Chapter 473: It Wasn't Just the Saintess Who Heard the Oracle; the Grand Duke Heard It Too

Prince Kelin's voice wasn't loud, but it had an extraordinary weight.

The piano music flowing in the reception room was as if pinched off by an invisible hand; the servants holding silver trays slowed their steps one after another, holding their breath for a time, silent as cicadas in winter.

Edward Campbell's smile froze, a trace of bewilderment rising in his eyes; it seemed he hadn't expected Prince Kelin, who had been chatting friendly a second ago, to turn his face.

He looked at Kelin's eyes, only to see that in those deep purple pupils, the warmth like the spring breeze had vanished, replaced by heartache and disappointment—

As if he had really done something heinous.

Edward didn't understand why he would suddenly attack; countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but they were entangled like a ball of yarn that couldn't be sorted out.

What... did he mean?

Did he mean the dispute over land between the Campbell Principality and the Kingdom of Lai'en?

But how could this be possible?!

The dispute between the Duke and the King wasn't something on the table; even Princess Ailin didn't know much, at most just having some awareness.

At least in name, the Northern Rescue Army of the Campbell Principality was dispatched to save their compatriots in the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng!

And he had never claimed any title for any piece of land in the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng; he just wanted the farmers who had lost their land and couldn't adapt to urbanization to go to the land of the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng to find employment again.

But if it wasn't because of the land dispute... what else could it be?

Edward couldn't figure it out; it couldn't be that this Prince Highness was an old friend of the King of the Kingdom of Lai'en, representing the King to beat him?

Never had any man made Edward's heart surge with so many thoughts in an instant, to the point that he forgot how to speak for a time.

Luo Yan didn't give him too much time to let his imagination run wild, but went straight to the point, gathering his flying thoughts to his sister.

"Please forgive my presumption in saying this, Prince Edward, aren't you being a bit too harsh on your sister?"

Sister...

Ah... so that's how it was.

Edward's heart, which had been hanging up and down, suddenly fell back to the ground, and the sweat that had just crawled out from his back also disappeared unknowingly.

Luo Yan's gaze looked straight at that up-and-down gaze, and he continued with a serious tone.

"I just returned from the front line, and I saw the tragic situation outside Dusk City with my own eyes; that simply couldn't be described as a war, it was simply a living purgatory! The altars of the cultists, the clones of the Chaos evil spirits, and that endless tide of rats... Until now, I still can't forget that smell mixed with sulfur and rotten meat! Why did you put Princess Ailin in such a place?"

"She is your closest relative! Even if she is the holder of the Light of Praise, carrying the expectations of many of you, please don't forget she—"

"Enough, Prince Kelin!" Edward interrupted him, holding his shoulders with both hands, a look of pain and helplessness appearing on his handsome face.

Seeing his expression, Luo Yan knew.

After the initial up-and-down, this Grand Duke's acting skills had also come up. Although he was still far behind himself, it was enough to fool those knights who were overwhelmed by love.

It was obvious.

In this Grand Duke's mind, he had already become someone overwhelmed by love, with his whole heart on his sister.

Where was this criticism? It was clearly a good thing!

The Campbell Principality needed an ally, and Edward had originally been thinking about how to pull him onto the chariot; now the opportunity had just been delivered to his door.

Luo Yan could feel that he was already so excited in his heart that he wished he could jump up, but he had to pretend to be helpless, acting as the weaker side.

This was really difficult for him.

"Your Majesty..." The butler stepped forward, trying to ease the atmosphere between the two, but was driven out of the door by Edward with a look.

It wasn't just the butler.

Including the servants in the reception room and the pianist, they were all sent out by Edward with his eyes, and the two people standing at the door were left in the huge reception room and corridor.

Luo Yan asked him what he meant with his eyes, but Edward didn't explain, just patted his shoulder lightly, then let go.

"Let's sit down and talk, Prince Kelin."

His voice was a bit hoarse, as if the entire Lei Ming City was pressing on his shoulders, with too many involuntary and helpless hidden feelings.

Luo Yan made an expression of having taken the bait, closed his mouth without speaking, and followed him to the sofa in the reception room to sit down.

Edward picked up the crystal wine bottle on the table, poured a glass of amber wine for him personally, and then poured a glass for himself.

At this moment, it seemed that it wasn't a monarch of a principality sitting here, but an older brother carrying tremendous pressure.

"This matter... is far more complex than you imagine."

"This is not an excuse," Luo Yan picked up the wine glass, but didn't drink it, instead staring straight at him and continuing. "I don't have a sister, but I think even if I did, I would never use her kindness to complete my plan knowing there was danger."

Seeming not surprised that he thought so, Edward smiled self-deprecatingly, took a sip of the amber wine, and said.

"It is true that I delegated her to be the commander of the Northern Rescue Army, but did you think I wanted her to go?"

Luo Yan said disapprovingly.

"Could it be that someone else could order you?"

"No!"

Edward responded readily.

"This doesn't require anyone's order at all; that is the obligation inherent to the Campbell family! If I have to blame anyone, I can only blame my father for handing the sword to her; if it were me who took over that sword, I would go there without hesitation, practicing the mission given to me by Saint Xisi! It is true that I entrusted her with a heavy responsibility, but even without my order, she would go just the same!"

This statement didn't have any falsehood.

Luo Yan didn't doubt at all that if Edward inherited the "Light of Praise," he would definitely use its power without reservation just like Princess Ailin.

This guy was an ambitious person, but not a rat who cherished his life. Those nobles who coveted enjoyment and merchants who chased money could really only be called "patriots" by Edward Campbell; after all, this principality was really his.

Others were just joining in the fun.

"But even so—"

Edward interrupted him, sighed, and said.

"Prince Kelin, let me tell you a story."

Luo Yan looked at him.

"Go ahead."

"To understand all this, you must first understand the situation of our Campbell family."

Staring at the amber wine in the cup, Edward sorted out his thoughts for a moment, opened his mouth slowly, and told the story that had been circulating for a thousand years.

"For thousands of years, our Campbell family has guarded the southern frontier for the kingdom, opening up the land south of the Wan Ren Mountains. Our castle was built on the entrance of the labyrinth, and our walls were built partly with the skeletons of our ancestors, and partly with the skeletons of the followers of the God of Machinery. It is no exaggeration to say that the blood our family has shed for this kingdom is more than the wine some nobles in the King's capital have drunk."

His voice was calm, but carried a suppressed resentment.

"However—what did we get in exchange? No glory, no trust, only the endless suspicion and precaution of the Dewalu family!"

Edward smiled self-deprecatingly, the smile full of cold irony, as if mocking the King's stupidity, and as if mocking the fate of the Campbell family.

"In their eyes, we are not the firm shield guarding the kingdom, but a fierce tiger raised by their side. They want to lock us in a cage and pull out our claws at all times, just because our merits are too dazzling, just because we have won the love of the people!"

Luo Yan had been listening silently.

At this moment, he frowned just right, and asked with a voice carrying a trace of hesitation.

"How is this possible? The King actually suspects a vassal with great military exploits?"

This question was asked just right; what Edward was looking forward to most at this moment was the "relaxation" and "integrity" of this Imperial Prince from the center of the civilized world.

Or rather—

Ignorance.

"Possible? Hah, this is exactly what is happening to us right now!"

Edward stood up abruptly, walked to the window, and turned his back to Kelin, as if not wanting him to see his "pain."

Luo Yan was very familiar with it.

A long, long time ago, when his acting skills weren't so proficient, he would also use a blank expression to cover up not knowing how to act genuinely.

Over time, he practiced the skill of being able to hold it.

"... The King has never trusted us, and even wishes that a flood would suddenly descend, washing our home and our glory into the Whirlpool Sea! This suspicion is just an undercurrent in peacetime, but when a real disaster strikes, it becomes the most fatal poison!"

"When Chaos ravaged the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng, when the rebellion fire of the Green Forest Army burned every inch of land, when tens of thousands of people died in famine and war, what was our King doing? He chose to act as if nothing happened!"

Edward's voice was very low, but gradually became high, just like a mountain torrent that had been suppressed for a long time before erupting.

"Because in his eyes, that was just a 'controllable mountain fire'! It could burn away the damn weeds for him, and by the way, make his pasture more fertile!"

Luo Yan's face showed a look of shock just right.

"You mean... this fire was deliberately set by the King?!"

"I have no evidence, but he proved everything with his actions." Edward turned slowly, his face hanging with the grief and indignation he had brewed for a long time. "We wrote to the King's capital again and again, presenting the most urgent military intelligence, requesting troops to aid our compatriots... but all of them sank into the sea!"

"I can even guess what he will say in the end; it must be the treacherous villains who blocked those letters for him again, and he, who knew everything, turned into an old man who was easily deceived!"

"He is the worst!"

He returned to Kelin's side, sat opposite the Imperial Prince, leaned forward, and stared at him with red eyes.

"I have no choice, Prince Kelin! Neither I nor my sister have any choice! Perhaps you will coldly say that it is the King's land, and if he wants to set a fire to burn his own mountain, let him burn it... but that is our compatriots after all; we drink from the same rushing river, at least half of the Campbell people's blood belongs to the Lai'en people, and half of the Lai'en people's blood belongs to us!"

"If I didn't let Princess Ailin go, if I ordered her to stay as an older brother, the entire Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng would be turned into scorched earth, and tens of millions of lives would become sacrifices for Chaos and the King! Perhaps the Empire has never cared about us, but we cannot watch innocent compatriots die!"

Luo Yan was silent for a long time, the expression on his face changing from shock, to confusion, to realization... and finally turning into a heavy sigh.

He opened his mouth slowly, his voice carrying a trace of bitterness and difficulty.

"So... Princess Ailin Highness rushed to aid only after the King refused to send troops?"

"Yes!"

Edward answered without hesitation, his tone decisive.

"The Governor sent us a letter for help, and I also wrote to Xioadeng Majesty more than once, reminding him to pay attention to the refugees flooding his territory. But the result was just like what you saw outside Lei Ming City before; swarms of refugees almost overwhelmed us! Even for our own sake, we had to send troops north!"

When saying these words, he seemed to have completely forgotten that not all those refugees came from the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng; there was also a considerable part of serfs driven away by the Gesu Barons.

And even—

Even the act of sending troops to the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng itself was at least half for the reason of diverting the internal contradictions piled up outside Lei Ming City.

However, this didn't matter.

A group of people who were still hungry could claim to save the world, so the Campbell Duke could naturally send troops generously to solve the neighbor's hunger.

Luo Yan knew what he wanted to do, and he came precisely to provide him with courage.

After listening to that generous statement, the Imperial Prince slowly stood up from the sofa.

A trace of guilt flashed across that handsome face, which then turned into self-blame.

In Edward's surprised gaze, Prince Kelin bowed a solemn noble salute to this Grand Duke to express his apology.

"Prince Edward, please accept my sincere apology; I... misunderstood you."

Edward looked at him in surprise, then a look of embarrassment appeared on his face, and he coughed lightly and said.

"No... you didn't actually misunderstand me; as you said, I am indeed an irresponsible brother. I only hate that I don't have that ability; if I were a bit stronger, perhaps I wouldn't have to let my sister risk her life for the Campbell family."

He might be a bit embarrassed, but Luo Yan wasn't at all; his voice was as sincere as ever, even carrying a trace of being moved.

"It's not just this."

He paused, then continued.

"Before I came here, I heard some untrue rumors, saying that the Campbell's sending troops to the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng was for those fertile lands that were uncultivated after the war... I almost believed those villains' slanders, mistakenly thinking that you were placing Princess Ailin Highness in such danger for your own selfish desires. I apologize to you for my previous rudeness and narrow-mindedness!"

Edward immediately stood up and stepped forward, holding Kelin's arm, with a generous smile on his face, as if he didn't care about any offense just now at all.

"Highness, please don't say that. You are so concerned about Princess Ailin's safety, and I, as an older brother, only have gratitude in my heart. As for those slanderous words... I have long been used to hearing them; let them say whatever they want."

He didn't expect those rumors to really reach Kelin's ears.

He was just wondering why this Highness suddenly attacked him at this time; it turned out that while he was digging the King's wall, the King's hand had already quietly reached toward his thigh, blowing the wind of alienation into Prince Kelin's ears.

This Xioadeng—

Can't be taken lightly.

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Edward's eyes, and the thought of giving the Dewalu family a profound lesson had never been so strong.

He cleared his throat and said in a righteous voice.

"I can swear to Saint Xisi that I, Edward Campbell, have never coveted the King's title! Everything I have done is for the people of the Campbell Principality and the Kingdom of Lai'en. Steward Sike Lai'er's rhetoric is nothing but a lie used by the monarch to cover up his own incompetence and cold-bloodedness!"

Princess Ailin's big brother had indeed improved too much; every word of this was true, although it wasn't the literal meaning at all.

Luo Yan admired his progress in his heart, while on his face he still hung sympathy for the Campbell family and anger at the Lai'en royal family.

He sat back on the sofa, picked up the wine glass he hadn't touched a sip of, drank it in one gulp, and slammed it on the table.

His fists were clenched, as if he couldn't suppress the anger in his chest.

"Your righteousness moves me, and makes me even more ashamed of Xioadeng Dewalu's incompetence and coldness! What did he treat the sacred mission given to him by Saint Xisi as? A shield for hypocrisy and cowardice? His people are suffering in the fire, his heroes are guarding his territory, but he is sleeping on his throne, calculating to let them kill each other, inciting civilians to kill their nobles, then using the Inquisition to settle accounts with those farmers, and now he wants to slander their heroes!"

Edward was shocked.

Although he also thought of some generous statements, he didn't think of this layer, and being pointed out by Kelin, his train of thought was instantly opened.

So there was this layer of interpretation!

That palpitation from the depths of the soul was no less than when he read the words "everyone is a priest" from the New Testament.

At that moment, Edward Campbell seemed to hear an oracle—

'The Inquisition is the King's accomplice.'

The Imperial Prince's words hadn't stopped, only to see Prince Kelin say with an almost trembling voice.

"I cannot forgive! Such a King... simply doesn't deserve the loyalty of the Campbell family! He himself is the disgrace of the Empire!"

After saying that, he looked at Edward with burning eyes, as Edward had hoped, and issued a declaration from the Imperial Prince.

Even better than he had hoped!

"Prince Edward, from today on, I and the Kelin family I represent will become the firmest allies of the Campbell family!"

"The problem of the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng is our problem; whether you need political support or material assistance, we will provide you with help without reservation!"

"This is not just for Princess Ailin Highness, but also for the glory and justice in my heart! I am even willing to go to the Holy City for you again and bring your story to the Senate!"

Edward leaned forward excitedly, holding Kelin's hand tightly.

"Prince Kelin! I represent the Campbell people and the Lai'en people in thanking you for your generosity; I didn't expect that there are still nobles like you who uphold justice in the Empire today! Your friendship is the most precious gift the Campbell family has received! With your support, maybe we can really solve this problem once and for all!"

"Oh?" Luo Yan's eyebrows picked, and he said with interest, "It seems you already have a plan; can you tell me about it?"

"Of course!"

Edward stared at him with burning eyes.

"The reason why the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng has ignited fires again and again is fundamentally that the King is fundamentally unable to control that land, but is unwilling to give up the power in his hands, so he can only let the people there maintain weakness and poverty, artificially creating hunger and chaos, and finally giving Chaos an opportunity!"

"There is only one way to save them, and that is to help them get rid of the King's control and let the people there live a life as rich as Lei Ming City!"

"But depriving the nobles of their titles is not an easy thing..." Kelin's face showed appropriate suspicion.

Edward continued without stopping.

"Depriving the King of his title? Hah, they always slander me like this, but heaven and earth conscience, I have never thought so!"

He paused, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes, and threw out the concept that had been brewing in his staff team for a long time.

"We don't need to take away his title, but we must take away his power and give it to those who are truly qualified to master it."

Luo Yan looked at him and said.

"Can you be more specific?"

Edward nodded, lowered his voice, and no longer hid his ambition.

"My plan is that the Governor of the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng will no longer be appointed by the King, but will be jointly recommended by all the nobles in the province, and selected from a Viscount or even a commoner without a fief!"

"The King Majesty can retain his title and tax rights, but the governance rights, military rights, and even independent diplomatic rights of the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng must be mastered by the people of the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng themselves! This is Lei Ming City's successful experience, which can be completely replicated on them!"

This statement seemed to be a compromise plan, but it wasn't a compromise at all.

Since the Dewalu family was so afraid of the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng becoming the Dusk Principality, then let the things they were worried about all day happen.

For them, it might not be a relief!

Perhaps for the first two years, the Dusk Saint Saint Xingsheng would symbolically give a little tax, but later, what was handed up would definitely be a loss-making account book.

The kind Prince Kelin showed a thoughtful expression, as if he was really considering the feasibility of this plan.

And just as Edward expected, those eyes gradually brightened, and he didn't hide his admiration for him at all.

"What a genius concept... Go ahead and do it, Grand Duke Highness, I will support your plan with all my strength!"

Looking at Prince Kelin who stood up from the sofa again, Edward also stood up with him, holding his hands tightly.

"Thank you for your support!"

The shrewd chess player was gratifiedly watching his "chess piece," but didn't expect that high-level hunters often appeared as prey.

Watching the ambitious "chess player" walking to the key position, Luo Yan's lips couldn't help but pull up a smile.

The ancestors of Campbell probably wouldn't have thought that their descendants would point their swords at their King under the instigation of the Demon King.

But then again.

If they knew how the Dewalu family treated their children like a dirty rag...

I'm afraid even if they knew, they would acquiesce to all of this. ===== CHAPTER 474 =====