Section 372 Accident

At dawn the next day, the king entered the city of Neustria.

The city has not undergone large-scale wars or extensive reconstruction, so the decade has not left too many traces on it. The damage caused by the Chaos Legion's brief attack was not severe: it was just the burning of the temple and a few small houses on the side. The king took the lead in leading the horse slowly, walking down this street, and sighed from time to time, feeling that things are wrong with people.

Because some of the residents have returned, it doesn't look too deserted. In fact, even if the streets are not full of traffic, they can be said to be full of people.

No one knew that a secret negotiation would be held here today. This secret was firmly guarded in the hands of a few high-ranking people, and it was not leaked. At least, the king and his party walked through the streets without attracting attention. In fact, people don't care much about it. It's not uncommon for two princes with both rights to rule to compete for the throne – even if they haven't happened in real life, at least in the books. In such a case, the whole country would be split in half - but this division would not be the same as rebellion, but a clash of legitimate powers. So this split is not the kind of inert, outright split that is difficult to heal, but only a short-lived rift. When the dust settles, the rift will disappear quickly. The victor will be quick to take control, and the loser, if not dead, will quickly take a small number of his cronies into exile and leave the country.

There have been enough examples of this in history. The loser in the political struggle is always more easily accepted by a third country, and if he is lucky, his descendants even have the opportunity to return home and have the right to inherit.

There were not many garrisons in the city, but when the king and his party came to the central castle, they were still interrogated. But the officer had already received the relevant orders - although he did not know the details, he already knew that there would be a visitor today. So after confirming the identity of the group a little, they walked inside. In particular, there were many people who knew Skadra, so he followed the king and hid his face in the shadows with the hood of his cloak.

In the long aisle in the castle, a man in armor stood. When the group approached, this person didn't make any moves, and it was obvious that he was blocking the road here.

The king stopped. He looked at the man in front of him carefully. The figure appears tall and thin, not very old, and has good facial features. Strangely, although he looked like he was deliberately getting in the way, he did not smile. It's a smile that makes you feel comfortable looking at it.

"Esin!" Skadera stepped forward, pulling his hood off with his hand.

"Ah, Lord Skadra. Essien smiled and bowed. However, although the gesture was chic and fluent, it didn't look like it was out of politeness.

"This ......," Essien looked at the man behind Skadra. Although there is a big difference in age, you can vaguely see the inheritance of the Markremiz family lineage from the other party's face.

The man looked to be about forty years old and fair-skinned. But this fairness is a sick, unhealthy whiteness. Although Essien knew that the other party was not much older than him, in terms of appearance, the other party was much older than him. Even a slight whiteness can be seen on his sideburns. It is clear that nearly ten years in prison have left an indelible mark on him.

"This is Essien...... The duke. Skadera said to the man behind him.

Essien immediately made a "don't continue" gesture and smiled. "It's Essien, but not the Duke yet. He replied with a grin. "I'm glad to call me so privately, but it's better not to use it in public. After all, this matter has not yet materialized. I am Essien, and I used to be a subordinate of Lord Skadra. Essien said with a grin, but the word "was" was added to his words.

"This should be the ...... Prince Pol too. Essien's gaze fell on the man behind Skadra. "Okay," he shrugged. "To be honest, I'm a lead and lead the way for a few. ”

Essien turned his head, then muttered softly.

Skadera clearly felt the king beside him falter. He immediately realized that it was because Esin's soft words had already been heard by the king.

This one, who had been imprisoned in a solitary cell for nearly a decade, like all such people, had developed an extraordinary sense of hearing.

"What did he say?" asked Skadera softly.

He said...... "The king did not want to hide it. "As for whether you will be taken to hell or not, it's up to you. ”

A smear of defeat unconsciously appeared on Skadra's face, and he seemed to want to say something, but in the end his lips moved slightly, and he didn't say anything.

At this time, they made a circle and came to a staircase. Here, a small detachment of armed soldiers stood.

"By the way," Essien said at the top of the staircase. "You can't carry weapons in front...... Of course, those who don't matter, can stop here. ”

This mention was not refused, and soon, most of the people in the group stayed here. In fact, there were only five people who chose to go up the stairs. In addition to the king and Skadra, there was a slow-moving figure wrapped in a black cloak, and two other people, one wearing the priestly robes of the Church, and the other a young man unknown to Essin, who was holding the black cloak.

Above the stairs is the upper floor of the central castle. As everyone imagined, this time the brother and sister meeting was arranged here.

"What the hell do you want to do, Essien?" asked Skadera suddenly, seeing that there was no one around.

"Ah, Lord Skadra, isn't this something that is obvious at a glance? ”

"You know what I mean!"

"Hmm...... Well, I'll be honest. I was really interested in getting the title of Duke and the domain, and I was also interested in becoming the commander of the Guards...... Of course, it would be better to double as an advisor to the royal family. However, "Essien emphasized the word. "Although the prize money is very large, if the win is too small, I will not bet. Mistress Skadra, do you see what I mean? You're old...... It's a shame to say that, but both you and I have to admit it. And I'm still very young. ”

"You need to know the royal inheritance......"

"I know. Essien replied. This time, he interrupted Skadera a little rudely. "But I have never sworn allegiance to this king. ”

Although many people (if not the vast majority) in Eagle City thought that Essien was an unscrupulous and loyal opportunist, it must be said that he said this with such a righteousness that Skadra could not answer for a moment.

"He was right. The king held out a hand and stopped Skadra from continuing. "Daddy Skadra, no more. Loyalty to the oath is a priceless treasure that sustains a nation. With that, he looked at Essien. "Many people say that although you are talented, you like to see the wind and steer the rudder, and tend to the flames. But it seems to ...... They got it wrong. ”

"Nobody likes to be on the underdog's side. Essien replied. "But even if it's the weaker side, at least you have to give a reason to continue to serve, right? If others look at you like a pile of garbage, and you continue to stick it with a dead face, then it will be too uninteresting. ”

I don't know if I understood, at least for a while, the team fell silent and stopped talking.

"By the way, I'm curious about one thing, why did you come to this battlefield. After a moment of silence, the king spoke. "You weren't supposed to be here...... But you, unexpectedly, came over here. ”

"I don't want to, but I'm forced. Essien paused and looked back. He was still smiling, but behind the smile there was something indescribable, mixed with hatred and disdain. "In this world, there are very few people who have the ability to do things, but there are too many people who have the ability to pull the hindrance. So at that time, I wanted to find someone who could understand me...... It's as simple as that. ”

This time his eyes rested on the king's face. "I've always held the view that there are actually many people in this world who don't lose to Garunas, but there is only one King Makremiz. ”

The two looked at each other and were silent for a short time. "Of course, it's just my personal opinion. Essien said.

They began to move forward again.

"This time, you have established an immortal feat for Gruni. If it weren't for your timely help, maybe it would be ...... now I'm afraid it won't be a problem. ”

"Oops, just luck...... It's just luck. It was my luck, but not that of our Admiral Ashrufat, who held out for three days under the attack of the Chaos Legions...... If he hadn't persevered to that point, how could I have arrived in time? "Ah, yes, we're there." ”

They had indeed reached the end of this aisle. There were several rooms here, and in one of them the door was open, and a young man, dressed in a light purple dress, stood there.

The king glanced at the young man, but he already knew that Ashrufat had a very striking scar on his face, so he immediately confirmed that it was not Ashrufat. But to be able to stand here to welcome guests, it must be a high-level figure, at least the one who has the trust of the little queen.

"Ah, it's Skadra. The young man bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. ”

"Clio ......" Skadra recognized the other as well. But Cleo wasn't surprising here, for he had been hanging out with Essien—long before he was an official in the court, working under Skaderra.

"Her Majesty the Queen and Ashrufat are inside. Clio made a "please come in" gesture.

Standing at the door of the room, you can see that there is another room in this room. In this case, when you speak in the inner room, close the two doors, and no one outside can hear - at least with human hearing, you will never be able to hear what is being said inside.

"Wait. The man in the black cloak, who had been silent all along, spoke, and it was the voice of an older woman, a kind and slow voice. "You are here ......"

The black hood lifted, revealing the human face inside. This is a man known to both Essien and Cleo.

"Mother-in-law, why are you here?" asked Essin, slightly surprised.