In the Imperial Cabinet Hall, the early morning court meeting has just ended.

With his arms folded, Eckhart II tapped the table and looked silently at the empty hall, while the silent Keeper of the Seals, Metternich Leopold, sat beside him, holding a parchment scroll in his hand, looking up at His Majesty the Emperor.

"Metternich... You don't seem to be happy with this candidate?"

"No, although it was a bit sudden, whether it was His Highness Brandon's wishes, or to reward him for his exploits at the Broken Mountain Fortress, this appointment is very appropriate. The Minister of the Seal replied respectfully, but still sighed:

"But... It's still too tender. ”

"Well, that's true. After a moment of thought, Eckhart II nodded.

The Minister of the Seal bowed slightly: "Although I saw through His Majesty's plan, I was extremely reckless in my approach... It seems that he has won a complete victory in this audience, and it has also made the adults aware of the potential threat on him. ”

"The only advantage of Loren Turin in doing this is that the nobles of the imperial capital will not despise him, but as the only cronies around His Highness Brandon, he is tantamount to exposing himself. ”

A slight smile appeared on the corner of Eckhart's mouth: "You mean, since he knows that I will agree no matter what... You should be as restrained as possible and cooperate with me in pretending, right?"

Metternich Leopold bowed his head respectfully, his silent expression clearly agreeing with the Emperor's answer.

However, it is also possible that this was his plan in the first place. Eckhart II narrowed his eyes slightly, and muttered: "After all, this is a Turin, the descendant of the 'Black Duke'... How can he be a shallow fellow?"

"Your Majesty......"

"Speaking of pretending... Lord Siscott, Chancellor of the Exchequer, is unusually quiet today. Eckhart II suddenly reversed course and tapped the table to look at the empty chair:

"Didn't this descendant of the Charn family always take it upon himself to oppose my decrees and fight Victor to the end? It's anomalous. ”

"I can answer that for you. The respectful Minister of the Seals nodded slightly, "Although the Charn family is still trying their best to cover up the news, when I passed by this morning, I saw Master Lussac Corvo quietly leaving the Charn's mansion. ”

"He's sick?"

"I'm afraid so. The Minister of the Seal nodded slightly:

"No direct member of the Charn family has ever been more than sixty years old, and Master Siscott is the only exception in a hundred years, and he is already seventy-six... Even for ordinary people, it is normal for them to be in poor health at this age. ”

"Time flies so fast, Siscott is actually seventy-six......" Eckhart sighed as if unintentionally, and his tone was extremely flat:

"Do you have any opinion on the choice of the next Chancellor of the Exchequer?"

"Your Majesty?!"

Metternich Leopold's eyes widened suddenly, and if you looked closely, you could even see that his body was trembling slightly: "You—Are you already planning ......?"

"Just in case, there are no superfluous thoughts. Tapping on the table, Eckhart's tone was still very flat:

"Whether it is the Empire, or the Imperial Cabinet, a competent and qualified Chancellor of the Exchequer is necessary... I'm just saying 'in case' something happens to him, we need to be prepared. ”

"Make a list of alternates, Metternich, and leave this matter to you, and let no one know until the time is really right. ”

The stunned Minister of the Seal was stunned for a moment, but finally lowered his head and did not speak.

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

Following in Albert Tarot's footsteps, the black-haired wizard walked through more than a number of palaces and corridors, and the kind former wizard advisor seemed to have a bad leg to keep the "walk" going on for half a morning.

Loren knew only what Brandon had told him, and he behaved almost exactly as His Royal Highness had said: kind and soft-tempered, unangry when interrupted twice, and completely out of touch with the world.

In addition to this, he is also the Honorary Dean of the Royal Academy of Wizards...... According to Gray Sal, they don't have a real dean, but the tutors of the various branches jointly run the college, so the former wizard advisor is the nominally highest-ranking of the college.

The reason for this thought was that Loren suddenly had some suspicions that the Lord Gray Sal would find him, probably at Albert's behest.

After all... If you are a member of the Imperial Cabinet, it is not surprising that you will know the exact time of Brandon's arrival in the imperial capital.

Finally, in a small cloakroom, Albert finally stopped, and kindly took out a solid gold dragon head badge:

"Congratulations, Your Excellency Loren Turin... Starting today, you are officially a wizarding advisor to Brandon de Salion. ”

The old man's face was full of smiles: "All this, you moved Your Majesty with your sincerity!"

"You're being a fool, Master Albert. With a formulaic smile, Loren bowed to the other party very "sincerely":

"And thank you for speaking out several times for your dedication to the next ... I will definitely return this favor. ”

"It's almost a scene, it's not worth mentioning......" With a self-deprecating wry smile, Albert shook his head: "Forget it... Let's talk about something that makes you happy. ”

"As a wizard advisor to His Royal Highness, you have the privilege of entering and exiting the Heavenly Dome Palace without being inspected... Of course, there will be a normal procedure, and this privilege is yours alone and cannot be transferred;"

"At the same time, you'll get a royal bonus... The average high-ranking royal retinue is about a thousand gold coins, but His Royal Highness Brandon has set your reward at least twice that amount;"

"And as a wizard advisor to the royal family, your status is equivalent to that of the Viscount of the Empire, and it is an honorary title that will be preserved in the House of Heraldry even if you are dismissed by His Highness in the future—for life, of course, not for life. ”

Albert smiled, his expression a little appreciative: "But... It's very rare to be able to get this far as a wizard, and it's embarrassing to see what you've done and think about yourself when you were younger. ”

"You've really won a prize. Loren's eyes burned, and his expression did not change in the slightest.

The other party specially brought himself here, definitely not to say this.

"Judging by your expression, it seems to have understood. Albert's kind face showed a hint of a smile, and his eyes burned:

"Your Excellency Loren Turin, what you did today is really very abrupt!"

"As the only help by His Highness Brandon's side, hiding your strength is the most correct thing to do... Golovin may be the holy place of the Holy Cross, but it's not a friendly place for wizards, so please be careful in the future!"

"I'm sorry, I was too anxious. After listening to the other party's words, Loren sighed very deliberately: "I only thought that I could be recognized by the cabinet ministers, but I didn't expect ......."

"Okay, okay, that's okay... After all, you've made it. Seeing that the black-haired wizard had the intention of admitting his mistake, the smiling Albert immediately began to play a round:

"I don't mean to blame you, I just want to remind you that the imperial capital is different from other principalities, and every step here must be cautious, cautious, and the slightest difference is an abyss. ”

"Friends of the past may not be enemies tomorrow......" Albert's gaze was quite meaningful, as if to imply something.

Loren was secretly vigilant.

What does the other party mean when he suddenly says this?

The wizard advisor suddenly raised his head, glanced around vigilantly, and then walked forward quickly to close the door of the room, and then slowly turned around, and whispered in his ear as he took the opportunity to fasten Loren's badge:

"Your Excellency Loren Turin, please remember that His Highness Connad's letterhead is only a trivial excuse for the real return of His Highness Brandon de Salion to Golovin......

Our Supreme Emperor, His Majesty Eckhart II!"