Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 212 Brawl Before the Emperor
Frederick IV, who had just finished a busy morning, was about to rest in his lounge and wait for his servants to bring him his lunch when he saw Bogart walking towards him with a strange expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Mr. Pogart?"

"Relax~ My father once said that at any time, when facing any problem or situation, you should maintain your composure and deal with it rationally. This is the best way to handle it."

"Moreover, it's lunchtime now, and being too anxious can lead to indigestion and bloating."

"Ah, of course, that wasn't said by my father."

Strangely enough, as he grew older, the man who once harbored deep resentment towards his father seemed to be beginning to understand him. In his daily words and actions, he increasingly recalled the words and deeds of his father, His Majesty Keane.

Of course, Pogart was not in the mood to joke with his emperor at this moment. After all, a small but very troublesome matter had arisen, one that he could not resolve himself. He decided to let His Majesty make the decision.

"Your Majesty, there is something that requires your attention now."

Seeing Bogart's constipated expression, Frederick IV couldn't help but feel puzzled. After all, his chief minister had worked hard for the empire for so many years and could remain calm even in the face of great events. His current appearance really piqued Frederick IV's curiosity.

"What's up, Mr. Pogart? By the way, would you like to have lunch together? We have baked earthworm and pan-fried king whale today."

Looking at his emperor's relaxed appearance, Pogart couldn't help but wonder what the emperor would think if he knew this news.

"Your Majesty, it seems you don't have time for your lunch. There is a very thorny matter waiting for you to deal with."

Under Frederick IV's gaze, he felt as if his chief minister had taken a deep breath.

"Your Majesty, Haven and Viscount Downing had a fight at MI8."

Time seemed to stand still, and after a minute or two, Frederick IV finally uttered a surprised voice.

"What? What did you say??"

Frederick IV's own autobiography contains a description of this event, which reads as follows.

"I admit that my original intention in sending that brat Havent to investigate the beastman riot was to use this opportunity to get him into MI8. To me, MI8's performance has been too poor, and I need a reason or excuse to shut it down."

As an intelligence organization that has accompanied the empire for hundreds or thousands of years, having its own ideas and judgments is something no ruler can accept.

At that moment, Haven happened to appear in my sight. As the heir of the White Lion of the North, he possessed a power that no one could ignore. Although he was still very young, he was already able to contribute in some ways.

Such a fun, bold, imaginative, and intelligent little guy, with the right guidance, will surely bring me great surprises.

In the end, this move was absolutely right; it's just that no one expected this little guy, Haven.

Frederick IV, seated on his throne, frowned as he looked down at the group of people standing below. Downing, his face bruised and swollen, was glaring angrily at Haven, who also had two cotton swabs stuck in his nostrils. Haven, too, was glaring back without backing down. As for his chief minister, Pogart, and Gene, the head of MI8's intelligence department who had escorted the two of them, they watched the two of them with amusement.

"Tell me, why did the fight break out?"

"You two are nobles, yet you've done something so disgraceful to your noble status. You can't even explain why, so I'll have to have the Royal Ceremonial Department give you two a retraining on what true nobility is."

After speaking, he looked sharply at the two of them, releasing the aura of someone who had been in a position of power for many years.

Under Frederick IV's gaze, the two who had been at odds fell silent, but neither of them uttered a word.

"Tang Ning, tell me, what happened?"

Upon hearing Frederick IV's words, Downing first performed a leisurely noble greeting before slowly speaking:
“Your Majesty, this Viscount Havent from the North is far too rude. He has no regard for the daily conduct of us nobles and resorts to violence at the slightest disagreement. He is nothing short of a barbarian.”

Chief of Staff Tang Ning set the tone for the matter right away, which greatly surprised him. He had been speaking clearly, but this brat suddenly jumped up and started fighting with him. Even though he was a high-level swift swordsman, he was caught off guard and was hit hard several times.

The key point was that when he tried to fight back, this brat calmly withstood his counterattack and even became more and more excited, wrestling with him. This thwarted Chief of Staff Tang Ning's plan to quickly stop him. As the two fought more and more fiercely, they went from the room into the corridor, attracting a large crowd of onlookers from the sixth floor of MI8.

What infuriated Tang Ning even more was that no one stepped in to help him. They just watched as he, a high-ranking officer, and a mere youth were fighting in public until Gene arrived with the stationed guards and separated the two.

“Your Majesty, look at this. After I refused some of his requests, this Haven actually attacked me. This is extremely rude.”

As he spoke, Chief of Staff Tang Ning took a small step forward and pointed to the scars on his face. His eye sockets, which had been hit hard by Havent's two punches, were now covered in black eyes, making him look extremely comical.

Faced with the accusation from the Grand Commander, Haven could not tolerate it. If he let the old man continue, black would turn white. If the old man's words were too serious, Frederick IV might report it to his parents, which would not be good.

"No, Your Majesty."

Because of the two tampons inserted in his nose, Haven's voice became muffled.

"This old guy is taking advantage of his seniority to bully hardworking young people in the workplace. He also has the audacity to say that MI8 is his own business and he can do whatever he wants with it. Even His Majesty's presence can't change anything."

Hearing Haven embellish the story even more vividly than he had, Tang Ning panicked slightly. After all, some of the things the boy said were things he himself had said. As someone in intelligence, he was well aware of the impact that different ways of saying the same thing could have. He quickly tried to explain:
"Your Majesty, don't listen to this little rascal's nonsense. I have never said such things. I am loyal to Your Majesty, and Heaven and Earth can bear witness."

"You're talking nonsense! You're spouting rubbish!"

Chief Tang Ning, who was being relentlessly challenged by Havent, was momentarily enraged. This brat had gone too far and had no idea how nobles interacted. "Never be too eager to outdo your opponent," was a well-known saying in noble circles.

"Havent, you brat, didn't your parents teach you not to interrupt others when they are speaking? It's very impolite."

Seeing that Chief of Staff Downing was being sarcastic and that he himself lacked manners, Haven rolled up his sleeves, ready to continue the fight and have a full-blown brawl in front of Frederick IV.

"You're the one with no manners, your whole family has no manners, you're a bloodsucker living on the body of the capital, a good-for-nothing, an old scoundrel who takes it for granted that you can slack off."

Frederick IV sat in the main seat, watching the two below constantly arguing and about to fight. He shook his head helplessly. What kind of situation was this? If the residents of the capital knew that their noble lords acted like women arguing and pulling each other's hair in the street, it would be a huge blow to the empire's credibility.

"Alright, alright, you two, be serious. What kind of people are you?"

"Tang Ning, please rest for a while."

“Havent, since you’re so eager to speak, then you speak. Tell me, why did you and Viscount Downing get into a fight at MI8?” Hearing Frederick IV call his name, Haven first gave Downing a haughty snort before speaking:
"Because this old fellow disrespects Your Majesty, I now suspect that he has committed treason. Your Majesty should arrest him immediately, interrogate him thoroughly, and then cut off his head."

Anyone can throw around a big accusation, but if you're going to do it, do it the biggest one possible.

Listening to Havent's exaggerated tone, Frederick IV pinched the bridge of his nose in concern, even wondering if he had made the decision too hastily.

"Havent, let's talk this out calmly and normally, without letting personal feelings get in the way."

"Ang~~"

After being reprimanded by Frederick IV, Hevent scratched his chin awkwardly, realizing that he had indeed set his tone too high.

“Normally, Your Majesty, you asked me to investigate the beastman riot that happened a few days ago, and I did my job very dutifully.”

"Then, to live up to His Majesty's trust, a discovery was made at an abandoned farm in the garbage mountain of the lower city of East Eight District, and I called for support from MI8."

"After the MI8 personnel arrived, they began a thorough search of the cult's ritual hall that I had discovered."

"Tsk tsk tsk~ Your Majesty, you have no idea how big that ceremonial hall is, let me just say that."

He then circled the lounge where Frederick IV had received them and continued speaking:
"It's probably four times the size of your lounge~~"

"Wow, this is huge! Just think, this ceremonial hall is underground. This must have taken at least two or three months to complete."

The fact that this ceremonial hall was not only built but also put into use is a bit outrageous.

As Havent described it, Pogard and Gene, who had been watching the show with smiles, stopped laughing and began to glance at Frederick IV, who was sitting on the throne.

That's just how some things are; they're only 400 grams on the scale, but once they're on the scale, nothing can stop them.

Now that Haven has brought this matter into the open, all the related, hidden things have come to light.

Haven seemed oblivious to the changes in the others' expressions, continuing to speak as if nothing had happened.

"Furthermore, putting aside other matters, I have reviewed the reports submitted by the East Eighth District Lower City Public Security Management Office and the Construction Department, and there are no reports on the transportation of large quantities of materials or the collective employment of personnel."

"Of course, these heretics have no way of applying for these things; that would be too disrespectful to the Empire."

The lower-ranking officials might turn a blind eye after accepting some bribes. But I didn't see any mention of such things in MI8 reports.

"Tsk tsk tsk~"

"If our intelligence organization weren't blind and paralyzed, embezzling the funds given by the Empire and doing nothing."

Or perhaps someone in MI8 betrayed the Empire, knew about the situation, but chose not to report it.

"So, Chief of Staff Tang Ning, which possibility do you think is more likely?"

Under Haven's scrutinizing gaze, a fine layer of sweat appeared on Viscount Downing's forehead, his disheveled hair from his fight with Haven sticking to his forehead in bits and pieces.

Some things simply cannot withstand detailed discussion, much less repeated scrutiny and careful consideration. Otherwise, once the true nature of the matter is revealed, it will make everyone unhappy and miserable.

Tang Ning felt as if a scalding hot knife was piercing his body; the burning and stinging sensation left the Viscount's mind blank.

Tang Ning was not unaware of the consequences of such behavior, but years of exchanges of interests among nobles and the tacit understanding with His Majesty the Emperor made Tang Ning subconsciously avoid thinking about it.

"This……"

"That……"

"Your Majesty!!! This is absolutely not what that damned little beast said."

"This……"

"This……"

"Your Majesty, MI8 will always be loyal to Your Majesty and the Empire."

"Subordinate..."

"I have absolutely no disloyal intentions. It's just that we have too many things to deal with."

Seeing Frederick IV sitting above with a calm expression, unable to discern what he was thinking, Downing felt his heart begin to beat unusually fast.

"You insulted me! You old fool, don't think I won't hit you just because His Majesty is watching."

As soon as he finished speaking, Haven leaped forward and pounced on Earl Downing again, and the two instantly started wrestling again.

Frederick IV, who had been deep in thought, was shocked by the two men's actions and stood up.

"Stop! Stop right now! What kind of behavior is this?"

Bogart and Gene, who had been watching the fight from the sidelines, rushed over to break it up, but were caught off guard and each received two punches from Havent, whether intentionally or accidentally.

"Guard! Guard!"

"Pull those two apart."

(End of this chapter)