The first day of the Elemental Festival was a very relaxing day for the vast majority of the people of Lloris.

A magic show over the city in the morning, a day of magicians who appear on the streets as usual during the Elemental Festival, and share anecdotes with civilians that only magicians know about each other, the opening ceremony of the Four-House Tournament at the Loris National Academy, and the Grand Wizard Bazaar at night...... Since the founding of the Loris state, the Elemental Festival has become a symbol of their own country in the hearts of the Loris people, and it is also the favorite festival of the Lorris people.

However, such a cheerful and cheerful atmosphere has little to do with Clark.

Dressed in a piece of soft leather armor that was often worn by minor nobles more than practical, and with a hood over his head from his mantle, Clark led his horse along the streets of downtown Alrant.

The main street in the central city is limited to this period of time, there are many Lorris merchants and even wandering merchants from other places to set up stalls here, selling some small magic guides or interesting magic trinkets, which is also a more famous Alrant scene during the Elemental Festival, not only the local residents of Lorris, but also foreign tourists will linger here at night to buy some exquisite and interesting knick-knacks.

Taking advantage of the mixed crowd of the environment, the lieutenant of Fort Loris, the man who held nearly half of the power of the guard, carefully disguised himself as a military attache from a small nobleman who came out to play alone, and shuttled through the crowd in a way that was as unobtrusive as possible, and slowly leaned towards the Prince's Palace on the edge of the royal city.

Clark knew that from the moment he left Fort Guard, he would be followed by an agent from the Grand Prince, nay, His Majesty the Emperor by now. He first went home in a bright light. Then he sneaked out of the back door of his yard and rented a horse from a nearby carriage and horse shop as a cover.

Does it make sense? Clark didn't know, maybe he had deceived the court's eyeliners, or maybe his whereabouts had already been put in writing before the eyes of the one in the palace, but he wouldn't know it, and he didn't want to find out. He only felt that such a low-key approach would bring him some psychological self-deception and comfort. That's enough.

Clark had received a secret letter from His Royal Highness Prince Naris at Fort Guard camp in the evening, saying that he was going to have something to discuss, and to be honest, he was really reluctant to deal with it, but when he thought about it, he didn't seem to have any other choice.

He was a confidant that Prince Naris had cultivated since he was a pro-soldier a few years ago when he was still quite high-spirited, and this kind of relationship that was openly held up was not something that could be hidden in the political arena. Now Prince Naris has obviously lost power, and those subordinates and henchmen of Prince Naris in the past have been eliminated from the military and political worlds by His Majesty the Emperor one by one, but only he is still "alive" who has a special position and has never hidden his identity and position. But Clark knew very well in his heart that as long as His Majesty the Emperor wanted, he could find a way to get himself down at any time, and the reason why he was still sitting in this position was not only because he still had some means to win over people in the army, but also because His Majesty the Emperor wanted to solve himself at the right time with the minimum cost.

To be honest, Clark didn't think about turning to His Majesty the Emperor in order to save himself and Prince Narris, which seemed to be a clever move to understand the times. But soon Clark himself dismissed the idea. It had nothing to do with loyalty - if Clark cared about so-called loyalty, he wouldn't have thought that way - the point is, why should he go to His Majesty the Emperor who is even more shrewd than Naris?

If it had been a few years ago when Naris and His Majesty the Emperor were evenly divided, he would not have been considered a charcoal in the snow. At least as a small but undoubtedly important chess piece in that kind of balance of power, it is still very valuable, but the problem is that now the overall situation of the domestic situation has been decided, if he chooses to abandon the old master who single-handedly raised himself at this time and turn to His Majesty the Emperor, then in the heart of His Majesty the Emperor, he is just an unreliable guy who sees the wind and steers.

Clark swore if he had done such a thing. Maybe the current status and reputation can be preserved for the time being, and maybe he will be used by His Majesty the Emperor as an excellent example of understanding the current affairs to live a good life, but when Prince Naris and his forces are completely cleared from the inner circle of the kingdom by His Majesty the Emperor, he will definitely be the next target of His Majesty the Emperor's next attack, for example-

- Oh. Mr. Clark, you have made such a contribution to me, you are really a model for your subjects, I can't bear to let you do such a hard job as the deputy chief of Fort Konoguard, I will give you a baron title and the corresponding fief, bring your family to your territory and enjoy the blessings, let's see, next to the fief of my own brother Prince Naris, near the northeast border, how about the beautiful mountains and rivers in that area?

Clark couldn't help but shudder every time he thought about it, as Naris's henchman, he knew a lot about the fight between the two brothers of the royal family, if his master Naris was a sinister villain, and the emperor who was now sitting on the throne was an out-and-out black hypocrite, he would definitely be able to do such a thing.

So where do you go from here? After a month of thinking, Clark recently had a more feasible plan.

As Naris's confidant, Clark knew that although his prince could now be called a complete failure, in Naris's own heart, he never admitted his defeat, or never admitted that his brother was better than him.

didn't admit defeat, so he didn't admit defeat. Until now, Charles has been on the throne for more than a month, his henchmen have been removed from the center of power in the kingdom one by one, and as the new territory of the prince, a beautiful area covered with endless forests on the northeast border is ready to welcome the new lord of Naris, but Naris still has not given up this last glimmer of hope, and even said "I want to see this Elemental Festival event in my great Loris royal city up close" It was impossible to find such a reason to be stabbed, and the dead skin stubbornly postponed the date of leaving the royal city and rushing to the territory by a month.

What kind of means and hope does Naris have to turn the tables around? As a close confidant of Clarke, he doesn't know, he only knows that Naris definitely wants to take advantage of this last month to do something to come out, and calling him out tonight is probably that the unwilling Prince Naris has prepared some Rausch ghost plan to cooperate with him, the only remaining cronie in the royal **** world.

In fact, in Clark's opinion, Naris's mentality of wanting to die is really unnecessary. If Naris comes to power, his brother Charles may really have to worry about being killed by Naris. But now it is Charles, a hypocrite who cherishes his feathers, Charles may not let his younger brother Naris touch domestic politics again, but as long as Naris does not take the initiative to make trouble, His Majesty Charles I will definitely not harm his life.

Therefore, Clarke's idea is to use Naris's confidant to persuade him to give up the idea of continuing to resist, and honestly go to his own territory to be a Prince of Comfort lord after the Elemental Sacrifice. This is not the same as betrayal, he not only preserves the image of loyalty to the end without abandoning the old master and considering a way out for him, but also can leave an impression in the heart of the new emperor that he has taken the initiative to clear the last obstacle for him. There is no need to worry about getting into trouble again by Naris, the gambler master who is already on the verge of madness...... He's just so witty.

In fact, the territory on the northeast border is also very good, the scenery is beautiful, the surrounding situation is also very calm, there is no need to worry about the territory being invaded by someone, except that there are more deer in the forest than there are people living there, Clark feels that there are no other big shortcomings...... As a place to retire in peace.

Thinking about these things along the way, Clark had unknowingly arrived at the back door of the prince's palace, and quietly entered the prince's palace with the answer of the servant who had been waiting there, and threw the reins of the horse to the next man. He walked briskly in the direction of Naris's reception room.

He was confident and thought about the month on his own. With so many arguments prepared on the road, and the fact that he was already the only officer with real power left under Naris, as long as he did not agree with Naris's plan and persuaded him, I believe that he would be able to more or less dispel Naris's idea of rebelling against His Majesty the Emperor, and then further persuade him to give in.

Until Clark knocked on the door of Naris's meeting room, he had thought so-

"Mr. Clark. Thank you very much for coming, and you can see that there are not many people I can trust these days. ”

The meeting room, with only Naris and Clark, seemed a little empty, looking at the deserted scene in front of them. Naris, who sat at the top, had no joy or sorrow on his face, and was a little eerily calm.

At least in Clark's opinion, this calm of Naris is rather eerie. According to what Clark had learned from the Prince's courtiers, since Charles ascended the throne uneventfully, Naris had not set foot outside the palace for a whole month, and had locked himself in his house every day without doing anything more meaningful except for throwing things and beating people. So Clark thought he was going to meet a poor man who was in a depressed and irritable state of mind, and could lose control of his emotions at any moment, but now it seems that things are not as simple as he thought.

"Your Highness, I'm here. ”

Clark knelt on one knee in the open space in the center of the reception room, his head bowed and his hand leaning on his chest, a courtesy reserved for military attachés.

Looking at Clarke, who was saluting him, Naris did not laugh contrivedly and walked down and stretched out his hand to show his courtesy corporal. His Royal Highness was still seated in the seat at the top, half of his face shrouded in shadows, making it impossible to see what he was thinking.

Naris didn't speak, Clark didn't look up, and the lieutenant governor of Fort Guards remained on one knee for nearly a minute. Just when Clark was a little confused and a little annoyed that this down-and-out prince was still doing this to his only loyal servant, Naris's slightly hoarse voice rang out.

"Mr. Clark...... Can I trust you?"

Clark perked up and came.

"Your Highness, since I entered the Prince's Mansion more than ten years ago and became your personal soldier, there has only been one master I have obeyed, Your Highness. ”

There was silence.

“...... Mr. Clark, please get up, my friend. ”

If it's really a friend, you don't need to "get up".

Clark sneered in his heart, but on the surface he still made a loyal and determined appearance, looked up and looked at Naris sitting at the top without squinting.

A slight smile appeared on Clarke's slightly pale face, it was obvious that His Royal Highness wanted to be as approachable as before, but with that bloodless face and the rumors from his subordinates that had not yet dissipated in Clark's ears, Naris's smile looked a little decadent and hideous in Clark's eyes...... And a little bit of madness.

"Mr. Clark, I'm looking for you today, and I have something important to ask you. ”

The important thing is nothing more than that I should be your accomplice to rebel against your brother, who has already secured the throne......

Clark, who had already made a retreat in his heart, became more and more disgusted with Naris's stubborn desire for power, and almost subconsciously persuaded Naris to be more interesting, and pack up and leave Arrant as soon as possible while His Majesty the Emperor was still a little tired of brotherhood and patience. However, looking at Naris's pale face, Clark stopped in time.

It wasn't that he was suddenly possessed by the spirit of loyalty, but he could see that Naris looked calm now, but the look in those deep-set eyes was no different from that of a mad gambler who had fallen into a spell...... A crazy gambler who has lost almost everything, and has to press on the last game along with his own life.

Clark began to doubt whether his decision was correct, and in the face of such a Naris, Clark felt that he did not seem to have the eloquence to dispel the other party's desire to continue the struggle for power. If he rashly persuaded the other party, maybe it would immediately make Naris doubt the loyalty he had just sworn to, but even if he didn't intend to betray him openly, I'm afraid Naris wouldn't treat him as his own again, maybe this crazy guy would rather fail in the next crazy plan than drag himself into the water, that's not what he wanted.

Clarke's heart was entangled, but he still managed to maintain that loyal face on his face, but fortunately, Naris didn't seem to pay much attention to him, but suddenly got up and went to the bookshelf behind him, and seriously looked for the book.

“...... You may have guessed something, maybe you think I can't afford to lose, I'm stubborn, oh...... Don't be too busy retorting Mr. Clark, I'm just talking about the worst-case scenario, in fact I'm willing to believe the ...... between you and me Friendship, yes, I'm convinced. ”

With that, Naris placed his hand on one of the books on the shelf, but instead of pulling it out, he pressed it down slightly, and suddenly the sound of a mechanism working could be heard from the wall next to the shelf, and then a square area on the wall suddenly collapsed, and from Clark's point of view, there seemed to be a three-story closet structure.

Naris, who didn't seem to mind being snooped on by Clarke, pulled out a letter from it and turned to walk towards Clark.

Clark was shocked to find that Naris, who was holding the letter, had a sickly flush on his pale face, and his spirit seemed better, or rather...... It's a little crazier.

"Look at this, Mr. Clark, you'll know what I called you here for, this is my last chance...... It's our last chance, not a crazy operation with no chances, but a brilliant plan that does work, and see, you'll want to help me, sir. (To be continued.) )