Iron Age 141

Looking at the towers rising in the night, Franz couldn't help but sigh.

He looked at the back of the prisoner car, and the man sitting inside was looking through the small window of the car, observing the black iron fort not far away, and his eyes seemed to be very puzzled.

"Where's that?" he asked, "aren't you going to take me to Jericho?"

"With a little respect, you should address the Prince as Your Highness. Franz reprimanded him before answering his question, "This is Iron Crow Castle, and the Prince is here." ”

"Iron Raven Castle?" the man looked even more confused, he must have never heard of this place.

After all, he had been exiled for so many years, and it was normal for him not to know about Iron Crow Castle. Franz let out a sigh of relief and explained to the man behind him:

"Ever since His Royal Highness Prince Tiamat came to power and Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess became regent, the two of them have deliberately moved the center of their reign away from Tiamat Palace. Therefore, His Royal Highness the Prince deliberately built the Iron Raven Castle in the western suburbs, near Karin Castle, facing Karin Castle across the lake.

The Prince and Prince Regent lived here most of the time, and it happened that Karin Castle and Iron Raven were so close to each other that people said, 'The Prince Regent of Karin Castle, the Uncrowned Emperor of Iron Raven'.

Since the construction of the Iron Raven Castle, His Royal Highness the Prince does not like to go to Tiamat Palace to work, and even has developed a small habit, he likes to send a notice to the deployment to be seen in the afternoon, so that they can go to the Iron Raven Fort to meet him on the same day, and in order to get the distance to the western suburbs, the vassals who receive the notice will not arrive at the Iron Raven Fort until at least night. That's why we're bringing you here so late. ”

Franz glanced at the Minister of War beside him, Isel Noe O'Brien, Duke of Munster, who was over fifty years old because all the O'Brien family members died at the hands of the rebels of the Ministry of the Interior thirteen years ago, and was able to inherit the Duke of Munster by virtue of his military exploits that year.

But only they know how frightened this "henchman" is.

"Is that so?" the man behind the prisoner cart nodded, roughly understanding, "So, deliberately dragged me here, Jericho's private castle, and probably my life will end tonight, right?"

Duke O'Brien and Franz were silent, they had a lot of admiration for the man behind the prisoner's cart, but if the prince wanted his life, no one could stop him, just like five years ago, even though the opposition of the whole country was rising higher and higher, the prince still insisted on converting to the Zoroas, and no one could dissuade him, and no one dared to persuade him.

Duke O'Brien turned his head, looked out the window, and after making sure that no one was following him, he whispered to the man:

"At present, the desert people have been greatly damaged by His Royal Highness the Prince, and not only have they completely withdrawn from the Badajoz Peninsula, but also leased three good ports in the northern part of the Red Earth Continent to the Empire for use as military ports. With these three newly acquired ports, His Highness built a new fleet of conquerors and extended his power into the Sea of Conquerors with great fanfare, while Hadrian's defeat in Silesia could only swallow his anger in the face of His Highness's strong advance, acquiescing in the newly expanded sphere of influence of the empire.

The two great powers of the world have bowed their heads, and the empire has become the world's number one hegemon in its name, and the years of decline have been swept away, as if the era of His Majesty Nicholas I has returned. Why do you want to raise the flag of treason against the Empire, His Royal Highness has brought glory and prestige far beyond that of his predecessors? If it were someone else, would you have escaped with your life, and you would have to throw this life on the dishonor again? His Royal Highness the Prince is not His Majesty Alexander II, and he will not show mercy to his subordinates. ”

The man sneered, and did not mince words about Duke O'Brien, even though the Duke had deliberately used a relatively euphemistic tone and did not directly reprimand him.

"The tyrant is a tyrant after all, he conspired to kill Alexander II, and killed a number of courtiers, and took the current Emperor Yoloh as a plaything in his hands, and kept him in captivity in the palace of Tiamat.

Perhaps, by using the power gained by intrigue and subterfuge, and the vassals of you warriors, he can wantonly insult the emperor's ministers and the nobles of the empire, break the hands and feet of the nations of the world, and seal the tongues of the people, which is indeed a glorious glory and a terrifying prestige!"

The man's arrogant words darkened the faces of Franz and Duke O'Brien, no matter what, they were the prince's henchmen, and even if they admired this man, they could not remain indifferent to hear him insult their benefactor like this.

"Shut up!" cried Franz, "Your Royal Highness the Prince, how can a guilty man like you beak it!"

"Hmph!" the man snorted coldly, not in the slightest frightened by Franz, "Count Metternich, when we met in Port Leon, you were still hiding behind your grandfather, why, now you want to learn from your grandfather and reprimand me?

Franz was furious, but Duke O'Brien grabbed his hand and motioned for him to be quiet.

The duke looked at the Iron Raven Castle, which was not far away, and said to the man with a calm face:

"His Royal Highness Prince Tiamat is Chinese New Year's Eve years old today, when a man is in the prime of his life, and, because after he openly announced his conversion to the Zoroasites sect five years ago, the doctrine of the sect follows the doctrine of the Holy Blood, which holds that kings are inherently holy and have privileges beyond mortals, so His Highness has married several princesses, including his two own sisters, in addition to his wife, Her Highness the eldest princess, Her Highness Katarina. ”

The man behind the prisoner cart and Franz were stunned, not understanding why Duke O'Brien would suddenly talk about it.

"Her Royal Highness's eldest daughter, Princess Sora, was born in the year 129 of the Iron Age, when the prince was only Duke Midnight, and had just married the eldest princess, and it was seven years before she converted to the Zoroas. And after he married Princess Sophia, he announced that Sola, who was seven years old at the time, was his biological daughter - until then, the prince and the princess had always claimed that Sola was the niece of the princess's biological mother.

Suddenly, the husband had several princesses, and even worse, many daughters, and the world felt that the eldest princess must be very angry at her husband's betrayal, after all, she was the royal blood of this empire, and speaking of which, most of the prince's ruling title still came from her. But unexpectedly, the eldest princess accepted this fact very calmly, and assisted her husband as always, and it was said that she got along well with several of his princesses, but neither the eldest princess nor the other princesses had any male heirs for the prince, and the dignified Prince Tiamat, the true ruler of the empire, had ten daughters, but none of them. ”

"Understand, former Duke of Cogas, Lord Edward. Duke O'Brien turned around and looked coldly at the man in the prison car, Edward No. Corgas-Gion, Duke of Corgas, who rebelled with Michel VII thirteen years ago, "You really won't survive tonight, His Royal Highness the Prince will not allow the existence of a weighty Gyan to threaten his successor, whether it is you or the one in the palace of Tiamat, His Highness will find a way to erase your inheritance to the throne." If you stay in Hadrian honestly, you and your family will have nothing to do, but you have to run back. Don't be afraid to tell you that His Royal Highness has sent a diplomatic note to Hadrian requesting the extradition of your family – do you think Hadrian would dare to refuse His Royal Highness?"

Hearing this, Franz and Edward were stunned, and Edward immediately became furious and scolded Jericho for being a villain and a tyrant, while Franz fell into deep thought. He looked at Duke O'Brien beside him without a trace, thinking about why the other party got the news before him.

The Duke didn't seem to see Franz's hidden gaze, his eyes were looking straight ahead, and the gates of Iron Crow were already close in front of him.

Edward in the prisoner car, followed by the cold moonlight, observed the gate of the Iron Crow Fort through the iron grille of the prison car. This castle is very different from the style of Tiamat Palace and Karin Castle, compared to Karin I, who was so happy and loved to build the building in an incomparably grand style, this Iron Raven Castle seems a lot more stingy, and it is more appropriate to say that it is a castle than a prison. The walls around the castle were high and covered with iron thorns, and they were very well guarded, and they were really arranged like a prison. Around the wall, there are also shrubs, these shrubs are not ordinary ornamental plants, but red nettles specially purchased from the East, the stings on the stems and leaves of this plant are poisonous, and once the skin comes into contact with it, it immediately causes irritant dermatitis, itching, severe burns, redness and swelling, any of which can torture people half to death.

Franz looked at the cold and gloomy iron tower inside, took a deep breath, and thought of seeing the prince next, and he couldn't help but feel a little worried in his heart.

When the prisoner car reached the gates of the Iron Crow Castle, it was stopped by the castle's guards. As is customary, Duke O'Brien and Franz got out of the car and were inspected by the guards, and then the black iron gate slowly rose and let the group in.

The carriage slowly descended the path in the courtyard into the castle, although from the outside, the Iron Raven Castle was cold, It was gloomy and small, but as soon as he entered it, Edward found that the castle was actually much larger than he imagined, the courtyard took up a lot of area, and there were many statues on both sides of the road, but these statues were not like those in ordinary aristocratic families, they were heroes with beautiful meanings or various mythological images, but they were demon statues that grinned and made people frightened, especially in such a night, these statues looked like living gargoyles, and it seemed that they would break off this layer of stone skin at any time and fly up to do evil。

Of course, these statues can't fly, but there are quite a few flying things in the courtyard, and it's a flock of crows, and the prince keeps them in his castle. Although in some parts of the empire, these clever birds were indeed regarded as creatures that would bring good luck, but every time Franz came to the Iron Crow Castle, he did not feel that these crows would bring good luck to people, on the contrary, the scarlet eyes of these birds always made Franz's heart uneasy.

Passing through the courtyard, the prisoner car arrived at the castle, which seemed to be the prince's quirk, from the gate to the castle, there were no street lights on the way, it was completely dark, and the castle in front of him was also, although there was a faint light inside, but the darkness still overwhelmed the light, and the whole castle was cloudy, making people shudder.

"Stop. In front of the castle, a young female officer stopped the prisoner cart, "Is this the prisoner that His Royal Highness wants to see?"

Franz and Duke O'Brien got out of the car and bowed slightly to the female officer in front of him, although Duke O'Brien was the Minister of War and his rank was not much higher than the young girl in front of him, but the duke, who understood the identity of this girl, did not dare to put on a show at all, he knew that the other party was fine.

Charlotte had a cold face and calmly accepted the salute of Franz and Duke O'Brien, one of whom was the Minister of Continental Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the other was the Secretary of War of the War Department, both of whom were important members of the cabinet, but in front of her, they still had to bow their heads and laugh carefully.

She didn't think there was anything wrong with it, on the contrary, she liked it. The henchmen around the prince all know that Charlotte is the prince's woman, but unlike Sophia, the prince always seems to be inseparable from this girl, even if he converts to the Zoroastrian sect and blatantly marries several princesses, he is always unwilling to give Charlotte a name.

"Get out of the car. Franz himself opened the door of the prison cart and helped Edward down, "Remember, be amused in front of His Royal Highness, you should not have seen the Prince, and don't let your ignorance kill your family." ”

Edward snorted coldly, dismissing Franz's well-meaning advice.

Charlotte watched coldly as Edward walked up to her with his head held high, and her arrogant appearance made her frown, but she didn't say anything, just watched Edward walk into the castle with the eyes of a dead man.

"Count Metternich, it seems that he will not heed your advice. ”

Franz was a little embarrassed, but didn't know how to answer.

Charlotte didn't pay any attention to it, and with a wave of her hand, she let the soldiers escort Edward into the castle.

"You follow. Your Highness may want to see you as well. Charlotte glanced at Franz and Duke O'Brien, then turned around and walked towards the castle, not interested in saying more.

Damn woman!! It's just that by the favor of the prince, he dares to show off his might with us like this, do you really think of yourself as something?

Although Franz tried to keep his face calm, his eyes still showed a fierce look, and Duke O'Brien, who was beside him, could see at a glance what Franz was thinking.

"Don't be stupid. His lips moved slightly, and he said in a voice that only Franz could hear, "The relationship between the prince and this woman is very complicated, but this means even more that this woman is not simple, if he only relies on the ability to be favored in bed to gain the prince's trust, then how can the prince tolerate this woman? ”

Franz rolled his eyes slightly, and Duke O'Brien stared straight ahead, not at all showing that he had just spoken.

Escorted by the soldiers, Edward walked through the antechamber of the castle and walked long to a door with a hideous beast's head as a knocker. At this point, the soldier let go of Edward, loosened his handcuffs, and stood on either side of the door, as if to let Edward in on his own.

This surprised Edward, who thought that Jericho would show off his pomp by getting him here.

Franz and Duke O'Brien also followed, and they were not surprised to see Edward loosened, after all, they still knew a little about the prince's ability.

Charlotte, who was walking ahead of them, raised her arm and motioned for them to stop. "Your Highness will see him alone, and you will wait here. ”

Looking at Charlotte's commanding appearance, Franz felt a little resentful, but on the surface he respectfully retreated with Duke O'Brien.

Edward also noticed the latter situation, and heard that Jericho wanted to see him alone, Edward's doubts were even heavier, although he was the key criminal who led the Kogas rebellion, and in terms of identity, his surname of Giang was quite sensitive, and Jericho, who had the sole power, wanted to see him, which was also reasonable, after all, with the other party's current dictatorial power, even if he killed himself here, he would not dare to say anything outside, and he would not even know that he had been here.

But why did he want to see me alone? Does he want something from me?

Suspicious, Edward reached out and pushed the door open, only to have a bad premonition creeping up on him as he reached for the hideous knocker.

Pushing open the door, a dimly lit hall appeared in front of him, this hall was not equipped with electric lights, to be precise, there was not even a modern thing here, it was built in the style of the previous era. Two rows of stone pillars stand on either side of the red carpet, supporting the wide roof, and around the stone pillars, oil lamps are lit with a faint blue fire, accompanied by the cold wind blowing in from where the arrangement, the fire swayes from time to time, looking like a ghostly fire, which makes people feel chills down the spine. And where the fire does not shine, there are dark shadows, as if something is peeking in the darkness.

Prince Tiamat Swain No. Jericho sat on a stone pedestal at the end of the hall, and seeing this scene, Edward couldn't help but think of the Imperial Hall in Tiamat Palace, the layout was indeed very similar, but this hall was much smaller, and it was too dark to have the grandeur of the Imperial Hall.

"What are you trying to do with this kind of pomp?" Edward was not afraid of the secluded forest in the hall, and he had no intention of bowing to Swain's authority, and walked towards Swain with his head held high, as if he was not a prisoner, but a dignified Duke of Corgas.

"I don't know, you're such a boring person. ”

"Only the dead longed for the past. Sven's deep voice came from the high platform and echoed through the empty hall, but it was quite intimidating, "Didn't you like to say the words 'tradition' and 'glory' very much, and you often talked about the rules of knighthood. Why, do you think retro stuff is boring now?"

"Anything that really shines brightly, whether it lasts for thousands or tens of thousands of years, will never go out of style!" Edward retorted to Swain with his head tilted, "and like you, merely imitating the past in form, pretending, is just disgusting ugliness." ”

"That's right, pretending is the most disgusting, but people are such creatures, they are born to learn to deceive, and without disguise, they cannot survive in society. Swain leaned his hand on the armrest and looked at Edward below with a cold gaze, "However, if a person can be separated from society and include society in applause instead of being in society, then he can take off these disguises, because no one can limit him, and he does not need to compromise with anyone." ”

"Whew, are you talking about yourself? I think you're probably talking about how disgusting you are. Edward scoffed mercilessly.

"Edward No. Kogas-Gion. Swain's voice was still cold, undisturbed by the other party's provocation, "If it's just a matter of words, then I have a lot of ways to shut you up." I didn't want you to come here to listen to your nonsense. ”

"Hmph, does it look like you're really putting yourself in a high position, who do you think you are?" Edward stared at Swain without showing any hint of weakness, but he immediately realized that it was not the right decision.

In the dark corners of the hall, countless pairs of scarlet eyes suddenly opened, and even Edward was startled by this sudden scene. He looked around the hall in disbelief, for he didn't know what they were, and he didn't dare to let his guard down, after all, the people he was talking to now were the people who had slaughtered the courtiers without blinking an eye.

"Who is it that helped you get back to the Empire?" Swain stood up, scarlet eyes, and looked at Edward with a terrifying light, "You were exiled to Pannonia thirteen years ago, and you will never be able to return to Siliul, but someone is secretly helping you to return to the Empire, to return to Kogas to start a rebellion. Hadrian had been frightened by me, and they knew that the only thing I needed to conquer them was a casus belli, so the Hadrians would not give me this excuse. You're being helped by people at home, and by the people in power under me. ”

Swain slowly descended the steps, approaching Edward one step at a time.

"There are countless people in this empire who want my life, some because they hate me, some who want to take my place, and some who have unrealistic illusions that the emperor can take charge of this empire. What kind of person do you belong to? Edward No. Kogas-Gyan. ”

The momentum on Swain's body overwhelmed Edward, he had not seen the world before, and when he was canonized by Nicholas I in the Imperial Hall, he did not feel such an unconsciously trembling momentum in the lion. But now, in Swain, in Prince Tiamat, who had taken charge of the empire at such a young age, he felt it, his legs trembled unconsciously, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead, as if just looking at Swain made him so frightened that he wanted to bow down and surrender to the other party in order to escape this terrible pressure.

However, he was Edward, the Duke of Corgas who refused to take revenge even in the face of the guillotine.

"No one ......," he gritted his teeth and looked at Swain viciously, "to be able to intimidate a Gyan!"

Swain stared at Edward for a few seconds, and for those few seconds, Sven's gaze was like a scorching sun, burning Edward to sweat. "Don't overestimate yourself, Gyan is just a respect, you are still human. If you are human, you will feel fear, you will be afraid of me. ”

Swain walked up to Edward, so close that Edward finally couldn't take the pressure anymore and sat down.

"Just like that little emperor, you will still be afraid of me, as long as you look at me, you will be frightened. ”

Edward gritted his teeth, still refusing to give in to Swain. "Fear only frightens the weak, not ......"

"It's one of those guys, right? Swain said suddenly.

Edward was stunned and subconsciously wanted to twist his head, but he realized that he had been deceived by Swain.

"It seems that yes, I specially sent those two people to escort you here today, and it seems that it is indeed as I expected. ”

Edward lowered his head, not looking into Swain's eyes, the pressure on him would be less, but still not very comfortable.

"Are you silent, are you acquiescing?"

"Hmph-" Edward snorted, looking very disdainful, "Ah, yes, it's one of them, go kill that guy." With your actions, you don't have any scruples about doing such a thing, right?"

Swain stared at Edward, and Edward felt uncomfortable being stared at by those eyes.

"Metternich?"

Edward turned his head and didn't answer.

"O'Brien?"

Still silent.

"I see. Swain nodded, a hint of understanding in his eyes, "It's that person." ”

Edward looked to the side and sneered. "Do you want to trick me again?"

"It's Charlotte. ”

Ed lowered his head, his hair hanging down in a mess that had not been washed in days, obscuring his face. However, the slight tremor of his fingers still revealed his inner unpeace.

"No more pretending to be calm. Swain turned and walked towards the stone seat, "You follow the rules of a knight's code of conduct and are not a liar, but that doesn't mean you won't mislead me with ambiguity. The first thing you think when you hear me say, 'It's one of those guys,' is that you admit it's true, but most people think I'm referring to Metternich and O'Brien, and don't think that Charlotte is included. You think so too, so you want to mislead me with this ambiguity. ”

Swain sat back on the stone throne and looked at Edward below, with his head bowed and sitting on the ground.

"However, I counted Charlotte in the first place. ”

"Why did you come to ask me if you know?" Edward turned his face, his words trembling with anger, "Aren't you a man who has always done whatever he wants?

"What do you think I'm going to do with Charlotte?"

Edward glanced at Swain, then quickly withdrew his gaze.

"I'm not going to do anything. ”

Edward kept his head bowed and said nothing.

"Let me ask you a question. Swain seemed to be a little bored, and flicked his fingers, "Are you afraid of death?"

"Death?" Edward gritted his teeth and sneered, "I am reminded of the words of the original Duke of Charolalene, Bertie I. After Duke Bertie joined the empire, he used the power of the empire to expand a large territory with the intricate branches of his family, so that his Duchy of Charolalene was larger than the royal family of Guiang. Many people thought that Duke Bertie would have to rebel sooner or later, but he used two poems from the East to clarify his ambitions. ”

"Gou ......"

Edward glared at Sven, and as soon as he opened his mouth, Sven suddenly slapped the armrest, and then those scarlet eyes hidden in the dark corner suddenly flew out and pounced fiercely towards Edward, until these things were close to him, Edward realized that these things turned out to be a flock of crows, just like the crows he saw in the courtyard.

And this was his last thought, and in the blink of an eye, the crows enveloped him, and after a minute, the layers of black feathers parted, and there was nothing left on the ground.

Sven's fingers tapped the armrest of the Stone Throne a few times.

"Let Charlotte in. ”

After a while, Charlotte pushed open the door and entered the ominous temple.

"You helped Edward return to the Empire?"

"That's right. ”

"To cause me trouble?"

"That's right. ”

"As honest as ever, as stubborn as ever. ”

Swain beckoned, as if he were greeting his pet.

"Come here. ”

Charlotte, with a cold face, walked up the steps and came to Swain.

Swain grabbed Charlotte by the waist and lifted her to his lap.

"It's the first time, I can't remember exactly, and every time I'll say to you, 'If you want to kill me, I won't mind, but if you fail, be prepared to be punished. ’”

Swain pinched Charlotte's chin, his eyes flashing cold and gentle at the same time.

"What kind of punishment do you want this time?"

"Whatever you want. Charlotte twisted her neck and wrenched Swain's hand away, "You're a nuisance. ”

"Because I'm playing with you too cruelly?"

"Because you have no weaknesses. Charlotte's hand grabbed Swain's neck, "A man like you, no matter what blow I give you, it's useless, you don't feel sadness, you don't feel pain, even if your only son is killed by me, you are indifferent." People like you, no matter how much I make trouble for you, I will only laugh at it, and I don't care!"

The second half of the sentence is correct. Swain grabbed Charlotte's hand and pulled the silky, delicate and dangerous hand down his throat, "But don't you know what my weakness is?"

Charlotte frowned, she wanted to bite it and bite Swain to death, but she couldn't do it, anger and sadness stirred in her heart, and tears unconsciously flowed from the corners of her eyes.

"I'd rather you didn't have that weakness, I—I can't ......"

"You killed me and your only child to fight me. Obviously have such a determination, why hesitate at this time?" Swain hugged Charlotte tighter, and the two of them were close together, "I still don't have a male heir, isn't it your credit that you killed my only son, your only child, at birth." But I don't mind, because I don't like my son, and my daughter is cuter in comparison. ”

"So you gave birth to ten daughters?" Charlotte sneered, tears flowed down the corners of her curved mouth into her mouth, and the bitter taste melted on the tip of her tongue, "People like you, even your own sister can be married, and you have children with her, do you still want to include ten cute and well-behaved daughters in your harem in the future, King Jericho?"

"Don't you understand, why do I hate my son?" Swain held out his finger and wiped the tears from Charlotte's face, "Even if you don't kill that child, I'll get rid of him, because I won't allow anyone to threaten me." No one can inherit my cause, because no one can wantonly insult the emperor's ministers and the nobles of the empire, break the hands and feet of the nations of the world, and silence the tongues of the people, and this is the only thing I can do, because I am the only one who has reached this height, this position that transcends everything, is above society, and can judge the people. No one can replace me, no one can inherit me, not even my own children. If there is a male heir, the weak ones will stare at the boy and think about how to please him in order to find a place for their future, and they will even try to set up a son against me, so that they will not have to fear in my shadow all day. ”

"I'm not going to let them get their way. ”

Charlotte stared at the face that she had been looking at for thirteen years, and she had known from the time she met him at the age of eight that this man was crazy, and that there was an irrepressible madness buried in his heart, and this madness would destroy him sooner or later.

Or ruin the world.

"You're not just a madman, a liar,"

Charlotte let Swain's hand caress her wantonly, and no matter how Swain teases, her expression remains cold.

"Still a narcissist. ”

"Say whatever you want. ”

Swain sniffed Charlotte's scent, and he understood that he and Charlotte had never been as much of love as Sophia, not even Katerina's reciprocal love, and that the two of them were simply attracted to each other by a quality that attracted them like snakes that attracted them to the opposite sex. Maybe it's because of this that every time he is with Charlotte, he is as crazy as a beast.

"Now, I'm going to punish you......"