Arthas King's Covenant

The assassin glared hatefully at Yveta. "The Arthas Kingdom is doing just fine now. We don't need you or your father."

"I've already told you everything I know."

"I told you because I know your plans to reclaim the throne will lead you to your death."

"Wouldn't it be better to keep living like this, Yveta? Ah!"

He was about to continue when Blackhearted Leili's sword pierced his left eye and went straight through his head.

Leili twisted the hilt, making the assassin die in agony, in an exceptionally cruel way.

Blackhearted Leili sheathed his sword and wiped it with a checkered tablecloth.

A bloodied sword would quickly start to stink if left unwiped.

Maintaining one's weapons was an art in itself.

Leili looked at Yveta, bowed his head slightly, and said, "My master, it is my duty to uphold your dignity."

"Since this man has already spat out the information you needed, I couldn't let him rant in front of you and pollute your ears."

Yveta was touched. So this was what it meant to have a subordinate who had sworn a Loyalty Ceremony to him.

People like Black Wolf and the Old Witch would never go to such lengths to defend him.

Blackhearted Leili had staked everything he had on Yveta.

"Leili, I don't care about the blathering of a dying man. But how strong are you?" Yveta asked curiously. Leili had drawn his sword incredibly fast just now.

He didn't seem like an ordinary person.

"Master, I've taken the Warrior Secret Medicine, so I'm a Formal Warrior. But the warrior profession is no match for knights. I wouldn't even be a match for a Knight Attendant."

"Besides, I'm a little lame."

"Warrior Secret Medicine?" Yveta asked.

Black Wolf explained to Yveta, "To become a knight, you must obtain a Seed of Life."

"But the Heavenly Wonders that produce Seeds of Life are all controlled by the great nobles and kings. Many commoners have no way to obtain one."

"However, in the Hamburg City Alliance to the north, some people simplified the formula for the knight's medicine and came up with a formula for the Warrior Secret Medicine."

"Though they don't have a Seed of Life, those who take the Warrior Secret Medicine still gain strength beyond that of ordinary people."

"You could say that warriors are simplified, inferior versions of knights."

"These medicines are very effective, so they've spread to many places. Even so, the ingredients for the Warrior Secret Medicine are still expensive and beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Yveta nodded, then changed the subject. "Why was that assassin so certain that my attempt to reclaim the throne would be suicidal?"

"Because he's ignorant," the Old Witch said with an immediate sneer.

This was a Demon God, after all.

Did he think Yveta was some worthless prince?

If a Demon God wanted to do something, it was bound to happen.

The Demon Hunter Black Wolf gave a wry smile. "Your Highness, reclaiming a kingdom really is difficult."

"Ever since an explorer named Conqueror Nicholas Arnold conquered a poor, weak overseas kingdom three hundred years ago, no one has managed to conquer another kingdom."

"In Arthas, you won't get help from any duke or marquis, either."

"Because the Arthas Kingdom is different from the Black Mountain Kingdom, and from every other kingdom. It's one of the most centralized kingdoms."

"Your Highness, you should know about the Arthas King's Covenant, shouldn't you?"

The Demon Hunter Black Wolf gave a wry smile. "In other places, the king can't control the barons, viscounts, and counts under a duke, nor the barons, city mayors, and Abbey Bishops under a count."

"Because my vassal's vassal is not my vassal."

"But in Arthas, the king has the right to govern all the nobles, because every noble is a vassal of His Majesty the King."

"That's because Arthas's feudal system is different from that of other regions."

"Arthas has the Arthas King's Covenant!"

"Under this covenant, every count, baron, and knight swears loyalty to the king."

"Not to their direct liege."

"In Arthas, there are no dukes at all, only a handful of counts, along with barons and Great Barons—lords with larger territories—who obey the king alone."

The Demon Hunter Black Wolf said, "That's the centralized Arthas Kingdom. The king can command every subordinate."

"The resources at the current king's disposal far exceed yours."

"Even the Boar Knight Order is nothing but a bunch of weaklings before that king. One order from him, and they'd all be beheaded the next day."

"The king sitting on the throne now could order armed groups like the Boar Knight Order to hunt you down."

"He could even send High Knights, God-Blessed Knights stronger than Great Knights, after you. And if you opposed him, even the legendary knights would turn against you to defend him."

The Demon Hunter Black Wolf said earnestly, "I suggest you find a place where you can use the power of a Wizard Apprentice to carve out a small territory of your own. Then get married, have children, and train your heir."

"That way, the Arthas Family can endure in another little corner of the world."

"Since Crown Prince Jielong of Arthas will hunt you down in eight months, you should leave here—the Viscount Ambrose's Independent State."

"Go to the frontiers of the world and find a way to survive there."

Black Wolf was genuinely worried that Yveta would die.

If Yveta died, Black Wolf really would go bankrupt.

But if Yveta obediently went to some remote, overlooked corner of the world and carved out even a small Knight Territory, then perhaps one day he could repay the money he owed Black Wolf.

The Old Witch smiled disdainfully, mocking Black Wolf's ignorance.

Who did he think was standing before him?

She had absolute confidence in the Demon God.

Yveta lowered his head in thought, then shook it. "You're wrong, Black Wolf. Wherever I go, they'll keep hunting me."

"If an heir to a kingdom gives up his rights, thinking he can enjoy some other life, all that awaits him is death and humiliation."

He thought of the history he had read in his previous life about Catherine's mother-in-law, Elizabeth I.

She had spent her life resisting becoming empress, only to be persecuted by successive emperors. No matter how much she lowered her guard, it was useless.

There were far too many examples like this.

It was the same everywhere, in every age.

Once you occupied that position and enjoyed the privileges that came with it, you couldn't afford to take even half a step back.

In a struggle for power, no one stopped attacking their enemies. They only sought to destroy their opponents.

"But I don't think I'm without a chance." Yveta raised his head and said to Black Wolf, "First, Arthas is under threat from an enemy kingdom and already in danger. They can't afford to mobilize their top fighters just to deal with me."

"Compared with the enemy army, I'm not much of a threat in their eyes. The enemy will obviously claim more of their attention."

"Second, they may not believe I still have any hope of reclaiming the throne. This assassination seems more like a casual attempt. Otherwise, they would have sent more people."

"Third, my fa... my father was overthrown, so the current king can be overthrown too."

"The centralized Arthas can certainly concentrate its power to accomplish great things, and it leaves me no cracks to exploit. I can't start a war among the vassals. But concentrating power to accomplish great things can also mean concentrating power to do stupid things."

Yveta had keenly realized that the current king of Arthas had planted a ticking bomb with his policies.

Time would be on his side.

As long as he didn't give up and kept waiting, the moment to strike back would eventually come.

Yveta said calmly, "Time is on my side, Black Wolf."

"But you're right about one thing. Opportunity favors those who are prepared."

"Before the chance to reclaim the throne arrives, I need to carve out more territory. Hmm, perhaps we should seize some land in the Viscount Ambrose's Independent State."

The Old Witch's eyes lit up. "Your Grace, I support your idea."

"If you want to seize territory, taking on some missions from the Adventurer's Association and the church might give you an opportunity."

She loved getting involved in evil schemes.

Black Wolf looked at Yveta in disbelief. "Your Highness, I never thought you'd become so mature, so decisive. You're completely different from the person you were before you fell ill..."

"Never mind. I'm just a mercenary. I don't really know much about these things."

"I respect your decision."

It wasn't that he believed in Yveta. He simply had no other choice. He was in this together with him now.

All he could do was take things one step at a time.

As far as he was concerned, Yveta had no hope of standing against the Arthas Kingdom.

It was like an ant trying to stop a chariot.

He could only hope that one day, after learning how vast the gap between them was, Yveta would change his mind.

As for Leili, he didn't care what Yveta wanted to do. He only had to follow Yveta's orders.

Yveta looked at the witch. "Hearthstone Witch, you seem to have the ability to control the dead, don't you?"

The Hearthstone Witch's smile froze.

What the hell was the Demon God bringing that up for?

"Make the assassin's spirit possess his body," Yveta said. "I don't believe the information he gave me while he was alive!"

"I'll question him after he's dead!"

The Hearthstone Witch relaxed. So that was it.

As expected of a Demon God.

He was as ruthless and merciless as ever.

Leili blinked. The assassin was so pitiful. Even after dying, he still had to be interrogated by his master.

Black Wolf, meanwhile, seemed to recall something. He stared blankly at the Hearthstone Witch. "You can control the dead? You can even make a spirit enter a corpse?"

"Then you..."

The Old Witch immediately turned her back to him, pretending she hadn't heard.