Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 329: Kalia has only one Majesty

"Demand?" Lacard keenly grasped the word used by Ogrian and said in a playful tone: "Uncle, what you mean is that after the Azalea Knights and the Academy have actually committed acts of rebellion, what we should do is not to wipe them out immediately, but to listen to their demands first?"

"This..." Ogrian cursed in his heart, but his face still showed true feelings. He sighed and said, "If your mother was still healthy, we wouldn't have to be so cautious and weigh the pros and cons. But now the situation has changed. Not only has the royal power fallen into someone else's hands, but after the death of the Beta God Envoy, the situation in the court was once turbulent, and many aftermaths have not yet subsided."

"Personnel appointments and dismissals, military and political reforms, factional strife, these problems originally needed the joint efforts of the knights and the officials in the court to solve. No matter from which angle we consider it, we are far from ready to start a war. This time, let His Highness and the Chief act willfully. Going to Galid to repel one-third of the outer space enemies is already the limit of what Kalia can do."

"As for the Western Territory, Dujuan and the Academy have loyally served the royal family for many years. Although there have been some changes this time, it has not yet developed to the point where bloodshed is inevitable. We just need to ensure that the army returns in time. Even if there are a few ambitious people behind this unrest, they will have no choice but to surrender in the face of the unshakable strength of the royal family. At that time, Dujuan will still be Kalia's Dujuan, and the Academy will still be Kalia's Academy."

"absurd!"

Veteran General Dunn shouted angrily, "Repulsing one third of the star beasts? You are a duke bestowed by the previous king. How can you confuse right and wrong in front of His Highness? What we encountered is just a group of stray star beasts. The real main force of the beast tide is fighting a bloody battle with the ancient dragon army sixty kilometers away! Are you going to violate the agreement of the three dynasties to fight against the evil god together and betray the thousand-year-old alliance between the Star Moon Clan and the Ancient Dragon Dynasty?"

"How can you say that!" Another royal noble responded angrily, "We have traveled thousands of miles to Gaileid and cleared the entire western front. Just because the Ancient Dragon Dynasty was eager for quick success and quick profit, they ran into the main force of the beast tide first, and we, the men of Kalia, are required to bleed and sacrifice for them!"

"Besides, it's not that we are unwilling to help. There is a civil strife in the Western Territory! If there is a civil strife in Fam Yazra now, Lucia Sanx can also withdraw. Can we still blame them for breaking the covenant?"

"What can Du Juan and three or two rebellious school factions accomplish! The chief is still in the royal court! By the time we abide by the covenant and seal the evil god, the rebellion at home may have been quelled long ago!"

"You have no respect for your king and father! In any case, His Majesty is seriously ill and the royal court is empty. If you don't rush back to ensure the safety of Xingyue City, do you want to lead an army to rebel?"

"It was you who said you wanted to negotiate with those rebels to discuss your demands. I think you are trying to fish in troubled waters and seize power!"

Except for the "pyroxene dragon" Moret who remained silent, the nobles and generals below started quarreling with each other in a few words, and some even rolled up their sleeves to start a war if they disagreed.

Because the conflict broke out so quickly, Duke Ogrian even stood beside Lakkad, holding his nephew's wrist.

Listening to the increasingly intense quarreling behind him, the wrinkles on his face stretched out one by one. His expression was not anxious or angry, but calm, as if he wanted the juniors in front of him to understand what true military spirit was.

And, see who holds the real say in Kalia today.

Lacard turned his gaze to the third Sikarian knight on his left and said calmly, "Lord Morelet has been the commander of the legion. Is there anything else you want to add now?"

Moret glanced at Ogrian and shook his head, saying, "I have nothing to say."

"Lord Moret is sensible..." Ogrian gently put down Lakkad's wrist, glanced at the man standing solemnly behind him, and smiled, "After all, your father and Fam Azra have an inseparable relationship. If you make random comments on the internal affairs of our Kalia, it will inevitably make outsiders who don't know the inside story doubt your position for no reason."

"Your Highness, since the total votes are now six to two, you should immediately announce to the soldiers the order to return home tomorrow morning. I believe that Generals Dunn and Weigeles will understand right from wrong after they sober up. As for the Highness, as long as his heart is still with his mother and the royal family, he will sooner or later understand our painstaking efforts."

He stood up straight, straightened his collar with a smug look on his face, no longer paying attention to the still angry pro-war generals, but looking at Lacard on the commander's seat with ease and leisure, like a peerless general who could keep the enemy thousands of miles away while chatting and laughing.

"Number of votes?"

Lacard sat up straight for the first time since the meeting began, blinked and asked, "What votes?"

"Your Highness, you——"

"I heard something Lord Moret said that touched my heart - he didn't have anything to say. Well, I think so too. It's been very hard to be in charge of the military these days. It's enough to listen to the pre-war performances of the gentlemen present and relax. There's no need for me to perform with you."

"Second Prince!" Ogrian was furious. "Are you really going to disregard the morale of the army and the general trend, and go your own way for your personal friendship, so that tens of thousands of Kalia soldiers will be buried with the Ancient Dragon Dynasty?" "Fuck the morale of the army and the general trend!"

Lacard swung his sleeves violently, creating a surge of energy that hit Duke Ogrian's chest hard, causing the fat and bloated old man to vomit blood and fly backwards!

"I'm just playing with you and calling you uncle, but you really think you're a pillar of the country? Three or five nobles with royal blood are in collusion, and you dare to talk nonsense about the general situation in front of me? In front of the two armies, do you think this is a court meeting that Rodel puts on for outsiders to see? Is it your turn to vote on the advancement, retreat, life and death of a hundred thousand troops?"

"You - Your Highness, you." Ogrian's face changed rapidly, and finally froze on a pale color of fear.

He struggled to shrink back, sweating profusely, and said, "I am the duke bestowed by the previous king. You can't treat me like this. This is against the rules. No, it's not decent."

The other five nobles who wanted to retreat had been so frightened that they fell to their knees when Ogrien was beaten and vomited blood. At this moment, their legs were trembling and they looked as panic-stricken as dogs that had lost their homes.

On the other side, except for Moret who looked quite helpless, Dunn and Wigeles were both dumbfounded.

Lakkad jumped off his seat, took two steps forward, squatted down and patted Ogrian's fat cheek, narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Do you know why I have been so respectful of your 'rules' and 'propriety' during this period?"

"I have known about the rebellion in the West for a long time. In other words, those Dujuan, Shuangxian and Lazli who are connected with you have been under our surveillance since they started planning the rebellion. I have been playing with you these days to relieve my boredom and to make you parasites line up and jump out to die one by one. Otherwise, if there are still a few remnants left after the cleansing, it will be disgusting even if it doesn't cause any harm. Don't you agree, uncle, father?"

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

"I am wrong. I have been too proud of my achievements and lost my mind." Ogrian prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed madly. "I only accepted some bribes from those damn cuckoos and magicians, and never dared to collude with them. Who would have thought that they would dare to rebel, Your Highness!"

What responded to him was not Lakkad, but the sound of soft footsteps coming from outside the tent.

The visitor was a gentle and beautiful female magician, but in stark contrast to her temperament, the hem of her skirt and cuffs were stained with fresh blood.

"Lady Oranvinia." Lacard nodded to the fifth Sikaria Knight, the "Star Warlock" Oranvinia, and Moret also turned around and smiled gently at his comrades.

"Your Highness," Orlanvinia bowed, her gentle voice diluting the blood in her body, "From Duke Ogrian's eldest son Kasirov, all officers who have been connected with the rebels have been executed. The officers I brought from the court have replaced them. The army is now stable and the general situation has been determined."

She threw a pile of letters that had been decrypted on the ground, right in front of Ogrian.

"Your Excellency the Duke may not know that fifteen hours ago, the main force of the rebels was defeated by our imperial guards thirty kilometers southwest of Menqian Town. We found these letters and lists in the homes of several rebel leaders who were executed. Unfortunately, the names of your family and those of these gentlemen are included in them. After multiple verifications, His Majesty had no choice but to authorize us to suppress the rebellion in accordance with the laws of the dynasty."

"Where is my little son Vassian?!" Duke Ogrian Windson raised his head suddenly, his pupils filled with bloodshot, "What have you done to him?"

"I'm sorry, but all the royal branches with the surname Winderson appear on these lists."

"You bunch of lunatics, demons! He is only eight years old, eight years old!" Ogorian roared at the top of his lungs, "You are killing the royal nobles who have the same blood as Your Majesty. Aren't you afraid of death?"

"This is probably the last time we will talk, so I would like to remind you once more, Your Excellency the Duke."

Orlanvinia leaned down slightly and whispered in Ogrian's ear: "It was His Majesty who authorized us to quell the rebellion. Please remember firmly in the last moments of your life that there will only be one His Majesty in Carlia."

(End of this chapter)