Throne of the North.

Chapter 766 The King Regains Power, and the Empire's Triumphs

Everyone present held their breath in their throats. They never imagined that Ryan would dare to kill a nobleman in broad daylight.

All eyes were fixed on Ryan as if he were a madman.

Killing a nobleman would put Ryan on the opposite side of all noble groups, since even in war, nobles are able to save their lives and families.

Ryan's actions were utterly despicable.

Ryan's gaze remained fixed on Grand Duke Gelan, who remained silent throughout.

His goal is to strip Grand Duke Gelan of his influence in the Kingdom of Coran. Now it is up to the Grand Duke to choose whether to keep his own life or resolutely protect these nobles.

"Those who break their covenant should be put to trial."

Grand Duke Galan stared intently at Ryan, his hands clenched into fists under his sleeves, his entire aura becoming extremely unstable, as if he might explode at any moment.

He was furious because Ryan dared to threaten him, to threaten a grand duke; he was also terrified because he truly felt Ryan's murderous intent towards him, and that Ryan was truly capable of killing him.

"His Majesty!"

Grand Duke Galan looked at the King. All of Ryan's actions were undoubtedly a declaration of war against the Kingdom of Coran, a provocation that would never end.

However, the king followed Ryan's words and looked at Grand Duke Galan.

"Your Excellency, what exactly happened that led to the breach of the alliance?"

Grand Duke Gelan broke out in a cold sweat. He suddenly realized that all of this was a plan devised by the King and Ryan to force him into a corner.

They forced him to abandon the nobles who followed the Grand Duke of Guerin!
Why? If Grand Duke Gelan doesn't stand up for the nobles today, which noble will dare to firmly support him?

"Damn it, what exactly do you want?"

Grand Duke Galan roared, suppressing his anger, not only directed at Ryan, but also at the King.

Ryan laughed, then swung his sword and killed the nobles in front of him. Covered in blood, he looked at the remaining nobles, their eyes filled with terror, and Ryan's smile was wicked.

"It seems that the matter of breaking the alliance has nothing to do with the Grand Duke. It is all because these people are selfish and self-serving, causing heavy casualties on the front lines for their own benefit."

"Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, that's all the better. I believe we will have a more trusting cooperation in the war in the North."

"Unfortunately, those who betrayed the covenant suffered terrible divine punishment. Praise be to the light."

Ryan walked to the seats of the nobles and respectfully addressed the king:

“Your Majesty, I have dispatched troops to the southern lands of the Kingdom of Kolan to ensure that the evil faith of the Abyss will not corrupt your kingdom.”

“Ryan, you did a good job. I’m very satisfied. I think Gwendolyn is also very satisfied with you.”

"It is Ryan's honor to have gained the princess's approval."

Grand Duke Gaelan, standing to the side, widened his eyes and began to breathe rapidly. He realized that the king was going to marry the kingdom's princess to Ryan; the two sides had already reached an agreement.

A heavy rain fell on the blood-stained capital, washing away all the bloodstains. All the nobles died in their own mansions, their deaths not exposed to the outside world. The common people only knew that something terrible had happened, but they didn't know the specifics. The king's message was that it was divine punishment.

He broke the covenant signed by all the nobles and was punished by the gods. The king wept bitterly for this and mourned the nobles who had died.

At the same time, the news of Ryan's marriage to the princess was also announced.

The nobles dared not utter a sound, which suddenly turned the killing between Ryan and the nobles into an internal affair of the Kingdom of Coran. In addition, given the current situation on the Norris Continent, the Dawn Church could not intervene in the situation of the Kingdom of Coran. The nobles suddenly realized...

Ryan killed the nobleman, and it all ended so quietly.

The nobles gradually realized that no one could now seek justice for the deceased nobles.

"Our world is no longer the same; it is gradually decaying."

Some nobles sighed, gazing at the sky in despair, praying for divine intervention to save them. Ryan's killing of the nobles gave them a sense of the world shattering, filling them with deep despair and fear.

Because they didn't know if they too would be killed.

As a result of this series of ripple effects, many devout followers of the Dawn Church appeared in the Kingdom of Coran, and nobles began to increase their spending on their faith in the gods.

This scene surprised even Ryan.

“It’s alright. These nobles will change in the future. They will understand that only by gathering power can they survive, instead of praying for divine favor.”

"Your Majesty can now boldly change this land that belongs to King Coran. You will become the first and most authoritative monarch on the continent of Norris."

Beside him, the king was also in high spirits, looking much younger. During his discussion with Ryan, he had many ideas and plans.

……

Compared to the king, Grand Duke Gelan looked much older and didn't even stay in the royal city, returning to his duchy.

"Father."

Galic looked at the pale-faced Grand Duke lying on the bed with great concern. Power nurtures people, but the moment one loses power, it seems as if the messenger of death is waiting to guide Grand Duke Galin.

"Ryan!"

Grand Duke Gaelan roared, and it was only at this moment that he dared to curse without restraint.

"He has broken all the rules of the nobles, and one day he will be killed by them!"

The Grand Duke cursed with boundless malice.

“Galick, remember this: the Galen family can never entrust their lives to others.”

Galic lowered his head and waited until Grand Duke Gelan had calmed down a bit before speaking:
“Father, His Majesty the King has given me an order to go to the Gerald noble territory and lead the army of the Kingdom of Coran back to the kingdom.”

"He's scared too? Without the protection of the army, he's afraid of being killed by Ryan, hahaha."

Grand Duke Gelan laughed, gritting his teeth. "His Majesty has ordered me to lead the army south. I heard from the Coran Cathedral that a projection of the Abyss God has appeared in the southern lands, turning tens of thousands of humans into servants of the Abyss. His Majesty hopes that the Coran Kingdom's army will keep all dangers out of the kingdom and protect the lives of the nobles on the kingdom's lands."

"Life safety? How laughable. Can the nobles killed by those monsters compare to the carnage caused by Ryan alone?"

“I will tell all the nobles that it is all because of Ryan, that Baron of the North, that the lives of the nobles of the Kingdom of Coran are threatened!”

Grand Duke Gelan said angrily, but Galic felt that his father probably wouldn't do that; he had already lost the support of the nobles.

The kingdom's nobles have been writing letters to His Majesty the King lately, expressing their loyalty and admiration. If it weren't for Ryan's needs, the King would probably have already placed his position as commander of the kingdom's legion on that of a royal prince.

The king is gaining power that surpasses that of the Grand Duke of Gelan, and it seems that the Kingdom of Coran will soon be left to the Grand Duke of Gelan's rule.

"Alright, go ahead. Remember, control of the kingdom's army is not to be relinquished."

Grand Duke Gelan's voice gradually calmed down. After regaining his composure, he still let Galic leave. The Gelan family had not completely fallen, and he was still the kingdom's only Grand Duke.

"In addition, there is one more thing. Ryan has married the princess, and his prestige in the lands covered by the Northern Military Council will be unmatched. You must be extremely careful. Ryan's ambition is terrifying. I only hope that he will not take everything away from you."

"I understand, Father."

While Grand Duke Gaelan and his son were discussing things, Ryan had already arrived in the south of the Kingdom of Coran.

Due to its unique geographical environment, the Kingdom of Kolan had no strong fortified defenses in any direction, and its army could only use the castles of nobles as nodes to station troops at road passes.

Ryan is currently in a baron's castle, with Princess Gwendolia of the Kingdom of Coran beside him. As agreed by both parties, Ryan will marry the princess after the Festival of Divine Grace next year.

Ryan didn't mind that the marriage served as a medium for close cooperation between the two parties, especially since he was the one who would benefit. The Clayton family bloodline made it perfectly legitimate for him to do such a thing.

"If the Dawn Church were to free up its resources, would they intervene to suppress the Abyss Faith in this land?"

Ryan asked, guessing, then shook his head to give himself an answer.

"I'm afraid not. The Dawn Church is too busy taking care of itself to extend its reach that far."

Beside her, Gwendolyn held Ryan's arm and asked curiously:
Do you want to save the people of this land?

Ryan shook his head.

"I can't do it either. Only the Dawn Church or the Empire can do it, but neither of them can. The conflict between the Empire and the Church in the Kingdom of Nantes is unlikely to end anytime soon."

"Either this land has managed to save itself, the demon lords of the abyss still understand sustainable development, they dare not turn this million square kilometers of land into the soil of the abyss, so in the short term, at least for decades, the nominal rulers of this land will still be human nobles."

"Why wouldn't they dare? If they could use the Abyss Projection to turn all of humanity into Abyss Servants, they could gain a lot of faith, right?"

Clearly, as a princess of the Kingdom of Kolan, she was not some ignorant and incompetent figurehead.

"No, the continent of Norris is not without great beings. Although the Lord of Dawn is asleep, His divine instincts are enough to threaten those gods of the abyss."

"Moreover, two great beings have already awakened in the eternal kingdom of heaven."

"Another reason is that the Abyss is chaotic and disordered. Those Abyss minions have no intention of development, only the desire to destroy and annihilate. Even if the gods of the Abyss want to harvest the world, they need to harvest the world of order."

"I think that a group of one Abyss believer among ten thousand humans would be more favored by the Abyss Lords than ten thousand humans who are all Abyss monsters."

Gwendolyn thought for a moment, not quite understanding, then tilted her head and leaned against Ryan, saying:

"So you're going against a great god?"

"No wonder she's a royal woman," Ryan thought to herself.

“If they are not my enemies, who would be willing to face the great gods? If they are my enemies, I am afraid I would not lack courage.”

Ryan didn't continue this deep conversation with Gwendolyn; after patrolling the border, he planned to head back.

"If you need anything, you can talk to Bogeld, but her personality might not be a good match for you."

Ryan smiled as he bid farewell to Gwendolyn in the royal city, and then took his leave of King Coran.

After nearly two months away from the Frozen Territory, Ryan finally returned to Rhinoceros Horn Mountain.

"The war in the North has come to a complete end. The orcs could not have invaded human lands without seeing the disparity in strength. But from now on, the roles of humans and orcs will be reversed. Our adventurers will continuously appear in the North to slow down the orcs' recovery."

"Perhaps it will be thirty years, perhaps fifty years, before the land of the empire is threatened by the orcs again. All of this is due to His Majesty the Emperor's wisdom, which has guided human civilization forward. You are the only beacon in the world of Norris."

"And the land, free from the threat of orcs, will continuously bring you the wealth beneath the northern snows. Your Majesty, you can now proclaim to the world that this glory belongs to you."

Ryan wrote a letter to Emperor Flor to report the good news, and His Majesty Columbus IV was also very quick, almost on the same day, he announced in the name of the emperor that humanity had once again achieved a complete victory in the war against the orcs.

"Under the leadership of the Flor Empire, the northern borders of humanity have once again driven the orcs away, and they can no longer harass human lands!"

"Today, even in the farthest places, the orcs have been driven out. Today is victory day for mankind!"

As for the orc wars faced by the empire's several provinces, they ended some time ago, and His Majesty the Emperor issued the order in the name of blasphemy.

After all, the great nobles of the empire enjoyed the benefits of the battlefield of the divine kingdom, but they had to pay the price. The orcs of several provinces, with the participation of numerous extraordinary legions, did not last long.

The nobles of Norris once again witnessed the power of the empire, which also greatly increased the pressure on the Dawn Church in the Kingdom of Nantes.

On Rhinoceros Horn Mountain, Ryan could hear good news from the capital city almost every few days: the Empire's 'Avengers' had killed so-and-so from the Dawn Church.

Such official documents from the capital city were never sent to the Northwind Province before. It can only be said that after the new emperor's coronation, the Northwind Province was fully recognized as a member of the empire, which greatly excited the nobles of this land and strengthened their loyalty to Emperor Columbus IV.

Ryan didn't completely believe the good news from the capital. He had participated in the empire's wars and knew what it was like when intelligence from the front lines reached the capital, and what it was like when it spread from the capital to the noble territories in all directions.

However, the general direction cannot be changed. The constant stream of good news also shows that the empire has not fallen behind in the struggle in the south.

"Does the Dawn Church really have no ability to resist?"

Ryan was puzzled. According to the battle report, the extraordinary team led by Marquis Freud had already killed two red-clad figures.

(End of this chapter)