Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 512: Tyrant Edward and Loyal Minister Saint Byron

The Kingdom of Hattings, the capital is Kingston.

The wind was howling outside and the heavy snow had already dyed the ancient city pure white, but the bedroom belonging to King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville in Oasis Palace was as warm as spring.

The exquisite gold clock ticks "tick-tock" slowly.

Just before the second hand and minute hand were about to coincide, Edward IV, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes and pressed the clock.

It also caused the rotating music box that was about to start to return to silence.

He looked back at the beautiful queen who was sleeping soundly under a soft beaver skin quilt, and a look of fondness appeared on his face.

Apparently, in order not to delay government affairs and disturb the queen's rest, the king's biological clock also made adaptive adjustments.

Edward IV was not in a hurry to get up immediately, because the "Most Beautiful Woman in the Channel Islands" was too beautiful. He could not help but admire his queen's beautiful body from behind.

Her shoulders and back were as flawless as white jade, her waist and hips were as slender as if she had never given birth, and her skin had a lustrous luster that was more attractive than pearls.

The plump thighs and golden nail polish-painted toes outlined a breathtakingly perfect curve that made him unable to take his eyes away.

Looking at the beauty who belonged only to him, Edward IV couldn't help but feel a burning passion in his heart.

Even though he had enjoyed this perfect body countless times and had eight children with her, he was still extremely greedy for Elizabeth's beauty.

But his face soon turned gloomy again.

Because whenever Edward IV thought of the "Kingmaker" Warwick who had brazenly declared in public that everything in the country, including his beloved queen, should be given to him, he could not help but feel a surge of hatred.

There was another man who was openly eyeing his power, his wealth, and his woman.

Any normal man would not be able to tolerate this, let alone a king standing at the top of the power pyramid?
It is just like another lion suddenly jumped out of the Lion King's territory. Without external intervention, there is only one possible outcome: one of the two sides must fall.

In Edward IV's heart, ever since Warwick said this, he was destined to die!
Thinking of this, Edward IV could no longer lie down. He uncovered the queen's warm and fragrant quilt, and with great willpower quietly got up, dressed, and prepared to deal with today's government affairs.

But as soon as I got out of bed and my feet touched the ground, I subconsciously reached out to cover my waist, gasping for air:

"Ah, hiss, hiss, hiss"

Some time ago, he only felt a slight tingling pain in his kidneys from time to time.

But now, after two months of intense lovemaking, he always feels that his body is drained and the symptoms are getting worse.

Although his body was not as strong as those of monsters and mythical creatures, it was still one of the strongest among humans. At this moment, he truly felt what it meant to be powerless.

Although he has not yet reached the supreme speedster realm of "full time in one and a half minutes, with a bath and a shower", a visible decline in his condition is inevitable.

Edward IV also knew that this was probably due to excessive sexual intercourse with his queen, but he just couldn't control himself.

In the past, the queen was either pregnant or on the way to becoming pregnant, so even if he wanted to lose control, there was nothing he could do.

But ever since he unknowingly put on the holy relic [Happy and Worry-Free], nothing could stop him from enjoying the most beautiful woman in the Channel Islands.

Edward IV held his waist for a long time before walking out of the bedroom and into the dressing room, where he changed his clothes with the help of a group of eunuchs.

A eunuch and palace guard reminded him tactfully when he was hanging the sword on him:
“Your Majesty, although you are strong and healthy, you have not practiced swordsmanship for a long time.

How about we wait until we finish dealing with government affairs today and then go to the Guards camp outside the city and call up the elite Guards to practice?
By the way, stay in the barracks for a few days. The soldiers all miss the glorious days when you led them to defeat Lancaster. "

He originally thought that the widow Queen Elizabeth, who had killed her ex-husband, was a disaster, and he was worried about the situation of Edward IV.

Not only is he becoming increasingly thinner, but he is also getting up later and later. If this continues, sooner or later he will die of "horse stroke" in the queen's bed.

I thought that if I exercised more and burned off some energy, I wouldn’t always be thinking about getting into the queen’s bed.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Edward IV, who was already somewhat tired due to excessive energy consumption, seemed to have triggered a stress response.

He suddenly turned his head and stared at the eunuch's eyes like a bloodthirsty lion that had suddenly awakened.

The eunuch was so frightened that he subconsciously took a step back. Even his heart seemed to be grasped by a hand, making it extremely difficult to breathe.

Then, the first words Edward IV uttered scared him to death.

"You want to get me out of Ganquan Palace?
Hmm? Do you want to steal my queen like Warwick did? ! ! "

The loyal eunuch's expression changed drastically:

"No, no, no, Your Majesty, I didn't. I did this for your own good."

Edward IV ignored the eunuch's pleas for mercy.

In this palace where the iron law of royal power is the most powerful, he is the absolute supreme being.

With just a glare, an invisible rope tightly wrapped around the eunuch's neck, hanging the second-level knight up. No matter how he struggled, it was of no avail.

After a while, his face turned blue and purple, and his tongue stuck out. Seeing this, the other servants all knelt on the ground in silence.

Edward IV was still not satisfied, so he pulled out the sword that the eunuch had personally worn for him and stabbed the eunuch to death on the spot.

He drew out his sword and stabbed him five or six more times, until he became a blood gourd that kept gushing out blood. He then stopped, and swept his cold eyes over everyone present, saying coldly:

"Whoever dares to alienate the relationship between me and Her Majesty the Queen will suffer this fate! Do you understand?"

The strongest man in the Kingdom of Hattings and the most beautiful woman in the Channel Islands have always been attracted to and influenced by each other.

[The Most Beautiful Lady in the Channel Islands] Title Effects:

“Helen’s Symphony of Destiny.

In a male-dominated world order, the foul charm of the most beautiful women is itself a source of turmoil.

Therefore, while Queen Elizabeth has the bonus of unparalleled beauty that can attract any man to be obsessed with her, she also has to rely on a strong man.

When this man is lost, or his military power is no longer enough to deter other males, another Trojan War will surely begin in order to snatch Helen. "

Normally, Edward IV could use his own spiritual state to resist the attraction of the most beautiful woman.

But ever since he put on the "Emperor's New Clothes", he was gradually flattered by the lie that "The Three Phantom Suns are the Lord of Destiny", and became more and more self-willed and arbitrary.

By this day, he regarded anyone who tried to persuade him as a malicious person who was eyeing his beautiful queen, and he would have to execute them on the spot to relieve his hatred.

No matter how overwhelmed he was when dealing with the queen, he would never think of asking anyone else to do it for him.

He sheathed the sword and murmured:
"I heard that there is a concept among gourmets and dark wizards that food can replenish the body.

I'll have roasted lamb loin as my main course for all three meals today."

After leaving the locker room and enjoying a sumptuous breakfast with roasted lamb loins, he wiped his mouth and sighed:

"In addition to lust, I feel my appetite is getting stronger, but being able to eat and drink means you're healthy, which is a good thing."

Then the court ministers came into the palace one after another to report to him.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer placed before him a bill:

"Your Majesty, this is the war damage report just sent by His Excellency Saint Byron, Count of Stromfort, the Governor of the Colony of Port Royal, as well as the application for military expenditure for the first quarter. You are required to personally approve it."

When Edward IV heard the name, he felt pain in his waist and head as well.

During this period, not only did he fail to suck blood from the colonies as he wished, but he had to continuously provide reverse subsidies to support the defense of [Sea Hunter] Saint Byron against the archenemy [Wild Hunt].

When I saw the six-digit number on the bill, my brows gradually twisted into a knot.

The Minister of Finance knew what the lord, who had become increasingly irritable recently, was thinking, and hurriedly and carefully comforted him:

"Your Majesty, think positively.

During this period of time, the losses suffered by the Earl of Stromgarde were highly consistent with the results released by the Wild Hunt.

This shows that he did not conceal or overreport any expenses, nor did he falsify accounts to cheat the military by bleeding soldiers.

In today's situation, with him helping you in the Bantaan Islands, at least you don't have to worry about being deceived and wasting a lot of money.

Now, as long as we spend money, we can keep the last Lancaster in the colony and prevent him from coming back to cause trouble. This money is worth spending!"

Edward IV also thought that what he said made sense.

The White Rose cannot afford to lose its colony, nor can it watch the remnants of the Red Rose grow stronger. As long as the [Sea Hunter] can withstand the pressure, they must provide support even if they have to tighten their belts.

There are not many "great loyal ministers" like the great loyal minister, the Earl of Stromgarde, who are willing to sacrifice their core members to fight the enemy.

"Alas, the military expenses for the colonies, the purchase of weapons from Rheinmetall, and the rewards for encouraging the extraordinary soldiers in the army to fight behind enemy lines all cost money.

In order to successfully obtain war loans from the big bankers of the Remit people, I not only recognized the country established by the Gold Power Restoration Party in the southern continent.

An agreement has also been signed to allow an unlimited number of Remites to settle and do business in the Kingdom of Hatings, but they are restricted from engaging in politics or joining the military.

This is all caused by those two bastards, [Kingmaker] Warwick and [Wild Hunt] Lancaster!

[Sea Hunter]'s greatest strength is his loyalty. If I tell him to go east, he will never dare to go west. This is probably the only comforting thing among all the bad news."

Little did Edward IV know that Byron's bill was not inflated even a little.

Because this bill is for 100% pure water, the kind that can be used directly in laboratory experiments, hahahaha.

With the joint evidence of the "warring parties" who are as powerful as fire and water, there is no need to even pretend. He has mastered the art of paper war.

If you compare the bills, you will find that this military expenditure is exactly the same as the research and development costs of the whale oil-powered steam engine in Torrent Fortress, plus the cost of modifying the first batch of heavy-duty cruisers under the Wild Hunt.

Really, thanks to the boss for the "planetary engine" and the large fleet.

I'll use them to hit you in two days!

Edward IV signed the bill and handed it to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, then asked:
"Why is there no news from Cardinal Barbatilla?

I asked you to take advantage of the New Year's gift to ask about his progress, but why is there no response yet?"

In order to capture the families of the Lancaster Party, he spared no expense to bribe Cardinal Barbatilla to poison Margaret and her party so that he could use the opportunity to threaten the Wild Hunt.

But after spending a lot of money, there was no response. Hearing this, the finance minister took out another letter from the church and handed it to his master with a bad look on his face.

Edward IV just glanced at it, and his eyes immediately darkened:
"What? Archbishop Barbotilla is dead?
Even the Malta Monastery sank into the sea due to a landslide. No one survived and all my hostages were gone!

The most abominable thing is that after they have done such a thing, the Barbatila family still dares to shamelessly accept my New Year's gift?"

Anger welled up in his heart, and he stood up suddenly. However, his movements were too hasty and his waist was shaken. He quickly covered his waist and said:
"Ah, hiss, hiss, hiss"

The symptoms of the kidneys were slightly relieved, but the chest was still rising and falling violently:
"I you. huff huff"

His face looked ugly, as if he had eaten a fly.

For a moment, it was hard to tell whether it was the church's incompetence or the ugly way the church was eating that was more disgusting.

"Okay, okay. You're accepting gifts even though I've passed away, and you've even killed all the hostages I entrusted to you.

Who do you think I am?
I am the only King of Hattings, the great [Three Phantom Suns] Edward IV!

Sooner or later I will teach you shameless charlatans a lesson!"

But when he saw the second piece of letter written on sugarcane residue paper in the envelope, he had to suppress all his anger.

Because it is signed: St. John!
The saint was equally outraged by the incident at the Maltese monastery.

However, due to the entry [You are not the murderer], they spent more than ten days in the cold winter searching for clues underwater, but did not find any evidence that the [Uncrowned King] had taken action.

The original plan to use the Anchor Bay and Black Sail Pirates as cannon fodder failed, and the Kingdom of Hastings had to take over.

The last command was particularly severe:
"Edward! This is my ultimatum.

You, the Kingdom of Hettings, must immediately stop the civil war and join the battlefield of the Holy Silver Empire when spring arrives in February this year to destroy the Protestant princes."

"this!!!"

Edward IV had just been cheated by the ruthless Barbatilla family, and was feeling depressed.

St. John suddenly ordered him around like a servant, asking him to leave his enemies behind and go abroad to participate in a war that did not belong to them. One can imagine how bad his mood was.

In his heart, he longed to shout out these words in a domineering manner:

"How dare you, arrogant bastard, look down upon me, the king of the Three Phantom Suns.

Call me that damned Saint John, and make him kneel down and repent under the Union Jack of Hattings!"

But once a person is being kept, there is no need to talk about personal freedom.

He knew better than anyone whether he and the Hastings under his leadership had political autonomy.

Some people in this world are human beings, some are living fathers, and some are just dogs.

So he was extremely angry. He was extremely angry.

After all, I didn't dare to tear up the letter in my hand.

Just as he was thinking about what to do next with a gloomy face, another piece of bad news pushed him into a corner.

The combat command sent a military report.

His father-in-law was also one of the sixteen [Right Hands of the King], a [Prime Minister], who was ambushed while leading a battle on the front line and had to flee to the Galt Highlands in the north.
The content of Edward IV's first-hand intelligence was similar to what Therese had obtained, which showed that the succubus was indeed good at gathering intelligence.

"Damn it, how could this happen?!"

Edward IV, who already had an unpleasant complexion, now looked even more pale and blue.

The Woodville family had never been an entrenched noble family, but old Woodville himself was extremely capable.

Although he is only a fourth-rank fortress sequence [Highland Knight], he is an experienced expert in both internal affairs and battle formations, much stronger than his sons.

Old Woodville's power came from Edward IV, so he didn't have much of a foundation and his loyalty was definitely not a problem.

He is his right-hand man along with his younger brother Richard, the Duke of the Devil.

If the Earl's party were to be wiped out like this, the entire ruling system of the royal party would be shaken immediately.

And considering the order just given by St. John, if anything happens to old Woodville, the situation in the Kingdom of Hastings will only cause a chain reaction.

"He must not be caught. If Warwick kills him and I cannot avenge him, the York family will be in trouble and Elizabeth will never forgive me.

The royal nobles will also think that I don't even care about the queen's father, and only know how to obey the church's order to cease fire, so they will not care about them much, and the cohesion of the royal party will be lost in an instant.

If Warwick had not killed him, but had used him as a political bargaining chip during the church's mediation, it would have put me in a passive position and even created a situation where there were actually two kings in one country.

No, if Warwick puts George on the throne, his share of royal power in this country may exceed mine, and I cannot allow that.

So we must not let old Woodville fall into Warwick's hands!"

While Edward IV was issuing orders to rescue his father-in-law with all his might, he inexplicably felt a sense of humiliation, like a dog that not only had to clean up its own shit, but also had to wipe its owner's butt as well.

"What a coward! This king is such a coward!
But I didn’t even get any dog ​​food to use as compensation! Ahhhh.”

I couldn't help but hold the hilt of the sword tightly, and I always had an urge to cut something regardless of the consequences.

Then he turned around and looked at the Minister of Finance who had not yet had the chance to escape.

On the other side, there is the icy and snowy Gelt Highlands.

The two scout teams, whose main members were all Wilderness Sequence [Hunters], met unexpectedly and a brutal fight broke out without hesitation.

After a brief battle, a field of corpses was left behind, and then they each followed the clues and went their separate ways.

Two figures sat on the branches of a large tree overhead, swinging their legs leisurely.

One is tall and handsome with black hair and blue eyes, the other is bright and charming with blonde hair and green eyes.

It was Byron and Catherine who rushed back to their hometown as soon as they received the news. After they unfolded the "Border Maze", it was as if the two battlefield ghosts were not discovered by anyone.

A petite succubus clone that was less than the size of a palm and had bat wings flew beside them, introducing the information it had:
“The reason why old Woodville was able to escape for so long was because of the holy relic in his hand [The First Tear of Rupert].

Although this is just a most common second-level holy relic with little influence, it possesses extraordinary supernatural powers.

For example: having nearly invincible defense.

Byron nodded from time to time, and learned what old Woodville's greatest support was.

Rupert's Tears is called "witch's tears" because of its extremely hardness, but in fact it is just glass. It is very simple to prepare and can be produced in large quantities.

At the beginning, Prince Rupert of Rhine City accidentally obtained a tear-shaped glass. However, unlike ordinary glass products which are fragile, this tear-shaped glass is extremely hard.

So he happily presented the glass products as gifts to the Emperor of the Holy Silver Empire.

However, the emperor thought that Prince Rupert was provoking him by giving him glass at the banquet and threw the glass to the ground.

As a result, something incredible happened. The glass that was expected to be shattered was intact, and instead a small hole was smashed into the ground.

Later, during experiments, even a bullet would shatter into pieces instantly if it hit it.

Such hard glass broke people's perception that glass was fragile and also calmed the emperor's anger.

After the miracle at the banquet spread, the tear of glass was named Prince Rupert, and was loved by the nobles because of its unique characteristics.

The production method is to let the melted glass drip into ice water under its own gravity. Due to the rapid cooling, the uneven pressure inside the Rupert's Tear makes its head extremely strong, but the tail becomes its weak point.

The maximum pressure on the head is the impact force of a 17-ton hammer, while the tail shatters at the slightest touch.

“The nature of the holy relic is even stronger. As long as you wear the [First Tear of Rupert], you can easily withstand the impact of a 170-weight hammer, and even withstand artillery shells head-on.

In the [Ladder of Glory] sequence, this is almost an impossible thing.

But as a price, you will also gain a "weak spot" like the fragile tail.

They will be more fragile than usual, almost equivalent to death upon contact.

In addition, he can hide himself like glass.

In divination and various detection abilities, his true size is that of a normal adult, but what people observe is only the size of a sparrow or a bee.

The difficulty of detection immediately increased significantly."

Therese concluded:
"The weakness that could kill him has been exposed in the ambush. It is said to be under his left armpit, and it cannot be changed for at least a day.

During this period, he probably won't trust anyone, and he will definitely not step out rashly.

Only after he has spent a day resetting his 'weak point' will he take the initiative to join up with the friendly forces."

After listening to the information shared by Therese, Byron also saw the warrant document sent by St. John to Edward IV through the [Key of Omniscience], and was glad that he had made arrangements in advance.

"The people of Hastings cannot be buried in the imperial meat grinder so easily, they are my future team.

Therefore, this time old Woodville must die, and he must die at the hands of Warwick the Kingmaker’s signature ability.”

He issued a declaration that was completely opposite to that of Edward IV, and was about to set off with Catherine to see if he could intercept him in advance.

But suddenly he discovered that a figure five kilometers away had stepped into his [divine vision] range.

"Hey, that's.?"

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the person who came here was the all-rounder who was a painter, sculptor, scientist, military engineer, architect, etc. - Leonardo, the "Painter of Hell".

Byron also did not forget that his true identity was actually a "Devil in a Bottle" from the Eastern Continent, his mother's hometown.

He is also a double agent who serves both the [King Maker] and the [Devil Duke].

"There's something fishy!"

(End of this chapter)