When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

"Mr. Giganon, what brings you here in such a hurry today?" Opening the door, Horn naturally displayed his social skills, embracing Giganon.

Giganon had intended to kiss Horn on the cheek according to Frankish etiquette, but Horn dodged it.

Giganon smiled thinly: "Lord Horn, I have good news to report to you. His Majesty has formally approved your national debt application."

"So quickly?" Horn was quite surprised; it had only been twenty days, and September wasn't even over yet, but they had already agreed.

Giganon made a sign of the cross on his forehead: "His Majesty the King has been touring and hunting recently, and happened to be near Red Leaf Hill.

Your request reached His Majesty in just a week, and His Majesty, being benevolent, approved it on the spot.

To show their loyalty, the local nobles of Red Leaf Hill even rushed to buy a large amount.

It is said that they bought nearly 60,000 gold pounds on the spot, and His Majesty the King was even more generous, directly purchasing over 40,000 gold pounds of bonds to round it up for you."

Although Giganon's words seemed ordinary, Horn immediately recognized it as a veiled criticism.

The actual truth should be:

Charles VIII is using the guise of touring and hunting to inspect the armies in various regions.

This is probably to prepare for the attack on Windmill Land.

Coincidentally, Horn's letter arrived, and Charles VIII simply brought the army and forced the local nobles to provide financial support to Horn.

Firstly, to weaken the strength of the Red Leaf Hill nobles and prevent the manor nobles from causing trouble in the rear during the war.

Secondly, to support Horn and indirectly strike at the Franks, striving for a strategic advantage when attacking Francia on the battlefield.

Thirdly, even if Horn loses, with these bonds, Charles VIII would have a reason to intervene in the affairs of Thousand River Valley.

Making the Red Leaf Hill nobles suffer while the Lears take the blame is a win-win-win situation.

"Excellent!" Horn couldn't help but clap his hands. With this money coming in, his bailout plan could finally be launched.

"This is the first batch of bonds," Giganon said with a smile. "His Majesty the King, in order to support your war, has also encouraged other manor nobles to buy them, and there will be another 100,000 gold pounds next year."

It must be said that the Holy Alliance and Thousand River Valley have been able to develop to their current state thanks to this King Charles VIII.

This man has provided the Holy Alliance with hundreds of thousands of gold pounds in explicit and implicit benefits, working quite diligently.

Why is he being so diligent? After calming down, Horn suddenly felt something was wrong.

He stared at the smiling Giganon: "Does the King or the Prime Minister have any message for me?"

"Hahaha, no wonder Prime Minister Lorenzo often praises you, saying, 'We have a telepathic understanding'." Giganon handed a letter to Horn.

Hearing that it was a letter from Prime Minister Lorenzo, Horn even breathed a sigh of relief.

He had corresponded with Charles VIII before, but he felt that this king was a bit off.

He always wrote strange things like "I am just that kind of man" and "If you can win against the Lears, I don't know how to cherish you," which always made Horn feel uneasy.

The moment he unfolded the letter, Lorenzo's unique, cold, and cynical style, different from Charles VIII, rushed towards him:

"To the Clockwork Artisan Bishop of Thousand River Valley:

Regarding your proposal to apply for national debt from our country, I believe that King Charles VIII has already agreed.

If you can resist the Lear invasion, that would naturally be the best, and subsequent assistance will continue to arrive.

I know that you have imitated my secret agents and established a secret agent organization called Cheka.

Perhaps we can establish trust in the alliance by sharing information, which will be the first step.

Finally, my little bird gave me a message that I believe will be helpful to you.

After King Giniges defeated Duke Nidebach, although he himself is still on Dawn Island, his royal guard captain and 12 decree companies have recently arrived in Immortal Stone Field.

I hope you will be careful.

Your friendly collaborator, Lorenzo."

The Royal Guard Captain should be the person named Raoul.

The information that Armand collected from Windmill Land mentioned this person.

Don't underestimate him just because he is a Royal Guard Captain. Although his official position doesn't seem high, this position is actually similar to the Kingdom Commander of the Frankish Kingdom.

The Guards Captain commands the King's Own Guard, an all-elite infantry directly under the King, totaling about 7,500 men.

Unlike the Decree Companies, the King's Guard is generally commanded by the King himself.

This army was created by the former Lear King after his pyrrhic victory in the Battle of Windmill Land, imitating the Dungar phalanx.

So, after Giniges defeated Nidebach, he did not return to his hometown or attack Windmill Land, but instead placed his elite forces in Immortal Stone Field?

Wait, a drop of cold sweat ran down Horn's forehead.

Suddenly, Duke Winghive, who was excavating the Innoson Dam.

Some of the Immortal Stone Field troops returned.

The rumors about Morelia's identity, which came from nowhere in Hotham County.

The inexplicably erupting riots.

The desperate collusion and sabotage by the Plains faction nobles.

And the Franks quickly approved the loan he hoped to borrow.

Charles VIII even took money out of his own pocket, giving Horn 40,000 gold pounds.

Horn began to feel uneasy, while Giganon obediently stood up: "I have reported the situation. Please excuse me, Your Excellency."

… … … …

Horn's fingers tapped rapidly on the gilded gear-decorated tabletop, the ticking of the brass clockwork clock resonating with the sound of his heartbeat in the room.

As Martin spread out the parchment map, Catherine had already marked the riot areas in Hotham County with red and blue ink.

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"Seven towns have continuously erupted in riots within three days. This is definitely not a spontaneous act by vagrants." Dipping his quill into the inkwell, Catherine's brow furrowed with dark clouds.

Martin's knuckles heavily knocked on the location of the Hotham County capital: "The rioters accurately burned down three military grain warehouses, and Holy Path monks were throat-slitted—damn it, why are we only reacting now?!"

"Who would have thought that Giniges would abandon Windmill Land to attack Thousand River Valley? Thorns Garden should be ahead of us, right?" Catherine scratched her scalp, messing up her hair.

Horn sat on the sofa, his face showing no expression.

Through this information, Giniges' actions were already obvious.

First, he reached an agreement with Duke Winghive to exchange territories, ordering him to excavate the dam and release the flood.

Then, he attacked Duke Nidebach, auctioning off land and manors to raise military expenses while secretly transferring troops.

Finally, he transported spies such as Demon Hunters and Shadow People into Thousand River Valley in batches and on multiple occasions.

The Gravelplain people deliberately provoked, luring Morelia to attack.

Then, using the dam to "wash away" Morelia's influence and control, dispelling the fear of Morelia among the Thousand River Valley nobles.

Then, through the influence of the noble groups, they expanded the contradictions, provoked friction, and incited riots.

What's next is already obvious.

"The Lears are very likely to invade before the end of the year, or even in the coming days." After Horn said this, the two who had been discussing intensely quieted down.

It was as if the dancing dust particles in the sunlight had also quieted down.

The Lear were about to invade, not in June next year, not in April next year, but this year, even recently.

Martin and Catherine both felt a tickling in their throats, as if something was blocking them.

This moment of stillness was broken by a knock on the door.

"Your Eminence, a Cheka commissioner is here to visit." The privy monk poked his head out from behind the door.

"Let him in."

The Cheka commissioner, dressed in a black uniform, stepped into the room like a hunting dog, quickly arriving at Horn's ear.

"We must warn Herman," Martin said to Catherine as if waking up from a dream.

Catherine's gaze was completely focused on Horn's face.

Catherine noticed that the Patriarch's pupils suddenly contracted—this was the first time she had seen such a reaction since she had known Horn.

Seeing that Catherine was ignoring him, Martin turned around and said to Horn: "Your Eminence, we must warn Herman."

Taking a deep breath, Horn tore open the buttons on his collar: "It's too late."

"Too late… what do you mean?"

"Last night, the garrison of Stonehand Fortress and Ironhelm Fortress mutinied.

Under the leadership of noble adjutants, several knights killed the garrison commander and the accompanying priest, surrendering to the vanguard of the twelve decree companies from Immortal Stone Field…"

Horn's throat rolled with difficulty. He stood up, walked to the counter, and poured himself a glass of pine nut wine for the first time.

"Now, the vanguard of the Lear forces is less than twenty miles away from Iron Gate Town."

The clockwork clock at the bottom of the Uffizi Palace suddenly chimed.