Lonely house, withered garden. Emerson's mansion is located northeast of the Silver Ring, in a remote wooded area.

The Count led the group into his own home, and the great antechamber was so empty that there was not a single figure to be seen, and even the walk was amplified to a noisy level because of the echo.

"What about your family?" asked Brunhilde, looking back and forth, to the Count.

"Gone. Emerson looked at the empty room and said calmly, "I'll let them go." ”

An old butler, who was almost old, walked from one end of the hall to the crowd, he trembled as he walked, but he was meticulous in his courtesies.

Emerson brushed his forehead: "Old Kemp, how did I forget about you." Ladies and gentlemen, this old man is the steward of my family, and he is older than my father. When I asked my family to leave Silver Ring, he was the only one who insisted on staying. ”

Old Camp bent down slightly, saluted respectfully to Cumberland, and said gently: "Lord Baron, I haven't seen you for a long time, and the young master often talks about you. ”

Cumberland, who had not been called 'baron' for a long time, was stunned for a moment, and then smiled at the old man, who had been familiar and close to him since childhood, and said, "Old Cample, it's a pleasure to meet you. ”

The old butler looked at Brunhilde, who was left behind, turned sideways, and pointed forward: "Guests from afar, please come to the living room, I made hot tea with my own hands and made refreshments." ”

Emerson waved his hand at the old butler: "No, I'm afraid we don't have time for tea and chat, I have important things to discuss with these people." Cumberland, our plans need to be talked about and refined, bring what you promised and we'll see you at the old place. ”

Cumberland nodded, took out a thirty-centimeter square wooden box from his squire's bag, followed Emerson's footsteps, and walked towards the study.

After not taking two steps, the Earl looked back at Brunhilde, who was following the two, and said to Cumberland with a frown, "I remember saying that it was just the two of us. ”

The old knight shrugged at his friend, "She's the helper I hired and an indispensable part of our plans. ”

Emerson glanced at Brunhild again and walked on, not saying more.

The three of them came to the study, and the Count pressed the secret compartment in the bookcase, and the bookshelf slowly moved away, revealing the secret door behind it.

Compared with Brunhilde's surprise, the commonplace Cumberland was much calmer.

Through the secret door, they followed a passage that only allowed one person to pass for dozens of meters, and the three of them came to a secret room hidden under the house.

Cumberland looked at the maps plastered on the walls, and the numbers and time markers, and after carefully observing how old and yellowed the paper was, he looked at Emerson with a look of lamentation.

The latter seemed to understand the expression of his old friend, sorted out the notes on the table with both hands, bowed his head and said: "This country has long lost its meaning of existence if it turns its back on the Father and gives up morality. ”

Cumberland found a chair and sat down, looking at Emerson for a moment, but finally chose to remain silent.

The Earl held out his hand to Cumberland: "What about the things I asked you to bring here?"

Cumberland opened the wooden box he was carrying, and a curious Brunhilde leaned over to see more than twenty seals quietly inside.

Emerson picked up one and examined it carefully by the light of the fire, and exclaimed with heartfelt admiration: "The imitation is fantastic, it is exactly the same! Even some details that ordinary people can't notice, even the corners are worn, they are perfect!

"Fakes, Your Majesty prefers to call them 'Carrot Chapters.'" ”

It took Emerson a moment to react, "Your Majesty, oh, you're talking about the king of Twilight......"

Cumberland placed the wooden box on the table and asked, "Are you sure that the fake military order will not attract the attention of others?"

Emerson nodded and said: "Since only a few people have read the fake military order last time, the Silver Ring Council regards the defense of these defeated people as more of a lie and defines it as exculpation, so the way seals are used in the army has not changed, but compared with before, there is more attention to the number and order of seals." ”

"My lord, I'm here for refreshments. The voice of the old butler in the darkness startled the three of them.

Brünnhilde slowly drew his spear, his eyes fixed on Cumberland and Emerson.

The Count shook his head at the Valkyrie and said, "Put down your weapons!" Old Camp is my most reliable man, and he helped to draw many maps on this wall. ”

Old Camp watched as the woman in front of him slowly withdrew his spear, brought a plate of pastries to the coffee table, and handed her a cup of vanilla tea. Then, he came to Emerson's side and handed another teacup: "Young master, this is your favorite honey ginger tea." ”

Emerson took the cup, took a sip, and nodded contentedly.

Brunhilde looked at the hot tea in the cup, frowned, and said, "Isn't there any ale? ”

Seeing old Camp shake his head, she put down her teacup, picked up another piece of flour pastry, and complained again, "Isn't there any jerky?

The old butler shook his head again, completely cutting off Brunhilde's thoughts.

She shoved a slice of pastry into her mouth, chewed it twice, and her eyes slowly lit up: "It's delicious! It's so delicious! It's so much better than what those pastry shops sell in Dusk City!"

Ignoring the old and young people in the room talking about desserts, Emerson pointed to the defense map of the Silver Ring City and said to Cumberland: "There are about 1,200 defenders in the city, and the number of barbarian troops and the Silver Ring army is basically the same, but there are still four barbarian tribes stationed outside the city, about 800 people. ”

Cumberland asked, "Where are you going to do it?"

Emerson drew a circle on the map with a pen that read "The Treasury of the Royal Family."

——————————————

Three days later, at midnight, outside the main gate of the Silver Ring Palace.

The commander of the royal guard battalion looked at the transfer document in his hand and asked Count Emerson with a suspicious expression: "Temporary transfer? Why have I never heard of this?!"

The Count stroked his beard, looked condescendingly at the chief of the guard, and asked with a smile, "Do you want to know why?"

The chief of the guard was speechless for a moment, and the first reaction in his mind was that someone in the royal family was going to be unlucky.

Since the Silver Ring Kingdom, which opened the precedent of Queen Mary's late-night arrest, the guard's deployment and secret arrest have almost become the basic routine of the Supreme Council to persecute members of the royal family.

The chief of the guard carefully looked at the five seals on the paperwork, which were the king, the secretary of the interior, the secretary for internal affairs, the supreme justice, and the president of the supreme council, and compared them with the rubbings of the seals brought by his subordinates one by one, and after confirming that they were completely correct, he sighed deeply and said to Emerson: "Is it His Highness Humphrey this time? He has made many statements in defense of the Heavenly Father before, and I think the parliament has let ......him go."

Looking at the inscrutable expression of Count Emerson, the chief of the guard waved his hand, shook his head and said, "When I didn't say it, everything should be in accordance with His Majesty's will. ”

Watching the Guards Battalion leave the palace gates in procession, Emerson looked at the undefended palace in the dark night and clapped his hands gently.

The warriors of the Knights of the North Island emerged from the darkness like ghosts.