"The president of the wizarding guild has just received a carrier pigeon flying from the south, the Otovik family is almost collapsed, the entire city will not survive more than 30,000 civilians, the entire city has been reduced to ruins by their own evil magic, and it will take about ten years to completely restore the original state. ”

With the soft sound of parchment turning, the hoarse but calm voice of the Marquis of Holard Minest echoed in a side hall of the palace, performing the semi-monthly debriefing of the Imperial Minister.

It is a magnificent long hall, with a deep black curved vault that is very deep, and the golden sunlight shines through the soft curtains, casting only a vague shadow on the smooth floor tiles. The black and white masonry on the floor of the hall forms a picture of the Glorious Cross Chapel, which is as neat as new.

The bronze chandelier falls vertically from the center of the dome, and the delicate lines outline an eagle with wings ready to fly, as if it is about to be reborn in the candlelight, and the chair under Horace is also a clean-looking but very expensive wooden chair, and there is not much carving on the desk and a few coffee tables, only a few patterns with some meaning......

After three hundred years of inheritance, the palace of the royal family of Marchelus no longer needs those excessive decorations to set off its title, even if it is just standing in this side hall, anyone who walks in will feel suffocated by the grandeur contained in it, even if Horace sitting in the chair is just smiling, will be surrendered.

Although he had been the Minister of the Interior for the past years, Herodotus, as Lord of the Seals, was too old and ill to do so, so the position had been a non-existent position. The royal seal was always in the hands of Horace I himself. Originally, the internal affairs of this position were also shared by the rest of the imperial ministers. At the same time, it was firmly controlled by Horace.

But as his body grew weaker and weaker, Horace was forced to begin to delegate more to the ministers of the Imperial Council than to do it himself.

"Our negotiations with the Kingdom of Dominica have been a great success - after the fall of the House of Ottovik, the Council of the Nine Rings of Dominica has not yet elected a new consul, but they have signed a peace agreement with the Kingdom of Turin, and His Majesty King Bair II of Dominica has signed and sworn that they will strictly abide by this agreement regardless of which family comes to power next. And again sent messengers to renew the treaty. ”

"As for the kingdom - despite the difficulties encountered in the harsh winter, but the kingdom remained stable - the knight of Gaius Valens, who had returned to the east, personally guarded the Blood Cliff and repelled two pagan attacks, the grain from the south was still delivered to Turin, and Pipetown was gradually recovering and nearly a thousand thugs were escorted to a nearby quarry. ”

After speaking, the old man slowly raised his head and closed the parchment scroll in his hand, and bowed slightly towards Horace, who was sitting in front of him: "I will hand over the important file to you for review later, Your Majesty." ”

"Good. Horace smiled and nodded slightly: "Although this expedition happened suddenly, I believe it was a great victory - without their sacrifice and bravery, we would not have been able to negotiate so smoothly with Dominica - they deserve to be rewarded." ”

"In fact, the Imperial Council is already planning the triumph of the expeditionary force. Your Majesty. Holard smiled and pulled one out of the scroll next to him. It was presented to Horace: "Tournaments, military processions, memorial services in the Glorious Cross Chapel, and two days and three nights of celebrations and banquets...... All the steps are inside. ”

"So detailed?" Horace frowned, "Can the kingdom's treasury sustain a lavish triumph, we have only just spent a winter, and I thought you would persuade me to save money." ”

"But we need not afford to spend now—the winter has just passed, and the kingdom's treasury is too tight to afford such an expense, but the expeditionary force does. Holard Minest spread his hands happily: "According to the laws of the kingdom, at least half of the gold and silver looted from the city of Bright Stars must be turned over to the treasury - even if some officers were to enrich themselves and deduct some of them, that would be a very large amount. ”

"But with Lord Leonardo Gombray as the commander-in-chief, I'm afraid that the officers and nobles who dare to do evil under him will be much more restrained, right?" The old man took a breath of relief: "A triumphal ceremony can also make the people of the kingdom truly feel proud and proud, and it is also the best opportunity to proclaim the prestige of the country - the former king has held three triumphal ceremonies, one of which you should remember." ”

"Of course I remember - the great triumphal ceremony of the Dominica War, it was a very lively day. With a hint of nostalgia, Horace couldn't help but sigh lightly: "The hero of that war, Otto Kwyn, defeated a full thirty-three challengers in the jousting tournament, and his father directly granted him the status of viscount of the kingdom, and later became your son-in-law, Lord Holard Minnest. ”

"So, are you going to let the 'Heroes of Fort Clarion' show off their skills in the capital once as well?" said meaningfully, Holard slowly raised an eyebrow, "Our new nobleman, Viscount Edward Witwood. ”

“...... No, I think he would have preferred a trip to The Hague Harbour at this time, where the 'view' would have fascinated him, and I had always been reluctant to disturb the pleasure of others. Horace smiled mysteriously: "Not to mention that there are so many heroes waiting, let this guy who received the reward in advance watch others scatter flowers, and then envy it!"

Holard laughed in agreement, and got up to leave—the Marquis of Minest was not in such a happy mood as he had appeared.

The fact that Edward Witwood would become Lord of Fort Clarion was a big surprise to him, the title itself was insignificant, and the impoverished island was probably more symbolic than tangible to the "Viscount Edward", after all, the island had nothing but an extremely strong castle.

The real key is that Edward, who has received this title, will have the right chance to marry Alan Kwyn - and after that, he will have the rule of both Fort Horn and Fort The Hague, and the two territories that are not far apart will be joined together, making it a force to be reckoned with among the Southern Lords, and a great route to Dominica!

"There's one more thing, my dear Marquis Holard Minest, for whom you are responsible. Horace called out to the old man who was about to leave, as if he had suddenly realized something: "There is still half a month to go, and Berion will soon arrive in Turin City, and it should be most appropriate for you to be in charge of receiving him." ”

"After all, he had been away from Turin for too long, and many things had not yet been thoroughly understood, and no one could help him better than the Minister of the Interior to fulfill his duties as Lord of the Seals. ”

"Duke Berrion is returning to Turin?" Holard was slightly taken aback - although he was sure that the other party would not refuse the opportunity to return to Turin, he did not expect that it would come so soon.

Of course, no matter how much his heart fluctuated, the old man would not show those emotions on his face, but only smiled slightly: "If this is the case, we can put the celebration of Lord Berion's ascension to the Lord of the Seals on the same day as the triumphal celebration, which can not only reduce unnecessary expenses, but also allow those foreign envoys to see the unity of the kingdom!"

"That's true, but I'm afraid my brother will complain again. Horace suddenly "inadvertently" raised the corners of his mouth and glanced at Holard, who was standing in place, unfazed: "He seems to be very interested in Edward Witwood, and even wrote a letter to send it, and now Edward needs to go to Fort Hague, he may be disappointed." ”

"I think my fellow members of the Imperial Council will find a way to put the Duke of Berion at ease. The old man's face did not change slightly, but his originally plain gaze flashed with a touch of sharpness.

Now he finally knew who had taken Edward up. (To be continued......)