The Kirrlutz's people that Felaern was talking about was naturally a group of Kirrlutz's southern nobles led by Count Alcon. Since they arrived at Fattan Port, these southern nobles were still quite well-behaved at first, probably because they knew that they were already tied to Brendel's boat. The army of Jorgendy Ridge and the Lion Beastmen in the south could attack the Evergreen Corridor at any time, and if they didn't hold onto Aouine's fleet tightly at this time, wouldn't they be courting death?
Coupled with the news of the civil war in the Bankle area, the Queen had split the Holy Sanctum and suddenly claimed to be the successor of the Darkness Dragon, which made them feel at a loss. Thousands of years of deep-rooted beliefs had suddenly collapsed, and no one could accept such a thing. Therefore, at the beginning, Count Alcon and others were considered to be united against a common enemy, and obediently restrained the low-level officials who managed Fathom Port. On the other hand, they actively contacted the northern nobles, trying to find an alliance to resist the crazy Queen.
However, as the situation of the war took a turn for the worse, the nobles east of Metz could not resist the Queen's army at all, and they were defeated one after another. It seemed that almost in an instant, the army of the New Holy Sanctum had arrived at the door of Ludwig. Although they had not yet fought with the Black Legion, they already had a great advantage in the situation. Coupled with Veronica's house arrest, the Azure Legion was slow to respond to the 'uprising' of the northern nobles, so soon, people could often see the remnants of the defeated nobles on the front line of Fathom.
Various versions of the rumors also spread. First, the nobles of Cloak Bay defected, then a few unfamiliar armies suddenly appeared under Her Majesty the Queen. Today, the Senia werewolves attacked Motehabi Castle, and tomorrow, the mountain people swore their allegiance. There were even rumors that even the Azure Lance was in the hands of Her Majesty the Queen. All signs showed that the strength of the Empire's Empress was increasing day by day at a speed visible to the naked eye. It was as if the Silver Queen, who was alone at the beginning, had occupied one-third of the Empire's sphere of influence in the blink of an eye.
At this time, the New Holy Sanctum was already a behemoth that could not be ignored, even suffocating.
As a result, the southern nobles, who were not firm enough, began to waver. However, this wavering was only spread among the lower class until the sudden change in allegiance of the lion people and the army of Jorgendy Ridge gave them a fatal blow. In fact, Count Alcorn and the others did not have any real feelings about the civil war in the north. Because Brando had tightly sealed off the port, the first-hand news they received was almost all from rumors. These rumors could make people panic, but it was hard to say how real they would be.
However, these nobles' fear of the Lionmen and Jorgendy Ridge's army, especially Jorgendy Ridge's army, was deeply rooted. They had witnessed how the army destroyed their homes, drove them out of their own land, and made them live in exile like refugees. They even had to live under someone else's roof.
If it were not for Jorgendy Ridge's army constantly threatening the Evergreen Corridor in the east, why would they be trapped here?
But at this moment, the Lionmen and Underground Lords had clearly expressed their support for the Dark Dragon, and the situation became a little delicate. Who was the Dark Dragon now? She was no longer the Miirna Emperor from a thousand years ago. She was also the Silver Queen, a citizen of Cruz. Although the nobles cared about their beliefs, they ultimately cared more about their identity as citizens of the empire. This was the guarantee of their status and the source of their pride. Survival was the most important thing, but status and power were also what they pursued.
Before this, they couldn't have their cake and eat it too. But as the situation changed, the nobles who fled from the south suddenly realized that the answers to these two choices seemed to be gradually merging into one.
What should they do if they wanted to keep their lives and status?
At least for now, surrendering to Her Majesty was the only possibility. No matter what, she was at least the Emperor of Cruz. Although she had divided the Holy Sanctum, she could still be considered as the legitimate ruler. Subtle changes quickly occurred in the hearts of these fugitive nobles. Even the upper-class nobles, including Earl Alcorn, began to gradually lean towards the side of surrendering. At this moment, Brando's disadvantage as a citizen of Erouine was particularly highlighted. Before this, he could still ask these nobles in the name of their beliefs. The Holy Cathedral of Fire was a religion that transcended countries and had been deeply rooted for thousands of years. Although there were huge differences between Erouine and Cruz, they at least had one thing in common.
That was, they had the same beliefs.
In the name of religion, it often made people ignore the differences between countries.
But this reason soon became untenable because after the threat to their lives disappeared, the new religion established by the Silver Queen seemed to be less unacceptable. The difficult choice in this war had quietly become whether to reform or remain conservative. People seemed to intentionally or unintentionally avoid the Silver Queen's identity as the Dark Dragon.
In fact, Brando was very clear that the current situation was ultimately caused by the lack of legitimacy of the nobles in the north. After all, regardless of the identity of the Silver Queen, she was at least the Emperor of the Empire. Although she had divided the Holy Cathedral, she did not betray the Empire. Simply put, the woman intended to put the royal power above the religious power. Although this approach was somewhat heinous, it was not unacceptable for the nobles. Perhaps, except for those who were loyal to the Holy Cathedral of Fire, no one would be willing to go against the Queen on this issue, especially in a situation where their lives were in danger.
The nobles in the north stood against Her Majesty because they were supporters of the eldest son of the Emperor. However, the exiled nobles in the south did not have such scruples. Even if some of them were loyal to the Holy Cathedral, now that the Holy Cathedral was divided into two, who would they be loyal to?
Therefore, this war was not on the side of good and evil, light and darkness from the beginning. It was just a pretense. This was a civil war. Brando had always been very clear about this. Although he had used this reason to fool Count Alcorn and the others for a long time, the nobles of the Empire were not stupid. It was time for them to react.
It was time to give them a strong dose of medicine, Brando thought. He quietly listened to Felaern's explanation. In fact, what the Wild Elf girl wanted to say was similar to what he had imagined. At least, it was not as unexpected as the internal strife of the witches. He even felt that the southern nobles were a little too slow. Perhaps they were scared out of their wits by the Jorgendy Ridge people or some other reason. In his opinion, they should have made a fuss long ago.
However, he was not worried. After Felaern finished, he asked calmly: "So, what are they doing now?"
The Wild Elf girl was slightly taken aback. She could not help but frown. In her opinion, the current situation was caused by the negligence of the Count in front of her. In these days, Brando did not strictly control the news, nor did he prevent the nobles from escaping from the frontlines to enter the port. He only prohibited them from leaving. The nobles of the Cruz people also did not restrain them. It could even be said that they did not do anything. Other than maintaining the normal operation of the port, they probably sent messengers to contact the nobles in the north, and the rest was to study the useless stone all day long.
When she thought of this, Felaern felt a sense of disappointment. She felt that the Count in front of her had been idle all day since the establishment of Abies. Even though Erouine had made great achievements, in her opinion, it was only because of good luck. Or it could be said that it was all because of Amandina and the Roman girl's ability. Otherwise, it would be a problem for the territory to operate normally. She thought that after he became the Count of the kingdom and also the leader of this diplomatic group, he would be more restrained. She did not expect him to be the same. He only knew how to push things to his subordinates. She was afraid that she would be better off as a Count like this.
Moreover, he was a Planeswalker, the one who was in charge of them. This was worlds apart from the master in her mind. Felaern could not help but snort heavily: "What else can they do? The fleet is right above their heads. Do you think that those useless people will revolt? Of course, they are clamoring to see you, my Lord. In their eyes, you are the only one who is easy to talk to. "
Hearing the resentment in the girl's voice, Brando smiled bitterly and shook his head. However, he was still a little surprised by the weakness and incompetence of the southern nobles. He thought that they would at least be a little more forceful, but he did not expect that Count Alcon only wanted to 'negotiate' with him.
"Since they want to negotiate," Brando sneered in his heart: "Then let's do as they wish."
He raised his head: "Where are they?"
"They are outside. They have elected a few representatives, hoping to negotiate with you." Felaern replied with a straight face.
"Negotiate?" Brando was a little amused: "What do they plan to do? What do they want to talk about? "
Felaern sneered: "According to them, since Jorgendy Ridge and the Lion Beastmen have submitted to the Empire, then what's left is the Empire's civil war. My Lord, it is no longer suitable for you to continue to interfere. They suggest that my Lord send the fleet back to Erouine. Of course, my Lord, you can still continue to go to the capital as an envoy."
"Oh? Then what about the Silver Queen claiming to be the Dark Dragon? "Brando deliberately asked.
Felaern's face suddenly became a little strange. It was obvious that she was trying hard not to show too much disdain. She replied: "They said that this matter is too ridiculous, and it might be a rumor."
"Haha," Brando could not help but laugh: "What a rumor."
He paused for a moment and knocked on the table: "If that's the case, let them come in and see me."
"Okay —" Felaern blurted out, but then she was stunned. She raised her head and stared at her Lord: "My Lord, what did you just say?"
"Did I not make it clear enough? Let them come in and see me! "
"But … …"
Felaern really wanted to say, "But don't you usually refuse to see them?" In fact, this was the source of her anger. It was not the first day that the southern nobles' hearts were shaken. In fact, they had wanted to negotiate with Brando more than once, but Brando had never cared about it. He did not even bother to restrain these people. He even gave them the excuse of not causing too much chaos in Fathom Harbor.
Felaern originally thought that today would be the same way, but she did not expect that her Lord, who did whatever he wanted, would suddenly have a sudden impulse to see these people again. In fact, in Felaern's opinion, what was there to see? The best way to deal with them was to capture the few who caused the most trouble and kill the chicken to warn the monkey. With how cowardly these people were, they wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. Felaern could not help but look at the Lord in front of her suspiciously.
Brando waved his hand and said: "No buts. Go and see the guest who arrived at the castle yesterday."
That guest? Felaern was stunned for a moment before she remembered that person. He seemed to be from the northern region of Ludwig. From his appearance, she could tell that he was from Cruz, but he had a strong Fanzin bloodline. In short, he was a mixed-blood. When he arrived at the castle, he claimed to be a messenger from the Black Legion. He was wearing a thick cloak that covered most of his face, as if he didn't dare to meet anyone. However, Felaern remembered that her lord had received him very seriously.
Felaern was not a gossipy woman. When she heard Brando's order, she just nodded silently and was about to turn around and leave. However, at this time, Brando called her again.
"Wait," Brando said: "I called you in just now, not specifically for you to deal with these nobles."
"What do you mean?" Felaern turned around and asked.
Brando knocked on his forehead and seemed to think for a moment before replying: "Just right, I can do two things at the same time. Contact The County and tell him to come to me immediately. Can you find him now? Tell him that I want to see Amandina, now, immediately. "
Felaern nodded silently.
… …
Abies Territory, Valhalla Fortress.
"Miss Shido, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Amandina saw the Crown Prince and Miss Scholar coming out of the hall and stood up to bow. Behind the Crown Prince were the youths of the Folded Sword Knight who were under house arrest a few months ago. There were more than ten people in the group, all of them fully armed and ready to fight. These young nobles of Cruz seemed to have calmed down after a few months of tempering. But perhaps it was because they were used to staying in Valhalla, these proud youths of the Empire did not need to condescend to the lord of a small place. But for a lord like Brando who owned a fantasy fortress like Valhalla, they might not really see him as a mere Count of Erouine.
In fact, after a few months of getting along, they at least had a general understanding of Brando's strength. Even if it was only on the surface, it was enough to make people respect him. Even those powerful Counts in the Empire might not be able to match up to such a 'small Count of Erouine'. Along with this, they also respected Brando's assistant, or rather assistant, Amandina.
But that was it. Even in front of the real royal family of Erouine, it would be difficult for these youths to show such a respectful attitude. After all, it was just the royal family of a small kingdom. Small countries like Erouine had many vassal states on the border of the Empire.
But the Crown Prince himself, Lenarette, was still the same as a few months ago. He seemed a little taciturn and rarely talked to outsiders. In response to Amandina's salute, he just nodded slightly. He frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about some difficult problem at any time, the light in his eyes was also unfathomable. He did not speak, but Miss Scholar Shido beside him had already spoken on his behalf, "Miss Amandina, is there something important that you suddenly called us for? Has the situation in the Empire changed again? "
Amandina silently looked at these Cruz people and nodded, "There are some changes, but this is not the main purpose of today."
She paused for a moment and said, "General Mangrove has contacted my lord."
"Oh?"
This sentence seemed to ignite the wildness in Lenarette's heart. The Crown Prince raised his head at once, and his slightly deep eyes lit up.
It's time –
… …
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