We are Byrnens.

We are still Lothair, Eberden, Sakrand, Lothair, Elemand, Boi, Arles... It is a proud and ancient people who live in this land.

We are so proud and proud of our nation.

But we have another appellation... Imperials.

Twelve generations ago, the ancestors of de Salion, eleven generations ago, Eckhart II united us under this new name and title, creating a dream that our ancestors could not have imagined hundreds of years ago.

A dream called "Empire", a dream of allowing different peoples, different races to live under the same glory—a traveler who sets out from Lothair Deep-Limburg and walks all the way to the great green sea of Boi, with the same sun above his head and the same flag at his feet.

It was a beautiful dream, one so beautiful that the people of the empire had forgotten how terrible the Old Kingdom was twelve generations ago, how hostile and weak states struggled to survive between wars and invasions.

I once said that there is an enemy within the empire that we cannot imagine;

And now the enemy is a thousand times more dangerous than him;

The name of this enemy is called "Division".

It makes us hate each other, and makes us forget how we relied on the strength of our fellow men in the past to overcome one difficult situation after another, and to defeat one strong enemy after another.

It allows us to destroy ourselves without the sword of our enemies.

And we are destroying not only ourselves, but also the glorious deeds of our ancestors who have worked so hard to create twelve generations;

will be in our hands, ashes............

The "Imperial Declaration", which was sprinkled with more than a thousand words, spread throughout the empire at a breakneck speed, just like the last time.

The imperial nobles who were shocked again, in addition to being stunned, by the way, sorted out this imperial declaration, which was even more "appalling" than the last time, from beginning to end, and probably found these contents;

First of all, Byrne and the two principalities of Poland and Iraq were resolutely opposed to civil war, and were willing to prevent it by any means, and anyone who tried to provoke it would become an enemy of the two principalities.

Secondly, the enemies of the Reich are not inside, but outside, and the threat from the Azores and the Phanesscis is far beyond all imagination, which cannot be shaken;

Thirdly, the dukes of the two principalities of Byrne and Boe will soon lead "a small army" to the imperial capital, and while maintaining peace, they are also preparing to submit information about the Azorean elven assassins to the Heavenly Dome, because Byrne has captured an elven warrior;

And Loren Turin also welcomed the other dukes to rush to the imperial capital to lead the most trusted army to maintain the "stability of the empire".

Fourthly, in order to show his good faith, Loren Turin and his own party were to travel from the territory of East Sackland to the Imperial Capital as a sign of good faith, and that if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince objected to him doing so, he could intercept him at any time;

At last... And most crucially, Loren Turin took the initiative to appeal and implore His Royal Highness Connad de Salion to temporarily abdicate his responsibility as the guard of the Broken Boundary Mountain, go to the imperial capital of Golovin, and be crowned the thirteenth emperor in the presence of the whole empire (especially the dukes).

Fantastic!

At this point, no one in the Empire knows which side the Duke of Loren Turin and the re-emerging Duchy of Byrne are on, and it may sound more realistic that he will immediately declare neutrality and no longer participate in the struggle for the throne.

But to abandon His Royal Highness Brandon and support Crown Prince Connad to the throne... It's too subversive.

In any case, Byrne is the strongest principality under the empire, there is no one, and the relationship with the surrounding principalities is very good, and Loren Turin's attitude will definitely affect the choice of the other grand dukes.

Loren Turin... What does this new duke, who has shined in the Imperial Judgment and the Centaur War, intended;

His Royal Highness Brandon de Salion... Has he really given up the throne and allowed his biggest supporters to support His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?

"How could it be. ”

Coldly throwing the "Imperial Declaration" on the table, Conod raised his eyebrows, and his expression was faintly mixed with a hint of disdain: "It's just a means to retreat." ”

"Reject civil war, support peace, and defend ourselves against foreign enemies together... His purpose in saying this is so that I can't do anything to Brandon, not even to him and the Duke Byrne behind him. ”

Drexis, who was standing next to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, nodded, but his expression was still blank.

His Royal Highness Brandon gave up his support for him, and instead courted His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who was hostile to Byrne and the wizarding class, and abandoned his martial arts to reject the civil war... No matter how you look at it, it's all an act of actively seeking death.

Once His Royal Highness Conod is crowned Emperor of the Empire, holding the Heavenly Dome and supreme authority, what can a mere Byrne do?

It was the eldest princess of the Empire, Fitlonay de Salion, who sat opposite Conrad, with a slight look of understanding in the corners of her indifferent eyes.

"Righteousness?"

"Very concise vocabulary, worthy of Sister-in-law Fitlonai. Conod sighed softly, a gentle smile on his face, "Loren Turin and my favorite foolish brother... is crushing me with 'righteousness'. ”

Well?

Righteousness, what "righteousness" can also reverse the current balance of strength between the two sides?

Drexis, with his head down, was still thinking desperately.

Conod, who looked at his lieutenant, shook his head, and his disappointed eyes flashed.

No wonder my father arranged Drexis in Boundary Mountain before his death... The general may have been a good commander and a rock fortress in front of the enemy, but in the vault he was a target for others to beat.

But at least he was loyal enough - to his father, to the Empire, to himself... That's enough, and such a loyal general doesn't need to have too many extravagant expectations of his own.

"It's simple, Drexis. Conod patiently explained to his lieutenant: "I am the crown prince of the empire, the prince of East Sackland... On this premise, do you think I need a Duke of Byrne to stand up and support my coronation?"

Drexis shook his head, of course he didn't need to.

"Refuse the civil war, keep the peace, and ...... with the outside world," Conrad even laughed himself: "Do you think these should be the words of a 'duke'?"

"If not, then from whom?"

After a pause, Drexis, who looked up in astonishment, widened his eyes just in time to meet the eyes of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who was looking at him.

"Yes, that's it. Conod said coldly: "Loren Turin... He snatched what I was supposed to say. ”

Fitlonay leaned back in her chair with a thoughtful expression.

"The Imperial Manifesto, five in all... It's Brandon and the Duchy of Byrne behind him, the biggest talisman. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gently stroked the map on the table, and his right index finger stopped at the location of the Red Blood Castle on the map, and slammed it hard:

"As the rightful heir to the Empire, whatever I say now is as if I am following him Loren Turin, in other words, if I want to do the same thing as him, I have to shelter him... Or even support him. ”

"On the other hand, if I attack Byrne at such a time, or take measures against Loren Turin, it will send a very bad signal to the whole Empire - I, Connad de Salion, will establish my dynasty on the ruins. ”

"And the thirteenth generation of the empire is an emperor who only knows how to oppress his subjects internally, and can even ignore external humiliation, and the result must be the loss of people's hearts. ”

The crown prince's palace sank like water.

This... It's the so-called "chain reaction".

Because Loren Turin once issued an "Imperial Manifesto" - although not many people believed it at the time, but the results of the hindsight and the practice of the Empire happened to confirm that he was right.

Coupled with the fact that the other side won the Centaur War, Byrne re-emerged and gained great prestige... So when he issued the "Imperial Manifesto" for the second time, no one would be surprised or taken seriously, and instead began to think about the authenticity of the contents of the manifesto.

Three years... It was neither long nor short, but it also gradually polished Loren Turin and Brandon into qualified rulers.

"But you can still do it to him and Brandon. Her Royal Highness the eldest princess raised her gaze, and her red pupils exuded a strange emotion:

"If they are as promised, then Brandon and Loren must go to the Celestial Dome and swear allegiance to you—making Loren Turin the Lord of the Seals and Brandon the Prince and Imperial Advisor of East Sakland. ”

House arrest?!

The word immediately popped into Drex's head.

Yes, this is a good way to control His Highness Brandon and Duke Byrne, but also to keep their supporters and responders to them speechless, and to minimize the threat they pose.

What a great wrist... It turns out that it is because of this that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will let the eldest princess manage the affairs of the night watch?

"No, you can't do that. There was a clear flash of approval in Conod's eyes, but he then gave up on the offer:

"The latter can still be considered, but the controversy of the former is too great - to make a powerful duke, or the most powerful duke, the Lord of the Seals of the Empire, would have very bad consequences. ”

Fitlonay was slightly stunned, and immediately understood what he meant.

There's a reason why none of the 12 generations of the empire have ever been the Lord of the Seals, and with their own principalities on their backs, they have enough power and authority to have the position of head of the Imperial Cabinet... It was easy to stand up to the emperor himself.

The most immediate consequence would be to increase the influence of the Imperial Cabinet, but it would weaken the authority of the Emperor himself, and destroy the traditions of the twelfth generation, which Brandon may have done, but Conod would never.

"More importantly, there really can't be any civil war in the current empire, and I also need Brandon and his supporters to stand on my side, the empire's side, without reservation. Conod said in a deep voice:

"Because... The Azorean elves are coming. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Drexis, who had been thinking for a long time, suddenly remembered someone.

The leader of the Wizarding Tower, the Archon of Ebberden... Corona.

“...... When we have to face a powerful enemy, an enemy who may well have killed your father and will soon invade your country, unity is a must......"

“...... The last thing that can happen in the current empire is infighting and division......"

I see, it turns out that this is the purpose of his sudden "change of court" and running to support His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and provide information, just to cover His Royal Highness Brandon's plan, right?!

His Highness Conod, who was about to face the invasion of the Azorean elves, had no choice at all - all he could do was to compromise as much as possible while avoiding the threat of His Highness Brandon as much as possible.

This is the plan they have discussed a long time ago, but they still have to think about the empire and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince......

The wizards... Sure enough, it's all a bunch of despicable villains!

"However, when the imperial capital is in chaos, you can still get the information of my father's death before me... The golden lion of the Turin family, has his claws reached into the imperial capital?"

Conod frowned slightly: "Aunt Fitronai, please mobilize the night watchmen we have gathered to see if we can find Byrne's intelligence network near the imperial capital." ”

"By the way... I suspect that there are also Brandon's nails in this group of night watchmen, so be sure to investigate them thoroughly. ”

The indifferent eldest princess didn't respond, but just raised her gaze and asked, "Then what are you going to do next?" ”

"The Knights of Byrne, numbering about two thousand men, entered from East Sacland, and the other way is the Floating City, which has recently captured the Dwarven Kingdom, passing through the territory of Elems and heading straight for the Imperial Capital. ”

"Intelligence speculates that Loren Turin should be on that floating city. ”

"Then let them in, and let them in without any hindrance. Conod waved his hand slightly, and his index finger, which was parked on the map Red Blood Castle, slowly moved towards the imperial capital:

"It will take a month to get from Crimson Castle to Golovin, and I will only need a week at the earliest - I will arrive in the Imperial Capital early and welcome my Duke at the Heavenly Dome Palace......"

"Also, my cute brother who likes to make trouble!"

Connod's expression was indifferent, but it convinced the other two that he had made a decision.

"So, you're going to follow Brandon and Loren Turin's wishes, and make yourself owe them an adult?" Fitlonay tilted his head slightly, his long hair as bright as fire hanging down on the edge of the table:

"Such a compromise is really very unde-Saglione's approach. ”

"No... I want them to think that they are satisfied—not only them, but also the nobles of the imperial capital, the heads of the six principalities, and I want to make them feel that Connad de Salion is a man who is willing to compromise. ”

Conod, who snorted coldly, looked meaningfully at Her Royal Highness the eldest princess:

"After all, you have to pick it up first......

"to be able to smash them down!"