicious oath was not directed at himself, but rather cruelly nailed the Mendes family to the pillar of shame for framing a member of the wandering noble family who had married into the family.

Mendes said that the Valencia member was killed by the Dean family, but the Dean family swore in the name of nobility that they did not kill him. So there is no need to say more about the answer. Could it be that the knight committed suicide?
Committing suicide in public? And making the Dean family blind?

For a time, the wind blew down the emblem of the Mendes family, and the nobles expressed infinite contempt for the way the Mendes family did things.

So despicable.

"No, absolutely not!"

The members of Mendes were trembling all over, and even they themselves doubted whether it was the Baron who issued such an order. The Mendes members who had originally rushed towards the royal city were suddenly stuck halfway, and fled back to their families in shame under the contemptuous eyes of other nobles.

"Damn you wandering nobleman, damn you Dean!"

Baron Mendes angrily smashed things all over the floor in his castle. He was speechless, and the Valencia family had openly declared war on Mendes. And because of this ridiculous but impeccable reason, the nobles could not provide any help to Mendes for fear of being contaminated by the stench here.

The outcome of a war is a small matter. It would be disastrous if the family's reputation and prestige were affected by this incident.

"They are just dealing with a wandering noble. It's doubtful whether Valencia can produce a second knight. Mendes will not lose."

The nobles who had interests in Baron Mendes' family thought so. They were willing to help, but they had to wait until the stench on Mendes disappeared.

However, no one expected that the Valencia family would gather an army of more than 300 people in just a few days.

Taking advantage of the tragic experience endured by the Valencia family in this incident, Valencia successfully borrowed soldiers from some nobles, formed an army of 300 people, and launched a mighty attack on Mendes.

There are knights inside.

"For the dignity of Valencia!"

The nobles had no room to condemn Valencia for declaring this war. Valencia had already given everything, using all that was left of her past noble status to fight the war. If she failed, her entire army would be annihilated, and this noble family would be destroyed. If she succeeded...

To be honest, no noble believed that Valencia could succeed.

The same is true for Valencia himself.

"Kelder, do you think we can win?"

These three hundred people saw no hope at all of defeating Mendes, as that barony had a population of nearly two thousand and the land had been cultivated for so many years.

"We will definitely win because this is the dignity of Valencia and we will never allow the honor of Valencia to be desecrated."

"We must win, even if it means fighting to the last man."

“This is a heavy responsibility that runs in our blood.”

Caird was also worried because he was very close to the Mendes family. When the war broke out, it might be the time when the Valencia family would be destroyed.

On the other hand, Mendes also angrily formed an army to wait for the opportunity. Their aristocratic honor was framed, which would naturally stimulate the fighting power of the Mendes family bloodline.

"Kill those damn wandering nobles. They shouldn't be on the land of the kingdom. There are no wandering nobles here, only dead nobles!"

At the critical moment, it was the Dean family that intervened.

The new successor, Connie Dean, who had kneeled in front of the tomb for three days and three nights, put on exquisite armor, mounted his warhorse, and looked at Mendes angrily.

"I'm back, for the one who can't come back."

"The pain that the Dean family has endured will be returned to our enemies a hundredfold."

"I will personally avenge my brother. The blood of the nobility must be ended with the sword of the nobility!"

It is different from the army of Valencia, an army formed by normal nobles. The fluttering flag of the Dean family's emblem brings pressure to all the nobles around. This is worthy of attention. When the army passes through, even the nobles will be nervous and temporarily form an army to be vigilant.

However, unlike the wandering nobles nearby, the Dean family actually lost an heir. The death of an aristocratic heir is as bad as the sky falling in the eyes of any noble. Even the king is not qualified to stop the revenge of the Dean family.

Just like that, by coincidence, the Dean family's army and the ragtag army led by Caild Valencia appeared on the edge of Baron Mendes' territory on the same day.

"Attack! For the dignity of the family!"

"Revenge! The bloodline of the Dean family cannot die in vain!"

The war was on the verge of breaking out, and Baron Mendes looked grim. He could fight against a war on one side, but he could not fight against wars on two directions at the same time.

"Damn it, how could it turn out like this!" Baron Mendes pounded the table, then suddenly reacted, raised his head and looked like he wanted to kill someone.

"Yes, that must be the case. The damn Dean family actually joined forces with the wandering nobles."

"The Dean family knows that they are no match for me, Mendes, so they want to use the wandering nobles as their cannon fodder."

"Damn you, you are so cunning, and you take the oath of nobility so casually..."

Baron Mendes suddenly realized that the Dean family's oath might not be false, and Zal Valencia did not really die at their hands.

How did he die? ! !

Baron Mendes was in disbelief, not knowing the course of the battle, and now there was no other way but to endure the war.

"Fortunately, we borrowed some knights from Archduke Carlos before."

Baron Mendes was still in shock, he was more skilled than the other, this war could not be lost.

"Dean!!!"

"Dean!!!"

"Dean!!!"

On the battlefield, the soldiers cheered and roared as Cony killed several knights.

"Revenge for the Dean bloodline!"

Connie wielded the knight's sword, the ice-blue Frostmourne, which made the dead knight's face pale, but the wound was frozen and could not bleed.

"These servants of Archduke Carlos are so vulnerable."

Baron Mendes was trembling, looking at Connie Dean in shock. How could the second son of the Dean family become so powerful?

"It's over."

He gritted his teeth. If they failed in this war, the Mendes family would lose the forest that brought them the greatest wealth, and they would have to compensate the Dean family. In the next ten years, they would not have the opportunity to counterattack the Dean family.

"It shouldn't be like this."

Baron Mendes looked in despair at Cony Dean who was charging on the battlefield and tearing his army into pieces. Was this war lost so easily?

Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly. Baron Mendes soon heard news from the soldiers on another battlefield. The Valencia army was fighting a fierce battle with another of his own armies. The wandering nobleman actually had such strength.

"We are defeated, my Lord Baron. The Valencian nobleman has killed your retainers, and all your soldiers have been captured!"

Another soldier ran over in panic and told Baron Mendes the bad news from afar. Hearing the news, Baron Mendes felt dizzy and was about to faint.

"master!"

The servants supported the baron. Baron Mendes' hands were shaking slightly, and he didn't understand why it ended like this.

"It's over. Everything is over. The Mendes family's wealth accumulated over hundreds of years will disappear in my hands."

The baron was in despair, but in the distance, the frozen land officers who were watching all this secretly were relieved.

"It seems that Lord Ryan will smoothly take control of the power in this area."

Alberto smiled with satisfaction. After completing this task, he had finally established a firm foothold in the Frozen Territory.

There is no way. Although the small Frozen Territory is only a barony in name, those inside know that it is filled with many former nobles and upstarts.

The competitive pressure is very high.

“I should…”

Appia, wearing a cloak, was about to turn around and leave, but suddenly he froze in place, raised his head and looked in the direction of the forest, where the snow-white holy light illuminated a large area.

Archbishop Adriana, head of the Serra Kingdom of the Dawn Church, a clergyman whose prestige here is no less than that of the Pope, actually appeared here.

On the battlefield, Adriana walked calmly on the land. Wherever she passed, all the fighting disappeared. The soldiers knelt on the ground in awe, and the knights also stopped, not knowing whether to continue.

Adriana didn't say anything, her mere presence made the war peaceful, and finally she came in front of Connie.

Staring at the woman in front of him, Connie was nervous. Whether he could win the fight was not a big deal. He was a nobleman and the other party was the archbishop. There was no hidden danger of a fight between the two sides.

However, because of the relationship with Lord Ryan, and Lord Ryan is an imperial noble, the person who fights against the Holy See, and he has already made his choice, so strictly speaking, he is also standing outside the circle of the Holy See. Now facing the person in the Holy See whose power and prestige are not inferior to the king, Connie is a little overwhelmed.

"Connie Dean, future baron, would you rather serve the dawn that illuminates the darkness, the snow-white glory, or would you rather serve the immortal golden light?"

Archbishop Adriana asked this, which made Connie even more nervous. He wondered if the archbishop had discovered the relationship between him and Lord Ryan.

Dawn or light? This is a life-threatening question. No matter which answer you give, you will offend another overlord on the Norris continent.

A knight doesn't have to consider these things, as the honor and heartbeat of a knight is to serve the nobles, but the nobles have a lot to consider.

Interests, politics, and all sorts of other things have to be taken into consideration.

He didn't understand why Adriana was here.

"I……"

"Whether it's the dawn or the light, they are both great. I am not qualified to choose."

Connie can be considered a nobleman, and the professional skills of aristocrats are fully mastered in this sentence.

"It seems that you are also a mortal consumed by desire."

Adriana had already gotten the answer, so she shook her head, turned around and left, coming to Baron Mendes.

"Mr. Baron Mendes, are you serving the white glory of the morning light or the golden light of the greatness?"

"Morning Light! The Mendes family will always be believers of the Morning Light. We have always longed to touch the glory of the Lord."

Adriana nodded. She was not satisfied with the baron's answer, but his answer qualified her to proceed to the next step.

The clergy of the Holy See cannot enter other people's homes without the consent of the nobles, right? Unless the other party actively invites them.

"Then, are you willing to let me select believers with true faith in your territory?"

"Yes, of course I will. I wonder how long the Archbishop will want to choose."

Baron Mendes nodded frantically as if he had grasped a life-saving straw. In the eyes of Archbishop Adriana, he was also a mortal consumed by desire, but perhaps in Mendes' territory, he could find the same kind of people he wanted.

She did not answer, but entered the Barony of Mendes, which forced the war to stop because Connie had discovered that with the arrival of Archbishop Adriana, some clergymen of the Holy See and fanatics also followed. They would not let the war disturb their archbishop. This was the prestige of Archbishop Adriana in this land.

On that day, Baron Mendes announced that he regarded Valencia as his mortal enemy. Because of the arrival of the Archbishop of the Dawn Church, the nobles wavered again, wondering if Valencia had really lied and the Archbishop was here to evolve the lie.

The result was that the war ended hastily.

In the Frozen Territory, Ryan was silent for a long time when he received the news from afar.

He had been planning for so long, but it just failed like this? This shouldn't be the case.

"It seems that I have gone in the wrong direction. The Kingdom of Sera is a fence-sitter. What can really determine my right to speak on the Kingdom of Sera is still to be established between theocracy and royal authority."

Ryan suddenly realized that the policies of the Serra Kingdom were established by the king and the church, but now the king is playing cowardly and theocracy is gaining the upper hand.

"But...it's not a complete failure."

The Barony of Mendes was not destroyed, but at least behind this incident, Ryan could gradually control the wandering noble groups within the Kingdom of Sera.

Their power is not small.

Before that, Ryan also planned to test McReynolds's attitude and find out what the legendary wizard Emperor Feng was thinking.

(End of this chapter)