The night in Gran was unusually quiet. Other than the occasional orderly footsteps of the patrolling soldiers, everything was so peaceful. The flickering flames on both sides of the main road looked so charming in the night fog.
As the oldest empire among the human cities, the capital of the Tell Empire, Grand, had a prestige that no other city on the continent could compare to. It was different from the brilliance of the capital city of the Arsus Empire, Cullen, the extravagance of Yise, and the grandeur of the Byron Empire. The city with a thousand years of history was once the capital city of the largest empire in human history. It not only contained the majesty of power, but also the most traditional culture of mankind, as well as the vicissitudes of life that had experienced countless storms.
The founding king of Ter had chosen the capital of the empire to be located behind Grand City. Up until now, Grand City had undergone two major expansions and an almost complete re-layout. At this moment, Grand was divided into four parts by the cross-shaped main road. At the top of the cross was a nearly perfect military fortress. This was where the highest authority of the Tell Empire was located!! The Imperial Palace.
The thousand-year-old palace was built according to the model of a military fortress that could be attacked and defended. There was a long stone bridge between the two towering inner and outer walls. This palace, which was slightly smaller than a medium-sized city, was the only defense system on the Rostocker Continent that used a double moat. The stone bridge that could only accommodate eight horses side by side increased the defense of the inner walls to the maximum.
Between the inner city wall and the training field in front of the main hall, there was an endless bluestone passage sandwiched by tall stone walls. Countless small rooms were carved out of the stone walls. This was the place where the soldiers rested after changing positions.
The main hall, which was named the Heaven Conquering Hall, was the place where the kings of the past dynasties dealt with government affairs. Every morning, it was bustling with activity because of the ministers who came to the morning court. It was also from here that the king of the largest empire in human history led his soldiers to conquer the world 1,200 years ago.
After walking out of the back door of the Heaven Conquering Palace and turning a few corners, they passed by three watchtowers guarded by a small team. The scenery of the deep courtyard of the palace appeared in front of them. This was the place where the monarch of the Tell Empire rested.
"Father, come, eat this. You haven't eaten for a day.”Ainavis took a bowl of soup from the maid's hand and picked up a spoon to gently feed her father who was lying on the bed. At this moment, her expression was a little complicated.
Ainavis moved the spoon filled with soup to his mouth and blew gently. He estimated the temperature and tested it with his lips before carefully sending it to King Ter's mouth. King Ter, who was staring at his daughter with wide eyes, opened his mouth slightly and drank the food that his daughter had personally fed him.
After a while, Alina fed all the soup in the bowl to her father, and a beautiful smile appeared on her face.
Handing the bowl in his hand to the maid beside him, Ainavis took out a handkerchief to wipe the water from his father's mouth and instructed,""All of you can leave. I need to talk to my father for a while.”
The door to the bedchamber slowly closed, and an inexplicable hoarse sound came from King Tell's mouth. It was firmly locked in the room where only the father and daughter were.
"Father, do you know? The plan I told you earlier is only one step away from completion. I'm really grateful to Uncle Max!”" I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. It's all thanks to your promise."”
" Burp…Burp…" King Ter opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something to his daughter, but his current state made him powerless.
"Father, what are you trying to say? Don't worry, I'll succeed. I've never let you down, have I?”With a smile on his face, Ainavis took out an exquisite small box from his pocket. Inside it were several small pink particles." Hmm…you should take your medicine today. Otherwise, if you recover from your illness, how can I control this empire?”
Looking at the pink pill in his daughter's hand, King Ter, who was lying stiffly on the bed and had lost all ability to move, had a look of fear and infatuation in his eyes. As the pink pill approached, King Ter opened his trembling lips…
"Father, although I hate you very much, you're still my biological father. So don't worry, I'll let you live well. Just like now, you don't have to worry, you don't have to deal with state affairs, and you have so many beautiful maids serving you every day. You should be very satisfied, right?”
After eating the pink pill that melted in his mouth, King Ter's eyes began to become blurry. Sitting beside him, Anavis did not seem to care about his father's change, nor did he care if his words could really reach his ears. He just muttered to himself.
"In the past, I never understood why mother looked so haggard every day. Why did she still look so depressed even though she lived a life of luxury? Until I was sixteen years old. Father, it was you who told me the reason. Unfortunately, mother is no longer around…"
A rare pained expression appeared on Ainavis's face. However, when she looked at King Ter, deep hatred and madness appeared in Ainavis 'eyes." I never dreamed that my beloved father was a beast! A beast who had started to have designs on his own daughter right after his mother passed away! I finally understand why my mother left me at such a young age. I finally understand why my mother said those words to me before she passed away! Because of you, my dear father, because of you!”
The sound of rapid breathing echoed in the silent bedroom. Ainavis 'hysterical scream woke King Ter, who was immersed in a hallucinatory dream. He looked at his daughter in horror, and his stiff body trembled slightly.
"Look at you, Father. Didn't I tell you? I will let you live well. Before I completely control this empire, you can't die.”After calming himself down, Ainavis put on that mesmerizing smile again and gently stroked his father's sparse hair like a filial daughter. "I promise you that I will let you see the results of that plan in your lifetime.”
"Burp…"
A series of short and hurried hoarse sounds came from King Ter's throat and entered Anavis 'ears. She looked at the anxious and pleading expression in her father's eyes with interest and suddenly felt so comfortable.
"What's wrong, Father? Don't worry, you should believe in your smart daughter's wisdom. You should believe that your daughter will successfully complete that plan. Don't you think so?"Ainavis was very satisfied with King Ter's expression and continued," Do you think your daughter's plan is crazy? Indeed, his daughter's plan was crazy, crazy enough to make the entire human race an enemy!”
" So what?" Ainavis smiled scornfully. Didn't you teach me that without the greatest investment, there won't be the greatest gain? Now, I'm betting the entire Ter Empire. As long as the last step of my plan is completed, I'll sit on the throne of Ter King and make all men prostrate at my feet! And you, my dear father, you will become the most outstanding emperor in the history of the Tell Empire. Are you still not satisfied?”
"Burp, burp…"
This kind of inexplicable hoarse voice kept coming out of King Ter's slightly opened mouth, but Ainavis did not care and continued to speak.
"Father, are you worried about my useless brother? Don't worry, he's very happy now. He might be hugging a maid and enjoying himself!
Although he is a beast like you, oh, no, he is more like a beast than you because he only knows how to mate and eat and drink, he is still my younger brother. Just like you, I still need him to stabilize the ministers who know this secret. I promise you that he is definitely happier than you.”
Ainavis 'clear and pleasant laughter was so intoxicating, but King Ter, who was lying stiffly on the bed, had panic in his eyes. The younger brother of Ainavis, this was a secret that only a few people in the Tell Empire knew…
After he stopped laughing, a puzzled expression suddenly appeared on Ainavis 'face. The seductive witch seemed to have turned into a holy elf in an instant." My dear father, I've always had a question. Why would an outstanding man like you give birth to such a filthy and incompetent son? But you're my father, so why doesn't my cute little brother have any intelligence?”
"Hmm…I think it might be because of his mother!”Ainavis explained to himself," I heard that the woman was a prostitute. If that's the case, it's not hard to understand. How can the son of a prostitute be compared to the daughter of a noble mother? My father."
"Oh! Oh right, there's one more thing I forgot to tell you. Please forgive me.”The holy elf turned into a vicious witch again. A sinister smile flashed in Ainavis 'eyes." The day after you woke up, I sent that woman to my brother's room. He didn't disappoint me. Father, why did you tell your lovely brother that his mother had passed away? Is it because of that woman's identity?"
" Burp, burp, burp..." After hearing his daughter's words, King Ter's face turned pale. He naturally understood what his daughter meant by " sent to his brother's room ", but he could only watch his arrogant and cold daughter's vengeful smile.
"Are you asking me where she is now? Oh, that's what I wanted to tell you. I let her stay in my brother's room for a month before sending her to Naxi City. She accompanied my son day and night for a month. I think she should be very satisfied, right? So I sent her to Naxi City to contribute to the empire. She is the mother of the future king of the empire!”
Ainavis looked at King Ter's increasingly pale face and felt extremely satisfied. She would use the cruelest means to take revenge on those who had once hurt her mother. This was the first wish she had made after she became sensible, and it was also her only wish. This was only the first step. When she truly took control of this country, she would let all the men who had touched her mother's holy body with their dirty hands experience what it meant to live a life worse than death!
"My dear father, you don't have to worry about that woman. Although she's a little old, she's still quite beautiful. Those soldiers who guard the border and defend the orcs for the empire will definitely let her experience the greatest joy of being a woman! When this war is over, I will let my dear brother and mother reunite. This will also fulfill your wish, right?”
Women's revenge was often crazy and cruel. When a woman with supreme power and intelligence made revenge her life goal, she would become a complete demon.
Losing the mood to speak, Ainavis stood up and paced back and forth in the bedroom. Other than King Ter's occasional unpleasant hoarse voice, the entire bedroom was silent.
After a while, Ainavis sat back on his father's bed and gently pulled up the corner of his blanket. No one could imagine that Ainavis had such a deep hatred for her father.
"Father, do you know? From a very young age, mother told me that you were a very great emperor. Although you had a very bad temper, she still loved you. Even before she passed away, she called your name, but you weren't by our side. She couldn't even see you for the last time.”Ainavis suddenly put on a weak expression that could not be looked at directly. Her gentle voice made people have the urge to risk their lives to not let her be hurt in the slightest.
"When I found out that I had a younger brother, I was so happy. Father, do you still remember? The doll I gave my brother was made by me. I know that Ter's ancestral teachings do not allow women to inherit the throne. I have always hated myself for being a girl, but my younger brother's appearance made me turn this hatred into love, into a heartfelt love for my younger brother. I know that he is your successor, the future king of the Ter Empire, my dear younger brother…"
At this point, Ainavis fell silent, and a pained expression appeared on her face. After a moment, Ainavis continued," But, but he…Father, do you know? I was very disappointed. I spared no effort to teach him, but I didn't expect him to become a person who only knew how to eat, drink, and play. I was really disappointed. This huge empire still needed him to inherit it!”
"Father, do you think I'm too stupid to educate my younger brother?”Ainavis reached out and touched his father's forehead, his face full of regret and sorrow." But he is still the heir to the throne of the Tell Empire. I can't let him go like this. I want him to inherit this empire without any obstacles or danger. I want him to become the true King of Tell!
Those ministers who only care about their own interests and the interests of their families will definitely have their own thoughts when they see their future king like this. That's why I sent my brother's mother to Naxi City. Although it's very cruel, I won't let my brother be caught because of her. That's why I'm working with the orcs and not hesitating to make an enemy of all humans. Only in this way can I get rid of those ministers and their families with ulterior motives and allow my brother to successfully inherit the throne. Father, can you understand me? Can you forgive me?"
"Father, do you know that although I hate you, you are still my father, my only family!" Ainavis used her dream-like voice to softly confide in King Ter's ear. Softly and slowly, Ainavis 'lips pressed against King Ter's forehead.
(You really have a talent for acting. If it were me, I would also be bewitched by you.）
A neutral and hoarse voice sounded in Ainavis 'ear, but it lacked the respect of a subordinate to a princess.
Ainavis walked in the corridor leading to the Princess's bedroom, the Heavenly Bestowal Palace. The guards and maids following behind him were ten steps away. The person who was talking to Ainavis was nowhere to be seen. It seemed that only Ainavis could hear this voice.
"Is that so? Do I need to thank you for your affirmation, Carson?”At this moment, there was a mesmerizing smile on Anavis 'face, but her eyes had returned to their usual coldness.
(Humph!)
"Carson, have you finished what I asked you to do? If you had used your time mocking me to get down to business, my plan would probably have been more perfect, right?”Ainavis glanced at the beam above her head intentionally or unintentionally, and a small voice that only she could hear came out of her wriggling lips.
(Humph, I've already placed what you wanted in the secret room. I also sent a brief report of the battle situation to your desk not long ago. I think you'll be interested.)）
"Is this why you asked me out? I really want to see the battle report that you care about as soon as possible.”As he spoke, Ainavis quickened his pace and walked towards his bedroom. As he walked, he muttered to himself, Am I very good at acting? Maybe, who told you that this is the dirtiest place in Quantel…"
"Good-for-nothing! Good-for-nothing! A bunch of good-for-nothing!" Shivut Arthurs felt like he was about to go crazy from the anger of the people below who carried the titles of nobles of the Empire and were surrounded by the supreme glory of the Empire's important officials. He slammed the long table in front of him with all his might, but even so, he still could not vent his anger.
The people standing below the hall with their heads lowered naturally became his targets.
"You, you, and you! Come out! Explain to me what's going on! Is the Empire's intelligence agency there for you to see or for me to see! They had already fought to their doorstep, and you guys actually didn't know! Even if I spend money to raise a pig, it's better than you!”In his rage, Sivut no longer cared about his status and dignity.
"This humble subject will die, please punish me.”
The three ministers that King Arthurs had named rushed out of the queue in panic and quickly fell to the ground.
Shivat came out from behind the table and walked down from the high platform. He tried his best to suppress his anger and stood in front of the three people. He asked in a slightly trembling voice,""Humph! Don't you want to explain anything to me? Roth, as the person in charge of the Empire's intelligence department, shouldn't you give me a reason?”
Roth, who was named after Siwu, lowered his head even more. His body, which was almost curled into a ball, made him look like a giant meatball." I, I deserve to die! This lowly subject received intelligence regarding the orc invasion late last night. I originally wanted to report it to the king today, but I didn't expect, didn't expect…"
"You didn't expect this king to have already received the battle report, right?”When King Arthurs heard Roth's words, he narrowed his eyes slightly." So you're saying that This King shouldn't blame you?”
"No, no! This subject is guilty, this subject deserves ten thousand deaths!" Anyone could see that King Arthurs was on the verge of exploding in anger. No one wanted to experience the anger of an emperor, and Roth, who was in charge of the empire's intelligence, naturally wouldn't.
"The efficiency of the Empire's intelligence personnel is really low. Although the Orcs 'attack was indeed a little sudden, and it's forgivable that they didn't receive the news in advance, the speed at which the information was transmitted was actually only a little faster than the battle report that came from breaking out of the encirclement. I think you, the intelligence minister, should learn from your seniors!”
"Ah! My king, please forgive me! He understood that the seniors that King Arthur was talking about were the former intelligence chiefs who had already passed away. If he wanted to learn from them, he had to go to hell.
"Humph!" King Arthurs ignored Roth's pleas and turned his gaze to the middle-aged general beside him, who looked thinner than Roth." Count Yarrow, you are the youngest lieutenant general in the Empire. I have always trusted you, so I entrusted the defense of the southern province to you. I didn't expect you to disappoint me so much." How can you live up to this king's trust in you! How are you going to face the 30 million citizens of the Southern Province?”
King Arthur's words were like a sharp knife that stabbed into Yarrow's heart. He suddenly straightened his upper body that was lying on the ground. His resolute face was red, and his slightly trembling body and fingernails that were dug into his flesh expressed his unwillingness and anger. His bloodshot eyes were filled with grievance and bitterness.
"What's wrong? Did this king wrongly blame you? There were a total of three administrative provinces in the south, and the Empire had 890,000 troops stationed there. However, 120,000 Orcs had actually swept through them! Three days! Only three days! The 600,000 soldiers of the Empire would never see the Arthur Flower again. If it weren't for the fact that the walls of Keen City were strong enough, and that the Beastmen had sent a large portion of their forces to guard the captured city, Keen City might have fallen as well.”
" It'll take at least four days to get from Keen to Cullen. Today is already the fifth day. I wonder how the situation there is..."
Yarrow still did not speak, but the drops of blood that dripped from the gaps between his fingers to the ground completely revealed his current mood.
"Yarrow, don't you want to give me a reason?”" What?" Sievert's eyes narrowed into a thin line again as he stared at the lieutenant general of the Empire, who had extraordinary talent in war but did not know how to scheme." Or do you admit that you are incompetent? Do you admit that you are not worthy of the position of lieutenant general of the Empire?"”
"No, I can't! I'm not convinced! I can't accept this!" King Arthur's words made Yarrow forget the difference between monarch and minister. He also ignored the proper honorific." If you give me two legions responsible for the defense of the Eastern Province, I can kill those ugly orcs!”
"Oh? Eastern Province? General Joseph's Eastern Army Corps? Yarrow, your Southern Legion is no different from General Joseph's Eastern Legion. They are all made up of my brave Arthurs Empire soldiers. The elites of the Eastern Legion can only show that you are not responsible for the Southern Defense.”Shivat was surprised by Yarrow's answer, but he immediately turned his surprise into a reprimand.
"I…I, I am guilty. I cannot shirk responsibility for the loss of the southern province, but…"
"But what? Yarrow, what do you want to tell me?”
The excited Yarrow suddenly calmed down and lowered his head silently. The corner of his eyes kept moving between King Arthur and his comrade kneeling on the right, and finally fixed on King Arthur. "Your Majesty, this subject's Southern Legion cannot be compared to General Joseph's Eastern Legion in terms of training and quality of soldiers. However, the main responsibility for this failure is not on this subject!”
" You don't have it?" Sivut's pupils constricted, but he quickly recovered. Don't tell me it's on this king?"
"Your Majesty, you probably don't know that out of the 800,000 soldiers and four legions in the entire southern province, less than 300,000 of them are equipped with weapons and equipment. The other 500,000 people were carrying weapons left behind by the former dukedoms. Due to the lack of maintenance, the protective gear of the weapons were seriously damaged. Some of them were simply abandoned weapons picked up from the battlefield!”
Yarrow ignored King Arthur's furious expression and continued to throw out even bigger bombs." Moreover, every month, Lord Kerry only gives me one-third of the resources I need. The entire Southern Legion has never received enough pay! King, without weapons and without morale, even the most elite soldiers would have no fighting strength!”
"What?!" Even though he had heard about the situation of the Southern Legion, he was still shocked. He angrily pulled up Kerry, who was kneeling on Yarrow's right." Kerry! What was going on? One-third, where did the other two-thirds go?”
"My, my king, please forgive me…my king, please forgive me!”Kairi, who had been grabbed by the collar, was so scared that he couldn't even speak properly. Seeing King Arthur's expression, he knew that King Arthur had already marked him as a death row prisoner.
Shivat pushed away Kerry, who had tears and saliva all over his face, and asked with a gloomy face,""Speak! Where did the resources that the Empire allocated to the Southern Army Corps every month go? Where did the salary that the Empire gave to the Southern Legion go?”
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I deserve to die. I deserve to die. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!”Kairi was lying on the ground, kowtowing to King Arthur, but he didn't answer his question.
" Speak!" Sivut walked forward in disgust and kicked Kerry down. Where did the supplies and military pay go? If you can give this king a satisfactory answer, this king will spare your life!”
"Thank you for your kindness, thank you for your kindness! Every month, when it was time to distribute supplies and military pay to the five provinces of the Empire, the Minister of Finance, Lord Boli, would transfer a portion of the southern provinces to the western provinces. He said that this was the king's intention. He also said that the people of Teer were restless, and the western provinces needed to be on guard against the people of Teer at all times. They needed a lot of supplies. So, so…"
"So you dare to change the allocation of resources without receiving my warrant and the transfer order from the Imperial Military Department!”Sivut stomped on Kerry's stomach, showing no mercy to him.
"My king, please forgive me, please forgive me!”
Kairi's wail made everyone in the hall lower their heads. The treasurer who was betrayed by Kairi was trembling in fear. Just when everyone thought that King Arthur would target Boli, he unexpectedly targeted Intelligence Minister Roth.
"Roth, you seem to owe me an explanation. Why did you receive the information so late?”
It sounded as if Sivut's voice was no longer as agitated as before, but everyone knew that this was a sign that he was trying his best to restrain his ruthlessness. At this moment, if anyone were to touch the emotions hidden under the surface, King Arthur would become a nightmare for everyone in the hall.
"Your humble subject, your guilty subject…" Roth paused, as if he was making a choice. After a moment of hesitation, Roth decided to tell the truth."The transmission station from the southern province to the imperial capital has not been completed because there is not enough money. Every time the sinner mentioned this to Lord Boli, he would always use the excuse that the war had consumed too much energy and the empire's treasury was empty. The intelligence of the southern provinces had always been sent by intelligence personnel.”
Boli suddenly felt like fainting, but he didn't dare to. If Kerry's words caused him to lose his official position and title, then Roth's words might cause him to lose his life. He even hoped that King Arthur would execute him immediately to prevent him from hearing more unfavorable news.
He raised his head slightly and glanced at the expressionless " master " standing in front of the queue. He knew that he had been abandoned. He understood that this was how politics worked. When he was attached to his " master," he had already thought that there would be a day when he would be " abandoned to protect the commander."
"Greetings, ministers of the Empire, you are so kind!"Unexpectedly, Sivut did not hold anyone accountable. Instead, he put his hands behind his back and slowly walked up to the platform." You guys are really good! He treated the empire's treasury as his own account house and the empire's resources as his own goods, and not a single minister told this king!"You guys are really good! My Arthurs Empire will definitely become stronger with your help!"”
With an angry smile, Shivat sat on his throne and looked at the ministers in the hall with a relaxed expression. A violent storm was slowly brewing in the meeting hall of the Arthurs Empire.#
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