Chapter 970: Act 142 – The Witch’s Rebellion V
In the gaze of the public, the door on the second floor slowly opened, but the one who stepped out was not Brendel or his servant as the nobles had imagined, but a trembling nobleman, Ludwig Meiz, dressed in noble robes, with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles and age spots. The crowd was taken aback, for this man was none other than the lord of Fatan City—Baron Ludwig Meiz. In the ensuing silence, the baron slowly approached the handrail, surveying the crowd with authority. His gaze paused only briefly on Earl Orkans and a few others before he spoke: “Welcome to my domain. I have heard about the events in the south, and I am deeply saddened by it. But what brings you all to my castle today?”
A dead silence ensued; the nobles downstairs exchanged glances, thinking that this old codger had been under house arrest, so how could he suddenly appear here? Was it possible that he was pressured to speak, trying to force them to leave? Such a tactic was indeed quite despicable. The hall fell silent, as if a punch had landed in the air, and everyone was waiting for the leading nobles to speak. Yet, Earl Orkans and the other four remained silent. Finally, an impatient noble could not contain himself and stood up: “Baron, please let the Earl of Erluin out; we are here to see him.”
“The head of the Erluin delegation is my honored guest; what business do you have with him?” the baron asked.
This was not good. Earl Orkans felt a sinking sensation in his heart, the sense of conspiracy becoming increasingly evident. He glanced around, and the expressions of those beside him were similar, but at this point, he could not stop his subordinate from speaking. The noble who had spoken earlier replied loudly, “Baron, you need not heed the threats behind you. We are here to have him come out and handle the situation. The current state of affairs is clear; surely, the people of Erluin do not want to occupy your harbor?”
“Silence!” Baron Meiz’s expression darkened dramatically, his voice cold as if frost had descended, causing those below to shudder. It was not that he held a superior position over them; it was just that he had the high ground and was the master of this place, giving him an advantage in presence. “I am the lord of Fatan Harbor, and everything here is under my authority. You are my guests, and the Erluin delegation is also my guest. I hope you will refrain from causing trouble here to avoid tarnishing the image of the imperial nobility.”
This statement left the gathered nobles dumbfounded, momentarily unable to muster a reply. Logically, his words had no flaws, but everyone knew well that Ludwig Meiz could only be seen as a puppet at this moment. However, this truth could not be openly acknowledged, and soon all the nobles wore peculiar expressions, as if they were suffering from constipation.
Just as expected—
Earl Orkans’s face was as dark as water; he had long expected Brendel would not be easily swayed. This public slap in the face was within his anticipation. Strangely, he felt a sigh of relief; the fact that they had released Baron Meiz indicated there was still room for negotiation in Brendel’s eyes, at least he did not intend to create an impasse. He then frowned again, realizing playing such tricks was ultimately petty. If Brendel did not want to meet them, he could simply have them thrown out without resorting to such small maneuvers. Although tricks could fool people momentarily, in this current climate, it would only earn them disdain, or perhaps that young man had other ulterior motives.
Regardless of the motives, Baron Meiz’s words had blocked others from speaking. Earl Orkans understood he could not remain silent any longer. After a moment of contemplation, he raised his head and said, “Mr. Baron, regardless of how we look at it, being trapped here is not a solution; we cannot keep being your guests indefinitely. We need to find a way to resolve this situation. The current turmoil within the empire is chaotic; His Majesty is battling the rebels around Zwig, and Jotungrund and the Lion Lord’s army have already responded to our Emperor’s call. Now, the White Legion has advanced to Goda Harbor, merely three days’ journey from Fatan. If we continue to hesitate, we could easily be seen as traitors.”
As soon as Earl Orkans finished speaking, he suddenly realized something was amiss. He recalled that Baron Meiz was a vassal of Duchess Rena, and the duchess was clearly aligned with the military nobility. Wasn’t his stance obvious? Before he could correct himself, Baron Meiz coolly interrupted him, “I agree with most of what you say, my lord, but I have reservations about one part. Constance colluded with the wicked dragon to usurp the throne and attempted to harm the princes in a bid to overthrow the empire. Such a vile woman—can she still be called the Empress of the Empire? I have my doubts.”
This statement dropped like a bomb into the water, instantly stirring up waves among the nobles, who erupted in an uproar over both Baron Meiz’s words and his audacity.
The buzzing voices filled the hall once again, but this time Earl Orkans found himself without the heart to rein in his subordinates. He felt sweat bead on his forehead; he never anticipated that this elderly nobleman would be so fierce, putting everyone in a predicament from the very start. He nearly reached up to wipe the sweat away and managed to calm himself, exhaling, “Baron, mind your language…”
“What? Does the Earl not believe my words?” Baron Meiz said with a cold smile.
“Of course, there may be some unfavorable rumors regarding Her Majesty the Queen, but those are simply the means by which the enemy deceives. They don’t warrant mention—”
Earl Orkans’s words abruptly halted as he suddenly realized that the lord of Fatan did not seem to be under Brendel’s coercion. If he was merely a puppet, there would be no need for him to take such a firm stance in this verbal spat. A terrifying possibility came to his mind, and cold sweat poured down uncontrollably, as he suddenly raised his head to look at Baron Meiz and realized he might have been tricked.
“Earl Orkans, it seems you intend to stand against the Empire.”
“I…” Even though Earl Orkans held a position slightly above Baron Meiz in the empire, at this moment, he found himself speechless, and the others in the hall began to sense something was amiss, opting to remain silent to protect themselves. Even Earl Ji’en beside him chose to keep quiet, while Rogers raised his head, noticing that the corners of the hall on the second floor were already filled with heavily armored knights—these knights wore the insignia of the Cruz Empire, clearly not of the Erluin people.
This court knight raised an eyebrow and immediately lowered his head, resolutely refusing to speak further.
Earl Orkans finally wiped the sweat from his brow and asked, “Baron, what do you mean by that?”
“This is what I mean.” A man’s voice came from behind Baron Meiz, and all the nobles present saw Baron Meiz respectfully step aside to allow the man to come forward. In fact, Earl Orkans did not even need to see the man’s appearance; just hearing his voice caused his complexion to turn pale. He almost incredulously lifted his head and saw the handsome, cold face come into his view.
At this moment, Earl Orkans’s expression was utterly bizarre, but fortunately, no one could laugh at his ridiculous look, as dozens of faces in the hall wore a strangely unanimous expression. Many even gasped when they saw the young man emerge from behind Baron Meiz.
“Your… Your Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Is it surprising to see me?” Prince Rainwright asked coldly, “Or are you questioning my authenticity because you received prior notice of my demise?”
“N-no, not at all…”
“Well then, I have a message to convey: My mother has been victimized by the Everything Returns Society, who are now conspiring with the Minren to overthrow the Empire and persecute my siblings. I now call upon all the nobility of the Empire to heed my summons and join the Loyalist Army to save the Empire from impending doom.” Rainwright did not seem to be delivering news; rather, it felt more like he was issuing a command. He didn’t even require approval, as if simply stating his position: “Do you understand?”
We… Earl Orkans was still pondering that phrase, but the Crown Prince seemed to need no answer from them, pointing directly, “Earl Orkans, Earl Ji’en, and my court knights, step forward to see me. The rest of you, disperse!”
…
“Will these people obey?” At that moment, while the Crown Prince was asserting his might, Romaine, Brendel, and Flour were actually standing in the hall on the second floor watching this farce unfold. The Merchant Miss curiously asked.
Brendel silently shook his head, “That is their Cruz’s business.” He paused and added, “There are many factions within the Empire; actually, the Silver Queen only commands the nobility of Cloak Bay, meaning that only the White Legion and a part of the Imperial Navy are truly loyal to her. This means the only real power at her disposal is the White Legion and a fraction of the Imperial Navy, and even the Red Legion would require significant consideration; otherwise, if the Wind Spirits had ceased hostilities for several weeks, why wouldn’t we see any reaction from them at the Four-Leaf Clover Plains? As for the remaining mountaineers and the Sainya people, they are minority ethnic groups within the Empire. By definition, a minority ethnic group does not encompass many individuals, and military forces are even less prevalent when compared to the Empire’s main forces.”
“In the end, those witches and Minren barely count; the Empire is a vast entity. These powers may appear strong in the hands of a lord, but within the Empire, they are insignificant and cannot determine the balance of power among the Empire.”
“I see,” murmured the Merchant Miss, suddenly enlightened, “The Cruz nobles are continuously retreating because they are like a loose bunch, fighting individually with their own agendas, much like a business investment without a clear objective that easily invites failure.”
“Smart,” Brendel praised as he lightly tapped Romaine’s forehead, inciting the latter’s angry glare at him. He chuckled, “Opponents within the Empire won’t be scarce, and the zealots of the Temple of Fire are more numerous than you think. The issue is that these powers are too scattered; any single faction won’t be a match for Her Majesty the Queen. It is not surprising that everyone tends to look out for themselves under conditions of absolute disparity in power; aside from extreme cases, no one would choose to die in vain for no reason. But if the disparity in power isn’t as large as imagined, then it changes the equation. With a shared interest to rely upon, it becomes different.”
“A shared interest to rely upon,” Flour cast a curious glance at Brendel, “Are you referring to the Crown Prince?”
Brendel grinned, “I’ve said this person is a valuable asset.”
“When did you ever say that?” the Merchant Miss raised an eyebrow.
“I certainly did; otherwise, why would I have kept him around?” Being caught in a boast, the young baron could not help but feel a bit embarrassed. “You must understand, at that time, I had to conceal the whereabouts of the next imperial heir, which was not an easy task, and it entailed significant political and diplomatic risks. If I had not seen today’s return, how could I convince our obstinate Princess?”
Due to her familiarity with Brendel’s character, Romaine shot him a skeptical look, but Flour seemed to accept it. The Wild Elf girl furrowed her brow slightly, “The powers within the Cruz Empire are intricate. Have you investigated which factions are loyal to the Silver Queen or to the Crown Prince and their relations, my lord?”
“Of course,” Brendel sighed, “The Cruz are too close to us, and the Empire is too powerful. We might understand ourselves, but we must understand the Empire.”
Flour fell silent. Having been born in the peaceful kingdom of Erlandta, she later traveled like many other wild elves with her sister to White City, where she joined a mercenary group and became a mercenary wizard. The situation in the Ten City region was similar, with forces jostling for position, but as mercenaries, they often didn’t need to consider such things and rarely experienced the constant fear of walking on thin ice—only at this moment did she seem to recognize her young lord anew, looking at him with a complicated expression.
Unfortunately, Brendel was completely oblivious to the feelings of his ‘personal secretary.’ At this moment, he was pondering Erluin, the Cold Fir Territory, and the vast Black Forest.
One day, Erluin would no longer have to subsist on the breath of others. At that time, Erluin would also possess vast territories and great power. The people of Erluin would no longer need to guess the minds of others; they would stand proud as kings upon this earth.
Perhaps only then could the long-held wishes of the Princess and the Valkyrie be counted as fulfilled.
Brendel suddenly recalled the princess and Valkyrie from the game. They were vastly different from today’s Grifian and Freya; the environment and hardships had shaped them, but today’s Erluin needed neither the princess nor the Valkyrie as such.
Because Erluin no longer required its people to weep silently for it.
He snapped back to reality as the discussion in the hall drew to a close. “What did you notice, Flour?” Brendel abruptly turned and asked.
Flour was slightly taken aback, as if awakening from something. Rarely, a blush crept onto her face as she quickly shook her head, “Noticed what?”
“Earl Orkans did not come willingly. He is a leader among the nobles; if he has no desire to rally these people, what does that indicate?” Brendel scoffed. “I was curious at first; I thought the lesson learned at Ruin Port should make these nobles think twice, and they should not be so quick to forget the pain. Now I see, I must not have overlooked anything; there must be other reasons behind this.”
Flour furrowed her brow slightly. If she could not detect the subtlety behind her lord’s words, her so-called position as his secretary would indeed be pointless: “My lord, do you mean that someone is inciting these nobles from behind? Who?”
“I didn’t know at first,” Brendel replied coldly, “But unfortunately, some individuals are too hasty and have revealed their cards.”
“Revealed their cards,” Romaine chuckled, “That’s a very fitting description.”
