Section XIII

At noon, Ashruphat came to the Red Rose. It's a time of the day, and even a store like Red Rose looks empty. But the proprietress Rhodia was inside.

"Isn't this Mr. Ashrufat?" said Rhodia warmly. "Hey, didn't you say that you took office for the first time today? Why did you come back so soon? Have you had lunch?"

"Well, I've already eaten it. Ashrufat said. It seems that he has to figure out what the hell is going on, and he has to be in this position for a year anyway. "Things are not quite what I thought they would ......"

"What's different?" asked Rhodia curiously.

"Our Queen. Ashrufat replied. He looked squarely at Rhodia in front of him. Although the woman's true identity (hidden identity) and motives are still unknown, she appears to be a well-informed person. It's no wonder that individuals have different paths. In fact, many secrets spread even earlier and faster in the lower strata of society.

"Well, didn't Mr. Eshurufat know anything about his job before he came to Eagle Falcon City?"

"I thought it was a very simple job, no different from being a soldier. But things don't look like the legend......"

"What kind of legend did Mr. Ashrufat hear?"

"It's just a simple story, like all such stories. When a foreign enemy invaded, the first king died, and then the important ministers of the court supported the new king and repelled the foreign enemy. ”

"Well, in a sense, this legend is right. Rhodia replied. It's just that the legend is a simplified version that misses a lot of key information. ”

"What kind of key information?"

"Messages can't be free. Rhodia held her chin in her hands, maintaining an elegant posture, and her eyes looked at the man across from her with a little mischievous. "In fact, news is the most expensive commodity in the world. Because it's priceless. ”

"What kind of price?"

"Spend the night with me, of course. Rhodia looked at Ashrufat with an undisguised bare gaze and did not move for a few seconds. "Of course, at least five times a night. But it shouldn't be difficult for Mr. Ashrufat, right?"

"This ......," Ashrufat hesitated, "can you ......?"

"Hahaha...... Just kidding, of course. Rhodia chuckled, "Actually, I have a sum of money to be delivered to a merchant in the trade district tonight, but I can't find a suitable person at the moment." Let me state first, this is a bit of a dangerous job, if Ashrufat can help me with this......"

"No problem. Ashrufat replied.

"Very well, so let me tell you the full version of this story. Where do you start...... Well, it should be said that it starts with the invasion of those barbarians who believe in the evil gods of chaos. Rhodia thought for a moment. "Actually, they come every few years with a large-scale invasion......"

"Isn't it the Great War in Sarek City?"

"That's right, oh, Mr. Ashrufat has heard about it, too?"

"All I saw was a few books. Let's start at the beginning, and let me know what key information I'm missing. ”

"In fact, our previous kings were not very good in terms of heirs. He had only one son and one daughter. Rhodia replied. "Of course, it's not too bad for a man. Besides, he was in the prime of life, and the queen was sick and died...... So he still has hope of marrying another wife and having a few children. Anyway, at the beginning of this story, it was the barbarians who invaded again. It's like they've tried so many times before. In the past, they were stopped by the White Castle, and at most they were divided into four directions to harass the nearby territory...... This also caused the lords of our northeastern frontier to live in peace, and the small lords all used the method of 'trusteeship' to entrust their territory to the big lord, so that every territory there had a strong stone castle and a strong army...... I'm far away, anyway, Mr. Essrubat must know the circumstances of the war. The belief of the evil god Slaanesh infiltrated the White Keep before the war, and at a critical moment, the secret agents lurking inside opened the door...... However, for the country, it is not only a key fortress on the border that has been lost, but even worse, the crown prince, who commanded the White Castle and, yes, the queen's brother, is also lost in the chaos. ”

"Then, on his way to the White Castle with reinforcements, the king received news of the fall of the castle. However, he was carried away by his love for his son, made a wrong choice, and was eventually attacked by the enemy...... Unfortunately, he was defeated and died...... Then the enemy fought all the way to the city of Sarek. Thankfully, the city held on, leaving plenty of time to spare. Rhodia continued. Actually, these things are not very different from what the book says. In times of crisis, in the absence of a second option, the young princess was put on the throne by the ministers...... Then the whole country was urgently mobilized and asked for help from the allies...... Finally, the famous general Tiberius and General Berel were the commanders of the coalition forces, and finally defeated the barbarian army under the city of Sarek. Although it could not save the city of Sarek, which had been polluted by the evil power of Nurgle, at least it ended this disaster. ”

"It's like it's all in a book. Ashrufat asked, confused.

"Don't worry, it's going to be something that isn't in the book right away. Mr. Essurut, although our queen is the undisputed concubine of the previous kings, our royal family has never been known for its abundance and prolificness. In the entire royal family, there is no suitable person to inherit the throne. It is precisely because of this that at that critical moment when people are panicking, it can be her turn to take the position. But no matter how noble the bloodline is, you will still wet the bed at the age at which you should wet the bed, right?"

"Isn't there a regent?"

"Oh, here's the problem. Our regent, the Duke of Byron, has been the great lord of the south of our country for generations. In fact, if you carefully study according to historical records, you will find that his ancestors were also kings. Of course, he would have taken off the crown in front of King Macremiz and Garunas, and bowed his knees, otherwise, there would be no Duke Byron at all. The duke had been sent to reinforcements by the king's army, but the king placed him in the rear. Therefore, after the news of the defeat of the main force and the death of the king came from the front, our Duke immediately led his army back to the fortified Eagle Falcon City. Then, in that moment of panic, he took the lead in proposing to elect the young princess as the queen and mobilize the whole country to prepare for war...... You must know that at that time, the news of the king's death in battle had just arrived, and several powerful and important ministers, who could have made up their minds in this situation, all died on the battlefield. Everyone in Eagle City is terrified. In this case, as long as one person can come up with a suitable idea, everyone will instinctively agree. In that case, the move must not be said to be wrong. So our Duke's offer was accepted, and since he was the only one who remained sane in this situation, he was the only one who became the regent. At least at that time, he was in complete control of the whole situation. ”

"You mean......" Although the content of Rhodia's words was nothing, but the look on her face, the disdain in her tone, the contemptuous gestures of her, Eshurufat sniffed out a certain kind of information. "The Duke has usurper ambitions?"

"Why can't you?" asked Rhodia rhetorically. "There is no power within the royal family to stop this. Both princes, who were originally able to support themselves, died with the king, and the rest were either unsuccessful or underage. To put it mildly, now the little queen is the only one left. But what can a little girl with neither authority nor wisdom do?"

"What about the other nobles and ministers? A dynasty that lasts for so many years will produce some nobles who are loyal to the royal family. They're going to be an obstacle to the duke, aren't they?"

"Most people are only true to their own interests. Rhodia replied. "Of course, there are some people who are truly loyal to the royal family – and I mean loyal to the little queen, but they are so scattered that they can only act as powerless third parties in this dragon fight. Our Duke is a man of skill and patience, and he carefully places his men in key positions one by one. This work is not completely done. Of course, he is not more than fifty years old now, and everyone says that he will have no problem living another ten years. So he naturally had enough patience. ”

"What do you mean? Enter the Dragon? What do you mean...... Our Lord Duke still has an opponent?"

Of course, it's always easy for someone else to emulate what they do. This is also a common principle in the whole world, right? Our Duke is no exception. In the beginning, no one may have known the Tao, but this kind of ambition is not the kind of secret that can be concealed for a long time, because it must be put into all kinds of practical actions, and it is impossible to hide the ears and eyes of those who have a heart. Since the Duke as the regent has this in mind, others will naturally follow suit. ”

"Who's that guy?"

"General Rafa. Rhodia replied. "The current Great General. The two sides faced each other, and the fight was hilarious. ”

"Byron is the regent, and he wants to take the throne, and I can understand that. But the great general ...... What is his confidence in fighting for the throne?"

Although we defeated the barbarian invasion, we were unable to reclaim the White Keep. Therefore, a large number of troops were stationed in the northeast of the kingdom, and General Rafa was the commander of the army...... In short, the two actors on the stage, one controls most of the country's army, and the other controls power, which is an equal opponent. ”

"To be honest, I'm not convinced yet. You know, since these two friends have this idea, how can they allow it to drag on like this? General Rafa is fine, but our Lord Duke...... Our little queen is still a little girl, but in a few years, she will be an adult. What will happen to our Regent? Regent is not a lifelong position. ”

"Ah, Mr. Ashrufat, do you know anything about politics?"

"I've read some related books. ”

"That's right. Therefore, you should know that there is not only one way to seize the supreme position, and not every method is barbaric and direct. The path to the throne guided by Garunus was paved with blood and war, but it wasn't the only path to the throne. There are also ways to be clever and elegant. For example, now sitting on the throne is a little girl, while both of our ministers have sons. Unmarried son. ”

"Ah...... Ah......" Ashruphat began to understand.

"If you use any means directly, even if you succeed, you will not have a good reputation in the international community, or at least it will give foreign countries an excuse to intervene. But if the throne is obtained legitimately, legally and easily through marriage, then no matter who it is, there is no way to question the legitimacy. Of course, our two venerable ministers will not be able to put crowns on themselves, but their descendants may claim their thrones. ”