"This ......"

"It's still difficult, isn't it? That's right. Our Count Ashrufat is really ambitious, but he seems to have forgotten one thing, he is a man with no roots. If it were Thomas, I can only say that all the little tricks would not have been able to be used, but if it had been him, perhaps our victory would have been accomplished without armies and swords, but with letters and messengers. My dear nephew, I know what we're going to do next?"

"What should I do?"

"Immediately mobilize your forces and occupy the abandoned city of Drake. Then proceed cautiously and occupy the city as much as possible without clash with Thomas. We want to maximize the scope of actual control as much as possible. And give me a few reliable people...... Ryan, have you figured out what the hell is going on?" Luke noticed the confused look on his nephew's face.

"Don't sell it, tell me, uncle!"

"According to my speculation, this is how it came - first of all, you stabbed Thomas that day, and after I left, it was probably Ashrufat's suggestion to make the three of them hide Thomas's injury. Indeed, in that case, Leo and William Daly simply had no second option. So the three of them kept it a secret until the arrival of Paro's army. By this time, Thomas's injuries had healed, so he accepted Rudolph's challenge...... However, it is conceivable that after the duel, Thomas, who had not fully recovered, lay back on the bed. However, he also explained everything, and the next thing was for the three of them to defend according to Thomas's established battle plan. ”

"The situation of the Paro people is also very bad. Although Thomas suffered a recurrence of his old injury, Paro's commander Rudolph was also injured in a one-on-one duel. The result of this situation is a testament to Thomas's foresight - Thomas has a plan for battle, but the Paros do not. As a result, the Paros were never able to break through the city, but suffered heavy losses! Rudolph did not have the treatment of the prophetess on the one hand, and on the other hand, he commanded the battle strongly...... Finally, he was hit by a stray arrow, or was slashed by some knight who dared to charge to the death, or whatever, in short, he lost his life!"

"There are also some situations on Thomas's side that cannot be calculated. Thomas's wounds were inflamed, the prophetess's treatment was no longer effective, and there was no 'myrrh' in the city. As a result, Thomas never recovered, and the dominance of the army fell into the hands of Aerufat. Our Count of Ashrufat came up with a brilliant plan, and that was to go out of the city and pursue the enemy. He probably used the name of Thomas...... Maybe it's something else. If the battle is won, the whole army will know that he is the de facto commander. If the battle fails...... Thomas has most of the responsibility as manager. But even better, Thomas is not responsible. Because Thomas's plan was to stop the enemy at Derek, and this plan had indeed succeeded! If he was defeated in the pursuit, it would be a small defeat in a big victory, a small shadow in the brilliance, and no one would mention it...... Thomas is still at fault. Now do you understand? ”

"I see!" replied Ryan. "It's a really good idea, it's very clever. There is great success in victory, but there is no fault in defeat. ”

"Yes, our Count Ashrufat is a clever man, admirably wise. Rook had a big smile on his face. "In my opinion, smart people are better than fools. Because you can't guess what cards a fool will play. Against our ambitious Ashrufat, the internal battle is far more effective than the outside. ”

"Internal warfare?"

"With letters and secret envoys! When Ashorufat first took charge of the army, he would definitely use force to suppress his subordinates to obey orders. Therefore, there must be some people in the army who are not convinced in private...... And there are many knights of Cassilos who joined his army because of Thomas, only to find that Tomas has only one breath left, and they will naturally be shaken. On the one hand, there is a lack of confidence in the future, and on the other hand, Ashruphat is a man of unknown origin and an arrogant attitude, and it is inevitable that these knights will have other ideas. At this time, they received a letter from the other Casiros knights, telling them that there was a Duke of Ryan with Cassilos royal blood who was raising an army against the Paro people, and he was victorious in every battle......"

Luke paused, and he began to think about another question.

"My dear nephew, maybe it's time to think about communicating with the princess. Even if there is a border defense line guarded by the Paro people...... Princess Irina should have known our actions by now. I have heard that His Majesty the King is 'unwell', but I don't know how far 'unwell' he is. If the little princess is now in full charge, what will she do with you, the duke who suddenly appeared? The border defense of the Paro people is not destined to last long......"

Luke muttered to himself as he pondered.

This time, the Imperial Council finally came to an end. All the courtiers have taken their leave.

Today was the happiest day in a long time, and the Randwin, who was always Rory's gossip, got out. The look on his face before he left was so happy, and it was a mistake to give him the "temporary" foreign secretary in the first place! One of the things he had to do every day was to babble at Thomas and make suggestions that even Irina thought would be imbecile. The old man in the black robe commented that Landwyn's "idiot" was really an apt assessment.

Truth be told, Landwin is a fool who is only worthy of a simple task. But this fool has the unique talent of St. Jean, who is the taming of Pegasus.

The clerk had also left, and now Irina was left alone in the room. No, it should be said, there are only two people left. Irina walked behind the screen, where the black-robed old man was sitting in a chair, holding his wooden cane in both hands.

But the black-robed old man no longer has the same aura as he used to be. Even if his face was withered and his cheeks were deep, the terrifying look in his eyes had lost the majesty of the past. He used to hold the hand of the wooden cane tightly, but now he could only gently put it on the cane, and even trembled slightly.

Irina could see that just sitting behind this screen had exhausted all the strength of the black-robed old man.

The life of the black-robed old man has come to an end under the double attack of disease and aging. Even if he fell down immediately now and could never get up again, it would not be surprising.

"Ahem...... Ahem......" The black-robed old man coughed in a low voice. Even coughing now makes him weak.

"You've made many more mistakes...... "The old man stopped coughing and said in an equally weak voice. "Landwin is an idiot, but you're acting too frivolously. Do you know what other people are doing that, and what are they going to do to get you out of the way?"

"Of course it's because Landwin is so annoying......"

"Half of it was Landwin's own gaffe, half of them sensed your favoritism towards Thomas!" the old man yelled. Although it was a roar, the actual sound was not loud, because he had lost the strength to roar loudly.

"When a subordinate loses his temper, the common way is to reprimand them, the clever way is to use an overly joke to make them realize their gaffe, and the clever way is to use his demeanor and gaze to make people understand their mistake immediately. And your approach, forcibly suppressed with your own power, is the most stupid and incompetent choice. ”

The old man didn't wave his wooden cane this time, because he didn't have the strength anymore.

"The opposite of courage and wisdom is violence and cunning, and as I have said, this is the difference between the imperial science of light and darkness. It is better to have both, on the one hand, to follow the path of good and glory, and on the other hand, to understand power and deceit. I would have liked you to be that kind of true queen. The kind of queen that everybody worships. Commoners and knights alike will bow down to the queen, and no one can help but be in awe of the queen. All would fall on their knees before the throne, their mouths parched, eager to go to the soup for the queen. This is true for everyone. But it seems, you can't do it. ”

"Bring the paperwork over there. The old man ordered. "These are things that you didn't read in time for today's meeting because you spent your precious time riding a horse...... Now take a good look at it, and then understand how far the courtiers can deceive the king!"

Irina picked up the papers from the table. Although she had not read the documents, she remembered very well that they had been circulated by all the ministers, but no one had mentioned them. This only shows that this thing is not important, at least not urgent......

But as soon as she opened the document, she immediately realized that it was a very important matter. Wolf's Mouth Fortress...... Is this information relayed from a third country...... Why is it that no one has mentioned it?

Located on the border of Paro and Casilos, the Wolf's Mouth Castle is a key point of communication between the two countries. Ever since Casilos took the castle from Paro, it has been at the forefront of defense against the Paro invasion. As long as the castle was in Cassilos' hands, it was like a sharp thorn stuck in the path of the Paro invasion. Without capturing the castle, the Paros would not be able to penetrate deep into Cassilos, let alone pose any threat.

Because of their deep understanding of the importance of this place, the Casilos people arranged the most loyal and reliable generals, the most elite and warlike troops, and extremely rich material reserves in the castle. Even in the previous crisis of the fall of Casilos, the Wolf's Mouth Castle has always been standing.

But...... The castle has also been guarded for two years. There is no soldier to be saved outside, and there is no city to defend inside. After two years of perseverance, it is indeed not surprising.

Irina looked up at her grandfather.

"Do you understand now? It's still too early to win or lose, and the outcome is unpredictable. Although Thomas defeated the enemy's main force, he is afraid that he is already at the end of his crossbow, and since he has asked others to write for him, his injuries are by no means idle. Although the Paros were defeated and retreated, their strength was still superior to Thomas. In addition, they will throw the army that originally besieged the Wolf's Mouth Castle into the main battlefield at any time. Something to celebrate in advance, it's just that your courtiers obey your wishes and say something you like to hear. This is a dangerous sign because your eyes and ears can be blinded at any time. ”

"The most tragic monarchs in this world are those poor creatures who indulge in flattery and think that their kingdom is peaceful. They don't know at all that what they see and hear is what others have distorted and changed. It wasn't until the moment of his ultimate demise that perhaps he could see the truth. It's just that it's usually too late. Your father was like that. In addition, I will tell you that the investigation into Ashrufat has been concluded. ”

"Within the entire Central Seven Kingdoms, there is not a single knight with a blood dragon as his coat of arms and a knight named Aerufat. Where did he come from? Where did he acquire manners and all kinds of knowledge? Was he really just a wandering mercenary, and he just learned something from some nobleman?"

"But...... At that time...... Didn't Thomas say that...... What is the ...... of what Ashorufat came from?"

"Irina, you're not a brainless girl. Brainless girls also have some intelligence compared to you. Do you believe what Thomas says? The one Thomas said did exist, but that was at least eighty years ago. That country has only existed for more than twenty years!"