The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 610 clearly indicates a prince who cares deeply for the empire.

“Your Excellency, I think…you may have some misunderstanding about me. I am merely a prince. Regarding political matters, you should consult His Highness Edward Campbell; perhaps he can give you a more professional answer.”

Spruce Manor, reception room.

Luo Yan, who was sitting at the mahogany table, put down his ceramic teacup and gave the Imperial Earl sitting opposite him a helpless look.

Not surprised by Prince Colin's denial, the Earl, sitting across the mahogany table, coughed lightly, attempting to reason with him.

“Your Highness, since I have come to you, it must be because I have already obtained some information. Please believe me, the reason I came to you first is precisely because I am on your side…”

"Really? I appreciate it if you would consider my perspective, but unfortunately, I don't really understand what you're talking about."

Luo Yan shrugged slightly, looked at the count sitting opposite him, and continued.

"I have no idea why the 'Rocksay Rifle' ended up in the hands of the National Assembly's rebels. I'm just an investor; I don't concern myself with the daily operations and order transactions of the Punk Armory. As for who they sold the rifles to... you can't expect a prince thousands of miles away to personally check every single delivery note, can you?"

Most nobles disdained to engage in trade themselves; at least in the winter of 1054 AD, this was an unspoken understanding among most people who made their living from their lands.

Even if no one can live without gold coins.

Upon hearing Prince Colin's reply, the count from the Empire was indeed speechless and fell silent for a moment.

The flickering firelight in the fireplace illuminated the ever-changing face, making its owner feel a subtle pressure about this journey that had originally been expected to be easy.

Sean Vigniel was one of the Imperial envoys sent to the Ryan region, and also the highest-ranking envoy in the delegation.

Unlike Baron Adair, who went to the Duchy of Campbell, this mature and steady count did not immediately head to Roland City, which was embroiled in conflict, after arriving on this continent.

Instead, after disembarking in Thunder City, he deliberately chose to take the Campbellian train north, got off at Gravit station, and made a detour to Spruce Manor.

His purpose was clear: to find the real breakthrough in the rebellion of the Kingdom of Ryan through this reclusive imperial prince.

Various pieces of evidence suggest that both the New Testament sect and the Duchy of Campbell were involved in the revolution in Roland, with the School of Science founded by Prince Colin playing a particularly important role.

This is the testimony of the Duke of Eiffel.

The founding of Thunder City University directly led to the birth of the "Encyclopedists," and the increasingly loud "bells" of Thunder City further ignited the revolutionary enthusiasm of the citizens of Roland.

This is a whole game of chess.

In order to crush the Devallo dynasty, the Republican faction, led by Edward, joined forces to set up this evil game, and Colin was the key piece on the chessboard.

Earl Sean did not take Duke Eiffel's word for it at face value, but he did have doubts about Prince Colin's motives for appearing in the Twilight Province.

Seeing Colin's well-prepared appearance, his suspicions reached their peak...

Of course, he knew very well that he could not convict an imperial prince based on mere suspicion, much less persuade the Senate to stand on his side with such weak reasons.

Suppressing his dissatisfaction slightly, he leaned forward and placed his true trump card on the tea table.

"Your Highness, we can temporarily attribute the rifle incident to the greed of merchants. But what about the airships that appeared over Roland City?"

Sean's gaze was fixed on those deep purple pupils, trying to catch a fleeting glimpse of panic.

"The royalist messengers swore in the name of the Holy Light that they had personally witnessed a massive airship floating above the outskirts of Roland City, firing its cannons from below towards the Royal Prison. If it weren't for that fire that fell from the sky, they probably wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat."

Luo Yan smiled inwardly upon hearing this.

They certainly won't lose that badly.

After all, if it weren't for the fire that fell from the sky, the entire city of Roland would probably have been sacrificed by the Soul School's "Territory Transmutation Array".

Why bother about winning or losing when everyone's gone?
However, Luo Yan was, after all, a prince who had received professional training, and he would never be amused by the hellish joke he had made up.

He first widened his eyes in surprise, as if he himself was hearing about this for the first time.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken? That really is my airship?"

"I have photos here."

Sean beckoned to the servant beside him.

The latter stepped forward, took out a magic photograph from his briefcase, and respectfully placed it in front of Prince Colin.

In the center of the magic photograph, a huge airship was hovering above the smoke-filled city of Roland, with a thick cannon barrel faintly pointing forward.

Sean stared intently into Prince Colin's eyes, trying once again to find a flaw, but unsurprisingly, he was disappointed once more.

Those deep purple pupils remained expressionless, but instead a smile appeared on their faces.

“Very good, Earl Sean. Your photograph has saved me a lot of time. My airship is now anchored in the outskirts of Twilight City. You can go there and take a look for yourself, and see if the cannon in this photograph is actually installed on it.”

Sean was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting such a reply, and was speechless for a while.

It's safe to say that since the other party was so certain in inviting him over, they must have made thorough preparations beforehand.

Even if he went, he would definitely not find anything.

After considering his words for a moment, he cautiously began to speak.

"No need, Your Highness. I'm sure that airship doesn't have what I want."

"Then take this boring thing back."

Luo Yan pushed the photo back, his tone becoming meaningful.

"Excuse my bluntness, but I am not the only airship in the skies of the continent of Os. To accuse a prince who is devoted to the empire because of an airship is utterly ridiculous. I can understand if you haven't seen this thing in the Holy City, but didn't you see it when you passed through Thunder City?"

Sean remained silent, unable to refute the statement.

When he disembarked in Thunder City, he did see a similar airship with exaggerated posters on it, which caused many envoys in the imperial delegation to exclaim in disbelief.

Seeing Earl Sean respond with silence, Luo Yan leaned back in his chair, his long, slender fingers crossed in front of him.

"Moreover, you should know that this technology was originally born in the Great Sage's Tower in the northern wasteland."

"But the person who discovered it was your student. How do you explain that?" Sean stared intently at the prince.

Luo Yan smiled faintly and replied.

“Yes, it is indeed my student’s masterpiece, but I have never forbidden others from using this technology, have I?”

Sean was speechless again.

Luo Yan did not stop there, and continued speaking in a slow and deliberate tone.

"The citizens of Twilight City can all testify for me that when the catastrophe in Roland City had just occurred, I had just arrived in Twilight Province from Thunder City. And since then, I have never left this place, but have been doing my best to help the people of the Holy Light who are suffering here."

“…But besides yourself or your students, who else could fit such a huge thing onto an airship?” Sean asked with difficulty.

But clearly, the count himself felt this argument was somewhat far-fetched, and therefore spoke without much confidence. Luo Yan chuckled softly upon hearing this.

"That's not my concern. I suppose either the airship came from Xuebang, or someone bought a civilian airship from Alberto Shipyard and then illegally modified it."

At this point, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and, looking at the speechless envoy, offered a constructive suggestion.

“I suggest to you again, just as I said at the beginning, that you should send someone to ask Grand Duke Campbell or the mayor of Thunder City. Perhaps they can find what you need in the import and export documents. I think this is much more meaningful than making things difficult for a prince who cares about the people of the Holy Light in this country manor.”

Earl Sean was so speechless by those words that he couldn't utter a single word, as if all his strength had been thrown at a ball of cotton.

Now he can only pin his hopes on Baron Adair, who is currently visiting the Duchy of Campbell, hoping that he might be able to uncover some substantial evidence.

However, at this moment, Sean was unaware that Baron Adair, who had accompanied him on his mission to the eastern border of the empire, had indeed discovered something.

However, probably no one would be happy about such blasphemous evidence.

Whether it was Earl Sean, eager to resolve the matter quickly and prove himself before the Senate, or the Senate itself standing behind him...

Sean took a deep breath, picked up the slightly cooled black tea to moisten his throat, and his tone carried a hint of advice that was barely perceptible.

“Your Highness Colin, I will take your advice into consideration, but please allow me to add a word. Regardless of who owns that airship, one thing is beyond doubt. That is, the Empire will never tolerate anyone subverting orthodox legal principles behind the scenes. This is our bottom line and the overall will of the Senate.”

Luo Yan's face still wore a gentle smile, and his expression did not change in the slightest because of this advice.

"Your Excellency, does this also reflect the Senate's opinion?"

Sean was silent for half a second.

Then, he gently shook his head and chose to back down.

"No. I'm just offering you some well-intentioned advice based on my personal judgment and intuition. I believe that as a prince of the empire, you will consider the issue from the perspective of the empire as a whole... unless my judgment is wrong."

This trip to visit Prince Colin in the Twilight Province was entirely his own decision based on his assessment of the current situation. It was made without discussion in the Senate or authorization from anyone... It was clearly not worth offending a prince with such a powerful background for this.

Therefore, he gave Prince Colin plenty of leeway throughout the conversation, even though the latter did not take advantage of it.

“Thank you for your reminder, Your Excellency. The Holy Light will witness my piety and my unwavering loyalty to the Empire… In this matter, our interests are aligned.” Luo Yan raised his teacup and gave Earl Sean a slight nod.

Realizing that he couldn't get any information out of Luo Yan, Earl Sean stood up expressionlessly, straightened his crisp clothes, and politely took his leave.

Faced with the Earl who had no intention of staying for a free meal, Luo Yan displayed impeccable gentlemanly manners, personally escorting him out of the reception room and all the way to the entrance hall of the main building of the manor.

Outside the lobby, the wind and snow continued.

Sean took his bowler hat from the coat rack, put it on, and said his final goodbye in a dignified and gentlemanly manner.

"The mission will depart for Roland immediately, Your Highness. I will personally investigate the truth of the matter in these ruins."

Just as Sean reached out and grasped the doorknob, about to step into the snowstorm, Luo Yan suddenly called out to him.

"Your Excellency, Earl."

Upon hearing the call, Sean stopped and turned to cast an inquiring glance at the unassuming prince.

Luo Yan looked at him, his gentle smile unchanged, but his tone suddenly became serious.

"Since you just gave me a kind reminder, in return, I'll give you some personal advice."

Sean's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Please speak."

"The situation in Roland is far more serious than the Senate imagines. Not to mention an earl like yourself, even if the Duke of Castellón himself went there, it would be the same."

Luo Yan shifted his gaze from his face to the wind and snow outside the foyer window.

"If you're going there just to complete the task, I suggest you quit while you're ahead. But if you're there to solve the problem, then please be sure to pay attention to your safety, and... be very careful of the magician lurking in the shadows."

Sean's pupils contracted slightly; his keen political sense detected a hint of danger.

"Your Highness, what do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't mean anything special."

A gentle smile appeared on Luo Yan's face, and his tone became casual again.

“I’m not interested in those political intrigues; I’m more interested in the local customs and traditions. Once, while drinking, I overheard the local people talking amongst themselves about how those sorcerers who live in the northern wilderness have stolen their children.”

“You mean… Xuebang?” Sean suddenly realized that this was not the first time His Highness Colin had brought up Xuebang.

why?
He remembered that Colin had briefly taught at Xuebang, but the two parted ways on bad terms for some reason, though no one knew exactly what it was.

Could it be—

What did he see there?
Luo Yan didn't offer any further explanation, but simply smiled and nodded, then gestured for Sarah, who was waiting nearby, to see the guest out.

The heavy door opened, and howling wind and snow rushed in.

Faced with that seemingly blessing smile, Earl Sean boarded the black carriage waiting outside the manor, filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Standing by the window in the foyer, Luo Yan quietly watched the carriage disappear into the white expanse at the end of the road.

The seeds of doubt have been sown.

It's unrealistic to expect the Senate to support the "rebels" in Roland, but given a more deadly threat, it's not impossible to get the Senate to turn a blind eye to this "minor problem."

The reason he had been holding onto the "holy water" card was that he planned to save it for after the revolution in Roland City was victorious.

A milky-white ghost appeared beside Luo Yan, followed by a confused voice from the side.

"But Lord Demon King, you didn't mention holy water just now."

Luo Yan answered in his heart.

'Isn't there still an embassy at Campbell's? Edward will get the message out for me.'

Yoyo was stunned for a moment.

"Huh? When did you discuss this with him?"

Is there even a question to discuss?

Luo Yan smiled faintly and replied matter-of-factly.

'Knowing this old fox as I do, from the moment I handed him what I'd seized from Marius's spatial ring, he already knew where he was going to use this card.'

(End of this chapter)