Our family is in decline

Bastia.

Like all surrounding areas where some conditions can be seen, the black clouds on the distant skyline that have not dissipated for a long time have been a very hot topic recently.

However, most ordinary people soon lost interest. For those serfs who couldn't eat enough and were exhausted every day, it was not them who suffered the disaster anyway. Who had time to think about these things that had nothing to do with them?

What these ordinary people should worry about now is that the master says he wants to fight barbarians and keeps sending people to fight.

You must know that this is not Hamlet. Most of the nobles recruit soldiers like young men. Given this number, the people below have to find a way to get so many people.

But you must know that a group of young men were harvested some time ago, but few came back alive. During the autumn harvest, almost half of the families were crying.

Now it comes again, who can withstand it?

Only those noble lords have the time to think about what is going on over there.

From the castle in the territory of Baron Lawrence, looking at Hamlet in the east, it is still covered by the thick black fog.

Although he was climbing up to see far away, being able to see it here showed that the black screen covered a large area. This power that was beyond human understanding made him full of uneasiness.

Similar to Walter, those who had experienced the catastrophe at that time had a deep fear of this scene, not to mention that his daughter was still there, which only deepened his pressure.

However, when the appointed time came, he restrained his excess emotions, put on a black hooded cloak, and walked into the secret passage holding a candlestick.

In front of the familiar iron grate of the sewer, there was a simple knocking sound in the darkness, which was also responded to by a knocking sound. Lawrence then walked out, and the weak candlelight could only vaguely illuminate the blurry figures of the two people.

"slogan."

Although it was a familiar voice, and they had always been in single-line contact, the two parties still made contact after tedious verification.

"This is what you want." After confirming his identity, Vic handed over a letter, and Lawrence quickly stepped forward to take it, and then read it by the weak candlelight.

"We will ensure her safety. At present, everything at home is under plan and the risks are controllable."

Vic briefly explained that in order to stabilize Lawrence and determine the direction of his own mission, he had been keeping in touch with Hamlet through Ovendo.

I also received more detailed information, confirmed that the situation was still under control, and brought back this letter.

Lawrence was still able to recognize his daughter's handwriting, and coupled with her attitude of complaining about being left in school, it was basically certain that she was safe, which gave him some peace of mind for the time being.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Since Lawrence got the response, he naturally knew that he needed to work. Otherwise, he wouldn't have contacted him with just a letter. Meeting him in person was not easy.

"The situation at home is precisely because the cultists were at a disadvantage as a last resort, so you expected that the cultists would definitely take action during this period, and our people did find traces of the cultists in the city. You Need to prepare."

"After what happened last time, the count asked people to keep an eye on me. What should I prepare?" Lawrence heard this and did not fully agree.

The last time the two parties met, they formulated a plan to abandon Alvin and play the cult card to draw the church against the count.

Although Lawrence pretended to be dead as soon as he came back, he looked overly sad and cut off contact with other people in the outside world.

But in fact, as soon as he came back, he used the reason of looking for his daughter to disperse his confidants and break them into pieces to reduce the earl's attention. At the same time, he was observing the loyalty of those people and trying out some of them.

After formulating the plan, those people were finally activated, and with Vic's intelligence support, an evil sacrifice scene was "accidentally" uncovered.

Then he brought this matter to the ears of some noble lords. After he cleverly made some suggestions, those nobles also realized that the church was obviously more useful than Alvin's sign.

Why do those nobles raise Alvin's flag?

It was because they realized that the earl wanted to push Bruce to the throne and was preparing to attack them. It was also because of this that they were unwilling to start a war and could not let the earl lead internal conflicts to the outside.

Moreover, your strength will be wasted during the fight, and you will have no chance to resist at that time.

Choosing to support Alvin and Bruce in the ring is also a kind of helplessness. After all, it is still an aristocratic system. As vassals, they cannot openly fight against the earl.

But leaning against the church is equivalent to jumping out of this restriction, and the target that can be fought directly changes from Bruce to the earl.

This is also the reason why they abandoned Alvin so decisively after being guided and turned to the church.

Those nobles held the banner of the church and used the cult to force the earl to cancel the battle against the mountains.

It is not necessary to really fight against the cult, but to wait until after the first snowfall and the mountains are closed by heavy snow, there is no possibility of starting a war. Even if a war is to start, it will have to wait until next year. It is hard to say what the situation will be by then.

Although Lawrence pulled away afterwards, it also attracted the earl's attention, and he was already staring at him, so it was difficult to do anything else.

And Vic has been here for so long, so he naturally knows what's going on, but he said it very directly.

"Don't worry about this. The count is busy fighting with those people in the ring now, not to mention he won't be able to jump around for long."

"It went so well. The Earl didn't react to those people. Based on my understanding of the Earl, I'm afraid it's not that simple. If this happens, I won't be able to gain the Earl's trust, and I won't be able to come into contact with the control of the Knights."

Lawrence originally wanted to provoke the earl to confront other nobles, so the earl would need to stand up for him, or he would need to re-employ him in order to appease other nobles.

At that time, he could take the opportunity to take over part of the army and even the Knights.

"Do you think the earl will believe you at this time?"

Vic is not a child, how could he not see that this guy just wanted to protect himself, and immediately exposed him, and then added:

"What's more, we don't have much time left. If we don't take any action after the family affairs are dealt with, we will not be needed."

Vic knew some of the lords' plans and understood that after Hamlet's internal problems were resolved, restoring the territory would be the next major task, and that day was not far away.

"I know."

Lawrence responded calmly, without any anger at being exposed, because he knew that he couldn't get off the ship once he got on it...

As Vick said, the Earl was caught off guard by the cult that suddenly appeared, but if you say he really lost his composure because of this, then you are underestimating this [Tiger of the Empire] who has suppressed the mountain barbarians for more than ten years.

In the castle built on the mountain in the city of Bastia, the Earl was handling affairs in the room as usual.

A man's peak is in his thirties. If he is pampered and well-maintained in his forties or fifties, he is still in his prime. But the Earl was able to sit in this position because he crawled out of a pile of dead bodies. He had suffered countless injuries in half a lifetime of fighting. Although he was only in his fifties, he already had a head full of white hair.

The strong body that could once wrestle with a bull, the vigorous energy that could kill the enemy without closing his eyes for two or three days, have all disappeared like the departing autumn.

On the contrary, aging is inevitable. Just as winter is approaching day by day, the weather is getting colder and colder. The old injuries on his body are also aching with the change of weather. He can only wear heavy clothes, which makes his body look a little hunched.

Especially compared with Bruce's tall and strong body, it is more obvious, so now more and more things are basically handed over to Bruce.

Just like the cult case that happened this time.

"The investigation found that it really looks like a sacrificial ceremony left by a real cult activity..."

But the earl is still in good spirits and sneered when he heard this.

"Why can't it be those barbarians? Don't they often do these blood sacrifices?

And it suddenly appeared at this time. Isn't it possible that those guys deliberately made it to avoid fighting?"

Bruce couldn't help but fall into silence when he heard this.

He deals with barbarians every day. How can he not know what the style of barbarian rituals is?

But he also understands what the earl means by saying this. Isn't it just to push these things to the barbarians, or those nobles, anyway, it can't affect entering the mountain.

"The church has also sent people. They believe that this is a cult sacrificial activity."

"That's perfect. If the church doesn't believe in sending military priests into the mountains, they will definitely find those barbarian priests who like human skin and skulls."

The earl was like a piece of meat on a rolling knife. He completely ignored the earl's noble status. Bruce soon realized that his father was teaching him. He was about to say something but fell silent and fell into thought.

At this time, the earl continued to speak slowly.

"Don't get into the enemy's rhythm. We must firmly grasp the initiative of the war.

The facts or the truth are not important at all. Those people want to use the cult to make a fuss, so we can also guide them in our direction."

"I understand father, but we have to be cautious about the attitude of the church, right?"

"Why do those people think that the church is really on their side? What can those guys give? This bishop wants to be promoted to cardinal without our support. Even in the church, we have friends."

The earl said it all. Didn't he really think that he had run Bastia for so many years, spent so much money, and raised so many people, just for today?

Where do those churches get so many fanatics? The lower the level, the more devout and fanatical the faith. It will be no good for the upper level to fight against the cult.

Bruce finally understood why his father didn't care about those guys getting close to the church, but let them go.

Because this is simply a trap set by the earl and the church.

The church doesn't have the courage to fight against the cult, but it has the courage to make money by fighting against the cult, and it is very big.

Now those guys are paying money and sending people to curry favor with the church, which is just the fate of the "Four Families in the South of the City".

When the time comes, the earl will return the money in full, and everyone will share the four families' points. The church will get the money and the earl will get the land, a win-win situation.

Facing those fanatics who are instigated to clamor for fighting against the cultists, the earl also has something to say -

Cults must be fought at all times, and they must be fought!

But this cult needs me to define it.

These are the easiest to fool, and they are determined and can endure hardships, and they are also strong in fighting.

It's just right to be a military chaplain or a crusader to fight against the barbarians, and you can also take the opportunity to eliminate a wave of fanatical believers and other extremists to improve your control over the territory. These details are all things Bruce needs to learn.

"It doesn't matter if it's despicable, because history is always written by the victors, and no one will remember the losers."

"I understand."

Bruce was also a little emotional for a while. Those people were so happy, and they took this opportunity to think they could fight against their father, but they still couldn't escape their father's control. It was really pitiful.

"But you still have to be careful about cult matters. I suspect it has something to do with Hamlet."

Bruce still reminded him that everyone knew about Hamlet's cult, and the fact that it was now shrouded in darkness was really shocking.

"It's just a few cultists, just let the eagles deal with it." The count didn't care, they were just a few cultists who came over, they didn't count at all.

Under his control, Bastia was impregnable, and there was no way a few cultists could cause trouble.

This is why many noble lords allow the church to preach. In this desperate world, ordinary people need some spiritual support. The bright faith of the church can occupy and compress the living space of most cults.

Therefore, it is difficult for a cult to take any action when the situation is stable. Only when order collapses will it have the ability to cause chaos.

It is precisely because of this that the count doesn't care much about these rats who can only hide in the sewers all their lives.

On the contrary, another thing alarmed him even more.

"Do you think Lawrence had anything to do with this?"

The earl asked suddenly, his tone a little subtle.

Bruce knew that this was a test of himself, so he pondered for a moment before speaking:

"As soon as those people encouraged Alvin, the cult thing came out. It was a bit too coincidental. Regardless of whether it was related to him or not, it could only be related.

Because he is Alvin's teacher, he seems to have only Alvin as the continuation of his power when his daughter is missing. There is enough reason to exclude Alvin and protect him from the side.

What's more serious is that he wants to use this to make us fight. He stands in the middle and seems not to favor anyone, but neither of us can ignore his existence, and his importance is even stronger. "

After speaking, Bruce paused for a moment before coming to his final conclusion.

"You can win over him, but you can't give him real power. Otherwise, it will be easy for him and Alvin to have unnecessary fantasies."

The earl didn't say anything after hearing Bruce's analysis. He just nodded, but his attention was obviously not on it.

"Where's Alvin, what do you think?"

"Let him leave Bastia so that he can be kept safe."

"If there was no turmoil in the empire, I would definitely send him to the emperor's knights to train, or he would be a wandering knight in the empire.

But it doesn't work now. Alvin's identity is very sensitive. Any action we take will be regarded as taking sides. Don't make any statements to the outside world until the situation is clear.

So it cannot be released..."

The count shook his head, and suddenly his calm tone turned into a harsh scolding:

"I thought he would grow up after what he suffered in Hamlet, but now he seems to be still a child,

No! He is an idiot! He actually led my whole knights to fall in Hamlet. Even if I let a pig lead me, there is no way I could have captured them all.

He asked me to give him money to redeem him. As a result, my knighthood has not yet recovered. Why do you still have the nerve to be angry with me? I don't have such a stupid son. "

The disappointment and anger were undisguised, but the count soon calmed down, and his words revealed a kind of indifference, without much affection at all.

"Keep him grounded and unable to leave the castle. We cannot allow him to disrupt our plans. We will send him away after the situation becomes clear. The further away from the empire, the better."

"Would this hurt him too much..."

Bruce also had a headache. Everyone knew about Alvin's twisted character. It would be harder to ground him than to kill him. There would definitely be trouble by then, and he didn't want to make it so ugly.

The count didn't say anything but glanced over, which immediately made Bruce feel stressed.

It's self-evident what it means. If you can't control him, you are not qualified to be the heir.

To this, Bruce could only nod in agreement.

"Go ahead, don't feel pressured. You are protecting him. Otherwise, if he continues to cause trouble, it will not be something that can be solved in a few days." With the most outstanding heir in front of him instead of his subordinates, the Earl finally calmed down. .

"yes!"

Bruce left, and the count fell into silence and looked out the window blankly, with strong reluctance and of course a little fear.

Because that direction is Hamlet...

The count can control the situation while talking and laughing, but some people are hard to say.

In the city of Bastia, a quarrel was breaking out in a secret room that no one could detect.

"Damn it, can't you just do something cleaner? Do you know what's going on outside? The church has discovered your traces. What if it's found here?"

Alvin's words were as irritable as ever. He was very angry now. The nobles who had gathered around him suddenly dispersed and ran to hug the church because of this incident.

This made him feel a strong sense of humiliation, and of course fear. After all, the Imperial Church was even more powerful than the Emperor.

Under the bloody candlelight, you can see that most of the missionary's body is still shrouded in black robes, but he remains calm in the face of questioning.

"They were all discovered in villages and towns outside. With so many people in the city, no one would notice if a few were missing. Besides, you are very satisfied with the effect of [Ascension Dagger], aren't you?"

Speaking of this, Alvin also restrained some of his anger, and couldn't help but feel the exquisite dagger hidden in his clothes.

After killing people with this dagger, you will become stronger, but because the corpse will become like a mummy, you cannot use it casually, so let the Ascension Sect provide people and dispose of the corpse.

During this time, his strength also increased dramatically, and after feeling that kind of power, he would not be willing to remain silent.

As long as he is stronger, it is not impossible to defeat Bruce and prove that he is not impossible. As for the ordinary people whose vitality is devoured by him, he doesn't care. On the contrary, it is the honor of those untouchables to be able to turn into his own power.

But the missionary opposite him took the opportunity to encourage.

"Let's do it. As long as the ceremony is completed, Bastia will be yours immediately. You are the man chosen by God, and they are just obstacles on the way to ascension."

"Impossible, I have said many times not to touch them." Alvin's face couldn't help but twitch when he heard this. He said it nicely. He is not one of those ordinary people. How could he easily believe it? He can use the power of these guys, but Can't go exactly their way.

After all, these lunatics want to kill the Count and Bruce.

Alvin wanted to prove himself, not become their puppet.

"But they don't think so..."

The missionary laughed strangely, raised his hand and cast a spell. Alvin actually heard the voice of the earl talking to Bruce. These guys actually had the ability to lurk around the earl. What a terrifying ability.

But Alvin's focus was not on this. He only heard his father's scolding, which made him feel red and warm, as if even the darkness of the underground secret room could not hide it.

In fact, if the process is complete, you can feel the protection of Earl and Bruce for Alvin, but the cult also understands the basic principles of recording, and as a preacher, he knows how to inspire people.

Although there was no forgery, some deletions and splicing were made to the content, which resulted in the entire paragraph being about the two people's dissatisfaction and dislike of Alvin.

After all, it was the Earl and Bruce who suffered the loss of unprofessional spellcasting consultants. If they created a ritual to disrupt spirituality, they would not be so easily spied on and eavesdropped.

"You see, they have never cared about you. They have wanted to kick you away for a long time. Once imprisoned, you will never have a chance again."

The missionary lifted the channeling ceremony and continued to encourage Alvin.

"Impossible, do you think I will believe you?" Although Alvin was full of anger, it was a miracle that he hadn't lost his mind yet.

"Go, we have prepared sacrifices for you."

After hearing this, Alvin couldn't hold it any longer, turned to the other side and left the secret room, clutching his chest.

The missionary didn't stop him, but just let him leave, but he couldn't help but started to complain.

"Fear, I smell the smell of a poor guy. It's not that he doesn't believe it, he just doesn't dare to believe it, let alone resist, but he doesn't hesitate at all when he sees the benefits. How did we choose such a greedy and cowardly person."

That is to say, Alvin's inheritance is needed to control the entire Bastia from the top. They are also worried about the counterattack from the church and the nobles, otherwise who would want to deal with a giant baby.

It’s kind of funny that even the cult dislikes Alvin.

"The outcome was doomed from the moment he took the dagger." At this time, a tall but extremely skinny guy gradually walked out of the darkness, wearing a black robe and holding a unique staff.

If you guessed correctly, this is the leader of the Ascension Sect that Lance has been looking for for a long time.

"The seeds have been planted, but unfortunately we don't have much time. Let's sprout them tonight." The leader said, but his attention was not here.

There has been no news from God for a long time. They need to take control of Bastia as soon as possible, and then use this to take the lead in uniting others to launch a crusade.

"Yes!" The missionary also exited the room, leaving only the leader in meditation, hoping to get instructions from God...

Here Alvin walked around and came out of the secret room. He was actually in a high-end club as a cover-up, and he also smelled of alcohol. He didn't know whether it was to cover up, or because the news just now gave him too much excitement. pressure.

Anyway, when he came out, he was hit by the cold wind and his whole body trembled. The drunken expression on his face began to subside, and he lowered his head and returned to his home outside. He had not returned to the castle for a long time, since he was redeemed that day.

However, at this time, there seemed to be a person at the door, and that tall figure made people feel inexplicably stressed.

"Have you been drinking?" Bruce frowned slightly. He didn't remember Alvin's habit of drinking, and it was still early in the morning.

And this sound put great pressure on Alvin. It was difficult for him to raise his head in front of his brother and remained silent.

Bruce didn't say anything after seeing this, but relaxed his tone.

"Go back, go home and have a look."

Bruce knew that if he let others come over, he would definitely not be able to let Alvin go back, he would have to come by himself.

But he didn't expect that this sentence seemed to stimulate Alvin. He originally didn't believe the words of the cult leader, but now he couldn't stand it anymore and raised his head and said something strangely.

"Yes, you won, now you can laugh at my joke."

"What are you talking about? Is it really so difficult for you to go back and see your parents?" Alvin's sudden words made Bruce confused.

To be honest, he is not good at dealing with this kind of thing. He is more accustomed to tightening his serious and unsmiling face in the army and knights all year round, putting on a stern look and reprimanding his subordinates.

Perhaps this can make a soldier fear and obey, but there is no doubt that this attitude has stimulated Alvin again.

"This is just an excuse for you and your father to imprison me. Do you think I am stupid too!"

Bruce couldn't help but fall into silence when he heard this, but the look he gave Alvin was a little strange.

"Hmph, have you admitted it?" Alvin sneered fearlessly now, "Are you going to imprison me, poison me, or drive me out?"

"Who told you what? Where did you hear these messed up words?"

Bruce became more and more dissatisfied, and instantly thought of those nobles who dared to incite Alvin and wanted to provoke brothers to kill each other.

"Don't believe those guys, they just want to provoke the relationship between us, we are a family."

"Those guys have always been under the control of you and your father, right? What can they do? Oh, yes, of course, including me, a fool."

Alvin seemed to have opened his mind, all kinds of yin and yang, and I don't know who he learned from.

Bruce was not good at dealing with this kind of situation. This brother was really a little strange to him now, so he could only speak coldly.

"Let's go, come back with me."

"No, that's your home, not mine!" Alvin also restrained his playful smile and looked at each other without fear.

"Pa!"

This also angered Bruce, and he raised his hand and slapped him. The next second, Alvin's sluggish expression was also indescribably surprised and unexpected. Only the cheeks that began to turn red proved that it was not an illusion.

He didn't expect Bruce to really do it, after all, he had never hit him since he grew up.

"You actually hit me..." Alvin was so angry that his voice was trembling and his whole body was shaking.

That was not fear, but anger, like a sign of a volcanic eruption.

"Why can't I hit you? Come back with me now!"

Bruce was used to maintaining his dignity. Although he calmed down, he would never allow any weakness. Instead, he became more tough and wanted to suppress Alvin.

"Okay! I'll go back with you and see what he can say!" Alvin covered his face, tilted his head and looked at him with suppressed anger.

Bruce wanted to explain something, but the earl put a lot of pressure on him before he came. If he couldn't prove that he could suppress Alvin, his father would definitely use a more cruel method to deal with this matter, and it would not be as simple as house arrest.

So Bruce tried his best to suppress Alvin to protect him, which was true.

But no one cared about Alvin...

The quarrel was at the door, and the hoarse shouting attracted the attention of many people, including the missionary who chased out.

"Fun~" The missionary saw this scene and knew that the previous arrangement worked. He murmured and turned away.

Regardless of how those people acted, Alvin did not come back to be imprisoned, but to see his father, Lord Bastia.

"Talk to my father later, admit your mistakes and this matter will be over."

Bruce didn't want the two to meet, because he had a hunch that the two would definitely have a bigger quarrel.

But it was obvious that Alvin would not listen to him and broke into the earl's study directly.

"Father!" Alvin shouted, his chest pumping exaggeratedly like a bellows.

The earl seemed to have received the news and was not surprised by Alvin's appearance. Instead, he waved his hand to signal Bruce and the butler to leave.

"I can finally see you, my father." Alvin walked forward and looked at the man with a complicated expression and asked, "Is this what you mean?"

"What do you mean?" The earl asked back calmly, and his attitude was so cold that it seemed that the man in front of him was not his son, but just a subordinate.

"Let Bruce imprison me."

"No, in fact, I prefer to send you away. Bruce thinks the situation outside is unstable now, so he lets you stay at home for a while and see what happens."

The earl's explanation was very calm, but it was this attitude that made Alvin collapse.

"Does this make you so unhappy?"

"Didn't I give you a chance? It's fine that Bruce and I have to clean up your mess since you were a kid, but what did you do this time?"

The Earl also slammed the table and roared, "The entire Knights couldn't even take down a declining town in your hands, and they were all captured.

Since its founding, Bastia has never been insulted like this. Even if I let a pig lead the knights to charge, this situation would never happen. You have lost the face of our family!

This time, I ran several times for your trouble and spent a lot of money to redeem you, but you made trouble for us as soon as you came back. You even dared to collude with those nobles to deal with your father. Don't you know what they want to do?

If you were not my son, you would have died long ago. You can still ask me what I did wrong here. People who don't know would think that you have suffered a great injustice. Don't you know whose fault it is?"

The Earl is not without temper, but he usually doesn't show it casually, but now behind closed doors, he has no scruples and his anger gushes out.

When it comes to the urgent point, he even walks forward to answer Alvin's original question.

"Okay, you asked me what you did wrong, and now I'll tell you - why didn't you die in the battle? Why did you come back alive?"

The vented emotions hit Alvin's spirit like a torrent, and his spirit, which was originally wrong, was close to collapse.

Alvin has lived under the shadow of Bruce since he was a child. When he was a child, everyone told him that he had a good father and a good brother, and they all hoped that he would be well.

At that time, he didn't think much of it, but felt very proud, and tried hard to do better and catch up, but when he grew up, this situation became more obvious.

So that no matter what he did, he had to compare with his brother, because Bruce was so outstanding, and Alvin was "disappointing" since he was a child.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, everyone used Bruce's situation to demand him, or questioned him and suppressed him, causing Alvin's character to become distorted.

In essence, he is a sensitive and fragile child. What he wants may not be an heir, but just the recognition of his father and brother.

In fact, deep in his heart, he has always had a kind of worship for his father or brother, so he has always disagreed with the cult leader.

But now it is not necessary.

Alvin's will is being tested... crazy!

"Everyone wants me dead! Why not you?"

A strange aura grew from Alvin, and after a ghostly scream, he pulled out the flying dagger hidden in his arms and inserted it into the earl's chest.

"You!" The earl did not expect this, his face was full of shock, he raised his hand and grabbed Alvin's clothes tightly, staring at his son in front of him with wide eyes.

"I...this...no..." At that moment, Alvin's face also showed a horrified reaction, subconsciously raised his hand to pull out the dagger, and his mouth began to speak incoherently.

But the power on the dagger had already exploded, the earl fell to the ground, blood began to flow, and his vitality disappeared.

If Bruce could put down his high status and choose to talk to Alvin as a family member and an elder brother, perhaps he would not go to extremes.

If the earl could put down his status as a lord and explain the current situation as a father, perhaps he would not have reached this point today.

If the earl did not approach to stimulate Alvin...

Fate gave them many chances, but they were all judged to be invalid. What is the probability?

There is no hope...

"Ahhhhh!"

Alvin was so shocked by this scene that he went crazy and screamed.

The noise finally alarmed the butler outside. When he opened the door, he found the earl lying on the ground, bleeding, and Alvin holding a dagger.

This scene did not need any explanation, and it made the butler look terrified.

Alvin had no way out, or he had gone crazy and rushed over.

Of course, the butler turned around and ran, shouting.

"Guards! Guards!"

There were many people in the castle, and they were attracted by the sound, but they were stunned when they saw Alvin chasing the butler.

The butler was quickly caught up by Alvin, and the dagger was inserted into his back, but at this time he did not care about himself, but continued to shout.

"Go and inform Master Bruce that Alvin has killed the Earl."

"Ahhh! Die!" It would have been better if it hadn't been mentioned. Alvin seemed to be stimulated. He stabbed a few more times and the butler soon turned into a mummy.

Alvin felt the endless power of the dagger, and a strange smile appeared on his face. Then he killed and took the power of those lives.

For a while, the castle was in chaos. Everyone began to flee and spread the news...

The Earl died, and was killed by Alvin, his son.

What does this mean? Many people didn't believe it at first, but more and more people who escaped confirmed it.

The cultists who were paying attention to this side naturally noticed what happened. Even they didn't expect Alvin to take action and even ruined their plans.

Alvin acted so rashly and crudely that it was basically impossible to receive it perfectly, but now he couldn't care so much. The leader immediately decided to take Bastia.

There are two difficulties. One is Bruce, the heir, and the second is the church in the city.

"The missionary will take people to deal with Bruce, and I will deal with the bishop. You go to seize the city gate, and you must be quick. Dedicate Bastia to my Lord." The cult leader assigned tasks to his men and announced the start of the war.

When the leader walked out of the secret room, he raised his hand high, as if a strange wind swept across the city out of thin air. Those lurking cultists seemed to have received guidance, and corruption began to sprout...

At the same time, all forces in the city also responded.

Vic, who was lurking in the city, had already laid spies around the castle and received the news at the first time. At this time, he also smelled a hint of something wrong, which made him feel like he was stepping into a conspiracy.

This was not in his plan. According to the estimation, the conflict between the two sides would not break out so quickly, not to mention that it started with Alvin killing the earl.

Did the earl fake his death to lure those people to take action? Was the army actually ready to suppress it outside?

Or did something really happen?

At this time, a gust of wind blew, and Vic reacted instantly. There was a familiar feeling in it, which was the corrupt breath of the Ascension Sect!

“Retreat, retreat, retreat. Tell everyone to evacuate the city. If you can’t take anything with you, then don’t take it with you. If you lose contact, gather the refugees and go to Owendo on your own.

You guys find some strangers to spread the news. It was the cultists who killed the earl. They want to massacre the city. Encourage everyone to flee quickly. Our people will not be conspicuous if they hide among them. "

The intervention of the cult means losing control. It is not a struggle between nobles, but a struggle between humans and anti-humans.

To be in their line of work, you have to be decisive. You have to run away at the slightest sign of trouble. There can be no hesitation.

But Vic can't leave yet. He needs to do one thing, that is, arrange people to notify the development of the downline to move out. Some people can only be contacted by him, such as Francis...

Some spies planted by the nobles also noticed this situation. They also learned to throw a little money to encourage those rogues to spread the news.

On the other side, Bruce took Alvin back and started to be busy with various affairs, so he was not in the castle.

He even learned the news when the castle guards came up, and he was also surprised and confused.

"What? Alvin killed his father!"

"Master Alvin is crazy..."

"Go back quickly! "Bruce didn't have time to listen to this, and quickly called his men back. He had to control the situation.

However, before they could go back, chaos had already begun to appear. The news spread like a plague, and everyone was panicked. Even the guards in the city ran around like headless flies.

More importantly, anyone knew more than him. When did there ever be a cult?

At this time, Bruce decisively raised his hand and drew out the long sword of the guard beside him, rushed up and killed the one who shouted the loudest, and then stood up to the crowd.

"I am Bruce! Don't believe those rumors, that is the enemy's conspiracy. The guards immediately maintained order and arrested those who spread the rumors. ”

Bruce was famous after all, and he quickly controlled the situation on the street, but it was difficult to notice the few people approaching in the surging crowd.

Suddenly, a man rushed out, and the poisoned dagger pointed directly at Bruce.

Bruce was not an ordinary man. He swung his sword and killed the assassin in two or three strokes.

There was no need to leave anyone alive, because there were only those few people who wanted him dead, and they would no longer exist after today.

Bruce became ruthless, and he really deserved to be the son of the earl.

What the hell!

The missionary who was hiding in the crowd and preparing to take action was speechless. This man was not one of theirs. It seemed that there were many people who wanted to kill Bruce, but the advance alarm made the target prepared.

There was no way to retreat at this time. At the signal of the missionary, several cultists took incense and scattered into the crowd. The strange smell filled the air and chaos arose again. The few guards who had just gathered were also dispersed.

No matter how stupid Bruce was, he understood that this was an assassination against him, "Guards gather to me, rush out, and those who approach will die! "

However, at this time, the missionary had already approached. Bruce seemed to sense something and turned around and rolled in the next second.

A deep finger!

Almost at the same time, a sharp bone spur with the spine as the main trunk and flesh and blood entangled stretched out from under the cloak.

Bruce dodged, but stabbed into the guard next to him, killing him instantly.

This scene caused further chaos, and everyone fled here frantically, even causing trampling.

Bruce's scalp was tingling. Even if he was wearing armor, he would be penetrated. This was definitely not the ability of a normal person. It was really the cult!

But there was no more time for him, because the cultists gathered and killed those guards, and he was also targeted by the missionary.

Another roll, crimson tentacles stretched out from his previous position, and he was almost caught.

Unable to fight, he realized that he was trapped and dead, If you want to survive, you have to break through.

At this time, he didn't care about these things. He immediately grabbed the long sword and ran away, without any intention of fighting.

But the missionary couldn't let him go. Bruce, who was entangled, couldn't get rid of it at all, and the cultists on the other side also killed the guards and began to gather.

How they beat up the legend of the barbarians at that time, so the cults beat him up now.

For a moment, Bruce was also a little sad. He couldn't use his strength. Was he going to die here?

However, at this time, the sound of the warhorse galloping sounded, and several knights rushed over from the side of the street where the people ran away, and directly tore through the encirclement of the cultists with a round of charge.

But the cultists were not ordinary people, and the missionaries were even more extraordinary. They killed two knights in one encounter. How could it be so easy to leave?

"My lord, hurry up, I'll stop them!"

A knight jumped down and gave the warhorse to Bruce. Although he was wearing a helmet, Bruce could hear that it was the one who was demoted from the deputy leader by him...

"Hurry up! "

With a terrible roar, the man rushed towards the missionary without any hesitation.

Bruce also mounted his horse and rushed forward without hesitation. When he turned back subconsciously, he saw that the missionary's bone spur had pierced and lifted him up.

He was so angry that he almost wanted to turn around and rush back, but the shouting from the side called him back.

"My lord, hurry up!"

Another knight turned his horse's head and charged at the missionary who was chasing him. His firm look was deeply engraved in Bruce's heart.

But soon Bruce didn't dare to look back and just rushed forward...

Originally, they were going to do it at night. Alvin caught everyone off guard in advance, including the cult, which led to insufficient preparation and they were unable to seize the city gate in the first place.

This also allowed Bruce to finally escape from the city. After pulling away for a distance, he dared to look back at the towering Bastia city wall with a complicated expression.

His father, who was known as the imperial tiger and suppressed the mountain barbarians for many years, did not die in the hands of the barbarians, but was killed by his son. He escaped only because of the guard's desperate efforts.

Let alone him, who could have thought that so many things would happen in less than half a day?

And he actually fell to this point today...

"Sir, what should we do now?"

Bruce was still a product of elite education trained by the lord, and he had been trained since childhood, so he did not collapse because of these things, but quickly calmed down.

"You immediately take people to start gathering the surrounding troops, I will go to the barracks."

Bruce made a decision immediately. Now that Bastia City has fallen into the hands of the cult, it is a great blow to his status as the heir, because everything he has accumulated is gone, whether it is reputation or materials.

At the same time, because Alvin colluded with the cult, the church would not support him.

In addition, Bruce knew that some nobles were not happy with his father's control. Now that his father was dead and Bastia was lost, it was hard to say whether those nobles knew what would happen.

But fortunately, the army could not stay in the city, and because they had to attack the mountains, the army was resting and gathering. Now they were stationed in the suburban military camp, which was their basic base.

Bruce was not Alvin who was entangled in the status of heir. He knew clearly that nothing else mattered at this time, and he had to control the three knights.

Because power did not come from his status as heir, but depended on the power he controlled.

Those old nobles had been keeping an eye on the changes in the situation, so basically when something happened in the city, those nobles had received more or less news.

Although the death of the earl was a big deal, it was not strange, after all, he was at this age.

But the fact that there were really cultists rampaging was the news that caught them off guard. After all, although many of them were clamoring, they actually thought it was a fabricated excuse. At that time, they could just find a few ordinary people to take the blame.

There was no difference in essence between relying on Alvin or relying on the church, it was just an excuse to fight against the earl.

Bastia, the city that represents the power and strength of the earl, fell, so it's no wonder they thought too much.

Almost all the noble lords entered a state of war readiness, even those nobles who had never cooperated with the earl tried their best to arm themselves, and pulled out a team, under the slogan of clearing out the cultists.

Lawrence also got the news, looking at the black clouds that began to dissipate in the distance, he couldn't help but sigh.

Bastia, which was said to never fall, was breached from the inside, and the darkness over Hamlet dissipated.

Knowing that the east is already white...