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

What do you want?

Ruffer's expression turned serious: "The Mad King cannot continue to reign. Currency reform requires long-term planning. You or Prince William could be the successors. No one will attempt to shake the Matt family's dominance."

"And what about Ted?" "Who?"

The Archdruid paused for a moment, seemingly not quite understanding.

“Ted, Ted Matt, my elder brother, my father’s eldest son,” Angelita repeated, “and also the rightful heir to the empire. Why didn’t you mention him? Wouldn’t it be more reasonable for him to succeed according to the law?”

The air inside the tent seemed to freeze eerily.

“Ted, Ted?” Ruffer frowned, chewing on the name over and over again. “Your older brother? Isn’t your older brother Prince William?”

"Are you senile or what?" Leslaufer couldn't help but speak up. He didn't mean to offend the other party, but if everything was as Ruffer himself said, this Archdruid should also be an important figure. It was too absurd that he didn't even know how many princes the Empire had. "Anne has two older brothers and a younger sister. She told me a long time ago. Is there anything to argue about?"

“Um, Master,” not many people addressed Raslaufer that way. He turned to see Skuld calling him, “In fact, we’ve all heard Anne talk about her family, but… if we set aside what she says and only consider the intelligence.”

Felix chimed in, his voice sounding somewhat weak: "The rightful heir to the empire has always been William, and there is no such thing as 'Ted'."

This time it was Angelita and Leslaufer's turn to be shocked.

“This is impossible!” Angelita rarely screamed like a naive noblewoman, but this was truly an exception. “Ted Matt! He’s three years older than William, his birthday is the fourth of June, he hates spices in his food, his favorite color is bright red, and he has a leopard named ‘Fran’ as his animal companion… My father announced him as the heir to the entire empire on his sixth birthday! How could this be fake?!”

If this is an older brother that Angrita imagined out of thin air, then this older brother's characteristics are far too "rich." Unless...

“Unless, he really did exist,” Daisy interjected, holding her violin. “I’ve heard of such things, and considering what Anne said about her father’s problems, maybe he was erased from existence or something, or uh, worse.”

She didn't speak further, but her voice continued to echo in the hearts of her companions: "I'll go ask Zhengling; she should know what's going on. The devil, after all, it's not surprising he knows anything."

“Then I’ll investigate from the other side,” Reslaufer said after a moment’s thought. “It’s always a way.”

Could the demons of the abyss know something, or at least understand the underlying principles? Leslaufer didn't know either, but since this path existed, he was going to give it a try.

“Thank you,” Angelita forced a smile, but couldn’t hide her anxiety and fear. “I…I need to contact Brother William again. It’s important. Maybe he still remembers this.”

She instinctively clenched the letter in her hand. In William's last reply, not a single word mentioned their eldest brother.

Chapter 767 Past Favors

All factions found it hard to understand why the princess, who had passed through the Xinan Pass with great fanfare, would advance so slowly for a long time afterward.

Furthermore, according to reports from scouts and informants, even the way the allied forces marched was illogical. They were neither in a hurry to seek revenge against Verviti, nor in a hurry to attack the Duke of Reims to quell the internal strife, nor even in a hurry to go to Richard VII to explain the advantages and disadvantages. On the contrary, the entire allied army spread out along the main road eastward from the Xinan Pass, dedicated to bringing all the surrounding lands under their control, and even the werewolf inhabitants in the wilderness were not spared.

Their actions looked more like... applying pressure, or something simpler:

They were coloring, coloring all the areas on the map with their own colors.

However, for Angelita and the others, this pattern was not intentional. In fact, they were only focused on figuring out one thing: how many brothers Angelita had.

"All the clues seem to point to the fact that the eldest prince 'Ted' does not exist, or rather, the 'second prince' does not exist, and William is your only brother."

On this day, Raslaufer entered the camp as usual. He had compiled a lot of information about the material world, and the information was largely the same, with none of it providing any evidence or hint at the existence of Ted Matt.

“But,” Raslaufer smiled, stepping aside to let a burly man of similar height squeeze into the tent, “I’ve found some other sources of intelligence that should be helpful.”

“Your Highness,” the newcomer was a burly man with dark skin. When he smiled at Angelita, he revealed two rows of sharp, cone-shaped teeth that seemed to spark when they clashed together. “You can call me Montgomery. I’m an old comrade of the Kingmaker. I know a little about magic, which may be of some help to you.”

“My friend, prophetic spells probably won’t be of much help in this regard.” The old mage Paul frowned upon hearing this. He had no objection to the person recommended by Raslaufer, but he himself was skilled in this type of magic and had already tried all the available methods.

As for the result, even he, a court mage, couldn't find Prince Ted's existence when he tried to search his own memories! As for Lady Grandin, who also once worked in the court, she also had no memory of the eldest prince.

It's just that Angelita's existence makes them more inclined to believe that such a person does exist.

“Different perspectives will naturally yield different results, old man,” Montgomery chuckled. This Balrog was enjoying this rare opportunity to descend into the material world, and was even willing to conceal his true form. “I have some ‘unorthodox methods’ that might be of help to you.”

“However, I need to confirm something, Your Highness. I heard from Lord… the Kingmaker that you encountered a demon’s vassal in Shinwood City? Is there any way to see its former lair?”

Lamia, that half-human, half-lion monster, has an inseparable connection with the Abyss. The individual from Xinmu City was once killed by Reislaufer. If we can find the place where it once lived, a high-ranking demon like the Balrog might be able to use it as a medium to find clues—if the whole thing is really related to the Abyss.

“Xinmu City…” Leslaufer turned to look outside the tent, “Benjamin! Are your men any good now?”

"Whenever you need it, it's available!" The young battle group leader's voice rang out immediately with ease. "Want to go as a scout? Just tell me the direction and location."

“Not a scout,” Leslaufer beckoned him in, “but to take over a territory.”

Benjamin paused for a moment: "This is probably not our forte, but places like farms are worth a try—where do you plan to attack?"

"Xinmu City".

"what?"

“What do you mean, ‘ah’?” Leslaufer slapped him on the back of the neck without any politeness. “Get ready right now. We don’t have much time to waste here!”

Leading a light cavalry unit to attack a fortified city that had recently been besieged for months by a fake princess without success sounded like madness, but no one dared disobey Raslaufer's orders, so Benjamin had no choice but to gather his men. With Raslaufer's Nightmare and Angrita's Unicorn leading the way, Bella carrying Daisy, and Mary remaining in the army to oversee the overall situation, the group sped towards Shinwood City at top speed.

According to the original marching speed, it would take the allied forces at least another week to reach the walls of Shinwood City. Even so, when the group arrived at the city walls, there was no sign of preparation for war. As for when Raslaufer requested to see the Earl, the nobleman who had fought alongside them actually ran out of the city by himself and respectfully bowed to Angelita in the manner of a subject.

"When I first met you, I knew you were no ordinary person. That imposter couldn't even capture your appearance, so how could he possibly imitate Your Highness's benevolent heart?" Before anyone could speak, Earl Xinmu couldn't wait any longer. "If I had known back then that you were Princess, I would have kept you all here no matter what!"

“I stand here today on behalf of all the people of Xinmu City, willing to follow in the footsteps of Her Highness the Princess! His Majesty the Emperor has brought war to the Empire, and the fake princess has even openly attacked us, the lords who maintain neutrality! Who else but you and His Excellency the Kingholder can save this chaotic situation and support the current Empire?”

"Saving the chaos, huh? Interesting." Montgomery looked at the mortal with a half-smile and muttered to himself.

“Enough with the nonsense, Montgomery,” Raslaufer interrupted him, then turned to the Earl. “Your Excellency, I trust you will make the right choice, which is good. But we have other things to do now: Is the ruins of that Lamia lair still there? We need to go and see.”

"Lamia?" Count Xinmu was puzzled. The monster had been killed by Reslaufer himself, leaving no trace of its body. Its lair had also been completely destroyed, and there had been no problems since. He couldn't understand how the enemy's light cavalry could have something more important than winning over his Xinmu City and its puppets.

It should be noted that those magical puppets only need slight modifications to become war machines, which can play a huge role in both siege warfare and the recent siege defense. In the Earl's opinion, this is what the other side should be seeking most—and perhaps those master-level magicians as well.

But since this was the Kingmaker's request, he had no reason to object. Despite being completely bewildered, the count politely invited everyone into the city and led them to the building that was the easiest place to reach the old lair of Dalamia—the mage tower of the late Master Jonata.

Chapter 768 The Prince Sets Off

"Please keep this matter of the master a secret, Your Highness and Lord Kingmaker."

Earl Xinmu walked a short distance ahead of the group and said in a low, earnest voice, "Master Jonata made many practical contributions to Xinmu City for most of his life, and he and I were also very close friends. Although he did wrong things, he did them when he was confused, so we usually try to avoid mentioning his details."

“There’s no need to publicize this,” Angelita nodded. “Rest assured, we just need to investigate a few things, nothing more.”

The count hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to ask, "Regarding what you're talking about, do I... have the right to know? Or rather, is it necessary for me to know?"

He asked very carefully. Both he and Xinmu City had been trying their best to distance themselves from the conflict. It was only after the return of Reslaufer and others who had once saved Xinmu City that he felt comfortable and dared to stand on this side.

Leslaufer patted him on the shoulder, making the Earl turn around: "There's nothing I can't know, but before that, I have to ask you something: How many sons does His Majesty Richard VII have?"

Earl Shinmu didn't react in time and blurted out instinctively, "Two, His Highness Ted and His Highness William."

!

The count didn't sense anything amiss and continued walking forward, activating the hidden mechanism in Jonata that led underground and inviting everyone in. However, when he turned around, he found that everyone's eyes were fixed on him, and they didn't move an inch.

"What...did I say something wrong?"

"Stand still." Montgomery raised his hand, conjuring a harmless, transparent flame that enveloped the Count. A moment later, the fire demon revealed a satisfied expression.

“Just as I thought,” he said, looking at Leslaufer. “I don’t know if this gentleman himself is aware of it, but he has a very strong Matt family bloodline. If we’re talking about kinship, Her Highness the Princess should probably call him… her cousin?”

Earl Xinmu's face turned bright red: "This...you can't say such things! My family—"

He himself was the first to run out of things to say. As a grandchild, he simply couldn't comment on his elders' private lives, especially since the other party was a member of the royal family.

After a moment of realization, Angelita blinked helplessly and said, "My grandfather did have several brothers, but because they had no right to inherit, they were relatively... unrestrained in their personal lives."

Daisy had already picked up her violin with great interest, ready to listen to this royal secret, but unfortunately, apart from her, probably no one else present wanted to continue talking about it.

“The key point is that we can now see exactly how His Majesty’s little tricks work,” Montgomery chuckled. “It is almost impossible to completely erase the existence of someone with a rich network of relationships, but if we don’t go that far, the difficulty will be greatly reduced. People with close kinship can still detect his presence, and as long as he is well hidden, no one will notice anything unusual.”

“But if that’s the case, William’s previous reply should have been that Ted was busy with something!” Angelita exclaimed anxiously. She took out a letter containing William’s response to the question of whether his eldest brother existed. “Look at this! Why did he say that he was the eldest son?!”

As brothers who would take over the empire after Richard's death, William and Ted were much closer than they were to Angelita. How could William be completely unaware when Angelita had already noticed something was wrong?

“Let’s try to deduce this from common sense, Your Highness,” the Flame Demon said, seemingly unfazed. “There are only a few possibilities. Based on what you saw back then, we should be able to rule out the scenario of ‘the second brother killing the eldest brother.’ The mastermind is your father, and he is either an accomplice or a bystander who dared not resist.”

"So you can choose: William Matt, was he willingly or coerced into agreeing with the Emperor? Or is he deliberately trying to tell you the problem through this unreasonable method?"

The group descended back to the now completely abandoned Lamia's Lair. The Balrog, smelling the lingering scents from years ago, had a faint magical glow in his eyes.

“Grazt is the most likely outcome,” he suddenly swayed, then spoke quickly and hoarsely, “My tracing of origins has disturbed that lord, but thankfully, it’s nothing serious.”

He spat out a mouthful of viscous, pitch-black liquid, which instantly burned to ashes upon hitting the ground, leaving no trace, astonishing Earl Xinmu. Montgomery, however, nonchalantly wiped his mouth: "Lord Wu'an possesses an extraordinary talent for manipulation, and his methods include coercion, extortion, and addictive seduction. I happen to know a very classic trick:"

"One side first plays the devilish role, promising benefits and then demanding compensation in installments; then the other side plays the more 'righteous' judge and punisher. If they want their actions to remain unexposed, they can only bribe them at a higher price. All the gains of both sides are actually nourishment for that lord. As for that unlucky guy, he will give me everything he can get... The devil is the last to come to mind."

Compared to the devil, the devil is the epitome of gentleness.

“So… Ted was just his first ‘sacrifice,’ no, or worse,” Angelita swayed. “We have to get back quickly and speed up our march! We need to rejoin William as soon as possible, and I need to know who else besides Ted has suffered the same fate!”

William's troops were not with the Imperial Guard personally led by Richard VII, but were fighting on the western front, just like the Marquis of Marquez had done before. If they could join forces with him in advance and then unite with the Duke of Reims, they should be able to defeat the Emperor and the fake princess!

“I’m afraid it will be a little too late, Anne,” Daisy suddenly said, her expression growing increasingly grim. “Through my private ‘channels,’ I’ve obtained another set of results. She hasn’t deduced the specific method, but based on the frequency and cycle of sacrifices Magpares has made, the emperor has probably already performed at least three sacrifices, and the next one will likely be in about thirty to fifty days—excuse me, but demon sacrifices are different; they usually don’t have explicitly stated, hard requirements, so the exact date is impossible to determine.”

"But what can be determined is that Prince William's personal guard is breaking away from the entire Imperial Army on the Western Front, and its direction of movement is... Magpares."

Chapter 769 Enemy Army Blocks the Way

No matter what, he cannot go back!

Leslaufer and Angelita exchanged a glance, then Leslaufer ordered Benjamin, “Take your men and come with me to find him—Daisy, have Barbasabalon send me a message, I need his exact location!”

"I also--"

“You must take the main force, Anne,” Leslaufer said sharply, rejecting the princess’s intention. “Bella must go back and send word to gather the troops, bypass the Emperor’s western defenses, and pursue them from the rear. If things really turn out as we expect, the Emperor will not let William go after intercepting him. At that point, a few hundred Matt light cavalry will be no match for his Imperial Guard and mage legions!”

Raslaufer wasn't joking, and Angelita immediately became serious; this wasn't a good time to be temperamental and waste time.

“Sir, what about me?” Montgomery stretched the muscles in his arms. “As you instructed, several squads are already at your disposal, but as you know, transporting this force is not easy, so it’s best to plan ahead.”

Raslaufer, who was already planning to leave immediately, paused slightly upon hearing this. After a moment's thought, he said, "The destination is chosen to be Magpares. If we can't get there, we won't need you to be involved. You will stay with the troops and avoid exposing yourself unless absolutely necessary."

He turned around and looked directly into the Balrog's eyes: "But if anything happens that I don't want to hear, you're finished, understand?"

The high-ranking demon grinned, revealing his gleaming fangs: "At times like these, I regret that you haven't been able to recover all your memories: have I ever disappointed you?"

"However, I think that with the forces you have deployed around His Highness, if they can't stop him, then my intervention probably won't be able to play a decisive role either."

Leslaufer did not respond, but immediately turned and left with Benjamin. Grayish-white flames rose from his body, spreading and rising from the gaps in the broken armor. As he stepped out of the mage tower, the Nightmare, which had been waiting for a long time, also ignited the same flames, burning away all its flesh and fur, revealing a hideous skeleton.

Benjamin and his cavalrymen watched in disbelief as Raslaufer mounted his horse. They were so engrossed that they forgot to calm their own mounts, which were restless. They knew perfectly well that such a warhorse was not something they could easily obtain; their envy was nothing more than that.

“My lord, please make your preparations as well,” Angelita instructed Count Shinmu as she watched Reslaufer and the others disappear into the distance without lingering. “It will be some time before the army arrives, and I hope you will provide as much supplies as possible, as our march will certainly not be smooth sailing. At the same time, I also hope that the puppets of Shinmu City can be of some assistance.”

“I’m afraid we can’t prepare too many supplies in such a short time, but I will do my best to raise them,” Earl Xinmu nodded. “As for the puppets, there’s no problem at all. Thanks to His Excellency the Kingmaker’s help back then, all the puppets in the city are under my control. You can have as many as you want.”

"However, these puppets are also Xinmu City's mainstay. If too many are sent out, the city's defenses will likely become quite weak..."

“My lord, I think I can help with this.”

A sudden sound rang out from the dark corner, and the man who made the sound slowly stood up. He had a ponytail and a finely crafted longsword at his waist. He nodded to Angelita and the others.

“Patrick Cormon greets Your Highness—it’s been a long time.”

"Oh my god, Pa!" Daisy exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing hiding there?"

“Assess,” the paladin said bluntly, “My spirituality tells me that the evil here is far too strong, and I must first find out what is going on.”

"So, do you understand now?" Angelita calmly gazed at the paladin, without engaging in combat.

Patrick hesitated for a moment: "To be honest, no. But at least I know that you are fighting against evil—the sacrifice of blood relatives, no matter the reason, is absolutely unacceptable."

“But I’m still unsure whether I should join you, so I think it might be more appropriate to offer this Earl any assistance I can—is that alright?”

He drew his sword, and as the blade stood upright before him, a gentle yet resolute holy light shone faintly on it, revealing its power.

“We welcome any ally, and a paladin is naturally our most desired companion,” Angelita smiled sincerely at the paladin. “Also, thank you for saving Sister Grandin; I will never forget this act of kindness.”

“And what must not be forgotten is an upright and pure heart,” Patrick shook his head. “In short, go ahead and do it. As long as I have a breath left, Shinwood City will be an absolutely safe bulwark, and its residents will not be threatened by vicious enemies.”

Patrick's appearance here and his willingness to help defend the city was an unexpected surprise. Angelita and the others did not delay any longer. As the order spread throughout the allied forces, the army, which had been spread across the mountains and plains, quickly gathered together within a few days, turning into three arrows that bypassed the Emperor's western defenses. After a brief rest in Shinmu City, they moved diagonally towards Magpares in the rear.

To avoid misunderstandings, such a large-scale operation must have been communicated to all the surrounding forces in advance. However, what Angelita did not expect was that the alliance between her father and the counterfeiters was clearly much deeper than she had anticipated.

Just as the allied forces were about to bypass the Emperor's defenses, a large army that had been waiting for them appeared on the wilderness, completely blocking their path.

And the main banner fluttering above this army was actually the crest of the Matt family!

"Let's see who's here?" Hundreds of meters away, as the soldiers in front parted to the sides, a rider on horseback carried the dashing Verveti out of the crowd. Behind him followed a girl who looked remarkably like Angelita—she was the granddaughter of General Inasphilia. When the city fell, Verveti secretly took her away and raised her as a "princess."

"A barbarian from Inathas dares to call himself a princess and even openly charges into the pass. It's utterly ridiculous!"

Unfortunately, even though they tried their best and even tried to seize the initiative, when Angelita stood in front of the enemy on the back of the unicorn, it was still obvious who was real and who was fake.

Angelita glanced at the imposter before turning disdainfully to Verveti: "Too bad, I can't even be bothered to waste my breath on you. As a defeated opponent, you have the audacity to stand in my way—are you ready for yet another defeat?"