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

Leslaufer was certain she was quoting some proverb, but he still couldn't understand Daisy's native dialect. He had originally wanted to confirm a few more questions about Daisy's current relationship with Zhengling, but Angelita's increasingly "friendly" gaze made Dopler tactfully step aside, pretending that everything had nothing to do with him.

“Daisy, Miss?” Angelita stood in front of the poet, gritting her teeth, and looked at her with a smile. “Didn’t you just say that you actually knew about Uncle Leslaufer’s movements all along?”

Unlike Daisy, who was purely a spellcaster and only wielded the harp when it was still a functional magical artifact, Angreta was much stronger and a head taller than Daisy, not to mention she was currently dragging a greatsword. Her mere presence exuded an oppressive aura over Daisy.

"Well... Annie, let me explain..." Daisy broke out in a cold sweat and quickly forced a laugh, trying to cover it up. "Well, I started making braised pork when you guys got back, and you haven't eaten yet, have you—"

“We haven’t eaten yet, so I guess you haven’t either,” Angelita said, as the hilt of the greatsword slammed to the ground with a “thud,” followed by the sound of her right fist and left palm striking each other. “Since you haven’t eaten, take this punch first!”

"How dare you hide something this important from us?!"

Bella and Mary both turned their heads away, showing no intention of intervening. While they completely understood Daisy's thinking—after all, if they had told Angelita Reslaufer about her situation then and there, the princess would have jumped down without hesitation, making things even more complicated—now…

Let the poet suffer a little more; she deserves it.

"You can treat her later, she shouldn't have been beaten too badly," Mary whispered to Bella.

The druid smirked, "I'm not going. She has her own healing spells."

Fortunately, Daisy's ordeal didn't last long. As the unicorn Veruna appeared at the door and gave a brief whistle, Angrita's attention was quickly drawn to her mount. After uttering a few harsh words, she left Daisy, who was clutching her head and grinning foolishly, and went outside.

“Your mouth is the root of all this trouble,” Leslaufer said, taking the medicine Mary offered to Daisy. “I didn’t even tell her this, but you blurted it out yourself.”

“How was I supposed to know she had such a strong grip…” Daisy’s face immediately turned into a crying expression. “It’s all your fault! After you left, she started practicing with a two-handed greatsword with all her might, and good heavens! I suspect her strength is at least 16 now! She’s definitely exceeded her card points!”

"Just put that away," Mary said with a sneer, delivering a timely blow. "If we follow your insane logic, Lord Raslaufer's strength could be over twenty, right? Your rules include that too?"

“That’s different!” the poet girl retorted, “That’s called separation of man and monster, Old Lei’s is—”

Seeing the fist slowly clenching in front of her, Daisy shrank back: "So what if I'm... Superman? Okay, Superman, fine. The one who just went out was Batman! I'm Heath Ledger! Is that okay?!"

Time in the Nine Hells and the material world is indeed different. Even though Raslaw walked around behind the Gates of Hell, Daisy was still as unpredictable as ever.

Angelita smiled and looked away. In fact, apart from the first three punches which were serious, she hadn't put any real force into the subsequent blows—except for the two kicks at the end—she had only launched fewer than ten "attacks" on Daisy in total. She turned to look at Veruna, who had called her out. Although she could roughly guess what the unicorn wanted, she still asked:

"What's the matter?"

The celestial creature's face betrayed little emotion, but her constantly pawing hooves revealed her inner turmoil: "Of course it's Lord Raslaufer... Did you see those two Nightmares? How do you explain that?"

“I don’t think there’s any need for further explanation,” Angelita shook her head. “Didn’t he summon a little devil before?”

“That could be a messenger, or even a spy planted there. It’s a completely different matter, Anne,” Verunara said, sounding somewhat agitated. “Nightmares are the product of Pegasus being maliciously modified. Their very existence is a desecration of the cause of light and justice, not to mention that Lord Raslaufer has already served in Purgatory and joined the Blood War… What impact do you think this will have on him, and on you?”

“I don’t know, Veruna,” Anne said calmly, looking into the unicorn’s beautiful eyes. “I only know that he’s back and is still by my side.”

Chapter 718 Sliding Downwards

The news of Raslaufer's return from hell shocked and alarmed many people, especially those friends and allies who had dealings with Dupler.

The first to arrive in Zebrech were undoubtedly the local lord, Skadi, followed by Dieter and Callistra of Ironforge, the latter also bringing Duncan's greetings. Soon after, Dahl's adopted son, Elwin, and Sylvielan of the Dark Elf family also arrived, offering their personal and chapter/family regards. Those further away were Felix and Edward. The kings of various nations, who also revered Raslaufer as their protector, did not lag behind, each sending their own letters and invitations to visit.

“If you really go, they’ll panic,” Daisy said casually, taking the opened letters from Leslaufer’s desk. After glancing at them, she threw most of them into the wastebasket. “A dead protector can even be a guardian spirit, but a living one?”

"You can only be a menace unless you've actually saved their lives, and more than once."

“That’s not quite right,” Bella said. “The Kingdom of Arkent was also very happy about Uncle Raslaufer’s return, wasn’t it? At least that’s what I read in their letters.” “After all, they were able to gain power because of Raslaufer’s reputation and banner. No matter what, people wouldn’t be so stingy as to not even care about this…”

“You only think that way because you’ve spent too much time with small animals,” Leslaufer said before Daisy could speak. He didn’t have high expectations for these lords. “I don’t expect anything in return or even gratitude from them. It’s enough if they have at least some self-awareness.”

Raslaufer didn't mind if these people truly considered him a menace behind his back. If they had no respect for the power that had once helped him, then that power wouldn't mind helping others either. In any case, that's always been his approach.

If Kingmaker Raslaufer isn't worried, then someone else must be, like... Henning Wenzel.

“You’ve probably not left the palace for quite some time now, haven’t you?” Count Katina, who had been carefully courted by Henning during the hunt, stood before the king’s desk. However, his status was no longer that of a “neighbor,” but one of Henning’s vassals. “The outcry outside has reached a worrying level. Rather than having you as king and Lord Raslaufer as the protector of the kingdom, the people seem to prefer him to be king directly, or… Skadi.”

Regardless of the possibility, Henning and even the entire Wenzel family have nothing to do with this.

“They dare! My power is inherent, this is treason! And we all know that both the late Earl Dole and Lady Skottie were loyal to the kingdom,” Henning tapped the table. “Your Excellency, if you have come to see me specifically to offer such slander, then forget it!”

“Is that so, Your Majesty? Do you really think so?” Count Katina sneered. “If that’s the case, then why does she have an additional title of Lord of Sinking Iron Castle? Forgive my bluntness, but that’s not your territory, and from that perspective, Skadi isn’t even entirely your vassal… unlike me.”

“That’s what she inherited…” “Please, Your Majesty, we don’t believe such nonsense. How could the daughter of an Ampiri tribe chief possibly inherit a place like Ironforge? Don’t blame me for talking nonsense, but: she might be able to legally inherit the Kingdom of Wenzel next time, oh, but it probably won’t be under that name then.”

The study, where a king had once died, was immediately filled with the king's furious shouts and roars, a veritable storm of fury. During this time, Count Katina remained silent, letting Henning's spittle spray in his face.

He knew perfectly well that torrential rains were usually short-lived; only light rain could drizzle for days or even a month. Henning's intense reaction meant only one thing: he was anxious.

Count Nakatina, however, was not in a hurry.

As expected, just as he had predicted, after a grueling outburst, Henning slumped back in his chair, utterly exhausted. "So what do you suggest we do? What can I do! Forget about Raslaufer, that guy alone could crush an entire army, and even Skadi is someone I can't handle!"

"Although she is nominally my vassal, her power within the kingdom is comparable to mine, not to mention the Cold Iron Guard from Ampire now. I shouldn't have let her go to unify the Dole Territory in the first place—but it's hopeless! There's also the matter of Raslaufer involved!"

Henning glanced instinctively at the doorway. Years ago, right there, he had received the blood-stained crown from Raslaufer, been crowned king, and then… was forced to declare the two lords who should have been loyal to him the true culprits of the rebellion…

He had no choice but to do so, otherwise Raslaufer's sword would be at his throat.

Skadi and Leslaufer are inextricably linked; there's no way to separate them, unless...

“Unless,” Count Katina smiled confidently, having read every nuance of the young king’s expression, “you can get extra help.”

"Please let the people outside in. Your witch and another acquaintance have been waiting for a long time."

Before Henning could speak, the study door was magically pushed open, and two women entered one after the other. The one who entered first was someone Reislaufer recognized; dressed in men's clothing, she was Louise of the Strongman family. The one behind her was a young and beautiful red-skinned woman with devilish horns extending from her temples.

This is the true face of the witch behind Henning, a Tyflin.

“That brat Dieter has completely stolen my place,” Louise said bluntly, without mincing words. “But as long as there’s no final decision, there’s always a chance. Once he’s dead, everything will be over. The only reason he rose to power in the family is because of Raslaufer. As long as we can destroy that Dupler, the Strongman family will become the strongest pillar of the Kingdom of Wenzel.”

“Easy for you to say,” Henning said somberly. “That’s Raslaw! All of Inassus trembles at his name, not to mention he just returned from hell! How can a bunch of mediocre people like us possibly stand up to him?”

“That’s why I’m here,” the witch Tiflin stepped forward, her voice still as hoarse and unpleasant as ever. “You know he returned from the Nine Hells, but you probably don’t know that he killed a sinful demon to come back, do you? Not to mention, he’s now a deserter and is wanted by the Nine Hells.”

Her eyes narrowed, orange flames burning in the center of her black sclera: "Henning Wenzel, my mistress helped you gain the throne, now it's time for you to pay your debt—don't worry, you won't be alone."

Chapter 719 Henning's Letter

“If a man has the support of many people,” the Tifflin Witch paced slowly around Henning’s seat, leisurely examining her fingernails, “then he will at least have just as many enemies, and in fact, even more.”

“No one can survive after being an enemy of Leslaufer.” Henning said with a gloomy expression.

“It is rare,” the witch corrected, “but not entirely. The mistress revealed a man they had fought over in the past, during the struggle for dominance of Ironforge, and even earlier, they were companions, comrades-in-arms—a fellow who was a match for Raslaufer, an Ampieri.”

“I’ve heard of a man named Nior,” Louise began. No one knew how much effort she had put into regaining her former position, but at least she knew the owner of that name, and her brow furrowed as she did so. “He disappeared after the defeat at Ironforge, and no one has been able to find out where he is.”

Raslaufer was a troublesome man whom even demons avoided. Louise and Count Cartina had witnessed firsthand how he dealt with those stitched monsters and a swordsman from Corazond. Therefore, upon hearing that another figure who could fight him to a standstill had appeared, Louise sent someone to try to contact Nior as quickly as possible, but the result was not ideal, or rather, nothing was found.

That person seemed to have vanished into thin air; even the Strongman family's connections couldn't trace him.

“Because most people in this world know nothing about the ocean,” the witch sneered. “The few exceptions are the kings of Ampiri who have been persistently organizing the ‘Great Expedition,’ but even they know less than a tenth of what those who have actually sailed the seas know—not even the coastal waters.”

“Nio didn’t die, nor did he return home. He fled to the sea, seized an island that originally belonged to a group of pirates, and made it his base. Many of his former men have been recruited by Raslaufer and Skadi. He certainly won’t let go of the opportunity to take revenge on them, but the prerequisite is that we should give him hope.”

“If we can give Raslaufer a ‘baptism of fire’, then we’re not far from taking him down.”

Henning couldn't deny his desire to surpass Raslaufer, but he wasn't entirely irrational in the face of that temptation, or rather, he wasn't blind to the vast gap between them. Although he seemed to have many like-minded allies here, it still wasn't enough for him.

But as if she had seen through Henning all along, the witch smiled and said, “This is not a request, my lord. Unless you intend for me to take your soul, you must fulfill the contract. Besides, I did not say that we wanted to take down Raslaufer in one fell swoop.”

"If you want to catch a vulture soaring in the sky, the best way is to clip its wings first. 'The Strongest Dobler' is much easier to deal with than 'The Kingmaker.' And in Eastern Inathas, as far as we know, apart from his almost inseparable companions, his most important wings are none other than three people:"

“The Earl of Dole, Lord Skottie of Ironfortress, Dieter, the current first in line to the Strongman family, and Duncan, the mercenary leader. If we can take them down first, everything will be much easier. And if we bring them before Nior, would he refuse this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?”

After a moment of silence, Henning tapped the table with his knuckles: "Method."

“You are the king, and Skadi is the most powerful count in the Kingdom of Wenzel right now,” the witch shrugged. “You summoned her to an audience to discuss state affairs, surely you don’t have to interfere with this Raslaufer too?”

“And it’s not necessarily a matter of state,” Count Katina suddenly chuckled, interjecting, “She has two children, doesn’t she? And I suppose there’s a niece too. There must be quite a few children in the court, and the future of these kingdoms should be discussed more. No one would refuse such a suggestion. I mean, who would harm children for no reason?”

They certainly wouldn't harm a child for no reason; it was merely a convenient tactic when controlling Skadi.

"lady."

A few days later, the Beast appeared in Skadi's study. The robust and hairy goblin bear respectfully presented the Earl with two invitations. As a member who had joined voluntarily, the Beast was very proactive in fulfilling his duties, and Skadi trusted him and his assassins to handle all correspondence in the territory.

Any letter that reaches the goblin is definitely not dangerous.

“Thank you.” Skadi took the envelope. Both letters were handwritten by Henning Wenzel and delivered to her personally, but one was official and the other was in the form of a private letter.

A private letter, Henning? Skudy raised an eyebrow slightly, first opening the sealing wax to determine its contents.

"...and the Queen, and two princes...at the manor outside the capital...to have dinner...with the children..." After a moment, Skadi put down the letter and repeated those key words.

What does this mean?

“I’m not very familiar with the social customs of human nobles, madam,” the beast smiled helplessly as the count looked at him. “I’m afraid I can’t offer you any advice. To me, this is just an ordinary banquet invitation.”

“It is indeed a regular invitation, a family gathering, a common occasion among nobles,” Skottie nodded, then went to check another letter. “...It says that they intend to discuss with me the share of land taxes and military service, um...what does ‘work worthy of reward’ mean?”

In Inassassins, the highest rank below the king is count, and given Dole's current status in the Kingdom of Wenzel, Henning has virtually nothing left to bestow upon Skadi—unless he intends to relinquish his own crown.

“I think it might be a problem with the order in which you read the letters,” the Beast thought for a moment and then said in a low voice. “Perhaps the banquet was part of the reward, and maybe he wanted to… matchmake your children with his children.”

"You certainly remember that His Excellency Reislaufer is your children's godfather, and he has just returned recently. If this can be achieved, the Kingdom of Wenzel will be equivalent to..."

"He wants to use me to get in touch with him?" Skadi nodded. That made sense, and besides, bringing family along was a way of showing goodwill. But for some reason, she still felt uneasy.

“Bring your men with me,” Skadi nodded to the beast. “As guards, choose the most trustworthy men.”

As she spoke, she casually tucked the dagger that had been holding down the letter on the table into her sleeve.

Chapter 720 Sudden Change Inside the Castle

"Your Excellency Skadi, it is a pleasure to see you here."

When Skadi and her party arrived in the capital, she was treated almost as if she were the king. Henning Wenzel personally came out of the castle to greet her, and his personal guards put on a grand welcoming ceremony. Skadi herself was able to take it in stride, but the three children looked around curiously, finding everything they saw fascinating.

Especially the woman in red robes behind the king, whose face was completely obscured by a hood, was clearly the court mage who rarely showed her face. At this moment, she was extremely humble, behaving like a country peasant woman in front of Skadi.

“Your Majesty, this is perhaps too grand a display,” Skadi said to Henning. “In any case, I am merely your vassal…”

“No, you can’t say that,” Henning quickly laughed. “You are the lord of Ironforge, so from that perspective, we are equals—of course, what we are going to discuss this time is the matter of Dole territory, which has nothing to do with Ironforge—but isn’t there another invitation involved? Hehe.”

As if to absolve himself of any responsibility, without waiting for Skadi to ask, Henning removed the Iron Fortress from the inside and invited Skadi into the castle.

Private matters are private matters, and public matters are public matters; they should not be mixed up. Although there will be a family banquet later, the agenda concerning the future of the kingdom must be concluded here. The three children were taken to another room to play after the Queen and the two princes had met with Skadi.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until Skoti followed Henning into the reception room and glanced at the people who had already arrived.

They were mostly lords from various regions, including the Earl of Katina, but...

“This lady doesn’t seem to belong here,” Skuld said, looking down at the woman dressed in men’s clothing not far away. “If the letter is correct, this appears to be a meeting of lords from various regions—who is she?”

“The Earl of Doule is probably forgetful,” Louise said, narrowing her eyes but remaining seated. “We met at the hunting grounds before. I am Louise Strongman, sir.”

“So it’s Ms. Louise,” Skudy said, completely unconcerned about the part that the other woman was particularly interested in. “I know you, so I’m asking you, what gives you the right to sit here?”

“Count Dole, please don’t be like this,” Count Cartier quickly stood up to smooth things over when he saw the two women immediately clashing. “Louise is here representing the Strongman family, and she’s also on our agenda…”

“That’s exactly my question, Count Katina!” Skottie raised her voice, ruthlessly interrupting the latter’s rambling. “It’s common knowledge that the Strongman family has stepped down from power in recent years, but as far as I know, the current first in line should be Dieter Strongman. What gives this woman the right to negotiate with our Kingdom of Wenzel? Your Majesty Henning, I consider this a serious act of contempt!”

Henning's expression shifted slightly, but he eventually put on a smile: "Count, I think there is a misunderstanding in this matter: it's not that Mr. Dieter is not coming, but that he is still on his way. However, due to the early schedule, we cannot wait for his arrival. This Lady Louise is here to listen in on behalf of Dieter and is responsible for taking the minutes of the meeting."

“In that case,” Skadi’s expression softened slightly, “please have her stand up. If the scribe is also qualified to sit on equal footing with us, it would probably be quite damaging to the dignity of the kingdom.”

Louise was completely embarrassed. She wanted to stay put, but seeing the angry looks from Henning and Katina, she had no choice but to give in. She stood up angrily and walked to a stone pillar.

Wait until we make our move, then let's see how arrogant you, you bitch and barbarian, can be!

Skudy was unaware of her inner thoughts, but seeing her compromise, she immediately sat down in the empty seat next to Henning. Of course, only she was qualified to sit here, since no one else here possessed the strength of Douler or her special status.

The content of the internal affairs meetings was rather lackluster. Skottie had attended many such meetings before, and each time the lords were eager to end them as quickly as possible to avoid endless haggling like merchants in a market—partly because it would damage the dignity of the nobility, and partly because most of the people here didn't have the energy or stamina to drag it out for an entire day. Even Henning himself hoped that all parties could reach an agreement as soon as possible.

But today, Skoti had a feeling that they were deliberately dragging things out. Whenever a proposal was finally approved, one party would inevitably step forward to renegotiate the price, either intending to raise the price on the spot or trying to force others to make concessions, as if they were afraid of not being able to touch the bottom line of others.

If it were just one person who always acted this way, it wouldn't be so bad, but the problem was that everyone seemed to be doing it today, which brought Skadi's suspicions to their peak.

The moment it was completely detonated was when a girl's distinctive scream suddenly rang out in the hallway outside the room!

"What's going on?!" The commotion outside was instantly ignited. Inside the room, Skadi's expression changed drastically, and she stared intently at Henning. "Your Majesty, I demand an explanation!"

"The explanation is that his lackeys are utterly useless," Louise sneered. "Scotty, do you really think you're something special? Without Leslaufer, do you think you could be sitting here, and you even dared to make me get up!"

In an instant, both Count Katina and King Henning wore triumphant smiles, while the other lords around them also relaxed—they were finally free from being there.

Skadi immediately intended to call for the beast's help, but as she prepared to get up, a large hand pressed down on her shoulder. She turned her head and was shocked to see that the other hand was holding a bear goblin's head.

"Are you looking for it, Your Excellency?" Skadi caught a glimpse of the Strongman family crest on the man's body. "Unfortunately, it and its minions can no longer respond to you."

"Does Dieter know you're doing this?" The sudden turn of events made Skadi tremble with anger, and she asked in a cold voice.

Louise responded with a chilling smile: "He will know, he will, and you will have the chance to tell him yourself."