Chapter 473: Not only the Saint heard the oracle, but the Grand Duke also heard it

Prince Colin's voice was not loud, but it was particularly weighty.

The piano music flowing in the reception room seemed to be cut off by an invisible hand. The servants carrying silver trays slowed down their pace, held their breath for a moment, and were silent.

The smile on Edward Campbell's face froze, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. It seemed that he did not expect that His Highness Colin, who had been chatting with him in a friendly manner just a second ago, would turn hostile.

He looked into Colin's eyes, only to see that the warmth of spring breeze in those deep purple pupils had vanished, replaced by heartache and disappointment.

It was as if I had really done something against the will of heaven and earth.

Edward didn't understand why he suddenly attacked. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but they were tangled like a tangled ball of wool.

What does he... mean?

Is it referring to the land dispute between the Duchy of Campbell and the Kingdom of Ryan?

But how is this possible? !

The dispute between the Duke and the King was not something that was made public, and even Irene didn't know much about it, at most she had some awareness of it.

At least in name, the Northern Rescue Army of the Principality of Campbell was dispatched to save their compatriots in the Twilight Province!

He had never claimed any title to any piece of land in the Twilight Province. He just wanted those farmers who had lost their land and could not adapt to urbanization to find new jobs on the land of the Twilight Province.

But if it wasn’t because of the land dispute...what else could it be?

Edward couldn't understand it. It couldn't be that His Royal Highness was an old friend of the King of the Kingdom of Ryan, and was coming to criticize him on behalf of the King?

No man had ever made Edward's mind flood with so many thoughts in an instant that he forgot what to say for a moment.

Luo Yan didn't give him too much time to think about it, but went straight to the point and focused his flying thoughts on his sister.

"Pardon my boldness, Your Highness Edward, but are you a little too harsh on your sister?"

younger sister……

Ah...so that's how it is.

Edward's heart, which had been hanging in the air, suddenly fell back to the ground, and the sweat that had just crawled out of his back also disappeared unconsciously.

Luo Yan looked directly into the man's anxious gaze and continued in a serious tone.

"I just returned from the front lines. I witnessed the devastation outside Dusk City with my own eyes. It can't even be described as war; it's a living purgatory! Cultists' altars, Chaos Spirit clones, and endless waves of rats... Even now, I can't forget that odor of sulfur and rotting flesh! Why did you leave Irene in such a place?"

"She is your dearest! Even though she is the holder of the Light of Legend and carries the expectations of many of you, please don't forget her—"

"Enough, Your Highness Colin!" Edward interrupted him, holding his shoulders with both hands, a look of sadness and helplessness on his handsome face.

Luo Yan knew it when he saw his expression.

After the initial ups and downs, the Grand Duke's acting skills improved. Although still far behind his own, it was enough to fool those knights who were blinded by love.

It's obvious.

In the mind of the Grand Duke, he had become a person who was blinded by love and his whole heart was on his sister.

How can this be considered criticism? It's clearly a good thing!

The Duchy of Campbell was in need of an ally, and Edward had been thinking about how to get himself on board, and now the opportunity had come to him.

Luo Yan could feel that he was so excited that he wanted to jump up, but he had to make a helpless expression and pretend to be the weaker one.

This really puts him in a difficult position.

"Your Majesty..." The butler took a step forward, trying to ease the atmosphere between the two, but was driven out the door by Edward's look.

Not just a housekeeper.

Edward sent everyone out with his eyes, including the servants in the reception room and the pianist. Only two people standing at the door were left in the huge reception room and corridor.

Luo Yan looked at him and asked what he meant, but Edward did not explain. He just patted his shoulder lightly and then let go.

"Let's sit down and talk, Your Highness Colin."

His voice was a little hoarse, as if the entire Thunder City was weighing on his shoulders, with too many helpless and helpless difficulties.

Luo Yan made an expression as if he had taken the bait, closed his mouth and said nothing, then followed him to the sofa in the reception room and sat down.

Edward picked up the crystal bottle on the table and poured him a glass of amber wine himself, and then poured himself a glass.

At this moment, the person sitting here seemed not to be a king of a principality, but a brother who was under tremendous pressure.

"This matter... is far more complicated than you think."

"That's not an excuse," Luo Yan picked up the wine glass but didn't drink it. Instead, he stared at him intently and continued, "I don't have a sister, but even if I did, I would never use her kindness to complete my plan knowing there would be danger."

It didn't seem surprising that he thought so. Edward smiled to himself and took a sip of the amber wine and said.

"It's true that I appointed her as the commander of the Northern Rescue Army, but do you think I want her to go?"

Luo Yan disagreed.

"Is there anyone who can give you orders?"

"No!"

Edward responded simply.

"This doesn't require any orders from anyone. It's the Campbell family's innate obligation! I can only blame my father for handing the sword to her. If I had taken that sword, I would have gone there without hesitation to fulfill the mission entrusted to me by Saint Sith! It's true that I entrusted her with the important task, but even without my order, she would have gone anyway!"

There is nothing false in this statement.

Luo Yan had no doubt that if Edward inherited the "Light of Legend", he would use its power without reservation like Irene.

This guy was an ambitious man, but he was not a coward. Those nobles coveted pleasure, and the businessmen chased money. Only Edward Campbell could be called a "patriot" after all, the duchy was his.

The others are just joining in the fun.

"But even so—"

Edward interrupted him and sighed.

"Your Highness Colin, let me tell you a story."

Luo Yan looked at him.

"Go ahead."

"To understand all this, you have to understand the situation we, the Campbell family, are in."

Staring at the amber wine in the glass, Edward gathered his thoughts for a moment, then slowly began to tell the story that had been passed down for thousands of years.

"For thousands of years, our Campbell family has guarded the kingdom's southern borders and opened up the lands south of the Wanren Mountains. Our castle is built at the entrance to the maze, and our battlements are constructed partly from the bones of our ancestors, and partly from the remains of Mechanicus believers. It's no exaggeration to say that the blood our family has shed for this kingdom is greater than the wine consumed by some nobles in the royal capital."

His voice was calm, yet filled with suppressed anger.

"But—what did we get in return? No honor, no trust, only the Devalu family's endless suspicion and vigilance!"

Edward smiled self-deprecatingly, his smile full of cold irony, as if he was mocking the king's stupidity and the fate of the Campbell family.

"In their eyes, we are not the solid shields protecting the kingdom, but the tigers they keep close by. They are always eager to cage us and pluck out our claws, simply because our achievements are too dazzling and we have won the love of our people!"

Luo Yan listened in silence.

At this moment, he frowned appropriately and asked with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

"How is this possible? Would the king be suspicious of his vassal who has made great military achievements?"

This question was asked at the right time. What Edward most hoped for at this moment was the "relaxation" and "integrity" of the Imperial Prince, who came from the center of the civilized world.

Or rather—

ignorance.

"Maybe? Haha, this is what is happening to us right now!"

Edward stood up suddenly, walked to the window, and turned his back to Colin, as if he didn't want him to see his "pain".

Luo Yan was very familiar with it.

A long time ago, when his acting skills were not so proficient, he would use a blank expression to cover up his inability to act sincerely.

Over time, he developed the ability to hold on.

"...The king has never trusted us. He even wishes a sudden flood would sweep our home and our glory into the swirling sea! This suspicion is merely an undercurrent in peacetime, but when true disaster strikes, it becomes the deadliest poison!"

"When Chaos raged across the Dusk Provinces, when the flames of the Green Army's rebellion spread across every inch of the land, and when tens of thousands of his subjects perished in famine and war, what did our King do? He chose to act as if nothing had happened!"

Edward's voice was low, but gradually became louder, like a mountain torrent that had been suppressed for a long time before breaking out.

"Because in his eyes, it's just a 'controlled wildfire'! It can burn those damn weeds for him and make his pasture more fertile!"

A look of shock appeared on Luo Yan's face at the right moment.

"You mean... His Majesty the King set this fire on purpose?!"

"I have no evidence, but his actions prove it all." Edward turned slowly, his face etched with long-simmering grief and indignation. "We have repeatedly petitioned the capital, presenting the most urgent military intelligence, requesting troops to aid our compatriots... but all have fallen on deaf ears!"

"I can even guess what he'll say in the end. It must be some treacherous villain who blocked those letters for him. He knows everything, but now he's become an old man who allows himself to be deceived!"

"He's the worst!"

He returned to Colin and sat opposite the Imperial Prince, leaning forward and staring at him with red eyes.

"I have no choice, Your Highness Colin! My sister and I have no choice! Perhaps you will coldly say that it is the king's land, and if he wants to set fire to his own mountain, then let him burn it... But after all, those are our compatriots, and we drink from the same rushing river. The Campbells are at least half-Lane's blood, and the Lane's blood is half ours!"

"If I don't let Irene go, if I order her to stay as a brother, the entire Dusk Province will be reduced to scorched earth, and tens of millions of lives will become sacrifices to Chaos and the King! Perhaps the Empire has never cared about us, but we cannot watch our innocent compatriots die!"

Luo Yan remained silent for a long time, the expression on his face changing from shock, to confusion, to sudden realization... and finally turning into a heavy sigh.

He spoke slowly, his voice bitter and difficult.

"So... Her Highness Irene resolutely led the army to the king's aid even though the king refused to send troops?"

"Yes!"

Edward answered without hesitation, his tone firm.

"The Governor sent us a letter requesting assistance, and I have also sent letters to His Majesty Theoden more than once, reminding him of the flood of refugees in his territory. But as you saw before outside Thunder City, the hordes of refugees almost overwhelmed us! Even for our own sake, we have no choice but to send troops north!"

When he said this, he seemed to have completely forgotten that those refugees were not all from the Twilight Province, and a considerable number of them were serfs driven away by Baron Gus.

even--

Even the fact of sending troops to Twilight Province was at least half due to the desire to divert the internal conflicts that had accumulated outside Thunder City.

But that doesn't matter.

If a group of people who are still hungry can claim to save the world, the Duke of Campbell can naturally send troops generously to solve the problem of food and clothing for his neighbors.

Luo Yan knew what he wanted to do, and he came here to give him courage.

After listening to that impassioned speech, the prince of the empire slowly stood up from the sofa.

A trace of guilt flashed across that handsome face, then quickly turned into self-blame.

Under Edward's surprised gaze, Prince Colin performed a solemn aristocratic etiquette to apologize to the Grand Duke.

"Your Highness Edward, please accept my sincere apology. I... have wronged you."

Edward looked at him in surprise, then an embarrassed smile appeared on his face, and he coughed lightly and said.

"No... You're not wrong about me. As you said, I'm indeed an irresponsible brother. I only regret that I don't have the ability. If I were a little stronger, perhaps I wouldn't have to let my sister risk her life for the Campbell family."

He might really be a little embarrassed, but Luo Yan was not at all embarrassed. His voice was as sincere as ever, and even had a hint of emotion.

"It's not just this."

After a pause, he continued.

"Before I arrived here, I heard false rumors that Campbell had sent troops to the Dusk Province to capture the fertile lands that had been left uncultivated after the war... I almost believed those slanderous words, mistakenly believing that you had placed Her Highness Irene in such danger out of selfish desire. I apologize for my previous rudeness and narrow-mindedness!"

Edward immediately stood up and took a step forward, holding Colin's arm with a generous smile on his face, as if he didn't care at all about any offense just now.

"Your Highness, please don't say that. As your brother, I am only grateful for your concern for Irene's safety. As for those slanderous words... I'm used to hearing them. Let them say whatever they want."

Unexpectedly, those rumors actually reached Colin's ears.

He asked why the prince suddenly attacked him at this time. After all this time, when he was trying to undermine the king's woman, the king's hand had quietly reached his thigh, and the wind of discord reached Prince Colin's ears.

This Theoden—

We can't take it lightly.

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Edward's eyes, and the desire to teach the Devalou family a profound lesson had never been so strong.

He cleared his throat and spoke in a righteous voice.

"I can swear to Saint Sith that I, Edward Campbell, have never coveted the title of king! Everything I have done is only for the people of the Duchy of Campbell and the Kingdom of Ryan. What Steward Sclair said is nothing but a lie the king uses to cover up his own incompetence and cold-bloodedness!"

Irene's eldest brother has indeed made great progress. Every word of this is true, although it is not meant literally.

Luo Yan admired his progress in his heart, but his face still showed sympathy for the Campbell family and anger towards the Ryan royal family.

He sat back on the sofa, picked up the wine glass that had not been touched, drank it in one gulp, and slammed it on the table.

His fists were clenched tightly, and he seemed unable to suppress the anger in his heart.

"Your righteousness moved me, but it also made me even more disgusted with Theoden de Valoux's incompetence and cruelty! What did he regard the sacred mission entrusted to him by Saint Sith as? A shield of hypocrisy and cowardice? His people were suffering in the flames, his heroes were protecting his territory, and yet he slept on his throne, plotting to let them kill each other, instigating the common people to kill their nobles, and then using the Inquisition to settle accounts with the peasants. Now he is slandering their heroes!"

Edward was shocked.

Although he had thought of some impassioned speeches, he had not thought of this level. But after Colin's point, his thoughts were instantly opened up.

It turns out there is another layer of interpretation!

The throbbing in the depths of his soul was no less than when he read the words "everyone is a priest" from the New Testament.

At that moment, Edward Campbell seemed to hear an oracle——

'The Inquisition is the king's accomplice.'

Before the Imperial Prince finished speaking, His Highness Colin spoke in an almost trembling voice.

"I cannot forgive him! A king like this...doesn't deserve the loyalty of the Campbell family! He himself is a disgrace to the empire!"

After saying this, he looked at Edward with burning eyes, and as Edward had expected, he issued a declaration from the Imperial Prince.

Even better than he expected!

"Your Highness Edward, from today on, I and the Colin family I represent will become the Campbell family's most steadfast allies!"

"The problems of Dusk Province are our problems. Whether you need political support or material assistance, we will provide you with help without reservation!"

"This isn't just for Her Highness Irene, it's also for the honor and justice in my heart! I'm even willing to make another trip to the Holy City for you and bring your story to the Senate!"

Edward leaned forward excitedly and squeezed Colin's hand.

"Your Highness Colin! On behalf of the Campbells and the Ryans, I thank you for your generosity. I never thought there would be a noble like you who upholds justice in the empire today! Your friendship is the most precious gift the Campbell family has ever received! With your support, perhaps we can truly resolve this issue once and for all!"

"Oh?" Luo Yan raised his eyebrows and said with interest, "It seems that you already have a plan. Can you tell me about it?"

"certainly!"

Edward stared at him intently.

"The reason Dusk Province repeatedly ignites is ultimately because the king is completely unable to control that land, yet unwilling to relinquish power. Consequently, he allows the people there to remain weak and impoverished, artificially creating hunger and chaos, ultimately giving Chaos an opportunity to exploit!"

"There is only one way to save them, and that is to help them break free from the king's control and allow the people there to live a prosperous life like in Thunder City!"

"But depriving a noble title is not an easy thing..." Colin's face showed just the right amount of suspicion.

Edward continued without stopping.

"Deprive the king of his title? Ha, they always slander me like this, but I swear to God, I have never thought of that!"

After a pause, a gleam in his eyes, he threw out the idea that had been brewing in his staff team for a long time.

"We don't need to take away his title, but we need to take away his power and give it to someone who is truly qualified to hold it."

Luo Yan looked at him and said.

"Can you be more specific?"

Edward nodded, lowering his voice and no longer trying to hide his ambition.

"My plan is that from now on, the governor of Twilight Province will no longer be appointed by the king, but will be jointly nominated by all the nobles in the province, selected from a landless lord or even a commoner!"

"His Majesty the King can retain his title and tax authority, but the governance, military power, and even independent diplomatic power of Twilight Province must be controlled by its own people! This is the successful experience of Thunder City, and it can be completely replicated here!"

This statement may seem like a compromise, but in fact it is not a compromise at all.

Since the Devalu family is so afraid that the Twilight Province will become the Twilight Duchy, then let's not let the thing they are worried about happen.

For them, it may be a relief!

Perhaps in the first two years, Twilight Province would pay a symbolic amount of tax, but what it would submit later would definitely be a loss-making account book.

The kind-hearted Prince Colin showed a thoughtful expression, as if he was really considering the feasibility of this plan.

And just as Edward expected, those eyes gradually brightened, and they made no secret of their admiration for him.

"What a brilliant idea... Go for it, Your Highness. I will do my best to support your plan!"

Seeing His Highness Colin standing up from the sofa again, Edward stood up with him and held his hands tightly.

“Thank you for your support!”

The astute chess player was looking at his "chess piece" with satisfaction, but he didn't expect that a skilled hunter often appears as a prey.

Seeing the ambitious "chess player" reaching a critical position, Luo Yan couldn't help but smile.

Campbell's ancestors probably never imagined that their descendants would point their swords at their king at the instigation of the devil.

But then again.

If they knew how the Devalu family treated their children like a dirty rag...

I'm afraid that even if they knew, they would acquiesce to all this.

(End of this chapter)