A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 554 The Alliance of Fathers' Worries

"Is that all?" Gregory feigned surprise at the animals that were served.

"Um?"

"Your Majesty," Gregory said confidently, "I mean, to be on the safe side, it would be best to have someone test it." He first had the guards stir it carefully with a silver spoon a few times, then showed them the shiny, new-looking surface: "It hasn't turned black."

Then, the monk instructed the guards to prepare three cups and feed them to the rabbit and the dog respectively.

The rabbit looked bewildered; it had only drunk a small amount. The dog, forced to drink the entire cup, began barking incessantly.

There's one more cup.

Gregory walked up to the guard with a smile and suddenly grabbed the man's arm.

"ah----"

Screams filled everyone's ears. No one expected that this skinny, alcoholic guy could unleash such tremendous strength, breaking the poor guard's bones in an instant with just his bare hands.

Suddenly, all the gun barrels were pointed at the monk.

"I severed your right arm. If you don't want to be a useless person for the rest of your life, drink this." Gregory offered the third cup of the potion.

It was emerald green, indistinguishable from the first one offered. The guard's reason was in turmoil; on one hand, he feared that refusing the potion would truly leave him crippled; on the other hand, he instinctively resisted this dangerous and sinister man—he was a devil!

"Drink." The emperor's order arrived.

The guard could only open his trembling lips and bring the cup to his lips. Gregory, with a look of pleasure on his face, slowly poured the medicine into the guard's mouth, appearing somewhat "kind" at this moment.

The medicine tasted like the strongest distilled liquor as soon as it entered my throat, which was strange since it contained no alcohol.

Then the burning pain spreads from the esophagus throughout the body, especially to the injured areas. The drinker feels as if their shattered right arm is burning, while their stomach and other previously injured areas are also experiencing intense agony.

From an observer's perspective, large beads of sweat quickly appeared on the guard's forehead. He collapsed to the ground with an extremely contorted and painful expression, curling up and rolling around.

The emperor frowned.

Gregor used his foot to step on the guard, and his eagle-claw-like hand accurately grasped the man's right wrist and pulled him: "Enough, you are perfectly healthy now, please resume your duty-bound demeanor."

The guard's body creaked as he was lifted, and then he was surprised to find that all his pain had disappeared, including his right arm that had just been crushed.

"This is amazing!" The soldier exclaimed in disbelief, waving the flag a few more times.

The emperor was also somewhat taken aback. He immediately turned around—the anti-magic device was still operating, emitting annoying noises and uncomfortable arcs of light.

"Your Majesty, as before, the decision to drink it is entirely in your hands," Gregory said humbly once again. "However, this potion is more than enough. You only need to drink one cup, the same cup as before, or precisely weigh seventy-seven grams."

"The rest is also at your disposal. My suggestion is," he lowered his body so that others could see his eyes, "that it can be given as a reward to your loyal subjects."

"..." The emperor's voice trembled slightly. His right hand had broken free from the empress's embrace and was instead instinctively pressing against his mangled left arm: "My symptoms... even the mages of the Forest Tower are helpless. They've used many terms, like aftereffects, nerve damage..."

"And I can, just as their sorcerers and servants of false gods cannot perform tricks in your device, I can."

"It's not because of my own abilities, but because of the deity I believe in. His love is so great that it can heal everything. Unfortunately, not everyone can understand and bear this love."

"Let's not discuss this for now. You did very well, completing it under the device was beyond my expectations." He suddenly remembered something and waved to someone in the crowd.

Wilhelm II was signaling to the imperial spellcaster: You may leave now.

"It is an honor, Your Majesty, but I would like to offer some suggestions so that I may better serve you and the Empire."

Later, the area of ​​the palace's anti-magic device was expanded to a much larger area. However, rumors circulated that the device in the most central area had been moved, and that the emperor often kept the palace gates locked, supposedly because he was practicing some kind of witchcraft.

At first, the imperial high command thought such rumors were nonsense, because they knew that the young emperor hated supernatural powers the most.

It wasn't until more and more circumstantial evidence emerged that the Imperial Speaker, the new Chancellor, and Marshal Helmut, whose friendship with the Emperor was rapidly depreciating due to the defeats in the war, felt it necessary to investigate and subtly question His Majesty.

However, these people were soon drawn into another major matter that consumed almost all of their energy:

Something even more terrifying than the Valois army besieging the capital has happened: a rebellion!

Initially, there were sporadic mutinies among frontline soldiers. Unlike the mutinies among lower-ranking officers, these soldiers did not take the fate of the empire as their own responsibility. Their demands were simple: a ceasefire.

If that's all there is to it, even if the scale gradually expands, the empire is confident it can suppress it.

The General Staff judged that the Valois were not being kind and leaving others a way out, but rather that they themselves were facing serious problems. In addition to material shortages, the turmoil in Valois had reached a new climax, and there were even rumors that His Excellency Maxim, the Republic's "First Citizen," had disappeared.

In other words, the Republic is also at a standstill; they pose no immediate threat, allowing the Imperial Army to deal with any mutineers they may encounter.

Unfortunately, the officials in the capital misjudged the situation; it wasn't just the soldiers who harbored strong resentment. Farmers forced to requisition grain, ordinary citizens burdened with special war taxes and whose lives became unstable, and wealthy merchants bankrupted by the collapse of war bonds and the financial market—all these people were suffering and harboring resentment.

The capital of Bohemia, with beer halls everywhere.

"Soldiers, citizens, all citizens of the Empire, look at our country. Is it still something we can be proud of? Can it still keep its promises to us?"

"The Valois have reached the Oder River and are now withdrawing on their own initiative. The pot-bellied general thinks it is his achievement, but have we won even one victory since the beginning of winter?"

"An evil god destroyed a large city with hundreds of thousands of people. The tragedy has attracted worldwide attention, but the empire's mouthpieces have all remained silent, and the whole country is indifferent. Do we have to wait until a similar disaster happens in our homeland?"

"The Empire is in its most critical moment. Please stop saying 'I am a Bohemian, I am a Württemberger, I am a Bavarian!' Let us unite and save it! If the Valois can save their country like this, we can do even better!"

The speaker, Pavel Kroc, waved his speech, inspiring a wave of approval from the crowd. His face flushed, his chest heaved, and he thought to himself: Well done, Kroc, you did it!

Similar speeches suddenly erupted throughout the empire, spreading rapidly through frontline camps, cities, and ports. Propaganda materials and "Palace Secrets" also spread quickly through the same channels, and even the appeals of these rebels could be seen on the last page of pirated books.

In no time, the "National Salvation Alliance" became famous.

Its initiators are all "heirs of emperors," wealthy and influential, capable of recruiting not only frontline soldiers but also many mid- and lower-ranking officers. This fact has not yet been publicized by any media outlet.

As for the masses who were alienated by the young masters, a mysterious figure provided technical support in a certain area. The route of introduction was from Valuwana to Bain. Some young masters who were not in the army received professional training and supporting propaganda services to make up for this deficiency.

The mysterious figure Varen's backer, the BIG BOSS, put down his newspaper, recalled the list of bloody handprints, and complained to Andrei:

"What 'National Salvation Alliance'? It's clearly the 'Fathers' Alliance'! These young masters' fathers still hold important positions by His Majesty William's side."

"Are there any reports of high-ranking officials or nobles in the capital suffering heart attacks?"

Andrei shook his head: "No."

Luo Xia tapped the table: "If you don't have enough, then increase the effort and send more money and supplies to the fathers who are worried about their children."

(End of this chapter)