Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

Chapter 150 Loyalty

In the main hall of the Ursus Empire's palace, on the throne where light and shadow met, a robust Ursus giant unleashed his fury, the armrests of the throne even bearing several dents from the force of his blows.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous! How dare a mere duke do such a thing? How dare he conceal it from me, from his emperor, and arbitrarily decide the future of the Ursus Empire? Who gave him the power? Who gave him the audacity?!"

Fyodor abruptly fell silent, staring directly at Islam Witt, who was kneeling on one knee below the steps, silent. His fist clenched and then relaxed.

“Virt, you are not a courtier. I believe you are a capable person, someone who can understand Ursus and see the suffering of this country. I ask you, have you not noticed the underhanded dealings of the Third Army and Kosichee all along?”

“I was unaware,” Islam Witt said apologetically. “If I had been aware, I certainly wouldn’t have let things develop to this point.”

As the ball was abruptly abruptly ended by the Ursus Emperor's furious order, all eyes turned to what the enraged giant bear had discussed with Wayne in the room. Only Witt and the Minister of War knew that Fyodor had spoken almost nothing with Wayne; his entire conversation was with Witt and Minister of War Sanino, and the questions he asked concerned the military and noble affairs of the Ursus Empire's eastern territories.

But these details, which are usually overlooked, revealed a shocking truth when they were revealed and pieced together by the two of them: in the east of the Ursus Empire, an evil duke was plotting to drag the empire into a war with another ancient country, and this sensational conspiracy actually received the support of the imperial army and many local nobles!

Saint-Golden Castle was kept in the dark, Witt was kept in the dark, and the Minister of War was kept in the dark as well. The immortal duke named Kosichä cleverly concealed all the anomalies within the surface of daily life, so much so that no one in the vast Ursus Empire noticed the changes taking place in the East. In the end, it was only through the arrival of a prince from afar that everything was connected, and the conspiracy was exposed.

Witt felt a bitter taste in his mouth. It was a good thing that he had prevented a war that could have dragged Ursus into the abyss, but the fact that this war was prevented by outsiders made it seem like a bad thing or a good thing.

“Witt”.

"Fyodor called softly," Witt called out, and looked up in surprise to find the young Ursus emperor's face pale, his lips trembling slightly. He quickly replied:

"Your Majesty, I am here."

Fyodor gripped the armrests tightly, his attempt to maintain a calm expression appearing somewhat strained. His throat, hoarse from the furious roar, sounded even more mournful. He raised his head, looking at the massive Ursus Empire double-headed eagle banner hanging above the throne, and pursed his lips:

"Witt, tell me, did the interior defense team get involved in this?"

Witt paused, his mind racing, cold sweat already soaking his clothes. Were the Imperial Guards involved?

"No."

When Witte bowed and uttered those words, even he himself couldn't believe it.

The Ursus Inner Guard, the Emperor's sharpest blade, are the Empire's trump card on the front lines against the demons, and one of Ursus's most formidable individual combat forces. With the era of the previous Emperor over and the stars of war gone, the Ursus Inner Guard bears the crucial responsibility of protecting the Empire and carrying out the Emperor's decrees. Given this, how could they be completely unaware of what is happening in the East?

Being completely ignorant is not necessarily true; rather, being indifferent or unmoved is more likely.

Saint-Strong Castle was far removed from the Duchy of Koschei and Chernobog, where the incident occurred, and Fyodor's authority was currently confined to Saint-Strong Castle. It was understandable that he was unaware of what was happening in that distant, mobile city. Moreover, the deception was orchestrated by a master strategist like the Undying Black Serpent; he wasn't Wayne, incapable of foresight. But the Imperial Guard was different. They were spread throughout Ursus. Even if they hadn't fully grasped Koschei's plot, they should have noticed the unusual movements of the Third Army and the unusual exchanges between several noble knights—they were trained to investigate such matters. Yet, Saint-Strong Castle received absolutely no information, not even a single one!

Upon hearing Witte's answer, Fyodor's face showed a somewhat bitter smile. He shook his head and muttered to himself:

"No...nothing?"

"Witt, if I were to order the arrest of Duke Kosiché now, do you think they would bring Kosiché to me?"

Fyodor asked, and Witte paused for a moment before forcing himself to answer:

"The Imperial Guard will always be loyal to the Emperor, and as long as Your Majesty remains the ruler of Ursus, they will carry out your orders."

He had to say this: the Imperial Guard was the Emperor's last trump card. If the Emperor doubted their loyalty, it would be tantamount to discarding his last card. Therefore, even if they all harbored tacit suspicions about the Imperial Guard's loyalty, they couldn't openly admit it, at least not now that Ursus was in dire straits.

But Fyodor had had enough of this cryptic exchange. Perhaps the pressure of nearly going to war with Yan Kingdom had made him anxious, perhaps the feeling of being manipulated by a duke had enraged him, perhaps he was fed up with being deceived, fed up with being despised and ignored as emperor, he didn't hesitate as usual, but like a true Ursus, he gave a direct order:

"Stop with the pleasantries, I've had enough. If that were the case, they wouldn't have been so indifferent to the death of that old monster," Fyodor said angrily. "I don't trust the loyalty of the Inner Guard, at least not until a thorough investigation and purge. Witt, invite His Highness Wayne to the main hall of the palace for a while."

Witte looked up at the indistinct figure shrouded in shadow on the throne, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he simply nodded respectfully.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

.........

In the side hall, in Wayne's room, Wayne sat neatly dressed at his desk, showing no sign of going to bed even though it was nearly midnight.

He was waiting, waiting for the invitation from the emperor that could arrive at any moment.

Finally, just as the clock struck twelve, there was a gentle knock on the door. Wayne breathed a sigh of relief and a sly smile spread across his face, as if his plan had been perfectly executed.

"coming."

He replied.

Chapter 151 is up to you.

When Vayne saw the Ursus Emperor again in the magnificent palace, Fyodor's face was filled with disappointment and exhaustion.

Wayne could easily understand the emperor's thoughts at this moment. In fact, Wayne had experienced a similar predicament at the beginning of his transmigration. The King of the North had passed away, and Wayne lacked prestige and power. The original owner of this body was determined not to become emperor, resulting in Wayne initially having almost no supporters of his own. His impoverished start, distrust of noble ministers including Ernest, and the excessive caution stemming from the fear of being discovered by immortals like unicorns forced this supposedly modern young man to feign the life of a noble playboy for over half a year. Only when he finally discovered Vina's figure in the slums of Londinium, and the plan to switch places was officially implemented, did everything finally begin to change.

But Fyodor was different from himself. He didn't know what the future held, nor did he know the schemes that ruthless conspirators had been planning for years or even decades. He also had no trustworthy ministers around him. Every noble who should have been his supporter was mourning the late emperor, just as the Northern Kings of Londinium mourned the King of the North. They revered Fyodor just as the Northern Kings revered Vayne, not because Fyodor or Vayne themselves were so outstanding, but simply because they were "the late emperor's children," the rightful emperor, and puppets who could inherit the late emperor's ideals.

Just like how people in the past always thought that Lu Xun's grandson would definitely be a writer. The principle is the same. When your ancestors are too dazzling, until you surpass them in every way, you will always be just a shadow under their glory—a shadow that does whatever they do.

Humans have feelings, and even someone like Wayne couldn't help but feel helpless and sigh when he saw the Ursus Emperor, who should have held a high position and had so many similarities to himself, end up in such a state.

"There's not much I can do. Getting rid of Koschche is one thing. As for the rest, you'll have to figure it out yourself."

Wien silently said to himself, composed himself, straightened his posture, put on a formulaic smile, and greeted Fyodor:

"Good evening, Your Majesty Fyodor. You look somewhat tired. Although the affairs of the Empire are numerous and complicated, health is the foundation of everything. Why don't you get some rest?"

Fyodor then noticed Wayne's arrival, looked up, smiled with some relief, and replied in fluent Victorian:

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm sorry to have made you laugh. There are too many ugly things about the empire. If I could, I would really like to drag out those traitors one by one, stuff them all into cannon barrels, and send them to Kazimierz one by one."

He blinked, as if afraid Wayne wouldn't understand, and then explained further.

"Kazimir, an Ursus joke."

It's not that he doesn't speak Victorian, but in public he has to use Ursus, which is a responsibility and obligation of a leader of a major power.

Wayne smiled knowingly. The Ursus Empire had been waging war against Kazimir since the time of the previous emperor, with more than ten full-scale wars and countless local wars. However, Kazimir survived the Ursus Empire at its peak thanks to its fierce people and the protection of its knights.

To say that they survived is really only from the perspective of the overall situation and the size of the nation. In terms of specific battles, Ursus definitely lost more than it won. Even Ursus's strongest force at the time, the Sarkaz Wendigo Legion led by Bozokasti, together with the veteran army of Lord Hrag, almost suffered a complete annihilation in Kazimierz. In the end, if Patriot hadn't suddenly become powerful and replicated Zhao Zilong's impressive feat of charging into and out of the encirclement seven times to protect the king, Lord Hrag might not have been able to escape from the spears of the Silver Spear Pegasus.

Since then, while Ursus has occasionally attempted to fight Qazimir, all-out warfare has ceased, with most conflicts revolving around border skirmishes and localized conflicts. This situation was further quelled by the subsequent major rebellion, and it wasn't until Fyodor stabilized the country in recent years that Ursus resumed hostilities.

But joking and mocking inevitably involve Casimir has become a habit for this generation of Ursus people. For example, if you tell a chef at an Ursus restaurant that your cooking has the style of Casimir, he will most likely kick you out with a cleaver because you are insulting his cooking as being like shit.

The fact that Fyodor was joking with him meant that Fyodor had officially confirmed Kosiché's treasonous actions, and that he had thus gained the emperor's initial trust. This was a good thing, so Wayne went along with it, saying:

"Yes, those traitors thought they had done something flawless, but little did they know the principle that everything leaves a trace. Their heads, which are as big as the knights of Kazimierz, would never think of this."

Seeing Fyodor's pleased expression, Wayne pressed his advantage:

"It seems His Majesty Fyodor has completed his investigation?"

“The investigation is complete.” Fyodor nodded, leaned his head back on the throne, and closed his eyes. “The situation is worse than I imagined. Although it may be abrupt to say so, thanks to Mr. Wayne Bruce, your generosity has saved Ursus from a war that should never have happened. You are not my subject, so I cannot yet think of how to reward you.”

He paused, a helpless smile appearing on his face.

"Money, you have no interest in it. The wealth of Victoria has long been coveted by Ursus. Power, you don't care about it either, otherwise you wouldn't have ignored the Victorian throne, which is only one step away. Ironically, money and power are the only things I, as the Emperor of Ursus, can bestow upon others."

“Then why don’t you listen to what I want?” Wayne said with a light smile, his hands behind his back, looking completely at ease. “What I want, His Majesty can certainly afford, and will definitely be able to give.”

Fyodor looked interested: "Oh? Tell me about it?"

"No rush. His Majesty must have summoned me tonight for something he wants my help with. Let's finish the important business first, and then we can talk in detail."

Fyodor paused, then chuckled and clapped his hands. "You helped me, so I owe you another favor, making it even harder for me to refuse. Are you trying to leave me no room to back out?"

"Very well, I did have something to discuss with you tonight. Mr. Wayne, you want Koschche, right?"

"nature."

“I can authorize you to capture it yourself,” Fyodor said. “The unicorn is currently at Saint-Germain Castle. The Inner Guard has already made contact with them. I think you brought them here not just for your own safety, right?”

Wayne nodded slightly and praised, "Your Majesty is wise. However, I still need one more thing."

"what?"

“Your Majesty, please give me a written order to command the Imperial Guard to cooperate with the Unicorn in capturing Koschie,” Wayne said.

Fyodor frowned, quickly figuring out the details, and asked, his anger not directed at Wayne:

"Do you think the Imperial Guards will stop the Unicorn? Do you think they won't listen to my authorization for the Unicorn?"

Wayne neither nodded nor shook his head, but suddenly changed the subject, saying in Yan language, "Your Majesty, you can read more books from Yan; they have many admirable insights."

For example, "the emperor is far away and the sky is high." or "a general in the field may not obey military orders."

Fyodor listened to the intonation of those few words in Yan language and memorized them, planning to send someone to find a Yan messenger to ask about them the next day.

He nodded, got up and walked to the secret chamber behind the throne. After a while, he came out with a scroll written in strong Ursus script and handed it to Vayne.

"It's up to you now."

He wasn't just talking about scrolls.

P.S.: School is on holiday, and I was delayed on the train home, so the update is a little late. Please bear with me.

I bought an ergonomic chair, so I finally don't have to sit on a plastic stool to type anymore, yay! Tomorrow I'm going to try ear cleaning at a reputable hospital; I heard it feels really good afterwards. My ears have been itchy lately.

Chapter 152 What kind of person is Wayne?

"After seeing this, do you still have any questions?"

The unicorn, hands behind its back, spoke casually to the assembled guards before it. There were thirteen guards in total, one more than the twelve Beatrice had estimated. This number of guards was enough to annihilate a mobile city unprepared, yet they had been deployed to the eastern snowfields, with three Sarkaz lying in ambush beforehand. Even if one of them was a Demon Lord, this was still a rather grand spectacle.

Such a large-scale mobilization would inevitably lead to a weakening or even absence of defensive forces around Saint-Germain, a fact that Fyodor was completely unaware of. This shows how deeply the Ursus Emperor was misled, a situation that cannot be explained in a few words.

The head of the imperial guards silently passed the emperor's edict around to everyone. Only after each guard had read it did he raise his head and reply in a hoarse voice:

"No doubt. We will cooperate with your actions as ordered."

The Inner Guard are Ursus's sharpest blade and its most formidable hounds. Fyodor, acting in the name of the Lord of Ursus, issues orders that they have no choice but to obey, even if unwillingly. After all, if they were to truly fight against the unicorns wielding weapons against them, the outcome would be entirely uncertain.

"Then you should leave first. We don't know where Kosichek is, but you do, right?" Winster said calmly and imperiously.

The eyes beneath the guards' masks—if they still had that organ—stared at him for a long while before silently turning their heads, waving their hands, and disappearing into the snowfield with the remaining twelve guards.

Their unwillingness to answer is a disgrace. Throughout history, no imperial guard has ever been coerced by foreigners, and no emperor has ever helped foreigners to restrict the actions of the imperial guard.

Koschei was a loyal subject who devoted himself to Ursus and made countless outstanding contributions. It was because of his presence that the eastern territories of Ursus maintained peace for a long time, yet the emperor branded him a traitor. This must have been due to being misled by treacherous officials!

As imperial guards, they would carry out the emperor's orders, but while taking Kosiché to the palace in Saint-Germain to be tortured, they would also secretly find the damned whistleblower and then "purge the court of corrupt officials" for His Majesty the emperor!

Winster stared at the dark figure disappearing into the snowfield, watching the dark snow gradually recede into the distance, the gleaming lightsaber dispelling the kingdom, and the relaxed expression on his face gradually crumbled, returning to his solemn countenance.

Facing twelve guards simultaneously would be incredibly nerve-wracking even for him. His peak combat strength was roughly equivalent to that of a peak Bozokasti, and his expertise lay in intelligence gathering, assassination, and other clandestine operations; his direct combat ability was far inferior to Bozokasti's. If Patriot at his peak could single-handedly defeat four or five guards, he could at most fight three or four guards simultaneously without defeat.

The guards here were all veterans, survivors of Sunset Canyon. Even so, facing 13 new guards simultaneously was beyond his capabilities alone. He could only rely on the [Jedi Lightsaber] bestowed upon him by Prince Wayne, whose power and effects were unclear but seemed to counter the guards, and on Emperor Fyodor's edict, to intimidate them. As it turned out, his gamble paid off; the guards dared not openly disobey Emperor Fyodor's orders, nor did they fear Prince Wayne's authority. This allowed Theresa to successfully escape from the brink of death once again.

"Your Highness, you've been frightened."