Origin Paradise!

The old butler suddenly appeared, and said solemnly and sadly, "The young lady has passed away."

Wiglide's expression changed.

The three immediately went to the bedroom and found that the deceased was the eldest daughter of the Medici family. The young noblewoman lay in front of the dressing table, her breath gone. A hidden and potent poison, which had been dormant for many years and resembled a curse, had erupted and extinguished her life.

“A secret code,” Vigrid said coldly.

The god of whispers is the one who manipulates curses, forests, and deadly poisons.

It goes without saying who has been revived within the Seven Gods Cult.

"This is a declaration of war!"

Chapter 652 War's Favor

The Medici family castle.

The endless parties and banquets hosted by celebrities came to a halt.

The Duchess and Mirai wept uncontrollably. The young nobleman was furious and wanted to go out with his sword, but was stopped by the old butler. Some clergy who had conquered the church arrived and used divination and bloodline to track down the murderer, but all traces were nowhere to be found.

Wiglide was equally furious.

He had some affection for his family after his arrival.

If it were a forced "sacrifice" due to a scheme, he could accept it. But such a death was utterly worthless. The potential role that the eldest daughter of the Medici family could play had become nothing but empty talk.

“Let’s start the war,” Viglid said.

The fact that the traces have been erased most likely indicates that a peak-level hero intervened.

"Rhein Augustus".

“I can have the son of the Duke of the North die, and you will inherit the title of Duke, but on the condition that you and Governor Eleanor completely eradicate the Secret Language faith throughout the North.”

"Comprehensive?" Jiang He asked calmly.

“From priests to archbishops, that’ll be ten thousand heads of the Secret Word clergy,” Vigrid replied somberly. “In return, I will sever all ties with the Seven Gods. Since the emperor wants to see the Conqueror Church and the Seven Gods become enemies, then so be it.”

The sky belongs to the gods.

The land once belonged to the Titans, and later to the monarchies.

Vigrid said, "In the upcoming Holy Tournament, your opponents will all be church saints. Killing them will be a piece of cake for you."

"And I will deal with the Empress in a way that the Emperor would like to see."

Clearly, the Holy War Army had been plotting against the Holy Tournament for some time. The ironclad rules promised by the Dragon Emperor, including marquisate territories and sub-legendary weapons, were all resources that the Holy War Army needed.

[Hint: You have been granted the favor of the authority of war]

[Note: Due to increased weighting, victories in the Sacred Tournament phase will be counted towards the number of war victories in the Joint Promotion Mission.]

Jiang He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly.

Duke Vigrid, the God-Conqueror, wields the power of war.

……

In the afternoon.

The "second prince" secretly arrived in the capital.

The accompanying guards were Eleanor from the North and a tamed Saint-level monster, Storm Falcon.

The group went straight to the Medici Castle. The number of people, including maids, cooks, alchemists, and grooms, was only about twenty. For members of the royal family, this was undoubtedly a very simple and unpretentious trip.

Castle hall.

Upon seeing Jiang He, Eleanor immediately stepped forward and gave him a big hug.

"I miss you," said the blonde, blue-eyed girl.

Jiang He's expression was somewhat strange. When a certain person was lustful and clear-headed, he would often say things like "I love you," but never with such fervor and directness.

Not far away, Mirai Kamishiro was still immersed in grief over her elder sister's death. Upon seeing this scene, she burst into tears again. Although it was a choice made from her own heart, she was in fact no different from her lover.

Eleanor took two steps back reluctantly, exchanging pleasantries with those present as a governor of the North. Duke Vigrid responded with a forced smile, "What kind of good person could someone who married Rhine Augustus be?"

Among the crowd, the second prince stood there somewhat at a loss.

She was not a real prince after all. Before playing the role of a substitute, she was just an unknown maid on a farm. She was filled with anxiety and fear when she learned that the Imperial Council was about to conduct a joint investigation. Just explaining to the powerful and wealthy people why the prince had turned into a girl was an apocalyptic task.

Head maid Belladonna quietly approached and whispered, "Your Highness, I will protect you."

The Shadow Saint, at the pinnacle of gold, resolutely became an assassin, an undercover agent for the enemy, at the recommendation of Storm Sage, King of the Wild Hunt.

"Thank you, Lord Dona," the second prince said gratefully.

Only a quarter of an hour.

They didn't even set out a banquet to entertain guests.

The envoys from the court arrived at the Medici Castle, and the examination to verify the identity of the second prince began immediately.

The second prince turned pale, nervously grasped Belladonna's hand, and said in a trembling voice, "Lady Belladonna, someone has betrayed our whereabouts!"

Belladonna trembled as she said, "How terrible, Your Highness!"

Addressing the crowd, Vigrid said, "Let's set off then. To be honest, we have already won."

……

Golden Castle.

On the throne carved from the head of a giant dragon.

The Emperor of the Holy Empire reluctantly attended.

His current condition is similar to that of someone who has just finished fighting the King of Light, and it is rapidly deteriorating every moment, but it is still much better than when he was bedridden before.

Inside the vast and majestic palace.

On the left, led by Grand Chancellor Duke Vigrid, nine cardinals of the conquering church stood in a row, with Jiang He and Eleanor lagging behind by half a body length.

On the right, the seven sages of the Seven Gods Church and the seven chief archbishops stood in order, with the Minister of the Navy, the Duke of the West, and the Minister of Finance, the Duke of the East, also in attendance.

Beneath the throne, the King's Sword Guard, composed of the Demon Wolf and other members of the Holy Domain, stood with their swords raised.

The empire's core power structure contains over thirty Saint-level experts. If they were to unite, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous disaster for the local nobles.

On the throne, the emperor spoke wearily:

"I heard that the Marquis of Rhine has signed an order to eradicate faith in the North."

A vassal of a lord is not a vassal of a lord. Since the division of imperial power between the nobility and the church, the court has lost absolute control over the lower and middle-ranking local nobles.

In theory, the Northern Earls' handling of the secret language belief is a matter of their religious freedom, and the Emperor has no reason to interfere. However, he can put pressure on the Earls' superior, Marquis Rhein Augustus, since Duke Felix is ​​dead and the position connecting the upper and lower ranks is vacant.

Vigrid replied, “Your Majesty, I have received news that the new Duke of the North has passed away, and Rhine is ready to swear allegiance to me. The purge of faith in the North can be limited to the Church of the Secret Words and will not spread to other regions.”

This morning, Wiglitz decided to resolve the issue of the new duke.

It was only afternoon, and Felix's youngest son, who had inherited the title, was certainly not dead yet.

However, they are all the same. In a political sense, the Green Forest family, having lost its authority, strength, military power, and dominance, has reached the end of its life. Anyone can pronounce a death sentence as long as they can afford to buy a "coffin".

The emperor laughed and said, "Great noble of the North, my alchemist, pledging allegiance to you, does that sound appropriate?"

“It’s not appropriate,” Wiglitz said.

The emperor tapped the armrest and said, "Since Augusta and Augustus were originally from the same family, and the current marquises are both husband and wife, why not simply restore the ancestral honor of their bloodline?"

"The Western Border, the Southern Border, and the Eastern Border are also included."

The Imperial Council consists of seven members. If four of them agree, any order can be passed; otherwise, if the other four oppose it, even the emperor can refuse. Not every emperor can smoothly reach the pinnacle of power.

When the goddess of beauty turned back, the Dukes of the West and East, who should have strongly supported the Ten Gods Cult, chose to remain silent.

“Agreed,” Viglid said.

"Abstain," the Prime Minister stated.

The Grand Scholar is dead, and the Dragon Commander is absent.

The wolf hesitated. As the "King's Sword," he was also one of the seven members of the Royal Council. The Queen belonged to the Church of the Goddess of Beauty, and from the perspective of the "Queen's Hound," he naturally did not want to see the Augustus family grow stronger.

but.

The emperor said calmly, "Does my sword oppose me?"

The wolf knelt on one knee. "Everything is at your command."

The Prime Minister said, "Effective immediately, Rhein Augustus is promoted to Duke of the North, and Eleanor Augusta retains the position of Governor of the North. The investiture ceremony will be held at a later date."

"To be held on a later date" means "to cancel".

A Saint Guard presented the Duke's badge, and the matter was settled.

Inside the main hall, everyone waited quietly.

Half an hour later, a court lady brought news of the Queen's death. The nine cardinals looked at each other in bewilderment. After a long struggle, two of them stepped forward, their eyes filled with fanaticism for their faith. They took the poisoned wine from the guards and committed suicide.

At this moment, inside Golden Castle.

The Church of Conquest and the Church of the Seven Gods are in opposition.

The Saint-level experts were outnumbered seven to fourteen, putting them at a significant disadvantage.

Without the support of imperial power, defeat was to be expected.

On the right side of the assembled officials, power quietly shifted.

The Sage of Beauty retreated, while the Sage of Shadows stepped forward.

Vigrid's eyes showed some doubt. If the God of Whispers returned to his throne, then after the Queen's death, the Sage of Whispers should have taken over the leadership.

"Let the second prince enter the palace," the emperor said.

When the second prince stepped into the hall facing the assembled saints, his face was already deathly pale.

A hint of helplessness flashed in the emperor's eyes as he looked at Vigrid.

Viglid looked at Jiang He.

Jiang He looked at the emperor and said, "This is His Highness the Second Prince."

The Shadow Sage snorted coldly and said, "I request to begin the bloodline resonance."

“Agreed,” said the Duke of the West in his capacity as Minister of the Navy.

“Agreed,” said the Duke of the East, in his capacity as finance minister.

The demon wolf spoke up, "Agreed."

The emperor remained silent. He would not allow outsiders to deceive the royal bloodline. If Vigrid and the others found a remote branch or even an illegitimate child, he would accept it. But to randomly pick a stranger would be to disregard the dragon bloodline.

Wiglide's eyes were extremely serious.

Two Holy Guards approached, each wielding a scale from the Dragon of Calamity. The Second Prince trembled, yet his entire body emitted a dazzling aura, indicating the activation of his extremely pure dragon bloodline.

The emperor couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

This bloodline was so pure that it resembled that of his direct descendants.

"The authority of the dragon has given me the answer."

boom!

A commotion erupted within the Seven Gods Cult's ranks, as clergy from the Church of Destiny investigated. They had even thoroughly investigated the origins of the prince's double, finding it impossible for him to have dragon blood.

The Shadow Sage said coldly, "Your Majesty, she is a woman."

A woman, of course, cannot be a prince.

"She was born a daughter anyway," the emperor said lazily. "As for her preference for appearing as a man, I can't be bothered with that. But from now on, she should behave herself."

"Your Majesty!" the Shadow Sage cried out in dissatisfaction.

Other wise men secretly advised against it, but the emperor hoped that someone could stand against the third prince. Since the dragon bloodline was genuine, it didn't matter whether the prince was male or female; both had the right to inherit.

The second princess seemed to be living in a dream.

She seemed to have transformed from a farm maid into one of the most honored people in the entire Holy Empire.

The intense and unfamiliar surprise made her dizzy.