Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 303 Your Highness
"If there are any other documents that need to be processed, please bring them over as well."

"No, no, you've already approved all the reports that came in from various places." The clerk next to him wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The man looked up, paused for a moment in a daze, then grinned and said, "It's all done so quickly. I'm not quite used to it yet."

“Your Highness, you are too diligent. The people of the Duchy of Tis are truly blessed,” the scribe hurriedly said, cautiously raising his eyelids to steal a glance at the young duke.

Just a few months ago, the man sitting behind the long table was the "prince" that everyone was mocking, but in the blink of an eye, he became the real Grand Duke of Tiss, completely in control of the entire duchy.

It all seemed like a dream. When the news of the Queen's assassination arrived, no one believed it. When the prince fled, people gossiped. When the rebels within the empire surrendered, the local nobles were skeptical. When the three grand dukes of the North extended olive branches, people remained silent. When the empire's borders retreated westward—even the most obtuse person should have realized by then that this land had a new master.

Whenever he thought about these things, the clerk felt an indescribable sense of fear.

Who was it that said the "prince" was just a good-for-nothing?
He watched as the prince skillfully dealt with various forces, dividing, winning over, promising, and forming alliances. In just a few months, he integrated the fragmented alliance into a unified whole. There were no more voices of resistance within the Duchy of Tis, and even the empire made concessions time and again. The independent Tis territory was actually under his control.

Politics, military affairs, economics, personnel matters—this young Grand Prince Tiss seemed to be proficient in everything. Moreover, he was healthy, energetic, and had accurate judgment, capable of handling government affairs that the entire cabinet could not manage.

This this.
The scribe sifted through his meager historical knowledge but could find no one comparable to him—the empress might have, but she too had died by the "prince's" sword.

Perhaps it is truly destiny, or perhaps it is a miracle, but in the alliance between Tis and the four northern lords, the Duchy of Tis has already become the dominant force, and perhaps in the future, the land of this Grand Duke of Tis will not be limited to the duchy.
The clerk's forehead was beaded with sweat again.

"Then you can go back first. Let me know if anything happens and call Galahad in," the young man said with a smile.

"Yes, Your Highness, I'll go right away!"

The clerk jumped up from his chair, jogged out of the room, and before he could even breathe a sigh of relief after opening the door, he was startled by the tall figure standing in the corridor.

"Galahad? You, what are you doing here? When did you get here?!"

The tall man glanced at the clerk and said indifferently, "I've always been here."

After saying that, without waiting for his response, she pushed open the door and went into the house.

boom.

The clerk shuddered and came to his senses only after the door closed behind him.

He then realized that he hadn't called the man in. Could he have overheard him outside the door?

The clerk quickly shook his head and strode out of the room.

He suddenly began to miss the days when Butler Euan was still around. Ever since the "Prince" returned from the Rhine, the old butler Euan had disappeared. This man named Galahad suddenly appeared and took over the reins of the old butler, giving orders.

Everything seemed to be getting better. Tiss was becoming stronger, the "Prince" had more and more allies, and this country, which had only recently been restored, was now able to confront the Empire head-on.

But the clerk felt a sense of unease and inexplicable fear, as if everything was sliding into an abyss.

A barely perceptible sigh echoed down the corridor.

Inside the room, the "prince" was comfortably reclining in an armchair, his feet propped up on the table.

"How's it going?"

He casually asked Galahad.

"Everything is normal, Your Highness. The sea level has recovered, proving that those reports were wrong."

"I knew it. That airship we intercepted last time? Was that its name? How's the investigation going?"

Galahad frowned: "They still won't say that Connor was indeed Duke Cohen's butler and later came to Castells with the Duke's illegitimate son, but their subsequent explanations are laughable."

"Oh, I've heard you mention something about monsters in the sea attacking Castel. Hmm, I seem to remember that Ewan investigated Castel's affairs?"

"Yes, but that was a while ago, and the investigation results are pretty much what we already know: the entire island has disappeared."

"That's strange. By the way, how's the investigation going with what they're carrying?"

"Not good. Their guns seem to be very different from ours. The craftsmen sent to test them triggered cognitive interference. Fortunately, the test site was very remote, and only one squad of soldiers died."

The prince nodded thoughtfully: "So, it's more likely that Duke Cohen developed a new weapon, and that airship is just using Castell's name?"

"Yes, that airship is amazing. We sent people up to check it out, and it really does float in the sky. As for the weapons they carry, although we can't use them, their design is ingenious and their workmanship is excellent. I even have a feeling that these guns might not be inferior to those equipped by the Royal Army."

"impossible!"

The prince answered without hesitation.

"Forget about that, what do you think of that airship?"

"Novel toys could also be part of a Vatican conspiracy."

“The Papacy…” The prince’s face darkened. “They actually put Joan on the throne. These secret keepers have gone mad. They only follow the prophecies and have no judgment of their own.”

"Prophecy?" Galahad hesitated for a moment. "Your Highness, is there really a prophecy?"

"Yes, there are many prophecies in the Vatican. Otherwise, why do you think those keepers of secrets stay indoors all day? They just follow the prophecies step by step, possessing great power but unable to do anything. That's the Vatican for you. No matter how much they have, they will only waste it."

The prince's expression was one of disdain: "Ha, a bunch of useless trash."

“Galahad, you should know that the Candlelight Cult has never grown strong because of any prophecy. They grew strong because of their omnipotent investigators and powerful keepers of secrets. But now they have forgotten all of that.”

“But this is also an opportunity.” The prince suddenly chuckled again. “They were so careless as to give me the land of Tiss. I would never have had a chance, but now everything is different.”

“Galahad, be prepared. I have a feeling that the days of peace may be coming to an end—though they never really came.”

(End of this chapter)