"So... How did you convince the Holy Cross to agree to a compromise?"

Sitting honestly in his chair, carefully holding the wine glass in his hand, Loren asked with great sincerity.

Charlotte didn't answer him immediately, and the corners of the countess's mouth, who had been silent for a moment, crossed an irrepressible arc.

Although he knew that this guy's trembling, thin ice expression was faked, maybe he would have known the whole thing from beginning to end in private—but as long as he hadn't revealed any signs of degassing, he would continue like this.

Even if it's pretended, the attitude of being cautious for fear of snubbing is really happy.

Well...... Keep it up one more day... No, it's still a week, and let this bastard clearly understand his mistakes.

And it has to be "deep" enough.

"Before I answer that question, I want you to answer me a question. Suddenly, the countess who "sold a pass", the smile on the corner of her mouth became thicker and thicker:

"Your Excellency, do you want an answer out of sheer curiosity about how I did it, or out of guilt for not being able to take up my responsibilities at such a critical moment?"

Belch......

Loren was at a loss.

Although Charlotte had a "just casually asking" expression, the obviously irrepressible smile made his back cold, and things were not as simple as they seemed.

If you don't answer well, maybe... will die.

"This... It's really hard to talk about, because a lot of things can't be explained in a few words. Almost instantly, a formulaic smile immediately appeared on the corners of Loren's mouth, and the Spirit Hall was organizing the appropriate language at ten times the usual speed:

"I feel guilty for not being able to take responsibility at a critical moment – but isn't the problem solved? Instinctively and with absolute confidence in you Charlotte, I certainly have a little curiosity to know that you can do it. ”

"If I had to describe it, it would be like an ordinary mortal who, when he saw the miracle work of the Holy Cross, would always try to find out how it worked... Don't forget that I'm a wizard, and it's my nature and habit to get to the bottom of it. ”

"After all... Only by seeing the whole picture can we understand the true charm and elegance of things – what do you think?"

As the words fell, Loren, who had a sincere face, blinked his big innocent eyes.

"I think that makes a lot of sense. With a slight bow, the countess was pleased to understand.

Then I silently raised the deadline from one week to one month in my heart.

The black-haired wizard, who breathed lightly and was still unaware of his next "fate", put down his wine glass and raised his hand to signal: "Then please tell me, how our countess of the Red Blood Castle mediated with the tough and stubborn church. ”

"There's nothing complicated - coercion, inducement, coercion, clamping, are all the means at the negotiating table, just like a card game, the key is whether you can hold the most advantageous card to suppress the enemy. ”

Charlotte raised her head, her pupils filled with smugness: "Luckily, there are three people at the table this time - Byrne, the Church, and... Arles. ”

"Arles?"

"The Duchy of Arles is the most distant of the principalities from the Heavenly Dome and the Church—the Holy Cross Church is aggressive this time, intending to settle the two principalities at the same time and support their people as bishops of the principality. ”

Loren was still a little ignorant: "So this time Arles is on our side and jointly confronts the will of the church and the Heavenly Dome Palace?"

"No, it's better than that - Arles intends to betray us, to exchange Byrne's interests for the approval of the Church, and then they will come to a compromise with each other. ”

Well?!

Where's the good about this?

"Haven't you seen the essence of the problem yet, my duke, the card game of the three, all of them are uniting one against the other, but the real idea ......" The countess paused slightly, and lightly opened her lips with deep meaning:

"They all see the other two as prey at the same time, intending to eat them in one bite without mercy. ”

Putting away his smile, the black-haired wizard listened intently.

"The Church of the Holy Cross is aggressive, and Arles intends to keep everyone out - their interests are in conflict with each other, but Byrne is a thorn in the side of the Church, and Arles does not care about us at all, so they can unite. ”

"So... We're going to buy Arles and co-opt them against the Church?"

"No! this seems to be a feasible solution, but in fact it is never advisable!" said the countess, frowning slightly, and categorically vetoed: "Once we try to buy Arles, they will understand that we have something to ask them for—and the result is that Arles will sit on the ground and lose a lot if it wins." ”

"The most important thing... I don't despise the temporary stability that I have gained by selling my interests. ”

Loren became more and more curious.

"The only correct way is to divert attention - to make Arles the primary target of the Church, so that Arles will ask for us, and Byrne will be the arbiter of both sides, and finally to win over Arles against the Church. ”

After speaking, Charlotte picked up her wine glass, took a sip of red blood wine, and lowered her eyes slightly: "We must not only win over our allies, but also keep them in a state of unease and need to be protected at all times, and then make the enemy regard allies, not us, as the primary target." ”

"Byrne... Take control. ”

"Speaking of which, this is the technique that His Excellency the Duke taught me to use against the Yunling Kingdom. ”

The black-haired wizard was shocked.

That's right, it's me who is too dull.

For three years, as the countess of the Red Blood Castle and the only surviving countess in the history of the Round Table Council, she was able to always hold the right to speak and take the initiative in the council......

Charlotte Turin, as she grows older, is not only more mature and slender and has a unique personality.

Deserted living room, quiet for a minute.

"So... How did you shift the church's goals?"

Straightening up, Loren crossed his fingers on the table, like a traveler sitting by the fire waiting for the storyteller to tell his story: "As you say, Byrne is a thorn in the side of the church, but Arles is not." ”

"That's right – so if you want to divert the target, you need to have an outbreak of something more urgent and threatening. Charlotte bowed slightly:

"Kastaran Clovis. ”

"Who?" Loren raised an eyebrow.

"A knight of the Holy Cross, captain of the Knights of the 'Shield of Defence', who was stationed in the cathedral of Arles two years ago under the direction of the Church. ”

There's nothing surprising about that.

According to the tradition of the Church of the Holy Cross, the "Sword of Oath" was responsible for the sword mission, and the "Shield of Defense" was responsible for guarding the church - in the era when the Holy Cross had not yet become the unified religion of the Empire, the cathedrals of the principalities were not only spiritual refuge for the local people, but also a frontline against various evil gods and local infidels.

However, after twelve generations, the number of Oath Knights has been greatly reduced, only one "Sword of Oath" remains, and the number of "Guardian Shields" is not even enough for a hundred-man team, most of which are concentrated in the fortress of Broken Mountain and the cathedral of the imperial capital.

It was not until Loren's letter three years ago that in order to stabilize the situation and the believers' confidence in the church, the church consciously sent the "shield of defense" to various places to inspect and maintain the authority of the church.

"But... Why Arles?" said Charlotte, "why not the regions with more believers and more important to the Church—such as the Duchy of Lothair?"

Loren pondered for a moment, "Perhaps... Is it because they want to take advantage of this opportunity to use the opportunity to fight against heretical orders, evil gods, and monsters to increase the influence of the Church in a remote area like Arles?"

"That's what I thought at first, so Master Dalton Candle sent only two witchers to follow him into the Duchy of Arles. ”

But the reality was beyond imagination – Kastaran Clovis, the 'shield of defense' who had never left the cathedral since arriving in Arles. ”

"Because he's got something else... More important tasks. ”

"What's the more important task?"

The countess did not answer his question immediately, but raised her gaze meaningfully, and followed her gaze Loren looked out the window, her pupils slightly condensed.

Is that... Directions to Byrne Cathedral.

The black-haired wizard immediately understood.

"Kastaran Clois... His real mission is to monitor a 'blasphemous weapon' that has been suppressed under the Cathedral of Arles, and to warn all heretical orders who covet it. Charlotte's expression became serious:

"The turmoil at Eberton, the disaster at the Red Blood Fortress... All of them made the church feel deeply threatened. ”

"He failed?"

"No, he succeeded... It was too successful, to be precise. Charlotte sighed, and her face suddenly darkened: "So much so that it has been two years since our witchers lurking in the cathedral noticed something unusual. ”

"Over the course of his long career as a surveillance, Kastaran Clovis has been so corrupted by the power of the void spread by that 'blasphemous weapon' that his flesh has turned to ashes—when the Witchers of the Firmament Wings found him, all that was left in front of the sealed gate was an empty piece of armor. ”

"He has fulfilled the highest duty that a knight of the Holy Cross can fulfill. But in order to cover up the truth and, more importantly, not to discover the secrets of the cathedral, so as not to cause panic, the priests of the Church of Arles decided to destroy the armor and create the illusion that the Knights of the Oaths had left. ”

"But they underestimated the power of this 'blasphemous weapon', and even underestimated the steadfastness of Kastaran Clovis in his faith - even if his body was destroyed, his soul would still be attached to his armor and be invaded by the 'blasphemous weapon'. ”

"Finally... The two witchers lurking inside the church had to destroy the armor with the Mithril sword and blow up the crypt of the church, which sealed the 'blasphemous weapon', to finally contain the worst. ”

The countess's voice with a solemn expression fell, and she sighed again.

There was silence in the living room again.

Expressionless, Loren looked down in contemplation, calculating the impact of this incident on the church.

There is no doubt that the death of a Knight-of-Oath is a heavy blow to the Church, and the consequences of such an attempt to cover up the truth are even more terrible if they are revealed.

But such "devastating" news is also a double-edged sword, once it is not used well, it will also harm itself, and even make the church desperately fabricate charges against Byrne, who revealed the information, in order to avoid responsibility.

So...... Charlotte Turin, how did she threaten the Church and at the same time manage to avoid being targeted by the Church?

"Night's watchman. ”

"Huh?"

"One of the two witchers we sent out was personally 'trained' by Master Dalton Kander to know how to leave information in a way that only the Night's Watch would understand. The countess said lightly:

"Therefore, the Holy Cross Church, which received the information, only knew that something had happened in Arles, and the situation was very serious, and it was even possible to spread to the whole of Arles and even the southern region - the 'blasphemous weapon' sealed under the church would also be exposed. ”

"Under this threat, the Church has no spare energy to target Byrne, and can only single-mindedly target Arles, who are already negotiating with Arles to station a whole squad of ten Knights of the Shield of Defense. ”

"This will be on a scale unprecedented in the 12th generation, comparable to the first generation of sword missions. ”

Loren finally knew Charlotte's intentions.

"I guess... Arles can't wait to get Byrne's support to stop the church from interfering, right?"

Taking a sip of the red blood wine, the countess's face showed a leisurely aftertaste.

"The minimum level of support, which was to allow the Knights of the Oath only to enter the country, and not to be too involved in religious matters in Arles, was still acceptable to the Church. ”

"And the condition I have made is that the Duke will install one of the priests in Byrne in the Church, and choose one to be the Bishop of Byrne, and the Church shall not obstruct it. ”

"In this way, both sides get what they want, but it is just a little different from what they imagined, which is a 'win-win' situation. The countess concluded.

"No, it's only 'you' who gets what you want most. Loren raised his eyebrows: "The so-called 'win-win' is nothing more than creating two 'winners' who lose half in exchange for the biggest loot they can get." ”

"The compromise of the church, and Arles' dependence on Byrne – both sides had to look at Byrne's face to decide what they could get from the other. ”

The silent Charlotte curled the corners of her mouth and nodded lightly.

Remarkable, really remarkable.

Elegant, iron-fisted, cold-blooded, tactful.

This is Charlotte Turin - even "unscrupulous" seems to have become a compliment to her.

"The list of candidates for bishop has been drawn up, all of which I have placed in the various counties and cathedrals in the past three years. Placing a piece of parchment with her name written on it, Charlotte "nonchalantly" picked up the wine glass on the table.

It was as if it wasn't the name of a living person, but a toy she could give away.

"Pick the one you like. ”