The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 613 Gunshots Outside the Royal Theatre
The howling wind and snow froze the surface of the Benliu River, but they could not freeze the Royal Theatre of Roland, located on its banks.

The dark red velvet curtain was pulled open to both sides to the sound of melodious music, and the light from the magic crystal lamps focused on the male and female protagonists on the stage.

The play being performed on stage right now is "The Bell Tolls" from Leiming City.

With the fall of the Devallo dynasty, the citizens of Roland were finally able to see whatever they wanted, just like Miss Marie Lambane.

Instead of letting Bishop Claude decide whether they should laugh or weep, they should not.

On the last day of the year 1054 in the Os calendar, the common people of Roland gradually began to feel a sense of pride and ownership.

As the curtain fell, a long and enthusiastic applause erupted in the theater, with the vast majority of audience members shedding tears for the deeply moving love story.

The VIP rooms on the second floor.

Count Sean, sitting in the center of the box, slowly put down his sterling silver monocular telescope and wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

Finally, he joined the ordinary audience members in giving a heartfelt round of applause until the enthusiastic applause subsided.

"What an amazing performance! The dialogue was incredibly powerful, and the actors' skills were impeccable... Are they from the Iris Theatre Company?" Earl Sean said with lingering satisfaction as he watched the performance end.

"No, Your Excellency, they are a local theater troupe from Roland City."

"Really? That's truly astonishing!"

Turning his gaze away from the stage, he looked at Minister Conrad, who was sitting beside him, his blue-gray eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

"Minister Conrad, I must sincerely apologize to you."

Minister Conrad looked surprised.

"Your Excellency, what is the reason for this?"

"Before tonight, my impression of Roland City was limited to those dilapidated ruins and violent barricades. I even arrogantly thought that the people of the vassal states living on the border of the empire were mostly just barbarians blinded by anger and who did not know what civilization was."

At this point, the envoy from the holy city sighed softly, his sincere voice tinged with apology.

"However, I never expected that you would be able to put on such a breathtaking performance. After seeing their performance, I suddenly realized that the citizens of Roland's longing for a republic was entirely understandable... I was hasty in the past."

Upon hearing this, Minister Conrad, who was sitting upright, widened his eyes slightly, a hint of undisguised astonishment flashing in them.

As the foreign minister of the First Republic of Leyne, he has been walking on thin ice these days, fearing that he might say the wrong thing in front of this special envoy.

Upon learning that the special envoy was going to see the play, he canceled all his engagements that evening and accompanied him personally... for fear that the envoy would fly into a rage after watching the play, which had anti-feudal themes, and use it as an excuse to pressure the National Assembly.

However, he never expected that this high-ranking nobleman of the Holy Light would express sympathy and understanding for the people of Ryan's desire for a republic.

“Your Excellency, I am extremely surprised by your tolerance and open-mindedness.”

Minister Conrad leaned forward slightly, his tone as sincere and respectful as ever.

“I originally thought that the Empire would never allow the concept of ‘republic’, which challenges tradition, to take root in the Old World… Please allow me to retract my prejudice against you.”

Seeing the somewhat nervous Foreign Minister, Earl Sean smiled gently.

"It seems we have a lot of misunderstandings about each other."

To be honest, when he first arrived in Roland City, he was indeed deeply shocked by the blasphemy of the people there, and even considered leaving in a huff.

However, whenever he was about to lose control of his emotions, Prince Colin's face would involuntarily appear in his mind, persuading him to be more patient with the common people living here.

And thankfully he did it.

Otherwise, he would miss out on at least one excellent stage play.

Upon hearing Earl Sean's words, Minister Conrad nodded in deep agreement and sighed softly.

“Indeed, we have had too little communication. As far back as I can remember, I have only heard that the Devalo dynasty is loyal to the emperor of the empire, but I do not know where the empire is... I hope my ignorance has not offended you, but this is what I have personally experienced. If I am like this, then what about the common people, many of whom have never left the land beneath their feet in their entire lives?”

“How could I be offended, Your Excellency Conrad? It is the truth. Not to mention ordinary people, even I am here for the first time.

At this point, Sean paused for a moment, then adopted a joking tone.

“If it weren’t for the Duke of Castellón’s request, I would be sitting in front of my fireplace reading the newspaper right now.”

"So, do you regret it?"

"Haha, I really regret it! If I had known it was so safe here, I should have brought my wife with me. She loves watching dramas."

The conversation proceeded in a harmonious atmosphere.

Both of them had genuine smiles on their faces.

When the conversation turned to the charter being drafted at the Summer Palace and the recent work of the National Assembly, Sean's joking expression turned serious.

"As I said before, the Empire will not immediately draw its sword against you just because you have put forward a new concept. At least in my Senate, when faced with the unknown, we usually take the time to observe and understand what it is, and not let our emotions sway our judgment."

Minister Conrad astutely caught the shift in the statement, took a deep breath, and cautiously continued to press for answers.

"Then, Your Excellency... if I may be so bold as to ask, what are your views on Roland City after you have learned about it?"

Earl Sean's lips curled into a composed smile.

"I am very pleased."

Glad?

This word completely stunned Minister Conrad.

When he heard that turning point, he was prepared to face harsh criticism, but he never expected to receive such an evaluation.

This was the second time he had been surprised tonight.

“Forgive my ignorance, Your Excellency,” Conrad said with a polite bow, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge. “I am truly curious…why do you feel so pleased?”

Sean did not answer immediately, but instead turned his gaze to the throng of people outside the private room, as if he could glimpse the entire history of the continent of Os through those diverse faces.

“I have met many kings, sometimes in the Senate of the Holy City, sometimes on their own estates. To be honest, not many of them have won my favor. Only a very few know what dignity is, while most seem to be living a thousand years ago.”

“I think this is not just my opinion, but also the opinion of the Duke of Castellón, the Duke of Lambert, and His Excellency the Regent, and many other nobles… and this opinion has persisted for hundreds of years. I think it’s not just me; if you were sitting in the Senate, you would also lose interest in those stagnant frontier regions.”

"At least there is still hope in the New World, while the Old World has had its last remaining life divided up by a group of savages. We are gradually giving up on expecting you to keep up with the Empire's pace, as that would be both laborious and thankless. We only hope that the kingdoms outside the Empire's borders will not descend into chaos, and that they will not give the mysterious chaos an opportunity to take advantage."

Sean's voice was calm and objective.

This was the Senate's most direct idea.

Colonies were not as important as holy cities, and the kingdoms of the Old World were even less important than colonies, not even as important as a brass pass.

but--

It is different now.

He smiled kindly and looked at Minister Conrad as he continued speaking.

"As for now, I am pleased that you have finally started to move forward. And the republic you are pursuing is not as rebellious as I originally imagined. It's just that you vote in the National Assembly, and we vote in the Senate. You use the charter to restrain the monarchy, and we use other things... In essence, we still solve problems through negotiation! That's actually very good."

Minister Conrad listened intently; the envoy's political vision completely shattered his previous understanding and fundamentally changed his view of the Empire.

He picked up the wine glass that had been sitting on the table, untouched the entire time, and sincerely toasted the envoy from the empire.

“Your Excellency, I must confess—you are the first imperial nobleman I have ever met who is willing to seriously understand our country. Before this, I always thought that the Empire was full of arrogant people.”

Sean raised his glass to clink with his and made a joke with a smile.

"now what?"

Minister Conrad downed the red wine in one gulp and exclaimed in sincere praise.

"Now I realize that while the Empire does have arrogant fellows, it also has enlightened friends like you!"

Sean laughed heartily, downed the glass of red wine in one gulp, and waved his hand modestly.

"You flatter me, Mr. Minister."

"No, I'm not flattering you. That's really what I think."

Setting down his wine glass, a hint of worry for the fate of the nation flashed in Conrad's eyes. After a moment's pause, he sighed softly.

"But... if only the Senate could think like you."

Sean smiled faintly, a reassuring smile appearing on his elegant and composed face.

"Rest assured, Minister Conrad. After this trip, I will report the true state of Roland City, as well as your civilization and aspirations, to the Senate in detail. I think... there must be many people who share my thoughts."

Conrad was filled with respect upon hearing this, stood up, and bowed deeply to Sean.

"On behalf of the First Republic of Lane, I thank you for everything you have done for us! Your Excellency Sean, you will always be a friend of the people of Lane!"

Sean reached out and gently touched his arm, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite.

"Don't thank me yet. Those old guys in the Senate aren't like me. I can't control what they think."

He paused here, then subtly reiterated his demands.

"Also, I hope you won't embarrass me too much. Don't sell the Saint Laurent Cathedral... otherwise, I'm afraid anything I say will be a waste of breath."

A hint of embarrassment crossed Minister Conrad's face as he coughed lightly and spoke.

"I will do my best to persuade Marshal Fayette."

Sean nodded, a warm smile returning to his face.

“Then let us work together for peace between our two countries. We are all children of the Holy Light, and there is no need for us to shed blood again for what has already been shed.”

These were humble words, but Conrad could tell that the count from the holy city had already spoken up for them in his heart.

Whether the Senate will ultimately adopt it is something no one can guarantee, and the Earl has even less control over it.

All he can do right now is to do his best to increase the chances of peace between the two countries.

Conrad made up his mind that he would persuade Marshal Fayette to stop the auction of some church property at tomorrow's cabinet meeting.

Nobody dared to buy such a thing. To display it in the newspaper would be an insult to the empire, and also an insult to the achievements of the Lane people's civilization over the past thousand years.

The newly rich sitting at the conference table readily signed the check, but the price would be paid by tens of thousands of young men.

He found it hard to say, against his conscience, that it was worth it.

……

After the performance ended, Sean bid farewell to Secretary Conrad and boarded a luxurious carriage parked in front of the Royal Theatre.

With a sharp crack of the whip in the air, the wheels rolled over the icy cobblestones and headed toward the Summer Palace.

The city of Roland was eerily quiet in the dead of night. Even in the busiest districts, there were hardly any pedestrians to be seen. The howling wind was the only sound on the streets.

Inside the carriage, Sean took out a glowing magic crystal from his spatial ring and placed it on the armrest, then pulled out a notebook with a leather cover.

His notebook was filled with detailed records of everything he had seen and heard since he set foot on this land.

It includes a memo of my frank conversation with Secretary Conrad tonight, as well as some unknown secrets—

For example, the investigation into the Dvalo dynasty.

Upon arriving in Roland, he did not wander aimlessly under the nose of either the royalists or the republicans. Instead, he followed the clues that Prince Colin had subtly pointed out during afternoon tea at Spruce Manor that day and secretly investigated the rumors of missing persons in the area.

Using his status as an imperial envoy and the sympathy he inadvertently revealed, he successfully pried open the mouth of an old nobleman who was loyal to the old dynasty.

The truth revealed by the old nobleman sent a chill down even through the well-informed Sean.

The Gravediggers, loyal to Theodore, are secretly kidnapping civilians and using their souls as a catalyst to extract so-called holy water!

He never imagined that the nobles of Ryan would treat human life so cruelly, and it was no wonder that Saint Sith would punish them so severely!

It was precisely because he knew of these disgusting crimes that he felt genuine sympathy for the citizens of Roland who longed for a republic when he was in the theater tonight.

And at that moment, Prince Colin's parting words of advice once again surfaced in Sean's mind—

Beware of the magician lurking in the shadows.

Sean closed his eyes slightly, carefully pondering the clues hidden in the sentence, but did not pay too much attention to the warning itself.

As an Count of the Empire, he was also a highly skilled spellcaster and was well aware of the essence of extraordinary power and the subtle connection between it and the soul.

A truly powerful individual with a strong foundation does not need to resort to dirty and short-sighted methods like extracting souls to improve themselves.

Those who would commit such a blasphemous act are either ruthless opportunists who will stop at nothing for power, or utterly incompetent rulers; they could never be true strongmen.

However, just as Sean closed his notebook and prepared to rest, something unusual happened to the carriage.

The sparse streetlights that had been shining through the car windows suddenly disappeared one by one, and soon the entire street was plunged into a thick darkness.

Although streetlights are not common in Roland City, the carriage has not yet left the inner city and is still traveling on the most bustling streets.

The streetlights seem to be going out a bit too quickly.

Sean frowned slightly and tapped the wooden partition in front of him.

"parking."

The driver sitting in front did not respond.

He acted as if he hadn't heard, not only failing to tighten the reins but also letting the horse's hooves become increasingly rapid, the wheels making a hurried sound as they rolled on the stone road.

Sean raised his eyebrows slightly, but his face showed no panic, only the composure and calmness befitting a nobleman.

His right hand rested on the wand at his waist, and with a surge of magic, the ruby ​​at the tip of the wand emitted a dazzling light.

As a cautious spellcaster, he liked to infuse magic into the gem at the tip of his staff whenever he had free time, and now it had indeed come in handy.

In a mere second, twelve high-level protective spells, like invisible armor, layered upon layered upon layer, were cast upon him.

Having made thorough preparations, he leaned back in his chair with composure, his elegant voice carrying a hint of authority.

Where do you want to take me?

His response remained silence.

Sean's eyes gradually turned cold, and with a slight thought, the small window in front of the car window suddenly opened.

Just as he was about to drag that arrogant fellow into the carriage, the driver's head suddenly turned 180 degrees, looking at him in a strange posture.

There were no pupils in the empty eye sockets, only two leaping, ghostly blue foxfires and slowly flowing, azure runes.

Is that all you've got?

Sean sneered, and the ring on his finger flashed slightly.

As the magical light flashed, a transparent thread, like a drawn blade, silently slashed past the coachman's ear.

Om-!
A neat crack was imprinted on the wooden beam, and a deep, bone-revealing scar was left on the driver's cheek.

“I think you’d better explain to me right now who sent you,” Sean said slowly, scrutinizing the face that was frozen in fear. “Next time, I won’t miss.”

He was worried about not being able to find the rats hiding in the shadows, but now the clues had unexpectedly come to him.

Yeah.

That saves him the trouble of investigating.

However, a bizarre scene unfolded once again.

The stunned driver still didn't say anything to explain; instead, the corners of his stiff mouth gradually turned up in a wide grin that reached his ears.

Sean's eyes narrowed slightly.

He keenly noticed that not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound on the driver's cheek; the torn flesh appeared deathly pale.

This guy—

It's not a living person at all!

A chill that pierced to the bone instantly swept through Sean's body, making him truly feel a chill run down his spine.

From the moment he boarded the carriage until now, he hadn't even realized that the person sitting there was a ghost!

Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately abandoned the idea of ​​capturing the prisoners alive and chanted a sacred incantation to invoke the power of holy light.

However, just as the milky white light condensed at the tip of the staff, the entire carriage was suddenly enveloped by a dark blue light!
The light, like vines, spread across the entire carriage at an incredible speed and climbed up his ankles to his wand.

To Sean's astonishment, the holy light that had just condensed crumbled like ice falling into lava!
The "mercury blade" he sealed in the ring also shattered like broken glass the moment it came together, scattering into countless silver droplets.

Along with it, the twelve high-level protective spells he had cast on his body were also mercilessly dispelled!

All his preparations proved utterly inadequate in the face of this extraordinary force!
"No! This isn't... necromancy! Who... are you?!"

Sean forced out the words through gritted teeth, gathering all his mental strength in an attempt to fight against the sweeping magic.

However, he soon discovered in despair that not only the magic flowing through his body, but also his body itself had lost control, and it was difficult to even move a finger!
The wand fell to the ground.

He felt like a fish pinned to a chopping board, his blood freezing as if it had solidified and merged with the seat behind him.

The driver in front maintained the same expression as before, the only difference being a mocking smile on his upturned lips.

Large beads of sweat poured down Sean's forehead.

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings, time seemed to lose its meaning, and the passage of each second was stretched out infinitely.

It felt like an eternity had passed.

Just when he was about to reach his breaking point, a sharp gunshot suddenly shattered the silence inside and outside the carriage.

"boom--!"

Before he could even react, intense pain pierced his chest, followed by scalding blood rushing to his throat.

At that very moment, the darkness surrounding the carriage collapsed, and blinding sunlight flooded in, stinging Sean's gradually dilating pupils.

The deafening noise surged into his ears like a tsunami.

He struggled to turn his eyes to look out the window, only to be utterly astonished to discover that his carriage was not traveling in a dark, secluded alley, but was stopped on a bustling street not far from the Royal Theatre!

That's not all—

His perception of time also became skewed; the eight o'clock morning sun was shining on the snow-covered streets and illuminating the astonished faces around him.

His carriage had been parked here all night!

Right in front of his carriage, a young man in an old military uniform was pointing a Roxay rifle directly at his carriage.

Saint Sis above—

This rat, hiding in the ditch and never daring to show itself, devised such a clumsy and inept death for him!
For a proud mage, there is no more humiliating way to die.

Faced with the guards rushing towards him, the young man showed no intention of resisting and threw down his weapon to surrender.

As the guards pinned him to the ground, he used all his strength to shout something at the terrified people around him.

Chaos erupted among the crowd.

Some screamed and ran away, some stood still, some rushed around the carriage, and some even whistled and cheered.

Sean's suit was stained with blood.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his shattered heart could no longer provide him with the strength to speak; only thick blood foam spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Looking at the pitiful man being pinned down in the snow by the guards, Sean's pupils gradually lost their color, and only one thought remained in his mind.

They even assassinated a nobleman from the Imperial Senate—

Whoever is behind this, they've all gone completely mad!
(End of this chapter)