Miss Witch, it's time to clean up the entries

Chapter 286 He wants to reveal his cards?

A heavy snowfall brought winter back to Yalong City, which was about to enter spring, and the guards had to wear cotton coats and armor.

The high-ranking knights received the appointment and rushed to the 22 counties to temporarily take over the position of guardian witches. This was unheard of since the founding of the empire, and many knights began to feel uneasy and worried that something big was about to happen in the empire.

Although the knights are powerful, compared to the witches who are good at using magic and the monsters with tenacious vitality, they are still flesh and blood after all.

One magic train after another started, taking the knights away from Yalong City.

The innocent children were still immersed in the afterglow of the festival, piling snow into various shapes on the streets, chasing and playing, and their cheerful laughter filled the city square.

The wandering poet played the violin, singing about lost love and youth, and the expedition that had just ended.

The baker's business was booming because of the cold weather, and while he was busy, he was hoping that the price of grain would drop so that he could earn more.

The blacksmith in the smithy leaned against the door, smoking welding smoke idly and watching the luxurious carriage pass by.

The tavern's doors were open, hoping that the noble ladies who were upset about the engagement between Lean Moriah and Dorothy Hall would come to their shop to get drunk.

The church bells still rang as usual, and devout believers were still praying, as if the Pope's betrayal had become history.

Everything seemed to be normal in Yalong City, the only difference was that the people of the Creed family had not yet left the capital.

This has become a topic of discussion among people after dinner.

"According to custom, after the Creed Festival, the five major families should leave the capital and return to their own fiefdoms. But this year, no one has left yet. I heard that they are all staying in the palace."

"This year is a special occasion. His Majesty the Emperor is getting married. Doesn't that mean everyone has to stay and congratulate him? They'll definitely be leaving in two days."

"I don't think so. The Moria family and the Hall family have formed an alliance. Maybe other families are also preparing for an alliance, so they haven't left yet."

"I always feel uneasy when they stay in the capital. I really hope they go back soon, otherwise what will happen if the Burns Empire attacks?"

"There's nothing to worry about. Even if there's no army at the border, there are still witches guarding it."

"Hey, maybe Duke Bock is looking for a young and beautiful wife. He and Grand Duke Moria are both well-known playboys."

People were discussing the current situation and talking about the bigwigs of the Creed family with great interest.

Parker wanted to defend his grandfather, but considering the complicated situation here, it was better not to reveal his identity. He pulled down the brim of his hood and continued drinking.

He seemed to be in a bad mood because he hadn't seen the Forest Witch Ashley.

Ever since Ashley testified in court, she hadn't appeared in Parker's sight again.

The Guardian Bureau is now as tight as an iron wall, with no loopholes left. No one is allowed to enter, which makes him worry about the witches' current situation.

Unfortunately, he hasn't seen Li En recently, and he can't even ask Li En for help.

After drinking two glasses of liquor, Parker stood up and walked into the wind and snow outside the tavern.

He came to the Guardian Bureau again, but this time through the back door.

The four-star knight was agile enough. He stepped on the protruding stone pillars on the wall, climbed up the courtyard wall, and popped his head out to see the witches who were still in training.

The witches didn't seem to notice him, they were concentrating on their practice.

Parker mustered up his courage and quietly climbed over the wall to enter.

Several times before, he was caught by the witch and thrown out mercilessly.

If it were a normal person, after being warned by the witch, they would not dare to do this and would never come to the Guardian Bureau again.

But Parker took advantage of the fact that he was a descendant of the Moria family and even the witches would not easily attack him, so he did not change his ways despite repeated warnings.

"I must see Ashley today!"

Parker muttered to himself silently, his footsteps landing lightly on the ground.

Just when he was thankful that he was not discovered immediately, the purse that was hanging on a low branch when he climbed over the wall suddenly fell to the ground.

The heavy purse made a dull thud.

Parker gasped.

"It's over. I've been discovered again."

As he said this, he found that no witch approached him, as if he were air.

What's happening here?
Parker picked up the purse and walked carefully through the backyard.

At first he thought he was disguising himself well, but the further he went into the Guardian Bureau, the stranger it seemed.

All the guards and witches were doing their own things, as if they didn't see him at all.

He plucked up the courage and went forward to ask, but was still ignored.

It wasn't until Parker discovered that his body could pass through their bodies at will that he realized the entire Guardian Bureau was empty.

That’s right, everyone here is an illusion!
These shadows are completely unable to communicate and can only continue to do something repetitive.

If you don't go inside the Guard Bureau, you won't be able to find it just by looking from the outside.

"what on earth is it?"

A sense of fear rose in Parker's heart, and he quickened his pace and ran towards the red tower.

"Ashley, Milia, Anita, Clottey, Querry, Rachel, Lisa, Sophie, Charlie, Blair, please don't get into any trouble."

These witches were originally imprisoned in the Red Tower.

Although they acted as witnesses and made amends for their mistakes, they were resurrected by Randall after all and participated in the assassination of Li En, so they were sentenced to three years' imprisonment in the Red Tower.

Parker ignored the stern-looking guards and pushed open the door.

These phantom guards did not stop Parker because they were illusory and had no communication with real humans.

Parker jumped up the spiral staircase and came to the room where Ashley was originally imprisoned.

He knocked on the door, but no one answered.

He used brute force to force the door open, and Ashley was sitting there quietly.

Parker breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile appeared on his face.
"Aisley, it's great that you're still here. Tell me, what happened to the Guardian Bureau?"

……

A girl in a green cloak braved the wind and snow, passed through the narrow alleys, and passed through the busy streets. She finally arrived at the gate of Alexburg, but was blocked by the guards.

"This is the Duke's Mansion. No outsiders are allowed to approach."

The guard said seriously.

The girl took off her hood, revealing her long dark green hair.
"I'm Ashley, and I want to see Parker Moriah."

"Master Parker?"

The guard looked at the beautiful girl suspiciously, suspecting that this was the love debt his young master had incurred outside.
"Master Parker is out. Please come back next time. The Duke's Mansion is holding an important banquet. You cannot enter without an invitation."

Perhaps because Ashley was so beautiful, the guards' tone of voice became much softer.

Ashley, the Forest Witch, frowned and put on her hat. "I'll just wait for him here, okay?"

"can."

The guards did not refuse.

At this moment, a grand banquet was indeed being held in the Duke's Mansion.

In the banquet hall, candlelight flickered and the place was magnificent.

The long banquet table was covered with a thick red silk tablecloth and was set with exquisite silverware and crystal glasses, which shimmered softly under the dim light.

The table was covered with dishes carefully prepared with precious ingredients, from roast lamb to crispy foie gras, to various snacks garnished with rare caviar, emitting an extremely tempting aroma that filled the entire hall.

Maids in black and white dresses respectfully shuttled among the guests, pouring mellow wine from distant vineyards for the distinguished guests.

The Moriah family hosted a banquet for all the Creed families to celebrate the engagement of Li En and Dorothy. Even the five major Creed families had no reason not to be present. Even though they had privately formed an alliance of five families to eliminate the Moriah family and the Hall family and divide up their gifts, they still had to do the superficial work.

Before the relationship is completely torn apart, the big families must maintain their dignity on the surface.

Even Augustus had to bring his new queen, Emma, ​​to the banquet.

On the one hand, it was to stabilize the Moria family and the Hall family, prevent them from misjudging their attitudes and ensure the apparent harmony of the empire; on the other hand, it was to test the attitudes of Moria and Hall.

"His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Queen have arrived."

"The Duke of Burke has arrived."

"Earl Edward has arrived."

"Earl Simmons has arrived."

"Earl Ryan has arrived."

"Duke Frank has arrived."

As the dignitaries took their seats, the banquet officially began.

"Thank you for coming, Your Majesty. I thought Dorothy would not be able to receive your blessing."

Earl Hall said with a smile.

Dorothy was wearing a simple white dress today, with her long purple hair tied up and an exquisite hair crown on her head. She looked holy and beautiful, like a blooming snow lotus.

Compared to Dorothy, Emma's dress is more elegant and luxurious, but her eyes and eyebrows lack agility and vitality. She looks more like a canary in a cage.

As for the female companions brought by other bigwigs, they pale in comparison.

Even though they put on a lot of powder on their faces, wore heavy makeup, dressed gorgeously, and wore all kinds of precious jewelry, they still could not change the difference in age and appearance.

Dorothy and Emma were young and recognized beauties.

In the past, they would attend such occasions together, arm in arm.

Now the two of them were sitting at the two ends of the long table, in two camps.

"Congratulations, Dorothy."

A bright smile appeared on Augustus' face, as if he was sincerely blessing Dorothy.

But Dorothy knew Augustus very well, and the more he smiled like that, the more it proved that he had evil intentions in his heart.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I hope my engagement with Li En will not affect your trust in the Hall family."

"will not."

Auglas said.

As Augulas sent his blessings, the heads of the five major families also sent their blessings, maintaining superficial harmony.

"Following the marriage between the Bock family and the Frank family, the Moriah family and the Hall family also married. The Creed family will only become closer in the future. Cheers to everyone's bright future."

Duke of Burke smiled and raised his glass.

Everyone followed suit and raised their glasses.

"Thank you all for your blessings and to our bright future."

Li En raised his glass and said.

"Here's to our bright future."

Everyone agreed.

"Your Majesty, please celebrate for me. I have successfully been promoted to an eight-star war knight."

Grand Duke Moria suddenly said.

The banquet hall fell silent in an instant, and after a brief silence, warm cheers broke out.

"That's great, congratulations, Prime Minister."

"This is truly great news. The Prime Minister is truly worthy of being the pillar of the empire."

"It has been many years since an Eight-Star War Knight appeared."

The guests offered their blessings and praises.

"This is all thanks to the expeditionary war. It was His Majesty who gave me the opportunity to be promoted."

Moria said.

Auglas tried hard to control his emotions and forced a smile.

The people from the five creed families had long known about the promotion of Grand Duke Moria and Hall to eight-star war knights. However, the fact that Grand Duke Moria took the initiative to bring it up this time puzzled them.

Is he going to reveal his true colors? Or does he still want to be loyal to the Empire?

For the Frank family, if the Moria family, and most importantly, Li En, are willing to sign a slave contract with them and be loyal to the Frank family for generations, they would be willing to continue to accept the Moria family.

But the Moria family is so proud, how could they be slaves of the Frank family?
So there is nothing for both parties to talk about.

What Augulas wants is different from what his family wants. He wants Li En to die and take away everything that belongs to Li En, or everything that Li En has taken away from here.

Emma also wants Li En to die, and the two sides have irreconcilable conflicts.

The five major creed families only want the gifts. If they control the gifts, they will have the right to speak.

They were afraid that the two families would become too powerful, leading to a power imbalance.

"Actually, I was also promoted to an eight-star war knight."

Hall said slowly.

The heads of the five creed families clearly knew this fact, but they had to express surprise again, and then they had to attend to the social occasion just to please the occasion.

"enough."

Grand Duke Moria put down the wine glass in his hand and said, "Everyone, there is no need to act. I know what you want."

Grand Duke Moria waved his hand, and the servants quickly retreated and closed the door of the banquet hall.

"Prime Minister, what do you want to do?"

Auguras narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously.

"I want everyone to be honest. I know you've secretly held meetings and formed an alliance to isolate Hall and me, but I must tell you that this is the stupidest idea. If Hall and I fight in the capital, it will turn Asian Dragon City into ruins. If the seven creed families are all involved, then the entire Holy Empire will be embroiled in war and torn apart. Is this what the Frank family wants to see?"

Grand Duke Moria was straightforward and had no conspiracy at all, which surprised Augustus very much.

The heads of the five creed families were also surprised.

They speculated that there must be spies from the Moria family or the Hall family around Augulas.

But since they all knew it, there was no need to pretend anymore.

"Byrne Hall, you deceived His Majesty the Emperor and launched an expeditionary war. You have violated the laws of the Empire. Shouldn't you repent for your despicable behavior?"

Seth Frank asked.

"I'm sorry. Although this matter is indeed related to me, it's not what you think. The person who violated the imperial law has been killed."

Lord Hall said.

"Even if Hall is truly guilty, he is now one of the Empire's most powerful fighters. According to Article 3 of the Sacred Law, he is immune. Therefore, there is no need to determine whether he instigated the Emperor to start a war. Furthermore, if the Emperor does not want war, it is useless for anyone to induce him."

Grand Duke Moria's deep blue pupils were like a deep pool, reflecting everyone's face.

"What I want to talk about now is the distribution of power."

(End of this chapter)