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

"Ah, no, never mind. No need for explanations. Send a message to Londinium."

Looking at the silver arrow gleaming from the crossbow pointed at him, Winster said,

"The facts of the Northern Duke's Normandy rebellion are clear, the conclusions are clear, and the Unicorn investigation is complete."

"Now, begin the suppression mission."

..........

At the same time. The Duchy of Normandy, the Duke's Palace.

The other three noble Republican Grand Dukes, who were anxiously awaiting news from the Duke of Normandy, finally received a message from the "Duke of Normandy".

The messenger before them wore a hood, his large horns wrapped in white cloth, and a strangely shaped gas mask on his face. A thick scarf was also wrapped around his chest. Despite it being the middle of summer, he was dressed in an outfit that would feel bulky even in winter. However, the dukes paid no attention to the messenger's bizarre attire, for they were already overwhelmed by the urgent message he brought.

"How dare that Normandy fellow attack the Royal Military Academy?!"

"It's said that Ernest Norfolk is leading the Royal Military Academy team this time. If something happens to him, Lentinium will definitely investigate thoroughly, and then our situation will be dangerous!"

"It's just about destroying evidence from a rich man with no status, and he's caused such a huge mess. Normandy is getting more and more useless as he gets older!"

The debate intensified until finally, the second person sitting below the vacant seat of the Duke of Normandy raised his hand and tapped the sandalwood tabletop heavily with his knuckles, bringing the situation back under control.

All eyes were drawn to the speaker – the Earl of Princeton.

Logically, an ordinary earl shouldn't have much say in a meeting with at least three grand dukes, but the Earl of Princeton was different—he was the son of the Duke of Normandy. In other words, he was the next Duke of Normandy.

This is the Duchy of Normandy, and the Duke of Normandy is currently the most powerful figure in the secret society, the Noble Republican Party. So even the other dukes are willing to listen to what this future leader has to say at this time.

The young Earl of Princeton stroked his sparse mustache, stood up, glanced at everyone present, and finally fixed his gaze on the messenger who had come to deliver the message, and said:

"There seems to be something you haven't said, isn't there?"

His eyes narrowed:

"Where is the evidence? Has it been destroyed?"

At this moment, everyone suddenly realized that they had forgotten the most important thing—whether the evidence of the deep-rooted presence of the noble Republican Party in the North had been destroyed by the Duke of Normandy.

If the damage is done, then the situation isn't entirely irreversible. They only need to pay a price, relinquishing some benefits. While it might be painful, it might appease the Lentinium nobles affected by the incident. And as long as Lentinium doesn't delve too deeply into the matter, they can eventually recover the ceded benefits through exploiting workers, oppressing merchants, and exchanging favors. Everything will be fine then.

But if it wasn't destroyed, then they had to consider the worst-case scenario.

—With the plot exposed, how will the aristocratic Republicans respond to the purge by Lentinium?

The gazes of the nobles instantly focused on the messenger standing at the door. Seemingly nervous and frightened, the messenger took a slight step back, her voice trembling as she spoke:

"I...I'm sorry. The destruction...failed."

Her tone was filled with immense helplessness and sorrow, but no one could see that beneath the gas mask, a triumphant smile played on her lips. She paused, then fabricated a story that horrified all the nobles present:

"Heidi Thomson published the King's notes to all the students of the Royal Military Academy... Although His Excellency the Duke eliminated Heidi, the contents of the notes had already spread. Although the Duke immediately blocked communications throughout the entire County of Dorron, preventing the information from reaching Londinium, once the students of the Royal Military Academy return..."

Like a demonic voice piercing her ears, she emphasized, word by word:

"Everything will be exposed."

"........how so."

"Is she really not afraid of death? If she reveals this, we're finished, but they'll be buried with us!"

"The students at the Royal Military Academy already know. What's the use of blocking communications? As soon as they return to Londinium, the noose of the gallows will be around our heads!"

Whispers filled the council chamber once more, fear creeping across the faces of every nobleman. No one noticed the Earl of Princeton's hidden smile, nor his discreet thumbs-up to the messenger. The crowd only saw him slam his fist heavily onto the sandalwood table, the sheer force of his blow leaving a shallow fist-shaped dent on the solid surface. The Earl of Princeton's lips were pressed tightly together, his brow furrowed, and a glint of determination flashed in his eyes.

He raised his right hand and roared:

"Gentlemen, we're in trouble! Heidi Thomson has made public the information in the Northern King's Notebook, not only severely embarrassing the royal family but also pushing us into a corner! The Duke of Normandy, my father, has cut off communications between the North and Londinium. This is a clear signal, and an excellent opportunity!"

"Our lives or the Royal Military Academy's lives! You all know the answer!"

Someone hesitated and sighed, "I understand what you mean, Earl, but even if we really do it... what then? Even if we kill everyone from the Royal Military Academy, we'll still face a thorough investigation from Londinium. If we slip up then, this battle will still be inevitable."

"But at that time, Lentinium didn't have Ernest!"

The Earl of Princeton said,

"Back then, the King of the North was able to overthrow the Lontinium kingdom with the power of a single territory. So why can't we, who now control an even more prosperous North, do the same? Gentlemen, the rise and fall of the nobility hinges on this battle!"

He slammed his fist on the table again and roared:

"We can't hesitate any longer, we must strike hard!"

Chapter 49 Victoria Has No King

"Welcome, Your Highness Theresa..."

As Vina spoke, she shifted her gaze from Theresa to the much taller and more imposing man standing behind her.

He bore a resemblance to Theresa, but was much more resolute. Vina had already guessed the identity of the person before her.

"And this gentleman... how should I address you, General Theresis, or perhaps the Regent of Kazdel?"

Vina rested her chin on her hand, her face full of worry. Two days had passed since the unicorn and Surtr went to the North, but there was still no news from the North back to Londinium. Vina had to consider the worst-case scenario—the rebellion in the North might be a foregone conclusion.

For Lontinem at this point, while the rebellion in the North is unlikely to shake its foundations again, the problem lies in the fact that Vina is finding it difficult to handle. The head of the General Staff, Marshal Ernest, along with his adjutant and some close associates, have all participated in the North's graduation examination because Wayne was also on the list of candidates. This has left the entire Victoria General Staff virtually empty. The remaining generals are not without ability, but Vina dares not easily deploy them. Based on the available information, she has no way of determining how many nobles were involved in this "secret faction" rebellion, or whether any of them hold high positions within the General Staff.

However, at this very moment, Theresa officially returned to Victoria, bringing with her an unexpected guest.

Therese maintained a composed expression throughout, her lips pressed tightly together, and in response to Vina's question, she simply replied:

"I am not the regent, not yet."

To be honest, Vina sometimes even envied Theresa. Although Kazdel was far less prosperous than Victoria, and Theresa was always several times busier than Vina, at least she had a brother willing to stand in the regent's seat and shield her from harm...

Unlike one of my own family members, who is now somewhere in the North, nowhere to be found, and doesn't even bother to call and let me know they're safe.

“Anyway, welcome back, Theresa.” Vina pointed to the empty prince’s seat below the steps and explained to Theresa, who kept glancing there, “My brother… Wayne isn’t here. He’s gone through something and is trapped in the North. I’m trying to find a way to rescue him.”

Theresa's beautiful eyebrows furrowed instantly, and she blinked, asking somewhat urgently:

"How is the situation?"

Vina opened her mouth but didn't speak, glancing at Theresis. The general could only shrug, bow slightly, and leave the throne room.

Vina then spoke:

"The situation isn't looking good right now. The unicorn..." Vina paused, then, thinking for a moment, decided to continue since Theresa was now on their side. "The unicorn has already headed to the North, but there are still many troubles ahead. The North has officially cut off communication with Londinium, and the situation may be spiraling out of control. I'm coordinating with the army to prepare..."

“What about Wayne?” Theresa interrupted. “Any news about him?”

Vina paused slightly, then pursed her lips. Reflecting on whether she had become less humane since becoming queen, she replied with a bitter expression, "There's still no news."

“I wanted to launch a preemptive strike to reclaim the North, but the situation is very complex and far-reaching. The rebellion itself isn't the scary part; what's truly frightening is what follows. Victoria's aristocratic system could be completely reshuffled, and I've been working myself to the bone these past few days. Wayne…”

Vina's face was somewhat pale.

"He was surrounded by Field Marshal Ernest, many officers from the General Staff, and students from the Royal Military Academy..."

Theresa immediately understood what Vina meant.

She was not saying that Wayne was safe around these people; on the contrary, Wayne was in extreme danger around them.

If there is no rebellion in the North, the hesitant nobles might let Wayne off the hook. But if the North does rebel—at least it seems so for now—then these people will transform from Wayne's shield into a powder keg. If the Northern rebels aren't truly foolish, they will absolutely not let go of such an opportunity to easily annihilate Lontinim's military and political strategists.

Wayne is in grave danger!

Theresa gritted her teeth; even she hadn't anticipated this turn of events. She had brought Theresis to Londinium, intending to brief Wayne and Vina in preparation for the impending Kazdel civil war, but she hadn't expected that before the Kazdel civil war even began, Victoria was about to face a political crisis. And her lover was now at the very heart of this crisis, his life constantly in danger.

So what should we do now?

Theresa's mind raced, but before she could come up with a solution, there was a sudden knock on the tightly closed doors of the throne room. It wasn't Theresa waiting outside, but rather the city official Arthur frantically pounding on the door, until Vina spoke up with a puzzled look:

"Please come in."

“Your Majesty.” Old Arthur looked anxious, clutching something Vina recognized very well—a high-end tablet computer, the year-end bonus Wayne received from a Columbia company called “Rhine Life”—where he had somehow become a major shareholder. Vina had been communicating with Theresa about returning to Victoria mostly via video call on the computer these past few days.

The laptop in old Arthur's hands was clearly one he had bought himself, and it looked a grade lower than the one Vina had. But what mattered wasn't its appearance, but its content. Old Arthur was so nervous that he didn't even bow to the future Princess Victoria before hurriedly handing the laptop to Vina and opening the speech by the Earl of Princeton, the leader of the North, which was currently dominating the headlines of all Victoria's television stations.

The title of the speech was "Victoria Had No King".

...........

Victoria, a remote outskirts of Toronto, a ruined mountain road.

After being nagged several times, Wayne finally sneezed under the influence of a mysterious force.

He was standing between the two groups of people.

On one side were the Yan Kingdom's shadow guards wielding long swords, and on the other side were the eternal god Surtur and the mudstone colossus launcher, who had inexplicably appeared in Victoria.

"Stop, stop."

Wayne raised his hand, making a gesture to interrupt, and unexpectedly, both sides actually stopped.

Logically, shouldn't you all turn around and tell me to get lost at this point?

"Can someone explain to me what happened?"

Chapter 50 Kal'tsit: The Death Gaze

Wayne is now very glad that he didn't bring Chen with him. But he is also very sad at this moment, because although he didn't bring Chen, he did bring Kal'tsit.

"So I came here to rescue you on Her Majesty the Queen's orders, do you understand?"

Although he used honorifics politely, Wayne couldn't detect a trace of humility in Surtr's tone.

Sister 42 is so arrogant.

But that's understandable, considering it's Surtr.

The image of the fire giant, taller than a volcano, from the EP flashed through Wayne's mind. He wondered if Surtr in reality could achieve that.

It's probably not possible, otherwise he wouldn't have been wandering alone on Terra for so long without being picked up by anyone.

Wayne gave Surtr a thumbs-up, but actually, the thumbs-up was also for Mudrock behind Surtr.

When the explosion occurred, Mudrock was sitting in the car. Summoning the Mudrock Colossus directly from the earth without any ritual preparation, such as sculpting a small clay figure, was an extremely arduous task, and frequent use could even deplete her own life force. Knowing that her state-of-the-art power armor could easily withstand the explosion, Mudrock still resolutely summoned the Colossus. Otherwise, Wayne wouldn't be seeing Miss Heidi now, injured and unconscious, but still alive.

Mudrock was exhausted; the immense mental exertion made her drowsy, but when she noticed Wayne giving Surtr a thumbs-up, she felt a pang of pain in her heart. Forcing herself to stand up straight despite her fatigue, she resolutely assumed the same posture as Surtr. Only when Wayne subtly shifted the direction of his thumb from beside the smug Surtr towards himself did Mudrock's face beneath her mask flush slightly, and her exhaustion seemed to lessen considerably.

"If His Highness Wayne were to study Originium Arts, he would definitely be a very powerful medical operator."

Feeling his heart beating stronger and stronger, Niyan muttered to himself softly.