Author's Note: Snake and Mouse updated. The Empire is useless. Bartow is a man for a woman!
May, Old World, Brittany's capital, Culona, Palace.
Dinner was held in the banquet hall, where the current King of Knights, Richard, was entertaining Duke Lauan Leo Cornwall of Connet.
The banquet was sumptuous. The appetizer was Halibut fillet with lobster mousse. The main course was Culona roasted venison with soft Cornwall cake, truffle sauce, braised red cauliflower, roasted potatoes, roasted walnuts, pumpkin, and celery.
There was only the sound of cutlery on the dining table. It was a private banquet for two people, so the scene was small. Besides Count Taubert and two servants, Richard dismissed everyone else.
The wrinkles on the Knight King's face were getting deeper. Lauen Leo Cornwall looked at his uncle's white beard and felt sad.
Richard was almost 120 years old. Looking at his aged appearance, deep wrinkles, and stooped body, Lauen Leo Cornwall found it hard to associate this old man with the young Knight King who fought side by side with the High Elves, Imrick, against the Orcs.
At that time, Richard, who was only in his eighties, was chosen as the king after John II was dethroned. When he first ascended the throne, he was once a brave Paladin, personally leading the Paladin Army to fight on the frontlines many times.
Time passed quickly, and 30 years had passed. Lauen was in a daze and felt sad.
Ever since he failed to suppress Laing and took responsibility for Uhles' death during Egil's invasion, Richard was in a semi-retired state. In fact, the political power of the Kingdom was in the hands of the Regent, Duke Lauen. Besides some necessary occasions and ceremonies, Richard rarely participated in any practical activities.
"So, Bodrick and Laing took back Poseidon's Trident and helped the Empire fight a war?" The old Knight King was in good spirits. He ate slowly and said, "What's the result?"
"In the end, the Human Alliance Army won. The Vampire Baron Leopold Haken was killed by Laing, and the Corpse Demon King was directly turned into gold by the Empire's Great Alchemist, Bayershazer Gelt." Lauren nodded. He put down his cutlery and said in a light tone, "It's another victory. The Kingdom is in its most peaceful era in decades. Muxilon's Vampires have suffered serious setbacks. The Orcs, Green Dwarfs, Specters, and the Chaos threat in the north have temporarily ceased their activities. We've won a rare breather."
"Laing Macado, he will be your biggest rival for the throne." However, Richard didn't look happy at all. Instead, he frowned even more. "Lyoncole, are you ready to compete with him?"
"Of course." Lauren nodded. He looked optimistic and even excited. "I agreed with him to work hard and see who can defeat Muxilon first."
Richard didn't speak. He ate seriously. He cleaned the fish bones and cut the venison with his cutlery and slowly put the meat into his mouth and chewed.
Lauren didn't say anything. He waited for his uncle's advice.
Venison was the best meat in Brittany. The Knight King's laws stipulated that only the nobles could eat venison. If it was rare for a period of time, only the greater nobles and Holy Grail Knights had the right to enjoy it.
Richard loved to eat venison. When the Knight King was young, he often went into the mountains to hunt. Lauren thought that his uncle's habit of eating venison hadn't changed after decades.
"Lyoncole, how long ago did Laing become a Holy Grail Knight?" Richard asked slowly when he was almost done eating.
"Eight and a half years ago … almost nine years," Lauren replied respectfully.
"What about François?" Richard asked.
"About thirty years ago."
"Berchemund?"
"More than fifty years ago," Lauren answered one by one.
"What about you?" Richard looked at Lauren. He couldn't see what he was thinking from his cloudy eyes.
"Six years." Lauren had some doubts in his heart, but he still answered.
"What about Kalad?" Richard asked.
"Kalad Garamente? Didn't he just become a Holy Grail Knight a month ago and return to his hometown as Count Garamente? "Lauren was puzzled. I was talking about conquering Muxilon. Why did my uncle ask this?
"Laing, François, Berchemund, and Kalad. Which one of them isn't a Holy Grail Knight? Each of them has been through hundreds of battles, with many achievements and honors. Half of the kingdom's knights have fought side by side with them. You, a legendary Holy Grail Knight, don't think about how to build a good relationship with them and thank them for their contribution to the kingdom's peace. Instead, you want to fight Muxilon? Where's the respect you deserve? When you really want to compete with Laing, how many of the kingdom's knights will be willing to listen to your orders? "
"…" Lauren was speechless. He felt that he had been hit in the head and was dizzy.
"As a lord, the two most important things are nothing more than human resources and financial power. As a candidate for the Knight King, the two most important things are nothing more than the support of all the knights and nobles in the kingdom and the recognition of the Lady." Richard sneered. "Do you think you're sure to win? After all, Laing doesn't even have the title of a duke? "
"But Muxilon is a cancer in the kingdom! We must get rid of him, no matter the cost. " Lauren did not admit his mistake under Richard's verbal attack. His attitude was serious. "Whether it's me, Laing, or anyone else, we can't avoid Muxilon. After all, the Lady's oracle has made it very clear that whoever can defeat Muxilon will be the new Duke of Muxilon!"
Richard stroked his goatee and looked at Lauren for a long time before nodding. "Well, you're right to insist on this, Lyoncole. Some issues are matters of principle. The struggle within the kingdom is one thing, and the external world is another. In terms of right and wrong, you must stick to your position. If you tell me to give up on fighting Muxilon at this time, then tomorrow I'll write to Her Highness Morgiana and tell her that I also hope that Laing will take over the throne."
Lauren only felt cold sweat on his back.
That's right. Although Richard didn't handle some matters well in recent years, which led to him being forced to semi-retire, many people had forgotten that he was the Knight King who worked hard to rule the country after ascending the throne and enjoyed the kingdom for more than 30 years! When John II was dethroned and the whole kingdom was in chaos, it was Richard who stabilized the situation as the king and ensured that Brittany did not collapse in civil strife.
Although the suppression of Laing had failed in the past few years, the kingdom's court was at least stable with Richard around. Whether it was the assembly of the knight's army or the restoration of production after the invasion of Chaos, Richard had at least supported Lauren.
"Lyoncole, think about it carefully. If you were to hold a king-selection meeting now, how many dukes would support you?" Richard stroked his beard and said seriously, "Think about it carefully. I'm one, you're one, Duke Aldrade of Lyonnasser is one, and Duke Theodoric of Bereon … is also one. Who else?"
"…" Lauren wanted to say Montfort, but he immediately realized that Montfort, Duke Fulcade of Montfort, had just been saved by Laing.
Similarly, Duke Gisoleiox, Duke Hagan of Gisoleiox, was not established. Duke Casfern of Pallavon was doubtful.
"And the attitude of the ladies. Don't forget that Her Highness Morgiana is now residing in Laing's territory," Richard sneered. Richard sneered, "Leon is also the Lady's Chosen One champion. Your advantage is not as big as you think, Lyoncole."
After a pause, seeing that his nephew was deep in thought, Richard nodded and continued, "Even so, you still have an advantage. You are the rightful heir to the throne, and also the successor that I have appointed. But you have to understand why you are the successor, and why we chose you. So, you have to stop before you go too far!"
"The pedestal under the throne cannot be touched."
The old king's words poked at Lauren's deepest worry.
When Lauren Lyoncole traveled the human kingdoms as an expeditionary knight, he naturally noticed the various shortcomings of the Knight King's kingdom. Whether it was in terms of technology or social vitality, Brittany was lagging behind the Empire on the other side of the mountain.
As one of the champions chosen by the Lady of the Lake, Lauren was not an idiot. He had a lot of deep thoughts about this, and that was the imperative to reform the kingdom. So, after he took office, the regent of the kingdom presided over a tax reduction campaign, and took the initiative to contact the dwarves of the Empire and the Grey Mountains.
He also hoped to import guns and cannons from the Empire, as well as engineers from the Empire. For this reason, he had many contacts with the Empire and the dwarves of the Grey Mountains. He wanted to sign a stable firearms purchase contract, and even attract some people to set up factories in Kurona.
Not only did Richard not object to this approach, but he also supported Lauren's approach. But when Lauren wanted to take it a step further, Richard's attitude immediately took a 180-degree turn. The old king firmly opposed Lauren's deeper reform of the citizen system like Lai's.
The reason was just as Richard said: the pedestal under the throne could not be touched. What made Lauren the most popular candidate? If he showed any intention of doing so, the nobles who supported him could abandon him at any time and replace him with a new one.
This was the biggest problem Lauren faced.
If he wanted to do something and fundamentally change the kingdom, he had to become king.
But from the standpoint that he represented and his base, if he wanted to become king, he couldn't do anything to the current system.
"Lyoncole, you're not like Laing Macado." Richard's cloudy eyes looked at the mango, lemon dark chocolate, and fruit desserts. He continued, "Laing's territory used to be like a wasteland. He built it from scratch, and he had the full support of the Lady and Morgiana. But you're different. Look at your duchy, and look at the capital. Which family doesn't have hundreds of years of accumulation?"
"So François married Suria to Laing, and he used Laing's territory as a test? When Laing succeeded in his reforms, François slowly followed. "Lauren nodded." Then why can't we do this? "
"Why not?" Richard shook his head. "Laing could trade with the wood elves as soon as he arrived. Can you? Laing could get the dwarves to set up factories in his territory with a few words. Can you? Laing has a good relationship with the Empire, and there's endless trade. Can you? Leon was able to get Tigris, the Supreme High Elf Mage, to travel across the ocean to attend his wedding. Can you do the same? "
"Laing is very smart. He never hogs the huge dividends from trade and land development that he brings as the core. On the contrary, his system doesn't hurt the interests of others." Richard continued, "It's precisely because the system he established brings a large amount of dividends that not only satisfies Francois, Bodrick, and the other nobles who support him, but also doesn't harm their interests. That's why these nobles are willing to reform with Ryan! That's the essential difference between you and him! You don't have a piece of land! "
Richard's words made Lauren Lyoncole speechless. The Knight of the Holy Grail and Duke of Connet's face turned pale. He realized what a huge problem he was facing.
"That's why I didn't want to abdicate before, but I wanted to. Now that I should abdicate, I'm holding on." Richard smiled. "The position of king isn't one where you can command the nobles of the kingdom at will after you sit on it. You have to convince the public to sit on it. It's more convenient to command the nobles of the entire kingdom. The throne is bestowed by the Lady, but it's the nobles' freedom to obey the king's orders."
"One who wants to wear the crown must bear its weight." Richard's words were filled with endless bleakness. He laughed softly. "Before I became king, my mind was full of thoughts of reform. But when I was really chosen as king in the King Selection Convention, I had to do what the dukes wanted. Everyone wants to be king, but few realize what kind of responsibility it is to sit on the throne. If you don't even have the courage to do that, then you don't deserve to be king!"
"Then … Uncle, how do I solve this dilemma?" Lauren frowned. He realized the difficulty of the problem. The Knight of the Holy Grail, who was nearly fifty years old, seriously asked his uncle, who was nearly one hundred and twenty years old, for advice.
"Or Mu Xilong," Richard said slowly with his eyes closed.
"Or Mu Xilong?" Lauren faintly felt that he had grasped something.
"Yes, it's still Mu Xilong. If you can completely get rid of this malignant tumor of the kingdom and recover Mu Xilong, who has not been dealt with for hundreds of years, then you will gain the support and trust of the nobles. With credit comes prestige, and with prestige comes trust." Richard let out a long sigh. "With trust and support, you will have the capital to push forward the reform. So, you can understand why I beat Mu Xilong several times after I succeeded the throne, right?"
Looking at his old uncle, Lauren Laing Cornwall, Duke of Connet, suddenly had tears in his eyes. He could feel that Richard was old. The last bit of his spirit had disappeared with the failure to suppress Laing and Uhles' death in battle.
"Uncle, if you abdicate, who will support me to push forward the reform?" Lauren's voice trembled. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and only felt that his shoulders were very heavy. It was something called expectation and responsibility that pressed down on his shoulders.
"There will always be a day when people grow old, Lyoncole." Speaking of this, Richard smiled freely, and the wrinkles on his face opened up. "One day, I will have been the Knight King for more than thirty years, which is a very short time among the previous kings, but I think it's enough. Let me stand on the last shift. The future will be yours … or Laing Macado's."
Coming out of the palace, Lauren Lyoncole only felt that there was a layer of fog in his vision. He opened his mouth and looked at the endless night sky, but he could not make a sound.
Brittany, the Kingdom of the Knight King, where would it go in the future?
No one knew, but Lauren knew that he would work hard for it.
Until death.
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