It's not dawn yet.

As the spy agency of the empire, the Ministry of the Interior not only has a large number of well-equipped spy personnel, secret police, and gendarmerie units, but also has its own various facilities, so the office building of the Ministry of the Interior covers an area so much larger than that of other departments.

Underneath the building of the Ministry of the Interior, there is its own secret prison, which, due to its large and almost unrestricted powers, can arrest any subject in the empire with Beria's approval, and without going through the normal interrogation process, throw them directly into the prison of the Ministry of the Interior, and use all means to torture them for information they want to know.

In contrast, Swain was only under house arrest, which was already a good treatment.

The prison is as closed and tight as the interior building, and because it is underground, it has become a real labyrinth, and even if the prisoners escape from the cell, they may not be able to leave such a complicated place.

In a small, closed room in the deepest part of the prison, an ancient and mysterious ritual unfolds.

There were small candles around the room, and the dim light of the candles couldn't even illuminate the corners of the room. The walls and floor are carved with mysterious patterns that make people feel dizzy at a glance, and countless seemingly disordered but extremely precise lines finally connect to the center point of the room floor, where a magic circle with a diameter of four meters is depicted, and Manfred is lying in the center of the magic circle, finishing up the preparation for the ceremony.

His outfit was different from the past, he didn't wear the serious dark red formal dress anymore, a wide black robe covered Manfred's body, and on the cuffs and neckline of the robe, there were also dark red fine lines, if you didn't look closely, you wouldn't even find that these patterns were actually small magic arrays.

The robe was so wide that it looked a little sluggish on Manfred's body. The hem of the robe dragged to the ground, making it look like Manfred's exposed tail.

Beria stood in the doorway, on the other side of the magic circle, opposite Belial, there was a triangular magic circle about three meters wide.

He looked coldly at Manfred, who was lying on the ground, adding the final touch to the center of the magic array, and even now, Beria was still skeptical about the effectiveness of these magics.

"The gem in Count Hecate's hand called 'Blood Moon' is the key to suppressing my magic," Manfred did not stand up immediately after the final stroke, he carefully stroked the magic circle he had just drawn, his eyes were as loving as if he were looking at his own child, "As long as you can force him to hand over this gem, I will be free, and in return, I am willing to swear allegiance to you and present the imperial crown." ”

Beria loosened his collar, because it was underground, the ventilation was already much worse, not to mention that there were so many candles lit in this closed room, if it hadn't been for the recent rain that had caused the temperature to drop, he wouldn't even be able to bear to watch Manfred's work.

"Really?" he replied casually, with a hint of skepticism in his tone, "I don't know much magic, so how do I know if what you're saying is credible." ”

"You've come to this point, do you still have to hesitate?" Manfred tilted his head slightly, with a slight confident smile on his face, he knew that Beria would agree to his terms, "Although I have officially pledged eternal allegiance to the Hecate family with the Blood Moon, I can still sign a general contract with you. ”

Manfred slowly stood up and walked into the triangular magic circle.

"Please go to the center of the magic circle, and next, I will make an incomplete master-slave contract with you. This method can avoid the shackles of the Hecate family, so that I can not cause any harm to you while being bound by the spell of Count Hecate, and you can also give me any orders, but the effect of this contract can only last for three days, otherwise Count Hecate will be detected. ”

Beria frowned, he was still reluctant to take such an adventure, and if it weren't for the urgency of the situation, he wouldn't have resorted to Manfred's approach.

With slow steps, Beria finally walked into the magic circle. Manfred was very accurate, and Beria, despite his doubts, could not refuse the temptation, like anyone who thinks he can play tricks on the devil, who will take a chance in the face of such a temptation, thinking that Lady Luck will be on his side.

"And then?" Belia asked, his tone and expression a little impatient, as if he had a disdain for Manfred's magic.

Manfred laughed inwardly, in his opinion, these people were all the same, including Beria, these people thought they were smart, and they thought themselves were better than anyone else, even if they had shown their irrefutable magical miracles, they had to pretend not to care, to tell themselves that they didn't look down on these sideways at all.

"You can just stand there. ”

Manfred bowed slightly to Belial, then recited the incantation in a deep, indistinct voice.

"The threefold full moon, the return of the ancient divine radiance, I humbly ask the Father to hear from this spirit. In the name of the eternal and indefinite First Being, Anaido, Yu hereby makes a contract with His Highness Beria Rav Lovech No. Gion-Godunov, that during the expiration of one-tenth of the period, Yu Manfred Alkado von Nosferathu, as a loyal and sincere servant, shall serve the Lord of the present world discreetly and at his command. ”

As Manfred chanted, the magic array on the ground also flashed with brilliance, and Beria looked at this mysterious and magnificent light, and unconsciously showed a color of amazement, in the face of real magic, even if he wanted to show disdain for these sideways, it was difficult to hide his surprise and admiration.

The triangular circle where Manfred was located rose a white barrier, and at the same time, an inexplicable sensation transmitted to Belial's hand, and with a slight tingling pain, a spell mark appeared on his hand.

Beria stroked the curse mark on the back of his hand, although it was a little painful, but there was no trace of blood, as if it was born naturally on the back of his hand.

"What is this?" Beria asked.

The light of the magic circle gradually dissipated, and Manfred slowly walked out of the triangle circle. His face turned even paler, as if the ritual had hurt him a lot.

"If you want to command me," he said, pointing to the spell mark on the back of Beria's hand. "Please recite my true name silently, and give me commands in your heart, and I will do whatever I command. ”

"Really?" Belia stared at the unassuming spell mark, a different look in his lowered eyes.

"Hmph-" Manfred snorted, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth. He knew it was Belial testing the power of the sigil, but there was no disgruntled expression on his face.

"Now, you should trust me. He wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand and looked at Beria with a natural expression.

Belial stared at the spell mark on his arm, which also glowed red in an instant as he silently ordered in his heart, but this light was fleeting.

"You have earned my trust with your loyalty, servant. Beria was pleased with Manfred's attitude, "But what a surprise to me, your real name." ”

"Now I'm just a wretched creature who wants to be free," Manfred hunched over and fell on one knee before Beria, "my master." ”

Beria nodded faintly, then turned around to leave, this room was too stuffy, Belia couldn't stand it anymore. He pushed the door open and walked away, not even trying to get Manfred up, and with the protection of the curse, he no longer maintained the necessary respect for Manfred, even more arrogant than his men.

When Beria's figure completely disappeared around the corner, Manfred was standing up, even if he knelt down on one knee, his figure was still a little taller than Beria, maybe this is where Beria was dissatisfied, he didn't like others to look at him with condescending eyes, he could bear it, but he could never accept it.

"Soon," Manfred said as he walked out of the room, the door behind him automatically closing, "Soon......"

——————————————

Although there was only a heavy rain the day before yesterday, there was still some drizzle in the next two days, and the gray sky with a hint of sadness seemed to be a backdrop for today's upcoming funeral.

Before five o'clock, Alexander stood by the coffin of Nicholas I and said his father's final farewell.

"Your Highness. Prime Minister Pitt walked up to Alexander's side and handed him a handkerchief, "I can understand your feelings, but you must not show too much weakness in front of your subjects. ”

Alexander took the handkerchief, whispered a thank you to Prime Minister Pete, and slowly wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Where is the Imperial Capital Garrison?" Alexander, after wiping away his tears, sorted out his expression, and soon his face could not see the sadness just now.

"They only passed through the town of Landes yesterday and should be able to reach Deweide by noon today. ”

"Hmm. Alexander pressed his chin and nodded, he was now able to show some majesty similar to that of Nicholas I, "My father told me before he died, this time to give Viscount Jericho an official title, what kind of title do you think would be more appropriate?"

Prime Minister Pitt hesitated, although after the Marquis of Metternich fell ill, he basically took over the duties of the Minister of the Seals, but after all, he was not familiar with these complicated ceremonial work, Alexander asked him so suddenly, Prime Minister Pitt really couldn't answer for a while.

"Forget it," Alexander, too, saw Prime Minister Pitt's embarrassment, "and I'll let Sir Willie do it." ”

Prime Minister Pitt breathed a sigh of relief, he was busy enough now, and he really didn't have the energy to care about these trivial matters anymore. "Your Highness, the Philip family of Puerto León has sent us a report. ”

"Report?"

"Yes, the train on which Viscount Jericho and the Imperial Capital Garrison were traveling was forcibly requisitioned in Port Leon by Vitin's Southern Corps, and Viting gave the statement that it was Marshal Rudolph's order to transfer all trains to the front. Therefore, Viscount Jericho had no choice but to march to Germany with his troops, and he thought that it might not be an order from the marshal, and that Vittin was suspected of lying. ”

"Then why didn't he appeal directly, but let the Philip family speak for him?" Alexander frowned, his expression became much more serious, "Since he suspects that Wei Ting is lying, it would be better to refuse his request directly." ”

Both Alexander and Prime Minister Pitt knew that Vittin had already defected to Beria, and when he sent an envoy to Deweide before, it was Beria who turned back for Vittin in front of Nicholas I, otherwise he would not have been let go so easily by Nicholas I.

"Because of the lack of trains, Viscount Jericho set off by train with 2,000 men of the 957th Regiment first, and the follow-up troops all marched on foot. Prime Minister Pitt sighed, and Alexander still looked younger in terms of military affairs, "There are more than 10,000 Southern Legions stationed in Port Leon, and if there is a conflict, maybe Viscount Jericho will not be able to pass through Vitin's defense line at all." ”

Hearing Prime Minister Pitt's words, Alexander's brow furrowed even tighter. "Will Beria use force?" the crown prince had always feared that his brother would clash with him head-on, and although Alexander had the support of all the cabinet members, Beria's Ministry of the Interior could be more than all the other ministries combined in terms of his military strength.

"This is the worst-case scenario, so be prepared. "Moreover, I have sent a telegram to Nanterley to ask for confirmation of the truth of the marshal's order, but the reply they have given is that Marshal Rudolph has already gone to Port Bies with his troops, so we are not at all sure whether the court is lying or not." ”

There is a sentence that Prime Minister Pitt did not say, even if they confirmed that Vittin lied about the military situation was true, the current Alexander is not capable of arresting Vittin. The army was already on the expedition, and the only ones who had been left behind were the Royal Guard and Connaught's army, which had been left behind by the loss of their commander, and the Imperial Capital Guard was still on the way, and to make matters worse, since the death of Nicholas I, they did not know anything about the secret police and gendarmerie units of the Ministry of the Interior, and had no idea how much Beria was deployed in the Imperial Capital. Perhaps for Beria, he is not yet completely sure, but for Alexander, he is even more sure.

Alexander pursed his lips tightly, and he reached out to hold his father's coffin, his eyes anxious and eager.