The dark-haired wizard who had "said goodbye" to Fitlonay continued to walk forward, and at the other end of the corridor stood Metternich Leopold in front of the door.

The Minister of the Seal's expression was extremely complicated, even when he heard that Byrne's army had "forcibly" taken away the city defenses and stepped through the city gates amid the cheers of the imperial capital, he had exhausted all his ways of thinking to guess what kind of means the other party would use......

But when the bill of "granting the Duke of Byrne the Guardian of Golovin" was placed in front of him, the old man was still shocked and speechless.

If this proposal is passed, then the entire Imperial Assembly and the Imperial Cabinet will be vacated by Loren Turin alone; He is the Emperor of the Empire with no name!

In this way, it is almost impossible to mention that the Imperial Diet will take the initiative to hang itself by hanging itself, and even hand over the inheritance and power to the "enemy" before committing suicide!

But it just appeared, and it was the afternoon of the second day after the Byrne Legion entered the city.

There were no troops rushing into the Imperial Diet, no army blocking the Sky Dome, no control of the streets, and the swaggering cavalry and patrols - the Byrne Legion only let the Imperial Council surrender after taking control of most of the city defenses, barracks and some warehouses after the Duke entered the city.

What happened in just one day?!

In any case, Metternich did not believe that the noble councillors, who had been shouting the punishment of the Byrnes and Elems the day before, could have become "deeply righteous" in one night to the point of insanity.

"Your Excellency Metternich Leopold. ”

Loren's voice was soft, as if he had inadvertently punctured the old man's nightmare.

Then dragged him into an even harsher reality.

"His Excellency Loren Turin, Duke of Byrne. ”

Through those obsidian-black eyes, Metternich could vaguely feel that Loren in front of him seemed to be different from the last time they met, but it was difficult to tell exactly what it was.

However, for the Minister of the Seal who has experienced countless ups and downs, it is no wonder that it is already a passive skill.

"It is an honor to be here to greet you, the savior of Golovin and the victor of the battle of the Valley of the Blood. Metternich smiled slightly, and said softly in the soft tone characteristic of the old man:

"That's right, your messenger has told me exactly what happened before and after the Battle of Broken Boundary Mountain—annihilate the monster army and slay the Eagle King... The entire empire owes you a great favor. ”

"As we spoke the last time we met, the more the crisis is in the Empire, the more it is necessary for the Empire to have loyal men step up and become the shield that protects the Empire, the walls that will never fall. ”

"There are not many heroes in the empire today who can turn the tide, and if you can, I want you to be one ......of them"

Facing the silent black-haired wizard, the unchanging Minister of the Palm Seal stopped abruptly and shook his head: "But I think you should have little interest in these clichés today. ”

So if you don't mind, let's get down to business. ”

"Listen up. ”

Metternich bowed slightly: "So, about the proposal of the Imperial Council to grant you the 'Guardian of Golovin'......"

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

"Proposal for the Duke of Byrne to be awarded the 'Guardian of Golovin'......"

In the council hall of the Heavenly Dome Palace, the deep voice of the Minister of the Seal, who slowly stood up, echoed under the dome: "According to the general rules of the Parliament, once a proposal is made, it must be put into ruling. ”

"Those who are in favor are invited to speak freely, and those who are opposed are invited to point out the fallacies. ”

The old man, who had fulfilled his duties as the keeper of the seal, sat back in his chair with a flat expression.

Between the pillars, under the dome, the aristocratic councillors who looked at each other were dead silent.

In the past, there would be a lot of noise about the front and back of the seats in a theater, the color of the chairs, and the noisy Imperial Parliament was now too quiet.

The iron-faced Imperial Justice pursed his lips even more, as if he was holding back his anger.

The cold, oppressive silence lasted for a quarter of an hour, so much so that Metternich had to fulfill his obligations as Lord of the Seals once again:

"Those who are in favor are invited to speak freely, and those who are opposed are invited to point out the fallacies. ”

The words were about to fall, and the Minister of the Seal "snap!", snatched the judge's gavel and struck it heavily.

"I—I think ......"

The old nobleman, whose hair had fallen out, and whose eyebrows were gray and his face was full of wrinkles, suddenly got up as if frightened, and his rickety back and withered arms trembled violently:

"The proposal to award the Duke of Byrne the 'Guardian of Golovin' is... Yes, it's the top priority at the moment, and it must be made before the evening... Ahh Implement it as soon as possible!"

Looking at this trembling, incoherent old aristocrat, Metternich frowned slightly.

"But Your Excellency, in the last proposal concerning the Byrne Legion, didn't you still insist that they be controlled and restricted?

"That's... Of course, because the worries were relieved. ”

Gently putting down the wine glass and ledger in his hand, the smiling little Yode raised his eyes to look at the trembling old nobleman opposite, thought for a moment, and then said leisurely:

"The previous resistance was because you thought Byrne was an uncivilized southern barbarian, but in fact this was wrong; Or rather, the Golovinians are equally civilized. ”

"Come to think of it, the Byrne Legion, who stood up and defeated the barbarian elves, has not committed any offence against the Imperial Capital until now, and Lord Byrne, who saved the Imperial Capital, has always been full of respect for the Heavenly Dome Palace and the royal family, which should be enough to prove... I mean, take your worries away. ”

"Of course, the forgiveness of all debts spared the lives of your whole family, and all the worries about such a reasonable condition should be lifted. Little Yod shrugged, then waved his hand as if he suddenly remembered something:

"Oh, this sentence is deleted and needless to say. ”

Metternich's brow furrowed even more.

Not to suspect that he was lying—almost everyone who spoke in the Imperial Diet did—but that this absurd explanation sounded like it wasn't trying to hide it anymore.

"Yes, that's right!"

Just as the Minister of the Seals was about to speak again, another noble councillor suddenly stood up and shouted excitedly: "The Duke of Byrne must be given the title of 'Guardian of Golovin' as soon as possible, this siege battle can no longer continue!"

Metternich knew this man, and before the siege began, he was a tax collector in the port outside the imperial capital.

"As the port tax officer, I can tell you very clearly how terrible the disaster caused by this terrible siege is!"

"We can supply an army of 200,000 people for a year, but the population of the imperial capital has exceeded one million right now;"

"Our aqueducts have not been damaged, but they are not enough to supply the needs of the whole city;"

"We have a reserve of medicines, but neither the materials nor the doctors who can cure the disease will be of any help when the great plague comes;"

"Luxuries, food, broken promises... Trade, and most importantly, healthy trade, because without trade there is no work, and without work there are more impoverished mobs who steal, rob, murder, and who cause even more damage than the enemy outside the city!"

"If the chaos caused by this siege continues, our civilized Golovin, the Empress of Ten Thousand Cities, will become a terrible hell of hunger, dry and dirty, plague-ridden, and rioting. ”

"Distinguished councillors, when the civilians outside the walls begin to eat people, the next one will be the rich inside the walls!"

The more the nobleman spoke, the more excited he became: "My lords, we must stop this chaos from spreading, and the best way now is to grant the Duke of Byrne the title of 'Guardian of Golovin' and hand over this burden to someone who can really bear it!"

The sonorous and eloquent statement even caused a somewhat sparse round of applause in the parliament.

It was a good statement, but Metternich, the Lord of the Seals, could not help frowning, and he always felt that his words were somewhat similar to Loren Torino's style.

"yes, I really didn't notice. Little Yod couldn't help but laugh, though he did copy a speech made by Loren at the Round Table and changed it as he thought.

"Then, I ...... this speech."

"Remember it, and when it comes to the council, I want you to recite it well. Little Yode interrupted unceremoniously: "Trust me, if you memorize or remember wrong... What I have is a way to know. ”

The nobleman shuddered, and shivered.

"Remember your tasks. Little Yod stared at him coldly: "You have to memorize these words well, and you have to make the Imperial Council understand the importance of granting the Duke the 'Guardian of Golovin', and let them see what will happen to them if they don't do this." ”

"What will happen to us if we don't?!" the nobleman asked again in a loud voice.

"Gentlemen, as members of the Imperial Council, our highest mission is to protect the majesty of the Empire - but if the Imperial Capital falls because of a lack of unity, then the majesty of the Empire is doomed to be lost!"

"This is our last chance, and our only chance, to hand over this burden to those who can bear it, which is shameless, even noble, and a sign of unity throughout the Empire, and ...... do so."

"How unreasonable!"

A voice suddenly came, interrupting the nobleman's voice.

The moment the voice sounded, the faces of the old nobleman and the port tax officer turned white at the same time, without any blood.

"Look at your cowardice and unwillingness to take responsibility, this is also a member of the Parliament?!" asked the young nobleman, with bloodshot dark circles under his eyes and a dull face, unceremoniously and loudly:

"Leaving all the responsibilities behind and handing over the burden to an outsider who has nothing to do with the city, is this a sign that you have stepped forward?!"

This time, not only the tax collector and the old nobleman, but all the noble councillors present changed color and stared at the slightly crazy young nobleman with the expression of a dead man.

"The more times like this, shouldn't we all stand up, take on our responsibilities, bear our obligations, and fight the enemies of the empire to the last moment? Cowardice to the extreme!"

Powerful words reverberate in the mourning hall-like atmosphere.

"In other words...... the minister who was faintly aware of something looked at the young nobleman meaningfully, and said lightly:

"Your Excellency... Is it against the proposal to grant the Duke of Byrne the 'Guardian of Golovin'?"

"I ......?!"

"Your task is to stand up against all the nobles when they are silent. Little Yode said coldly: "When necessary, you need to show a little courage to come out and scold loudly." ”

"Against, against, against... It's also too ......."

"That's right, after all, everyone unanimously agrees or acquiesces, doesn't it seem too strange if there is not even a single opponent?"

Little Yode shrugged: "After all, this kind of thing can be regarded as a precedent for the opening of the empire, and there should still be some objections." ”

"But, if the Lord Keeper of the Seals or the Imperial Chancellor asks me if I am against the proposal...... the young nobleman asked anxiously, his face full of cold sweat: "Of course I support the Duke! But if they force me to make a statement......"

In that case, you say that you are not against the proposal. Little Yod smiled very slyly: "What you object to is to put all the blame on the Duke alone, and the Imperial Council, as the center of power, must also bear some of the responsibility - for example, to endorse the appointment of the Duke or something......"

"I see, I see. ”

Despite his indifferent expression, the corner of the Seal's eyes flashed with a subtle hint of disappointment.

He almost certainly had at least a third of the noble councillors blackmailed by Loren Turin.

"In that case, if there are no MPs who are ready to refute this proposal...... "The Lord of the Seals" slowly raised his head and looked at "the last hope":

"Your Excellency the Holy See, please make the final decision on behalf of the Holy Cross Church. ”

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the inquisitor of the Holy See, who was the representative of the Holy Cross Church, slowly got up and spoke expressionlessly.

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

“...... As the Church of the Holy Cross is reluctant to make a final statement, please understand that we cannot hold any ceremony for you to be honored, nor can we officially declare your status as the 'Guardian of Golovin' to the subjects of the Imperial Capital. ”

As he spoke, the Lord of the Seals held a scepter engraved with the Iron Crown of de Salion in both hands, and handed it to the black-haired wizard:

"But as the Imperial Council, we still have the power to grant you the status of 'Guardian of Golovin' and all the corresponding authority - from now until the end of the siege, or when His Highness Brandon arrives in the Imperial Capital, you will have the regency granted by the Imperial Council temporarily!"

Loren, who nodded, took the scepter: "Then what should I do next?"

"It is time for you to go to Parliament and formally announce your program and plans to the members of parliament and the Imperial Cabinet to whom you have been empowered. Metternich bowed slowly:

"The Guardians of Golovin... Your Excellency Loren Torino!"