On the fourth day after the departure of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, a strange atmosphere began to spread in the town.
It seemed that no one had given any order to keep the news under wraps, and it was possible that some people were adding fuel to the fire. In short, some rumors soon spread like wildfire. The mayor's wife used the news she had heard as gossip at the ball, and the maids at the ball told the cook and the servants what they had heard, and the cook and the servants took the news out of the mansion and finally let it spread all over the streets.
Some things were not talked about in public, but this did not prevent people from hinting and exchanging information in private. When the rumors spread, the daily lives of everyone in the town would inevitably be affected.
Food prices were rising, the caravans began to undergo more stringent checks, and there were more people on the streets in a hurry. The rich, who were usually busy with their gatherings, closed the doors of their mansions, and the public and grand banquets turned into secret talks in the depths of their mansions. Some people even said that the only noble in the town, Baron Will, who was also the mayor, had sent his butler to the nearby airship port under the cover of night with a letter. But no one could confirm this.
Hao Ren and his entourage were supposed to leave this place two days ago for the nearby big city, Graymountain. However, the rumors that the guards had heard had delayed them for two more days. They wanted to observe the situation and prevent themselves from falling into a crisis.
In the temporary resting place of the caravan, a guard dressed as a caravan guard had just returned. Looking at the guard's bewildered eyes, Charlemagne knew that the guard had gotten some accurate and shocking information.
"Have you confirmed the situation?" Charlemagne asked the guard to take a few sips of water and then asked quickly, "Is it true?"
"Yes, Your Highness, it has been confirmed that the only heir of the Dragon Empire, Princess Constance, has launched a rebellion. After the Knights of the Broken Blade defeated an integrated legion stationed near the imperial capital, the princess ordered them to break through to the north. They have now established a stronghold in Snowfrost City, and the entire northern border of the empire has declared their loyalty to Princess Constance. At the same time, there are sporadic battles in the south and west, and the Knights of the Broken Blade are attacking the Knights of the Ebon Blade everywhere. The closest and largest battle took place five days ago. The Knights of the Broken Blade and the Knights of the Ebon Blade fought near the Copperus River, and a village was destroyed in the battle."
In the past four days, all kinds of unreliable rumors had been flying around. Wild and imaginative news filled the taverns and markets. Even things like the Ancient God of Annihilation and doomsday prophecies popped up to make their existence known. But only these few pieces of information could be considered to be self-explanatory. But it was also inconceivable.
Charlemagne suddenly got to his feet and paced around the room with his brows knitted together. After two rounds, he suddenly stopped and said in a low voice, "The situation is completely out of our expectations. We can't go to Graymountain anymore."
Noticing the questioning look on Hao Ren's face, Awenna explained, "Graymountain used to be Princess Constance's territory, and even the lord there was trained by Princess Constance. But now that the Knights of the Broken Blade have established a stronghold in the north, and Graymountain belongs to the south, which is loyal to His Majesty Berentine. The city will soon become a whirlpool, and it is not wise to go in now."
Hao Ren nodded and tried to lighten the mood. "At least there is good news. Now we can be sure that the Knights of the Ebon Blade who came into the town a few days ago were not after you …"
Charlemagne sighed. "Let's just take it as good news, but the situation has gotten even messier. We are not here to watch the empire's civil war."
"Still can't tell us the purpose of your secret mission?" Lily looked at the royal siblings curiously, her eyes almost glowing. "Look at how chaotic the situation is. If you tell us the truth, we might be able to come up with a solution!"
This time, Awenna did not refuse immediately. "… When the time is right, we will tell you the truth. But to be honest, now is not the time."
Hao Ren shoved a snack into Lily's hand. "Alright, if they don't want to tell us, then let's not ask. After all, it has nothing to do with our mission."
If a husky's curiosity was not satisfied for a long time, she would quickly turn from lazy to tearing things down, but usually, a snack would be enough to pacify her — until the next time she thought about it.
"Regardless, we need to plan our next step," Vivian said. "The country is in civil war, and in fact, no place is safe. We need to keep going. Graymountain is out of the question, do you have any other destination? "
Charlemagne had obviously thought about this before, and without much hesitation, he said, "Greenway is further north, we can go through the Black Forest from there and avoid the conflict between the Knights of the Broken Blade and the Imperial Legion. But the Black Forest is dangerous, I wonder … "
"It's not a problem for us." Hao Ren waved his hand. "You just need to plan the route, and don't worry about combat."
Lily immediately bumped her fist and showed a fierce expression, indicating that she could fight.
Charlemagne looked at Lily, a little dumbfounded, and finally decided to trust the confidence of these people. After all, they were elites from the mysterious Basilica of the World Tree, and their personal strength should be guaranteed, right?
Speaking of which, were these people really elites …
As they still needed to arrange the itinerary and gather their subordinates, Charlemagne and Awenna quickly left the room. Once there was no one else in the room, Hao Ren kept his smile. "This … is a little sudden."
Vivian glanced at him. "You think it's weird?"
"Of course it's weird. According to Charlemagne and Awenna, Princess Constance has been the staunch protector of the Empire for more than two hundred years. She is deeply trusted by her adoptive father, and her loyalty to the Dragon Soul Emperor is unparalleled. She has been in charge of the Knights of the Broken Blade for two hundred years, and there have been countless opportunities to rebel, but there has never been the slightest sign of it. And now, she suddenly rebelled? There was no foreshadowing, and she rebelled? "
"And the entire Northern Realm has already announced which side to take." Vivian shrugged. "Who would believe that there was no advance planning."
"Anyway, we don't know the details of this world. Whether it is the situation of the princess or the entire Dragon Empire, we heard it from Charlemagne and Awenna. Charlemagne and Awenna are not from the Dragon Empire, so the intelligence is not accurate." Lily waved her hand. After finishing her snack, she was temporarily online and joined in the discussion. "In fact, the rebellion of Princess Constance is not that important. The key is that there is going to be a big war here. Mr. Landlord, can we intervene?"
The husky's instinct to join in the fun was stirring. Even if a war was about to break out, Lily could not help but feel her claws itching.
This state of mind would probably last until a super strong enemy popped up. By then, she would be the first to back down.
Hao Ren, however, could not be as simple-minded as the husky maiden. He knew that his drone army could immediately suppress all armed conflicts on the planet, but this was not a preliminary idea. "This is an internal struggle of civilization, and it has not escalated to the point of endangering the survival of civilization. So, the inspector has no right to intervene in the war itself."
Lily puffed up her cheeks. "Then we just watch from the sidelines?"
"I'm just saying that I can't directly intervene in the war as an inspector," Hao Ren glanced at the girl. "But it's not a problem for me to intervene in local battles as an individual. Besides, we still have to move on this planet. We can let the natives throw a big fireball at our faces and then throw it back."
At the same time, in Graymountain.
Earl Naahem stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his favorite golden-red robe, looking at the rising clouds in the distance. The expression on the old earl's face gradually became relaxed.
The Gray Mountain was not a mountain, but a cloudy landscape formed by the unique environment of this place. The clouds that rose due to geothermal heat gathered high in the sky, layer upon layer gathering into mountain-like clouds. Half of the time every year, they would float above the plains for a long time without dispersing. That was how the name Gray Mountain came about.
Since he inherited his father's title and became the lord of the city, Naahem liked to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and watch the clouds outside through the crystal glass. The clouds that were irregular but lingered for a long time reminded him of himself. He used to be a playboy, but in the end, he could not escape from this land. When he woke up from his dream and looked back, all his wanton behavior was just the ups and downs of the limited framework of life.
Just like the clouds, they were ever-changing, but they were still Graymountain.
The princess's cold gaze seemed to pierce through the clouds, causing Naaem to narrow his eyes.
Although the framework of life was limited, dancing to one's heart's content within this limited framework of life was probably the joy of mortals.
The sound of footsteps came from behind.
The old count turned around. His body, which had become more bloated with age, and his wrinkled face made him look particularly weak. This weak appearance probably magnified the contempt in the hearts of the few people who walked into the room.
There were only five people standing in front of Naahem, but just these five people were enough to make most people in this kingdom feel frightened. They wore black full-body armor, and black steel helmets and visors, which were cast in imitation of a dragon's head, completely covered their faces. Black mechanical swords were hung at their waists, and the exposed magically-guided mechanism between the blade and the hilt was faintly flashing. On the blade, there were three eye-catching golden stars — Knights of the Ebon Blade, and they were high-ranking knights.
"Your Excellency, it seems that you are ready to state your position," said one of the Knights of the Ebon Blade. A suppressed and low voice came from under the visor. "We are glad to see that you still maintain your usual wisdom. This rebellion is destined to not last. It is not too late for you to state your position now."
Although he spoke with all the proper honorifics, there was not the slightest hint of respect in this Knight of the Ebon Blade's tone.
Naahem's already fat body seemed to be even more hunched. His head was slightly lowered. "Yes, I have something to tell the loyal guards of His Majesty the Emperor."
A red light flashed in the eyes of the Knights of the Ebon Blade's visor.
Naahem's figure disappeared in front of them in an instant.
* Buzz — *
The five black mechanical swords buzzed almost at the same time as the magically-guided mechanism was activated. The powerful magic instantly heated the blades to a temperature of thousands of degrees and began to vibrate violently. An Ebon Blade knight pressed his hand on the hilt, but before he could pull out his sword, his head had already slowly slid off his shoulder.
The second and third knights successfully pulled out their swords, but their arms flew far away to the corner of the wall. Then their bodies also spattered a lot of black and red blood before they fell heavily to the ground.
"How dare you!" The fourth knight roared, and complex golden-red lines appeared on his black armor. The power of the Dragon Mark made him feel as if time had slowed down around him, and he finally caught sight of the figure of the 'old Earl'.
He saw a tall young man dressed in Earl Naaem's golden-red cloak, walking in the room as if he was dancing. A thin sword condensed from magic was slashing through the air in the man's hand, stabbing towards the space between his eyebrows.
In his gradually tilting vision, the Ebon Blade knight saw his last companion's head was cut off by the magic thin sword without any resistance.
Earl Naahem's figure reappeared in the room. His body quickly changed back to his bloated and clumsy appearance, wrinkles appeared on his face again, and his clothes automatically adjusted to the size of his body. He looked down at the few bodies on the ground and bowed slightly.
"I'm done."
The door of the room was pushed open, and a middle-aged man who looked like a butler walked into the room. "My Lord."
"Take these monsters away and burn them. Throw their swords into the furnace," Naahem nodded slightly. "They did not send a signal, we still have some time."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
