Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 491 The Secret History of the Three Dukes
Upon seeing this inscription, Ivan and the strongest swordsman tensed up.

Kuraki has dealt with ancient ruins many times and knows the origins of Stuart all too well. Now that even the sacred relics are in its former territory, could there be a new conspiracy?

"General Ivan, don't panic. This used to be the territory of the Three Dukes of the North. Although its last lord, Carlos, was known as the Oathbreaker, the family as a whole was close to the light, and even produced a Papal Archbishop."

It wouldn't be surprising if the sacred relics appeared in Raven City.

History is often shrouded in mystery, and the kingdom's historical records are incomplete. Most people can only infer the facts from rumors and travelogues, which is very unreliable.

This is why high-ranking nobles are better at making decisions; they at least keep detailed records of allies and enemies, passing them down to their descendants. History represents knowledge and unlocks the wisdom of the nobility.

"The Stuart family was once a ducal lineage on par with the Salman family. Unfortunately, Carlos was too ambitious and wanted to unify the North, which eventually led to a siege and gradual decline. The Arcane Empire played a part in this, but the main reason was that Carlos became too arrogant."

As a duke, Peter was aware of many secrets and had a basic understanding of the inside story of the Three Dukes' Battle, unlike ordinary people who would believe everything they heard.

"Raven City should be an early city of their family, most likely a territory after the founding of the kingdom, so it is possible that the sacred relics are buried here."

Thinking about it carefully, the Stuarts were a family of brave warriors who followed the royal family in their campaigns, so it is quite possible that they were granted the honor of guarding the sacred relics.

"I'll have my men scout it out first!"

The task of investigating the ruins of light must be undertaken by the priests of light. The bishop, along with his men, offered devout prayers and sang praises to the great god of light all the way.

Unfortunately, after half a day, they still hadn't found anything, which made the priests somewhat worried.

"We've clearly detected the pathways to light, so why is there still no progress?"

Everyone turned their attention to Diana, then shook their heads. It wasn't nearly time for Diana to bleed yet. They hadn't even found the ancient church. Even if they exhausted Diana, they still wouldn't be able to find the sacred relics.

The map could only point to a general location, but the last area was shrouded in mist, which made things difficult for the search team.

"Raven City? Is it a city for relaying messages?"

“That’s right. It’s said that this is where Stuarts used to raise magical ravens, which can transmit military intelligence efficiently and accurately.”

Su Mu stood on the ruins of the broken ancient city wall, pondered for a moment, and said, "Ivan, contact Wayne and have him bring the beacon tower over!"

I hadn't anticipated this being a Stuart city, so I hadn't brought this item. Actually, after Gaunt was corrupted and handed over the royal beacon tower, Su Mu no longer believed these things could restrain Carlos. The so-called restraint was likely a lie fabricated by Carlos, or even false evidence concocted by the artifact of deception and Carlos himself. But why would he do that?

What are your thoughts on Carlos?

Su Mu first looked at Duke Peter. His understanding must be based on family and religious records, which is very discerning.

"He is a very complex person. According to the records of the Church, Carlos was initially a loyal supporter of the royal family, and even grew up and fought alongside the princes at the time. He was a royalist. Unfortunately, something happened later, and his appetite grew bigger and bigger. He wanted to annex the entire Northern Territory and even went so far as to collude with outsiders."

But much of history isn't necessarily true; I think information from the royal family is more reliable.

Carlos was vouched for by the royal family at the last moment, so Phinexia should have known more about the inside story, but Diana didn't know much about it.

Seeing the questioning looks on everyone's faces, Diana proudly raised her head, displaying her erudition: "If you asked an ordinary member of the royal family, they would probably say that Carlos was that despicable oathbreaker, a traitor to the kingdom, and deserved to die."

But if you're asking me, you've come to the right person. There's a hidden library in the royal study, containing the kingdom's secrets. Gaunt, Born, and I have all entered it with our father. Carlos, a loyal ally of the royal family, shouldered the heavy responsibility of sealing it away, sacrificing his family to suppress a terrifying treasure. I don't know the treasure's effects, but I do know it's from beyond the realm, a source of calamity, bringing unprecedented natural disasters, and must be suppressed forever.

There should have been other alliance agreements signed at the time, but they were lost for some reason.

Now, upon hearing this secret, everyone simply nods slightly, treating it as if it were a distant tale.

But Su Mu suddenly realized that the reason why Gunter was bewitched was because of this royal secret.

As for whether it's true or not, it's impossible to determine; it could very well be a trap set by a fraudulent artifact. After all, this artifact can alter people's perceptions, even rewrite history, creating things that don't exist. As more and more people believe it, it becomes real.

Never believe the words of a dead person; this is a life-saving proverb.

What does Stuart need the beacon tower for? What secrets does it hold?
"Duke Kuraki suddenly asked about Carlos, does he perhaps have some suspicions?"

Everyone then turned their attention to Su Mu.

Raven City, the messenger, the beacon tower, and the subsequent burning altar—there might be a hidden thread running through all of this, manipulated by the deceivers.

Su Mu was already the person who had collected the most information, but he still couldn't figure it out. On the contrary, the more he thought about it, the more he feared it.

In the end, he simply shook his head and put everything out of his mind.

Wise people are always troubled; the more they think, the more mistakes they make, and the more methods they can use to deceive others.

His current strategy is simple: find the sacred bone, and if the beacon tower is effective, activate it. If Stuart dares to come, defeat him, and kill him if possible.

There's no need for so many things. One force can overcome all laws. With the strongest swordsman around, no matter how powerful the enemy is, he dares to fight them.

After waiting for a day, Wayne delivered the two beacon towers.

The two here belong to the Salman and Argyll families, respectively. Ivan personally activated them with his blood, and immediately a large amount of thick smoke rose up, which could be seen for dozens of miles.

Su Mu was initially worried that the beacon tower was something that could break the seal, but it turned out that it wasn't at all. Since that's the case, I'll light the beacon at the entrance of the ancient ruins and see what's going on with Carlos.

Wayne brought not only the beacon tower with him, but also Orling and the Earth Bow. If they could lure them out, they could take care of them.

Sure enough, within an hour, a dark curtain descended from the distance, and a vast army of undead emerged from the ruins, slowly approaching the area. Countless skeletons and zombie soldiers, along with numerous ghosts and liches. Although the seal had loosened, they still couldn't venture too far from the ancient ruins, only able to spread out for tens of kilometers thanks to the dark curtain.

At the forefront of the undead, a skeleton grand duke sat on his throne, gazing upon the human legion.

Peter and the priests of light were on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy. Even the seasoned Legion of Light had never seen such a powerful undead army.

"Duke, who is he?"

"Carlos Stuart!"

"No need to dig anymore, I know where the sacred bone is."

(End of this chapter)