Chapter 311 Secret Order
In the crystal ball, the black-haired boy's expression was extremely ugly, and he pounced over as soon as the picture appeared.
"Brother, little Bartman sent me a secret letter!" Percy Brody's voice was extremely hurried, his pupils shrank violently. "It's a secret order from the Queen, saying that I'm a traitor and have a military conspiracy with the Far North country of Fellowes. The royal family has secretly dispatched the Royal City Army to prepare to enter Ironthorn Territory and arrest all members of the Brody family!"
This was pure nonsense. The inhabitants of Ironthorn Territory were nothing more than a bunch of shepherds and spinning mill women. The current head of the Brody family was still in school, and the previous generation, to put it bluntly, were just two short-sighted country folk. They probably didn't even know what the Fernloth army looked like, so how could they be engaging in a "military conspiracy"? Could they be smuggling wool into Fernloth?
The professor's attention was on another point: "Did little Batman contact you?"
"Yes." Percy answered subconsciously, holding the crystal ball anxiously: "But this is not the point, the point is-"
It was not until then that he suddenly realized that his brother's arm was wrapped in a thick bandage.
The black-haired boy suddenly opened his eyes wide: "Brother, are you hurt?! Isn't that guy by your side?"
"I knew it!" Before the professor could answer, he gritted his teeth and cursed angrily: "He is a -"
The curse that followed was suddenly choked in Percy's throat, because he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye that right next to his brother, someone happened to reveal half of his face.
"Huh? What am I?" Azuka looked at him with a smile.
Percy swallowed hard and closed his mouth stubbornly. Almost the second he saw the other man, his muscles tensed almost instinctively—there was no other way. He was too scared to be beaten, even through the crystal ball.
"It has nothing to do with Azuka. And it's not a problem. I know what's going on." Nova deadpanned and brought the subject back on track: "Calm down, Percy. You're the head of the Brody family. Anxiety can lead to poor decisions and send bad signals to others, which is very fatal for a leader."
His brother's warning was like pouring a bucket of ice water over Percy. All the anxiety, fear, and slight grievances in his heart were quickly suppressed, leaving only a chill and a subtle shame. He thought he had made great progress, but in the moment of distress, his first reaction was still to ask his brother for help like a child in trouble.
"I, I understand." Percy whispered, "But brother, the Royal City Army is already on the way. The secret letter said there are about eighty people, led by the Silver Helmet Knight Winster Wharton himself. They plan to take over the Ironthorn Territory and arrest all members of the Brody family!"
"If Brody decides to fight the Silver Helm Knight, it would be tantamount to establishing evidence of treason!" The black-haired boy's voice was once again tinged with urgency, even trembling slightly. "But if we just surrender like this, who knows what will happen next? When the Northern City rebelled, the Royal City Army massacred most of the city!"
His brother's smoky gray eyes continued to gaze calmly at him, which calmed Percy somewhat. He took a deep breath and continued his analysis, "It's probably too late to evacuate. Besides, where can we flee? Port Morris, which is controlled by the Limin Party, is too far away from Ironthorn Territory. It's impossible to relocate over a hundred households in such a short time..."
He didn't realize that he had ignored the option of "abandoning the people of Ironthorn and escaping with the Brody family."
"First," the professor slowly raised a finger. His voice made Percy shut up subconsciously. "Why didn't the Queen openly announce that she was going to Ironthorn Territory to arrest the traitors, but instead acted through secret orders?"
Percy instinctively followed his opponent's line of thought: "Uh... because they're worried that the Ironthorn Territory will prepare for a rebellion early?"
"Ironthorn Territory is so small. Excluding the elderly, the sick, the disabled, and pregnant women, at best, we can only pull out no more than fifty young and strong men," Nova retorted bluntly. "Although you are a junior Lord's Prayer Warlock, the Silver Helm Knights are basically all powerful Lord's Prayer Knights. So, is the Queen worried about alerting the enemy?"
Percy's face turned red and white. After spending so much time with his brother, he knew that he was a stickler for sticking to the facts and probably didn't mean to dislike him. But what he heard was so heartbreaking that he wanted to find a place to cry.
Seeing that the man was listening attentively and not arguing, the professor raised his second finger with satisfaction: "Second, why did little Batman communicate with you in advance?"
He didn't think that young Bateman had impulsively decided to reveal the Queen's secret order; he didn't have the guts or the brains to do so. So it was more likely that the entire Bateman family was trying to please both sides. True to their nobility and Duke Saman's right-hand man, they were quick to adapt.
This time, Percy learned his lesson and didn't blurt out "Who knows what's wrong with him?" Instead, he tried to probe: "...Uh, maybe he wants to please you, brother?"
"That's right." The professor nodded approvingly and gave him a look that said, "You've got it!" "So we can infer the following three pieces of information from this."
"First of all, the Queen is actually in the wrong." His tone gradually became sarcastic. "The royal family recently ceded territory to an enemy nation in public, sparking huge public discontent. During the Blooming Conference, the Queen suddenly singled out an obscure family as her target, precisely to divert public attention and restore the royal family's prestige. This accusation is untenable, so she must deal with those who knew about it with lightning speed. First, arrest them, then fabricate the "charge." By the time the public knows, everything will be settled."
"Secondly, she wants to deal with me." The black-haired young man lowered his eyes slightly and said indifferently, "If I dispatch military forces to support the Ironthorn Territory, now is not the right time to go to war with the royal family. It will completely disrupt all plans and greatly weaken the power that the People's Party has worked so hard to cultivate. Moreover, I am afraid that the western border of the empire will immediately take follow-up actions and spread the news that Ghost is suspected of collaborating with the enemy country. If I don't intervene... the queen will immediately praise me for 'killing my relatives for the sake of justice' and continue to exaggerate the story that 'Ghost has defected to the royal family' - it may even be worse."
How can people believe that a person who is so cold-blooded and ruthless to his subjects and even his own blood relatives will give up everything for a group of unrelated civilians?
"One final point." The professor's voice was clear and powerful. "We are not alone."
Through the glass, Percy stared blankly at his brother, who was using his good arm to take the cup of water that another person had considerately offered to his lips and lowering his head to drink. What did this mean? Based on his brother's previous analysis, he had basically refused to deploy the People's Party's troops to Ironthorn Territory to confront the Royal City Army.
He thought for a moment, then suddenly whispered, "I want to ask little Batman for help."
The professor, who was just talking until his mouth was dry and wanted to moisten his throat, slowly raised his brows - this kid's flash of inspiration was a little beyond his expectations.
"That's right. Openly ask him for help and ask him to help guarantee it, or I can simply threaten him with the fact that he once secretly participated in the study of the Faithless." The more Percy thought about it, the more he felt that he was right. He didn't feel that he was repaying a favor with a grudge at all. Little Bateman should have fainted in the corner crying. "The Brody family can be investigated, but it must go through the formal procedures and be investigated by the Royal Court Council. Just like what you said, brother, if we continue to delay, will the Queen's plan be frustrated and she will simply give up on dealing with us?"
Of course not. The professor glanced at the somewhat naive kid, but didn't immediately say anything to undermine his confidence. "Good. Keep going."
Percy was immediately happy to receive his brother's approval, but he soon became depressed again: "But the Royal City Army will probably reach Ironthorn Territory in a day and a night. No matter how fast they are..."
"So don't let them enter Ironthorn Territory—first, hold back the Royal City Army, then make a big scene during the Blooming Conference." The professor said calmly, "To conceal their whereabouts, the Royal City Army must have disguised themselves. You can use this to your advantage and insist that they are bandits or exiled troops from Ferros. Then, play dumb no matter who asks you about it."
After all, this was a fantastical story. A remote and desolate place had actually attracted the Royal City Army's siege. Anyone who heard about it would immediately think it was a liar.
Percy was stunned. After finally realizing what his brother had said, he gasped and looked at the person on the other side of the crystal ball in horror. He thought he was brave enough, but this person was even more daring than him.
...Yes, his brother's ultimate ideal is to overthrow the Silver Iris Empire. Thinking of this, Percy suddenly became calm again.
"I might not be able to defeat so many people." He muttered softly, his face flushing with embarrassment.
"Who told you to fight alone?" His brother glanced at him coldly and said, "I told you, we are not alone."
…
The crystal ball went out. Percy stood there, taking a deep breath, a strange surge of emotion boiling in his chest.
During the reign of Cassius II, the Brody family's political career was undoubtedly ruined. As the head of the Brody family, he should have hated the culprit who caused all this - but now, Percy couldn't help but have a terrible premonition that made him tremble with excitement.
His brother would definitely succeed. Thinking of this, a sickly blush appeared on the pale face of the black-haired boy. At this moment, he had a certainty that even he felt was absurd: whether it was becoming a king or something else - his dearest brother would definitely achieve the greatest power and glory in the world.
And he, Percy Brody, will be the witness, follower and creator of all this.
"Go gather everyone in Ironthorn Territory!" Percy turned and pushed the door open, calling the butler and shouting, "Hurry! Tell them we've found a group of bandits heading towards Ironthorn Territory!"
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