A burly man stood up from the back row on the left. He pulled out his sword and rushed over, but a few people stood up to stop him.
Loriste stared coldly at the burly man, "Earl Aslan? Haha, let's not talk about the Aslan family being enemies with us. We, the Norton family, will not let your family go. I believe you know what your brother has done. Since the Aslan family dares to challenge the dignity of the Norton family, then just wait for the Furious Bear's revenge. "
"Your Highness, how do you think I should deal with this Viscount Aslan?" Loriste turned around and kicked the ball back to the second prince.
The second prince's face was ashen. After a long silence, he finally opened his mouth, "Earl Norton, let me first apologize to you. Everything that happened in your territory was not my intention. As the lord of the Norton family, I was too busy to notice the small conflicts in the Norton family's territory. This is indeed my negligence.
But Viscount Aslan is the tax inspector appointed by the kingdom. Even if he committed a crime, he should be punished by the kingdom's court. Moreover, he is a noble, and you insulting him like this is not a noble's demeanor. But I can understand your anger. After all, Viscount Aslan has offended the dignity of the Norton family. So, hand him over to me, and I will deal with him. Let's end this matter here. "
The second prince thought that he had already compromised, and his words were very beautiful. He gave Loriste a good way out of this situation. Everyone valued peace, so there was no need to quarrel over these small matters.
But the second prince did not expect that after he said this, the whole palace suddenly became silent. Everyone's eyes became a little strange.
Loriste laughed loudly. His laughter echoed in the palace. It sounded so ear-piercing and arrogant.
"Your Highness, have you forgotten that the rights of a lord are sacred and inviolable? If Viscount Aslan's actions can be let off lightly, doesn't that mean that the royal family can send people to order the lords around and do whatever they want? I brought Viscount Aslan to you only because he is your appointed tax inspector, it does not mean that you have the right to punish him … "
Laurist's words were very straightforward. I'm giving you face because you are my superior lord. Although Viscount Aslan is the tax inspector you appointed, he has offended the dignity of the Norton Family and must be punished. Unless you took the responsibility and admitted that it was your idea, then we would simply fall out and become mortal enemies. Otherwise, how to deal with Viscount Aslan is the Norton family's business. You, the second prince, only have the right to suggest, but not the right to decide.
The second prince was a little angry because he had said the wrong thing again. Although the nobles here followed his lead, what he said just now really touched the bottom line of the territory nobles. The best outcome for Viscount Aslan was to be hung to death by the lord. If a lord wasn't in his territory, then the tax inspector appointed by the lord could do whatever he wanted. Then all the nobles in the territory would refuse the summons of the lord and stay in their own territory, not going out.
Some things could be done, but they could not be said. Just like what Laurist said, the rights of the lord were sacred and inviolable. This was the consensus of the nobles in the entire Galinthea Continent.
As the lord, the second prince could rely on his powerful military force to coerce the nobles of the kingdom to obey his orders. Just like the Northern Grand Duke in the past, waving the big stick of the Northern Army to plunder money from the nobles in the north, or like the second prince, forcing the nobles under him to gather their private armies and listen to his orders. But these methods could only be done in private. The law of the jungle also applied to the nobles. If you couldn't deal with it, you could only blame your own bad luck.
Only the words that the second prince said in public just now were like raising his hand into the bowl of the nobles to eat. For the nobles, they bullied their subjects and fought each other to the death. This was all their own business. But the punishment that the second prince gave to Viscount Aslan was already touching the nobles' cheese.
If the second prince sincerely apologized and asked Laurist to hand over Viscount Aslan to him, and promised to deal with it according to the Norton family's wishes, then maybe Laurist would do as he wished and hand over Viscount Aslan to him. At that time, he could contact Laurist in private and ask the Aslan family to pay a large sum of money for the Norton family's forgiveness and save Viscount Aslan's life. After all, no one would say no to money. With the second prince's face and help, the matter could be resolved perfectly. Those who knew about it would also praise the second prince for his wit and slyness.
But no matter what, the Second Prince had gotten used to being domineering over this period of time with an army of 300,000 in his hands. He naturally treated Laurist as one of the submissive nobles under his command, and spoke his mind without even thinking. Now, not only did it mean that he was going to stick his hand into the jurisdiction of the nobles and attract the attention of the nobles under him, his words also forced the Norton family to the point of falling out with him.
Laurist had already made it very clear that he only brought Viscount Aslan in front of him to give him face. Since you want to protect him, then don't blame us for not being polite.
"Then what do you want? Count Norton … "The second prince said word by word, gritting his teeth in hatred.
"Simple. We are very dissatisfied with Your Highness' suggestion, so we can only follow the Norton family's rules." Laurist made a throat-slitting gesture. Freya, who was behind him, pulled out his longsword and made a light slash. Viscount Aslan's head was immediately cut into two …
Everyone was silent …
No one thought that Laurist would publicly order Viscount Aslan's head to be beheaded, and this was even during the banquet to welcome him.
A few screams rang out. These were the nobles' female relatives fainting after seeing the bloody scene …
"Clang!" The sword in Count Aslan's hand fell to the ground. His body swayed as he looked at his decapitated brother on the ground. He stared at Laurist with hatred, "Very good. Just wait for the Aslan Family's revenge!"
With that, Count Aslan walked out of the palace with large strides.
The golden cup in his hand had already been deformed by the second prince's grip. This was a public slap in the face! Laurist had decisively ordered Viscount Aslan's head to be beheaded in front of the second prince, not giving him any face at all. The second prince only felt his face burning, and his whole body was trembling. At this moment, he was unable to restrain his anger.
"Madman, are the Norton family all crazy?" This was what the majority of the nobles, led by Marquis Reid, thought …
"Wow, decisive killing, I like it …" This was Princess Kerry. At this moment, her eyes had become watery …
"Bang!" The second prince smashed the golden cup on the table and stood up, "Count Norton, how dare you kill Viscount Aslan in front of me. Do you have any respect for the Andinac royal family? Are you still the lord of the kingdom?"
Laurist did not show any weakness. Instead, he took two steps forward and stared at the second prince, "The Norton family has always been loyal to the Chrison royal family, and has never slacked on our duties. The empire is now divided, but the Norton family still follows the Andinac royal family, who inherited the Chrison royal family, and accepts your title. In the north, when we were fighting against the traitorous Duke of the North, did the Andinac royal family give us any support?
I didn't expect that we would come all the way here to see you, only to find that our territory has been ruined. Cats and dogs are running amok in our territory, just because we are not there? Don't forget, Your Highness, the children of the nobles forcibly occupied our manor. You said that it was the children's mischief, so we gave you face and let them go. Your division commander led his troops to invade my family's territory, tied up the mayor of our territory, and extorted money. You said that he violated military discipline, and we followed your orders.
But now, the tax inspector you appointed has taken advantage of our absence to treat himself as the new lord, oppressing our people and inciting civil unrest. Yet, you still want to protect him. Then may I ask, Your Highness, do you have any respect for the Norton family? Do you still not see us as the nobles of the kingdom? What are you trying to do by stopping us from exercising our rights as lords? "
"Uh …" The second prince was tongue-tied, and could not say a word. Yes, Laurist had already given him a lot of face. He had followed his orders to let the children of the nobles and the Golden Knight Vivenmantle go. But the dead Viscount Aslan had gone even further than the previous two groups, so it was understandable that Laurist would not let him go. If he really did as the second prince said, then the Norton family would lose face among the nobles. This was related to the family's reputation and dignity, so it was no wonder that Laurist would rather turn against him.
But the anger in the second prince's heart was getting stronger and stronger. If you protect the Norton family's reputation and dignity, then where should I put my face? The second prince glared at Laurist, and Laurist stared back at the second prince. There seemed to be lightning flashing between their gazes …
A figure suddenly stood in front of the second prince. It was a tall and well-dressed old man in his fifties. He slowly pulled out the sword in his hand. "My Lord, I do not wish to participate in the dispute between you and His Highness, nor do I wish to comment on who is right and who is wrong. But I will not allow anyone to unsheathe a sword in front of His Highness. Please move aside. I must let your family's knights understand the difference between superiors and inferiors, etiquette, and rules … "
"And who are you?" Laurist turned his gaze to the old man.
The old man looked at Laurist with contempt. "Please move aside, my Lord. I do not wish to hurt you. I am a consecrated member of the royal family, Master Swordsman David Crimundo. "
The old man even puffed out his chest after reporting his name, as if he wanted to see Laurist's expression turn pale with fright and beg for mercy in a hurry.
Oh, that pretty boy David's father? Didn't they say that if you beat the young one, the old one will come out? I haven't even touched your kid yet, so why did you jump out?
Laurist glanced at the second prince, only to see him sit down with a relaxed expression, a slight smile on his lips …
Bastard, you're trying to find a way to deal with me, aren't you? Alright, let's wait and see who has the last laugh. Laurist's heart was filled with hatred, but he also pulled out his ceremonial sword inch by inch.
"What's so great about being a Master Swordsman? If you want to teach my knight a lesson, you'll have to go through me first. "Laurist spat in front of the old man.
The old man's face immediately turned red. "Kid, how dare you be rude to me!"
Spitting in front of someone was a form of contempt and humiliation. The old man really did not understand why this kid, who was not even a Silver-rank, dared to be so rude to him, a Master Swordsman. However, this did not prevent him from teaching this arrogant Lord Count a lesson, a lesson that he would always remember.
"Come on, old man. Don't just stand there and talk." Laurist continued to provoke him.
The old man scolded angrily and swept the sword in his hand. The spine of the sword went straight for the left side of Laurist's face. He was prepared to slap his face. If this hit landed, not only would his face swell, at least half of his teeth would fall out.
The ceremonial sword was not as convenient as the custom-made sword that Laurist was used to, but it was enough to deal with a Level 1 Master Swordsman, especially when this Master Swordsman was fighting Laurist with contempt.
The second prince sat down calmly. Very well, Loke, you were in the right just now. I can't do anything to you. However, I can still use my power to force you to submit under my feet. Do you think that the Norton Family is so great just because they have a few Gold Knights? You are a frog at the bottom of a well. I have many more Gold Knights than you do, and I also have a Master Swordsman.
I will use a Master Swordsman to teach your knight a lesson. I will let you understand that you have nothing to rely on in front of me. Not to mention 300,000 troops, you are not a match for me in terms of personal strength. Things are not like five years ago. Back then, your family's armed forces were indeed strong, but you were just a family, and I was a kingdom. You are asking for trouble. Against a Master Swordsman, you really do not know what's good for you. A Master Swordsman will teach you a lesson in a minute.
Then, the second prince immediately stood up again. Not only him, but the nobles who attended the banquet also let out gasps of surprise. The one to be taught a lesson in a minute was Master Swordsman Cremondo, who was originally full of confidence. He was clumsy under Laurist's thunderous attacks. His forehead was covered in sweat, and it was extremely difficult for him to parry. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was at a disadvantage and would soon be defeated.
Freya, Ell, Jim, and the few Norton Family guards standing in the middle looked at the Master Swordsman with eyes full of sympathy. It was normal to show off in front of others, but to put on airs in front of their lord as a Master Swordsman was going to suffer. It would leave a shadow in their hearts for life. Don't you see that Viscount Christopher? He was also a Level 1 Master Swordsman, but he was afraid when Lorraine challenged him to a duel. At first, he could still parry a hundred moves, but the more they fought, the shorter the time he could last. In the end, he could not even parry 40 moves, and he cursed Lorraine every day.
With a clang, the two swords clashed. The Master Swordsman's longsword flew up high and landed in front of the second prince's table. Laurist slapped the old man's face with his ceremonial sword, "Master Swordsman? Haha, you want to teach my knight manners with that little ability of yours? Wait until you reach the level of that old man Jared, then come find me for revenge. "
"You've fought Jared before?" The old man was stunned. Jared was a Master Swordsman who was half a step away from the peak. He was the most likely Master Swordsman to become a Sword Saint.
"He died. He died at the hands of my family's armed forces," Laurist said lightly. Loriste said lightly, "We defeated the second prince's army of a hundred thousand and killed that Great Swordsman Ruinsi. The second prince fled and sent this Great Swordsman Jared to assassinate me. In the end, he died at the hands of our family's armed forces."
"Impossible!" The second prince exclaimed. The nobles present all started discussing. It might have been possible to defeat the second prince's army of a hundred thousand, but it was hard to believe that he could kill two of the second prince's Master Swordsman. Would a Master Swordsman be so stupid as to let his family's armed forces surround him? He could run if he had legs.
"It's been almost a year, and you still haven't received any detailed information? I'm really impressed by you guys. Do you really think that you can conquer the empire with an army of three hundred thousand? You must be dreaming, "Laurist complained in his heart.
"Nothing is impossible. I was the one who hung that old man Jared's corpse. There should only be some rotten bones left." Laurist turned back and said, "Come, bring our evidence. This is also our congratulatory gift to the royal family. Let everyone see who is serving the kingdom loyally! "
…
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