Chapter 74
"He's my great-great-great-grandson, after all. He's still young, so it's normal that he wouldn't dare to kill someone."
Veris: "..."
"I heard that his mother spoiled him, so how could he become a qualified crown prince in such a short time?"
Veris: "..."
The white-haired youth pressed his temple: "Could you put the scroll of curse down first?"
Not far away, Lortheran's face was contorted with rage as he held a scroll of curses, as if he were about to carve Ethan Lortheran's name into it at any moment.
"So what did you do to him in the end?"
Lortheran clutched the scroll of curse: "I had Anna dragged away and killed, and her head sent to the Queen's brother's house."
Veris was slightly surprised. He thought Lortheran would kill the servant in front of Ethan, or even rip out the servant's tongue. He didn't expect Lortheran to be so humane.
Today, Lortheran sent someone to the Papacy to say that King Charles was dying, which is why he set off for this place, and Sylvain naturally accompanied him.
This is a side hall of the king's bedroom. Veris had already said what he wanted to say, and he was only here to keep things in order. Now, the remaining members of the royal family are weeping bitterly at the king's bedside, as if their relationship had once been extremely deep, like that of a biological father and son.
Even now, the second prince, who serves as the executive officer in the fourth district next to the capital of Lortheran, has not returned.
Garcia had previously sent him a message, which he politely declined, refusing the offer from this royal uncle.
Inside the side hall, Veris sat in a chair, with Sylvain standing beside him. Lortheran sat further away, and the dragon was also there, holding two enormous gems and debating which one looked better.
In the end, it decided that it wanted them all.
A louder cry came from next door, and the palace servants also knelt down and wept bitterly. Lortheran put the scroll of curse aside, stood up, straightened his magnificent robes, and his curly golden-brown hair, which was half-grown and tied into a ponytail that hung down his back, was handsome with eyebrows and eyes that bore a six-point resemblance to the Lortheran royal family. Judging from his appearance, he was most likely a member of the royal family.
Veris tilted his head as well: "Go and make the trip, Sylvain."
Sylvain was also dressed in full papal robes today. Veris was originally going to wear papal robes as well, but after looking at them for a long time, he felt that the jewelry was too heavy and the clothes were many times more complicated than Sylvain's papal robes, so he simply gave up.
He was still dressed as a cardinal, but he had also changed into the face he used to wear as a bard.
However, they still used papal regalia when they arrived, which can be seen as a way to deter the restless royal family.
Sylvain nodded upon hearing this and followed Lortheran outside.
Two days have passed since Ethan hesitated to kill his servant. It was after that incident that King Charles regained his spirits, which had been weakened, and kept Ethan by his side day and night, teaching him the ways of a ruler.
Whether Ethan can listen to this is unknown, but King Charles could have lasted a few more months if he had taken good care of himself. This time, his health has completely deteriorated.
With Veris there, the curse could not have taken King Charles's life. However, when the king woke up, he was suddenly shocked by the terrible news. He was so angry that he suffered a stroke. The palace physicians and magicians took turns using potions from the storeroom that were said to be able to bring the dead back to life, which saved King Charles's life.
When confronted with his wife's misdeeds, he simply said it was his own fault.
Veris shook his head. He knew about the royal family's affairs, but he didn't want to get involved.
Just by looking at how dissolute Garcia was back then, one can get a glimpse into the character of that generation of princes; even King Charles was the tallest among the short.
The Lor'theran dynasty, from Lor'theran himself to the present, has had seven kings over a total of 238 years. Excluding the period of shared rule, each king reigned for an average of 20 years.
The fact that someone can be called a king indicates that they have a high degree of centralized power and never delegate power to the council of elders or other ministers.
King Charles was one of them.
Veris tapped the table, his brow furrowed in thought. Garcia had already arranged an identity for Lortheran, so there was no need to worry about Lortheran's methods. Although Garcia was usually referred to as the former king, he was not considered Lortheran VIII. King Charles was Lortheran VIII, and when it came to Lortheran, he would be Lortheran IX.
Next comes the era of co-governance.
The king and the council of elders jointly govern the dynasty, or they form a cabinet, and all matters, large and small, are decided by a vote of the cabinet ministers.
There are usually more than fifteen cabinet ministers.
This plan was carried out after Lor'theran's death. His son was unremarkable, but it was already quite remarkable that he didn't make any mistakes, considering that his biological father was Lor'theran.
By the third generation, the dynasty was in some turmoil, and the king delegated power to the council of elders. At this time, power was still in the hands of the Lortheran royal family.
After the first phase of the co-governance era ended, the newly elected crown prince, Veris, decided, after careful consideration, to continue the co-governance era and establish a cabinet.
The political system of the Lortheran dynasty was roughly these two.
However, no dynasty lasts forever, even if the ruler lives forever.
"Ah! I've gone to the wrong place, please forgive me, sir!"
Veris looked up at the trembling palace servant kneeling on the ground with a tray beside him, and raised an eyebrow with an ambiguous expression.
The dragon also looked over; it had long sensed someone sneaking around the side hall, but Veris didn't react, and it didn't speak either.
Why doesn't this human confess on his own?
The dragon was puzzled and turned to look at Veris.
Veris wondered who was so foolish as to think he was an idiot and test him in such a stupid way.
After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply from the people inside the palace, the palace servant, who was trembling like a leaf, froze, her forehead still pressed against the carpet, but she dared not raise her head.
This side hall is where, according to legend, the Pope resides, with His Holy Son by his side.
Now that the Holy Son has left, two figures still remain inside the hall.
One of them had horns on its head and was probably the dragon that suddenly appeared at the Royal Academy when the secret realm opened. Their elders had speculated that it was probably a primordial dragon, since dragons had long since died, so that dragon's bloodline was probably impure.
But the remaining young man had white hair, which was completely different from the image of the pope known to the public. He had a young and handsome face, and did not look like an old man who had lived for hundreds of years. Moreover, he was wearing the robes of a cardinal of the church. Therefore, this person could not possibly be the pope.
But the papal procession did indeed arrive.
The palace maid's mind raced. She was a spy for the Golden Merchant Guild, and she had entered the palace through Duke Serinfini's connections. Her purpose was to take advantage of the fact that the king had passed away today and the pope would definitely be there, to test whether the pope was still alive.
The outcome is now clear: even for such a momentous event as the change of dynasty rulers, the Pope has not made an appearance. He is either dead or seriously ill and unable to show his face easily.
Thinking of this, excitement flashed in the palace servant's eyes.
He didn't even realize when the cardinal had appeared in front of him.
Then the young man's casual voice rang out: "Golden Merchant Guild... I almost forgot to deal with your guild leader. Jumping around like this, do you think you can control everything?"
The palace servant was stunned, and all color drained from her face.
How could this cardinal from the Papacy possibly know her identity?!
"Very well, I'll make a trip to the Golden Merchant Guild. Some people won't know their own worth until they're completely crushed." The cardinal's tone was light and casual, as if he were about to crush an ant.
The palace servants immediately broke out in a cold sweat, frantically trying to figure out the identity of this cardinal. Anyone who could come with the Holy Son and even sit in the papal retinue pretending to be the Pope was definitely no ordinary person!
But I've never heard of such a cardinal in the Papacy.
While she was still frantically thinking, a sharp pain exploded, her vision went black, and she lost all consciousness.
The dragon walked over, looked at the palace servants who were lying motionless on the ground, and asked, "Where are we going?" It had just heard what Veris said.
Veris: "Fourth District, Golden Chamber of Commerce Headquarters."
The dragon tilted its head and pondered for a moment, then knew where it was and exclaimed excitedly, "I want to go too, Veris!"
Should we bring the dragon?
Veris nodded: "Are you coming with me through the teleportation array, or will you fly there yourself?"
It was a teleportation array back then!
With a flick of his finger, Veris brought the golden merchant guild token, which she had hidden very well, to his palm. He handed it to the dragon, letting the dragon keep it himself.
When Lortheran returned from what he had done and saw the unconscious palace servant on the ground, he probably understood what had happened.
The Queen's brother, the Duke of Celinefini, seems to be very dissatisfied with the royal family's decision. He previously used the Queen's help to plant many spies in the palace, and the third prince is also a friend of the Duke of Celinefini.
Let Lortheran handle it.
Veris's thoughts raced, but he immediately put them out of his mind.
He summoned a magic circle, quickly pinpointing the fourth area. After the light shone, the figures of the man and the dragon vanished from their original spot.
The Fourth District remained peaceful. The upheaval in the royal family had not affected the governance of the Fourth District. The executive officer worked diligently. There were not many things to do in the spring, but with the addition of the Golden Merchant Guild, it was enough to keep him extremely busy.
If it were an executive with an ordinary background, they would probably be overwhelmed.
However, as the second prince's executive officer, he only gave the Golden Merchant Guild some face, and even indulged them in the past in order to find a handle against the Golden Merchant Guild.
He wouldn't confront the Golden Merchant Guild unless he was absolutely certain of success.
However, the second prince underestimated the audacity of the Golden Merchant Guild.
They actually dared to openly detain him, the executive officer of the fourth district, during a tax audit!
In the basement of the Golden Chamber of Commerce, the room was tiny, barely big enough to fit a bed. The executive sat in a chair, wearing a black and silver uniform. He was tall and had a cold expression, but judging from his bloodless lips, he hadn't eaten for some time.
The young man lowered his eyes, trying to conserve his strength.
He pondered what would happen in District Four after the executive officer was openly detained.
It's highly likely that things will remain calm, after all...
A sharp glint flashed in the second prince's eyes. He had been careless this time. He hadn't expected Jin to be so audacious. The alchemists in the merchant guild had even created a puppet that was almost identical to him.
However, a puppet is still a puppet, and it is completely different from the real person. He could only pray that his subordinates would discover that something was wrong with the puppet as soon as possible and ask the capital for help.
Even seeking help from the archbishop at the church would be helpful.
However, a long time has passed.
At first, there was food, but as time went on, Jin only allowed him to drink water and provided no other food. Every day, someone would come and ask him if he had made up his mind.
He fought for the throne and became the puppet king of the Golden Merchant Guild.
The second prince's face was cold; when he first heard Jin's words, he just wanted to laugh.
Lortheran Palace is the dirtiest place in the world.
He'd be better off dead than made king.
Since he's got this idea, Jin definitely won't let him die. He's probably pacing around anxiously right now, secretly resenting why Jin didn't agree.
However, the alchemists of the Golden Merchant Guild can create humanoid puppets, and there is no guarantee that they won't possess forbidden items that can seize one's will. Whether it's a spell or a magical artifact, it would be extremely disadvantageous to them.
"Let's wait and see," the second prince thought aimlessly.
In the silent space, you can almost hear your own heartbeat. In such an environment, a person with average willpower would quickly go crazy.
Hallucinations, including auditory hallucinations, may even occur.
It is indeed a torturous method.
The second prince could only keep thinking and trying to concentrate, but the hunger from not eating for a long time was eroding his consciousness. His hands and feet were shackled, and he was trapped in the chair, unable to move. He felt that his lower body was already numb.
Until, he seemed to actually hear something.
Or are you starting to hallucinate?
The young man slightly raised his downcast eyes and sighed inwardly.
But the noise grew louder and louder, followed by footsteps, approaching from afar, "tap tap tap," the thick soles of the boots echoing clearly in the basement corridor.
Interspersed among them were the sounds of someone begging for mercy.
"puff--"
The second prince was stunned. Was that the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh?
Are auditory hallucinations that powerful...?
The footsteps grew louder and louder, eventually stopping outside the secret room where he was being held.
The second prince instinctively held his breath, strained to keep his eyes open, stared at the tightly closed iron gate, and awaited his final execution.
Were they his subordinates?
Or is he an envoy from the capital?
Or perhaps it's church assistance?
...Was it really just a hallucination?
"Ugh, this is such a hassle."
A faint human voice was heard. The tightly closed iron gate was sealed shut. Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a loud thud followed. After a few loud thuds, the iron gate began to shake precariously.
"bump!"
The calves encased in black boots came into the Second Prince's view, and the young executive was shocked. The iron gate was kicked away and embedded directly into the wall, showing how terrifying the force was.
Polished black boots trousered the ground, hugging the long, shapely calves, followed by white trousers with red laces that crossed and intertwined around the waist, interwoven with gold chains—a classic red, white, and gold color scheme that exuded unparalleled nobility on the wearer.
The white hem of his robe swept in a graceful arc. In the secret room, only the dim crystals glowed. The person lifted his eyelids and raised his hand, instantly brightening the room by several degrees.
The second prince had to close his eyes to alleviate the stimulation of the light.
"Wow, this place is so small! Veris, if you're any taller, you'll touch the ceiling!"
A boy's clear, crisp voice rang out.
A gray-green head peeked in through the broken doorway. After seeing the second prince's appearance, it sighed, "How long has this person been starved? He's just skin and bones."
“Abuse of the royal family is punishable by death according to the law.” The young man in white chuckled. “Take him away. I’m quite surprised that there are so many parasites in the Fourth District.”
Half of the executives sided with the Golden Chamber of Commerce, and the atmosphere inside the executive building was harmonious. The fake puppet sat in the executive's study, chatting happily with the civil servants.
“Alright!” Long Huan responded happily. Veris glanced at the second prince, who had just opened his eyes in a daze, raised his hand, and a light golden light flew out, instantly turning the shackles on the second prince into dust.
The emaciated young man slightly widened his eyes.
Then the dragon pulled him up and comforted him, "Don't struggle. I'll slow you down. The ceiling here is low, and I can't carry you."
"Who are you...?" The second prince hadn't gone mad after all this time, which meant he was in excellent physical condition and could still speak, though his voice was incredibly hoarse.
“The Papacy,” Veris said, uttering only three words.
The second prince understood and couldn't help but sigh.
He thought it would be his subordinates or people from the capital, but unexpectedly, it was indeed the church.
Not surprising at all.
The most desired outcome will not be found, but the most promising outcome will definitely happen.
After dragging the second prince, whose limbs were weak and most of his body was numb, out of the secret chamber, the dragon carried him on its shoulder and told him to tell it if he felt unwell.
The second prince felt good, since he had almost no feeling in his body and couldn't feel any discomfort anywhere.
He took in all the scenes in the corridor.
Many people did fall, but there were no wounds on their bodies, and there was no smell of blood in the air. Of course, it could also be because his sense of smell had deteriorated. Could the "splatter" sound he heard earlier have been a hallucination? That wouldn't be surprising.
After leaving the basement, they arrived at the entrance, where a group of figures stood. Jin stood at the front, his face cold and stern. Although he was certain that he had the basement trapped, he still felt a sense of unease.
"How dare they take away people from the Golden Merchant Guild?"
Veris walked ahead, having had the dragon retract the prominent horn on its forehead when he arrived. Hearing this, he raised his eyes and smiled, "A member of the Golden Merchant Guild? What? Is this Second Prince your son with the King?"
Jin Yi choked, his anger burning even more intensely.
He also noticed the robes on Veris's body, confirming they were in the style of the Grand Papacy, and said angrily, "The Grand Papacy is going too far!"
"So you do know I'm from the Papacy?" Veris said, still smiling. "Then why don't you kneel down and greet me? Who do you think you are, daring to stand before me?"
"You!" Jin's face flushed crimson instantly, and he raised his arm. "Kill him!"
As soon as he gave the order, some people set off, but others stood at a distance, looking hesitant.
They dare to challenge the royal family, after all, the royal family is just that, and still has to rely on the church to survive.
However, if they were to truly confront the Papacy, they feared they could not withstand its wrath. The presence of the Pope and his son, no, just the eleven archbishops alone, was enough to make them hesitate.
"What are you afraid of! The Pope is dead, and those archbishops are at most at the ninth rank. Aren't you all at the ninth rank too!?"
Seeing this, Jin also shouted loudly.
Veris: "..."
The dragon looked at Veris: "?"
Although dragons don't care much about humans, they do know that their good friend Veris is the Pope of the Church. Has this human lost his mind? Saying Veris is dead in front of Veris's face.
But those people have already rushed over, hmm? The footsteps don't sound right.
The dragon blinked, and almost instantly, it realized: these were not human.
Its red, inhuman vertical pupils lit up, and it excitedly exclaimed, "I'll do it! I'll do it!"
Then he took three steps in two and passed Veris, his mouth agape.
Veris knew something was wrong and threw a protective shield over the second prince before the dragon could unleash its terrifying flames.
Those puppets, which looked exactly like humans, wore human clothes, and moved without any hesitation, melted like cream in the bursting flames.
Jin should be thankful that he stood a little further away, which gave him time to use the life-saving artifact.
The basement entrance was also on the ground floor, with glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling. Under the raging flames, these crystals melted like butter. The stone-paved floor barely withstood the flames, but it wouldn't last long.
Jin was stunned.
What is this thing?
A fire-breathing person!?
Dozens of those puppets, which could have been sold for millions of silver coins, were instantly turned into a pool of iron mud, and then, under the continued high temperature, turned into ashes.
“That was reckless,” Veris sighed, his hands behind his back.
Dragon patted his chest and said, "Don't worry! I didn't burn them all to death this time!"
Jin's face was deathly pale. He frantically touched his treasured magical artifact that could teleport him away. He didn't care about the expressions on the faces of the people around him; they couldn't possibly look any better than him.
Perhaps the protective magic circle can block the flames.
But who dares to try?
If it can't be stopped, then it'll be instant cremation!
Jin finally got his hands on the teleportation scroll he had been hoarding. He had bought it at a high price from the Papacy and carried it with him at all times, just in case this day came!
Without hesitation, he channeled his magic, praying to escape the range of the fire-breathing boy's attacks.
Time passed second by second, but there was still no reaction.
He even watched as the white-robed youth used magic to summon water to cool the ground and prevent it from collapsing.
The teleportation scroll glowed, but displayed the message: "Unable to locate."
The Papacy sold him counterfeit goods!?
Veris gave the dragon a warning look. If he hadn't reacted quickly, the second prince on the dragon's shoulder would have become an old acquaintance!
Then he looked at Chairman Kim, who was completely bewildered and only thinking about escaping, and the other chamber of commerce elders who were on high alert.
However, the elders who had been lured by Jin with promises of profit did not think of running away. Instead, they all took out their weapons and magical artifacts and watched warily as Veris walked toward them.
“Don’t overthink it, the Papacy never sells counterfeit goods,” Veris said with a smile. Jin’s hand, which was gripping the scroll, froze. Then he heard Veris continue, “Because I intercepted the scroll’s teleportation magic.”
"It's very simple. Just use a little bit of magic to reconstruct the entire magic circle the instant the magic circle activates, and the teleportation magic circle will become ineffective." As if afraid that President Jin wouldn't understand, Veris thoughtfully explained.
Some of the guild elders, including a few magicians, changed their expressions upon hearing this and began to slowly move away.
Anyone who can instantly use deconstruction magic must be at least a ninth-tier mage!
These seventh-tier mages are nothing compared to them; they could be crushed with a single finger!
The newly advanced ninth-tier mages were still frantically trying to figure out how to deconstruct the enemy's magic circle, but that person could deconstruct it instantly. In other words, no matter how earth-shattering the magic circle these mages unleashed, how powerful the magic incantation they chanted, or how extraordinary the origin and how great the power of their staffs were, they couldn't withstand the power of that person's single thought.
A little magic could destroy their decades of magical training, leaving them like clowns.
Terrifying!
Let's run. After figuring it out, the magicians exchanged glances, too lazy to pretend anymore, and turned to run.
The commotion was so great that even Chairman Kim couldn't help but turn around and look, and upon seeing what was happening, he cursed those people.
Jin was not a magician, nor did he know what kind of being was standing in front of him.
But he also wanted to run away, because he dared not test the flames of the fire-breathing boy.
"I told you."
"According to the law, he should be executed."
Veris looked at Chairman Kim's pale face and repeated with a smile.
The elders who had been hesitant before now showed expressions of anger, clearly disregarding the Golden Merchant Guild!
"You mere magician? I could kill you with one punch!"
A furious roar rang out.
The crowd parted slightly, and a burly man, over two meters tall, stepped out. He had a huge axe strapped to his back, his muscles were bulging, and his eyes were wide open in anger. He had already grabbed the giant axe on his back, and then suddenly pulled it out and chopped it down at Veris.
Jin was overjoyed to see this; at this crucial moment, he still had to rely on his second brother!
A ninth-tier warrior! Wielding the eighth-tier weapon, the Ternos Great Axe, he once fought against a hundred enemies single-handedly, escaping a monster tide. He is one of the top warriors in the entire continent of Icarus.
Even Bishop Fekris, a dwarf and a natural warrior, couldn't help but sigh after hearing about this man's deeds, realizing that he couldn't compare to him in his youth.
The giant axe flashed with a fierce light, moving at an extremely fast speed, and the sound of tearing through the air erupted.
If you can't dodge it, it wouldn't be surprising if the white-robed youth cleaved you in two from above!
Dragon couldn't help but widen his eyes.
But it wasn't for Veris.
Because it saw that when the big man chopped down with his axe, Veris raised his wrist, made a fist with his five fingers, and slightly bent his body. The big man raised his axe, with nothing in front of him. There might be some armor for defense, but what did that matter?
"Pfft—"
Even faster than the falling axe was the burly man's body flying backward.
The crowd parted just now, which saved us from a disaster.
The big man's eyes widened as he crashed heavily to the ground.
The giant axe flew to the side and slammed into the wall, its long handle hanging in the air.
A deathly silence of despair spread.
The ninth-tier warrior lay on the ground, the spot where Veris's punch had landed pierced through—
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Author's Note: Xiao Wei: One punch and he's done for. The haters can finally speak (directing traffic.jpg)
gold:.
Dragon: (⊙o⊙)
See you tomorrow! [kiss]
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