Heart of the Castle

Chapter 516 Demonstration of force, strong force to make peace

In contrast to the golden light of dawn on the eastern horizon, the western sky is still the deep purple of dawn, dotted with stars.The low clouds threatened by a heavy snowfall disappeared before sunrise, but for the more than [-] residents of Firmeyer, the greater threat still existed outside the north gate of the capital.

The raging fire burning from the top of the city was so powerful that all the residents of Firmeyer who were not blind could see it clearly.And before the fuel of the fire was exhausted, the archers outside the city did not hesitate to use arrows to light the remaining empty watchtower, so that the residents of the royal capital could continue to enjoy the magnificent and terrifying scene.

The feeling of the flames of war blew into everyone's heart along with anxiety, which made people panic and spread rumors.His Royal Highness the Prince Regent urgently issued an order to refute the rumors, and asked the Royal Guards to arrest all spies who spread rumors and confuse people.But even the King's Guard Army itself is the spreader of rumors. Many soldiers witnessed one corpse after another being carried down the city, while the commander and sergeant chief on their own side complained about the terrible arrows flying from the twilight. There is nothing to do.

A group of Dreadfort jailers wearing heavy armor, holding large shields and heavy flails were sent to the top of the city to try to relieve the mental pressure caused by the continuous casualties, but they also became the targets of the sharpshooters outside the city to show off their strength , the silver-white light lit up like a star exploding, cutting the vast night sky into pieces.The jailers of the Dreadfort fell to the ground one by one, and the double protection of the large shield and the black iron ring armor was like parchment, which could be broken with a poke.These tough and brave warriors did despise death. They roared and cursed in the direction of spreading death without flinching, and waved their flails meaninglessly until they all died on the top of the north gate of Firmeyer.

After all this was done, all the alchemy marksmen and sniper shooters walked out of the positions, and then lit the torches, and a banner flew over their heads flamboyantly, depicting a silver flying arrow piercing the demon with delicate strokes. Elegant coat of arms of the head.Then the rest of the troops under Levi Ston's command also came out of the night one after another, including elite pikemen holding refined spears and wearing blue and white thick coats; wearing wolf fur cloaks, carrying long swords, short curved The white wolf guards with bows and leather shields; the remote forest and sea mountain people who wear furry animal leather armor, use short-throwing spears and long-handled axes, and face the cold wind with dark chests; Northern Militia.They were one team after another, as if there was no end to it.A flag means a Lord of the North goes to war, and even the sharpest eye is lost in a sea of ​​flags.

The regent Raul Adams stayed up all night, and so did his allies. The lights in the round table meeting room were lit all night, and the kingdom's important officials and wealthy nobles gathered together.Except for Sir Thomas De Jansen, the new head of the Death Knights, who was unable to attend the meeting because he needed to guard the Holy White Rock Fort, all other important ministers attended the emergency meeting no matter what their thoughts were.

The meeting lasted for a long time, but the results were so lackluster that it was almost a waste of time.It's not that all the important officials of the kingdom and the wealthy nobles who participated in the meeting were silent. In fact, they put forward quite a lot of opinions and suggestions, but they were too messy and trivial.Everyone who attended the meeting had the right to speak, and they also firmly grasped this opportunity to show themselves in front of the regent, shouting and quarreling with all their strength, as if whoever had the loudest voice was the most reasonable.

The wise star mentor Satzien Hell proposed that the existing command system should be integrated, and the Royal Guards, Dreadfort jailers and other armed forces should be under the command of the same voice; The nobles collected supplies and armed soldiers.The gods can testify that his suggestion is undoubtedly very correct, but it is a pity that it has no effect on resolving the current situation. If it is necessary to fight a protracted war with Levi Ston, it will be useful. However, for Grand Duke Raul, this If the confrontation cannot end quickly, in fact, he will lose.

After all, the regent is not the king himself, and the king is irreplaceable, but there may be more than one candidate for the regent, and there are many precedents in history for the joint regent of several important ministers of the kingdom.More importantly, no one is more aware of Levi's innocence than Grand Duke Raul. If the war continues, the rift between the already unstable alliances will be further widened. Once some of them choose Levi's Ston's side, then for Grand Duke Raul, it means a catastrophe.

The Marquess of Skinning, Edwin Reeves, strongly advocated opening the city gates and sending out an army to fight those despicable harassers to the death, and even suggested that the jailer of the Dreadfort could be the vanguard.However, although his severed arm injury had been healed in the Guangyao Temple, it still could not be completely healed due to the strange vindictive power remaining on the wound.Marquis Reeves, who cannot use his right arm flexibly, has a sharp drop in combat ability, and even ordinary title knights may not be able to beat him.Grand Duke Raul was very worried that he would not be able to avenge him, but he would lose his own life instead.

Bamilian, the head of the palace, used the same reason to express his opposition with a clear attitude that is rarely seen in eunuch chiefs. He listed all the great achievements that the Sleepless Eye has made in the history of the Kingdom of Arthur, and told everyone that as long as the power of the Sleepless Eye is strengthened, It is possible to find the flaws of Levi Ston's troops in advance, at least they will not be passively beaten like they are now.

More than one important minister sneered at the statement made by Chief Bamilian, and then they were involved in more intense debates. Many young and vigorous nobles advocated dispatching troops after dawn to seek a decisive battle with the Kingslayer; however, there were also some older ones People hope to send more ranger squads to detect the whereabouts of the Griffon Lord, and to secure the victory in one fell swoop.Both of them insisted on their own opinions and argued endlessly. Some shouted and cursed loudly, some made sense, some spoke threats, and some sneered and ridiculed the whole round table meeting room.

The debate lasted until dawn, and since both parties felt quite tired, it was relieved a little. At least when someone was talking loudly, no one else interrupted and refuted unceremoniously.At this time, Cardinal Enoch Sebasta, who had been listening to the debate, stood up from his seat, and looked around the audience with compassionate and majestic eyes, immediately making the entire round table meeting hall silent.

"Praise the lord of glory, Flandara, I deeply admire your lord's insights, but I want to remind you, the lord of griffins, Liviston, and his soldiers belong to the Kingdom of Arthur, just like us. It is also an indispensable force against evil disasters.”

As soon as the cardinal's words started, a wave of turmoil was set off in the hearts of the rich and nobles. The meaning contained in the words "subjects of Arthur's kingdom" and "indispensable power" is self-evident, that is The Glory Temple has publicly expressed their attitude, and they do not support the regent King Raul's plan to completely eliminate the Griffin Lord!
Sure enough, Enoch Sebasta later stated with a very clear attitude that the scene where Dragon King Fidel Adams was assassinated was haunted by the evil atmosphere of demons, and Levi Ston had repeatedly damaged the army of demons. possibility of collusion.The demons might be able to use one or two defeats to create an image of the human traitors who collude with them, but it is absolutely impossible to use the lives of a few demon lords and tens of thousands of troops to carry out such a ridiculous plan.

From this point of view, at least for the crime of regicide, the suspicion of Li Weiston has been eased.Even if we took a step back and said that Li Weiston was really the murderer who assassinated His Majesty the Dragon King, he might not have a reason to be forgiven.After all, judging from His Majesty the Dragon King's usual unrestrained behavior, it is not surprising that some unknown grievances and hatreds have been formed.The crime of regicide is serious, but if the circumstances are justifiable, it seems that it can be discussed in terms of dealing with his crimes based on the illustrious achievements made by Levi Ston.

As the cardinal of the Diocese of Firmeyer, Enoch Sebasta's eloquence is certainly worthy of recognition. His tone of speech is unhurried, and the analysis of the reasons is reasonable. It is easy to change the image of Leviston from an innocent The pardonable kingslayer transformed into a tragic hero who suffered wronged and misunderstood. Considering the glorious military achievements of the Griffin Lord, this image is obviously more convincing.

At the end of the speech, the cardinal pointed out in a deep and solemn tone that although many evidences showed that Li Weiston was suspected of regicide, the evidence itself was not beyond doubt. The reprimands and scolding that the Marquis Osiris heard outside the dormitory just showed that His Majesty the Dragon King still valued Li Weiston very much until the moment before his death.But now that the dead are dead, even defeating Levi Ston's army cannot bring His Majesty the Dragon King back to life. No matter the outcome of a fierce battle, it will damage the precious power of the Kingdom of Arthur to fight against the disaster.Those in power in the kingdom should have the interests of the living in mind, negotiating with Liveston, and doing everything possible to avoid a sad battle in which there will be no winner.

There are definitely not a few nobles in the royal capital who were moved by the cardinal's words. They don't sympathize with Levi Ston very much, but in contrast, the regent Raul Adams who has seized the power of the kingdom makes them feel even more vigilant and uneasy.Due to the iron fist that the Grand Duke used to punish opponents, these people were forced to join him, but their dissatisfaction grew day by day.

When the honorable Cardinal of the Temple of Glory stood up, their dissatisfaction immediately got a channel to vent, and the voices of approval followed one after another in the round table meeting room, making Grand Duke Raul's face suddenly gloomy.

Grand Duke Raul wished he could stretch out his hand and cut off Enoch Sebasta's skinny neck, completely tearing off the benevolent and kind smile on the face of the man in the red robe like a mask.But after all, the Temple of Glory was an important ally who supported him as the regent, and the consequences of openly opposing the cardinal were too serious for Grand Duke Raul to imagine.So he winked at Sir Magellan, the iron guard knight sitting opposite the round table. The latter immediately understood, pulled out his sword with his backhand, and then slapped it heavily on the table.

Shocked voices erupted in the round table meeting room. Several nobles who were devout believers of the Lord of Radiance stood up from their seats and confronted him with their sword hilts. Many people showed nervous expressions, but the cardinal himself seemed calm and composed.

"Sir Magellan, what objection do you have to my proposal?" the cardinal asked in a majestic tone. It is said that if someone is deceitful, it only takes a stern question from the cardinal to wake up and cry bitterly.However, Sir Magellan thought that these were all baseless legends, because he was obviously deceitful, but when Enoch Sebasta asked, he didn't have any urge to shed tears except that he was a little nervous.

"The gods are dead..." He said silently to himself, calming his heart that was beating wildly due to nervousness, trying to make his voice firm and powerful. "Your Excellency Cardinal Enoch Sebasta, you have a big heart and a compassionate nature, and you are willing to forgive the heinous crime of killing the king by the griffin lord Levi Ston, and give him a chance to redeem. I want to say, your The compassionate heart has been used by the wrong person, and the crime of a regicide is unforgivable, no matter how plausible excuses are used to cover up, it can't stop his rancid aura of betraying the kingdom!"

"Oh, the smell of the Griffin Lord is not so bad." Bamilian, the court steward, said in a thin voice. When he got up to speak, he covered his nose with the perfumed handkerchief he was holding. "As far as the smell of betrayal is concerned, the stench gathered in this round table meeting room is much stronger than that outside the city. I'm afraid it can't be covered up even with two perfumed handkerchiefs."

This sentence seemed to touch the sensitive nerves of many people. Several people jumped up and cursed the chief eunuch for throwing sewage, but their vicious words could not conceal their pale and frightened expressions.Others either echoed, laughed, or pounded the table with their fists. They made a fuss for several minutes before they gradually calmed down.

After the clamor subsided, Sir Magellan continued with a cold expression, "If the murdered by Levi Stern is my relative, then no matter how the anger burns in my heart, I will forcibly curb it when the kingdom is in danger, and agree to cooperate with you." He was negotiating. But what he murdered was His Majesty the King whom we Iron Guard Knights swore to protect! The Iron Guard Knights regard loyalty as their wives and responsibility as their sons, and swear to defend our king, even if they are turned into ashes, they will die a hundred times without regret!" He complained in a sad tone, and at the same time pointed to the long sword on the table. The blade of the sword reflected the fire in the fireplace, reflecting bloody light. "The Knights of the Iron Guard will only use this to negotiate with the Kingslayer!"

Sir Magellan spoke the last few words so impassionedly that even he himself was moved by the lie, and the long-lost blood surged in his chest.Silence then enveloped the entire round table meeting room. Half a minute later, another iron guard knight—Sir Salamis with an iron gray mustache stood up, took out his saber and slapped it on the table.

"That's right, we use this to talk to him!"

"If the regicide can escape the punishment of the law, then what is the meaning of the death of my father, old Count Enix?" The sword is placed next to the other two sabers. "There is only war, no peace talks."

The noise in the round-table meeting room resumed, and this time it was the turn of Grand Duke Raul's loyal minions to speak one after another. The swords were slapped on the table next to each other. Everyone spoke resolutely and impassionedly.War, war, war, this smoky word was repeated from their mouths again and again, as if only killing could demonstrate justice, as if only blood could save the kingdom.

There was a trace of disappointment in the eyes of Cardinal Enoch Sebasta. He was only a little bit short of convincing everyone. If the Glory Temple can successfully host the peace talks, it will definitely greatly strengthen the peace among the common people in the capital. good impression.However, the opportunity was fleeting, and Iron Guard Knight Magellan's speech broke His Excellency's plan. He could only shut his mouth and watch what happened in front of him with compassionate eyes.

Those nobles who opposed the war looked at each other in blank dismay, and then all fell silent.In fact, most of them belonged to the losing side in the power struggle after the death of the Dragon King. The remaining power in their hands was not worth mentioning in front of His Highness the Regent, but the number of them seemed quite considerable.

"The Kingdom will never negotiate with Levi Stern!" Seeing that the overall situation has been settled, Grand Duke Raul stood up from his large seat. The absurd appearance of a grand duke. "Loyal subjects of Arthur's Kingdom must never associate with a kingslayer, just as justice must never associate with evil, and light must never associate with darkness! Now, in the name of the regent and the guardian of the whole realm, I declare..."

Suddenly there was a noisy sound outside the door. Grand Duke Raul frowned, trying to raise his voice to suppress the noise, but the noise continued unabated. After a blink of an eye, it turned into a flood like a rising tide, and the words he was going to announce All the bold words choked in his throat.

Seeing the gloomy and frightening expression on the Prince Regent's face, the captain of the guard, Sir Al Adil, hurriedly stood up, "His Royal Highness, I'm going to see what's going on outside," he said.

"Don't just watch." Grand Duke Raul told him in a stern voice, "Sir Adil, I order you to stop the people outside from making loud noises. If your order cannot be done, then use your sword."

Hesitation flashed through Sir Al Adir's only remaining one eye, but he quickly bowed deeply, "As you wish, Your Highness the Regent." After saying this, he hurriedly walked out of the round table meeting room, Want to prevent a possible tragedy.

The two doors of the meeting room were pushed open abruptly, and the thick door panels bounced back, almost hitting Sir Adil's nose.Sir Adil opened his mouth to reprimand, but was taken aback by the guard's face as pale as milk.

"What happened outside?" Sir Adil's scolding, which had reached his lips, turned into a question.

"It's snowing." The guard replied with a dull expression.This answer was simply too funny, and the anger of being teased immediately ignited Sir Adil's brows, but before the anger approached his mouth, the guard took out a stack of paper-like things, held them in both hands and handed them To Sir Adil, added at the same time.

"And it's a paper snowflake with pictures on it.

(End of this chapter)