âYour Majesty!â
The nobles, coming to their senses from the shock, bowed in salute one after another.
Colin hastily poured his will into Emperor Reinhardtâs body, but this control over the blood slave was inevitably somewhat unnatural.
Luckily, it was the middle of the night, which could help Colin conceal some imperfections in detail.
âYou should not doubt Count Anglerâs loyalty,â Emperor Reinhardt began, âAnd it was Queen Midela who conspired with Mr. Ji to sacrifice the Storm Fortress, not the St. Hilde family.â
With the Emperorâs personal admission, the noblesâ doubts about the North Territory dissipated greatly.
Count Nicoll felt that Emperor Reinhardtâs tone was a bit odd, but he didnât think too deeply about it at the moment and asked,
âYour Majesty, so do you agree with the plan to sacrifice the Storm Fortress?â
âAbsolutely not!â Emperor Reinhardt responded decisively, âHow could I bear to let the Empireâs best Army and countless Westland citizens become sacrifices!
If we are to kill the Orc Emperor, we should do so on the battlefield, defeating him fair and square!
I believe every knight of the Empire would not reject such glory!â
These words brought the nobles great relief.
Colin took the opportunity to explain:
âGentlemen, the reason why His Majesty feigned illness and didnât appear before is due to the pressure from Queen Midela.
Because she had bewitched three holy knights to agree to this evil plan, His Majestyâs personal safety could not be guaranteed.â
Immediately after, Colin manipulated Emperor Reinhardt to speak again:
âThatâs correct. And it is thanks to Count Angler persuading Prince Lexie to change his mind that I dare to reveal my true thoughts to you all, and I hope that everyone can join me in stabilising the situation in the Storm Fortress, and thwart the conspiracy of Mr. Ji and Queen Midela!â
Under the double act of Colin and Emperor Reinhardt, all the Empireâs nobles pledged their support.
Even those nobles who were originally bewitched by Queen Midela, supporting the sacrifice of the Storm Fortress, immediately changed their attitude when they saw the shift in sentiment.
Emperor Reinhardt nodded in satisfaction, and commanded:
âExcellent! If thatâs the case, please go back and rally your armies, stabilise the morale of the people, and quickly calm the chaos within the Storm Fortress.â
âYes, Your Majesty!â
The nobles answered loudly, but as they turned to leave, they found that Duke St. Gregorian had appeared at the staircase entrance unexpectedly.
The crowd fell silent.
According to Colin and Emperor Reinhardtâs earlier statement, Prince Lexie had been successfully persuaded, and they could all see that he was fiercely fighting with Mr. Ji. However, Queen Midela had another Holy Knight on her side, Duke St. Gregorian!
At this moment, the solitary Duke blocking the staircase entrance made the assembled nobles hesitate to approach.
Colin was not overly concerned.
Because he knew that Duke St. Gregorian was seriously injured and didnât have much combat power left. If it came to a real fight, even without deploying the Holy Warriors, Colin was confident that he could force him back with just a few sixth-order blood slaves.
So, he took a few steps forward and persuaded:
âDuke St. Gregorian, His Majesty has already decided to terminate the plan to sacrifice the Storm Fortress. Are you willing to realise your mistake and turn back?â
Duke St. Gregorian clenched his lips tightly. His hawkish eyes were as calm as water, but they seemed to reflect nothing.
Facing Colinâs question, Emperor Reinhardtâs glare, and the hostile gaze of the Empireâs nobles, she uttered a very harsh sentence:
âYou cowards!
Back at the Sky Breaking Mountain Range, you ran away. Now at the Storm Fortress, youâre running away again!â
âItâs not about running away,â Colin explained, âWe donât want to adopt such evil means. Moreover, even if the Orc Emperor could be killed by the âEyes of Judgementâ, I fear that such a victory would not make any knight of the Empire proud.â
âI donât need any damn pride,â Duke St. Gregorian replied coldly, âI just want Saruman dead!â
Looking at Duke St. Gregorian with some disappointment, Colin found it a great pity.
He had always admired the Empireâs only female Holy Knight, but unexpectedly, the loss of Westland had changed her demeanor. She was practically becoming a madwoman who is willing to sacrifice everything for revenge.
âIâm sorry, Duke St. Gregorian,â Colin said without backing down, âThis is the will of his Majesty and all the Empireâs nobles, it wonât change just because of the thoughts of you alone.â
Duke St. Gregorian slowly drew out the long sword from her waist, her aura gradually becoming ferocious, she said narrowly:
âColin, Iâve warned you before. If you dare to sabotage this sacrificial plan, donât blame me for being ruthless!â
Colin smiled slightly and also drew out his sword, saying frankly:
âDuke St. Gregorian, Iâm going to learn about your remarkable skills!â
As soon as he finished speaking, Colinâs divine power surged through his body, forming a golden crystalline barrier in front of him.
Bang!
Just then, Duke St. Gregorianâs attack arrived suddenly.
In an instant, numerous images flooded Colinâs mind. He seemed to see a gigantic meteorite crashing into the ground, with flames splattering in all directions.
However, he managed to block this attack from the Holy Knight.@@novelbin@@
Duke St. Gregorian was indeed severely injured.
Colin sighed with relief, and without calling out the Holy Warriors lying in wait close by, handled Duke St. Gregorian by himself.
The Empireâs nobles who watched the battle were already slack-jawed, obviously not expecting Colin to be able to deal with a Holy Knightâs attack on his own, even if it was an injured Holy Knight.
Seeing this, Count Nicoll immediately invited the Lords of the Eastern Territory to leave.
The other nobles also came to their senses, avoiding the two combatants and leaving the castle to contact their Armies.
Cling! Clang! Clang!
After a series of sword clashes, Colin and Duke St. Gregorian drew back from each other.
Colin now had over a dozen sword wounds on his body, but he didnât care about them at all. Instead, he was filled with fighting spirit as he looked at Duke St. Gregorian across from him.
Duke St. Gregorian had held the upper hand in the recent exchange, but her condition had only deteriorated.
Numerous tiny bloodstains reappeared on her face, making her look like a delicate porcelain doll that might break at any touch.
âDuke St. Gregorian, with your serious injuries, why insist on feigning strength? Moreover, even if you defeat me, the situation at Storm Fortress has been taken back under control by his Majesty, and your sacrificial plan has failed.
If you really want revenge, you should join us in blocking the orc army in the Luwal Valleyâ¦â
âDonât mention the Luwal Valley to me,â Duke St. Gregorian abruptly interrupted, âThe North Territory is full of cowards who dare not face strong enemies head-on!â
As soon as she finished speaking, a blinding red light burst out from her body.
The next moment, a sharp harpyâs shriek echoed through the entire fortress.
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