Cardinal Jacob, who was lying in the cathedral's retreat, with a wet towel on his forehead, looked at several subordinates around him, and asked weakly, "Have you found that madman Leorik and his two sons?"

Several people looked at each other and shook their heads.

Jacob glared at his men and asked, "How far is our army from here?"

Someone replied, "We will be there today before the sun sets." ”

Jacob nodded, and was about to say something more when a rush of footsteps came from outside the door, causing him to frown.

A papal knight burst into the room and shouted, "Your Excellency, an army has entered the city!"

Jacob glanced at the other party, "How did our reinforcements come so quickly?"

The papal knight was stunned, then shook his head and said, "It's not reinforcements, it's the Knights of the Dusk West!"

"What?!" Jacob sat up from the bed in shock, and the wet wipes on his forehead fell to the ground.

Above the ceremonial hall of the Holy Acropolis Palace, Cumberland stood in the middle of the main hall, looking at the blood stains on the ground that had not yet been washed off, and smelling the thick and unwavering smell in the air.

"How many died?"

Hearing Cumberland's question, the adjutant hurriedly opened the record book: "A total of one hundred and nineteen people were killed. ”

"All of them are prominent figures in the Holy Acropolis?"

"That's right, as long as the nobles who are qualified to participate in the inheritance ceremony, they are all famous families of the Holy Acropolis. The adjutant looked around the hall full of dried blood, imagining the cruel scene at that time, and couldn't help but shudder: "Judging from the list and confessions, when the King of the Holy Acropolis carried out the massacre, it seemed to be a random atrocity, but he had a very precise object. The powerful figures and warlords of the Holy Acropolis were almost completely killed and wounded. ”

Cumberland rubbed the hilt of his sword and asked, "Isn't there a nobleman who can manage things alive?"

The adjutant flipped through the booklet, and after a moment said to Cumberland, "My lord, there is a man who did not attend the ceremony because of illness. ”

"Who?"

"You should be familiar with this man, Lord Gordon of Fort White River. ”

Cumberland scratched the back of his head with a confused expression: "Earl Gordon?"

The adjutant covered his lower abdomen with his hand and made a squat motion.

Cumberland's eyes lit up suddenly: "Oh, the head of the Holy Acropolis Mission, the guy with his 'fried dinner'!"

At that moment, a group of men dressed in church robes rushed into the ceremonial hall, and the leader shouted at Cumberland, "You are so bold!

Cumberland followed the sound and saw a cardinal with a face like a falcon, flushed with anger, yelling at him.

The old knight looked at the cardinal condescendingly, his eyes widened with anger, and he snorted coldly.

Startled by the other party's fierce appearance, the cardinal's footsteps unconsciously moved back a little, and his voice was three points lower: "I am Jacob of the Cardinal of the Holy See, and the unauthorized encroachment of the Duxi Kingdom on the fraternal city-state is disrespectful to the Heavenly Father!"

Cumberland smiled, "Who said we were here to take over the city?"

Jacob was stunned for a moment: "Do you still want to quibble at this point?! The troops of Dusk West City have already marched into the city! Now, in the name of the Holy See, I order you to leave the city immediately!"

Cumberland nodded: "We will not garrison here, nor will we invade the city. The army of Twilight City came here for two things. ”

"Two things?!"

"First, we will do our best to protect the Twilight Mission from harm. ”

Jacob jumped to his feet angrily: "I have never heard of the idea that a country's army enters another country's cities to protect its mission!"

Cumberland turned to the side, motioned for Jacob to look at the blood stains all over the ground, and said mockingly, "Twilight City has given the Holy Acropolis a chance to protect our mission, but you see, how are they doing?"

Jacob Yuan opened his eyes and gritted his teeth and said, "Then you can take the Twilight West Mission and leave the Holy Acropolis as soon as possible, the others here don't need your protection!"

Cumberland shrugged, "That's not going to work, because we have a second thing to do." ”

"Damn!What's the second thing?!"

Cumberland gestured to the throne directly above the ceremonial hall, "We want to help the Holy Acropolis complete the ceremony of succession to the throne. ”

"What are you talking about?!" Jacob was first surprised, then angry: "It's just nonsense! The succession to the throne of the Holy Acropolis, where is it the turn of the Twilight City to intervene?!, I will report this matter to the Pope, so that he can judge your sins......"

Jacob said as he walked briskly outside.

Before he could take a few steps, a group of soldiers of the Knights of the Twilight West sealed off the gates of the ceremonial hall, raised their shields, and forbade anyone to go out.

Jacob looked at the bright blade in front of him, and yelled, "What do you mean by this?

Cumberland stepped forward from behind, grabbed Jacob's shoulders, and said affectionately, "Your Excellency, since you are here, why do you have to leave in such a hurry? Why don't you stay and be a witness......

Looking at Cumberland's undeniable smile in his ears, Jacob's face turned pale, and a drop of cold sweat was slowly sliding down his forehead.

An hour later, the surviving low-ranking nobles and officials in the city were "invited" to the ceremonial hall by the Knights of the Twilight.

Looking at the room full of armored and fierce Twilight troops, people clung to each other in fear, not knowing what would await them next.

Earl Gordon of Fort White River stood beside Cumberland, talking to each other with a resolute attitude.

"You want me to support your proposed candidate for the throne?!" Gordon shook his head vigorously, "This is impossible!"

Cumberland touched his chin and said with a headache: "I haven't said who the candidate is......"

Gordon said categorically: "The legitimate heir to the throne of the Holy Acropolis, I only recognize His Highness Sinclair, and I will not agree to anyone else's election!"

Cumberland glanced at him: "If I'm not mistaken, you deliberately called yourself sick and absent from the previous election ceremony for the throne, why is that?"

Gordon sighed softly: "Some of His Highness Sinclair's political opinions, I don't agree with, that's all. But that doesn't affect my choice, he's the best and only heir to the throne of the Holy Acropolis, I've always thought so. ”

Cumberland, who was not good at arguing, waved his hand and said with a smile: "Whatever you want, after the ceremony begins, I hope you can continue to stick to your current opinion." ”

Cardinal Jacob hid in a hidden corner of the hall and anxiously asked his men, "Isn't our army here yet?"

A papal knight dressed as a servant approached Jacob and whispered, "The army of the Holy See is outside the city, but the army of Twilight City has closed every gate and forbade them to enter the city. The Knights of Stigmata and the Morirada Followers also fought with the defenders of the Knights of the Twilight, and I heard that they couldn't even get close to the city gate, and some people died......"

"Bastards! a bunch of reckless bastards!" Jacob's nose was almost crooked, "In the kingdom of the Father, how dare you treat the holy shepherd like this!

Jacob, who was angry, walked desperately to the center of the hall and shouted to Cumberland, "Invaders of Twilight City! What are you going to do? Are you going to lock us up here for the rest of your life?"

As soon as these words came out, the nobles and officials of the Holy Acropolis in the hall immediately responded one after another, and everyone invariably cast hostile glances at the surrounding Dusk Knights.

Cumberland patted the sword on his waist impatiently and yelled, "What are you arguing about?!" This ceremony is waiting for an incomparably distinguished guest! as soon as he arrives ......"

The lieutenant of the Order hurried into the main hall at this time, came to Cumberland's side, and whispered something to him.

The expression on Cumberland's face turned from anger to joy, and he ignored the noisy crowd, and walked quickly to the gate with the guards around him, shouting loudly: "Everyone, let us greet together, Ruler of the Twilight Kingdom, Son blessed by the Father!"

A young man dressed in the king's robes with a warm smile on his face slowly stepped through the temple door. He greeted everyone present, regardless of their rank or official position.

This man was none other than Todd Fischer, King of the Kingdom of Twilight.