Masked Knight

The King’s last sentence was like roaring thunder to Rody. Before his words sank in, the King had already fixed his gaze at Rody.

"Hahaha…" Rody suddenly laughed. He did not show a shocked expression. With a calm demeanor, he slowly spoke, "Your Majesty must have mistaken my identity. I am a Commander of the Empire’s Imperial Guards, an Earl of the Empire, Rody. I am not a Duke."

The King sighed and softly said, "Duke, why are you still hiding the truth? I have already seen through your identity."

Rody smiled, "Your Majesty must have mistaken. His Excellency the Duke of the Tulip Family is well known in the Imperial Capital of the Radiant Empire. Many people have seen his appearance. How could you mistake me as the Duke?"

The King squinted his eyes, making it impossible for others to guess his thoughts. He then slowly said, "Although I am not in a harmonious relationship with the Temple, I still receive some information from the Temple. The Black Veil Saint began to reject her engagement to Paladin Fielding when she returned from the Great Moon Kingdom. There was news from the Temple that this matter has something to do with the Duke of the Tulip Family. Hundreds of thousands of people also witnessed Paladin Fielding challenge the Duke of the Tulip Family to a duel at Thunder City! Isn’t this enough of a proof? Yesterday, at the palace, the Black Veil Saint was by your side. Judging by the way she looked at you, I already knew why she became an apostate!"

Rody smiled and casually gave the King a glance. "Is it just from this speculation that Your Majesty believes I am the Duke of the Tulip Family? This is too…"

The King laughed loudly. His laughter interrupted Rody’s words. "Hahaha…Although based on that I would have some doubts, I would not think in that line of thought. However, I received two pieces of news last night. These two pieces of information made me suspect your identity."

Rody quietly looked at the King. He was shocked, but he continued to pretend to look calm as he waited for the King to continue.

"Earl Rody, I have heard of your battle last night at the Crown Prince’s palace! Others may not know Leho’s strength, but I certainly do! As Leho was originally a Royal Knight, I have a clear understanding of his strength! You can easily defeat Leho and your last move of condensed aura has clearly reached the level of a Sacred Swordsman!" The King gradually spoke slower. "Earl Rody, although I am from the distant Roland Continent, due to the previous relationship between our countries, I am not ignorant of the internal affairs of your distinguished country! A Sacred Swordsman is extremely rare in the Radiant Empire! However, I have never heard of your name before even though you are a master."

Rody still shook his head and replied, "This is merely hearsay. The Radiant Empire is vast and there are plenty of masters living as hermits. Not all of the powerful people are renowned!"

The King’s expression remained unchanged as he coldly added, "Coincidentally, I received a secret letter from your distinguished country last night. It is said that the Duke of the Tulip Family is using the excuse of nursing his injuries and has not appeared in public for a very long time! Earl Rody, is this also a coincidence?"

Rody could not help but frown secretly. He was not actually worried about it. However, the King had obtained this secret info from the Empire extremely quick. Because Nicole was still in the Empire, Seth’s identity might be questioned.

Sure enough, the King smiled and said, "The more puzzling thing was, the report said that Miss Nicole was still in the country. At the moment, she is at the fief of the Tulip Family! I certainly wonder, if the eldest daughter of the Tulip Family is still in the Empire, then who is the ‘Miss Nicole’ you brought here? The more puzzling thing is that the ‘Miss Nicole’ you brought here and the eldest daughter of the Tulip Family look very alike!"

The King sighed. When he saw that Rody still did not say anything, he deliberately laughed and continued, "Since there are two ‘Miss Nicole’ at the same time, then for the Duke of the Tulip Family to disguise as Earl Rody and secretly bring your sister to the Roland Continent to investigate...Wouldn’t that make sense?"

Having said all that, the King seemed to exclaim in admiration. "You brought your sister out to attract the attention of others while you disguise as an Earl. Duke of the Tulip Family, your trick is truly brilliant! Unfortunately, you did not expect me to receive this information so quickly!" The King’s tone gradually became dignified. "I will also not hide from you. Your distinguished country is powerful and has always been the thorn in the eyes of the Sauron Kingdom! How can I not pay close attention to the movements of your country? News from the Empire can be sent across the Straits of Thunder to me within four days using messenger eagles!"

After that, the King finally stopped speaking. He looked at Rody quietly and expectantly.

Rody took a deep breath and then slowly spat out. Rody suddenly burst into laughter when he looked at the expression in the King’s eyes. His long laughter filled every corner of the hall as he shook his head helplessly.

"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!" Rody’s laughter slowly stopped. "Your Majesty, I have no choice but to admit that I admire your sense of conjecture! If it is really according to what you said, even I cannot help but think I am the Duke of the Tulip Family. Unfortunately…" Rody pointed at his own nose and shook his head. "I am not."

The King coldly looked at Rody and asked, "Duke, you still refuse to admit it?"

Rody deliberately gave a bitter laugh and said, "The Duke of the Tulip Family is world-famous and has the attention of many! To tell you the truth, I, too, hope that I am him. However, the fact is that I am not him!" He gave a ridiculous smile and added, "Your Majesty, I advise you to severely punish your spies in our country!"

"Oh, why?"

Rody pretended a sigh and said, "Although what he reported to you about His Highness the Duke of the Tulip recuperating behind closed door is true, he seems to have forgotten to report one thing!"

Rody slowly added when he saw the King’s puzzled face. "Of course, your spies cannot be blamed. After all, they were following your orders. They only focused on important trends and will not care about insignificant people like me. However, if you were to order them to make inquiries, you will receive the news that would clear away your doubts!"

Rody pointed to himself and then said, "I, the Commander of the Imperial Guards and an Earl, am Miss Nicole’s lover and fiancé! Although not many people know about this, if you were to order an investigation, the information should not be too difficult to obtain!" Rody then laughed happily. "If I was the Duke of the Tulip Family, how could I become a couple with my sister?"

The King finally looked serious and he frowned. "The fiancé of the eldest daughter of the Tulip Family? This…I really did not receive this information…but…" The King suddenly looked at Rody coldly. "Then how do you explain there being two Miss Nicole?"

Rody lightly said, "Your Majesty, this matter may not have anything to do with you, but I have no choice but to tell you to dispel the doubts in your heart. Miss Nicole coming here with me is a secret! In fact, it is not appropriate for her to come to the Roland Continent with her identity. After all, both sides have just experienced a war against each other. The noble Miss Nicole could not have come over here. His Majesty the Emperor has also rejected her request, but she insisted on coming with me. The Duke of the Tulip Family has always listened to his sister from an early age. In other words, even the Duke cannot object to her words. That is why we had to find a substitute to deceive the public and avoid being punished by the Emperor."

The King frowned with a peculiar face as he thought about Rody’s words.

In the King’s heart, Rody’s explanation seemed very reasonable. However, he still felt that something was wrong.

Rody then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the situation now is pressing. Your Majesty took pains to trace my identity and look for minor issues, but is overlooking the important matter at hand!"

The King thought for a moment. He then squinted to look at Rody and whispered, "I still believe that I am not wrong!" He then shook his head and smiled, "It doesn’t matter if you are a Duke or an Earl. If Rody is unwilling to get to the bottom of this, then we should just leave it aside!"

The King still insisted on his speculation. According to his observation, the ‘Earl Rody’ has extraordinary bearing and was like a senior general. This kind of talented person could not be an unknown person in the Empire. However, Rody’s explanation had shaken the King’s heart.

On top of that, even if Rody was the Duke of the Tulip Family, there was no need to tear away the disguise he had painstakingly tried to hide.

There are things that would be better kept in the heart and not mentioned at all.

The King laughed when he thought of this and loudly said, "The Earl’s words are rational." He paused for a moment and looked back to the map on the ground. He lightly said, "Since the Earl seems to have some difficulties, let us continue our talk from earlier. This dwarf race’s cake…"

Rody forced a smile when he heard the word ‘difficulties’. He understood that King Sauron was still suspicious of him. As a result, a few words would be impossible to dispel the King’s doubts. However, with the King being willing to skip this topic, Rody could not have asked for more.

"Alright. Let us put aside the earlier conversation. I only need to ask you one question!" The King was really a veteran in politics. His expression changed quickly and his calm expression was restored. "Rody, are you willing to help me obtain this piece of cake?" The King asked and then pointed his scepter onto the ground, pressing it on top of the dwarf kingdom at the center of the map.

Rody did not immediately give an answer. He carefully looked at the King for a moment, sizing up the situation, then asked, "Your Majesty, do you think I should help you?" He stared fixedly at the King’s face. The Sauron Kingdom would obtain endless profit from acquiring this piece of cake. But it would be meaningless for the Empire.

The King gently smiled. His smile was like a cold hidden knife. "If I am not wrong, the Empire’s purpose in the peace negotiations is also not a noble one. The Empire simply does not want the Temple to unite the entire Roland Continent! A fragmented Roland Continent is less threatening than a Roland Empire. The promise of sending back the prisoners is nothing more than wanting us and the Temple to fight each other."

Rody looked at the King’s sharp gaze and unyieldingly said, "So what?" He then sneered and added, "I recently learned something. There are no permanent friends or permanent enemies in this world. Your Majesty, right now, our peace negotiation is just something both sides require. We just need to accommodate each other's interest, there is no meaning in speaking more beyond that." Rody gradually spoke in a mocking tone. "If we follow Your Majesty’s argument, it is also not noble to have secretly funded the Great Moon Kingdom to fight against my country."

"Hahaha." The King suddenly laughed and shouted, "Well said! There are no permanent friends or enemies! I only ask of you, are you willing to help me?"

Rody simply smiled silently. The King then gathered his thoughts and said, "The peace negotiation has already concluded. The confrontation with the Temple is about to begin! The dwarf kingdom does not only have control over most of the ironwood. After hundreds of years, they have accumulated a lot of wealth! Obtaining this wealth would be a great help in our next confrontation with the Temple…" The King then smiled and looked at Rody meaningfully. "A person who has fought many battles like you would understand that war consumes money!"

Rody nodded.

The King continued as he loudly said, "I do not know how that old fellow, Prometheus, managed to get the help of the Dragon race! The Dragons have never involved themselves in the affairs of the Roland Continent before this but now, they are willing to help the Temple. This matter constantly makes me uneasy. The stronger the enemy becomes, the greater the threat we will face. When the Sauron Kingdom obtains this cake, the other kingdoms would not have any choice but to obey me! We would need to join our forces together to fight against the Temple’s annexation! In the current situation, it is one of the only things that could give us an advantage. Is there any other reason to hesitate?"

Rody was secretly shocked at the King’s bold ambition. He could not help but say, "Eating this piece of cake may certainly help the Sauron Kingdom’s leadership position on the Roland Continent. However, Your Majesty did not seem to consider the other possibility…" Rody looked into the King’s eyes and slowly said, "The Sauron Kingdom might provoke the anger of the other kingdoms and become everyone’s common enemy! At that point in time, rather than join forces, there would be an internal strife."

The King did not mind Rody’s mocking words and lightly said, "I am unable to care about that much!" He showed a very confident smile and continued, "I do not believe that there is an absolutely perfect plan in this world! Everything depends on human effort! The current situation gives me no choice but to gamble! If I obtain the cake, I would acquire and control the strength of the other kingdoms by alternating coercion and inducement, thus combining disparate forces into one powerful force! How can I not be attracted to such temptation?"

Gamble!

Rody’s eyes suddenly shrank. He looked at King Sauron with a complicated feeling.

This person was ambitious and had drawn up a bold stratagem! It was an all-or-nothing gamble!

He was an ambitious gambler!

Rody felt a sense of admiration. He gave out a long breath before he smiled and said, "In that case, what else can I say? However, Your Majesty insists that I help, but I am unable to figure out where I can give my assistance!"

The King smiled and said, "In this surprise attack, I will personally command the army! I hope that you, Rody, will follow me out to the ocean…Oh…Naturally, you will be my advisor! I hope you can give my army brilliant commands and lead them to victory!" The King smiled cunningly. "I believe that this would benefit both our sides. I am sure you will not oppose this suggestion."

Rody frowned. "You trust me that much give me the command of your army?"

The King shook his head. "Naturally, I cannot give it to you. After all, you are not from the Sauron Kingdom. This time, I will personally command the soldiers! Your orders will be conveyed through me." The King seemed to notice Rody’s concerns. He then gave a shallow smile, "I believe that with your brilliant successes and my great expectations of you, you will not disappoint me."

Rody knew that nothing would change no matter what he said now. He looked at the King, then he bowed and left.

The King watched Rody leave. When the door to the main hall slowly closed, the King suddenly stopped holding his breath. He looked tired as he slowly walked back to his throne. After thinking for a while, he suddenly whispered, "What do you think?"

From the dark corner, the voice of Master Sith could be heard. "Suspicious! This Rody is definitely suspicious!" The head of the Sorcerer’s Association of the Roland Continent sighed. "I have carefully observed him, but I cannot see through him even with my strength! My Appraisal Technique was completely ineffective!"

The King shook his head. "That means he is definitely that person!"

After a moment of silence, Master Sith suddenly asked, "Are you sure you want to gamble?"

"Yes!" the King immediately replied. "If I miss this opportunity, I will definitely regret it later!"

Master Sith suddenly laughed. His old voice seemed to carry a sharp mocking tone, "You so strongly insist on fighting the dwarves…Is it for the ironwood resources, wealth, or…" His voice gradually became faintly discernible as he continued, "…is it to obtain the hundreds-of-years-old legendary ‘God’s Record’ that is in the dwarves’ possession."

The King suddenly stood up and turned pale. "Master Sith, you have also heard of the ‘God’s Record’?"

Sith coldly said, "The Sorcerer’s Association has been around for several hundred years. We always knew about things like that…" His tone gradually became sharp as he asked, "Are you not concerned about the curse of the ‘God’s Record’ in order to deal with the Temple? Even the Temple was afraid of the curse and had no choice but to stop the war against the dwarves! Let me warn you. The ‘God’s Record’ absolutely must not appear on the continent. Otherwise, there would not be just disaster!"

The King laughed arrogantly and said, "Did you mean disaster or destruction? If the Temple succeeds, the first one to be destroyed is me! If I am going to be destroyed, I will not mind dragging everything down with me!"

Sith looked at the King laughing wildly. With a complicated expression and as if talking to himself, Sith lowered his voice and said, "The ‘God’s Record’ must be kept away from the heaven, the earth, and the people…Sigh. Many years ago, the dwarves threatened to destroy ‘God’s Record’, forcing the Temple to be afraid of making rash decisions. I think you are really crazy!"

...

"The King has intentions to kill you!" Seth faintly said after he heard what transpired in the palace between the King and Rody.

Looking puzzled, Mouse frowned. "Intentions to kill? Even if the King suspected Rody’s identity, he would not be so foolish to become hostile to the Radiant Empire."

Seth shook his head and calmly said, "If what Rody said is true, then King Sauron is a person who likes extreme risks! Even a three-year-old child knows that the Duke of the Tulip Family is an important figure in the Radiant Empire! Is there a better opportunity than this for the Sauron Kingdom to kill the Duke of the Tulip Family?"

Mouse still did not believe. "Although the temptation is great, the Sauron Kingdom now needs the cooperation of the Radiant Empire! He will not be so foolish as to offend such a big enemy from the South while facing against the Temple at the same time!"

Seth glanced at Mouse and coldly said, "A woman is a woman. You will never understand the beauty of politics!" Seth hastily continued when he noticed Mouse’s glare. "Since Rody insisted that he is not the Duke of the Tulip Family, then the King will just act dumb. Then, if Rody is really killed, it is just the death of an ‘Earl’. He could simply claim that Rody was assassinated by the Temple. Even if the Empire does not believe, there is no evidence! Besides that, even if there is a falling-out with the Empire, will the Sauron Kingdom be afraid?" He smiled and said, "The Sauron Kingdom only needs the hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war! Once they receive their prisoners of war, even if they have a falling-out with the Empire, the Empire cannot do anything. With the Straits of Thunder as a buffer, the Empire cannot cross over. Even if they can, the current Empire does not have the strength to launch another large-scale war!"

Mouse coldly said, "Let them try! With our strength, do you think the King would be able to kill us even if he wants to?"

Seth did not get angry. Instead, he laughed and said, "I know both of you are powerful. One of you is a Great Practitioner while the other is a Domain Master. However, even if you are powerful, you are still humans! As long as you are a human, there must be weaknesses! A Domain Master is not an immortal!" Seth suddenly sighed. "Everyone has a weakness. Even powerful people cannot escape this fact! Knowing that he cannot fight you directly, can he not think of other ways? Deep inside politics, even the most shameful and despicable acts can be done."

He suddenly looked at Rody and frowned. "Did you tell the King that you are ‘Miss Nicole’s fiancé?"

Rody hesitated for a moment. He then nodded and said, "Yes, I did use that as an explanation to him."

"Good explanation! However, I am afraid I will end up in misery!" Seth sighed. He showed a strange expression and smiled wryly. "Listen carefully! From now on, you all would need to wholeheartedly protect me! If the King cannot kill you, a Domain Master, won’t he find a different place to strike? You fool! Right now, my identity is your fiancé, Miss Nicole!"

Old Mark and Mouse gave a supercilious look at the same time. Both of them had the same thought.' You even need others to protect you? It is already a thankful thing if you do not go and harm others!'

Rody, who had been pondering, suddenly showed a strange expression. "Seth, your words earlier reminded me of something."

"What?"

Rody suddenly laughed as he gently touched his chin. He then smiled and said, "Earlier, didn’t you say that the Radiant Empire cannot cross over with the Straits of Thunder barring the path?"

Seth nodded. "That’s right. What about it?"

Rody stood up and smiled. "Crossing the ocean… This is not impossible."