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

That's really strange.

“I thought they attacked because they assumed I wouldn’t be here,” Leslaufer pulled a skeleton from the pile of corpses. It was the leader of the former enemy force, now missing half his head. “But if I’m not here, then of course I’ll be there—who gave them the audacity to attack me first?”

If they were trying to avoid his sharp edge but went to the wrong place, then Leslaufer could understand, but it seems that the other party clearly didn't consider that much.

“There’s another piece of news,” the little devil interjected cautiously, “According to the imposter princess’s dying words, the escaped Verviti is likely planning to lead her remaining forces to retake Xinmu City—although those puppets are useless in open-field battles, their existence has certainly been discovered…”

“No need to worry, there are people guarding over there,” Raslaufer said. Although he and the paladin didn’t get along, they could agree on the point of trusting each other’s strength. “Let that clown go if he wants to. He’ll run into a third nail.”

"What I'm more concerned about is, has he gone mad? Why is he choosing targets so randomly?"

Raslaufer had suffered losses at the hands of Verveti, and the ambush in Inasas had caused him considerable damage. Moreover, the other party was a seasoned mercenary leader with considerable experience, so this current method of splitting forces was clearly illogical.

“Perhaps it’s not him who’s gone mad, but his boss. You know, there really are those kinds of bosses in hell… utterly unreasonable,” the little devil rambled on, then quickly covered his mouth when Leslaufer turned around. “Oh, master, I wasn’t talking about you—and of course, I wasn’t talking about the Grand Duke or Lady Zhengling either, please don’t—”

“No, you’re right,” Leslaufer stared at the little devil for a moment, and after confirming that the other party wasn’t making a deliberate suggestion, he turned to look in Magpares’ direction. “There really is someone who’s gone mad up there in Verveti, isn’t there?”

Everyone called him "Mad King".

After the sacrifice, William led his men to retreat, while Vervier ordered his men to launch attacks from all directions...

“Go tell Anne to ignore Xinmu City, and even abandon the integration of those remnants and the battlefield inventory,” Leslaufer pointed to Barbasaballon, “and march immediately toward Magpares, no matter what obstacles you encounter along the way!”

Chapter 774 The Archbishop of Angola

"Benjamin! Where's Benjamin? Are you still alive, kid?"

Benjamin Russo limped over as the armor plates on the corpses beneath his feet rattled. His troops, being light cavalry, were no match for the well-rested Bane followers in terms of equipment. This encounter had resulted in significant losses for his men, and he himself had sustained several wounds. "Sir," he said, "I'm here... I guess I'm still alive."

Raslaufer frowned at him. They didn't have any priests or druids who knew how to heal, and unless he was going to abandon them all in the wilderness, the road ahead would be anything but easy. "Find someone with minor injuries and a good horse for him. I need to know about the situation on Grand Duke Lance's side as soon as possible—if that emperor really went mad, it certainly wouldn't just be happening here."

Benjamin nodded and immediately turned to select his men. Barbasabalone didn't linger, but before leaving, he noticed Reslaufer's predicament:

“Great master, you shouldn’t continue to associate with these mortals. They are just a burden,” the little devil blinked, looking very sincere. “Even if you continue to advance alone, how much power will you lose? I’m just a little devil and I don’t know much, but even I can see that time is not a plentiful resource for you right now.”

It didn't try to persuade or tempt anything further, but immediately disappeared from the spot, leaving Raslaufer alone to ponder.

“Sir, that little fellow is right,” Benjamin turned around, behind him three swift horses galloping away—their last three “good men” and three good horses. “You have your own business to attend to, leave us behind. Don’t forget, we are, after all, citizens of the Empire, and we can make a living anywhere.”

“The wilderness doesn’t discriminate based on where you’re from,” Leslaufer frowned. “We’ve come all the way here at an angle, and the nearest village isn’t exactly close.”

In the past, Raslaufer would have simply abandoned them, but perhaps it was a habit he had developed from taking care of Anne for several years, and when he saw that these people were clearly unable to protect themselves, Raslaufer couldn't help but hesitate.

"Take a break and search these bodies; they might still have some healing potions on them," Raslaufer commanded. These attackers were, after all, priests and believers, and based on his experience in Corazonde, they were very likely to have unused medicines on them. "Get yourself in shape as much as possible, and let's continue on our way."

“You need not take them with you, Your Excellency Kingmaker.”

A sudden voice rang out in the wilderness, sounding harmless, yet it made everyone instinctively wary.

"Who goes there? Show yourself right now!" Raslaufer brandished the greatsword that bore the same name as his title, surveyed the surroundings, and took two steps to the side, seemingly unintentionally shielding several wounded men behind him.

The voice rang out again: "...When Cardinal Edas recounted to us what Ruffer of the Quiet Stream Society had seen, we could hardly believe it, but now it seems that you do indeed possess extraordinary qualities—an extraordinary human being, and an extraordinary demon."

"The influence of the goddess of peace is indeed justified."

Before Leslaufer could press him further, an old man in a black satin robe, leaning on a wooden cane, slowly stepped out as space twisted and stood before Leslaufer. He was not dressed as some ascetic of the wilderness; his robe was trimmed with gold, and the tip of his cane was inlaid with a valuable pigeon's blood stone.

"Let me introduce myself. I follow in the footsteps of Angolan the Drinker of Light and am the fifth of the eight archbishops of the Empire. But for you, it is enough to call me Egon."

Raslaufer nodded cautiously. Angola, the sect's garrison in Shinwood City, had once helped Angrita conceal her whereabouts. Although not as reliable as Adas's followers, they were far from being enemies.

Why have you come?

“This question…you might be very suited to be a bishop,” Egon paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile, the few strands of white beard on his chin trembling slightly. “How should I answer this? I came for you, for His Majesty Richard, for Prince William, and for Princess Angelita. Even for the Duke of Lance, in short, for the Empire.”

"It's time for this war, which started because of His Majesty Richard, to end with him."

“I thought you and the followers of Oak Valley would enjoy this kind of war,” Reslaufer said, looking at the old man. “War, death, how could the gods of the realms of death and war not like it?”

A subtle smile played on Egon's face. "I also thought that a mercenary like Your Excellency the Kingmaker would enjoy this kind of war. But what brings you here?"

"Although I see wreckage all over the place here, shouldn't you be fighting on a grander battlefield and enjoying the thrill you deserve?"

“Of course I—” Raslaufer instinctively tried to retort, but Doppler clearly didn’t have the Archbishop’s eloquence, otherwise Raslaufer would have been wearing the other’s robes.

“You see,” Egon nodded slightly, “we all believe this war is wrong and should be ended. So let’s not go into so many details and get straight to the point.”

He looked at Raslaufer and the Matt light cavalry around him: "I have brought news about the Eastern Front: the Emperor's army retreated without a fight not long ago, and the Duke of Lance pursued them, only to find that it was not a rout, but an orderly retreat, and the target of the retreat was Magpares."

"Richard plans to fight a defensive war using the capital city?" Leslaufer blurted out incredulously. The next second, he remembered the assumptions he had just made. "No, this is his plan, isn't it? His goal is to ensure the success of the sacrifice to William."

The Archbishop of the Drinkers blinked in surprise: "You know more than I thought, that's certainly the case. We tried to dissuade the prince from returning, but his condition... wasn't quite right, and we couldn't intervene rashly."

“You gods, you can’t do this or that,” Leslaufer shook his head. “Why don’t you just kill that emperor? Don’t tell me you can’t! Anyway, tell me quickly, why did he insist on performing that ritual? What was it for?”

“Do what the Matt family has always tried to do,” Egon sighed. “There can only be one voice in the Empire. The gods recognized by the Matt family are the true gods, the mages recognized by the Matt family are the true mages, the currency recognized by the Matt family is the true currency… It’s just that His Majesty Richard miscalculated on the last point.”

"He lacked patience and faced greater resistance and fewer supporters than the previous two, so he decided to rely on external forces—as you can probably guess, not external forces from this world, but external forces from another dimension. In order to achieve the family's goals in his hands, he was willing to sacrifice everyone around him."

"As a follower of the Light Drinkers, I glimpsed this in the oracle. Even though the vast majority of others will have their memories of the Crown Prince erased by the interference, unfortunately..." The Archbishop smiled with a hint of helplessness, "What you said isn't entirely wrong. I truly lack the power to stop it, because..."

"My lord seems to be more looking forward to the changes that His Majesty Richard's success will bring."

Chapter 775 The Right Path

Leslaufer looked at the Angolan archbishop with surprise; he didn't seem to know someone with such rebellious tendencies.

But he doesn't seem like the kind of "prophet" or "wizard" who has gone mad from taking certain herbs.

"Then what you're doing now, wouldn't that be..."

Egon seemed to have anticipated Reslaufer's reaction: "I am a follower of the Light-Drinkers, but also an archbishop. Fanatics are not allowed to take this position, after all, serving a god only requires death, but beneath our robes are the followers of the entire empire—the Light-Drinkers will understand."

Whether that deity could understand it or not, Leslaufer was unsure; in any case, he didn't quite understand it. As things stood, setting aside any discussion of religion, the archbishop's piety was probably only slightly greater than his devotion to Edas.

But then again, no matter what, the other party came to help him, so Leslaufer wouldn't be so eager to send them back.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore—Your Excellency, what exactly is your proposal for coming here?"

Egon glanced at the light cavalrymen around him and their horses: "It's simple, I'll help you solve the problem here—please all come closer, very well, even closer."

The archbishop raised his staff and prayed softly: "We walk in a false light, but we must not let our own selfish desires lead us into eternal darkness... Mass healing!"

In an instant, a black halo gathered in the gem at the top of the wooden staff, as if it were about to engulf all the light in the world. Almost simultaneously, within the space that Egon could see, a thick fog, like a dark spell, rose up. The fog enveloped all the wounded, drawing away everything that Angola needed from them: injuries, pain, even disease and toxins. They were stripped away, forever separated from these flesh-and-blood mortals and horses, and plunged into the eternal darkness of the divine realm.

"It's all better now? It doesn't hurt anymore!" A cavalryman jumped up in surprise, looking at his body in disbelief, while around him, even more excited shouts soon rang out.

Although there were hundreds of soldiers here, and the number of mounts was almost double, Egon's divine magic was still able to completely cover all of them and heal almost all of them to a near-perfect degree.

“Now you can continue your mission.” Egon bowed slightly to Raslaufer with humility. As the spell dissipated, his body retreated and disappeared from the scene in the blink of an eye, just as he had arrived.

"Sir, is this also an old acquaintance of yours?" Benjamin moved his leg incredulously, and after confirming that he was indeed healed, he rushed over to ask.

Raslaufer rolled his eyes: "Under what circumstances do you think I would possibly meet the Imperial Archbishop? I'm no different from you; we just met him for the first time."

"Then why did he..."

“Of course, it’s because we’re on the right path,” Raslaufer said, glancing at the mercenaries looking at him. “You’ve all seen, heard, and felt it! Your injuries and ailments have all been healed! Now, everything is clear: what we’ve done is right, and even the major churches of the Empire are on our side! We must continue, and we will surely win the final victory!”

"Send another person to report what we have seen and heard here to Her Highness. Everyone must know that our justice is to overthrow the Mad King and end all of this!"

"Overthrow the Mad King! End all of this!"

Raslaw wasn't particularly gifted at public speaking, but his mere presence was enough to command the attention of those around him, who would echo his slogans. However, not everyone was swayed by this; Benjamin, for instance, didn't join in the chanting, even though he had just been tirelessly rallying his band members.

But that was just to show Reslaufer his stance: he didn't care whether the Kingmaker was right or wrong, or how right he was; he was on Reslaufer's side.

“But Your Excellency,” the young mercenary leader leaned closer to Nightmare Reislaufer’s side and whispered as the group resumed its march after everything was arranged, “we’re all mercenaries, and this is what we earn. If all of this ends, and the emperor is overthrown… then the men under Grand Duke Lance certainly won’t be able to challenge us. So, who will we eat then?”

"When the empire wasn't in turmoil, did they starve to death?" Raslaufer glanced at him.

Benjamin chuckled and said, "No, not really... But you see, we used to make a living in Inasas. We can't say we didn't earn as much as we did in the Empire, but now you've united the whole of Inasas. Where are we brothers supposed to go to beg for food now?"

The light cavalry in the eastern part of the empire were not particularly strong even within the empire. Although Benjamin had reformed them after taking over, it was still quite difficult for them to compare with the mercenaries of Inasas who had been tempered by years of conflicts among the kingdom's nobles. Right now, they could take advantage of the internal strife to play both sides, but once the war was over, it was conceivable that there would be far fewer places where mercenaries would be needed. He could not afford not to make plans at this moment.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Raslaufer and Angelita, but even if he could get some rewards after the war based on his merits, firstly, many mercenaries didn't have the intention to plan for the long term, and secondly, even if they did have some plans, could the rewards be enough for them to retire on the spot?

Leslaufer did not answer the question immediately, but after riding for a while longer, he slowly spoke: "So we all agree that long-term laborers are better than short-term laborers."

Benjamin's eyes darted around: "That's not true. There are several benefits to short-term employment, but with you around, we'll still have to rely on you for everything in the future."

“Very well,” Leslaufer nodded. “In that case, why don’t you just stay with Angrita all the time?”

The light cavalry leader didn't react for a moment, and subconsciously opened his mouth: "Your Highness? That's probably not a good idea. I think it's better to follow you... Wait, do you mean?"

“After the Mad King is overthrown, the empire will eventually need a new emperor,” Raslaufer said calmly. “The eldest prince, Ted, is probably already in grave danger. As for William, even if he survives, I do not approve of him becoming emperor.”

Benjamin's pupils contracted and contracted. If Raslaufer were just an ordinary Doppler, his approval or disapproval wouldn't matter much. But the problem was, he was now the Kingmaker, and countless kingdoms of Inassus, or rather, the reigning kings, had benefited from his favor. So, his disapproval meant...

These kings and their soldiers are all within the empire and are on their way to Magpares!

Chapter 776 Father and Son

The River of the Elders flows silently around the walls of Magpares. This river, named after Flavius, the founder of the empire, has witnessed the rise and fall of the empire over the centuries. And today, it continues to silently serve as that witness.

Even with a large army at the city gates, even with the capital heavily guarded, and even with a strong smell of rust permeating the palace.

William Matt, the second prince of the empire, walked up the steps with a blank stare, step by step through the now almost deserted garden, and finally stopped outside a pavilion like a walking corpse.

In the pavilion, a man around forty years old stood with a red, trapezoidal silk cloak draped over his shoulders. His knee-length robe was embroidered with gold thread and inlaid with jewels. His scepter, a symbol of imperial power, was casually leaning against a corner, while his longsword and the chainmail lining remained in place. He was embracing an extremely beautiful young woman, and they appeared to be deeply in love.

However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the woman has two ram's horns spiraling upwards on her head, and her lower body has a pair of ram's hooves with inverted joints. If you continue to observe, you can even see a pair of tiny, almost useless wings on her back.

Unfortunately, neither of the two humans inside nor outside the pavilion seemed to notice any of this.

“William, my son,” the middle-aged man turned his head, his expression slightly fluctuating when he saw William, “come stand here and let me take a good look at you.”

the last time.

Prince William obediently stepped forward, allowing Richard VII's hand to stroke his head and cheeks, and finally pat his arm.

"Come on, tell me about what you've seen and heard during this time."

Richard spoke softly, as if he were a father, not an emperor or a high priest, and as if the person before him were his son, not a lamb to the slaughter.

The creature held in the emperor's arms shifted its expression, and the next moment, a black shadow emerged from William's head, half of its head protruding out. William seemed to lose control as a result, and his expression became slightly more lively.

He meticulously reported to Richard everything he had done in recent days: taking control of the Imperial Army's western front, cooperating with the followers of Bane and Verveti, his views on the "Princess," and finally receiving orders to lead his personal guard of knights back to Magpares.

Richard listened patiently, occasionally asking questions. He spoke eloquently and clearly, and his demeanor was calm. He showed no signs of the "madness" of the so-called "Mad King" outside, and instead seemed almost like a wise ruler.

Unfortunately, all of this can only remain at the level of "almost".

"Your Majesty, it's almost time."

Just as Richard was about to ask the last few questions, the beauty in his arms suddenly stirred, coquettishly speaking as she did so. Behind Richard, a dark shadow also appeared, burrowing slightly into the emperor's head as the creature spoke.

But to the surprise of the two dark figures and the person nestled in Richard's arms, this time, a useful manipulation and suggestion did not take effect immediately. The emperor shrank his neck, and a look of pain appeared between his brows.

"...No, there are still things to do."

The creature's face revealed an undisguised annoyance, but its voice became increasingly charming and seductive, carrying a hint of coquettish complaint:

"Alright, Your Majesty, please continue. I wouldn't dare disturb you."

This male human's will is not easily corrupted. If it weren't for his impatience and obsession that pried open a crack, it would have taken many more years to infiltrate this world.

The demon thought with dissatisfaction, "Although most demons want to invade the material world, they don't stick together at all. Instead, they betray and fight each other. Isn't Eastern Inassassin the best example? That half-baked demon lord has somehow gotten into playing house with mortals!"

Or perhaps... this is just a disguise, and that Leslaufer Otto is hoping to use it to squeeze out other competitors?

The demon couldn't understand why she had been in the material world for so long, leaving her so out of touch with the world. But none of that mattered. As long as she completed the tasks assigned by her lord, she would naturally be promoted. Unlike her kind, who lurked in other parts of the empire, she was the most resourceful and the one who couldn't afford to fail.

That's why she knew perfectly well that she couldn't rush things with this mortal father and son. After all, there was no one in the palace who could save them, so spending a few more minutes wouldn't be a big deal.

She loosened her grip on Richard further, even slipping away lightly towards the pavilion herself. She didn't want to push too hard—she'd learned her lesson the hard way.

The little princess, the infant, faced such fierce resistance from the emperor when she demanded Richard offer her as a sacrifice that it set her efforts back almost a decade. The demons ultimately had to compromise: the infant would only be offered to the great Dark Lord after everything was accomplished.

However, in the brief moment she left, Prince William's eyes suddenly cleared, and a faint glimmer appeared on the metal clasp on his right shoulder of his cloak. Before Richard could continue his meaningless questions, he preemptively asked his own question:

"...Father, where did my eldest brother go?"

Richard paused, then instinctively replied, "You are my first and only son..."

“No, this is not right!” William stepped forward and said sharply, “Wake up, Father! We all remember that I have an older brother, Ted! I remember, you remember, even Anne remembers! This can’t fool anyone!”

"And what about our mother? You said she died suddenly from an illness, but why can't I even see her coffin or her grave? What about her sisters? Weren't her sisters the concubines you favored the most? And what was that thing that was neither human nor sheep just now?!"

You must understand—

The prince's face contorted with intense struggle and resistance. He clutched his head, growling and desperately trying to fight back, but the shadow behind him relentlessly pierced the depths of his mind, completely suppressing his feeble resistance. Just as William Matt was nearly sprawled on the ground, his expression returned to a blank, calm. He stood up and bowed apologetically to the emperor.