Divine Kingship

Chapter 561 The Arrival of War Always Comes Suddenly

Summer of the 338th year of the Holy Calendar.

Just as Berlan was making many preparations to deal with Lysa, who could appear at any time.

A sudden assassination attempt triggered a war between the Kingdom of Bolun and the Kingdom of Frostmoon.

The assassination attempt was not carried out on Rand. With Berlan version of Ellie by his side, Rand's safety was extremely high.

The assassinated was the current king of the Frostmoon Kingdom, Marcus Thorn.

Rand received a letter from Marcus immediately. Marcus said he could "die" for a while. Of course, the official statement would not be a confirmed death, since he would be resurrected later.

The current situation is that the King of Frostmoon Kingdom has been assassinated, and his fate is unknown.

This put Rand at ease.

It's good that Marcus is alright.

But another bad thing happened.

If Marcus is faking his death, then the person in charge of the Frostmoon Kingdom will be Rand Nicholas, the Hand of the King.

To be honest, Marcus's assassination gave the Frostmoon Kingdom a perfect pretext for war. The assassins were quickly captured and, after interrogation, were found to be former subordinates of the Azure King, some vampires with considerable fighting ability.

It can only be said that Marcus was quite skilled in combat, and he was not unprepared, otherwise it would have been quite dangerous.

Further interrogation revealed that this was a conspiracy by the Kingdom of Bolun.

To be honest, the judgment was not wrong.

King Marcus is indeed one of the most valuable figures to assassinate in the Frostmoon Kingdom.

The current prosperity of the Frostmoon Kingdom is largely due to the governance of King Marcus, in addition to the reasons given by Rand.

Marcus was a wise king.

His decrees are often concise and efficient, and he does not change them frequently.

He himself enjoys a very high reputation in the country.

King Marcus's efforts in managing domestic affairs were also crucial in enabling Rand to focus so intently on fighting the Kingdom of Bolen.

To be honest, the Kingdom of Bolen was very puzzled as to why King Marcus would support Rand so firmly, and why Rand could trust Marcus so much.

Wouldn't King Marcus worry that as Rand grows stronger, it will become too powerful to control and might even undermine his authority?
Wouldn't Rand be worried about being betrayed by Marcus?
Hard to understand.

But it doesn't matter.

Regardless of the underlying reasons, if the assassination succeeds, King Marcus and the Frostmoon Kingdom will be thrown into chaos in a short period of time.

After all, it is quite obvious that although Rand has a high status, the gap between him and the King is still very large.

Once the king dies, Rand must consider how the next king will treat him and how to deal with the chaos before the new king ascends the throne.
That would be the opportunity for the Kingdom of Bolun.

Rand's assessment of this was that there seemed to be no logical problem with it.

That's the theory.

The assassination of kings between nations is a grave offense, but given the relationship between the Kingdom of Bolun and the Kingdom of Frostmoon... it's safe to say that the Kingdom of Bolun probably can't afford to worry about much else.

The Kingdom of Bolen actually only wanted to deal with Rand, but they also now clearly understand that if they wanted to deal with Rand, they couldn't just deal with Rand alone.

It can only be said that they underestimated King Marcus's personal military strength and vigilance.

And Rand's status in the Frostmoon Kingdom.

The nobles of Frostmoon Kingdom are quite unruly, and the kingdom itself is not a monolithic entity, but if Rand is truly willing to take the lead...

Therefore, it can only be said that Rand's title as Hand of the King is well-deserved.

"Ugh, I'm so busy!" There was a mountain of documents on Rand's desk, and every now and then someone would come in to give a report.

Marcus faking his death is exactly this situation.

However, after being attacked, Marcus decides to play dead to give himself a break, leaving Rand very busy.

In Marcus's own words from the letter, "Let the evil and lazy Rand taste the hardships that Marcus himself has endured."

Berlan sat next to Rand, handling everything with ease, whether it was receiving visitors, processing documents, or offering advice to Rand on his issues.

Rand had no direct experience in governing a country.

But Berlan himself was a king, and she was very familiar with how to govern a country.

She has always been the one who governs the country, and she is not as lazy as Marcus or Rand.

Berlan was completely inexperienced in dealing with Rand's family affairs and felt like he was walking on thin ice, let alone handling the politics, economy, culture, and military of the entire country.

That Berlan truly handled it with ease and effort.

“Complaining won’t make things any less.” Berlan handed the document containing his advice to Rand.

In fact, according to obligations and regulations, Rand should not allow the King of the White Kingdom to have a say in the domestic affairs of the Frostmoon Kingdom.

In severe cases, it could even be considered an act of treason.

However, Rand felt he had no idea that his wife had somehow been involved in some fictitious body-swapping incident.

This kind of thing seems impossible.

How could a body swap possibly happen?
And even if such a thing were to happen, Berlan wouldn't be an outsider, right?

In any case, Rand did not refuse Berlan's assistance.

In the resort's office, the wisps of incense smoke swirled between a long-haired, brown-gold girl and a young, black-haired man quietly reviewing documents. A large number of files lay on the not-too-expensive but well-made sandalwood desk.

Rand took the document containing Berland's suggestions, considered them, and then made annotations.

And in the distance, a journey of four or five days and nights, lies the Frostmoon Royal City.

The ministers of the Frostmoon Kingdom, who had already returned to the capital, have set off again, embarking once more on their journey to the resort.

Their personal guard's warhorses neighed, and the knights' eyes burned with intensity, seemingly oblivious to the sweltering heat.

And those nobles who returned to their territories, both high and low.

They have already recruited troops from various places and formed legions.

Under the scorching summer sky, armies assemble and march along the King's Road, the Specialty Road, and other side roads, casting long shadows that meander like snakes across the unstable land of the Frostmoon Kingdom.

Rand lit the candle. Although the ruins lights could also be used, candles created a better atmosphere in this situation.

“Oleana will be here to help soon, just bear with it,” Berlan said helplessly.

This level of workload is normal for her, but it seems that Rand is not very comfortable with it.

It seems that Rand is not omnipotent; at least Rand seems to dislike dealing with official documents in one place all the time.

However, this is not a problem; different leaders have different ways of doing things.

For someone like Rand, all he needs to do is delegate things to his subordinates.

And Rand also has enough trustworthy and capable subordinates, such as the high-ranking officials of the Sanctuary.

Once it was completely dark outside, Rand turned on the ruins lights for supplemental illumination. The candlelight alone wouldn't be bright enough and could strain the eyes, even though Rand didn't care about vision deterioration. Ellie, however, might need to protect her eyes. Olena entered the office, bringing some washed fruit.

After entering the office, he glanced at Ellie, who looked perfectly normal, and Rand, who looked dejected, and gave a helpless smile.

That's just how Rand was.

Rand isn't really incapable of handling this amount of work; it's just that Rand hates going to work, and if he were to keep going to work, he would end up in this strange state.

In Rand's own words, it would become very "class-like".

Olena fed Rand a piece of fruit, then glanced at "Ellie," and Berlan indicated that he didn't need to be fed and took a piece to taste himself.

Rand enjoyed Olena's feeding with a clear conscience, and his listless state improved considerably.

Then Olena sat on the other side of Rand and began to assist him with his official duties.

Olena has served as Rand's secretary for many years and is very familiar with these political affairs. Now she is just under more pressure, but she still has "Ellie" to share the burden.

Olena is very intelligent and thoughtful.

In terms of ability alone, the high-ranking members of the Sanctuary around Rand, plus Rand himself, could easily form a real government.

However, this world doesn't only value ability.

Ellie's ability to handle government affairs has improved considerably, which suggests she gained experience during her time in the White Kingdom.

After handling official business until late at night.

The three of them went to wash up together and then rested.

Olena wouldn't mind sleeping with Rand and Ellie if she didn't do anything weird.

Rand, Ellie, and Olenna are, in a sense, family.

This significance is different from that between Rand and other high-ranking members of the Sanctuary.

I woke up the next day and then went back to work.

Rand will be busy until the ministers arrive at the resort. At that time, with the assistance of the ministers and government staff such as clerks and secretaries, Rand's workload will be reduced considerably.

Of course, the overall workload will definitely increase gradually.

After all, the war has not yet truly begun; it has only been declared so far.

When the war actually breaks out, military issues will also need to be handled by RAND, and at that time... in short, it's estimated that there won't be much free time.

"You're so mean, Marcus..." Rand muttered to himself.

It can only be said that he was really unlucky, which gave Marcus the opportunity to play dead.

Furthermore, the assassination attempt on Marcus could indeed serve as a pretext for war, although the Frostmoon Kingdom and the Bolen Kingdom don't actually need any reason to go to war right now.

The two sides have never reconciled; their relationship has always been one of truce, not peace.

……

The atmosphere at the resort had become quite serious due to the impending war.

Overall, everyone seemed quite relaxed.

The territory of Rand has suffered many battles of attack and defense.

However, since Rand received the title of Earl, the heart of the resort has never truly been ravaged by war again.

The resort has always maintained peace.

This is also one aspect of RAND's ongoing efforts to develop a cultural promotion strategy.

In Rand's propaganda, the resort was always portrayed as a peaceful place untouched by war, boasting delicious food, beautiful scenery, a wide variety of goods, and complete infrastructure.

RAND no longer promotes this point directly, as such direct promotion is not very effective.

Rand's current strategy is to use the new-era "drama"—which is actually an immature version of a film—made with photographic crystal to indirectly influence people's perceptions and make them realize that the resort is a place worth longing for.

Many of the "dramatic" photos taken in the new era are just like this.

There are many scenes and plots that explicitly or implicitly mention the existence of such an idyllic paradise.

Over time, it will naturally have some impact.

Moreover, the new-era "dramas" captured by these photographic crystals produced by the resort are themselves very popular and profitable.

By doing this, RAND will not only avoid losing publicity funds but will also earn publicity funds, and may even be able to support other industries.

This has always been RAND's philosophy on economic and cultural development.

Perhaps it could also be called RAND political economy?
At least Ms. Berlan was deeply influenced by Rand's theories, which caused some changes in the White Country as a result.

And the Adventurers' Guild at the resort.

A group of adventurers, still young but no longer naive, were gathered together preparing and discussing.

They are the Sunburst Adventurers – an adventurer squad that made outstanding contributions during the Vladimir High Priest Festival and the Orcish invasion war.

Thanks to Rand's treatment and care, their wounded soldiers have regained their fighting ability.

Although the teammate who died in battle can never be resurrected.

They have now spent some time training at the resort, reviewing their previous adventures.

Their fighting strength has become even greater.

As adventurers, they won't stay in one place forever; they'll embark on new adventures.

For many adventurers, adventure is just a job, a means of making a living. They don't actually want to take risks; they just have no other choice, or rather, they have no other choice because it's worse.

However, the Sunrise Adventurer Team still had a goal in mind.

Lord Rand was responsible for thwarting Grand Duke Vladimir's plot, but because they also made significant contributions, they received a share of the bounty.

After receiving the message from Torch Goddess, Rand issued a new bounty.

Although the evil vampire demigods are temporarily unable to influence our world.

But other darkness exists in this world, and this darkness is about to arrive.

Rand issues quests, asking adventurers to investigate things that could cause serious problems, including but not limited to plagues, extreme weather, and cults.

Of course, Rand also prepared a generous bounty.

As for Rand himself, he needed to focus on the upcoming war.

During the previous civil war in the Frostmoon Kingdom, Rand was merely an infantry commander under the Blackbrown Marquis.

During the last civil war in the Frostmoon Kingdom, Rand, as Earl, directly commanded his own and his allies' armies, deciding the course of the war and shaping the current political landscape of the Frostmoon Kingdom.

And now.

As the Hand of the King of Frostmoon Kingdom and now the Commander-in-Chief of the Frostmoon Kingdom's army, Rand will lead all the forces that Frostmoon Kingdom has mobilized to wage war against the evil, cruel, and unethical Kingdom of Bolen.

(End of this chapter)