Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

Seeing this, Angelita shook her head in disappointment: "You should have thought things through more thoroughly—I mean everything. Honestly, I think you actually had a chance to live, but... it was your own choice."

She turned her head and nodded at Raslaufer: "You can start now, Uncle."

Chapter 597 Who Will Win the Flower?

There was no trial, no hanging or burning; Dopler didn't even need any execution instruments, he simply and cleanly snapped Lovisa Richter's neck.

Her body is still largely intact, and she will likely be needed to testify to confirm the legitimacy of the genie and their righteousness—Kalistella did not give prior orders to detonate a member of the rat swarm, a fact that Daisy and Angrita can attest to, so it is highly probable that this woman was the one who did it.

A corpse cannot lie.

“But you’ve confused me a bit, Anne,” Doble looked at the princess. He had a feeling that Angrita had been comparing or judging something, but he couldn’t guess what it was. “What are you talking about regarding her chances of survival? Or rather, what do you want to hear her say?”

To Leslaufer's surprise, Angelita shrugged: "Well, that depends on what she says. Because I don't really know which of her words might persuade me to forgive her."

"But in any case, it won't be the same as the previous statement."

The bard cast a slightly skeptical look at her: "Really? I don't mean anything by it, but does this option really exist, Annie?"

Now, reflecting on her answer, Daisy felt that Angrita seemed dissatisfied with her response and preferred Mary's—but if Lovisa had repeated Mary's answer, would she have had a chance of survival?

“You see, Daisy, that’s where you’re wrong,” Angelita smiled but didn’t say anything. Mary interrupted, shutting down Daisy’s suspicions. “The truth isn’t important; what matters is the perspective. There’s another way to put it: the answer to the question isn’t important; what really matters is understanding what the question itself is.”

Does Angelita really need advice about Lovisa's life or death?

Seeing the even more confused Reslaufer, Angelita finally beckoned and whispered in Reslaufer's ear on tiptoe, "Actually... Lovisa's area of ​​expertise overlaps somewhat with mine, doesn't it?"

Angrina didn't like this happening.

The subsequent battles no longer required the participation of the others. Duncan and Caristella steadily and firmly controlled every inch of Ironforge. By the afternoon of the third day, the last fortress to put up a stubborn resistance—the lord's castle at the very center of Ironforge—was also captured. This new lord became the second Ironforge lord to be violently conquered since the one who fell into the hands of Emperor Richard the Great.

With testimony from the Church of the Gods, some of the nobles who had pledged allegiance, and the dead, he, along with the bodies of Lovisa and Cliff, were hanged. However, they were not alone; several other key members of the Cold Iron Guard were also hanged in the same manner—including the one first killed by Raslauver.

The reasons given for hanging them were all things like colluding with evil, harming civilians, and exacerbating conflicts. With the victims' confessions, even those who sympathized with them the most could not offer any defense.

The only pity was that although several leaders of the Ampiri were captured, Nior escaped. According to Kalistella's recollection, at the moment Goliath was about to be killed, his entire body turned into a thick, black, filthy viscous liquid, rendering both swords and magic ineffective against him. Everyone could only watch helplessly as he seeped into the ground in that bizarre form and vanished without a trace.

However, the subsequent search of the sewers of Ironforge yielded nothing, and everyone could only assume for the time being that this strange fellow did not stay in Ironforge after his defeat, but fled the land as soon as possible.

Nior's changes somewhat bothered Raslaufer, but this was still Eastern Inassassin, and not a coastal region, so there wasn't much to worry about. Duple quickly stopped thinking about it and, with his companions, pushed open the door to the council chamber, which had originally belonged only to the nobles, where a heated argument was already raging.

"Looks like after one battle, there's another one to fight." Raslaw chuckled as he pulled a chair from next to Duncan and sat down casually. Now, no one here would question or refute his seating arrangement.

“You’d better stay away, or you’ll get splattered with blood,” Duncan glanced at him, took a couple of deep drags on his cigarette (which contained more than just tobacco), “Some idiots think they’ve done it all, that they’re heroes again, and they’re even thinking of recommending another nobleman—dream on! I’d rather be assassinated while I’m in office!”

“You’d better not die,” Kalista said, crossing her legs on the table. Compared to the mercenaries, the nobles were much more polite and proper. “Besides, I don’t think you were even assassinated. Think about it, if you really became a lord, all those affairs would definitely make you die of exhaustion in a wheelchair.”

If Duncan is indeed elected, he's unlikely to loosen his control over the mercenaries, as that would mean more than just double the workload. And his body—anyone can see he can't handle it.

"Otherwise, what other brilliant ideas do you have? Incorporate them into other kingdoms?" Duncan was also having a headache. The ideas that Angelita and the others had come up with were basically all the feasible solutions. However, although they were theoretically "feasible," they were actually facing many obstacles. None of them were acceptable to everyone, and it was not even acceptable if one side could barely accept them to the point of "not objecting."

“Hmm… Mr. Duncan, I have an idea. Would you all like to hear it?” Just as the argument was starting to veer off-topic and focus on the families of the other men, Angelita stepped forward and stood beside Reslaufer. “Although the previous lord was overthrown, since we can’t simply replace him, it ultimately comes down to the issue of succession. I’ve been thinking about this these past few days, and in the Empire, there’s actually some room for maneuver in this situation. Could you all consider it?”

Duncan now welcomes any suggestions and immediately puts pressure on everyone to behave. After discovering that the person who was about to speak was Angelita, several church representatives also joined the effort to restore order at the call of the Serac Church and Heinrich.

Since the plan to have the church take over had been rejected long ago, they were happy to hear how this situation was resolved in the Empire.

Seeing that the noise had subsided, Angelita cleared her throat and spoke slowly and persuasively: "As I just said, since it cannot be directly replaced, it can ultimately be abstracted into a matter of succession. Regarding the inheritance of territories, the Empire typically has two clear distinctions: the loyalty of the lord who is the heir, and the ownership of the territory itself. For example, if an earl under a duke inherits the territory of another duke, is the new duke still a vassal of the original duke? And can the original duke legally possess the territory inherited by his vassal?"

"The answer to the first one is yes, and the answer to the second one is no. The count still has obligations to pay taxes and provide military assistance to the lord without relinquishing his previous countdom, but his title has changed to duke, and he is legally equal to the original lord. The original lord has no right to demand taxes and soldiers from the newly inherited land."

"So, could we adopt a similar, more flexible rule to require a noble from elsewhere to 'inherit' Ironforge? She has no roots here and will not be a burden to any of you; at the same time, you will have a legitimate lord to counteract the covetousness brought about by the turmoil, and you will also have allies brought about by the new lord's succession—that is, the very people to whom that lord originally pledged allegiance. By complicating the entire stakes, even if someone still has designs on Ironforge, they will miss the best opportunity."

Angrita's complex rules caused quite a stir among the crowd, as the prevailing rule in Inasas was winner-takes-all, given that they hadn't had an emperor for a very long time. Even so, someone still grasped the crux of the matter: "You are Miss Anne, are you correct? Then, Miss Anne, I seem to hear you using a specific pronoun; does that mean you already have someone to choose from?"

"If I may be frank, I'm afraid you are not up to the task."

“Of course, sir, that’s not ‘the rule’,” Angelita said, without any such thought. “But I do have a candidate.”

“Countess Doule of the Kingdom of Wenzel, Lady Skottie Fitzgival, what do you think? She herself is an Ampire, her husband is an Eastern Inas, and they are loyal to the Kingdom of Wenzel of Eastern Inas, so there is no need to worry about her stance; she has two children, so there is no problem with the choice of successor; her military and political talents are also guaranteed by precedent, so she will never act recklessly; in addition, her children have all been blessed by Adas, and their relationship with the Rebellion is not bad.”

"By the way—and this is just a side note—the godfather of those two children happens to be His Excellency Raslaw?"

Chapter 598 Titles in Parallel

Those of you here should reconsider the schemes and tricks that Ironforge used to employ.

In the past, most nobles would not have accepted such a proposal, but things are different now. It is clear who is stronger and who is weaker. Moreover, after the previous turmoil, none of the families can be said to have escaped unscathed. If a lord who is almost impossible to overthrow can appear next, it will undoubtedly create a rare time for them to recuperate.

This leaves only one problem: how to convince His Majesty Henning of the Kingdom of Wenzel that one of his most powerful earls might soon be "not one hundred percent" loyal to him? After all, although Skadi would nominally remain his vassal, she would actually possess a completely independent territory. In this respect, although Skadi was not a queen, she was practically on par with him.

“What’s so difficult about that?” Leslaufer waved his hand, suppressing the discussion sparked by what he considered a trivial matter. “I’ll talk to him, he’ll agree.”

Henning had no other choice.

“If… Lady Skadi is truly the rightful heir to Ironforge, then I have no problem, Lord Raslaufer,” Henning said with a forced smile in the court, addressing Raslaufer who had come to “discuss” the matter. “After all, according to this rule, she essentially holds two parallel titles. If the kingdom’s interests and control in Dole’s territory can be guaranteed not to be harmed, what more can I say? May the gods bless her and her people.”

“Your Majesty can rest assured on this point,” Skottie, standing to the side, bowed to Henning as a subject, but this might be the last time. “Dole has always been the territory of the Kingdom of Wenzel, there is no doubt about that. As for Ironfortress… I do have documents to prove that I have an indisputable right of succession.”

At this point, even Skadi's own expression became somewhat strange—of course, she couldn't possibly have any connection with a place she had never even been to, but with the power shifts in Ironforge over the years, those nobles and the church had long since developed a very sophisticated system for forging documents, so at least from the perspective of legality... she really was the current first heir of Ironforge.

Seeing that the other party did not refute him at all, Dubler couldn't help but smile with satisfaction: "Very good, Your Majesty, with such an enlightened monarch as you, your kingdom will surely be stable, peaceful, prosperous and strong."

We'd be grateful if we even had the first half.

Henning silently made these thoughts, but outwardly maintained a magnanimous smile as he saw Raslaufer and the others out. Although to outsiders it appeared that Raslaufer had simply walked by and obtained his permission, only Henning himself knew that this concession was something he had to make, whether he wanted to or not.

That little devil named Barbasabalon, a few days ago, actually bypassed all the guards in his palace and went straight to his pillow to warn him of everything in advance—not only did his palace sorcerer not notice, but even the witch didn't notice at all!

The poisonous stinger on that ugly, insidious, and cunning little monster's tail was no joke, and he didn't promise immortality like his father did!

But that's not the worst part. The most fatal thing is that the other party actually threatened him that if he didn't agree, they would expose his collusion with the devil. If that really happened, his fig leaf would be ruthlessly torn off!

He didn't intend to kill his own father, nor could he do so, which is why he sought Gracia's help to resolve the matter. Although everything was perfectly reasonable and legal, the premise was that this veil must never be lifted.

That's not a reason that the vast majority of people, the vast majority of the ignorant masses, can accept, and if he gets caught up in the vortex because of it, the witch can't possibly save him.

She was merely an agent searching the mortal realm for her devilish master, and her first priority in any situation was to ensure that her own interests were not harmed.

What could he do? He was just a king, and even if he watched helplessly as his vassals acquired territories that truly belonged to her, there was nothing he could do—unless he planned to find some pretext to wage war against Skadi, just as he had declared war on those two vassals before.

Will we win?

Henning had no doubts about the answer, so he chose to compromise. Ironforge was an exclave for the Kingdom of Wenzel, and if Skadi had to be the lord there, then let her go—after all, she herself wouldn't actually move to a place completely unfamiliar to her, so what was there to object to?

Henning forced himself to stop thinking about it. He planned to pretend that none of it had happened. Only in this way could he avoid dreaming of the terrifying figure who had just left and overthrown a lord.

What kind of mess is this?!

“You’ve really given me a tough time, Master,” Skadi said, still half a step behind Leslaufer, walking slowly with her hands folded in front of her lower abdomen. “You’ve already taken away too many mundane tasks for me—not long ago, I was just an ordinary woman.”

“An ordinary woman who can ride a horse and charge into battle wielding a halberd? Or the kind of ordinary woman who… can avenge her husband, kill her enemies, and reclaim her territory?” Raslaufer paused, forcing Skadi to stand beside him. “Don’t always think of yourself as my servant, Skadi. You’ve long since shed that identity. In a formal setting, I should be bowing to you.”

“That was just an act; I’m still the same person, and I know that perfectly well,” the Earl said, but he didn’t lower himself further. “But do you really think I can handle all of this? I don’t know much about Ironforge, and I might disappoint you…”

“That’s alright, because, well, that’s not really what I was hoping for either,” Leslaufer thought for a moment and realized that he really wasn’t suited to say stupid things like “It’s your destiny” to Skadi like that crazy woman Daisy did, so he simply told the truth, “This suggestion was actually made by Anne, who thinks you have the talent.”

"And you don't need to worry too much. There are still many of our own people in Ironfortress. The most radical opponents have already been hanged. All you need to do is keep an eye on things—at least that's what I think."

Chapter 599 A plea for help, from the Moser River

Reislaufer wasn't lying. There, order was primarily maintained by Duncan, Callistra, and the Serac Church. In addition, Heinrich had promised assistance, and Angreta's teacher, Paul, would also help with the management using his life experience. Unless extremely dire circumstances arose, Skuld only needed to remain in Dole territory and collect taxes regularly.

Now that the Beast has completely submitted himself to Skadi's command, with him and his trained assassins present, communication between the two sides won't be too slow. Perhaps Iron Keep is an enclave for Henning, but for them, it may not be so.

Callistra was even prepared to offer up her own drunkard's water bottle. The rats that used to hide in the gutter were no longer what they used to be. Now they could turn around and act as an organization to maintain order in Ironforge. Naturally, the previous covert measures no longer needed to be so rigorous.

“The more you say that, the more pressure I feel,” Skuld chuckled. “It seems that doing nothing is definitely not an option.”

"Don't worry, although I am the lord in name only, these are all yours in reality. I will take good care of them as I took care of your house before. The same goes for Ironfortress and the territory of Doule."

"Shh, we haven't even left the city gates yet. Aren't you afraid your king will hear us?" "As if he'd do anything if he heard us."

Let alone Raslaufer, even Skadi herself now might not necessarily have much respect for Henning. She is no longer merely the Earl of Dole.

Soon, Skadi's first trip to the Ironforge, the first fortress of the Ampiri, took place. With the joint arrangements of all parties, her succession ceremony was successfully held, and the news spread rapidly throughout the surrounding city-states and kingdoms. This seemingly absurd strategy effectively confused those forces that were originally eager to invade. Even though they had already prepared plans for invasion, they could only hold back and wait for the situation to develop.

But they were destined never to have their chance.

The identity of the Skortianpire brought an unexpected benefit to her and the Ironforge: the pirates who had been defeated and driven away returned and volunteered to join the guard of this "daughter of Chief Fitzkivar," swearing to serve her. Their reason was easy to understand: these men, who had spent most of their lives plundering, were penniless and, without a way to find food, they couldn't even return home.

Moreover, the existence of Skadi convinced them of one thing: Ironforge was not unwelcoming to the Ampiri, but rather because their leader was colluding with demons—everyone could see that Nior had indeed turned into an indescribable puddle and escaped that day, which was definitely not some righteous spell or ability.

If that's the case, why not come back and try your luck again? As for saving face... who cares about that?

This time, they weren't resisted again; in fact, Duncan specifically reinstated the Cold Iron Guard to house these guys. The vision of Scheinhelig, Lovesa, and others was actually realized in this way.

However, their ghosts certainly cannot accept this development, because in this way, the so-called "professional army" of Ironforge has completely sided with the mercenaries!

“To be honest, I used to think you didn’t like me,” Skuld said as she toasted Angelita at the banquet, “but now it seems my intuition wasn’t so accurate after all.”

This girl actually recommended her? If it weren't for repeated confirmation with Leslaufer, and the fact that all the nobles, priests, and mercenaries said the same thing, Skadi would never have imagined that such a possibility existed.

Angelita took a sip of her pear cider, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Actually... that's quite accurate, ma'am, but I think sometimes we should set aside personal grudges and look at things from a longer-term perspective, shouldn't we?"

The newly appointed lord of Ironforge rolled his eyes at her: "I'm a barbarian, Anne, don't give me that nonsense. What are you really thinking? I really want to know."

“You’ve lived in Zebrech for so long, haven’t I treated you badly? You won’t even say a kind word to me? I know most of the people you’ve associated with, so why me? I have a general understanding of your situation back then, and I think that no matter who you and the master recommend, these people will agree to compromise.”

"Well..." The girl lowered her head and smiled somewhat awkwardly, "I just think it's better if you're a little busier—you understand what I mean, right?"

Skadi was stunned. After pondering for a moment, a smile slowly spread across her face: "You're such a sly one, Anne! No wonder you came all the way to Eastern Inassus! Are you serious, actually trying to guard against me?"

The lord tilted his head back and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, his voice slightly tinged with intoxication: "Impossible, impossible... Master, heh, Annie, why do you think I've become like this?"

“Why do you think I was willing to marry my husband? Was he an earl? Was he a good man? Or did I foresee this day? No, no, no! How could I have thought of so much back then?” Skadi was silent for a while, staring at the bottom of the empty cup, and shook her head helplessly. “When do you think I learned those two tricks in battle? Here’s a hint: after my title changed from ‘Miss’ to ‘Madam,’ I focused my main energy on those management books.”

"But it's a pity... Look at me, I have no talent, no magic, no hand cannons or smoke bombs, and... you have such a fine sword and armor. I'm just a slave who was rescued by chance, so I can only stay at home, for a week, a month, a year. You're good, Anne, you're good, you don't have to be like me, so you... hehe, you don't have to be like that. But thanks anyway, after all, I'm standing here today thanks to you."

Skottie took a glass of fresh wine from the waiter: "Come on, cheers, to... to our Lord Raslaufer!"

Angelita blinked and raised her glass as well, but just as they clinked their glasses, a commotion erupted at the doorway:

"What are you doing? This is a formal banquet, you can't go in!" "Someone come quick, I can't hold this bastard down!"

"What's going on?" The drunkenness on Skadi's face vanished instantly. She strode over and demanded, "Summon the guards and let that person in! What's all this commotion about?!"

The commotion at the door was considerable, drawing the attention of Raslaufer on the other side. His gaze swept past the crowd to a blood-soaked, disheveled man who seemed to have rolled in and rushed towards Skadi. He struggled to bow, but his strength wouldn't allow it. He collapsed to the ground, shouting repeatedly:

"Is Lord Reislaufer there? Lord Reislaufer! The Moser River... needs your help!!"

Chapter 600 Count Felix

The siege ladders were erected once again, but the oil drums on the city wall were empty.

The castle walls were covered in charred marks and similarly charred, unidentified objects. As yet another soldier charged onto the walls, it was unlikely that anything could turn him into these things on the ground.

"Fire, flames, oh!"

The last remaining mage apprentice stammered as she squeezed out her last bit of magic power, preparing to conjure a flaming arrow to strike down the climber. But a cold arrow shot from below gave her no chance. She screamed and fell helplessly to the ground with a piece of arrow in her throat, plummeting straight down the city wall.

Even spellcasters find it difficult to protect themselves in such a war; her teacher was no exception, and so was she.

"That's our last mage!" a knight shouted, urging his remaining companions to rush towards the siege ladders, trying to plug the gap. "Drive them down! Otherwise, we're all doomed!"

Perhaps not expecting such resistance on the city walls, the first soldier to scale the walls and his successors were quickly killed, and the siege ladders that had already been erected were pushed down again—they had once again managed to hold off an attack with great difficulty.

But what is the price?

A bolt of lightning, as thick as a bucket, flashed without warning from below the city walls, almost instantly scorching everything that dared to show its face on the walls. Metal armor and weapons were utterly useless against this attack, serving only as makeshift coffins for themselves. As the powerful spell dissipated, only the acrid smell of burning remained atop the walls.

"Damn it, how do they still have magic?!" Felix's face was so black that his features were almost unrecognizable. The count subconsciously raised the heavy crossbow beside him, but as he pulled the trigger, not a single arrow was fired. This made him finally remember why he hadn't used it for the past two days and nights.

"Damn it, this thing is useless! Anyone will do, see if there are any usable arrows over there? Take down that mage!"

"No, sir, there's nothing left, not even a blade of grass," the servant beside him said, running with his hands clasped together to the spot where the knights and guards had fought. After narrowly escaping being hit by several crossbow bolts, he hurriedly returned. "And you probably can't kill that man either—he's just too strong!"

"I think he must have had a good rest last night, which is why we've been able to keep watch until now..."

Felix drew his sword: "Don't let them get too excited! They haven't breached the walls yet. As long as we keep going, we'll definitely see a turn of things! That damned king has been fighting us for too long. We just need to gamble that he has more money than we do—someone else is climbing up there. Hold on! Where are the people on shift? Get ready!"

The servant turned his head and looked at the few soldiers between the gaps in the city wall: "Master, I think we have no more people to take turns... This is all we have."

"What did you say? Didn't I already give the order..." Felix looked around blankly, as if he had just been awakened.

It's been almost two months since you first gave this order, sir.

The servant's voice sounded as if it came from his past life.

"Have we been holding out for this long?" The Earl stared blankly. In just a short while, the next attack had already begun. His servant gripped the spear he had become quite adept at using during this time and gave Felix a push urgently: "Sir, you must retreat inside! Although the walls are about to give way, your castle itself might still hold out for a while! And I heard from the Lady that there seems to be a secret passage in the basement, left by the previous Earl of Moser..."