"So let's decide. I have given Barandoke a month to come to Raven City to swear allegiance to me. "Gregory IV wrote a reply on the back of the letter of recommendation, stamping the letterhead on the map of Ismolola's location." If no new agenda items are raised, the round table will be closed. ”

No one responded, and the lords exchanged glances with each other, but eventually fell silent. "Excellent, disband." Gregory IV was the first to rise and walked towards the doors of the Great Hall. After the king, the lords also left the round table, and the sound of chairs clashing against the ground came and went. After the commotion, only two people remained seated at the round table, unmoved.

"Your Excellency," said Lista softly, "the army is still stationed outside the city, do you want them to be disbanded on the spot and returned to their formations?" ”

"Lista, close the door." Duke Alexis said that his eyes never took his eyes off Viscount Ivanles. Between the two of them lay a map of the northern realm, and Duke Alexis sat in Raven City, his eyes crossed the snowfield and the inland sea to look at Viscount Ivanles behind Ryan City, but the old man kept his face tilted, and his eyes did not make contact with Duke Alexis, but wandered casually on the round table. The old man's expression was hidden in the shadows cast by the pillars, and it was impossible to see it really. The two of them were frozen at the round table, wrestling with each other in silence. The parchment stamped on Ismolola, which had just been transformed from a letter of recommendation into an invitation, subtly formed a triangle with them that framed the whole of Livingston.

Lista bowed slightly, saluted each of them, and exited the Great Hall, closing the door. The two massive doors closed together, the light was blocked, and the auditorium was darkened. Viscount Ivanles' old face gradually peeled away from the shadows, and he finally stopped avoiding Duke Alexis's gaze and calmly met him.

"You shouldn't come along," said Duke Alexis, "and your health needs to be recuperated. ”

"If I hadn't come, this round table would never have ended so quickly and so simply." Viscount Ivanles replied calmly, "I know you're trying to test everyone's attitude. And where will you and Eldo end up stamping this letter? Bazek, or Orin? It was all the vassal domain of Old Alaric, an important link in the velvet trade network, and the vast wealth was used as a base to circulate and then flow to Shendefu, which was located in the center of the network, and the old Alaric only had to sit like a spider in the middle of the web and count the dinars that fell from the sky, and then hand over the web to Grimmore Jr. - if he died of old age and not in battle. I admire Eldor's courage to keep the vassal realms that will not be inherited by his children, and reward them to the young ones who are up-and-coming. But what will the families who originally owned those territories think? Grimmore could pretend to ignore Fesdner, as it wasn't his father's vassal, so he had to turn a blind eye to Istelle. But if you want him to give up Orin or Bazek, or the other villages around Shendefu, you and Eldo won't be able to do that anytime soon. Either way. Gregory's combined accumulation of generations with Alexis may not even be as good as the taxes that Alaric has spent five years in Shendefu, a surname that is synonymous with wealth, and wealth means generous power. His Majesty the Third did not pay off the old Alaric until his death, and how many dinars does Eldo currently owe to Grimor? What about the others? Grimmore must have done everything in his power to defend his father's vassal domains, and the lords he had given generously to would support him—you and I might be the only ones at the round table who didn't owe him any dinars. Aren't you trying to test the attitude of the other lords? I can tell you right now that they depend on Grimmore as Eldo depends on you. Your proposal will be fiercely opposed, and this time you will not be able to suppress those who oppose it by authority and force. The end result is that you'll back down, and Eldo may even be forced to cancel Baranduk's bounty. Frost, you should know what the consequences will be if Duke Alexis, who never gives in at the round table, once he gives in. The old man spoke slowly, occasionally punctuated by a weary gasp between the connected words, as he forced his wounded body to reach Pointbru, but that did not prevent him from being aggressive with every syllable. Duke Alexis listened in silence, without any expression on his pale and almost transparent face.

"Is that so?" Dams asked quietly.

"The Alaric family has always been the biggest sponsor of the Royal Academy." Brochette replied in a low voice, "Without the Duke of Araric's strong support, the royal academy's collection of books and medicinal herbs would not be so rich—in a way, he also had a part in rescuing Baranduke." ”

Inside the auditorium, Viscount Ivanles still continues.

"Ismolola is the best choice, no one will object, the lords used to gather around the king, now we look like we are separated. You know why. Eldor's throne has never been secure. Who else is his real supporter at this round table besides you? I've seen all the things he's tried over the years, promoting Istelle and supporting Gastov - but he's not malleable, as his adoptive father, you know that best. But neither Eastelle, nor Gastoff, nor Barandoke, will be able to sit down at the round table anytime soon. Frost, I'm old, and you're sick," said the old man at last, abruptly, "how long can you and I carry the North on our way?" ”

Duke Alexis didn't answer, and this time it was his turn to avoid Viscount Ivanles' gaze.

"Eldor's power is built on two people: you and Setanda. You were the ones who saved the North, and the loudest opposition at the time, the Falcon Knights, led by me, ended with you storming Fenbreburg and destroying all the resistance. The old man lightly mentioned the chilling history of the whole north, "Your decision is very decisive, completely beyond my expectations. When word reached Raven City, I knew that holding on any longer would plunge the North into long-term chaos, so I compromised - fortunately, Sertanda didn't intend to turn against his brother, and compromised sooner than I thought. The old man paused, "I've always wanted to ask, if neither I, nor Setanda had compromised at the time, would you have done something to Ursula?" ”

Dammes was so creepy that he wanted to stick his ears to his head and not let go of the slightest sound, but after a long silence, he only heard a sigh from Viscount Ivanles: "I see, it's you." ”

"Did the Duke just say anything?" He looked at Broschette in confusion

"Nope." Brochette sighed softly, "Frost should have just nodded. ”

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