With the last of the Azorean elves wiped out, the battle for the Highlands finally came to an end as scheduled.

For the Empire, it was a given thing to end this "inner battle" on the eve of midsummer, and no one would have any surprises in this "little finish" for Duke Byrne, who had won the Battle of Ebolden, the Battle of the Valley of Blood, and the Battle of the Imperial Capital.

The "Shooting Army" that was pulled out by Loren for the first time was an accident that "shocked" everyone.

The "Kyauk-ray Sword" that can attack a thousand steps away, the "Kyauk-ray spear" that shoots endless volleys... Even the Grand Dukes, who thought they knew "a little" about wizards, were really taken aback by the power of this weapon.

However, despite this, almost all the dukes and counts present only stayed at the level of "scare" - very simple, because in order to operate these weapons, there must first be a wizard.

Leaving aside the fact that only an apprentice-level "Bright Light Spear" is needed, a modified version of the "Bright Light Sword" alone requires at least five occult wizards and twelve alchemists to operate... Except for Byrne, who currently has the full support of the Nine-Pointed Star Wizard Tower, it is impossible for any principality to draw so many wizards at once.

Of course, it's not that there really aren't, but most of these people are the only doctors, pharmacists, clerks, and alchemy workshop owners in their respective territories... Pull them all out to fight, and there is no substitute in the territory.

Only His Royal Highness Brandon, the "Prince of Disgrace", took a great interest in this "new army" - as we all know, the advantage of the Sakran Legion lies in the frontal heavy infantry phalanx, and both the "Kyauk-Ray Spear" and the "Kyauk-daber" can provide the Legion with extremely powerful projection firepower, which to a certain extent makes up for the shortcomings of mobility.

Sackland, which has a long history of alchemy, is far stronger than the stereotypical and conservative Byrne in terms of wizarding heritage, and whether it is financial, human or material, as long as he wants to pull out a "shooting army" that is not inferior to Byrne.

And when he found Isaac in high spirits, he was greeted by a basin of cold water.

That's right, money is never an issue.

The problem is that there is not enough money.

The actual cost of the "Kyaukguang Spear", which requires the least manpower and material resources, is not low - excluding the physical requirements, the power and range are basically similar to those of ordinary heavy crossbows, but the cost is at least twice as much.

And the current failure rate of this thing is still high, the slightest problem may explode, and once it explodes, it will be the end of death;

And if you want to use its power, you have to be on a large scale, and the cost of forming a shooting army is enough to arm two or three times as many crossbowmen... On top of that, training and selecting people also takes time.

As for the beautiful-looking "Kyaukkasaber" ... Aside from the cost, a range of 1,000 steps doesn't really mean much - unless there is a marksman like a small wizard, a light saber that can shoot a thousand steps away can only be heard, and it won't be able to get back at all.

But Brandon still waved his hand and sent a commission to the Nine-Pointed Star Wizard Tower as the Prince of Sackland - because although this thing was made by Byrne, in order to make Isaac a patriarch, it nominally belonged to the Nine-Pointed Star Wizard Tower - to make twenty Bright Light Sabers in the shortest possible time, and the cost should be borne by the imperial capital.

........................

"I don't know much about what a 'magic weapon' is, but I at least know that it's the same as ballistas and the like, it needs to be concentrated as much as possible to be powerful, and one or two doesn't mean anything other than a sound. ”

Brandon put his feet on the map table, cocked the legs of his chair, and looked at Loren who walked into the tent with a wine glass, smiling:

"Of course, considering that even if these twenty lightsabers are built, most of them will still depend on your Ain Rand wizard to exert their power, which is equivalent to preparing them for you... So if you can take the trouble to give a discount, support a few wizards or something, it's a big deal to wait for the battle to finish, and I will pay you back. ”

The black-haired wizard couldn't help but sigh and casually pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Something?"

"Of course there is, otherwise why would I bring in Duke Byrne and my first wizard advisor?" Shrugging, Brandon raised his foot and pushed a glass of wine in front of Loren, leaving a string of wine stains on the map table:

"The battle for the defense of the imperial capital is over, and then it's time to rescue Lothair and the Azorean elves for a decisive battle, shouldn't we discuss it first?"

"I thought that this kind of thing should be discussed with everyone. ”

"That's right, that's right - we'll talk to them again when we come up with a plan together. Brandon nodded very seriously: "When the time comes, I will be responsible for accepting it with an open mind, and you will be responsible for listening to their opinions and making changes, and then come up with a plan that is exactly the same as what we discussed at the beginning." ”

“......”

Loren really tried his best to resist the urge to roll his eyes - at this point, Brandon never let him down.

"Don't look at me like that, you know why I say that. Brandon, who threw the wine glass behind his head and wiped his mouth indiscriminately, looked calm:

"Or tell me how many of the invincible Edgeworth Knights can really make a 'suggestion'?"

With a raised brow, Loren folded his shoulders and watched His Royal Highness snap his fingers there.

"Archduke Salika Jonah, I've been with this wild duke for almost three years, and my biggest impression of her is that she has no idea—she's a bit clever, and she's a good fighter, but she's by no means a good ruler, and with Byrne's support and Sackland's legions, her nobles dare to be restless... It really shocked me. ”

"Nolan Ode of Arles... Well, this bandit leader is a wise man, but his downline is almost at the same level as mine, so I won't discuss battle plans with this guy, and he should be able to think that I won't discuss any plans with him, just like he won't tell me his plans... There is a tacit understanding between the two of us like a hooligan and a hooligan. ”

"As for Yuri Wirtz, Duke of Ellemont... A good man, with foresight and strategy, like all his fathers, he knows how to make sacrifices for the sake of the big picture, and never crosses the line unless he has to, the only drawback is that he is too rigid, I don't have a good impression of this kind of overly old children, and their existence always makes me seem very naïve. ”

"So... A wild girl like a madman, a hooligan who is not offline, a little ghost who is too old......" Brandon sighed one by one, "It seems that the two of us are left in the entire Edgeworth Knights." ”

These words... Loren really didn't know where to start.

Although he was not entirely incapable of understanding Brandon's thoughts.

To put it simply, the relationship between each other has changed.

In Eckhart II... Even when Conod was still alive, the relationship between the emperor and the grand dukes was still between vassals and lords, or between masters and vassals;

This relationship came to an end with Connod's death.

Yes, Brandon is the crown prince of the empire, the legitimate first in line to the throne, and yes, he has the absolute strength and name to inherit the throne at the moment, and no one can stop him.

But as long as he did not succeed to the throne and became the fourteenth supreme emperor of the empire, he and the archdukes were still on an equal footing - Conrad could give orders directly to the Archduchess of Boi, and Brandon had to negotiate it.

As for the question of succession ... The nobles of the imperial capital hated Brandon as much as they did to prevent him from succeeding to the throne, and once they did this for the first time, even if it was for the sake of their lives, they had to continue to prevent it.

Unless, Brandon relied on the absolute support of the Knights of Edgeworth, that is, the Grand Dukes, to forcibly succeed to the throne - but in doing so, it would be tantamount to owing favors to the dukes and invisibly weakening the authority of the emperor.

So the current relationship between Brandon and the dukes is not so much the relationship between the emperor and the courtiers as the "friendship" between allies and allies.

"So I think my most trusted wizard advisor must know what I'm thinking. Brandon said slowly:

"That's right, I can march into the imperial capital right now and become the fourteenth emperor of the empire with hundreds of thousands of troops, but then I will owe these guys a great favor that needs to be repaid as soon as possible - more independent power, less taxes, less obligations... I'm sorry, but I want to be the Empire, not the Emperor of Golovin!"

"I am de Salion, born to rule the Empire!"

"Besides, if I become Emperor, what will happen to my nobles, knights, and soldiers—I promised them a triumphal ceremony in the Imperial Capital. ”

"Rewards, fiefs, titles... Grand ceremonies are always indispensable, but where does the money come from, and what should they use to continue the next war after the money is spent? Not to mention that if these guys are allowed to bulge their pockets one by one and become knights, will they dare to kill you to the death with the Azorean elves?!"

"Therefore, I must not succeed to the throne right now, and I must even give the bastards in the imperial capital a little sweetness, so that they think that I will be willing to give up the throne to Aunt Fetronay or something... In exchange for this, do everything in your power to win this battle of the Azorean elves. ”

"And when this war is over, then those who should be killed will be killed, and those who should be imprisoned... There is always the means, to compensate the warriors who won the throne for me... Hehe, I might shed a few tears for the unfortunate ones who died on the battlefield. ”

The expression of the embarrassed prince was slightly hideous with a somewhat excited tone.

But that's who he really is.

Stripped of his seemingly affinable coat and unwavering personality, there is no difference between him and Conod

That's right, as he himself admitted, he was a de Salion.

A man who was born to rule an empire, or ......

Born with a desire to rule the empire.

"Surprised?" Brandon raised his eyebrows, and stared at Loren with burning eyes, "I can tell you now, Loren Turin, and when I inherit the throne, our relationship will not be as good as it is now." ”

"Yes, I'm a big proponent of wizards, but I'll do everything I can to suppress Byrne's position in the Empire - I'm serious, and don't expect me to happily accept the appearance of a family strong enough to challenge De Salion. ”

"If that's the case, you shouldn't have told me. ”

Loren smiled calmly.

"Don't laugh, I'm serious. ”

"yes, I said you shouldn't have told me - like if I knew about it, I'd have found a way to keep you from getting out of the battlefield alive or something. ”

"Oh... I don't think you really cared much about the duke's title. ”

"That was before, and I care a lot now. ”

"Because of Charlotte?"

“...... Almost, half because of her. ”

"Where's the other half?"

"I'm also... Not too sure. ”

"Not sure... Ah......h

Brandon, who had a suddenly realized expression, raised his eyebrows, stared at the black-haired wizard in a little surprise, and asked in a very "curious" tone, "What do you mean... Attempted crime, or... Well... Mission accomplished, but not sure if it succeeded?"

"Can you smile a little brighter?"

The black-haired wizard with a blank face raised his right hand and pointed it at the corner of his mouth that was almost up to his ears.

"I'm sorry, but I'm still a little surprised, I always thought you weren't... What about the ones who are impulsive because of sensuality and desire!" Brandon sighed:

"So... Women are poison, look at what my best friend has been poisoned - if memory serves, you two are still cousins, right?"

"Come on, someone seems to have used this excuse to force me to find Charlotte, and someone is about to be blatant about their sister-in-law. ”

"It's blatant - if you can't get everything you want, what's the point of being an emperor, and what can I do for it?"

"You... Belch... To save the world?"

"Poof! If this world is so miserable that I need to save it, I think it's better to give up, it's basically hopeless. ”

"So ......"

The black-haired wizard slowly got up and looked at the schematic diagram that the two had just piled up with food and wine glasses on the map table while they were talking:

"Ebolden and Lothair. ”

"Two-pronged march, two-pronged, to gain time. Brandon nodded very seriously: "All the way north to join the remnants of the War Minister Sevelin de Salion and besiege Ebolden." ”

"Advance westward, assist Archduke Rowén Fried, and then return with Lothair's army to join the final battle. ”

"Two fronts will win, and one battle will be the final word!"

"Bang!"

With a crisp sound, Brandon slammed the flask on the map table, got up and looked down at the black-haired wizard: "Tell me, Ebolden and Lothair, which one do you want—although you don't need to say it, I probably guessed it." ”

The black-haired wizard nodded slightly.

"Lothair. ”

。 m.