The deterioration of the situation in the south is an unexpected crisis.

It's not that the Second Dynasty ignored the Cecil family in the south - in fact, since the civil strife in the Foggy Moon a hundred years ago, the new royal family with hidden inheritance rights has never relaxed its vigilance against the South, among the four protector dukes, Cecil is the only family that has declined due to the civil strife in the Fog Moon, at the beginning of its decline, its remaining power is still enough to shake the foundation of the entire kingdom, and the second dynasty is supported by the other three protector dukes, it took a full hundred years to separate and suppress the southern border to the current situation, The importance it attaches to the south is evident.

In Gawain? After Cecil's coffin was revealed, this attention was even greater than ever.

Francis II ordered the southern nobles to increase their surveillance of Cecil's power, but only received information that "Cecil was in the potion business to buy slaves"; The royal family's aid team sent to the south also had spy eyeliner mixed in, but these eyeliners soon ceased to transmit any information; The defenders of the Rock Fortress have actually increased by 30% in the past six months, but the additional 30% of soldiers have not come in handy; In addition, the royal courtiers had estimated the progress of Cecil's construction by investigating the Cecil's employment of artisans in the capital, and had concluded that Cecil's was still in a state where there were not enough houses to live in—they had no idea that those craftsmen would be trained as magicians and mechanics when they arrived in the south......

Silver Castle can be said to have made all the right responses, but did not get any correct feedback, and the biggest mistake they made was to use the thinking of traditional nobles to speculate on the action mode of a "satellite spirit" from another world, both in terms of experience and knowledge and way of thinking.

They miscalculated Gawain? The real intention behind Cecil's every move was to miscalculate the way the Cecil family had risen and, finally, how quickly the Rock Fortress would fall.

In the wrong direction, any effort is just a waste of energy.

The situation has deteriorated to this point.

"Two dukes, Your Royal Highness, I must tell the truth," Cromwell? Bai Shan said in a serious and heavy tone, "Unless the rebels in the East retreat today, it is impossible for us to take back the Rock Fortress. ”

Another knight lord stood up and said the worst-case scenario, "If the Cecil family and the Loren family raise an army to attack the royal capital, we will not win—Cecil's army is a formidable enemy just from the fall of the Rock Fortress." ”

A nobleman at the scene couldn't help but say, "Even the knight lord is afraid of the enemy?" ”

Cromwell? Bai Shan glared at the nobleman who spoke, "We are just stating the facts, if they really attack the royal capital, the knights will fight until the last moment, you don't have to worry about this." ”

"Calm down, gentlemen," Victoria? Wilder interrupted the arguments, her voice cold and her eyes as if there was frost, "Gawain? Duke Cecil had only captured the Rock Fortress - he hadn't made it north yet. ”

"We must first determine the purpose of the founding hero," said Bertwin. Duke Franklin nodded, and took Victoria's words, "I suggest sending an emissary to contact the south. ”

The nobles at the scene whispered, but on the whole, no one objected to the opinion of the Duke of Franklin.

"The rebellion in the East is looming, and we can't afford to take another stab in the south," the Duke of Franklin continued, "so as long as Gawain? If the Duke of Cecil is willing to talk, we should talk. We should be ready to recognize the legitimate rule of the Cecil family over the South, and to recognize the restoration of all the honorable titles, honorary titles, historical fiefs, and noble privileges of the Cecil family......"

The aristocrats' discussion grew louder, some of them with obvious stunned looks on their faces, but many more just nodded gloomily, Wales? Moen watched the reactions of these people and sighed slightly.

"Your Highness," the Duchess of Victoria heard Wales' sigh, and she turned her head to stare at the titular heir to the kingdom with eyes as clear as ice crystals, "do you have something to say?" ”

"I just don't think it means anything to the founding hero," I don't think it means much to the founding hero. Moen didn't want to speak, but he spoke slowly under the Duchess's gaze, "These things are already in his hands - no matter what we say here, the reconstruction of the Duchy of Cecil is already an established fact, Grand Duke Franklin, do you want to give him what is already in the hands of the Grand Duke of Cecil as a gift one more time?" ”

Bodewen? Franklin's face didn't show any change in expression, he just nodded slightly, and said lightly, "Your Highness's thoughts are right. ”

"We'd better think again, think about what leverage we have to compromise."

With that said, Wales? Moen lowered his eyelids and said no more.

The voice of Francis II seemed to echo in the middle-aged crown prince's head

"The king rules the kingdom...... It's the art of compromise......"

The meeting is over.

The nobles left in order, Wales? Moen also left the hall accompanied by the royal chamberlain, and in the huge military hall, only the two regents were left sitting quietly in place.

After a long silence, the Duchess of Victoria looked at Bardeon? Franklin: "What do you think our founding hero wants to do?" ”

"I hope he just wants to get his family business back, and that's the most logical and the most appropriate way to describe it in the history books," said the Duke of Westside unhurriedly, "but I don't rule out the possibility of something worse – don't forget the names on the stone tablets that laid the foundation stone of Ansu, and the signatures on the oldest canonization papers in the royal library, and in some ways he has no less power to claim the throne than our 'His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.'" ”

"Wales? Moen ......," Victoria whispered, recalling the only speech the crown prince had made in the meeting, "and he was actually the ...... most like Francis II."

The Duke of Franklin shook his head slightly, "But it was because it was too similar that Francis II finally chose Edmund, and our king made a wrong decision in this regard - this country does not need a king who is too tough." ”

Victoria raised her eyelids and gave the Duke of the West a deep look, then stood up, "I will return to the north once in the near future. ”

Franklin raised an eyebrow, "You're going to mobilize your mountain legions?" ”

"The Holy Dragon Principality is preparing to celebrate their 'Dragon Landing Day', and the Violet Kingdom has been calm recently, I can send a part of the mountain legions to deal with the war in the Holy Spirit Plains," the Duchess who was covered in the smell of ice and snow said as she looked at the Duke of the West, "What about your Western Legion?" ”

"It's too far from the western frontier to the eastern front, and the attrition of the army on the road is unbearable, and since the beginning of summer, the Cultists of the Dead and the Eternal Sleepers in the western region have not been quiet," said Bertwin? Franklin said, pressing his forehead in distress, "I may be able to draw a knight order to defend the royal capital, but I can't send troops to the east. ”

A few sparkling snowflakes floated into the air, and Duchess Victoria put on her white shawl and left her seat and walked to the door...... The king doesn't need any more knights, Earl Cromwell has enough to guard here, and if you have extra strength, keep an eye on the south. ”

The duchess left, leaving only a few cold snowflakes flying in the air, Bertwin? Franklin reached out and grabbed one of them, feeling the cold gradually melt in his palm, and he sighed slightly, "...... Is it really like those crazy people babbling nonsense...... The Darkest Ages......"

Four days later, the capital of the northern border of Ansu, Winter Castle.

A squad of griffin knights flew over the fort, and the griffons led by skilfully landed on the platform on the top floor of the castle, Victoria? Wilder jumped off the griffon, her eyes narrowed slightly as the cold wind from the northern mountains blew through her long silver-white hair.

Even in this midsummer season, there is still such a cold wind on the top of the high mountains in the north of the continent.

The "Dragon-Blood Aristocrats" of the Principality of the Holy Dragon said that this cold wind was the breath of the sleeping dragons in the mountains, while the mages and scholars of the Violet Kingdom believed that this cold air came from the north of the continent, from across the ocean blocked by ice floes and storms, from the eternal cyclone.

But Victoria didn't care where the cold wind came from, she just liked the cold breath, and the clean cold air in the mountains was much more comfortable than the foul air of the royal capital.

The black-haired maid Maggie reached the platform, and Victoria nodded to the trusted maid, "Go and gather my knights, the Mountain Legion has something to do." ”

"Yes."

The Duchess had absolute authority over the land, and the Mountain Legions, loyal to the House of Wild, accepted the orders of their "Ice Queen" without question, and after a brief military meeting, about a third of the Mountain Legion's troops were drawn to support the eastern front of the Whitsundays.

Victoria didn't go back to her bedroom after the meeting, even though she had already had a long flight on the back of a griffin and had just had a meeting, she picked up her spirits and flipped through the papers in front of her.

"Vicky, you need to take a break."

The brunette maid said from the side, and when there was no one else, the brunette maid called her mistress by a affectionate nickname.

"I'll rest," Victoria said casually, "Has the Holy Dragon Principality behaved in any unusual ways lately?" ”

"The intelligence coming from the northern outpost is normal."

Victoria exhaled slightly, her heart settling slightly.

The Holy Dragon Principality in the northern mountains...... It's always been a source of instability.

As early as the time of Gondor, the self-proclaimed descendants of the dragon's blood established the kingdom in the far north of the continent, claiming to be vassals of the dragon, so that the supreme ruler of the country was not the king, but the so-called "dragon-blooded Grand Duke", who were closed, xenophobic, isolated in the mountains, and never liked the Ansu who suddenly appeared on the land seven hundred years ago.

Seven hundred years have passed, and this closed and mysterious country still uses the term "uninvited guest" to describe Ansu, which has been established for seven centuries.

But fortunately, after so many years of running-in, a compromise and balance have finally been reached between the Holy Dragon Principality and Ansu, as the general guardian of the north, Victoria? One of Wild's responsibilities is to be vigilant against that sensitive, closed, xenophobic country, and to do everything possible to avoid war between the two sides.

Wait until you're finally done with the files in front of you, Victoria? Wilde stretched her waist, she took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled, a little to ease the accumulated fatigue in her body, the black-haired maid stepped forward, while gently squeezing the hostess's shoulder, and asked in a low voice, "Do you want to rest?" ”

"No, there is one more thing," the duchess closed her eyes and paused for a long time before continuing, "get ready, I'm going to the Ancestral Tomb." ”