The Third Age, 1713, the Year of Opposition.
At this time, the elves living in the forest are about to face the end of the five tests. The two factions in the forest are preoccupied with the dispute over the future direction and pay less attention to the outside world.
The situation in the empire changed several times. After the two princesses ascended the throne respectively, it was officially divided into two parts, the Eastern and Western Empires. In order to prevent this concept from solidifying, both sides waged a fierce war during this year, striving to defeat the other side quickly.
One after another, highly regarded geniuses went to the battlefield, and the meat grinder-like modern wars were far from being as gentle as in the past. The development of guns and artillery greatly improved the efficiency of killing, while also saving more energy, allowing the results of the war to be multiplied.
In the past, marching in thick armor, wielding weapons, using bows and crossbows, etc., all required a lot of physical strength, which restricted the speed of the attack and prevented the intensity from escalating rapidly. It was common for the two countries to fight for more than ten years.
But now, more people have died on the battlefield in just one month than in the past year, and a fear is spreading among the top leaders of both sides because they find that they are losing the power to withdraw, that is, the opportunity to leave safely.
Today, after the emperor's authority was shattered, the nobles based on the imperial power are no longer safe. In the past, they had to worry about the influence of their reputation, the emperor's authority, etc. Now these restrictions have been removed one by one. When gaining expanded power, the nobles on both sides suddenly found that this was like riding on a chariot that was speeding up and down. Any attempt to jump off the chariot in the middle of the journey would result in their being shattered to pieces.
The nobles on the opposite side will not let him go. They no longer have any scruples, and no one will blame or judge them. The common people at the bottom no longer fear him, because the doctrines spread in places like Clansia and the southern border of the empire, and the sacred halo of the nobles in the past is gradually fading. Once they lose the power in their hands and are thrown down, they will be torn to pieces by the people below.
In this way, the two sides, like gamblers with red eyes, raised their bets frantically, and the war between the Eastern and Western Empires intensified.
Heretics were more terrifying than pagans, and this was true for both the Eastern and Western Empires. For the Southern Empire, they could still choose to give up their wealth and power and respectfully embrace the new system to save their lives, but for both empires, both of which were aristocratic and familiar with each other's customs, failure meant absolute death. They themselves were well aware of the reasons for this, and would have done the same if they had won. A noble family had dominated the land for centuries, and if they wanted to rule the land for a long time, they must completely eliminate the previous forces on the land and eliminate all potential rebellion.
Being liberated and overthrown by the new forces in the south would mean a slow death, while being defeated by the opponents of the Eastern and Western Empires would mean death on the spot. It goes without saying which one is more important.
June, New Rose Castle.
This castle, located in the center of the empire near the east, was renovated and built in recent years, and Queen Evelyn now lives here.
Knights in silver-white armor and red cloaks can be seen everywhere on the city walls and towers. There are unicorn emblems on the front of their armor, but unlike the Landsworthy family's, these unicorns are decorated with some red roses.
There was an endless stream of carriages on the mountain road leading to the castle, many of which were messengers, gathering news from all over the empire. They also issued various orders and remotely controlled some lords in the east and central parts of the empire.
Among the many carriages, an ebony carriage slowly drove through the market and streets and entered the checkpoint in front of the castle. After being questioned and inspected, it slowly moved forward again, passing through one gate after another, and finally stopped under the tall city wall.
"Earl Shane, long time no see." When the people in the carriage just got off, a familiar voice sounded beside him.
"Who are you?"
He looked at the bald knight and asked hesitantly. A lot of things had happened in these years, and the acquaintances he had met in the past might have become strangers to him.
"I am Okach. I met you at the banquet in the imperial capital. But I was just a nobody at that time, and you may have forgotten me." Although he was bald, the knight Okach was very strong and wore plate armor with a red robe.
After reminiscing about the past, the two quickly got down to business.
"This time, Earl Shane came here to ask for an audience with Her Majesty the Queen, right?" Okah said bluntly.
"Yes, is there anything you want to tell me in advance?" Earl Shane couldn't guess what the other party was thinking for a moment.
"There are indeed some, but I won't embarrass you. Let's talk while we walk. Her Majesty the Queen's bedroom is deep in the castle." He extended his hand to lead the way, and two knights in full armor followed.
The two walked on the high city wall, looking down at the hills and fields below from time to time, and talked about the current situation of the empire.
"Her Majesty the Queen has ascended the throne, and now many lost nobles from the central region have come to pay homage to her, and you are one of them. I know that many adults doubt whether Her Majesty the Queen has independent power, or whether she is being coerced and controlled by the Landsworthy family..." he said slowly.
"I know you all care about these issues, but I don't want to cause conflict due to mutual suspicion, so I always have to talk about them in advance."
"Her Majesty the Queen has her own independent will, and her words and actions are not oppressed by the Landsworth family."
"However, the Landsworthy family also has the right to choose whether to continue their support, so it is currently a state of equal cooperation."
"I hope you won't be too disappointed or sad, and that you can understand Her Majesty the Queen's difficulties."
"I understand that."
After hearing this, Earl Shane breathed a sigh of relief. This was a good outcome. At least the Landsworthy family hadn't forced Queen Evelyn to marry. There was still a chance to salvage the situation. As one of the Blood Oath Nobles, their family was a trusted aristocracy surrounding the royal family. Without the royal family, their existence would be meaningless. They would no longer be able to unite, and ultimately be swallowed up by the forces of the East and West.
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