Ranger Rogge sat alone in the living room of the spacious room of the King's Bed, Rogge was sitting opposite the bench facing the window where the red curtain was slightly opened, his fingers were gently tapping his knees, his eyes were focused on the delicate hourglass placed on the square table, the hourglass of the old copper shell was filled with white sand, and the upper glass ball contained the fine sand was continuously sliding down the glass ball, and as time passed like the falling fine sand a little bit of it, a proud smile slowly appeared on his face.

He occasionally filled himself with a glass of the purest Siscont wine in the royal capital of Parma in the Kingdom of Limston, and after slowly admiring the reddish liquid in the glass, he drank it all by himself.

"The only thing worth savoring in the royal city of Parma is this 'her earl'." Rogge gently lowered his glass, and the fine sand in the hourglass left its last grain of fine sand from the upper glass ball.

He stood up, picked up the hourglass, flipped it over, his expression changed from a smile to a serious one, and the sound of Rogge's familiar footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the parlor where the spacious room of the King's Bed was located, and after two taps, the door of the parlor squeaked open.

The man who came in sneaked into the room, wrapped in a dark robe that made him look like a ghost, he habitually pressed the bridge of his nose, his complexion looked very good, his slightly ruddy face was radiant, like good luck was walking with him at any time, he slowly walked over to Rogge, stood in front of him, and then ceremoniously stroked his chest with one hand, "Spiket has completed the task assigned by the Lord, in addition, in this secret mission, I have something else, please ask the Lord." ”

"You showed up to me on time. Spiket, you're still doing so well. Rogge, whom Spicot called the Lord, raised his hand and motioned for him to sit on the bench across from the square table, "Sit down there and say, what is the attitude of His Majesty King Linston about my defeat on the battlefield of Entre lately?" Along the way, I heard some negative comments about the king's black wrists. And lately the king seems to be consolidating his royal power, and even I, a latecomer, have heard that the king secretly killed the eldest son of the Frankenstein family, Benjamin Jr. You arrived before me, so you should have known what was going on. ”

"Yes, Lord Walker, the great Earl of Ofenburgh, my lord, Sbicott admires you for having everything under control. I have taken the initiative to approach His Majesty's personal servants and guards in a reasonable capacity, and so far I have gathered a lot of information about His Majesty and the King's hidden intentions. Spichett sat down across from him at the signal of Earl Walker.

"Alright, stop flattering me. It's no wonder your face is flushed and looks radiant. The Goddess's fortune must have befallen you, tell me what is the attitude of His Majesty towards our Yafen now? Earl Walker was very satisfied with Spicht's foreshadowing, "Tell me everything you have found here." What is the king's hidden deeper intentions? ”

"As you wish, my lord." Spitcot pressed the bridge of his nose, "Your Majesty's gratitude to you under the city of Entre, under the city"

"I'll help you say this, it's okay to say it's a fiasco." Earl Walker poured Sbicott a glass of Siscont and shoved it in front of Spiket.

"Thank you, my lord. A little annoyed after hearing of your new defeat in Entle, I heard from those servants that His Majesty often cursed loudly in the middle of the night when he was drunk, ah, complaining about the quality of your leadership and questioning your abilities. But he doesn't seem to mean anything against you, and now he's a friend of our county of Yafen. Beads of sweat were on Spiket's forehead, and he kept taking out a handcloth to wipe it, "Recently he is indeed preparing to consolidate his royal power, as for the deeper thing, His Majesty seems to want to give up"

"Spitcot, is it hot here? Don't be nervous, it's not me anymore, if you have anything to say, please say it directly. I want to hear the most accurate report, swearing is swearing, but don't change it to complaining. Earl Walker stretched out his hand and patted Spiket lightly on the shoulder, "Go on, does the king want to give up what he wants to give up to support me, the defeated earl?" I think Prince Lotate must have started to stir up, too. ”

"Yes, my lord, your guess is very correct, the king wants to give up his support for you and dissociate himself from you, I heard from the mouth of Prince Lotart's cronies, Prince Lotart, as the younger brother of His Majesty Segal II, has been lying down to you in front of his royal brother, and he has even instigated His Majesty Segal II to deprive you of your title and domain!" Spitter pressed the bridge of his nose nervously, his hands trembling slightly, his eyes always fixed on Earl Walker's saber, the sword of Easttim inlaid with pale sapphires.

"My former Crown Prince seems to be as smart as I know, and although he wants to give up supporting me, he will certainly not agree to the request of the Lothart man. What kind of person is Lotat, I think he knows his brother better than I do, and the throne of the Kingdom of Lynston is primogeniture, once there is no one to inherit the throne, then the brother can inherit the throne, the full attraction of the throne has long been coveted by Lotate, he may have been holding back for too long, even the small territory of the earl is willing to try, no wonder, the prince who has no fief is more pitiful than me. Rogge chuckled softly, he was sure that Prince Lotate would not agree to his request, "The king still keeps him because he has a bitter relationship with my enemy in Entre, the red boar. ”

"But His Majesty's personality is a little sick, and Queen Mona died in no apparent terms. The daughter of the people of Kakhandan is married to Segal II, but Segal II does not touch the young and beautiful Agnes, our new queen. Actually, I think in my heart that we should take the initiative to move closer to Prince Lotat, because the king has a sick personality and I have found out a secret, it may be that Lotate secretly poisoned the king that caused His Majesty to take a pill that fascinates women for a long time. But I haven't heard of any children under his knees. I got one. You see. Spichett pulled out a small box from the package he was strapped around his waist, and he broke open the small box, revealing a round white pill.

Walker picked up the pill in the small box, put it on his nose and sniffed it, he frowned at first, and then laughed, "This little pill is a powerful thing, if an old and incompetent guy takes it, he can stand up for at least two moments." ”

"Oh? Is it? I haven't tried this thing in the royal family, which speaks volumes about the fact that there is a big problem with the king's abilities. So--I think the lord -- you should take the initiative to befriend Prince Lotat, and we can conspire with the county of Entre and Prince Lotate to depose this incompetent king. At that time, the Boundary Mountain and Fort Categor of the Karkhand may be our territory of Yafen, and by the way, we can also create a title equal to His Royal Highness the Duke of Parrett Wallace, Duke of Sunset Island. Spichot's voice was low and he spoke extremely quickly, "What's more, now that the king is consolidating his royal power, the power granted to the king by the royal law is too great, and it may affect your rule over Yafen. ”

"But I have the impression that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not so incompetent. I have the impression that he can shoot fish swimming in dead water, and I want you to check that again. This clue has me questioning your findings. Earl Walker continued to look at the little white pill suspiciously, "Sbicott, you know what? Where did this little pill get here in the first place? I don't think your investigation is reliable, and maybe the person who gave you the pill has tricked you. ”

The servant said that the king had to eat it every day. He also said that this thing was the king's greatest secret to keep him attractive to women. Listen to you and keep his thing on its feet for hours. Spiket looked like he was defending, his expression slightly darkened, as if he was afraid of something, "What does that mean that he is morbid and incompetent?" ”

The former seems to be correct, but the latter is not so reliable, and it is only to increase the feeling of happiness, not to treat incompetence. You seem to have been tricked, how many gold coins did you spend on this little pill? Walker looked directly into Spitcot's twinkling eyes, and he slowly poured himself a glass of Siscont wine.

"Well, it's a lot, not only the servant, but also a few maids around the servant. Let me do the math. Spiccott picked up his glass and drank the glass of Siscont that Earl Walker had brought earlier.

"Don't forget it, the real name of this pill is 'Yafen Huaichun'. Listen, isn't that an attractive name? You've heard of it, but you haven't used it. The recipe for this pill happened to be a combination of our ancestors in the Easttime family. It makes sense that you have been tricked by this pill, and I understand you very well, after all, you are not the one who should use this pill. Earl Walker picked up his glass, and he smiled slightly, squinting at Spiket, who looked gloomy.

"How is this possible, Arcana. I think I'm going to have to kill that guy! Spiket whispered through gritted teeth.

"So, I don't think the situation you're investigating is reliable. This pill does not give birth to life, it only prolongs the time of happiness. Earl Walker tossed the pill out of the window, "I think you seem to have alerted the king, and the other way around the servants and guards you have taken advantage of your legitimate status will be the opposite." Even if you don't, at least you've been tricked by these people. Therefore, I think the idea of moving closer to Prince Lotate is too abrupt. What's more, now Lotat only has the title of His Royal Highness the Prince, and his supporters are limited to the red boar in Entle. ”

"But if the king finds out about my existence, why doesn't he arrest me?" Spiket looked a little anxious, and he looked at the current ruler of Yafen suspiciously, "But there is another piece of news that makes me think that the Lord has little time to hesitate. I have intercepted information, or rather, that I have learned of a conspiracy by Prince Lothart to send Assassins to kill Segal Saxon in public at the upcoming jousting tournament of knights. ”

"Your network of spies is pretty well laid out here, and that's fine, Spitcot. Because your luck is as good as your current look, you should be tricked by those servants and guards. Earl Walker seemed to be tasting the pure taste of the Siscont red wine, but in fact he was considering the credibility of the information provided by Spiket, and he kept muttering in his heart, "The white pill before has shown that His Majesty is prepared, at least that Spikot's information is not entirely accurate."

"That must be the case." Spitter said indignantly, slamming his fist down the square table in front of him.

"You say that Prince Lotat wants to send assassins to assassinate the king in public at a jousting tournament of knights? It's a risky move, and it doesn't seem very practical! As far as I know, Prince Lotat is a cautious man. Earl Walker said so, but he thought of such a thing--this sudden assassination seemed particularly risky. There may be a big conspiracy hanging over himself and Spichett's head. At least I and Spitcoat weren't aware of it.

"But he's also a fighter. It's that there will always be a reckless side to the warriors. You see, I have prepared a secret pact for you, and if you put your name on it, Prince Lotat will surely suppress the people of Karkhand and reclaim their titles when he succeeds in taking the throne, so that you can accept the reward that you have captured. I think it's a good strategy to kill two birds with one stone. Spitter immediately pulled out another roll of parchment from his bosom, on which was secretly written the conspiracy approved by Spiket, and it looked as if it had been prepared for a long time.

"Looks like you've been preparing for this for a long time. However, I don't think your solution is feasible, and I can't participate in this conspiracy. Your ideas are too wishful thinking. Don't you see that this plan is too dangerous, and if it fails, it will ruin all the honor of the Easttim family, especially now that we in Yafenburg are weak, and in this state of abject poverty, we can hardly launch any counterattack against the mighty king's army. Earl Walker flatly rejected Spichett's suggestion, and Spichett's face finally stopped being rosy, and even after drinking a glass of Siscont red wine, he could not hide his paleness.

"My lord, have you ever thought about what if we succeeded? And you are already in the middle of the struggle between the king and the brother of Prince Lotart! Two White Tiger Boundary Mountains meet - there will always be one dead or one injured. Spiket took a deep breath and stomped his feet, "Lord, this is really a good time for us to Yafin!" Although there are risks, the rewards are huge! You can't ruin Easttham's chances for that incompetent king! ”

"It seems that you are still in the dark, and I said that the king is not incompetent, but that you yourself are caught up in a conspiracy that someone else has planned without knowing it!" Earl Walker clenched his fists and slammed it on the square table, Spitcot's proposal clearly upset him a little, and reminded him of the tone of the pillars of the palace of Culosius, "It is because of this that I have tried to remedy it. Oh, by the way, is there any news from our emissary over there in Whitetown? ”

"Yes, my lord, Earl Henjason theoretically admits that he is a vassal of the Kingdom of Limston, but after all, his identity has not been recognized by the king, in fact he is the king's older nephew, and His Majesty and Earl Anderson both know it. Because Jason can't enter the royal family, it is natural that he naturally has a grudge against the royal family. Spitter shrugged helplessly, "It's just that Earl White's faith is only to protect his land. Perhaps the current King will be ready to clean up his 'older nephew' if he is still alive in the near future. Even if you befriend him, you will give away gold for nothing. ”

"Give it away in vain, of course it's not what you think, you just do your duty and follow my orders! Gold is the key to Anderson's heart, the lever that moves his mind. Because he has royal blood but no royal identity, he always needs one thing to balance, the pursuit of power that is not at the limit, then what is left, that is, the desire to pursue wealth. Walker remembered what his teacher Lawrence once said, "All men are fighting with others for the right to live." Everyone or coalition, everyone or hostile, just representing different interests and groups. As long as they hold him, Yafen and Whitetown are like a knife that separates Entre and Palma, making both sides unable to move. So I advise you to give up the idea of joining me in this risky conspiracy. And shut your mouth, there are some things you don't seem to understand too clearly! I've suffered a loss, and I won't suffer the same loss a second time! ”

"Okay. Lord, forgive me for my talk. Your request is justified to me. So are you going to attend the knights' jousting tournament that day? Maybe it's unprecedented! When the time comes, you'll be ready to act. There was a hint of displeasure on Spicht's face, and after a brief hesitation, he continued to cautiously ask Earl Walker.

"It was a legitimate murder conference. Is this question important to you? Earl Walker caught Spitcot's slightly displeased face, "You don't seem to agree with what I've decided. ”

"No, absolutely not, I just think the Lord has become too cautious. I'm just asking if you're going to the jostry or not, but it's best if you do, and then you'll be able to decide which way you should go - it's up to you to do it of your own free will, and as far as I can tell, none of your enemies are here. Spitcot defended him, habitually squeezing the bridge of his nose from time to time.

"In that case, of course I'm going to participate, and you're going to have to help me secretly, and I've made it clear to you what I'm trying to do—just to put on a show. Of course, my real name doesn't want to be on the roster of the game, and the person who represents Jaffin is a knight named Rogge. I don't want anyone else to find out about my existence. Earl Walker leaned forward slightly, as if he was interested in Spichett's proposal.

"Lo and behold, I've got you covered. This is the matchup arrangement of the tournament. Spiket quickly took out a scribbled piece of paper from his cuff and respectfully presented it to Earl Walker.

"The report is very detailed! The Count of Entre is also very clever, and neither he nor the brave and combative men of Lotat participated in this legal murder event, and it seems that the situation on the side of Prince Lothart that you are investigating is indeed possible, and they seem to have been out of the way this time. Earl Walker took the piece of paper, scanned it for a moment, and then smiled affirmatively, he went to Siscont to fill his glass and Spicot's again, "Don't worry, Spiket, as long as you are ready for my escape, I will meet the opportunity at this game." I think it's time for me to fight for Yafen's prosperity. ”

"I wish you every success, my glorious Earl. You know, you're just playing on the field. The key is to see how lucky these assassins are. In short, whether the skies are clear or not depends on the accurate decision you make at that time. Those of us who are courtiers are also loyal to the Lord and you behind the scenes. An imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of Spiket's mouth, and he naturally raised the earl's full glass.

"Cheers! Spitcot, as my qualified spy chief, you're doing a good job this time. This jousting tournament of knightly charges is indeed a good opportunity for us in Jaffenburg. We just need to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight. Walker smiled and drank the Siscont wine from his glass, and the hourglass on the square table was just half of the fine sand. Behind the glass sphere was the reflection of Spitcot's face, the face of drinking with a glass of wine in both hands - distorted.