Chapter 89

Lortheran's army arrived at Salem's capital at noon, while Veris and the dragons were slower, and by the time the explosion occurred, it was nearly evening.

Residents from the surrounding area came out to watch the spectacle, and the city's sheriff also arrived with his guards.

Looking around, those lying on the ground or standing with pale faces looked very familiar; they seemed to be people from the Duke's mansion. He had a bad feeling.

He then quickly sent his men to deliver a message to the Duke's mansion.

Meanwhile, a banquet was being held at the Duke's mansion to entertain officers, even a squad leader.

The subordinate found the Duke's steward and explained the situation. The steward's face immediately darkened, and he hurriedly asked, "Isn't there anyone else there?"

"The cardinal in the church has also come out to investigate," the subordinate said.

The butler's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. He waved his hand and said, "Go tell Mr. Taylor to get these people bandaged up first, clean up the scene, and make sure the news doesn't leak out, especially not to get it here." His last sentence was a warning.

His subordinates readily agreed and hurried off to the cathedral.

The butler stood at the door, head bowed in thought for a long time, unable to make up his mind. Finally, he decided to go and report to the Duke. He looked up and was caught off guard to see a figure standing in front of the door.

The other person also raised their eyes, but not to look at him. Instead, they looked at the plaque of the Duke's mansion and examined it.

The butler had a bad feeling. He immediately asked, "Is this gentleman also here for the banquet?" As he spoke, he stared intently at the young man. Tonight, His Highness the Duke was going to carry out the plan he had been preparing for many days, and he couldn't let anyone interfere.

As he spoke, the young man naturally looked away and turned to look at him, saying readily, "That's right, sir, I'm here to attend the banquet."

"Sir, could you please tell me your name? I'll go and verify it with the Earl. I'm so sorry, there's a banquet at the Duke's mansion today, and we're worried that some of the city's scoundrels might have sneaked in and upset everyone." The butler smiled, but it didn't necessarily mean he believed Veris.

Veris nodded in agreement: "You're right, sir. I think this is a very good idea. Aren't you afraid of disturbing Earl Reed? Everyone has to go and report once."

The butler found the words to be sarcastic and insinuating.

So he frowned.

Veris smiled and continued, "But I cannot tell you my name, sir."

Just as the butler was about to speak, he heard Veris say, “But you should go and tell Earl Reed that a young man, a young man who doesn’t tell anyone his name, has come to warn him. No, I might mislead you, but the person I really want to warn is the Duke of Salem.”

Seeing the middle-aged man's face change drastically, Veris continued, "Ever since he left the capital and was granted the title of Salem, he changed his name to Salem, just like Duke Mercury. But I still remember his former name, a very nice name, Brok Lortheran. Speaking of which, Garcia should call him uncle, shouldn't he?"

Who are you?

The butler couldn't help but exclaim, "Are you playing a trick on me?!"

Upon seeing this, a servant hurriedly ran back to the mansion to find the Duke.

Veris didn't seem to care. He had a slight smile on his face. His handsome young face wasn't particularly aggressive, but his words, his gentle tone, and even his exceptionally pleasant voice, all combined, sounded like a chilling abyss to others, especially those with guilty consciences.

He seemed oblivious to the people surrounding him and continued, “I’ve been in Salem for a while now, and everything here has disappointed me, but not to the point of killing. That’s what I’ve always told my companions. Unfortunately, it seems you’ve been watching us for a while now—which is understandable, since we haven’t been hiding our tracks.”

Those words sent chills down the butler's spine; he now knew who this young man was!

But the man continued, “Alright, I’ve finished my introduction. Today, my companion and I have come to this beautiful city. I should go to the cathedral to check the major events of the past few years, but someone is following us. My companion, a reckless young man, went to check, and then a huge explosion occurred.”

"Are you here to ask the Duke for help in punishing those despicable bastards?" The butler asked with a forced smile.

Veris shook his head: "No, no, you're overthinking it. I don't need Salem's help."

He addressed the Duke of Salem by his first name, saying, "I'm here to tell you that I know everything. Now that Phoenix has rebelled, I won't deal with Salem immediately, but he has hurt a remarkable man, and I will make him pay the price."

--What's the meaning?

Before the butler could figure it out, he was shocked to discover that the young man had vanished into thin air!

He was shocked, and the duke's thugs who had surrounded the young man looked at each other, not understanding what was happening.

"What's going on!" he demanded sharply, but no one could answer him.

The steward was in a state of panic and hurried back to the mansion to report to the Duke in person.

The advance officer from the Grand Papacy in the capital was incredibly powerful. He arrived at the Duke's mansion and said a bunch of incomprehensible things, but to those of them with guilty consciences, the advance officer's words were like a pronouncement before dawn, filling them with dread.

Even more terrifying, that person vanished into thin air! There was no trace of a magic circle, nor was it any magical artifact; in just an instant, the person was gone!

After passing through the garden, the butler hurried into a corridor, intending to go directly to the room at the back to find the Duke of Salem.

He was panting heavily from running, and in his distraction, he didn't notice his surroundings.

A banquet is being held up ahead, and at this time, His Highness the Duke should be receiving Earl Reed and his entourage in the small drawing room.

When he arrived at the small living room, he straightened his disheveled clothes, let out a long breath, and was about to step inside when he found it unusually quiet.

The butler didn't have time to think about why this was happening. He went inside, where several people were sitting, including the Duke of Salem, who was sitting on the sofa in the main seat, his face pale.

There is one more person.

He stood to one side and looked over when he saw someone come in.

It was that pioneer!

How did he get in?!

The butler then noticed that the Duke's face was stiff, and he looked at him, asking, "Is there something you need?"

The advance officer didn't even glance at him. The man was holding a book with a black cover, the contents of which were impossible to discern.

The butler's lips trembled. What could he say? That their men had injured the advance officer's companion, and now the enemy had come knocking on their door? But the advance officer was already standing there!

"Your Grace, please prepare the crown and insignia bestowed upon you later and send them back to the capital to await His Majesty the King's instructions." The steward remained silent, but the advance officer spoke up, his voice calm and even.

"What?!" The butler's eyes widened.

The officers sitting around him dared not utter a sound. Earl Reed, the supreme commander of this rebellion, sat upright, staring straight ahead, his tension visibly palpable.

It had only been a short time since the butler ran into the Duke's mansion and made his way to the small living room.

Veris held the book, his face expressionless. He glanced at the people in the small living room. The Duke of Salem was accompanied by his secretary, who stood on either side of the main sofa, heads bowed, not daring to speak.

They were having a pleasant conversation here not long ago when the kingdom's advance envoy suddenly appeared. Count Reed stopped talking first and even stood up, looking at the young man in surprise. He knew who this was.

Count Reed's unusual behavior drew everyone's attention to Veris.

This person appeared out of thin air.

The Duke of Salem frowned, wanting to reprimand the young man in his ordinary robes for trespassing into the back hall.

They saw the young man take out a thick book with a black cover, and then they saw the book open on its own.

At this moment, Earl Reed suddenly bowed and greeted him: "Good day, Your Excellency the Advance Officer."

Upon hearing Earl Reed's respectful greeting, the Duke of Salem's previously cold face instantly turned pale with fright. What was going on? How could this person be here? Were the guards outside the Duke's mansion just for show?!

It moved without wind, but Veris didn't even glance at it, saying only, "Your Grace, I have reported your actions to His Majesty. The laws of the kingdom will tell you what will happen next, but before that, the laws of the church will also judge you."

Several gazes were focused on the Duke of Salem.

Veris continued, "Your men told you I'm a beast tamer, is that right?"

“My companion is indeed a magical beast, and the powder you prepared is indeed effective. It is now seriously injured, and I have sent it back to the capital. But I must tell you, it is not only my companion, but also His Majesty the King’s longtime friend.”

Count Reed suddenly recalled the day the army set off, the sky-covering shadows of beasts. According to Veris, Duke Salem had attacked them and succeeded; the beast was seriously injured.

He didn't speak, he just looked at the Duke of Salem.

The superior officer remained silent, and the other officers were even more so.

"Buying and selling people, malicious murder, plotting against the army, forcibly levying taxes, colluding with traitors... Your Grace, I believe Salem needs a new ruler."

"You!" Upon hearing this, the Duke of Salem couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Veris stared at him intently, his anger and guilt strangely suppressed in those heterochromatic eyes, and he even felt a trace of fear.

Fear? How could he be afraid? This is his territory, and all these people are on his territory. With just one order from him, his guards will surround them. He is the one in charge.

But now he sat on the sofa, too afraid to move, and the whole room was completely silent.

He heard Veris say that he would strip him of his dukedom and his fiefdom. He had been here for over twenty years and considered himself to have worked diligently and carefully. When he was granted his fiefdom, Garcia's father, who was also his brother, was on the throne. His brother doted on him, so his fiefdom was Salem, a large county bordering District 11.

"Your Majesty cannot do this to me!" he finally cried out.

However, no one inside responded to him.

The terrifying indifference was like a slow, agonizing torture, cutting away at every piece of his flesh.

His body began to feel cold and stiff. The people sat upright, no one spoke, and no one showed any other expression. They were like an oil painting, hanging on the wall forever.

Just as this terrible indifference was spreading, the butler burst in.

But it hastened his trial.

The Duke of Salem had imagined what he would be dealt with, but he never thought it would be like this. He sat stiffly in this magnificent living room, with no one to save him, no one to speak up for him, and his subordinates and his secretary all rendered useless!

The young man stood there, his eyes downcast.

The desire to resist and the urge to compromise were locked in a struggle, but the Duke of Salem knew that the thought of resistance was merely self-comfort, a way of telling himself that he wasn't going to just surrender willingly, and that at least he had considered resisting.

But in the end, he stood up stiffly and said, "I will go to the palace to confess my sins."

Veris looked at him and suddenly smiled faintly, his eyes still cold: "You believe in the church and the pope. I remember you as a sincere young man, but now, during your years in Salem, you have distorted my doctrines and tried to reform my church. Fortunately, my system has already been established, and your efforts are just a drop in the ocean."

"The cardinal has something to hide and doesn't dare to confront me. He's trying to fob me off. The other churches are still in good order. They are still devout believers who care about the world. Your hands and feet can probably only reach the area around the main city."

"Brock Lortheran".

Veris said, word by word, "You're an ignorant fool, you don't have the brains for this. Who told you to do this?"

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Author's Note: Using psychological attacks... [glasses]

See you tomorrow! [kiss]