That night, Roland held a grand banquet in the lord's castle.
This was the first time that the Witch Union had initiated an attack on the church. In addition to rescuing Spear Passi, they also captured Priest Hermes.
When the five witches who had participated in the battle stepped onto the stage, the hall burst into applause. Roland, who rarely drank, drank two glasses of Evelyn's special iced white wine with fruit juice.
Although it was only a small victory, the long Months of the Demons itself made people nervous, so he also hoped to take this opportunity to relax everyone's mood.
The next day, when Roland walked into the office, rubbing his dizzy head, Nightingale was already sitting cross-legged on the table, waiting.
"Don't you need to rest?" he asked with a smile.
Ever since he agreed to intercept the emissary delegation, he had never really felt at ease. Even though he knew that once they entered the open area, her Mist ability would make her invincible, he was still worried about accidents. After all, this was not a daily practice, but a real battle of life and death. Now that he saw her in high spirits, he suddenly felt much better.
Nightingale swallowed the dried fish and said, "Of course not. I've recovered to my best state."
As soon as Roland sat back in his seat, she jumped off the table, went around the back of the chair and hugged him. "If I rest for one more day, I won't have to see you for one more day."
The prince was slightly stunned.
"Actually, I wanted to do that in the castle garden yesterday... but it doesn't matter now," Nightingale whispered in his ear.
...
She didn't let go of him until she heard footsteps outside the office. She then disappeared into the Mist.
"Your Highness," the guard shouted, "Marquess Passi, the Lord of Fallen Dragon Ridge, is here to see you."
"Let her in." Roland cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
Spear Passi walked into the office, bowed, and then sat in front of the table. "I've carefully considered your requirements."
"What do you think?" He poured her a cup of tea.
While Nightingale, Ashes and the others were fighting the Church, he had not been idle. Other than bringing the Marquess around the town, he had also held many discussions with her. During that time, Roland briefly explained the crisis that the kingdom was about to face, the origins of the church, and the threat of the devil. He also told her about his plans for the future.
When Spear heard the origin of the church and the reason for hunting witches, she was so shocked that her eyes almost popped out. If it weren't for Tilly and Agatha's testimonies, she probably wouldn't have believed that witches had once ruled the entire Barbarian Land. But since then, her attitude had changed a lot.
"Taking back the power of enfeoffment, implementing the same laws and administrative system, not inheriting positions, and not selling … I can accept these requests, but …" She paused. "I'm just curious, do you really intend to promote them to the whole territory?"
"That's right. If we don't do this, Graycastle will just be a pile of loose sand." Roland nodded. "Before the arrival of the final enemy, I have to gather as much power as possible."
"By doing this, you'll be offending all the nobles," Spear said slowly. "Especially the non-inheriting of positions. If I understand correctly, being the lord of a territory is also a kind of position. In this way, your identity as the Rebel King will be confirmed. "
"So I never expect them to take the initiative to give in." He tapped the table lightly. "Before the fateful Battle of Divine Will, the resistance of the nobles isn't the most important thing to consider. Besides, I'm not trying to kill them all. As long as these people can integrate into the new system and even keep their own territories, they'll only lose the power of enfeoffment. I believe they'll make a wise choice. "
Centralization of power was a system that could only be achieved when the central government had absolute power. If the local forces were too strong, not to mention centralization of power, even his position could be overthrown at any time. Unlike a year ago, the town now had the power to change. When this step was completed, Graycastle would only have one real ruler, and that would be himself.
"It seems that you've made up your mind." Spear sighed. "If I don't accept it, I'll be overthrown by your army."
"In this plan, what I lack the most is manpower," Roland said sincerely. "Especially managers who have the experience of governing a city and a place. Just as I said, you did not lose your territory, and you can also openly appear in front of the people as a witch. You will no longer be threatened by the church. "
The Marquess was silent for a moment. "I also have a request."
"Go ahead."
"After you help me take back Fallen Dragon Territory, I hope that nothing will change for the time being," she said bluntly. "Unless Timothy is overthrown, I can only stand on your side without any scruples."
"A perfect answer..." Roland thought. It wasn't a direct rejection, but also left room for negotiation. In layman's terms, he had to prove to her that unifying Graycastle wasn't just empty talk, and that he really had the strength to do so. Only then would she be willing to side with him.
"Then it's a deal." He didn't care about the Marquess's little calculation at all. If the spring offensive went well, Timothy's fall would be even faster than the recovery of Fallen Dragon Territory.
"By the way, Your Highness." Spear hesitated for a moment. "Can I go with the witches' lessons tonight..."
Roland was stunned. "Those are very basic lessons. I don't think you can learn anything from them."
"I think those calculations are very interesting." She shook her head and said, "I've never seen anything like them in the arithmetic books before."
"Does she mean the multiplication table or algebraic equations?" He couldn't help laughing. "Of course, as long as you're willing to join the Witch Union."
…
After lunch, Iron Axe brought good news.
"He's willing to talk?" Roland was a little surprised. "So soon?"
According to Nightingale, he had thought that the captured priest was a stubborn person.
"Not everyone has an iron will, Your Highness," Iron Axe replied solemnly. "The Sand Nation has some unique interrogation methods, which cause very little physical harm, but are extremely destructive to the will. They can even make people feel that death is a kind of release. He has already surpassed many ordinary people."
"That's right," Roland thought. "Professional spies not only have extraordinary willpower, but also have to undergo special interrogation training to keep their mouths shut. Obviously, no one in this era has such experience."
"Take me to him." Roland nodded. "I have a lot of questions to ask."
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