Xiuxian became the king of witches

After a long time, when Sigrit confirmed with her heart that the people in the city hall had gone away, she gently pinched her nose under the girl's blank eyes.

"It's really a well-planned farce."

Chapter 50 The Enemy of Nobility

"Why do you say that the target is me? I heard from my subordinates that you were trapped by Nelson's design in the city hall, and they were going to forcibly incite demonstrators to attack the Whitehall building, so I hurried over."

Jana first ordered the accompanying guards to stand guard at the door to prevent others from approaching the reception room, and then she sat next to the witch and asked her confusion.

"The Stuart family doesn't have the courage to do anything directly at this stage. I originally planned to throw them all out of the window. And those news were deliberately released by Nelson to deceive you, in order to lure you here .”

Slightly sipping the still warm black tea in hand, the witch spoke the most vicious words in the most flat tone.

"Then induce you to rescue me, so that His Royal Highness, the crown prince, has been bewitched by the witch. He despises the lives of his subjects without distinguishing right from wrong, and suppresses the rumors of the Church of Truth and the conservative nobles."

Even though she was talking about serious things, Jana always felt that the witch's eyes had a faint light of ridicule, as if she was checking whether she was really fascinated.

"I... so they still want to take the opportunity to attack the royal family?"

Her Royal Highness turned her head slightly, and after hearing the witch's explanation, she already understood that she had fallen into the enemy's trap impulsively, and she felt a little annoyed in the tone of the question.

"The key lies in you. In recent years, you have been diligent in practicing and rarely participated in public activities, and you have not expressed your political views. Many moderate nobles have hopes for you, expecting that after you succeed to the throne, you can abolish those reform bills. Erson bound you and me together to break the illusions of these people and win over the moderates."

Recalling Nelson's painstaking performance just now, Higrit also had to praise the other party's calculations.

"So... did I do something wrong again?"

Although Janna is bright and studious, she is ultimately a political novice.Facing the eldest son of the duke who has been struggling in the political arena for more than ten years, it is natural to fall into the disadvantaged.

"Don't worry, this matter is not that important. You are destined to be bound to me, aren't you?"

Looking at Janna's slightly drooping face, Sigrit can easily see through the girl's self-blame even if she doesn't use her eyes.The fingers directly lifted the opponent's chin, so that the pair of emeralds looked at the starry sky in his eyes.

"Or, does Janna hate being with me?"

"I……"

The indifferent words brought up the blush on the girl's face as expected. Since the day of the Prayer Festival, Janna found that her emotions when facing the witch became more and more weird. Come out hot and eager.

Only when she was talking about business, could she barely restrain her fluctuating emotions.But if the witch deliberately provokes her, the defense line in her heart will still raise the white flag of surrender in an instant.

"Although their target is on you, the charges are still on me. You were obviously present at the same time when they arrested the spies, but the reason they kept silent was that they didn't want to directly confront the royal family. They blamed all the charges on my bewitching, and wait until As a last resort, playing the name of the Qing emperor can also avoid directly falling into an unjust rebellion."

"Mr. Qing's side...how dare they!"

Reining in her impetuous thoughts, Janna chewed on Higrit's obscure words over and over again, and roughly understood the deep meaning hidden in them.

There was also a bit of worry in the eyes that looked directly at the witch. She knew that the witch had put herself in such a dangerous situation on purpose.

"So even if this demonstration eventually gets out of control and the Holy Empire takes the opportunity to declare war on our country, it only needs to tie me, a troublesome woman, to the stake and burn it to death in public to appease everyone's anger—"

"I forbid you to say such things! Miss Higrit!"

However, before the witch finished her analysis, she was directly interrupted by Janna's excited voice.

Higrit raised her bright starry eyes and looked at Her Royal Highness who stood up angrily in front of her. This was the first time that the other party showed the majesty of the crown prince in front of her.

"……Feel sorry."

The trembling heart was exposed to the playful gaze of the witch, and Janna quickly realized her gaffe.She turned her head and sat down again. After a simple apology, she didn't continue talking.

"If one day in the future, only by sacrificing me can I protect Orta and your subjects, would you be willing to do this, Janna?"

And Higrit seemed to be suddenly interested in Janna's rare attitude. She leaned her head and showed a half coquettish smile, and said words that were more exciting to the girl nonchalantly.

"...I won't do this, there must be other ways to protect the country!"

Although there was a pause for a moment, the tone of the girl's last words was still very firm.She slowly looked into the witch's eyes, trying not to let the other party notice her waves.

"Haha, I'm very happy that you can say that, I hope Janna won't forget it when she grows up."

Hearing such an answer, the witch's smiling laughter broke the slightly heavy gap between the two. Ever since the fire in Bittle Lane, Higrit could see that Janna had been stalemate in a tense state, which was an extremely Strong sense of responsibility.

And that mentality would eventually overwhelm her.

"I've grown up...and you are obviously the same age as me."

During the girl's soft complaints, it seemed that she didn't have much confidence in her heart.Although she and the Witch appear to be the same age, they always unknowingly regard each other as elders.

So much so that when she faced the witch recently, she couldn't tell whether it was reverence or the more inexplicable emotion in her heart.

"Attributing the crime to me actually has other benefits for Nelson, do you know what it is?"

"……do not know."

Feeling the flickering eyes of the witch, although Janna couldn't guess it, she knew it must be something strange.

"That is to break our marriage contract. The Stuart family has not given up their plan to marry their daughter to you. Aisha's child still misses Rhine so far."

Hearing Aisha's name, the emerald's luster instantly dimmed a bit, and Janna was silent for a moment before saying quietly:

"I know Aisha has always liked her brother even now, but I can't tell her the truth of the matter. We were best friends before, all because of the black tide..."

Seeing the sad past that touched the girl, Higrit reached out and gently touched the little golden head, and Janna also took the opportunity to lean into the warm embrace of the witch.

"The disagreement between the royal family and the Stuart family also originated from the black tide. After the younger brother of the Duke of Red Dragon died in battle, the two sides lost the original communication bond. Facing the country that suffered heavy losses, your father and Greia supported the reform of the old system. , while Andre believed that he should seek the asylum of the Church of Truth, and the conflict between the two sides also reached its peak after I joined. "

Her cheeks lightly touched her soft chest, and she absorbed the unique cool fragrance from the witch's body. The girl's mind was instantly healed, but her body was still lying there disobediently.

"Actually, many of the nobles who participated in the demonstration outside were not members of the Truth Church at all. They just happened to be on the same side as the Truth Church, so they wanted to take the opportunity to put pressure on the royal family."

However, even though she was indulging in the gentleness, the girl still did not forget her mission. Following the witch's train of thought, she quickly found the answer she wanted.

"Are you talking about the new land tax law? I know that many nobles in the country are against it."

The witch chuckled and patted Janna's head again as a reward. The reform bill that shocked the whole country of Ota was written by her.

"Every war and disaster since the founding of the country, the enfeoffing nobles have taken the opportunity to annex a large amount of land, reducing countless free people to serfs for generations. And the long-standing policy has also reduced and exempted a large number of taxes on nobles and church land But even so, they are still not satisfied, and continue to conceal the number of acres of land and people, and try their best to withhold the tax paid.”

Speaking of this, a deep light flashed in the Witch's star eyes, causing Janna, who was leaning in her arms, to straighten up and sit up.

"Now the new bill requires re-measurement of the land, reform of the village population tax into the land tax, and cancellation of various preferential policies for the land owned by the nobles and the church. Naturally, it will cause dissatisfaction with the enfeoffment nobles, after all, this will really hurt them all. Benefit."

The witch walked to the window of the reception room. The Whitehall Square in front of her was also covered with neat and solemn white robes, which echoed with the white stone building, adding to the depressing atmosphere.

"So we have never been against a certain faction of aristocrats and religion, but trying to shake the interests of the entire aristocracy."

Facing the light cast by the window, Janna followed closely to the side of the witch, bent down to look at the crowds of citizens downstairs, her eyes could not help showing deep sorrow.

"These people do not hesitate to set fire to their own believers for profit, and then direct and act to incite the people. Aren't they afraid of being punished by the God of Truth!"

Feeling the indignation in Janna's heart, the witch's cold and pleasant voice seemed to be a solemn sentence at this moment.

"Truth will not, but I will."

The brilliance in the star pupils turned to the more distant sky at the same time, and the setting sun reflected was like the firelight in the lover's night.

"The fire will eventually burn back on themselves."

Chapter 51 War Intimidation

"First, we ask your country to let the Holy Empire investigation team enter and allow them to participate in the investigation of the Butter Lane fire."

"Second, please relax the restrictions on missionary work by Shinri believers in the mainland, allow them to set up new churches in various places, and approve the regional bishops appointed by the church in your country."

"Third, restore the policy of preferential treatment of church-owned land so that the church can help the poor more effectively."

……

"Seventh, we request the imprisonment of several noble suspects related to the fire incident, and allow the investigation team to participate in the interrogation."

In front of the large and finely carved long table, the Duke of Mutterburg was reciting aloud various requirements from the Holy Empire.The bright light hits his vicissitudes of face through the stained glass, reflecting the colors of justice and solemnity.

"The above is what the church means."

The upper-class nobles of Ota who sat around could naturally feel the flashes of swords and swords between the lines, but they all chose to keep silent, and there were many undercurrents of different flavors tumbling under their seemingly calm expressions.

"Ahem, Your Excellency George, I think your request is a bit strict, and the specific matters should continue to be discussed."

Seeing the silence all around, Red Dragon Duke Andre quietly glanced at Castine, who was sitting in the seat, who was thinking deeply with his eyes closed, and cleared his throat, but he was the first to refute.

"Your Excellency Stuart, this is an urgent letter from Cardinal Curtis, the Patriarch of Northwest Artuga District. In addition, I have also submitted an official letter to the Holy City, presumably the will of His Majesty the Emperor and His Holiness the Pope It will arrive soon, and whether it is strict or not is not up to me."

The plain tone of the Duke of Mutterburg reveals the dual threat from the strongest country and religion on the continent. Once a war is triggered, it will be a disaster for Orta.

"Mr. Ambassador, please disperse the crowded civilians on the street first, otherwise if I accidentally trample a few people to death while riding a horse, the impact will be even worse."

The unexpected voice responded first, and the casual and nasty speech immediately attracted the attention of the audience. Even the Duke of Mutterburg and Andre frowned, because the identity of the speaker was unusual .

Why did this guy suddenly come back...

The brown hair was curled in different directions at will, but the rather handsome face vaguely gave people a weird and distorted look, and the loose sitting posture with legs crossed seemed particularly abrupt among the dignified and elegant nobles.

"Duke Barin, this fire is of great importance. Please refrain from making such casual remarks, so as not to affect the negotiation process."

But such a slovenly figure is now the nominal minister of justice of the Kingdom of Ota, the only duke, Tenadine Barin, who is known as the Duke of Iron Sword.

Compared with the traditionalist Andre, the duke was kept at a distance by many nobles.Not only because of his sinister and ruthless ways of doing things, but also because of his unreasonable and crazy character, many people even secretly called him "Mad Duke".

However, although Conadian has a eccentric personality, his personal ability must not be underestimated.

Although they are both prominent families with duke titles, the original power of the Barin family is far behind the Herman family and the Stuart family, and even behind the Vernon family that once participated in the false king's rebellion.

And after Conadian inherited the title, the power of the Barin family has grown significantly, and even took advantage of the death of Grand Duke Rose and the decline of the Herman family to win over a large number of military nobles.

"Isn't it just burning hundreds of people to death? In which of your wars did you not kill dozens of times the number of civilians? Why make a fuss here and make the city full of storms? When I returned to the city yesterday, I thought it was the Pope's crown." I am blessed."

boom--

This disrespectful attitude instantly attracted the glaring looks of all the Truth believers in front of the long table. The leader, the Duke of Mutterburg, was so angry that he knocked on the table, almost hitting Conadian's rampant face with his fist. on.

"Okay! Everyone be quiet!"

Janna looked at the still closed eyes of her father beside her, as if she had fallen asleep.She could only helplessly raise her eyebrows and stand up to control the chaos.

"Your Excellency, Duke George, please do not damage the property of the royal family. Sir Barin, please also pay attention to your words."

Looking around at the veteran nobles sitting around with a calm expression, the kingly demeanor flickering in the emerald eyes instantly calmed down the scene, and even the unruly Cornadine just sneered and did not refute.

These days, Janna has experienced the baptism of the witch's aura in all aspects, and she can already achieve a calm majesty in the face of this tense atmosphere.

"Forgive us for our inability to agree to your request. It is the duty of our royal family to guard the subjects with all our strength to investigate this tragedy, and it is not an excuse for you to take the opportunity to interfere in our country's internal affairs, Your Excellency the Ambassador."

The Duke of Mutterburg looked directly at the young crown prince in front of him, and his unyielding tenacity made him secretly sigh that the hero was born in a young age.Hearing that his stupid son was also defeated by him in a duel to snatch a woman, that would be an unjust loss.

"Your Highness, your speech is against the doctrine of truth. All those who believe in the truth in the world are God's favored people. As the spokesperson of God in the world, the Pope naturally has to maintain this responsibility. So this is not It is not just a matter of your country, but also the unshirkable mission of all Shinrikyo believers."

The Duke of Multburg stared aggressively at the nobles around him, and most of them didn't have the courage to look at him.

"If someone dares to violate the majesty of truth, the countless battle priests and apostolic knights of the empire will definitely give them a thunderous trial!"

The straightforward threat of war completely aroused the anger in Janna's heart. The Holy Empire has launched countless holy wars of different scales through the policy of the unity of politics and religion for thousands of years.

Using force to promote the spread of truth, and then using religion as a reason for intervention, their sphere of influence has long since expanded from the Holy City to every region of the Seaside continent, and now only Ota is left in the vast northwest region to make the final stand .

"Your Excellency, can I take this as your declaration of war against our country!"

What made Janna even more angry was the behavior of the surrounding nobles. Even though they were threatened by such a war, they still showed indifferent and weak faces.

And the only one who dared to speak out was just a lunatic who was afraid of chaos.

Miss Higrit is right...

The loyalty of these nobles to the king is only because the royal family represents the overall interests of the noble class, and the honor of the nobles is only a system of vested interests of the nobles.

Ota is now just a fragile small country, without the ability of the Holy Empire to expand its territory through large-scale wars to transfer internal conflicts.

Even knowing that the country has reached a critical moment for change, no one hopes that the reform will shake their own interests.

It would be better to let the country rely on a huge external force, and as a vassal of Shinrikyo, completely carve up this last decay.

"Whether there is a war or not depends not on my attitude, but on your country's attitude towards the truth, Your Highness."

Hearing Duke Multburg's uncompromising answer with a smile, Janna clenched her fists tightly under the table. For the first time, she felt a strong sense of despair in the face of such a gap in national power.

I dare to stand up when others covet Miss Higrit, but if such a contradiction rises to the national level, can I protect my subjects and ideals?

And... Can you protect her?

"I hope His Highness will carefully consider our suggestion. It is related to the friendship between the two countries for many years, and we don't want to end up in a military confrontation."

Seeing that Janna fell into silence, the smile on the Duke of Multburg's face became a little more complacent, and he continued his attack with piercing eyes.

"Also, during the precious years of youth, Your Highness, it's best not to indulge in beauty all the time, and you should listen more to the voices of the people outside the window!"