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

Theresa looked at her, and after a long while, nodded helplessly:

"understood."

She sat down in her chair, temporarily putting aside her work, but her mind was far from relaxed. She worried about Wayne's current situation while repeatedly considering whether to tell Vina the suggestion that had been swirling in her mind all night, but which she hadn't yet voiced.

Finally, her concern for Wayne outweighed her worries about potentially upsetting Vina and causing her to overthink things. She gritted her teeth, made up her mind, and spoke:

"Vina, why can't Lontinim send troops to the north now?"

Vina turned around in confusion, her beautiful brows furrowing as the topic came up:

"Because we cannot determine which nobles are traitors, nor can we confirm whether any military personnel are also traitors. The rebellious Duke of Normandy was once a general under the King of the North. Given his influence in the military, we must be wary. Only after thoroughly investigating the General Staff and ensuring their loyalty can Lentinium dare to send troops with peace of mind."

A general's incompetence can lead to the death of an entire army. Saving Wayne is important, but Vina cannot gamble the lives of hundreds of thousands of Victorian soldiers on the fact that the person leading them is not a spy for the rebels, or that they might be led headlong into an enemy trap to their deaths.

Therefore, Lontinim cannot and dare not move. This is also a major reason why those powerful nobles who are holding back advocate against distant expeditions and only engage in close combat. This is a reasonable fact that Vina cannot refute.

But unexpectedly, Theresa stood up and asked seriously:

"What if... I mean, what if we had a general we could trust?"

Vina was taken aback, tilted her head, and asked, "Who?"

Theresa took a deep breath and said:

“Me and my brother, Theresis, the chairman of the Kazdel Military Council. Don’t let my appearance fool you, I’m a skilled warrior too.”

Every Sarkaz is a fighter, forced into it by circumstances, and Vina has no doubt about that.

But she still frowned, puzzled, her eyes filled with doubt, as if wondering why Theresa would make such a far-fetched suggestion:

“Theresia, you’re joking. Victoria’s soldiers will not accept Sarkaz’s leadership. And those nobles will use this as an excuse to attack the royal family.”

Vina didn't fly into a rage, which relieved Theresa slightly. She explained:

"What if you were to personally lead the army?"

"Theresis and I certainly won't directly lead Victoria's army; he will only serve as a military advisor, working alongside me."

Theresa clenched her fist and said seriously:

"Let's unite!"

"Vina, with your personal command and military advice from Theresis and me, along with His Highness Bruce, we can form a pincer movement from both sides! The rebels will surely be routed!"

"In this way, the Empress's personal campaign to quell the rebellion will bring your prestige to its peak in the country. When you return to Londinium with a victory, you can also resolve the troublesome noble issues and vent your anger!"

Vina blinked, her brows furrowed, lost in thought.

Her initial plan was to lead the army in person, and after receiving a long-awaited call from Wayne last night, she told him about it.

As for military strategy, she's indeed not skilled in it, so choosing a military advisor is definitely necessary. But Theresis...

Vina didn't have a good impression of this person; many of his radical proposals were unacceptable to her.

But war is inherently merciless. If the rebels cannot be swiftly and decisively crushed, not only will Wayne's life be in danger, but the throne that Wayne trusted and entrusted to him will also be shaken.

That can't be done. Showing mercy to the enemy is being cruel to oneself. She's worried about whether Theresis might threaten the traitor's life, but who's worried about Wayne, trapped in the North, suffering unknown hardships?

"call--"

Vina took a deep breath and silently reminded herself:

"There is no need to show mercy to those who refuse to surrender."

She looked at Theresa and nodded:

"Let's do it this way. Notify Unicorn and Theresis that we're setting out tomorrow!"

Chapter Seventy: The Deep Pool

Victoria, Londinium, Iron Palace.

Therese had just received a call from Theresa and returned to her room with a stern face.

He scratched his head in frustration, looked down, and saw that a few more strands of hair had fallen out.

If this continues, I'll eventually overwork myself and go bald.

I don't know what Theresa was thinking. Didn't they come to Victoria to discuss the Kazdel civil war with Queen Aslan? How come Victoria itself is in turmoil before the Kazdel war even started?

Let the internal strife be internal strife. In Theresis's eyes, that rabble in the North was utterly insignificant. A group of unorganized and undisciplined rebels, who appeared to occupy the North with great momentum, actually lacked a leadership core. They were like an infant holding a cannon, completely unaware of how to unleash the power of the Victorian elite equipment that Theresis so desperately coveted.

If this were Kazdel, and such rebels dared to revolt, Theresis wouldn't even need to deploy his regular army. He could simply recruit a few mercenary squads from nearby mobile cities, send a general over to give them unified command, and wipe them all out without leaving a trace.

Unfortunately, the queen of this country, like Theresa, was too indecisive. A ruler must be ruthless and decisive. When dealing with powerful nobles suspected of rebellion, appeasement and winning them over is the worst approach; the more you yield, the more they will take advantage. Only by being firm and using an iron fist can you make them submit.

The Sarkaz have experienced this far too much!

Negotiating with someone is less effective than talking yourself hoarse and then shooting them in the head with a gun. If they're honest, we'll continue negotiating; if they're dishonest, we'll find someone else to talk to. Go ask God for reimbursement for your appearance fee.

Theresis was frustrated. During his time in Victoria, although he wasn't restricted in his freedom, the unicorn's gaze was always watching him from the shadows. If Theresa hadn't insisted that he stay, he would have already bid farewell and returned to Kazdel to continue his "path to a powerful nation."

Today, news finally came from Theresa, but it wasn't to inform him to prepare to return home. On the contrary, they were to go in the opposite direction, to serve as military advisors to Queen Victoria, and to personally lead an expedition to quell the rebellion.

Kazdel isn't even finished yet, and Theresa is already worried about other countries?

Therese really wanted to grab Theresia and ask her if she had actually fallen for that young man, Aslan, because she cared so much about him.

But the order had already been given, and he had no way to disobey it. Moreover, suppressing Victoria's rebellion would also benefit Kazdel, so for the sake of common interests, he reluctantly agreed to the decision.

"The Master of Pardons".

Sitting in the chair, the armor rattled as Theresis called out.

The pardoner emerged from the shadows, as if he had been waiting there all along.

"Chairman, what is it?"

When one is in a foreign land, one should use one's official title. The title of "Absolution Master" is perfectly fine. However, for some reason, when Therese heard the title "Chairman," he always felt a mysterious power from the East empowering him, making him instantly sharp-witted and able to see with his own eyes that the Lateran revolver, which was dozens of miles away, was now five meters to the right of its target location.

Therese frowned, shaking off the inexplicable fantasies in her mind. After a moment of thought, she gave the pardoner a warning glare.

The pardoner tilted his head in confusion.

What are you looking at?

Thankfully, Therese didn't reply with a "What are you looking at?".

Theresis withdrew his gaze and gave the order:

“Transfer a pardoner from Kazdel and send him to the North to check on the Prince of Wales’ situation and, incidentally, protect him.”

The pardoner blinked in confusion, first obediently replying, "Understood." Then, he asked疑惑地问道, "Whom should I send?"

Who should I send? Do you really need to ask me about something like that?

Therese couldn't help but feel a wave of weariness.

"This entry was arranged with Victoria. The ability to infiltrate is not too strong; the important thing is combat capability."

Therese thought for a moment and added,

"It would be best to get to know the Prince of Wales a bit better, as it would make things easier to communicate with him. After all, Victoria's situation is quite complicated right now, so we should try to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings with him."

The pardoner nodded. He thought to himself, "He's not good at stealth, he's highly skilled in combat, and he's familiar with Wayne. Maybe I should just give him Shining's number."

The Chairman is always like this; he keeps his thoughts to himself. He would rather describe something that could be said in a single sentence or by name than go through the motions of describing it in a roundabout way.

He thought Princess Theresa's comment to Lord Kal'tsit was quite right:

"Lord Kal'tsit, please speak plainly. Do not speak to me, the riddle-maker."

It would be fitting to say something to the Chairman as well.

"I'll arrange it right away. But..."

The pardoner dared to ask a question,

"Actually, wouldn't it be more in line with our plan to let him suffer some hidden injuries?"

Therese shook her head:

"No, that's too risky. Based on my research on that man over this period of time, he is definitely not simple. If you have ulterior motives towards him at this time, it will be easy to be exposed. In that case, we will not only fail to achieve our current results, but may also cause trouble."

"And Theresa will be sad."

The pardoner nodded respectfully and turned to leave.

He always felt that the real reason the chairman refused to betray Wayne was because of Princess Theresa.

But he's a smart man, so let's just pretend we didn't hear the last sentence.

........

Victoria, ? ? ?, the secret room.

The Earl of Princeton cautiously glanced around, and after confirming that there were no outsiders, he left his trusted guards on the perimeter of the secret chamber and entered it alone.

This is a cave chamber transformed from mossy rock and reinforced alloy. The air inside is humid yet stuffy, and a faint flicker of firelight can be seen at the end.

The Earl of Princeton strode forward, his face full of anticipation and joy.

Finally, he jogged to the end of the secret chamber, where the firelight was flickering.

He met the person he most wanted to see.

Wearing a strange hood that covered her enormous, towering horns with cloth, and dressed like a girl strolling through a snowy field in winter, despite it being the middle of summer, she was covered with a scarf. A discerning eye would recognize this girl, radiating an aura of "heat," as the messenger who informed the nobles gathered in the Duchy of Normandy that "the plot had been exposed," and who, in concert with the Earl of Princeton, instigated the rebellion in the North.

But at this moment, the messenger's demeanor had completely changed. She stood proudly on a high rock in the secret chamber, her azure eyes burning with fire, filled with arrogance and disdain. At this moment, she did not look like a messenger at all, but a proud monarch.

Upon seeing the Earl of Princeton, a flash of cold disgust crossed his eyes, but he quickly concealed it, extending his hand to the Earl and greeting him in a clear, ethereal voice:

"Welcome, Earl of Princeton, you are very punctual."

The Earl of Princeton quickly replied, "How could I not be punctual to meet you, my dear Prince Reed?"

Mentioning reeds, the girl's expression darkened slightly, and her eyes subconsciously turned to the side, looking at the girl standing beside her on the steps, whose robes were also tightly wrapped, leaving no skin exposed.

Reeds, hehe.

The girl had absolutely no way to deal with her younger sister.

After she was attacked and disappeared during a mission at Deep Pool in Dublin while serving as her double, several years later, when the girl saw her again in Dublin, she had transformed from an important figure in the Drak Restoration faction and her double into the daughter of the Aslan invaders, a pitiful girl suffering from amnesia.

They finally managed to retrieve Reed while the North was off guard and the King in the North was fully deployed to Londinium. But now, Reed is definitely no longer useful as a substitute.