Chapter 47: Rebellion!
Amidst the resplendent hall, a group of elegantly dressed nobles gathered, with a middle-aged man around thirty or forty years old at the forefront, bearing a brown lion emblem on his chest.
This was the family crest of a noble, designed to avoid the symbolism of deities; such crests were typically borne by nobles who had epic figures in their family histories. The man before us was a member of the Lion family, an ancient house that had ruled Talon City for over a century, which once produced an epic powerhouse known as the ‘Golden Lion’ during Queen Isabella’s era. The birth of the Lion family began at that time, but since then, the family had not produced any epic figures, with the most they had were the occasional legendary professionists.
The Lion family had fallen into decline for a period, but being a noble family, they still had some advantages in bloodline inheritance, and every few generations, a few prodigies would emerge.
The current family head was regarded as a standard genius among mortals.
Knox-Lion, the lord of Talon City, had entered the legendary domain at the age of thirty-five.
Although he had achieved legendary strength and was considered a dominant power among mortals, at this moment, Knox’s expression was one of hesitation and turmoil.
The virtues of nobility had dwindled to almost nothing.
This was inherently a dark and ignorant era. The experiences Soren had encountered in Amber City would similarly occur in Talon City, perhaps even worse. The splendor of the Lion family had long since passed; although a legendary strongman had emerged in recent years, there was no doubt that the virtues of the ‘Golden Lion’ had not been inherited by his descendants. Knox was a lawful evil noble lord whose brutal rule consistently exploited and oppressed the civilians within Talon City. He had allied with the Church of Torment to increase its power, hoping to gain some divine favors in return. He had even secretly executed several paladins who dared to meddle in his affairs and question his rule.
If not for the outbreak of the Saint’s Cataclysm.
With Knox’s legendary strength, his rule would likely have persisted for another century in Talon City.
However, the eruption of the Saint’s Cataclysm undermined his rule and made him more in need of assistance from the Whip Maiden, Lav. He believed that with the protection of a deity, he could safely navigate through this crisis.
But!
What he never expected was that he would gain an even more terrifying enemy!
—The Lord of Shadows—Soren!
The mysterious assassin had caused chaos in Talon City, and these individuals had the support of the Thieves Guild; to this day, they had not obtained much evidence.
“Lord Mayor!”
An elderly man with a plump face stood up and said, “Things cannot worsen any further! The entire Talon City has plunged into chaos! We must find a way to stop this!”
“More than ten nobles have already perished!”
“Perhaps we should take revenge on the culprit!”
This was Sir Finley.
Once a high-ranking knight, he had now become a corpulent figure. The decay of Talon City had led the nobles to indulge in pleasures, with more than half of the nobles present being overweight—even Knox had become considerably bulkier due to his lavish lifestyle.
“A fool who doesn’t even know who the enemy is!”
Knox thought to himself, but he did not voice it. Instead, he slowly spoke, “The situation must be controlled! However, the more important point is that we must choose our stance in this matter!”
There were no shortage of clever individuals in attendance; the nobles were all shrewd in their own ways.
They were skilled in politics and naturally understood what the lord mayor was implying at this moment!
“I think we should side with the Goddess of Torment; her church is more closely related to us, and Modo is far overseas; this battle may not necessarily end in their victory,” spoke a noble who looked like he had indulged excessively in wine and pleasures.
What he did not openly say was that he had many secrets held over him by the Church of Torment.
If these things were revealed, his actions would warrant hanging, making it imperative for him to align himself with the Church of Torment, leaving him no other choice.
“I think the odds for the Goddess of Torment are quite low.”
This time it was a young noble who spoke, resembling a half-elf; there were many half-elves on the continent, and the number of half-breeds was not small. In many cities dominated by evil, female elves were often considered expensive personal items, which could lead to the birth of half-elf offspring in such conditions.
This noble was named Torano, a half-elf b*stard.
A b*stard inheriting a title certainly required ruthless methods, and although other nobles eyed him with disdain, no one dared to refute him, indicating that he held some level of intimidation.
However.
Although most of the nobles were currently tight-lipped, a burly figure seated nearby sneered, “Torano! You vile patricide! Are you already preparing to bow and scrape before the enemy so soon?”
Patricide.
This was a rumor in Talon City.
It was said that Torano had poisoned his father to inherit his title, but no one could prove it, and it circulated merely as a rumor among the nobles.
Clash!
Hearing this piercing remark, Torano instantly drew his longsword, shouting angrily, “Nordent! Shut your foul mouth, or you’ll never speak again!”
The atmosphere instantly turned tense.
“Enough!”
The lord mayor, Knox, shouted, then added, “This meeting is adjourned. Nordent, stay behind; the rest of you may leave for now.”
In such a situation, there was no room for negotiation.
The nobles of Talon City were already not united enough; Knox felt it would be better to leave his closer allies behind and discuss matters in private.
“Hmph!”
The half-elf b*stard named Torano glared resentfully at the burly man in the shadows before taking his leave with his followers. Having had years of adventures on the continent, he had a group of capable rogues by his side, and even Knox was reluctant to make things too strained with him.
A group of nobles exited.
However, some did not leave the mayor’s mansion, instead heading directly to the back courtyard; these were Knox’s trusted confidants.
The Church of Shadows was on the offensive.
Most nobles in Talon City maintained good relations with Lav’s church, and at this moment, they were clearly leaning more toward the familiar Lav rather than the unfamiliar Church of Shadows.
………………
Under the night sky.
The remaining nobles stayed well into the night without leaving, as they could not think of a better strategy.
Knox rubbed his forehead wearily.
He found the situation quite tricky; as a secular noble, being embroiled in the conflict between two divine churches was inherently uncomfortable.
“Not good!”
“Not good!”
A panicked voice came through; upon hearing it, Knox stood up angrily and yelled, “What is all this rushing about?!”
A government official stumbled into the room, frantically exclaiming, “Lord Mayor! It’s bad! Torano has rebelled! He has led people to attack the storeroom! Now he’s assaulting the city defenses! Many of the guards have been bribed and are following his rebellion!”
Rebellion?
In an instant, Knox awakened.
Recalling the resentful look Torano had cast as he left, Knox suddenly felt a chill in his heart and said in a deep voice, “How many people do they have? Immediately gather the other nobles to assemble their armies and come with me!”
The official stammered, “A lot!”
“A lot of troops!”
“Torano must have found a large number of reinforcements from somewhere! These rebel forces are flying a black flag!”
Not bothering to deal with the stuttering official further, Knox dashed out with the others. Once outside, he saw the distant flames illuminating the sky; numerous spots in Talon City were ablaze, and faint, mournful cries could be heard. Further away, the sounds of gathering troops and some deep, thunderous bangs were heard, leaving them uncertain about what had truly happened.
“Lord Mayor, don’t panic!”
The burly noble named Nordent frowned, watching the flames, then said, “With Torano’s strength, even with reinforcements, he cannot have too many! I suspect he’s trying to confuse us!”
“Let me take people to capture him and bring him before you!”
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
