Byrne, Bloodkeep.

The black-haired wizard stood outside the door of the ward, and the continuous ringing of the cathedral's bells in the distance distraught him.

Euron Eckert's funeral should have ended yesterday – but at Charlotte's urging, it was turned into a grand Mass that would last for a whole week.

There was only one purpose, to leave the envoy of His Royal Highness the Prince (Brandon de Salion himself) in the Red Blood Castle and to give outsiders a reason why he could not leave.

What's more, he really can't go now.

On the other side of the door, Charlotte looked worriedly at Loren, who was frowning, and the blood-soaked letterhead in his hand, hesitating to know what to do.

Even now, Charlotte couldn't believe what Loren Turin, who was stunned at the time, told her in a hurry.

Eckhart de Salion... His Majesty the Emperor of the Twelfth Generation of the Empire... He's dead.

The man who always controls a corner of the empire, who can always anticipate everything, is in his own dormitory... Die at the hands of a little assassin!

Why is this happening?!

Charlotte had no guess that she would react exactly like someone she hated the Night's Watch and a prince she hated.

Of course, she couldn't imagine anyone who heard the news that there would be a second reaction.

But what really worried her was not the intelligence itself, but Loren Turin.

The death of Eckhart II will completely disrupt his entire plan - even for the sake of Byrne, for the sake of the House of Turin, for the benefit of Brandon de Salion... Loren must also devote his energy and resources to the coming war for the throne.

This is absolutely the opposite of what he thinks.

If the power behind the Kingdom of the Azores is really as the elven warrior said, if the "Black Cross" Serol will really return from the void again;

Then even if you gather the strength of the entire empire, you may not have an absolute chance of winning... Not to mention the empires that are divided in two and hostile to each other.

Under persecution, Loren, who is in a dilemma, ......

"Charlotte, Charlotte?"

Well?!

The countess, who was in a trance, woke up suddenly, and saw the black-haired wizard who was still frowning just now, standing in front of her, tilting her head and smiling evilly, and kept waving her hands: "What do you think, so distracted?"

"Nothing!

The grimace snorted angrily and turned her gaze away without hesitation.

Is it really because Euron is so tired from his affairs, and I worry about this kind of guy for him?!

"Don't worry, there's nothing to worry about. With a chuckle, the black-haired wizard said leisurely, "In a sense, it makes me breathe a sigh of relief." ”

"Huh?"

Charlotte's expression was surprised.

"I don't know when it started, but as long as I think I'm going to have a smooth ride, something will definitely happen. At the beginning of the recollection, the corners of the black-haired wizard's mouth hooked up a helpless smile:

"Obviously just to eradicate vampires, but in the end they have to fight against the church;"

"I thought it was easy to be someone else's wizard advisor, but it turned out to be an enemy of an evil god;"

"It's obviously unlucky enough to be blackmailed, and you can still encounter such a thing as a riot of the living dead;"

"I went to the northern ice fields and was almost buried alive;"

"When I went to the imperial capital for vacation, I almost shouted and beat everyone;"

"Escape to Byrne, ...... under the fence of the Red Blood Castle" With a playful smile, the black-haired wizard looked at Charlotte who was slightly drunk: "Why was he elected as the new duke, and he still has to lead troops to war?"

"......Shh

The countess, who turned her head, snorted softly.

Loren smiled even more.

"So there's no need to worry about me at all – this kind of unfortunate arrival at home is a common occurrence for me... On the contrary, the last two or three years have been too smooth, and I have become a little uncomfortable. Scratching his head, the black-haired wizard took a long and deep breath:

"Well, the emperor is dead... Encountering such an unfortunate thing, which means that I will be... Well, a little smoother. ”

"After all, even if God wants to torture people, he has to give a buffer period. ”

The unbelievable theory made Charlotte simply unable to understand... She didn't want to understand it now.

"I don't care what you think, but it's important that this matter is handled properly and that it doesn't interfere with the Cathedral's Mass and Euron's funeral. Charlotte puffed up her chest, and there was unmistakable power in her tone:

"There is still a lot of important work to be done, the counts and knights of the Thirteen Lords will gather in the cathedral to watch the ceremony, and this event will alarm the whole of Byrne, and there is no room for error. ”

"Also, please... My Lord Duke should think carefully about how this chaos should end, and stop it from becoming almost irreparable like the original Imperial Trial!"

When the words fell, the countess of the Red Blood Castle, who bent down to salute "respectfully", left Loren alone outside the door of the ward without looking back.

The black-haired wizard sneered.

Since when did he become so "tacit" with Charlotte?

It didn't take her to guess in what direction her plans were going to change next—whether it was a Mass or a ceremony that would alarm the entire Principality......

Awaken the war potential of the entire duchy and concentrate it in the city of the Red Blood Fortress.

The death of Euron Eckert will ignite the wrath of the Byrnes, and the angry Byrne Knight is willing to go to the trouble for his lord.

A week is enough time for the Thirteen Counts to clear up the situation and reach a proper agreement with Loren, whether the result is to besiege the principality or fight for the throne... The more time is against the clock, the more we must be calm.

Of course, more importantly... She was going to set aside time for herself to convince Brandon de Salion.

This is likely to ignite an entire imperial civil war, and Byrne must have a certain degree of initiative.

Whether it's helping Brandon ascend to the throne or striking some sort of compromise with Conrad... Byrne can't be completely tied to a chariot and become a consumable for the interests of others, he must make decisions based on his own needs.

To do this, Loren must convince Brandon first, stabilize the already restless Royal Highness, and at the same time make him accept his ideas, rather than make Byrne completely subordinate to him.

Byrne can send troops, and Loren can take the knights of the Thirteen Lords and the dwarves of Silverhelm Mountain to fight for Brandon, but only if he can win, and if he wins justifiably and happily.

"Crunch ......"

The door in front of him was opened.

The two figures staggered out of the ward, one after the other.

"Oops, hey, I'm really tired... Two more times, and an old bone like mine will probably be in the coffin, right?"

"What nonsense, Master Ashamai - obviously recovered well, and even the sequelae of the last time the valve was opened have almost recovered......"

"My stupid apprentice, don't talk nonsense, remember, as an alchemist, every second of your life is valuable, and if you let others know that your job is easy, those evil employers will desperately squeeze you!"

"It's nonsense again, is there an employer in this world who can squeeze you......"

The little wizard with a helpless face coped with the answer, and at the same time supported an elder who was teaching her "life experience", limited by the height difference between the two people, and walked towards the black-haired wizard "with a limp".

"Master Ashamai, Ain... How's it going?"

"It's okay, the injury is basically under control... It was a miracle that he was able to come back with such a serious injury, and not be found until Byrne's territory. ”

In an instant, the "energetic" Harlevan Ashamai let go of the arm that was being supported by the little wizard, and his expression was very relaxed: "I also have to praise the witcher boys of the Wings of the Sky... The first aid measures were very in place, which saved me a lot of things. ”

And for good reason—first aid in an emergency is one of the essential skills of a witcher, and if they are to fight monsters alone in the wilderness, Dalton certainly won't forget such an important subject.

"What is really troublesome is the two void forces that have invaded his body. The small wizard on the side added, "The void residue on his body surface and wounds is very strong, and ordinary healing methods cannot be eliminated at all. ”

Loren frowned slightly, and the smile on the corner of his mouth faded.

"The first is the penetrating wound on his body—the wound looks like it was caused by an arrowhead, but because of the remnants of the void, the wound cannot heal, and can only be barely sealed, but this method can only be temporary, and must be removed by a way. The little wizard worried:

"The second place is on the surface of the body - a very terrifying void power, obviously I can't see the injury, but from head to toe it seems to be frozen, my body function and consciousness have become very sluggish, so I have slightly contained the two penetrating injuries... But in this case, I still ran back, and this perseverance ......"

The little wizard didn't continue, and shook his head reluctantly.

"I don't know much about the former, but the latter is clearly Albert's usual trick. Ashamai slowly spoke: "The remnants of the void that have been piled up over the years are used by this guy as a weapon and a fortress. ”

"I heard that Lord Duke visited him when you were in the imperial capital, and you must have seen the horror of this power. ”

"Hmm......" The black-haired wizard bowed silently:

"The memory is still fresh. ”

The atmosphere has become a little colder.

Obviously, whether it is the piercing wound of the former or the frostbite of the latter, it is not so simple to completely eliminate it - even if it can be suppressed, the remnants of the void must be slowly eliminated by time, and there is hardly a good solution.

"Although it can't be completely solved, ... There are still ways to make him a little more comfortable. ”

Ashamai said abruptly, "We can use the runes of high-level spells to make some painkillers with strong void power to alleviate his condition. ”

"Wouldn't that allow the power of the Void to erode his body?" Aine questioned.

"Yes, but on the other hand, a stronger Void Force will suppress the Void remnants on his body. Ashmai shrugged: "As for the erosion of the body... Hit by Albert's Void Remnant, I don't think this erosion is a big deal. ”

"I've left the tools and some potions for the runes in my room, my dear silly apprentice, can you help your elderly mentor run errands?"

"Isn't he a stupid apprentice!"

Having said this, the little wizard obediently turned away and hurried towards Ashmai's room.

It wasn't until Ain walked away that the smile on Ashamai's face faded, and his meaningful gaze turned to the black-haired wizard with the same calm complexion:

"His Highness Brandon de Salion is waiting for you in the ward, Lord Duke. ”

Loren was slightly stunned, and looked at the dark ward: "When did he go in?"

"It's always been there, just entrusting us not to tell you. Ashmai shook his head: "He insisted on seeing Peter Fasha, wanting to hear from him about... About His Majesty Eckhart II. ”

But he was disappointed—even in his comatose muttering, Peter didn't say anything about the bloody assassination, which was in keeping with Dalton Kander's assessment of the Night's Watch. ”

A group of people who dig up secrets and keep them secret.

Of course Loren knows the words of the mentor.

"He's angry and scared right now... Like a young son who always complains about his father's unfairness, but really hears the news of his father's death one day... Although it is. Ashamai's gaze was complicated:

"Be careful of everything you say, my Lord Duke—for he is now very fragile and impulsive, and any words that go too far or are not in his favor may provoke him. ”

"I understand, it's not the first day I've seen His Royal Highness the disgraced prince. Slightly curling the corners of his mouth, Loren still had the heart to make a little joke.

Ashamai, who had moved away slightly, smiled and didn't say anything.

Walking into the dark hospital room, it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim light before he could barely see the figure sitting directly in front of the door.

He was alone, motionless like a sculpture, sitting in a chair in the corner and silent.

On the hospital bed lay a badly injured Peter Fasa, whose body was almost unrecognizable with bandages.

"Are you in, Loren?"

A low, hoarse voice rang out in the room.

The black-haired wizard was stunned—if he wasn't very familiar, he could barely tell that it was Brandon's tone.

He could only be seen faintly in the dim light, sitting hunched in a chair with his elbows propped up on his knees, his head hanging low and his cheeks covered by hair, and his expression could not be seen.

It's like trying to hide yourself from others - something that was unimaginable before.

"Well, I just thought... It's time to talk. ”