Chapter 133: Urgent Report from the Royal Capital! Family Envoys Arrive!

Was this—the power of 【Blazing Slash】?

Just a wisp of unstable power had such terrifying might.

Then what if it were a complete strike?

What kind of world-destroying power would that be?

Boundless pride surged in Roko's heart.

However, just as he was immersed in the joy of mastering a new power,

a rush of incredibly urgent footsteps came rapidly from outside the training grounds.

A guard responsible for security rushed in, stumbling and crawling, a look of panic on his face.

He was still covered in the dust of a long journey.

"Ma—Master!"

The guard knelt on the ground, shouting while gasping for air.

"It's bad!"

"Royal Capital, an urgent report from the Royal Capital!"

Royal Capital.

These two words made Roko's heart fluctuate slightly.

He had just been rejoicing in mastering the prototype of 【Blazing Slash】 and feeling exhilarated at having a trump card capable of threatening Silver Rank powerhouses.

But this sudden urgent report instantly pulled him back to the cold reality.

The peaceful days were over.

Roko's eyes instantly became sharp, and the aura he had released due to his breakthrough was perfectly retracted into his body.

He stepped forward quickly and helped the travel-worn guard up.

"Don't rush, speak slowly."

His voice was steady and powerful, carrying a reassuring strength.

The guard took a few deep breaths before reporting the intelligence from the Royal Capital as concisely and quickly as possible.

"Master, this is the highest-level intelligence sent back by Captain Bake!"

"The Royal Capital—it's in total chaos!"

"The Third Prince, Leinade, colluded with the Scorpion Society and launched a palace coup in the dead of night three days ago!"

"They controlled three battalions of the Royal Capital's Imperial Guard, as well as the South City Gate of the city defense forces, attempting to storm the palace and control His Majesty!"

The guard's voice trembled slightly.

"The First Prince and Second Prince reacted quickly too; they joined forces, mobilized their respective supported armies, and broke out into fierce street fighting with the Third Prince's rebel army on the streets of the Royal Capital!"

"It is said that now, except for the area near the inner palace, the entire Royal Capital has become a battlefield!"

"Countless dead and wounded, blood flowing like a river!"

"Our Raymond Family has already publicly announced support for the First Prince!"

"The Patriarch has ordered all family forces to immediately assemble at the main family territory!"

Inside the council hall of the Lord's Mansion.

The atmosphere was suffocating.

Roko sat in the main seat, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the cold tabletop, making a "tap, tap, tap" sound.

Martina, Fura, and Hart stood on his two sides,

their faces filled with unprecedented gravity.

The messenger guard had already been taken away to rest.

But every word he said still echoed in everyone's ears.

Civil war in the Kingdom.

This situation, which all nobles dreaded but knew would come sooner or later, had finally erupted.

And in the most intense, most cruel way.

"Scorpion Society—"

Roko softly spat out this name.

A flash of cold killing intent crossed his eyes.

This organization, like a maggot on a bone, had indeed jumped out.

And their first move was a major one that stirred the winds and clouds of the entire Kingdom.

Colluding with a prince to launch a coup.

Their scheme was definitely not as simple as just playing small tricks in a remote place like the New Wind Province.

"Martina, what do you think?"

Roko's gaze turned to the Snow Fox girl beside him.

Martina's snow-white eyes were currently flashing with the light of wisdom.

She did not answer immediately, but walked to the huge map of the Bulake Kingdom on the wall.

Her finger traced across the map from the three provinces of the distant western border, finally landing on the point of the Beian-ta Province where the Royal Capital was located.

"Roko, this is not a simple war for the throne."

Her voice was cold and certain.

"This is a long-planned subversion of the entire Bulake Kingdom."

"I know the Third Prince, Leinade; among all the princes, he has the worst talent and the weakest maternal family influence; he is the least likely person to inherit the throne."

Martina's analysis was sharp.

"For him to dare launch a coup, there must be sufficient benefits driving him to madness and powerful support that allows him to see hope."

"The Scorpion Society is that supporter."

"Their goal is likely not as simple as just helping the Third Prince ascend."

"What they want is a chaotic, divided, and even destroyed Bulake Kingdom."

"Only in such chaotic times can these vipers lurking in the shadows maximize their interests."

Hart listened from the side, his heart pounding.

Although he was a Bronze Knight, he was clearly not adept at this level of political maneuvering.

"Then—then what should we do?"

Hart asked anxiously.

"The Patriarch has already ordered us to assemble our forces and return to the family territory to support the First Prince."

"We..."

"We are going nowhere."

Roko interrupted Hart.

His voice was not loud, but it was resolute.

Hart's pupils contracted sharply.

"Master! This—this is the Patriarch's order!"

"Defying the Patriarch's order is a serious crime within the family!"

Hart's loyalty to the Raymond Family was carved into his bones.

Making him defy the Patriarch was more painful than killing him.

"Hart."

Roko raised his eyes and looked at him calmly.

"Tell me, how many troops do we have now?"

Hart was stunned for a moment and answered subconsciously.

"Three hundred Storm Knights, two hundred Lord's Mansion guards, and three thousand city guards."

"And over eight thousand new recruits who have just put down their hoes and picked up weapons."

"These are all our assets."

Roko nodded.

"Three hundred Storm Knights, of which only one hundred are equipped with Obsidian Gold equipment."

"Thrown into that meat grinder of a Royal Capital, how much of a splash can this little force make?"

"I'm afraid we'd be swallowed whole without even seeing a ripple."

Roko's words were cruel, but incredibly realistic.

"But, the Patriarch's order..."

Hart was still struggling.

"A general in the field is not bound by the orders of his sovereign."

Roko's voice turned cold.

"Vanguard Valley is my territory."

"The lives of the 350,000 people here are in my hands."

"I will not, and cannot, take them to their deaths for some ethereal order."

Hart fell silent.

He looked at Roko's calm yet unquestionable eyes, and a stormy sea surged in his heart.

He realized that he seemed to have never truly known this young Lord before him.

He was no longer that fledgling young noble who needed family protection.

He had grown into a true,

regional hegemon who had his own judgment, his own will, and even dared to defy family orders.

Just then.

Another scout ran in hurriedly from outside the door.

"Report!"

"Master, a troop has been spotted approaching outside the territory!"

"They are flying—they are flying our Raymond Family's Flame Griffin flag!"

It had arrived.

There was no surprise in Roko's eyes.

He knew the person the family sent to "urge" him had arrived.

"Let them in."

Roko slowly stood up.

"Right here in this council hall."

"I want to see who the family has sent to deliver this 'order' to me."

He emphasized the word "order."

A subtle arc curled the corners of Martina's mouth.

She knew a good show was about to begin.

A moment later.

Heavy and arrogant footsteps came from the entrance of the council hall.

A middle-aged man dressed in gorgeous noble attire, his hair combed meticulously, his chin slightly raised, walked in with large strides, surrounded by a group of guards.

On his chest, he also wore a Flame Griffin emblem.

But the material of that emblem was mithril, one grade lower than Roko's gold emblem.

This meant he was a collateral member of the Raymond Family.

Information about this person surfaced in Roko's memory.

Mengde Boer.

His thirteenth uncle, an old-school Knight who had been stuck at the Bronze Peak realm for many years and had never been able to break through.

In the family, he was responsible for managing punishments and was known for being strict and rigid.

He hadn't expected the family to send him out.

As soon as Boer walked into the hall, his sharp eyes scanned everyone present like a hawk.

When his gaze landed on Martina and Fura, he showed undisguised contempt and disgust.

In the eyes of an old-school noble like him, other races were only fit to be slaves,

and were playthings not fit for the table.

He didn't even greet Roko.

Instead, he walked straight to Roko and slammed a thick sheepskin scroll sealed with wax onto the table.

"Clap!"

A crisp sound echoed in the hall.

"Roko Raymond."

Boer's voice was cold and stiff, carrying a condescending tone of judgment.

"This is a personal letter from the family's high-level leadership to you."

"Read it yourself."

His posture was not as if he were facing his nephew, a Pioneer Noble.

But as if he were interrogating a prisoner who had committed a serious crime.

Roko did not move.

He didn't even look at the so-called personal letter.

His gaze met Boer's calmly.

"Thirteenth Uncle, you've had a long journey; you must be tired."

"Why don't you sit down and have a drink of water to moisten your throat first?"

"We can talk about whatever it is slowly."

His tone was very flat, as if he were entertaining an ordinary guest.

But to Boer, this flatness was a silent provocation.

"Presumptuous!"

Boer roared.

"Roko! Do you still know that I am your uncle?"

"Do you have any regard for the family's laws in your eyes!"

He pointed at the letter on the table, his voice rising sharply.

"You allied with the dwarves without authorization and interfered in their civil strife!"

"You openly set yourself against the Temple of Light, killed a Bishop, and captured an entire Purification Army!"

"Do you know how much trouble your stupid actions have brought to the family!"

"The Temple's Adjudicator Office has already sent people to the Royal Capital to pressure the Kingdom, demanding that we hand over the culprit!"

"If it weren't for the chaos in the Royal Capital right now, with them unable to look after themselves, do you think you could still sit here peacefully?"

Boer became more excited as he spoke, his spit almost spraying onto Roko's face.

"Now, the family is in a time of need for manpower, and when it's time for you to contribute your strength, what do you want to do?"

"Defy the Patriarch's order and cower in this backwater?"

"I'm telling you, Roko Raymond!"

"The Raymond Family has no cowards like you!"

His words were righteous and impassioned,

as if Roko had already become the family's eternal sinner.

Hart, behind Roko, was already sweating profusely, his face deathly pale.

He subconsciously wanted to kneel on one knee and plead for Roko.

But Roko remained sitting there, as steady as Mount Tai.

The expression on his face did not change in the slightest.

He just listened quietly to Boer's roaring.

Until Boer, because of his excitement, began to gasp heavily and couldn't speak.

Only then did Roko slowly pick up the water cup on the table and take a light sip.

Then, he spoke in a leisurely manner.

"Thirteenth Uncle, are you finished?"

Boer's chest heaved violently, and he looked at Roko with the eyes of someone looking at a madman.

"If you're finished, it's my turn to speak."

Roko put down the water cup.

"First, my alliance with the Stone Hammer Tribe is an equal commercial cooperation; we provide them with strong liquor, and they provide us with Obsidian Gold equipment; this is a fair trade."

"Moreover, it is precisely because of this alliance that we were able to equip a heavy cavalry regiment capable of crushing the Temple Knights."

"This is not trouble, but strength."

"Second, the Purification Army of the Temple of Light invaded my territory unprovoked, intending to slaughter my people; I rose up to counterattack and defend my home—what crime is there in that?"

"Does Thirteenth Uncle think I should have just offered my neck and let them raze Vanguard Valley to the ground?"

"As for the pressure from the Temple, that is a matter for the family to worry about, not a problem for a Pioneer Baron like me to consider."

"I only know that if people don't offend me, I won't offend them; if people offend me, I will cut the weeds and eliminate the roots."

Every word Roko said was unhurried and clear.

Yet it carried a cold logic that no one could refute.

Boer was so stunned by him that he couldn't speak for a while.

"You—you are sophistry!"

After holding it in for a long time, he finally squeezed out this sentence.

"As for the third point, which is also the most important point."

Roko ignored his rebuttal and continued to speak on his own.

"I refuse to return to the family territory."

"Boom!"

This sentence was like a thunderbolt exploding in Boer's mind.

He simply couldn't believe his ears.

Refuse?

He actually dared to use the word "refuse" to respond to the family's high-level order? ===== CHAPTER 134 =====