"What a young hero!" Fleetwood exclaimed.
"Mister Brando … …"
"Just call me Brando." Brando interrupted her.
"Brando, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the current situation. Is that alright?" Princess Gryphine placed her hands on the desk, gently holding the white porcelain teacup. The black tea rippled slightly, like ripples on the surface of the crystal. She looked up, her eyes bright, and her beautiful eyes seemed to be plated with a layer of silver light.
Brando's gaze swept across everyone in the study. The Royal Faction was as calm as ever. The princess looked innocent but was actually very shrewd. Only the little prince seemed to be a little timid as he carefully observed Brando from behind the noble. Only one cold and sharp gaze was fixed on him. Brando looked at the black-haired female Knight standing behind the princess. Her name seemed to be Maynild. Brando's heart palpitated every time he saw her.
He looked away.
"Forgive me for being blunt, but for the Royal Faction, it's not much of a situation right now." Brando replied bluntly. "The North has long since fallen to Duke Seifer's side. The White Lion Legion and the Black Blade Legion are in the hands of the nobles in the North. The Southern Legion was attacked by Madara, and its structure is still unclear. I'm afraid this is the reason why Count Randner has not signed an agreement with Incirsta."
He paused for a moment. Although there were still Duke Viero, Duke Karsuk, and Duke Grinoires in the South, they were all insignificant. The difference in power between the North and the South was too great. In fact, the princess was the only one who truly raised the flag of Corvado. The cold winter had stopped the Northern Legion from moving southward, but as long as the snow melted, the hope of the princess would also crumble.
However, this was the reason why the Royal Faction chose to be in cahoots with Arreck.
"The Kingdom is surrounded by powerful enemies, and the situation is precarious. The conference in Ampere Seale does not belong to you. In fact, I'm afraid that you are here to persuade the Chamber of Commerce and the Holy Cathedral to remain neutral, and not to participate in the conference, right? "Brando retorted.
There was a moment of silence in the study. Everyone looked at Brando with a surprised gaze. Ever since Oberg the Seventh's death, the situation in the kingdom had changed drastically. Everyone could see the weakness of the Royal Faction at a glance, but Brendel was able to guess their true intentions. Everyone thought that they wanted to use Arreck's power to turn the tables in the Ampere Seale Conference, but this young man in front of him saw through their intentions without any hesitation.
Makarov and Fleetwood felt a chill in their hearts. If this young man was an enemy, he would be too terrifying. Only Oberwei looked at Brando with admiration. After all, Brando was chosen by him from the refugees in Fortress Riedon. The more outstanding Brando was, the better Brando was.
Gryphine's eyes were also filled with admiration. She looked at Brando as if he was the closest person to her. This was because no one knew that there was a secret between her and Brando. When the half-elf girl first replied to Brando's letter, she was influenced by the 'story' Oberwei told her. She also had a yearning for the romance of a Knight. Coupled with the fact that the Royal Faction was in a precarious situation at the time, or perhaps it was because she wanted to use a lot of money to buy a horse's bones, she secretly appointed Brando as her Knight.
Her Highness was only seventeen years old this year. She had not reached the age where she could attribute everything to luck. However, other than luck, there was only fate.
Thinking of this, the half-elf girl's heart was slightly moved.
"I have seen Princess Magadal before. I heard that she is a close friend of the princess." Brando replied. But in reality, he knew that the Royal Faction's true motive was not because of this. History was like an open book in front of him, and the greed of Aouine's nobles in this era could not escape his eyes, let alone the 'schemes' that the Royal Faction laid out on the table. The reason why he said this was because he did not want to be seen as a demon.
Makarov, Fleetwood, and Oberwei nodded slightly. With the relationship between the Nun Princess and the Holy Cathedral, as well as the Holy Cathedral's influence in the Merchant Guild, it was not difficult to guess the connection. However, when everyone's attention was on the meeting of the nobles, this young man's eyes did not miss out on the details around him. This calmness and sharpness could be considered as a first-rate talent among the nobles.
"You guessed correctly, Mr. Brando. Because of this, there are only two ways for my brother's army to enter the south from the north. If we obtain the support of the Holy Cathedral and the Merchant Guild, or at least make them remain neutral, then the nobles in the north will have no choice but to pass through Arreck's mountains. "
"So you intend to marry Arreck. This way, no matter how aggressive the nobles in the north are, they will have to face reality. In the mountains, they were no match for Arreck. As a result, Viero, Grinoires, and Karsuk, whose safety was assured, would naturally be tied to the Royal Faction — or rather, to Arreck's chariot — when they were assured of their safety. In the long run, the Royal Family of Covardo will be able to rise again. "
Brando raised his head, but there was not a trace of joy in his eyes: "Then I will congratulate the princess in advance."
"Do you think there is something wrong?" Gryphine's face turned pale. Brando's power was insignificant in the eyes of the Royal Faction, but in her heart, he was important. She vaguely felt that Brando might know the real her, the goal she had been holding on to since she was a child, even going against the Royal Faction. But in the whole of Erouine, there was only one person who understood her. This person was right in front of her.
She had thought that he could understand her sacrifice.
But compared to this understanding, everything else was insignificant.
She saw the shining light in Brando. She had been holding on to her beliefs independently, but it was like seeing another light in the storm. The surprise of finding a companion in the dark and lonely wilderness was indescribable. Whether it was in the letters or in his actions, it was not difficult for her to see that he had the same determination as her, but this person was looking at her with a cold expression.
Gryphine took a small breath: "Can you tell me the reason?" Her tone was very gentle, but it was not difficult to see a trace of dissatisfaction under her frowning eyebrows. Presumably, if Brendel could not give her a satisfactory answer, it would be in exchange for the princess's disappointment.
She is as arrogant as the rumors say. Brando thought to himself. But if she did not have such a personality, she would not have been able to hold on to this step.
"There are a few problems." He replied.
Oberwei raised his head slightly. In fact, he was not very supportive of this plan either. But Fleetwood and Makarov agreed. Fleetwood had great influence in the Royal Faction, and was the only Elemental Ranker in the Royal Faction. On the other hand, Makarov also represented the opinion of his allies, and he could not object.
"First, the war between the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Holy Cathedral of Earth is imminent. Cruz would not be happy to see Erouine lose control at this time. Although the people of Erouine are no longer under the control of Cruz after becoming independent, they have to admit that we are also part of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. " Brando replied, "At this time, although the Holy Cathedral cannot openly interfere in the kingdom's internal affairs, they can still open the door for the nobles in the north. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, the north is much stronger than the south, and the fastest way to end the war is to let the north win as soon as possible. "
"It's impossible that we haven't considered this, young man," Fleetwood finally spoke. Brendel's suspicion towards him had completely erased his good impression of him. "But if Duke Arreck joins forces with the Royal Faction, it won't be easy for the northern barbarians to win. If the Holy Cathedral interferes, it will only lead to an even larger civil war. Furthermore, the Lion Beastmen have yet to prepare their rations, and the war between the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Holy Cathedral of Earth is even more ridiculous."
Brando did not say anything because he knew that this was history. In history, the Royal Faction had turned the tables just like that. But he had a real reason, but it was difficult to say it out loud. Could he say that Arreck was up to no good? The problem was that the Royal Faction was not stupid. They naturally knew that Arreck was up to no good. The princess was trying to pull chestnuts out of the fire. She thought that she could succeed.
But history proved that she had failed.
But Brando could not say that he was from the future and that he was a fraud, right?
He was silent for a while, and the disappointment on the princess' face grew. She clenched her fists imperceptibly, and for a moment, she even hoped that Brendel could prove her wrong. The seventeen-year-old princess had been unable to sleep for the past few weeks. She knew that she was walking on a tightrope, but she convinced herself that she had to do it.
The study fell into silence for a while. Freya was a little uneasy. Although she was much more knowledgeable than before, she still did not understand a single word of the debate between Brando and the Royal Faction. The girl from Bucce was even a little annoyed. She thought that this annoying guy only knew how to cause trouble. Even if he did not agree with her, he should not have said it in front of her.
At the end of the day, she was still on Brando's side. Compared to the life and death of the Royal Faction, she was more concerned about Brando's safety.
Oberwei and Makarov felt that the atmosphere was a little strange, but they could not help but feel dissatisfied with Brando. They felt that this young man was exaggerating and was even being an alarmist. But there was only one strange gaze that stopped on Brando for a moment, and no one even noticed it. Maynild's expression quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
At this awkward moment, there was a knock on the door. Everyone's gaze shifted as a servant brought in a letter from outside the door. Her Royal Highness opened the letter and read it, then frowned. She paused for a moment and placed the letter on the table, and then broke the silence, "The results from this morning are out."
Everyone was shocked. They obviously knew that this was the result of the assassination in the morning, but they did not expect the Holy Cathedral to act so quickly and find the mastermind in just two to three hours. Only Makarov frowned, as if he thought of something.
Brando could not help but listen. The assassination in the morning had changed history, and he wanted to know the reason behind it.
"The mastermind is called Xerxes."
Oberwei frowned, "I know this person, he is a small noble from Ampere Seale." As soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed. To be able to order such an assassination, the mastermind behind it was definitely not simple. No one would believe that a small noble could cause such a huge commotion. This unlucky guy was obviously a scapegoat, but the fact that the investigation results were given by the Holy Cathedral meant that there was a big problem.
For a moment, everyone's expression was a little ugly. Only Brando's expression was normal, as if he had expected this result.
Although Brando did not know what went wrong, he saw the Cross Assassin in the morning and knew that the Holy Cathedral must have done something.
"The letter also mentioned Mr. Brando," Gryphine continued. After a pause, she added, "The letter said that Mr. Brando not only brought weapons into the Holy Cathedral, but also that two of his subordinates were blood descendants. The Holy Cathedral suspects that Mr. Brando is involved with the evil cult and hopes that we will hand him over for him to cooperate with the Holy Cathedral's investigation."
After reading this paragraph, Aouine's Princess Royal's face was already ashen.
Brando's heart also tightened, but more than that, he was angry. He had not even gone to find trouble with the Holy Cathedral of Fire, but he did not expect them to target him first. This was simply too much. However, he did not flare up, and was prepared to see the reaction of the Royal Faction.
At this time, Oberwei sneered, "The Holy Cathedral does not allow us to bring weapons, but they are very lenient with assassins. Since when did having blood descendants as subordinates become evidence of being involved with the evil cult? Erouine is close to Madara, and I think many of the Grand Dukes have dark nobles exiled from Madara as subordinates, right? "
The Royal Faction deeply agreed with this lone wolf's words, and all of them had a look of disdain.
"Your Royal Highness?" The servant asked softly.
"Erouine's people have never handed over a guest to Cruz's people, let alone such a ridiculous excuse," Her Royal Highness replied coldly, "It's just that someone wants to test our relationship, you just have to answer them directly. Tell them that Mr. Brando is one of us, and he can't be an assassin."
Brando watched the servant leave the study and could not help but feel a little touched. Although he knew that there was an element of show in it, at least the Royal Faction's attitude was clear at this moment. He looked at Oberwei and the others, and the prejudice in his heart from the previous argument faded a little.
"It seems that the Holy Cathedral's attitude is not as neutral as you think." But he could not help but mock, and then tilted his head to look at the people of the Royal Faction. After all, he was not a real politician, and there was still Sophie's gloating factor in his bones.
The half-elf girl's eyebrows sank sadly, and she sighed slightly. She was so helpless that it made Brando feel a little sad, but she did not dwell on this issue. "Mister Brendel, we're not in a good situation. Please excuse us. But no matter what, we still want to get your help … "
"You are a Highland Knight, so I would like to ask you to help us gain the support of the Highland Knights, is that okay?" The princess lowered her status and asked in a pleading tone. She could see that Brando did not have any bad intentions towards the Royal Faction, but there were some misunderstandings. But she believed that the end result would prove that she was right.
Brando shook his head.
"You all know that the Highland Knight is not the same as you, and I can personally support you. However, it may not be easy to gain their approval. " Even though he was not a real Highland Knight, he was confident that he could fool the most astute person with his disguise. In fact, even The County would not be able to find any fault with Brando's words.
The people of the Royal Faction also knew that Brando was speaking the truth, and they could not help but nod solemnly. But fortunately, Brando still had control over Tónigel, and this insignificant place was the key to restricting Count Randner. Otherwise, the members of the Royal Faction would have doubted that it was a wise decision to fall out with the Holy Cathedral for this young man.
"But it's not impossible," Brando suddenly smiled: "Karsuk is the most affected by Madara, and the northern nobles' attitude towards compromise has already caused the dissatisfaction of the Highland Knight. As long as you all show them goodwill, I'm sure they will be willing to join the Royal Faction. But the key is the situation, after all, no one wants to join the ranks of the losers. "
Gryphine nodded. She knew this was the case, but the problem was not that simple. She did not take Brando's suggestion seriously. The meeting between the Royal Faction and Brando was for the sake of the Highland Knight. Now that her hopes were dashed, she suddenly felt a little mentally and physically exhausted.
She quietly looked at the hourglass. It was almost time for the meeting to begin.
"Mister Brando, I have one last personal question. Is it convenient for you to answer?" Gryphine looked up at Brando and asked.
Brando nodded.
"You and Yanbao … …?" She had always been concerned about this question. Even though she did not think that Brando was Dilferi's retainer, at least Yanbao had not joined the Royal Faction yet. If he was a retainer, Brando's actions were clearly out of line. Besides, she also thought that Brando should be her Knight. But what she cared about was the relationship between Brando and the young lady of the Yanbao family.
With her shrewdness, she could not imagine how great it would be if she could pull Yanbao into her camp.
"No, actually I have nothing to do with the Earl. In fact, it's the opposite. In fact, I only forced her to bring me into the meeting." Brando smiled and answered truthfully.
Everyone was stunned.
"Although it's a little rude to say this, the invitation to the meeting was only sent to Duke Karsuk. As a small Highland Knight, you have no right to enter the Sophora Manor. I think you can understand the difficulties of a young person like me." Brando shook his head and added.
The people of the Royal Faction finally reacted. For a moment, they could not help but look at Brando with a strange expression. This guy had the guts to kidnap and threaten a noble under the nose of the Holy Cathedral. If it were not for the fact that they knew that it was unlikely, they would have suspected that the assassins in the morning were related to this young man.
Princess Gryphine smiled slightly. She did not believe Brando's words at all. The reason was simple. She and Dilferi were good friends, and in the morning, anyone could see that the Countess was obviously concerned about Brando. Would the person who was kidnapped care about the kidnapper? Perhaps it was possible, but definitely not in that kind of situation. However, she did not intend to expose Brando's clumsy lie. Instead, she smiled and said, "Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. Your actions in Tónigel have already taught us a vivid lesson. I didn't expect that you would give us another surprise when we just arrived in Ampere Seale. But Dilferi is a little too pitiful. Mr. Brando does not know how to be gentle with a woman at all. "
After being reminded by Princess Gryphine, Brando remembered the resentful look in the Countess' eyes. He could not help but sweat.
This was not intentional. He thought to himself that he did not know beforehand that the Countess was a soft girl.
But at the same time, he sighed slightly. Looking at Princess Gryphine's calm face, Brando knew that his persuasion had failed. Although he did not have much hope in the first place, he was after all an outsider compared to the Royal Faction. If the princess changed her mind because of a few words from him, then he would have to wonder if this half-elf girl was a fake.
Thinking of this, Brando could only prepare for the next step. But vaguely, he had a bad premonition. The attitude of the Holy Cathedral not only stunned the princess and her party, but also greatly exceeded his expectations. Archbishop Wood's promise was still in his ears. He did not expect the Holy Cathedral of Fire to go back on their word so quickly.
There must be something wrong.
…
(PS: Yesterday, I saw the comments section saying that it was too late to update an hour earlier. I'll try to update an hour earlier tomorrow.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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