"It's already... It's the sixteenth day. ”

The imperial capital of Golovin, the Imperial Cabinet Hall of the Heavenly Dome Palace.

The Lord of the Seals, Metternich Leopold, sat in his seat, silently looking at the vacant seat at the end of the long table, which was only half a body away from him, but seemed to be separated from the abyss.

From half a month ago... He was here when that assassination night began.

That's right, he Metternich Leopold had lived through that assassination night in its entirety, and was even a wall away from the elven assassins lately;

Although it seemed comical to the Lord Keeper of the Seals himself, for even in the most dangerous situation, none of the elven assassins had discovered it, and their targets were always on His Majesty's bedchamber, completely ignoring the place where the supreme power of the Empire was truly held.

Of course, it doesn't matter if it is found, according to Alberd, the entire cabinet hall is covered with masonry with "silent runes" engraved with it, and the "ice barrier" on the periphery of the hall is three times stronger than the one outside the gate of the Celestial Dome.

So in Metternich's eyes, he lived through the night of the assassination and not the night of the assassination... It's that funny.

As for the reason... I don't know.

He only received a letter from His Majesty the Emperor himself, and stayed in the cabinet hall until the royal wizard adviser had declared everything safe, and then announced His Majesty's own orders as the Lord of the Seals, the head of the Imperial Cabinet.

That's all.

The head of the dignified cabinet, one person below ten thousand people, the minister in charge of the seal, with the titles of "shadow emperor" and "vice-king", in the eyes of Eckhart II, is no different from the royal seal and a microphone... In this regard, Metternich said that he was emotionally stable.

He has served Eckhart II to the present, and has accompanied His Majesty the Emperor from youth to old age, and has long been accustomed to the other party's skills and style... For such a powerful and controlling emperor, all his courtiers should be like tools.

"Sixteen days... What are you waiting for, Lord Albert?"

The Minister of the Seals looked sideways, his aging and bright eyes turned to the figure of the Royal Wizard Advisor: "Even you, after spending so much time with a boring old man like me, should you be tired of it, right?"

"How can I be bored of seeing that you are still joking?" Albert, who sat at the other end of the long table and looked at Metternich Leopold, smiled slightly:

"But you're right, sixteen days... It's almost time. ”

As the words fell, Albert solemnly took out a scroll from his bosom and respectfully handed it to the Minister of the Seal.

"It's ......"

Gasping, Metternich's gaze froze.

"Your Majesty's edict is also the last one. Albert bowed slightly, his expression a little sad: "Wait silently until the time is right to hand it over to the Lord of the Seals... It was an order from His Majesty to me. ”

"I see. ”

Even though he had already noticed it, the Minister of the Seal, who had heard it with his own ears, was still very shocked, and it took a full minute for him to return to normal, and he sighed heavily.

His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the incomparably neat handwriting on the scroll, and Metternich was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say.

"Your Excellency Albert, do you know that once we send this decree in the name of His Majesty and the Imperial Cabinet...... the Minister of the Seals, whose face was as heavy as water, said with great difficulty in his hoarse voice:

"The Empire... Will it be caught in the flames of war in an instant, split in two?"

"Or may it be reborn from the ashes?" said the Royal Wizard Advisor's expression.

"I hope so, too, but the truth is that the empire was split in two years ago because of the battle for the throne. Metternich's tone became urgent: "And at this time, without making any preparations, without leaving any behind, to issue such a royal decree immediately will completely ...... the already divided empire."

"Your Excellency the Minister of the Seal!"

Albert, with a heavy expression, snapped up, startling the old man opposite.

"This is His Majesty's last decree, his last wish. ”

"If we are still his courtiers, loyal courtiers, then the only thing we can do... It's to let him get his wish. ”

"This is his plan, the plan he has devoted his whole life to—I can understand if you have any confusion, for not only you, but I, and all of us, are only part of His Majesty's plan, and we all know only what we ought to know. ”

"I only know one thing, and that is that Your Majesty, when he entrusts me with absolute confidence that I can accomplish any task. ”

"So all I'm going to do is make sure you're safe, and that you're going to be on this hand... Sign your name!"

Looking at Albert, who had always been mild and even a little cowardly, becoming so tough at the moment, Metternich was silent.

"I see. ”

Silently lifting the pen, the silent minister signed his name on the scroll and stamped it with a seal symbolizing the Imperial Cabinet:

"Let us, loyal courtiers, grant Your Majesty's wishes... Regardless of the outcome!"

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

Broken Mountain Fortress.

In the fortress, Conrad de Salion, leaning on the back of his chair, looked at the guests sitting in front of him, and no matter how restrained he was, he couldn't hide the surprise in the corners of his eyes.

The leader of the Wizarding Tower, the Archon of Ebberden... At the moment, I am sitting at my own table and tasting the local brew of East Sakland.

Compared to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Corona's expression at the moment can be described as light-hearted, as if this is not the edge of the world, the front line of resistance to the invasion of monsters, but the home of a friend.

This kind of indifference made it very difficult for Drexis, the cavalry commander standing on the sidelines, to accept.

"If you're here to taste the dry red of East Sackland, I'll be ready for you right now with a whole wagon of ageing. ”

Conod, who finally couldn't hold it back, finally spoke first, and his tone was a little indifferent: "But I want to hold your Excellency the Archon of Ebotden and the Imperial Harbor and run to the Broken Boundary Mountain... It's not just for me to drink, right?"

"This is natural, and the body is still burdened with the imperial decree of His Majesty the Emperor... And some important information that I want to bring to you. Corona smiled knowingly, showing a childlike expression:

"Even so, it doesn't prevent me from enjoying the magnificent scenery of Broken Mountain and tasting the delicacies unique to this place, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince. ”

"You know... If people who have lived to my age cannot see a little more, then life will only be a long wait for me. ”

"But I'm too young to understand what you're talking about, so be honest, Your Excellency Corona, why are you here?"

Conod, who stood up, looked directly at Corona with that razor-sharp gaze.

"Young man, ......"

Sighing and shaking his head, Corona picked up the scroll he had kept in the corner of the table and handed it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"This is ......" With a questioning sentence, Conrad, who took the scroll, did not open it directly, but leaned towards Corona with an inquiring look.

"Information about the elven kingdom of the Azores, covering military organization, political system, people's customs, religious traditions...... There is also their unique theory of magic and the power used by the warriors of the 'Four Courts', called the 'Way of the Samurai'. ”

Corona said slowly, "All of them, covering all the information we have gathered so far, some of which have even cost us our lives, and after reading them, you can be considered one of the people in the empire who knows the Azorean elves best." ”

Connod's body trembled slightly, and then the scroll pressed silently on the table.

"Well, the second question. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had a solemn expression and asked word by word: "Why... You want to give me such important information?"

"Who do you think I should give it to?" Corona asked with a smile.

Conod snorted, "You're joking with me, aren't you, Your Excellency?"

"On the contrary, I am doing my duty as an Imperialist loyal to the Empire. Corona shook her head again, her expression not joking:

"You are the crown prince of the Empire, the future Emperor of the Empire, and at a time when the Imperial Capital is in chaos and His Majesty Eckhart II's life and death are unknown, it is of course the right choice to entrust you with such important information. ”

Of course, Conod would not take such a scene of "polite words" seriously, and even Drexis, who was standing in the corner, was disdainful.

"Yes, but with all due respect, the whole Empire knows that I support the Church against the Wizards, and the whole Empire knows that my dear brother Brandon is on the side of the Wizards. Conod's eyes flashed:

"And he is the second heir to the empire, second only to me in the ranks. ”

Under the suspicious gazes of Conod and Drexis, Corona, who finally stopped smiling, slowly got up and let out a long sigh.

"Then please forgive me, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the current empire is the last thing to appear... It's infighting and division. Corona, who looked at Conod, was extremely serious in tone:

"I don't deny my bad feelings for you, just as you don't trust wizards, but when we have to deal with a powerful enemy, an enemy who may well have killed your father and will soon invade your country... Unity is a must!"

Conod did not speak.

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

"Your Excellency Corona, the tone of your voice ......" Conrad, who had been silent for a while, slowly raised his head, and his crimson pupils finally trembled slightly:

"It's like getting my father's edict before he died. ”

Corona sighed.

"Your Royal Highness, didn't I tell you when I came down?"

"I carry Eckhart II on my back... Your father's decree!"

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

"What do you say, Your Majesty's Imperial Decree?!"

With a shout of surprise, the Grand Duke of Wirtz of Ellemont jerked up from the chair behind his desk, and the only silver-white pupil that remained stared at the knight who knelt on one knee in front of the door.

On the night of the assassination, Yuri Wirtz, who sacrificed one eye to fight the elven assassins, moved his daily handling of government affairs from the palace hall to the small study in the side hall.

On the one hand, because it was the most robust structure and blessed with the Silent Runes, and on the other hand, the small environment was not conducive to the Assassins hiding and escaping, and even if they were killed, they could protect the vast majority of the people in the castle.

Ever since the night of the assassination, Archduke Wirtz, who had received information from Byrne's witchers, had been waiting for news and gathering information from the chaotic imperial capital, even if it was mostly useless.

But even if he had prepared for the worst, the Duke of Wirtz never imagined that such an outcome would be.

"The Emperor... Dead?!"

"Yes......" The knight who knelt on one knee hung his head, and there was a hint of crying in his voice: "From the news sent by the Imperial Cabinet of the Heavenly Dome Palace, a passing demon hunter brought the information. ”

"Eckhart II, Your Majesty the Twelfth Supreme Emperor of the Empire... Died at the hands of the elven assassins of the Azores——!!!!"

As he shouted hoarsely, the light in the study seemed to dim a little.

The Archduke of Wirtz, whose face sank like water, then thought of another thing.

This information was brought by the witchers of the Wings of the Firmament, in other words, Loren Turin... No, Brandon de Salion already knows, does he?

What will he do next, is it to gather the forces of the two principalities of Byrne and Boy to compete with Crown Prince Connad?

In this way, before the enemy arrived, the Sakran Empire had already split in two and was plunged into a terrible civil war... Until enough blood is shed to destroy enough lands and towns... Elect a person whose hands are stained with the blood of his relatives and compatriots, His Majesty the Supreme Emperor of the thirteenth generation.

What to do yourself, what to do in Elleman?

Just as the Grand Duke of Wirtz was in deep thought, a hurried knight walked again outside the door of the study, placing a piece of paper on his desk.

The golden lion on a black background of the House of Turin of the Red Blood Castle, and the coat of arms of the three-headed dragon of the House de Salion holding the Iron Crown are impressive!

"This is a letter from Byrne, just delivered, Duke!" the Khan-covered knight couldn't wait to speak, "From the Red Blood Castle, a joint letter from Duke Byrne and His Royal Highness Brandon!, and ......"

"And what, say it quickly!" the frowning Grand Duke of Wirtz urged his knight impatiently: "What else do they want to do?!"

"His Excellency Loren Turin, Duke of Byrne, has circulated this letter throughout the Empire as his second 'Imperial Declaration', and I am afraid that all of them have now received it. The more the knight spoke, the more panicked he became, and the more he spoke, the more he became at a loss:

"Loren, Your Excellency the Duke of Loren Turin, he wants to invite all the Dukes to join him... Travel to the imperial capital of Golovin ......"

"Proclaim His Royal Highness Prince Connad de Salion, Prince of East Sacraland, as the supreme emperor of the thirteenth generation of the empire!"