Assassination

Throne Hall.

The two bodies were quickly cleaned and placed together.

They were Fenwick and Fula, siblings from the Drake Family, and their expressions were serene, as if they were simply asleep.

Grand Duke Frank stood before the throne, lost in thought.

Today, under his command, the Northern Army achieved a resounding victory.

They breached Dragon City, defeated the Royal Army and the West Territory army, and finally stormed the palace.

"But... this isn't what I wanted."

Grand Duke Frank's face suddenly darkened. "Which idiot actually murdered Duke Drake? And which fool forced Queen Fula to her death?"

Although the queen was the Kingslayer, she deserved to be tried, not die in the chaos of war.

Fenwick was no ordinary man; as one of only four dukes in the kingdom, he had brothers, children, and loyal vassals, all of whom resided on his western fiefdoms.

Once they find out what happened, they will fight Wolf Castle to the death!

Although the two sides were not on good terms to begin with, that's a completely different matter.

"It's you! You're the one plunging the kingdom into the Abyss of war!"

Frank glared at Gran as he walked in, roaring, "Originally... all we needed to do was capture Grand Duke Drake, put Fula Drake on trial, firmly grasp the moral high ground, and then install a king close to us on the throne, and everything would have been perfectly resolved. But now, you've ruined everything."

Aristocracy is the art of compromise.

As long as Fenwick lives, he can be used as a hostage to easily subjugate the West Territory.

But now, the difficulty has increased many times over.

Furthermore, it broke the 'unspoken rule' of not killing the leader in noble battles, which made the rigid and etiquette-obsessed Frank even more unbearable.

"Times have changed, my father!"

Clad in a white robe and gripping Cross Sword, Gran exuded confidence. "Dragon and his collateral branches have ruled this kingdom for far too long. It needs a new master, and our Metis Family is the most suitable."

"Shut your mouth, or I'll hang you from the flagpole..."

Frank roared again, "And most importantly, where is Princess Messiah?"

After the deaths of the two princes, Messiah became Philetrin III's sole legitimate heir and officially ascended the throne, wielding immense influence and significance.

In Frank's plan, although the little girl could no longer serve as king because of her mother's sins, she could at least join the Church of Mother Earth and become a Ascetic after declaring that she had given up all worldly power.

They must also be placed under the supervision of the Northern Territory forces to prevent them from being exploited by conspirators.

After all, the one who nominally becomes king is still the Messiah!

But now this little girl has disappeared?

"She... is gone. According to several palace maids, Princess Messiah should have been with Fula in the Throne Hall... but she's vanished. I've checked; there are no secret passages here..."

Gran looked very puzzled.

"Then we have to face the worst possibility: that the Messiah escapes to the west and joins forces with the Drake Family... and the kingdom will have to go through another devastating civil war."

Frank sighed.

Unlike the Northern Territory who poured out their entire forces, the Drake Family retained considerable strength in the West.

Furthermore, fighting on enemy territory will inevitably result in some degree of weakness.

"Your Majesty the Duke!"

Just as the father and son were deep in thought, a knight rushed in, shouting, "That Wizard... Sulu Potter has arrived outside! He claims he will kill Gran!"

"I?"

Gran's expression tightened.

"Get Rophis and Eric here as soon as possible," Grand Duke Frank said gravely. "My son, change into ordinary Soldier's clothes and leave this place immediately!"

"Yes..."

Although reluctant, Gran agreed.

But the next moment, his movements stopped.

Sulu had somehow appeared in the Throne Hall, looking at him with a mocking gaze. "Young Wolf Lord... how does it feel to have achieved fame and success?"

"Sir Sulu!"

Frank said in a deep voice, "What are you planning to do? Murder a duke's heir? That will make you infamous throughout the continent."

He was implying that he would acknowledge Sulu's noble status in hopes of saving his son's life.

"I'm so sorry... but actually, I don't care about titles at all!"

Sulu smiled and suddenly stepped forward.

"No!"

Gran yelled and brandished his Cross Sword.

He was quite strong, even reaching the level of a formal knight, but he was no match for Sulu.

Puff!

With a slight twist, Sulu stabbed the dagger into Gran's body, watching him fall to the ground with a ferocious look on his face. "The beginning of cruelty must end in cruelty... How does it feel to fall from the top?"

"Ah!"

At that moment, Frank roared and charged in, brandishing his greatsword.

Sulu sidestepped, raised his right foot, and kicked the Duke away.

"Protect the Duke!"

"An Assassin!"

These attacks happened so fast that by the time the alert Soldier reacted, Gran was already lying in a pool of blood.

Boom!

A flash of silvery battle aura.

From within the ball of light, a stern-faced Rophis rushed in, stared at the corpse on the ground, roared, and thrust his sword at Sulu.

A huge White Crow soared through the sky, but only left a fleeting afterimage.

"Not enough, you're nowhere near as good as Edward!"

With a flash, Sulu arrived at the entrance to the Throne Hall.

"Release the arrows!"

A hail of arrows fell, but could only helplessly pass through their afterimages and embed themselves in the ground.

He's over there!

"Surround them!"

"Where's the knight? Go and engage him!"

The roar of a large army could be heard outside; this was the result of experience in dealing with high-ranking knights.

Even silver or Gold Knight eventually run out of fighting spirit!

"To assassinate the young duke amidst the army, and then leave unscathed—truly worthy of the name 'Arrogant Mentor '!"

Eric, with his severed hand, sighed and appeared beside Rophis.

"Chase after them, coordinate with the army, spare no expense, and capture them."

Grand Duke Frank slowly rose to his feet, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Yes, Your Grace!"

The two men rushed out as ordered, only to find that Sulu had only reached the edge of the palace.

It seems that the ability to teleport has a limited range?

They were overjoyed and gave chase.

Sulu swept over the high palace walls and entered a residential area.

Even if he intentionally slows down, very few people can catch up with him.

At this point, only Rophis and Eric remained.

He suddenly turned around, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"Not good..."

Rophis felt a chill run down his spine. "This is... a trap? We're too far from the army! They won't be able to come to our aid in time!"