Archduke Ronnie stood behind Archduke Leco's back, his gaze through the rectangular table, to the boy, watching him try to suppress his nervousness and excitement, and suddenly sighed.

We'll all ...... Be faced with imminent disaster?

He curled his lips slightly: How long has it been since I have met a guy like this, who does not hesitate and unscrupulously in front of several Grand Dukes?

There was an eerie silence in the hall for a moment.

The expressions of all the Grand Dukes were unnatural, and the rhythm of their breathing became disordered.

Rumba closed his eyes gently.

Tails struggled to control his breath, and the only sound in his ears was the crackling of the brazier.

A full three seconds passed before Archduke Leco slowly tilted his head and glanced at the others.

"We have given you a chance to speak, Your Highness," the old duke looked back from the exchange of eyes and sighed solemnly, "but I don't want you to be alarmist. ”

"You'd better be clear, little ghost," Auretheus glared at Tails with an ugly face, "After threatening the Grand Duke in the Hall of Heroes, not everyone has a chance to walk out intact. ”

Tails breathed in a trance, seemingly unaware of the uneasy interrogation of the two Grand Dukes.

Calm down, Tails.

The more moments like this, the more you have to be calm.

You can do it.

OK!

"Longxiao City. ”

"What Rumba gave you," Tails said softly, and his calm appearance made several grand dukes slightly stunned: "The proposal to annex Longxiao City did not have any good intentions. ”

Trudida slurred.

"First the troops Xingchen, then Longxiao City," the cunning Grand Duke showed a wonderful smile: "How do you know these things?"

Tails exhaled.

How did I know you were going to annex Longxiao City?

He said silently in his heart: Rumba promised Srice tariff preferences around Longxiao City, it's as simple as that.

"It's not hard to guess," but on the surface, Tails still looked the same: "In order to unite people's hearts, in addition to the common threat, there must be enough interests - there is no doubt that Longxiao City is a ready-made, ownerless cheese, especially to cause strife and conflict, it is better." ”

Trudida frowned and looked at Rumba.

"After all, it is an act of breaking the oath of co-governance," the prince sighed, "the balance of power is no longer there, and this precedent of illegally seizing territory has been set, and in the future, the ownership of every grass and tree, and every inch of territory will become the fuse of contradictions and conflicts between you - Rumba will only fan the flames, and he hopes that you will clash with each other and weaken each other......"

Auretheus interrupted him with a cold snort.

Thelma, who had listened quietly, gave him a look of disgust and glanced at him disapprovingly.

"Your words don't hold it, little imp," said the Grand Duke of Willan, twitching his beard and in a bad tone, "In fact, we have discussed the issue: in the face of a greater threat, Rumba has no reason to do so. ”

Speaking of this, Archduke Leco coughed and took over: "The threat of the stars is imminent and protracted, and it cannot be solved by one or two big battles, and at this juncture, his self-destructive behavior will only be detrimental to Exeter. ”

Tails' heart moved: "War, especially foreign wars, is more likely to be the trigger point for contradictions between you......"

But at this moment, Rumba, who had been silent, raised his head and stabbed his sword-like gaze at him.

"Don't you understand?"

Grand Duke Heisha spoke slowly, with an indistinguishable emotion in his voice.

"This kid is very intelligent, and he is trying to stop the war and save his country," Rumba slowly walked to a brazier, blocking the light from the fire, leaving only a shadow, "to save the kingdom that will eventually be in his hands, the kingdom that may in the future, let our children and grandchildren bow down." ”

The Grand Dukes frowned.

"That's exactly what I'm going to say," Tails squeezed out an unflinching smile at him, "You want to save your country, too, Charman Rumba." ”

Rumba frowned slightly.

"If you are so sure, why would our Grand Duke of Black Sand do this?" Seeing Rumba's fate, the silent Grand Duke Ronnie also joined the dangerous conversation: "What good is it for him to cause a conflict between the Grand Dukes?

Trudida sneered.

"And, why are we in such trouble?"

Under the oppressive gaze of the Grand Duke of Black Sand, Tails silently adjusted his breathing, brewing the next words.

"You all know the past of the Grand Duke of Black Sands," Tails raised his voice and looked at the Grand Duke solemnly, "the past of killing his brother with his own hands made him hard-hearted and strong-spirited, and his feud with King Nunn was formed from that time. ”

As soon as these words came out, Rumba's gaze became sharper and sharper, and Tails even felt that the air around him was a lot colder

The Grand Dukes looked at each other with understanding.

Tails took a deep breath, stared at Lombard's rugged face, and said the next sentence firmly: "But you, Charman Rumba, your act of killing the king and leading the army to force the palace is neither for revenge nor for self-preservation. ”

"Because the object of your true hatred and concern is neither King Nunn nor Dragon's Sky," Tails said in the calmest tone, "but the heroic tradition that the Northlanders are proud of, and the glorious history of Exeter......"

The prince whispered the answer: "Necaju's oath of co-governance." ”

In Selma's irrepressible exclamation, the Grand Dukes were stunned in unison.

Leko's hands began to rub back together, Trudida thoughtfully, and Ronnie immediately looked at Rumba with a suspicious look in his eyes.

"What the hell are you going to say?" Aletheus tapped impatiently on the table, "Oath of Co-governance?"

Tails was expressionless and nodded slowly.

"Rumba's whole life has been tormented between the maternal family and the paternal line, between the power of Longxiao City and the Black Sand Collar, between the monarch and the Grand Duke," Tails said word by word, "Of course, all the Grand Dukes here are similar. ”

Archduke Leco's hand tightened slightly.

"But unlike what you are used to......"

Tails looked at Rumba's deep and complicated eyes, gritted his teeth, and said the following:

"Charman Rumba, when your father forced you to challenge your eldest brother, when you plunged your sword into your eldest brother's chest, when your mother committed suicide in depression, when your father died in battle...... You've made up your mind. ”

Every time he said a word, Rumba's gaze became even colder.

Tails took a deep breath, and the image of Rumba coldly stroking his saber in the carriage came to mind.

He rubbed his hands together in the cold air, keeping his tone steady:

"You are tired of the endless strife from the bottom of your heart, you think you have seen through the unsolvable and sad cycle behind it, you hate the current situation of the kingdom of Exeter behind this compromise and tacit understanding, and you believe that as long as the paper oath exists for a day, your superstition about it will still exist for a day......"

"You, and similar tragedies behind you, will not go away. ”

Tails said quietly.

"That's right, ladies and gentlemen," under the incredulous eyes of several Grand Dukes, in the uneasy pull of Selma, the prince of the stars still stared straight at the face of the Grand Duke of Black Sand, which was about to condense into ice, without any hindrance or interference, and said with great firmness: "As early as twelve years ago, Charman Rumba decided to completely destroy the more than six hundred years of co-governance oath, but the constant contradictions between the king and the archduke were ......"

“...... Smash the peaceful co-governance of the ten Grand Dukes!"

Tails finished speaking, closed his eyes and bowed his head.

There was dead silence in the hall.

Listening to Tails' words, almost all of the Grand Dukes stared and opened their mouths, showing either surprise or disbelief.

Their eyes were on Rumba in unison.

It took several seconds for the silence to break.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Trudida let out a long breath, frowning, and looking at Tails in no uncertain terms: "It's one thing to be dissatisfied, but ...... Destroy the oath of condominity? How is this possible?"

"Ridiculous!"

Enduring the inexplicable stares of the others, Rumba coldly rejected Tails's words: "How can I destroy the co-governance oath with the faith and faith of ten million Northlanders, and kill all the grand dukes here?"

Tails jerked his head up and opened his eyes.

"You're already doing it, aren't you!" said the prince in a solemn voice, "When you killed King Nunn and forced the Grand Dukes to ignore your crimes and endorse you, the oath of confederation was already trampled upon." ”

Thelma's face darkened, and she pursed her lips.

"You have become the worst precedent," Tails said expressionlessly, "For this reason, you have also entangled the Grand Dukes to go south to the stars, and use new interests to further tilt the scales and strike at the already unstable oath of co-governance." ”

"Say as you like, the Grand Dukes don't care about the time you waste," Rumba said sarcastically, glancing disapprovingly at the others.

Ronnie snorted inexplicably.

"As for the purpose for which I have gathered your strength," said Rumba, his face full of contempt and disdain, as he whispered to the Grand Dukes, "you all know and agree with each other—this is for Exeter's sake." ”

He didn't hesitate to finish.

Tails looked at Rumba's expression, and he didn't know where the courage came from, he took a sharp breath, jumped out of his chair, and took a step forward.

"That's right!"

"This is for Exeter!" to everyone's surprise, the prince saw his eyes open in anger and his fists clenched, and he said decisively: "And by now, what I admire most about you, Charman Rumba......"

"It's just that in addition to your personal likes and dislikes, you sincerely and unpretentiously want to make Exter strong!"

"Face the future threat of the stars!"

Tails almost roared out the last words.

As soon as these words came out, Selma gently "huh" with questions.

Just when the Grand Duke was stunned, and even Rumba was slightly confused, Tails took a deep breath, restrained his expression, and suddenly changed his words!

"But that's the scariest thing. ”

I only heard him say coldly: "Min Dith III." ”

The moment the name was spoken, Rumba's face turned blue and his expression twitched—like a beast that had been caught.

The faces of the Grand Dukes turned strange.

Trudida sighed: how does this kid know everything—could it be that he has been hiding in the fireplace and eavesdropping?

Thelma looked up thoughtfully.

Mindith Brilliant Star III.

Virtuous Gentleman.

Tails said silently in his heart, and the rightmost of the three portraits of the king appeared in front of him: the middle-aged king, who held the staff of the stars, was elegant and handsome, and smiled kindly at him outside the frame.

It was one of his ancestors, one of the Three Kings of the Stars, and......

Tails gently touched his chest, where the scar from Quaid's burn with a silver Mindish coin seemed to still ache.

The king does not respect the bloodline, but the bloodline is honored because of the king.

A momentary victory or defeat, but the waves are fleeting, and a century-old chess game is the foundation of eternity.

And—Tails remembers the comments of King Kessel's father when he first met him: "From the nobles to the priests, from the merchants to the beggars, all praise him for his wise rule." ”

Wise rule?

Tails' heart moved, and he clenched his hands on his chest, and the words of the High Priest of Holm came to his mind.

[From the moment you embark on your journey, every inconspicuous detail may be an opportunity to dominate the future. 】

The prince remembered the portrait of the virtuous monarch on the silver coin, remembered the Min Dith Hall, and remembered everything he was facing today, and couldn't help but smile slightly: Is all this a coincidence?

He looked up.

"Did Rumba tell you the story of 'Xianjun'?"

Tails' gaze became firm again: "Rumba said, the current situation in the Star Kingdom has been developed step by step from the foundation laid by the Virtuous Monarch?"

Grand Duke Trudida narrowed his eyes and resisted the desire to look back at Rumba.

"He probably also told you how the legacy left by Xianjun has become a scaffold for the Star Kingdom to live on step by step in the past hundred years. ”

Tails clenched his fists lightly, his expression resolute.

"But what Rumba didn't tell you was ......"

Rumba looked at him from afar, his expression extremely ugly.

Tails shuddered at the thought of being in the same carriage with Rumba, and remembered his last words:

I'm going to save the country.

Thinking of this, Tails took a deep breath and raised his right fist to hit his chest!

"From the body of the Star Kingdom, from the body of the virtuous monarch, Rumba does not just see the threat!"

The prince gritted his teeth, and only felt that his hands were trembling:

"He also saw the future of Exeter, and saw the hundreds of years of predicament in the Northlands - the final solution!"

The voice fell, and the hall was quiet for a moment.

The next second.

Listening to Tails's words, everyone from the calm Archduke Leco to the impatient Archduke Alesio, and even the exaggerated Trudida and the indifferent Ronnie, were all surprised and spoke in unison: "What?"

"Boom!" the sound of the scabbard slamming on the ground suddenly sounded.

Tails was startled, and felt a chill on his forehead.

He took a hard breath.

The prince looked up consciously.

Then, unsurprisingly, met Rumba's eyes in the air.

Ever since Tails knew him, Rumba's face had never been so ugly and terrifying.

The face of the Grand Duke of Black Sand was almost distorted: the brow was tangled, the nasolabial folds around the wings of the nose flickered, and the bite muscles on the side of the chin were constantly stirring.

And the eyes of the Grand Duke of Rumba, which had always been sharp but cold, were now like erupting volcanoes, radiating anger mixed with cold and hatred.

Shoot dead at Tails.

No.

The boy ......

It's him again......

It's him again!

Why......

Rumba's heart exuded endless chill and anger, and he pressed his sword to prevent his hands from trembling too much with anger:

Why?

Seeing Rumba's face, Selma shook slightly, and looked at Tails as if asking for help.

The prince did not flinch.

Tails gave the other a fierce glance back, also showing a fierce expression.

"Think about what Rumba has done," Tails said coldly as he met Remba's terrifying gaze in the air, "Isn't it familiar what he did to promote low-ranking nobles and commoners, recruit tax collectors even from foreign countries, borrow money from merchants, hire specialized magic gun instructors, and use war to wash and gather the interior?"

Trudida frowned slightly: "You mean ......"

"Also, for a long time, from Aaronde's conspiracy to the siege of the Broken Dragon Fortress, to the current decision to send troops to the stars. Tails took a deep breath with a resolute expression, remembering every fight he had with Lombard, both openly and secretly.

Under the Broken Dragon Fortress, he confronted this immortal hero head-on, and made the decision to break through in reverse, which finally disappointed Rumba's hope of taking the fortress.

The prince clenched his lower lip: I defeated him.

And now......

Tails snapped his eyes open, "Rumba just wants the northern realm of the stars, right?"

"Why, do you want to expand your territory?"

"Or is it because," Tails said the rest of the words with a grim face, "he wants this piece of land where the transformation of Halfis III is not complete, and it is located in the same northland, so it is suitable to merge with the Black Sand Territory and further implement the reform?"

The faces of the Grand Dukes changed in unison!

"Don't tell me, the commoner-born tax collector of the North, Childl Urad, was recruited as your subordinate only because of his beautiful braids," Tails said softly.

"Charman Rumba?"

Rumba didn't react, but the terrifying gaze staring at him didn't move.

It's like looking at a dead person.

"Yes, that's the truth behind the 'threat of the stars': Rumba wants more than just defend against the stars. ”

Tails pursed his lips, and nodded unquestionably under the surprised eyes of the four archdukes: "He's going to be in Exeter, starting with himself......"

"Emulate the virtuous king's change!"

"To 'save' his country. ”

"Whether it's killing King Nunn, or pestering the Grand Dukes, or attacking the stars......"

"It's all about serving that purpose!"

Tails gasped slightly.

The Grand Dukes looked at him in disbelief.

"Charman, what do you think?"

Leko took his gaze off the square table and sighed slowly, "We'd rather choose to trust you than him." ”

Rumba closed his eyes.

After a moment, he spoke slowly.

"This is a step that must be taken to defend against the threat of the stars. ”

"You've seen the Starlight Legion, and you've seen their ironclad bureaucracy," the Grand Duke said coldly, "The Kingdom of the Stars is getting stronger and stronger, and Exeter can't sit still." ”

"We must put aside our pride and complacency, and learn from the merits of our enemies," Rumba raised the sword in his hand and slowly clenched it, "forge our own Starlight Legion - only in this way can we maintain our advantage over them for a long time after taking the Dragon Fortress and interrupting the changes of the stars, until we finally defeat them completely." ”

"At least in the Black Sand Collar. ”

He ended his words

Read the book .net

"There's no problem with that. Trudida sighed: "I think we can take ......"

But the Grand Duke stopped talking.

For he saw that the bald Leco was frowning sadly and wearily, looking at Rumba from afar.

It's like seeing the most incredible truth.

This is...... Trudida was shocked: What's wrong?

"Well said, I'm going to applaud you," Tails' voice sounded, sounding rather dull, "just a small accident." ”

Rumba gritted his teeth.

In front of all the Grand Dukes, Tails took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

The prince's eyes flashed with an unprecedented light, and he said slowly and decisively:

"Any change...... All come at a price. ”