Imperial Crown.

Chapter 3 Raven, you are so despicable!
Inside the secret room, the air was so heavy that it almost froze.

Lux glanced at the hand on her chest, then moved her gaze to Raven's face. Her pretty face was as cold as ice: "What are you doing?"

At this moment, the instincts he developed from hanging out on the streets made Raven surprisingly calm. He looked into Lux's eyes and said righteously:
“CPR!”

His eyes were so sincere and his voice so steady, he was simply a knight saving lives.

Lux almost believed what Raven said - if his hands would stop moving right there.

A wise man once said that no matter what you do, as long as you do it for 10,000 hours, you will become an expert in that field.

If this statement is true, then there is no doubt that Raven is an expert in dealing with women.

One of the hallmarks of an expert is being able to turn a very complex skill into physical instinct.

For example, now, Lei Wenming obviously had no thoughts, but his hands had already begun to move skillfully.

So when he saw Lux's eyes fall on his hands again, the expression on his face was particularly awkward.

"That... this is also part of CPR. If I stop now, you will pass out immediately!"

"You dare to blaspheme the priest of the God of Light. Your crime is unforgivable!" Lux raised her hands and chanted a prayer: "Great Lord of Light, please allow me to invoke your grace to punish the enemy in front of me—"

A bright light like the morning sun burst out from her hand. It was the divine magician's second-level magic [Punishment]!
Just when the last few syllables were about to be chanted, Lux's voice stopped abruptly and her arms bent down like noodles.

She... fainted again.

"What the hell is this?"

Raven looked at his hand, which he had already pulled out, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Did I really just perform CPR?"

That's certainly impossible.

Judging from Lux's extremely pale face, she must have fainted due to excessive blood loss.

Lux is a second-level divine magician with physical fitness far exceeding that of ordinary people, so she will not die in a short time.

It would be fine if she fainted, but if she saw Donald's dead body, it would be a big trouble.

Without a moment's pause, Raven immediately began to rearrange the scene.

They dressed Donald in a formal suit, including gloves, a wig and socks, moved a chair to the corner, moved the body onto it, then took out a rapier and crushed him between the chest and abdomen.

The light was dim, and no one would notice anything unusual about Donald unless they looked closely.

Then he helped Lux ​​up and put her on another chair, smoothing out the wrinkles on her clothes.

After everything was done, Raven went over the plan in his mind again and used the only key to open the door of the secret room.

Half an hour later, Raven returned with two men.

Raven walked in front, and the man behind him was sturdy and wore heavy plate armor. He carried a studded round shield on his back and a broad half-sword on his waist. His thick brown beard protruded from the gap between his helmet and breastplate.

The most eye-catching thing is his eyes. His left eye is as big as a copper bell, or even a "tiger eye", showing the spirit of a warrior. But his right eye is not so satisfactory, as if the Creator suddenly lost his patience when kneading the clay and casually carved it with a carving knife, leaving only a hole not much bigger than a peanut.

Other people’s problem is that their eyes are uneven, but he has “big, small, small, small, small eyes”.

This man was the chief guard of Eagle Castle, Eric Davison, a first-level heavy-armored warrior. It was he who led people to Mon'en City to bring Raven back.

The person walking at the end looked to be in his sixties, with pale silver hair and wrinkles all over his face. His eyes showed the wisdom gained from the passage of time, and he wore a gold-framed monocle on his right eye. He looked quite similar to Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings". He was none other than Old Gordon, the steward of Eagle Castle.

"Raven, what happened to the Baron?" Eric asked, "Now that we are here, can you tell me now?!"

Raven ignored him, took out the key and silently opened the door: "Come in, both of you."

"Hmph." Eric snorted coldly, strode in, and bumped into Raven intentionally or unintentionally.

In comparison, old Gordon was much more polite. He nodded slightly to Raven and then walked in.

"What's going on!!!?" Eric's voice was almost a roar. He drew his sword and pointed it at Raven: "Lord of Light, Raven, what did you do to the Baron!?"

boom.

The door of the secret room slowly closed, and Raven walked in leisurely: "It's not what I did to him, but what you did to him."

Eric was stunned: "W-what do you mean!?"

Raven walked around Eric and stood next to Lux. "Eric, the chief guard of Eagle Castle, was dissatisfied because he was not knighted after serving in Eagle Castle for fifteen years due to his strange appearance."

"So you took advantage of Uncle Donald's trust, attacked him suddenly, and killed him!"

"You want to frame me!?" Eric pointed the sword in his hand at Raven's throat.

This secret room is not big. Although the heavy-armored warrior is not known for his speed, he is confident that he can subdue Raven within five seconds!
But faster than his sword was Raven's sword.

Raven pointed his crossbow at Lux's temple and placed his rapier across his throat. "Your crime was discovered by me and Priest Lux, so you got so angry that you decided to kill both of us!"

Eric felt the sword in his hand was heavier than ever before. He looked at Raven's extremely steady hands. Cold sweat ran down his forehead, even wetting his beard.

The Baron was stabbed to death because of his dereliction of duty as the chief guard. If the priest and the Baron's first heir also died here, then he would be the biggest suspect.

The wrath of the Church and the Empire will be poured out on him, a small first-level warrior, and will inevitably implicate his family!

"Scum!" Eric said tremblingly, "I have no reason to assassinate the Baron!"

Raven said calmly, "No, you did. You made a deal with Uncle Donald's second wife, Denise, to assassinate Donald and let his stepson Weston inherit the title in exchange for you being knighted."

These words made Eric feel cold in his heart, because what Raven said was too reasonable and too consistent with the conspiracy theories that people were always willing to believe. Once this rumor spread, he couldn't even think of a way to clear himself!
Eric brandished his half-sword: "...I have never done it, and I will never do it! I will go to the House of Nobles now and expose your conspiracy to frame me!"

The next moment, a flash of scarlet appeared in front of him, causing him to suddenly freeze in his tracks.

Raven actually pushed the blade of the rapier and cut the skin on his neck!
The blood instantly sobered Eric up and he dared not move again, because at this moment he was sure that Raven really had the courage to commit suicide: "Mad man! You are really a mad man!"

"What exactly do you want!?"

Raven smiled: "Finally, we have come to this point."

His eyes left Eric and fell on old Gordon who had been silent the whole time: "Mr. Gordon, can I trouble you for something?"

Gordon bowed and said, "As you command, sir."

"Then please draft a document in Mr. Eric's tone immediately." Raven said, "The content is that Mr. Eric admitted that he accepted Denise Griffith's conditions out of greed for the title of knight and personally assassinated Baron Donald Ota Griffith."

"I didn't--" "As for you, Mr. Eric." Raven said, "If I'm not mistaken, you should be a native Nord, right?"

Eric asked irritably, "What do you want to do again?"

Raven looked him in the eye. "Swear to your ancestors, pledge allegiance to me, and sign the document."

"As long as you remain loyal to me, the contents of the document will never be exposed."

Eric licked his dry lips: "But I have another choice."

"That's right. Kill me here and then escape immediately." Raven said calmly, "You are a Nord warrior who has received formal military training from the Empire. I believe you have the ability to cross Eagle Mountain and escape into the Bloody Highlands."

"But can your eleven-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter really withstand such a long and bumpy journey and really adapt to the cruel environment of the Bloody Highlands?"

The corners of Eric's mouth twitched, and the veins on his forehead bulged and kept beating:

"Despicable! Shameless! Scum! Madman! Devil!"

Gordon walked around Eric and came to Raven, presenting a document with both hands: "Sir, please take a look."

Raven read it once and nodded: "Then please have Mr. Eric sign it."

Looking at the words on the document, Eric's mouth twitched constantly. He didn't want to give in, but he couldn't let go of his children. He could only take off his gloves, pick up the quill pen, and sign his name on it.

When the pen left the document, Eric's soul seemed to be sucked away as well.

With a bang, he knelt on one knee, the blade of the sword brushed across his palm, and his face was covered with blood: "As witnesses of the Nord ancestors, I, Eric Davison, swear allegiance to Raven Griffith and will always be loyal to him!"

"Very good." Raven put away his rapier and crossbow and put his hand on his chest. "I, Raven Griffith, accept your loyalty. From now on, as long as your loyalty remains unchanged, I will also ensure that you get the glory, fame and wealth you deserve!"

Eric stood up without saying a word.

Raven didn't care about his attitude. He walked to Donald's body and said, "Since you have pledged your allegiance to me, there are some things you should know."

As he said this, he gave a light push, and Donald's body fell to the ground with a thud.

"You--" Eric was about to get angry, but stopped immediately.

Because he had seen Donald's almost translucent skin, skin that should never appear on a human!
Raven walked up to him and patted his shoulder: "It was indeed me who killed Donald. Now you see the reason."

Eric's eyes were full of confusion. He looked at Raven: "Why...?"

Since Donald is related to the evil god, there is less psychological pressure for him to switch allegiance to Raven.

He was originally a retainer of the Griffith family, and it was his duty to be loyal to the heir!

But he couldn't figure it out. If that was the case, Raven's reason for killing Donald was absolutely justified. Why did he go to this extent? Why did he have to risk his life to deceive him?
Raven said, "I know you have a lot of questions, but now is not the time to explain. I need you to find a stretcher and carry our beloved Priest Lux to the guest room."

Eric felt that his brain was not enough, but there was one good thing about Nordman - if he couldn't figure something out, he wouldn't think about it and just follow orders honestly.

At least now, his family will not be threatened.

Together with Raven, they carried Lux ​​to a guest room. The former left on his own, but Eric couldn't suppress his curiosity.

He grabbed Gordon's shoulder and asked, "Old Gordon, what's going on? Why did Raven do this?!"

"It's Lord Raven." Gordon calmly corrected his wording: "Now that Lord Donald has passed away, Lord Raven is the first in line to the throne. You should address him as a baron."

"Okay, Raven, Lord Raven." Eric said uncomfortably, "Can you tell me now?"

Gordon asked, "First, a question. If you were an unrelated person and saw Lord Donald's body, how would you react?"

"In this case..." Eric thought for a moment: "I will report this matter to the Vatican, but..."

"That's enough." Gordon pushed the frame of his glasses. "You also know the attitude of the Church towards secret cults and evil gods. If they are reported, the Griffith family's title will most likely be revoked."

"Lord Raven is cautious enough. He doesn't know how you will react, so he must force you to swear allegiance first to ensure that you will not reveal this secret."

Eric suddenly realized: "So that's how it is... But why did he tell me the truth at the end?"

"Because Lord Raven is smart and wise enough." Gordon said, "When you swore, you were simply threatened. Keeping a resentful person by your side is tantamount to a time bomb."

"So, he needs you to know the truth in order to eliminate the resentment in your heart."

Eric tried hard to digest all this, scratching his head and saying, "Lord Raven is really... cunning!"

"It's wisdom." Gordon smiled. "After several generations of decline, I have a feeling that the Griffith family will move towards a new glory under the leadership of this adult!"

At this moment, Raven's voice rang out: "Mr. Gordon, please come over here. I need your help with something."

He heard the conversation between the two and also gained a deeper understanding of them.

Gordon is worthy of being the butler who has served the Griffith family for nearly forty years. He is shrewd and wise, speaks without any mistakes, and knows what to say and what not to say.

The reasons he gave led Eric's thoughts to the Holy See, but made the latter overlook the most crucial point: with Donald's death, Eric was the only extraordinary person left in Eagle Castle.

Although Raven is the first heir, he is not the only heir. Donald's stepson Weston also has the right of inheritance.

Whichever side Eric stands on will be more likely to gain an advantage in the subsequent fight for the title.

That's why Raven was willing to risk his life to keep Eric in his hands.

Of course, Raven had another choice, which was to quietly dispose of Donald's body, then give up the inheritance of the title and return to Mon'en City to make a living.

But why?

In this world, the gap between nobles and commoners is so big that it's like they are two different species!
The former can enjoy wealth, glory, power and women, and possess and enjoy all the benefits in this world.

The latter is the "bonus" itself.

Raven didn't want to go to Mon'en City to live like a rat in the gutter, so he was determined to get the title of baron!

"Lord Raven." Old Gordon saluted respectfully: "Your loyal servant, waiting for your orders."

"Come with me." Raven said, "I need to know what kind of person Denise Griffith is."

After all, this will be the biggest obstacle he will face in inheriting the title of baron.

……

(End of this chapter)