A black-robed figure streaked across the sky and blasted a mage into the ground.

Bathed in the moonlight, the mage who was vomiting blood saw the long golden hair scattered in the moonlight and a pair of red eyes burning like blood-red flames.

"Black Swan" Olivia pointed her staff at the man and said coldly, "Rudelson's people, you helped me block the abyss magic for no reason. Don't tell me that you were just trying to protect Louis out of kindness."

The wizard who had once stood up to the Sapphire Dragon couple and called himself "Rudelson" had a swollen face and said miserably:

"Can you please stop slapping me in the face? I'm too embarrassed to see anyone like this."

Seeing Black Swan raise his staff again, he immediately said:

"In fact, we owe the Emperor a huge favor. Now is the time to repay the favor."

"Who would have thought there were four or five groups of people protecting him here!"

"If I had known this, I wouldn't have come."

Black Swan snorted coldly: "You've passed. Now, immediately, leave Tino City."

"Okay, miss."

"Rudelson" disappeared into the night.

The Black Swan looked at a carriage in the distance with a worried look.

The carriage drove towards the palace.

She let out a long sigh and disappeared into the night.

…

Just as Louis put away the future diary, he and William went out and followed Beatrice's carriage to the palace.

On the other side, another person who was plotted by Jinuo's plan has appeared in front of the palace.

The mayor of Tino City and one of the mainstays of the Imperial Party.

The Marquis of York, whom Louis was very familiar with, was having the city guards cooperate with the royal guards to clean up the scene.

The situation at the scene made many city guards, who rarely saw blood, retch.

There were corpses everywhere, as if they had been smashed to pieces by a huge force.

Their bodies were torn into pieces.

Some of the more unlucky ones even had their helmets and heads hammered into their abdomens.

The Marquis of York remained calm and gave some instructions to the city guards present today, asking them to keep the secret and not disclose the information to anyone without the royal family's permission.

After telling all this, he paused for a moment, then continued, "I will go to the palace and report the situation to His Highness first."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The city guards didn't think there was anything wrong.

According to common sense, the Marquis of York should have reported the cleaning progress to Her Highness Beatrice.

So without anyone questioning him, the Marquis of York walked slowly towards the palace.

Along the way, he could see secret guards, dark crows coming and going, and even the Iron Guards, who were rarely dispatched in the past, running around everywhere.

He nodded calmly after seeing these people.

No one took it seriously.

As everyone knows, the Marquis of York is one of the most loyal people to the Emperor among the Imperial Party.

There were even many people who suspected that even if the emperor asked him to commit suicide on the spot, he would think it was a necessary sacrifice.

It was precisely because of his loyalty to the Emperor that Beatrice chose to let him lead the new-school nobles.

It turns out that the Marquis of York never disappoints those who support him.

A loyal heart, all for the emperor, this is no joke.

I think he must have noticed that Her Highness Beatrice and His Royal Highness the Prince had already arrived to handle the affairs, so he hurried over to report.

However, gradually people discovered that something was wrong.

The direction the Marquis of York was heading was not towards where Beatrice and her group were, but towards the emperor's bedroom.

"Lord York, please don't make things difficult for us."

A Raven Guard drew his blade, grabbed Lord York, and pointed the blade at him.

The Marquis of York said nothing, but slowly tightened his grip on his cane.

Almost in an instant, he felt that everyone around him, from the secret guards to the dark crows, and even the royal guards, showed a thorough murderous intent towards him.

"York, don't go any further."

A calm voice sounded.

The Marquis of York raised his head subconsciously.

The swaying light and shadow in front of the palace complex were projected onto the tall figure, like a moving iron wall.

He was Rudolf, the legendary iron guard under the Emperor, honored as the "Wall of the Empire".

"Sir Rudolf, let me move a little closer to His Majesty."

Rudolf raised the Thunder Blue Blade in his hand, frowned and said:

"Are you planning a rebellion? York, I thought you would have unwavering faith in the Emperor."

The Marquis of York tapped the ground with his palm and said, "I once believed it firmly, but now I just believe it."

"Sir Rudolf, please allow me to see the Emperor."

Rudolph refused without hesitation: "No."

But after a moment, he sighed and said, "The power of the Lord of the Contract tells me that you lied."

"York, I'm disappointed. We were so optimistic about you."

"Even the new faction that Lady Beatrice cultivated is nominally led by you directly."

"But now you have chosen to betray the Emperor."

The Marquis of York raised his head: "Never betrayed."

Rudolph was a little surprised.

His eyes swept over the badge of the God of Contract on his body, but the gem on the badge did not flicker.

This shows that according to the judgment of the Lord of the Contract, Shino York did not lie.

After eliminating the options, a somewhat subtle answer flashed through Rudolf's mind, and he said: "Do you still firmly believe in the Emperor?"

“Now I just believe.”

"You're lying."

Rudolf put away the badge in his hand, looked at the people around him and said:

"You guys step back first, let me handle this."

Everyone looked at each other, but no one chose to leave.

At this time, Beatrice's voice came: "Withdraw, and, Sir Rudolph, follow me to supervise Lord York and go to my father's bedroom."

Rudolf showed a headache expression, glared at the Marquis of York unhappily, and then looked at Louis and Beatrice who were walking towards him.

"Your Highness, this..."

"Sir Rudolf, my father sent me a message, allowing Lord York to approach."

Rudolph nodded and said:

"York, come with me."

…

On the way to the Emperor's bedroom, everyone was extremely silent.

It was not until he arrived in front of the Emperor's bedroom that the Marquis of York changed his expression, knelt on one knee, held up the scepter in both hands, and said in a loud voice: "Xino York, I meet the Emperor. Please allow me to report to you one by one on the relevant affairs handled in recent years."

A helpless voice came from the closed bedroom:

"...Yun, stand up and report."

At this moment, the Marquis of York looked up with an ecstatic expression on his face.

Louis, who was standing by, looked at the Marquis of York with a look of realization, then turned and approached Beatrice and whispered:

"Beatrice, the Marquis of York seems to be..."

Beatrice's expression did not change: "Well, he doesn't trust me. Or rather, he trusts our father."

In a trance, Louis seemed to finally understand why Beatrice sometimes felt constrained when dealing with imperial affairs.

From his understanding of Beatrice, she has always been a remarkable woman who is more decisive and straightforward than most men.

If he were in Beatrice's position, he would have such great power.

Knowing that there might be unusual movements on the Dragon Bone Grassland, it would be impossible for them to send more Raven Guards to protect him to the grassland under the pretext of "Prince's Trial".

He would directly let Jinuo lead the royal guards to the grassland to sweep it directly.

Similarly, upon learning that there might be unusual movements underground and inside the outer city, he would not hesitate to order the Raven Guard to clear the area.

However, Beatrice, who is always decisive, seems a little timid when dealing with certain issues.

At first he thought it was Beatrice being cautious.

But now it seems that the key factor is that there are still many people in the empire who obey the emperor rather than the next emperor Beatrice.

She was not timid, but she had long known that even if she insisted on implementing certain decisions, she would encounter unprecedented obstruction.

The princess of the regent kingdom is not the one on the throne after all.

The more loyal an official is to the emperor, the more cautious he will be when dealing with sensitive matters.

For example, when it comes to matters related to the legion, they don't hinder us, which shows that they trust Beatrice enough.

They should honestly follow the process and act in accordance with the rules, so that even if there are mistakes, they can explain them clearly.

"Strike a proper balance between the Emperor and Beatrice"

——This is the routine operation of many people in the Imperial Party.

But! Any student from Louis' hometown who is not a poor student should know that one of the biggest benefits of centralization is that it can improve decision-making efficiency and execution.

Can……

What if the person who issued the decision is now unable to promote the implementation of the decision? A very simple example is that a resident goes to a community service center to handle related business.

Or you can apply for a mortgage or car loan certificate.

Many people have also complained about the lack of business efficiency.

For things like the Dragon Bone Grassland and the outer city's underground ruins, which would pose a greater threat if you were a little slower, there was no time to wait for the process to be completed.

The daylilies are cold.

The situation of the Marquis of York is just a microcosm of the imperial party.

However, Louis still felt that considering the Marquis of York's intelligence, he should not make such a stupid decision.

After all, Beatrice is still here, so there's no guarantee that she won't have any grudges in her heart.

Although the probability is not high.

“…The above are the important things that have happened over the years and how they were handled.”

"It's finally over. How did Beatrice manage to listen to this kind of thing every day without getting sleepy?"

"No, my head itches. My brain accessories don't support this kind of software."

However, what the Marquis of York said next made Louis' scalp tingle and he woke up instantly.

"Your Majesty, I do not understand."

The Marquis of York's spirit suddenly declined, and he said in a bleak tone:

"Relations between the continent's countries have become increasingly tense over the years, and even our Enser is about to be dragged into it."

"The activities of the Abyss Church are becoming more and more frequent. The chaotic forces headed by the Four Gods of the Abyss are like a sword hanging over everyone's head."

“From the imperial party to the herders in the Dragon Bone Grassland, everyone is looking for ways to prevent disasters from happening in their own land.”

"Even His Royal Highness Louis, who became a slave due to our negligence, is doing his best to save his hometown."

"But what about you? Your Majesty, why don't you come out? Even if you can just stand up and give us a little confidence!"

"Why?! Why haven't you taken any action in the past twenty years?"

Louis' eyebrows twitched wildly after hearing this question.

How dare the Marquis of York say that? Don’t you want to die?

He is the emperor, the most powerful man in the world.

He even noticed a hint of anger flashing across Beatrice's face.

Send! Send! Send! If it was someone else he didn't know, Louis would have stepped back a long time ago, fearing that the blood would splatter on him.

He looked up, thinking about what words he could use to make Beatrice less angry.

Then, he heard a faint sigh coming from the bedroom:

"But I'm at my wits' end."

As the voice sounded, the door to the bedroom slowly opened.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing..."

The Marquis of York said blankly.

The legendary guard Rudolf said:

"Come on, Lady Beatrice, His Royal Highness Louis, and the Marquis of York, let's go to the audience together."

An incredible guess flashed through the mind of the Marquis of York, and he staggered towards the depths of the bedroom without any manners.

Seeing this, Louis and the others quickened their pace and followed closely behind.

Not long after walking, Louis saw the Marquis of York standing there in a daze.

He followed the Marquis of York's blank gaze and couldn't help but say:

“Oh my God!”

What came into his eyes was a scene that he could never imagine.

There was no extra decoration in the emperor's bedroom. All that could be seen was a golden throne filled with countless top-notch weapons.

Sitting on the throne was a skinny middle-aged man.

At first glance, Louis thought he was looking at a skeleton.

Looking more closely, I discovered that there was a layer of shriveled skin hanging on the exposed sternum.

The strongest man of the Enther Empire seemed to have suffered a serious injury. There was a large area on his body where even the flesh covering his sternum was gone, directly exposing his bony bones.

Huge and retro life-support machines were inserted into various parts of his body, and he felt unprecedented pain at a glance.

It's like seeing someone stick a toothpick between their toenails and kick it against the wall right in front of you.

"What on earth is going on?"

Although Louis had guessed that the emperor might not be able to take action, he never expected that the scene in the emperor's bedroom would be like this.

What was even more difficult for Louis to accept was the Marquis of York, who kept talking like a madman.

The sound became louder and louder, and finally echoed in the empty bedroom for a long time.

"impossible!"

“Impossible!”

"There is no one on this continent who can hurt you like this!"

"Your Majesty is invincible!"

The emperor on the throne laughed happily:

"Then I shall rightly accept your compliment. Unfortunately, the fellow I need to deal with is much more troublesome than most of the old fellows on the continent."

The Marquis of York was distraught and furious, and said in a completely unruly manner: "Who is it?! Who is it?"

Rudolf on the side said calmly: "Under the city of Tino is probably the largest abyss gate that has ever appeared in the history of the Star Continent."

"On the other side of the Abyss Gate is where the Four Gods of the Abyss waged their bloody battle."

"The four gods have already set their sights on this, and there is no chance that the gate to the abyss will be closed."

"Your Majesty can only use your supreme domain to embed it at the gate of the abyss. In the past twenty years, the Four Gods of the Abyss have never given up attacking this place."

"Even if the Iron Guards and the Ravens directly joined the battle, there would be no way to ease the pressure on His Majesty."

“York, it’s not that His Majesty doesn’t want to help you, but the price he has to pay for standing up will be the burning empire under the siege of the armies of the Four Gods of the Abyss.”

(End of this chapter)