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

Chapter 763 Disturbing Clues

When the lives of the entire family are in the hands of others, even the most impeccable arguments become pale and powerless. Faced with Benjamin's sudden betrayal and the final outcome, General Pasha was forced to take the path he had always wanted to take but could never do—surrender.

“This is hardly a surrender, General,” Pasha said as he knelt and begged Angelita for her life. He saw a girl with thick braids walk slowly towards him and stop in front of him. “Isn’t your loyalty to the Matt royal family? Isn’t Her Highness the Princess a member of the royal family? How can this be a surrender?”

Could it be that he has betrayed us...? The general subconsciously raised his head, and then cold sweat trickled down his spine into the hardest-to-reach corners of his armor lining.

If it's this charge, then he, his family—

“It’s obvious that the general is just fulfilling his duty,” Angelita suddenly spoke up, speaking in a persuasive tone. “Of course, before my return, there was a rebel army in the empire that was using my name to deceive people. Even His Majesty had difficulty judging the authenticity of their actions, let alone you, who only met me once when I was a child.”

"Of course you would assume that the 'princess' is real, and I am fake, and that I am leading the Inasas coalition, while the imposter appears directly within the Empire's borders. Therefore, preventing me from entering the country is your duty—right?"

"This...this is all the fault of that fake!" Now that things had come to this, how could Pasha not understand the meaning behind it? Overjoyed, he quickly echoed, "I'm afraid I'm too old, and my eyesight is failing. I was careless for a moment, which led to such a tragic result. Your Highness, I beg you to choose a young and capable general to replace me. I...I've always enjoyed taking care of flowers and trees, and I have a garden at home."

“As a marquis, you certainly have the right to choose your own interests, and even I cannot interfere with that,” Angelita smiled sweetly at the old general. “As for the general who will take over your duties, although theoretically this should be appointed by my father, these are special times, and we have to handle this according to special circumstances. I don’t know much about this kind of thing, so you can’t just leave like this. You have to recommend a candidate, a successor—he or she must be as loyal, reasonable, and aware of the big picture as you are.”

“Convincing,” Raslaufer said calmly from the side.

“Indeed, convincing,” Angelita and the Kingmaker echoed each other. “I’ve heard that truly wise people only consider suitability for the position when recommending candidates. They don’t shy away from their own children when it comes to family, nor do they avoid their enemies when it comes to acquaintances. I think a loyal warrior like you would definitely recommend the most suitable candidate for me, wouldn’t you?”

Who could be more suitable than General Pasha's children, who are also currently under capture?

Upon hearing all this, Pasha felt as if he had swallowed a whole block of cold iron ore; his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into his stomach. When he looked at Angelita again, this time the old general's face showed a genuine smile from the bottom of his heart.

“I will obey your command. Please allow me to go back and consider this. Perhaps there are several equally capable successors. Perhaps your experiences in Inasas over the years can help an old man like me make a wise judgment.” Pasha also gave Angrita a return gift—if he only submitted one candidate, whoever that person was, it would be a favor from him as the former commander, and Angrita would not benefit in the slightest; but if Her Highness the Princess personally appointed the successor, whether for personal or family interests, the successor must stand on Angrita's side.

This time, the real princess was allowed to pass through the Xinan Pass, but next time it's someone else, she won't receive the same treatment.

"I think Annie has returned to her strengths?" Daisy appeared out of nowhere and stood beside Leslaufer's horse, whispering, "This old man just gave in like that, without even putting up a fight?"

"He's a marquis, mind your own business." The red dragon descendant, Jinmian, who had returned with her, gave her a shove. They had just been tasked with silencing the mages on the city walls. Although they were a little late, the mission was still accomplished. Kalista and the others who had infiltrated under their cover had also successfully completed their objective. The spellcasters, trapped in the established system, were quite powerful, but they had no time to react to this change.

By the time they came to their senses, it was all over.

“Hmph, nobles…” Daisy rolled her eyes. “I know that brat Edward, after he became king, you all got titles. What’s worse, you don’t even have to do anything, yet you receive stipends equivalent to those of landed nobles—”

“This is a necessary measure,” Swampmaw said, still dressed as a black dragon, holding the acacia wand. “Our kingdom’s basic strategy is to govern with humans as the primary race, with multiple races participating, among whom dragonborn make up the largest proportion. How can we reassure them if we don’t do this?”

The poet shook her head and walked away, no longer debating these principles she didn't quite understand, while Swampthroat and the others still had things to do. With General Pasha's surrender and the "return" of the Xinan Fortress complex, they had little time to linger and had to pass through as quickly as possible, following in the footsteps of that fake princess who had wreaked havoc, to catch up with her and her accomplices and give them the most just and impartial trial.

The specific sentence will be determined by His Excellency the King.

"Leslaufer, could you lend me a moment?"

After Daisy and the others had gone, the snow-white Tifflin appeared beside Leslaufer: "While scouting the movements of Lord Benjamin's chapter and fortress complex, my men also found some disturbing clues."

Callistra's voice was not hidden from others. Upon hearing this, General Pasha's muscles tensed up once again, ready to declare that it had nothing to do with him—regardless of what the matter actually was.

Soon, he could relax, because the next second, Callistra handed Reslaufer a heavy lead ornament. Judging from its shape and appearance, it should be some kind of emblem, or rather, a holy symbol—on its relatively smooth front, a black fist coldly and hard entered Reslaufer's field of vision.

“The followers of Bane,” Raslaufer narrowed his eyes, “it seems they haven’t given up.”

“I’m afraid it’s not just that they haven’t given up,” Tifflin cautioned. “Based on all the descriptions, rumors, and imaginations about the behavior of the Benedicts, plus a bit of speculation from my and others’ personal experiences, and as much as possible, we have reason to believe that these Benedicts intend to take back what they did in Middle Inassos.”

“Commendable courage,” Raslaufer scoffed, “but unfortunately, this is the Empire, and the Empire does not welcome followers of Bane—is that right, Your Highness?”

Chapter 764 The Empire Doesn't Welcome Bane

"The Empire does not welcome followers of Bane."

The man in the black cloak stroked the large jade thumb ring on his left hand, his voice echoing emotionlessly through the Magpares building.

With blades flashing and arrows flying, when this man truly took control of the empire's two major "intelligence" agencies, his power far surpassed that of most kings in the secular world, and even rivaled that of the emperor.

In particular, with the special permission of Richard VII, his headquarters were moved to a location just two blocks away from the palace.

“But, Commander-in-Chief, I believe this is His Majesty’s decree,” the man before him, who was a headache for him, smiled slightly, seemingly unfazed by the other’s power. “Or are you planning to disobey his orders?”

"Don't forget, power doesn't grow without roots. From whom does Your Excellency derive your authority?"

"This is probably none of your business!" The man's voice grew even colder, carrying a hint of magic that shook the entire building. "My duty is to protect the empire's security and defend His Majesty's honor."

Instead of unconditionally following orders, which would create a paradox—how could giving a drunkard brandy be for his own good?

“Then I must say that your understanding differs from His Majesty’s,” the messenger said with a mocking smile. He lifted his cloak to retrieve a letter from his satchel, revealing the large black hand emblem on his chest. “Take a look, Your Excellency. Perhaps this will help you understand His Majesty’s profound thoughts. To be frank, if his father had not been the great Henry III, he might even have been a chosen one.”

Throughout history, emperors of the empire have been determined to concentrate power more firmly in their own hands, with no one else allowed to touch it—and this prohibition, of course, includes the gods and their agents on earth.

But Richard VII was about to change all that. He was willing to relinquish a portion of his authority, or rather, to surrender a part of himself to the power of the gods in order to achieve his own ends.

"...I will not question His Majesty's decision," the man in the high position carefully read the letter, then repeatedly checked all the marks on it to confirm that the letter was indeed written by His Majesty and not forged by any magical or non-magical means. "But you should know that this letter means nothing."

The emperor's orders are absolute and cannot be questioned or disobeyed. However, as the most tightly controlled security agency in the entire empire, Black Arrow and White Blade naturally have their own system. Even the emperor's orders must go through strict channels and be checked at every level before they can be accepted and executed.

On the one hand, this was to ensure that the order was indeed issued by the emperor himself; on the other hand, it was also to prevent irreversible consequences. The emperor was not perfect and would inevitably make mistakes or change his mind. If a man and his subordinates were to carry out an order based solely on a single word, sometimes the consequences would be unbearable for anyone.

Of course, if this were to actually happen, probably no one would notice the emperor's mistake.

“We have always respected the rules,” the messenger said, anticipating this. “Is there anything else, Your Excellency?”

"That's all... Wait?" The man waved his hand, but just as the messenger was about to step out the door, he suddenly sat up straight. Turning back, several threads of silk shot towards the messenger's back with undeniable power. The messenger clearly hadn't expected to become the target of an attack, and in his haste, he unleashed almost all his power. Terrifying black mist howled around him, transforming into a gigantic black hand to counter the man's magic.

"Commander-in-Chief, you—"

"I suddenly remembered something." Just as the messenger was considering what and how much he would have to pay to escape this deadly place and report this terrifying news to his superiors, the man suddenly withdrew his power, causing the messenger's all-out counterattack to hit nothingness, and the surging, out-of-control magic almost affected him.

But the Grand Commander didn't care about all that. He flicked his hand with a half-smile, dispelling the last trace of magic, and looked directly into the bloodshot eyes opposite him as if chatting casually: "Judging from this trend, the Empire's main deities will become nine?"

The messenger's expression softened slightly: "My lord has no opinion on such empty titles, but if he can see his faith take root and flourish on this land, then..."

“Very good,” the man interrupted, a smug look on his face. “If that’s the case, the bishops of other sects will surely be very pleased—they’ve gained another like-minded person!”

The messenger's expression changed: "Wait, you don't mean to—"

“It’s not that I want to. Don’t forget, this isn’t your military camp or church,” the man’s expression instantly returned to normal. “I have a responsibility and obligation to inform all the clergy about this so that they can prepare in advance and avoid panic and mistakes when the time comes.”

"However, I'm still a little curious. After all, each of the eight righteous gods of the empire corresponds to a domain. If the King of Conflict were to join, would the functions represented by each god be adjusted to make room for a position, or would it be more straightforward..."

"Squeeze one out so your god can go up?"

The followers of Benedict broke out in a cold sweat. Although there is often no definitive conclusion about the relative power of the gods, the fighting strength of believers walking in the mortal world is certainly finite! The empire had previously purged the followers of Benedict several times under the orders of Henry III, and although some still remained in Corazonde, it was inevitable that some would be left unattended.

Moreover, the vast majority of Bane's followers are soldiers, officers, and some nobles. Once a conflict breaks out, the nature of the conflict could easily change, and it would be almost impossible to expect the debate to remain in the theological realm! They might have a considerable advantage in dealing with one or two sects, such as Edas, who has always advocated peace, and Evandra, whose number of followers has never been large. However, these sects in the empire have been closely linked for many years. How could they possibly be given the opportunity to defeat them one by one?

The messenger even suspected that the bishops and archbishops, upon receiving the news, would likely not wait until then; they would immediately protest and threaten the emperor. While they could certainly persuade Richard VII to accept the order's aid with physical assistance, and even tacitly approve of the imposter princess's existence, if all eight major religious sects of the empire objected, even the emperor himself would be in serious trouble!

Those followers of the Black Hand won't have a good life! Eight widely influential sects and one small, distant sect—even the "Mad King" could figure out whose support to choose!

Chapter 765 Each Places Their Bets

"We only intended to relieve the monarch's worries, not..." the messenger gritted his teeth, "...I'm afraid neither you nor I can make this decision?"

“Of course,” the man nodded. “You’re a messenger, and so am I. Anyway, that’s how it is. You two can handle it yourselves.”

Henry III's purge of the Benedictines was not entirely without reason.

"And what about yourself?" the messenger persisted. "I heard you once sent men to retrieve the princess, but they were killed instead. You went to great lengths to revive her. Don't you want to...?"

“I don’t want to,” the Grand Commander replied crisply. “Mulvi’s sacrifice was for His Majesty; it’s an official matter. Leave now while I can still ignore your provocations—and let me remind you, the time you’ve spent here is gradually exceeding what I and the regulations allow.”

The messenger turned and left helplessly.

“Boss, you know me,” a short, shadowy figure crept closer to the man, “I still really hope to get a chance for revenge.”

“Don’t overthink it, Mulivi,” he rubbed the large ring between his fingers, “that’s not an opportunity, that’s suicide. Last time you had a chance to be resurrected, but what about this time? Do you really think you still have a chance?”

The dwarf fell silent. He could certainly say that his carelessness had led to that outcome last time, but even if he were a thousand times more careful this time, could he possibly find their leader among tens of thousands of allied troops and kill her?

Muliwei wasn't even willing to use another "him." It was simply impossible.

"All we have to do now is complete all the tasks within our responsibilities, that's all," the man sighed. "As for the rest, I can't and don't want to worry about it."

If His Majesty believes that cooperating with his fake daughter is more advantageous... then let him be.

"What did you say?!"

Angelita jumped up from her chair, staring incredulously at the messenger who had just returned. He looked disheveled, and although there were no wounds on his body, his ruddy complexion clearly showed the outcome of his trip.

“Your elder brother, Prince William the Second, said yes and no,” the messenger was one of Skadi’s confidants and dared not utter a single lie. “His Highness said that from his personal perspective, he is pleased to see your growth and is willing to cooperate with you, but only if you are not the commander of a large coalition army.”

He trembled as he took out a letter and handed it over.

"Does he really think this is possible?" Edward frowned and scoffed. "What makes him think he can command us?"

This coalition is not united under the empire's banner!

“They just don’t want to take the blame,” Felix rolled his eyes and commented. “If they refuse or even become hostile to His Highness, that’s their problem, but if we don’t hand over command to them, we’ll lose our position, and that’s definitely what they’re planning.”

"Do these 'civilized people' think we wouldn't dare to turn against them?" Skadi said coldly. "In my opinion, we should just raze them all to the ground! Who cares about princes, dukes, fake princesses, or real emperors! We have the strength to do it!"

"They certainly think so, but the question is, will we?"

Dieter was also present. Although he was not a king or any ruler, as the largest financial backer of the coalition, bar none, this heir of the Strongman family had the same or even slightly more say than the others: "If we act now, we will lose everything: allies, support, reputation... and don't forget morality. We may become the target of everyone's criticism. After all, 'barbarians' have no right to join the Empire's disputes."

They're gathered here now entirely because of Angelita. But if the emperor claims the other fake is the real one, are they really going to rebel and give his enemy a handle against them?

“How about we—” Edward gestured with his hand across his neck, “If there’s only one princess left, things will be much easier.”

“That’s impossible,” Angelita handed the letter to everyone. “The letter my father had my second brother deliver clearly stated that attacking each other was forbidden, and everything should be decided after the civil war is over.”

By then, the vast majority of power in the empire will have returned to the emperor, and Richard VII will be able to judge the truth with a single word. If the other party were a normal ruler, there would be nothing to worry about, but unfortunately, he is not.

What should they do if he insists on claiming the falsehood is true? Although this idea sounds absurd, the reality is that the other party has not identified Angelita as the real one, but instead has cooperated closely with Verveti. Such an attitude cannot help but make people suspicious.

“This is really…” Skuld muttered somewhat irritatedly, “They don’t seem to think that since Anne is real, she’ll always be on their side, so they need to win over the fake one, do they?”

This is absolutely absurd!

“My father, I’m afraid he has other considerations…” Angelita lowered her head, her eyes slightly narrowed. She couldn’t help but recall why she had been so determined to escape the palace back then.

If their connection extends beyond the material plane, then perhaps everything makes sense, since demons and monsters are always closer than blood relatives.

But if that's the case, then counterfeits are even less likely to be kept.

"Your Highness, there's a situation."

Just as Angelita was pondering this, Mary walked in, followed by Bella and an old man: "This old gentleman says he knows you, and Miss Bella has confirmed this. I think this might be of some help to you."

Upon hearing this, Angelita looked over, and when she saw who it was, she couldn't help but smile: she did indeed know Ruffer, the great druid of the Tranquil Stream Society. As for Bella, she was even more familiar with Ruffer.

However, what was the purpose of his trip? Because of Bella, Angelita and others specifically requested that the Allied Forces avoid causing too much damage to the natural environment, so Ruver was probably not there to warn or condemn.

“To my shame, I am not here on behalf of the Society and Nature,” Ruffer said before Angelita could even ask, “I am here as a messenger to deliver a letter of friendship to you on behalf of a lord. I agreed to do this because I have some personal acquaintance with him, and also because I believe it would be more conducive to us sitting down and talking calmly again. Peace has been of utmost importance all these years.”

Ruffer coughed awkwardly twice: "Your Highness Angelita, the Grand Duke of Lance would like to ask you if you are interested in... replacing Xavier Pabis, the descendant of the Matt-Pabis family whom the Grand Duke originally supported, as the new successor?"

Chapter 766 Two Princes, One Prince

Xavier Pabis, an obscure figure and a descendant of a collateral branch of the Matt family in the empire, had always been a "nominal" figure supported by the Grand Duke of Lance, a fact that remained unchanged until the appearance of the fake princess.

But now, the Grand Duke is actually willing to give him up?

“Xavier has never been a convincing enough option,” Ruffer explained. “In fact, from the very beginning, we… he… I mean the Grand Duke of Lance, his target was you, if you haven’t forgotten.”

Angrita suddenly fell silent for a moment, cautiously watching the Archdruid. This kind little old man had never been someone she needed to be wary of, after all, if you included Raslaufer, she had at least two followers of Adas by her side.

“I didn’t think about it carefully at the time,” Angelita said again as Ruffer grew increasingly uneasy. “I didn’t continue to think about it afterward, but now I have a question that I hope you, Mr. Ruffer, will answer.”

Ruffer nodded: "I will do my best."

Angelita stood up and looked at the map on the table, which now showed at least five divisions: her imperial father, the Grand Duke of Lance, Verveti and the fake princess, the neutral lords, and themselves.

“In the beginning, Grand Duke Lance and other nobles claimed to have rebelled because of the ‘new monetary policy,’ but we all know that this is the Empire, and after my grandfather implemented the Magic Conversion, Magpares has extraordinary control, especially compared to the kings of Inasas.”

She looked at the people around her and compared her own experiences with theirs.

"So even if the Grand Duke of Lance gained the support of a large number of nobles, it should have been difficult for him to surpass my father's momentum. But he not only did it, but he has also maintained his military power until now. There was speculation that he might have contact with the elves in the East, but in fact it was us who made the contact. The Grand Duke of Lance tried, but he did not succeed."

Ruffer raised his hand, stroked his beard, and nodded slowly.

"Then, who is supporting him?" The princess looked at the Archdruid. "The major churches? But aren't your patriarchs or archbishops all in Magpares?"

“It was the Duke of Lance and His Majesty Richard who started the war, not the churches and the Emperor. The nature of these two things is completely different,” Ruffer said with a smile. “I didn’t say anything. You guessed it yourself.”

“Our Church of Edas has never taken sides. The followers of Evandra stand on both sides, but apart from that, the other six major churches do indeed have an alliance with the Duke of Lance and provide him with far more assistance than they provide to His Majesty Richard.”

"I see..." The old mage Paul was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, but then he realized what was happening. "I always thought it was the individual actions of those few people, but it turns out—"

"This is exactly what we wanted to achieve, gentlemen. The faith of the eight gods encompasses almost all citizens of the Empire, Inathasians, and Korazundians. If a so-called 'holy war' were to break out, the war would not be what it is now; the situation would be far worse," Rufus said. "This is not what either side wants to see, so we would rather it last longer; it is a compromise we had to make. But now that you and His Excellency the Kingmaker have dragged Inathas into this, let's end it as soon as possible."