Heart of the Castle

Chapter 487 The Queen's Hatred, The Devil's Mountain's Rebellion
The words of Cardinal Enoch Sebasta did not wash away the stiffness of the atmosphere. The expression on the face of the Queen Regent, Her Majesty Lilaya, was as gloomy as ice, and her gaze stayed motionless on the face of the Griffin Lord. The burst of anger was like frozen green flames.

Even the most stupid and winking nobles could feel the freezing atmosphere, no one dared to move their bodies, let alone cheer and make other noises.There was a dead silence in the duel arena. The royal attendants carrying horns raised their arms several times, but put them down again in hesitation.

"Levi? Ston..." This was the third time the Queen Regent called out this name today, and the tone was more gentle than the previous two, so gentle that it was frightening from the bottom of my heart. "If you really live up to His Majesty's expectations, you are a dedicated, impartial and selfless minister of the Kingdom. I hope you can carry out this upright attitude throughout. Then it will be the Kingdom of Arthur's luck."

This sentence obviously contains the opposite meaning from the surface, but Li Wei Ston, as if he didn't hear it at all, kowtowed respectfully to the queen regent, "Your Majesty, this is my duty as an important minister of the kingdom." , I will remember it in my heart, today and every day."

The queen regent examined Li Wei's face, as if trying to find hypocrisy or embarrassment.However, the griffin lord looked at her calmly, his eyes were calm and not provocative. In the end, the queen looked away first, and her long golden hair shook slightly in the air. "I hope so!" She turned her head arrogantly, and ordered the royal attendants beside her, "Blow the horn and declare victory. What are you waiting for? Didn't you hear what the Cardinal said just now?"

The attendants hurriedly brought the horn to their mouths and blew it vigorously.Because they were overly nervous, they lost their voices several times at the beginning, and a servant who looked a little fat was extremely pale and almost cried out.

Fortunately, the results of the rigorous training prevailed in the end, and the high-pitched notes announcing the victory of the duel before the gods came out from a row of horns, jumping over the palace and the Ash Fortress.The crowd of onlookers breathed a sigh of relief, and then there was a burst of applause and cheers, most of which came from the accompanying knights and servants, and only a few nobles applauded, among which the two sons of Grand Duke Raul applauded in column.

"Okay, the just judgment of the gods has been delivered, and Earl Leonardo has also used his life to wash away his shame. Let's save these things to remember when peace comes to the kingdom again." Standing up from the seat, he patted his fat hands and said. "Lord Li Wei Ston, please come here. Now that your position as an important minister of the kingdom has been confirmed, it would be bad to continue standing below."

Li Wei Ston nodded silently, walked over with firm steps, and then sat down on the golden high-back chair of the important minister of the kingdom.The steward congratulated him first with joyful voices, followed by the Archduke Raul and the cardinal.Even the mentor of the stars "just happened" to end his light sleep at this time, stroked his big belly with his hands, and smiled and blessed the Griffin Lord.

"Lord Levi Ston, you are really young and promising. I am very envious of such an old man." Master Satien Hull said gently. "Every time I see young people being promoted step by step on the ladder of life, it will make people feel emotional."

"Teacher Xingchen, you are too polite." Li Wei replied, "I still have a lot of questions to ask you. I hope your wisdom can help me find the direction in the fog."

A rush of horseshoes sounded from the direction of the gate, and everyone turned their heads one after another, only to see several ashen knights guarding the gate stop them.The man wore a dusty hooded cloak with several sword marks along the hem, and dried blood stained his chain mail, covering more than half of the white palm badge.The man was obviously very tired, and he staggered when he jumped off his horse. If it wasn't for an ashen knight who helped him, he would almost fall to the ground. His horse was as exhausted as he was, with pink foam and heavy Breathing, dripping from the corner of the mouth.

"Oh, my lords, I'll go and have a look. It seems to be someone with sleepless eyes." Director Bamili Yang apologized, and then hurriedly walked towards the gate under the Ash Fortress. There was a sound like moaning on the slate.He went in a hurry and came back even faster. Li Wei found that his fat face, which had been rubbed with face powder, was not even a trace of blood.

"Your Majesty the Queen Regent, and all my lords, I think this court meeting must continue." The eunuch's voice carried a trace of solemnity that had never come out of his mouth, as well as fear that could be easily smelled. "News came from the Sleepless Eye in Westwind County. The Earl of the Demon Mountain, the head of the Knights of Death, and Lord Clemennon Gregor, the black god of death, has led his subordinates back to the sealed city of Rock!"

Manager Bamili Yang did not lower his voice, so his words pierced through the square like a bolt from the blue, making many people's expressions stiffen on their faces.Afterwards, the commotion broke out like raging waves, and even the most self-confessed nobles of the royal capital couldn't help but swarm forward, yelling, hoping to get more detailed information from the court chief.

It was already dark when they returned to the audience hall, and the royal attendants lit the torches on the wall, and the dancing flames cast a stern red light on everyone's faces in the hall.The ashes knights standing in front of the high platform of the throne are still meticulous, but the standing posture of the crown prince Ken Adams looks a little tired. When seeing this, the queen regent Lilaya asked a few words in a low voice, and then called a Royal servant, let him escort the crown prince back to rest.

No one minded whether the crown prince was present, because a twelve or thirteen-year-old child really had no right to speak on state affairs, even if he was the future king.The eyes of the nobles were all on the spy of the Sleepless Eye who came to report the news. He had just received the cardinal's magical treatment, and his physical strength recovered a lot, but he didn't have time to change his clothes, and he was still standing there covered in dust and blood. In the hall, waiting to be asked.

"Can you be sure that it is Earl Gregor who returned to Iron Rock City?" Grand Duke Raul was the first to ask the spy, "Did you see his face? Or did you see them flying the black triangular family flag?"

"Nothing, my lord." The spy replied cautiously, "but I saw the gates of Iron Rock City open to welcome a group of heavily armed men and horses. Although they didn't carry banners, the black armor of the Death Knights had a unique style. , I will never admit my mistake."

"Who else can confirm your words?" Grand Duke Raul frowned, then asked.

"I'm afraid not now, my lord." A trace of fear flashed across the spy's face, "We used to have fifteen people in this group, half of them were good knights and the other half were clever thieves, but they all died in the In the pursuit of those people, only I, the one with the best riding skills, survived and sent the information back."

"Sleepless Eye's loyalty to the Kingdom is trustworthy, and I can absolutely guarantee that." Director Bamili Yang said, "After the accidents occurred in the four southern counties, I have personally purged the Sleepless Eye's spy team, and removed any suspicious people from the team. Get rid of all the members, and now I'm just afraid that some people will be wronged unjustly."

"How many people are there in the troops that entered Iron Rock City?" Li Wei also joined the ranks of inquiries.

"About 200 people, my lord." This question was relatively simple, and the spy replied in a positive tone.

"That does not rule out that other people have worn the armor of the Death Knights." Li Wei said, "Only this one can not be used as evidence to conclude that the Earl of the Magic Mountain has returned to Iron Rock City. The pursuit of you and your companions Killing, it can also be considered that those people are trying to make up for possible loopholes."

"The leader is a tall and burly giant, wearing thick steel plate armor, and the horse is also unique and magnificent. Even the man and the horse are like a dark magic mountain." The spy thought for a while and added, "One of my companions wanted to stop the giant from chasing after him, but he was slashed from his shoulder to his crotch by that guy's giant sword. Even the man and the horse were cut in half."

"Benevolent Father God, this is really terrible." Director Bamili Yang murmured, "I'm afraid there are not many such terrible guys in the whole kingdom, right?"

"There are many big men among the knights of the kingdom, and the Griffin Knight Dragoonsun is one of them." Li Wei analyzed calmly, "As for splitting a man with a horse with a sword, whoever has reached the level of fighting spirit?" Hua's title knight can do it."

"That's true." Director Bamilian nodded, but his tone was a bit suspicious, "However, Lord Li Wei, I want to remind you that the figure of Knight Dragoons is indeed quite tall. Martha, but standing next to the Earl of the Magic Mountain, he turned into a pony. And when that man split my men, did he use fighting energy?"

The spy shook his head vigorously, "No, my lord, I saw it very clearly. There was no light shining on the sword. With a click of the sword, brains and blood splashed like an explosion, and the corpses of people and horses were left and right. Falling. The big man was spattered with blood too, but he was laughing, his voice echoing behind his heavy helmet stained scarlet with blood, and it sounded like a demon roaring."

"My lord, you have a good man with the qualifications of a bard." Enoch Sebasta frowned with some disgust and said, "But can I ask him not to describe the bloody scene in such detail? I think It has nothing to do with what we're talking about today."

The audience hall has long been filled with whispering voices, and every noble has a look of uneasiness on their faces, because they know very well what it means to the kingdom if what the spy of the Sleepless Eye says is true.The crisis in the southern war still exists, and we must find a way to send support; the northern border cannot rest easy, and it is difficult for the defenders of the Ice Wall Great Wall to mobilize a single soldier; and now the west is also in a terrible situation. Without a timely and effective response, I am afraid that it will be the biggest crisis in the hundreds of years since the founding of the Kingdom of Arthur.

"That must be the Earl of the Magic Mountain!" A voice said with certainty, "There is no other giant with such strength in the whole kingdom!"

"The history of Iron Rock City's loyalty to the Gregor family is even longer than the history of the Kingdom of Arthur. Even a special envoy holding the king's decree should not even try to open the gate without the consent of the Earl of the Magic Mountain."

"We can't let the Magic Mountain go, he has a motive to betray the kingdom, we all know it!" The third voice came from the far end of the audience hall, which made Li Wei feel a little familiar. "His Majesty the King once took back the Gregor family's territory in Westwind County, and also deprived the Earl of the Magic Mountain of the position of Sheriff of Westwind County!"

This voice aroused even greater repercussions among the crowd. Many people were nodding frequently with worries on their faces. A grumpy young viscount yelled to act first, and immediately got a lot of young and aggressive people. The support of noble children.

"Silence, my lords, please be silent!" Seeing Queen Regent Lilaya raising her hand, the head of the court Bamilian stood up and shouted, but his voice was drowned in the noise, and only a few people could hear it.More than a dozen royal servants repeated the order of the chief in unison, several times in a row, before suppressing the noise that filled the audience hall.

"There are many reasons that led to the defeat of the various royal armies, but the emergence of traitors is obviously the most critical link. The defeat of the central royal army and the riots created by the traitors, the movements of the northern coalition forces were controlled by the traitors, and this stepped into the devil's path. Trap. Speaking of which, the root of everything lies in this, and now the traitor has returned to Iron Rock City." The regent Queen Lilaya stretched out a finger to emphasize her tone, "I want to remind all the important ministers of the kingdom to pay attention, now is the only one who kills the traitor. Good time, once the demons and the dead make another move, then we won't have time to look around."

"Even if there are indeed traitors in the kingdom, what evidence is there to prove that the traitor is Gregor, Earl of the Magic Mountain, and not Lord Reeves, the lord of the Dreadfort?" Levi insisted on his position and said without any relaxation. "I have had a detailed conversation with Marquis Osiris, who witnessed that terrifying night. The situation that night was too complicated, but he can be sure that the place where the chaos first occurred was the nobles' group, not the residence of the Death Knights. As for Lai The evidence presented by Earl Leonardo is not even known to the iron guard knights who witnessed the incident."

"That evidence has just been proven to be nonsense by the gods in the sky." Grand Duke Raul nodded in agreement with Li Wei's statement.

Manager Bamili Yang put his hand on Li Wei's arm. He didn't use much strength, and he was just able to make the Griffin Lord notice his movements. "Hey, Lord Griffin, what you said is correct, this matter is indeed a bit despicable, but as important ministers of the kingdom, we must put the well-being of the kingdom as the first consideration, and we can only put our personal feelings in the back for the time being. .”

Star Mentor Satien Hull coughed and stood up from his seat, a string of bracelets made of platinum, red gold and gold jingled on his wrist. "My lord Levi, I didn't mean anything against you. I just want to draw your lords' attention. We can't quickly determine whether the traitor is the Earl of the Magic Mountain, the Lord of the Dreadfort, or both. I respect both of you." No ill feeling, but if we sit idly by and wait for the evidence to come to us, once the war situation in the south deteriorates and the disaster in the north comes again, the Knights of Death and the jailers of the Dreadfort suddenly appear at this time, attacking from both sides The royal capital..."
"Benevolent Father God, please show mercy." Director Bamili Yang said with a trembling body, "Master Satien Hull, your speculation is really scary."

"This is not a guess, but an imaginable future. By that time, how many kingdom subjects will die in battle, how many villages and fields will be burned, and how many mothers will lose their sons, and children will lose their fathers?" Sa Ci Master En Hull showed a compassionate and exhausted expression on his face, "This is my opinion, if some people's sacrifices can save thousands of lives, then it may not be a kind of kindness to let them enter the Kingdom of Eternal Night... What's more, there are stains on them that cannot be washed away, and they are not innocent. The whereabouts of Marquis Reeves is unknown, and there is still room for explanation; Was he afraid of his crime being exposed?"

After the star teacher's eloquent speech was over, there was only silence in the audience hall. Like every nobleman in the hall, Levi Ston silently chewed on the star teacher's speech. Although his mouth was full of bitterness, he had to Admittedly, Master Hull's statement is indeed reasonable.

"Since there is a disagreement, let's vote." Queen Regent Lilaya patted the armrest of the golden throne with her hand. Raise your left hand, and if you object, please raise your right hand." After she finished speaking, she first raised her left hand, which was as white as a perfect jade, and the royal seal shone brightly on her slender ring finger.

As soon as the Queen Regent's voice fell, Mentor Xingchen slowly raised his left hand, "Since I made the proposal, I will of course agree with it. If one day in the future it proves that my proposal has caused losses to the kingdom, I will also support it." take the blame."

Li Wei showed a thoughtful expression on his face. Several times, the five fingers of the Griffin Lord's left hand trembled slightly, but in the end he raised his right hand. "I'm sorry, but I cannot see the proposal of unfounded speculation as evidence passed."

Two to one, Grand Duke Raul showed a faint smile and slowly raised his right hand. "I support the Griffin Lord's decision." He simply explained, as if this behavior did not deserve further explanation.

Cardinal Enoch Sebasta was the third important minister of the kingdom who raised his right hand, "My lord Flandara, the golden face shines on the earth, and no shadow shall appear above the light." He sang with as if The tone of the hymn says, "The faith of the Lord of Light admits of no error to me, and I approve of prudence."

Two to three, now all eyes are on the court chief Bamilian, whose opinion is now crucial enough to determine whether the resolution can be dismissed.Director Bamili Yang seemed a little uncomfortable with being watched by everyone, his fat face trembled slightly, and then he showed an apologetic smile to the important ministers of the kingdom who raised objections—especially Li Wei Ston.

"If a small sacrifice can end the successive disasters of the kingdom, then... I agree."

(End of this chapter)