OBS Chapter 203 The King Reappears
Chapter 203 The King Reappears
Chapter 203 The King Reappears
Logan Susas's residence.
Kane, accompanied by the female ranger who called herself Risa, returned to the house where he was temporarily staying.
The door closed, and Logan watched the two enter the room, unable to resist letting out a cold snort.
The maid stepped forward and asked softly, "Miss, would you like some tea for Lord Kane and his entourage?"
Logan said calmly, "Bring over the old tea; there's no need to serve new tea."
The maid's expression was somewhat strange, but she still replied, "Yes."
Inside the room, Kane watched as Risa lay down on his bed and started eating an apple. He frowned slightly and asked, "You've changed bodies again? Won't this damage your consciousness?"
Risa took a big bite of the apple and said nonchalantly, "Anyway, I'm a sleep demon, all I need to do is devour more soul fragments."
Besides, wouldn't the academy's mages be constantly targeting the original body's identity?
Seeing Kane still frowning, Risa swung her leg and added, "Don't worry, I haven't harmed any innocent people. Ashland just helped me get some souls of death row inmates."
However, in return, I also used my dream-entering ability to help her obtain some important information.
"Ashland?"
Kane nodded, then asked.
"Have you arrived in the Free City?"
After being surrounded by mercenaries, he sent Risa, Ashlan, and Ella to safety.
The free states where Ashran originated are undoubtedly the safest place to go.
The area is controlled by various chambers of commerce, with complex power dynamics, and its relationship with Nord and Susas is relatively peaceful.
More importantly, this is the core area where intelligence from six countries converges.
Kane pressed for more information.
"What intelligence was gathered in the free city-states?"
Risa swung her legs and slowly said, "We have found out that the Duke is recruiting mercenaries in Sussas and the Free City-States through his merchant guilds."
At the same time, they contacted several major chambers of commerce and continuously imported ironware from the other six countries.
Rumors are circulating in the Free Cities that war will break out in Sussas within a year.
She blinked, looked at Kane, and teased with a smile, "Is it true that war will break out within a year? Do you want to tell me so I can make a quick buck?"
Kane's lips twitched: "You're a demon, how come you're as greedy as a dragon?"
Money is a good thing.
Risa gave a sly smile.
"With money, I can buy death row inmates and slaves;
"If I had enough money, I could even control an army like a demon lord, without worrying about being betrayed due to insufficient strength."
Kane shook his head: "War is indeed approaching, but whether it will break out depends on subsequent developments. Is there any other intelligence?"
Risa clicked her tongue and continued, "After you caused such a commotion, the Noble Council is mobilizing troops from all over the country to rush to the royal court."
Grayson, the first in line to the throne, also arranged for the Royal Guard to take over the inner court.
However, no conflict has broken out yet.
"No conflict?"
Kane fell into deep thought, his brow furrowing even more. "This doesn't make sense."
Nowadays, the noble councils are mostly composed of honorary nobles. Unlike nobles with real power, they do not have private armies in their territories and can only rely on the council to mobilize troops.
The council was supposed to be responsible to King Sussas, but once the monarchy changed hands and Duke Grayson ascended to the throne, their situation would become extremely passive.
Could it be that the Council of Nobles is backing Grayson and secretly covering up the Duke's troop deployments across the country?
Kane pondered for a moment, then looked at Risa and solemnly said, "I beg you to continue staying in the royal court to investigate intelligence and find out the distribution of power in the Noble Council."
Find out who among them colluded with Grayson and the Duke, and who stood against them.
Risa immediately looked displeased: "Do you understand? I just found you, and you want me to drag me to work?"
Kane, seeing her expression, knew that the Sleep Demon was truly displeased. After a moment's thought, he said, "Do you want to know how Theresa is doing?"
Upon hearing the name, Risa was taken aback and quickly asked, "You know about him? You're in contact with Nord?"
"no."
"Are you kidding me?"
"No, I can tell fortunes," Kane said, taking out the dice and placing them on the table.
Seeing this, Risa looked at her strangely: "Don't try to fool me."
Kane shook his head.
He had already figured out some patterns during his previous divinations, and now he was simply putting them into practice.
The more clues, the closer the connection, and the more complete the tokens, the higher the probability of a successful divination.
He tore off a piece of paper, wrote Theresa's name on it, thought for a moment, then added the names of a few other people in the same group, before looking at Theresa: "Give me a drop of your blood."
Risa frowned, but still pricked her fingertip with the knife, dripping a drop of blood onto the table.
"That's about enough, we have enough clues."
Kane muttered to himself, then picked up the dice and asked softly, "Is Theresa alright now?"
After saying that, he threw three random pieces in succession, and the numbers were 1, 3 and 4 respectively.
Risa frowned and asked, "What does this mean?"
"The divination failed."
Just as Risa was about to explode, Kane immediately said, "Quiet down, try again."
Suppressing her anger, she looked at Kane and spoke again: "Has Risa's former host, Theresa, arrived in the war city of Shantar and met the person she was supposed to see?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he threw three more pieces, which came to 4, 4, and 5.
Kane breathed a sigh of relief, and Risa, who had been watching closely, quickly asked, "Did it work?"
"Yes." Kane nodded.
"As expected, Theresa has arrived in the City of War and met Velanther, who once taught me the art of the curved sword."
My friend will make sure they are settled and can live comfortably there.
Risa breathed a sigh of relief and pouted, saying, "Your methods are just like the tricks of those wandering mages in the Free Cities."
"Fine, I'll trust you this once. I'll continue to investigate the information you requested."
Kane smiled slightly, watching Risa turn and leave.
But just as she pushed open the door, she suddenly turned around and teased with a smile: "By the way, don't let that female mage at the door know about the thing you slept with Ella."
Kane's lips twitched.
The next second, the door slammed shut.
Kane stared at the door, closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again, lost in thought.
Will war break out in Sussas in the near future?
He picked up the dice again and threw them repeatedly, but all the results were chaotic, indicating that the divination had failed.
Kane shook his head: "The clues are too vague. We need to gather more information to make an accurate divination."
A few days later, the noble council hall in the center of the royal court was bustling with noise, and the seats were filled with nobles from Susas.
These honorary nobles, who had amassed their fortunes by attaching themselves to the monarchy, were currently arguing fiercely.
Three tall, elven men sat on the high platform above. One of them tapped his gavel and said in a deep voice, "Silence! The task of dispatching troops to protect the mage academy has been completed—now we will consider the next item:"
The current deans of the Mage Academy accuse our great king of being cursed by a demonic cult.
The moment the words were spoken, the hall erupted in uproar.
A portly nobleman stood up and said, "Your Excellency Speaker, Vice-Speaker, and Secretary-General, I believe this accusation is false."
According to the Mage Academy, they captured no survivors; only bodies, burned by the Energy Shaping Branch, remained at the scene.
The claim that the king was "cursed" is most likely a rumor deliberately spread by the attackers.
The three men on the platform exchanged glances. The eldest, the Speaker, looked at the nobleman and asked, "Earl Luke Parker, in your opinion, what was the attacker's purpose?"
Luke Parker smiled calmly and said, "There are many purposes, but the most likely one is a divisive tactic, to sow discord between the royal family and the council of nobles, and at the same time, to sow discord between the royal court and His Excellency the Duke."
The Academy of Mages has accused Lucas, the mage under Duke Mo, of involvement in the attack.
But the Duke's messenger has already sent word that Lucas was only temporarily serving and has long since left.
The vice-speaker frowned and pressed on: "I've heard that the Duke continues to recruit mercenaries in various places and has increased his efforts to procure ironware and crossbows from the free city-states?"
""
Luke Parker, still smiling, calmly explained: "First of all, royal law grants powerful nobles like dukes the power to raise their own troops. In times of crisis, they have the right to defend their territory and property themselves."
Secondly, six months ago, Nord launched a surprise attack on the Spiderblade family in the Dark Forest, easily killing their matriarch, high priest, and eldest daughter, all of whom possessed third-tier strength.
"This is undoubtedly a deterrent to Susas."
Is it unreasonable for the Duchy of Eisenberg, which borders the Dark Forest, to raise its own troops and defend itself?
As for the accused mage Lucas, he may have simply infiltrated the Duke's ranks while the Duke was off guard.
He bowed slightly to the three people on the platform, then turned to face the members of parliament, opened his arms and said loudly: "Gentlemen, the attackers are trying to seize control of the legion and weaken Susas's fighting power by attacking the Mage Academy."
I have every reason to conclude that the mastermind is not a demonic cult that has been lurking for many years and would never be easily exposed, but rather a spy sent by Nord!
They were defeated outside the royal court in the last war, and this time they are seeking revenge!
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall erupted in commotion, with the councilors whispering amongst themselves.
Luke Parker looked smug, as if victory was assured.
The Speaker struck the gavel again: "Silence! Earl Parker has stated his position. Do you have any further comments?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a young half-elf nobleman stood up.
Upon seeing him, Luke Parker's eye twitched slightly, and his tone carried a warning: "Baron Dylan Norman, watch your words."
"Every word I say is carefully considered."
The young half-elf retorted without backing down, then turned to face the crowd.
"Gentlemen, the issue of the Duke can be put aside for now. The most important thing right now is King Susas."
During the chaotic reception ceremony, the king remained silent when the monk pleaded for help.
For months, he has not appeared in parliament to participate in its proceedings.
This has never happened before.
"Clearly, as the Mage Academy said, King Susas is likely cursed!"
I propose that we immediately enter the Tower of Supreme Power to meet the King!
The hall fell into noise again.
Luke Parker angrily said, "His Highness Grayson has explained that His Majesty is simply overworked from handling state affairs and is unwell. The two royal mages have also confirmed this!"
""
"No matter how uncomfortable you are, you shouldn't avoid seeing people for too long."
Dylan Norman countered.
"On the day of the reception ceremony, I tried to see His Majesty but was stopped by the royal guards, which was also unprecedented."
I believe that, in order to ensure the King's safety, the council should go to the palace to have the people from the magic academy examine the curse;
At the same time, troops were dispatched from the outer court to the inner court to assist the royal guards in defending the Tower of the Supreme and preventing a surprise attack by the demon cult.
"You're showing a lack of trust in Prince Grayson!" Luke Parker shouted angrily.
Dylan Norman smiled calmly: "His Highness Grayson is only the first in line to the throne and cannot fully represent the royal family."
"You bastard, who have you sided with?!" Luke Parker roared in exasperation.
The two immediately erupted into a heated argument, accusing each other with polite yet sharp words, throwing the entire council chamber into chaos.
The speaker repeatedly struck the gavel, and it took a long time before order was finally restored.
"After discussions with the Vice-Speaker and the Secretary-General, the matter of the attack on the Duke and the Mage Academy will be temporarily put on hold. The most important thing now is to ensure His Majesty's safety."
The speaker said in a deep voice.
"Now we will vote: those who support sending troops to the Tower of the Supreme and having the Academy of Mages examine whether the King is cursed, please raise your hands. Voting begins."
A brief silence fell over the room as the lawmakers hesitated, caught in a dilemma.
This matter is extremely risky; a mistake could lead to punishment. However, if the curse can be proven and lifted, it could bring immense merit.
Luke Parker snorted and glanced at the crowd.
Dylan Norman then stood up and raised his right hand first: "I swear in the name of the Norman family that I initiated this matter, and if there is any accountability, I will bear it all!"
Seeing this, many honored nobles were tempted and raised their hands.
As more and more people followed suit, more and more people raised their hands.
With more than half of the voters present, Luke Parker's face turned extremely grim.
The speaker exchanged a glance with the two people beside him, nodded slightly, and picked up the gavel to announce: "Then, we will dispatch troops—"
"Wait a minute!"
A majestic and resonant voice suddenly rang out, and the doors of the council chamber were slowly pushed open by two soldiers, as a figure stepped in.
When the crowd saw the crowned elf and Grayson beside him, many gasped in surprise.
Luke Parker beamed with joy, while the senators who had just cast their votes turned deathly pale.
King Susas, wearing a crown, suddenly appeared, his former dejection gone, looking at everyone with a bright and cheerful expression and a slight smile on his lips.
At this moment, Grayson stepped forward and addressed the entire assembly: "Members of the Council of Nobles, my father also has a proposal."
"Now that the Mage Academy is determined to interfere in Susas's internal affairs, the three vacant dean positions should be filled as soon as possible!"
"Among them, the deans of the School of Protection and Illusion are two third-tier masters from the royal family, Silas and Andrew!"
"As for the Academy of Prophecy, the candidates are recommended by the Noble Council!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in noise!
Dylan Norman's face turned completely ugly when he saw what everyone was doing.
The royal family has broken the rules and interfered with the naming of the academy president! No way, I must report this to the academy immediately!
The situation in Sussas looks set to become even more chaotic!
Thinking of this, he subconsciously looked up at the smiling King Susas. Although the smile remained, he felt that something was amiss.
It was like the puppet show he had seen in the Free City-State—