Chapter 496: Griffin King!

And after hearing this, Gervas was naturally very pleased.

“Gentlemen, please convey my thanks to Crown Prince for informing me!”

“Gervas, no need for formalities—the Crown Prince said he was pleased to hear of your heroic service to the kingdom, which is why he sent us to notify you in advance!”

“Also, the Commander-in-Chief heard that your participation in this campaign was entirely due to Villard’s betrayal—is that right?”

“Yes, My Lord Mixus!” Gervas nodded.

“Gervas, although Villard is dead and can no longer be held directly accountable…”

“the Crown Prince said you must not suffer such injustice in vain; if any other officials from Eagle City were involved, they must be severely punished!”

“Additionally, all of Villard’s assets will be transferred to you as compensation. Of course, had this been before, the Crown Prince could have issued the order directly. But now, the King’s health is gradually improving.”

“So we must wait for the King’s approval and his royal seal. But Gervas, rest assured—the Crown Prince has already submitted the application; it’s only a matter of time before he grants permission!”

“Is that so? Then thank the Crown Prince!” Gervas was slightly surprised.

Previously, while the Northern Commander-in-Chief reported his achievements, Gervas had mentioned that he had been framed and forced into this campaign.

He had merely intended to report it and see if any other accomplices might also be punished.

But Gervas hadn’t truly cared much.

After all, Villard was dead—his revenge was already settled.

He never expected the Crown Prince would personally handle this matter.

Not only did he promise to investigate other possible conspirators, but he also offered Villard’s assets as compensation.

Villard’s assets might not be vast, but several thousand gold coins were certainly there—this was no small sum.

So the Crown Prince was clearly courting him!

“Hah! Gervas, no need for formalities! Now that we’ve delivered the Crown Prince’s message, we won’t keep you any longer!”

“After all, you’ll be the star of tomorrow night’s victory banquet—we must give you plenty of time to prepare!”

With that, Marquis Mixus and Commander Adley rose to their feet.

Gervas, upon hearing this, had intended to urge them to stay, but remembered he was indeed busy today.

The reason was simple: he and the lesser nobles had to undergo court etiquette training.

This was to avoid committing any breaches of protocol when meeting the King at tomorrow’s banquet.

“Marquis Mixus, Adley—I won’t detain you today!”

“After the banquet ends, I’ll visit you both the day after tomorrow!”

“Hah! Good, Gervas!”

Thus, Mixus and Adley departed immediately.

After they left, Migen and the other knights entered the parlor at once. “Congratulations, my lord—you’re about to become a Count!”

“Yes! Hah, this is truly joyful—we’ll be knights of a Count’s family from now on! We’ll have great prestige!”

Migen and the others had clearly overheard Mixus’s words.

It wasn’t eavesdropping—Gervas hadn’t ordered them to close the door, so they’d heard everything.

“You lot, don’t go blabbing outside. Until the King officially issues the decree, this isn’t final!”

“My lord, we understand!” Migen and the knights nodded vigorously—they knew their place.

Seeing this, Gervas smiled and dismissed them, then sat alone to ponder.

The reason was simple: Gervas sensed something subtly off about the capital’s current situation.

As the King recovered, the Crown Prince’s authority seemed to be slipping away.

For instance, Mixus said the Crown Prince intended to transfer Villard’s assets to Gervas as compensation.

Previously, the Crown Prince could have ordered this transfer directly.

Now, he could only submit an application and wait for the King’s approval.

This seemed normal on the surface, but the speaker meant nothing—while the listener could keenly perceive the difference.

Imagine: would the Crown Prince truly accept willingly the King reclaiming power he’d held for so many years?

And would the King truly trust his eldest son, who had wielded such power for so long?

In short, all this could become a hidden threat to the kingdom’s stability.

Don’t think Gervas is overthinking.

Five thousand years of Chinese history have clearly shown that imperial families know no kinship.

Though Gervas’s current status is too low to participate in such affairs…

He must still remain cautious.

If there truly is tension between the King and the Crown Prince…

Then Gervas must carefully consider whether to draw close to the Crown Prince in the future.

Of course, after a moment’s thought, Gervas decided he didn’t need to strain his mind over it.

Once he received his Count title, he would leave the capital as quickly as possible—far from this potential storm.

“Lord Gervas, the royal court etiquette officer from the palace has arrived—you may begin your training at any time…” At that moment, a servant’s voice echoed from outside the parlor.

…

“Your Majesty!”

“Duke Shatterstone, rise.”

“Thank Your Majesty!” The Duke Shatterstone, who always wore an air of stern authority before other nobles, now subdued his presence entirely.

After all, the man before him was the true master of the Griffin Kingdom—Griffin VII.

Though he had withdrawn from public view for years due to illness,

Duke Shatterstone dared not underestimate the King, whose health had now recovered.

After all, Griffin VII had seized the throne from his three elder brothers.

“Duke Shatterstone, how long has it been since we last met?”

The Duke paused thoughtfully, then answered cautiously: “Your Majesty, nearly a year.”

“Before this campaign, I intended to visit Your Majesty, but heard you were resting and not receiving visitors, so I did not dare disturb you.”

Griffin VII nodded, a faint smile appearing on his thin, wrinkled face.

“Duke Shatterstone, do you know why I summoned you?”

“Your Majesty, I do not.”

“Take a look at this,” Griffin VII said, and ordered his attendant to hand the Duke two scrolls.

The Duke unrolled them, paused in surprise, and his eyes filled with confusion.

Yet his expression remained perfectly still.

“Finished? What do you think, Duke Shatterstone?”

“Your Majesty, in this Northern Campaign, Lord Gervas has indeed rendered great service; Your Majesty’s generous reward reflects your fairness in reward and punishment!”

The two scrolls the King had shown the Duke were precisely the rewards meant for Gervas.

One was the promotion to Count, as Mixus had mentioned.

The other was the transfer of Villard’s assets to Gervas.

Naturally, the Duke was utterly unwilling to see that boy gain such benefits.

But not understanding the King’s true intent, he could only answer along the expected line.