Masked Knight

Chapter 183: Die After The War

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Andy was standing in the sleeping quarters of the Imperial Palace. He held a glass of wine in his hands as he gently put down that day’s newspaper. The newspaper was full of encouraging war stories and slogans. Under the advice of Andy, Emperor of the Empire, the newspaper publicly announced the defeat of Reuenthal in the Northwest and after that focused on the war in the North.

Numerous stories were reported. That day, the news was about how His Excellency the Duke of the Tulip Family led a group of heroes of the Empire to defeat the enemy. About ten thousand of the Roland soldiers were beheaded.

The next day, the newspaper wrote that His Excellency the Duke of the Tulip Family had once again, leading the soldiers, defeated and beheaded twenty thousand enemy soldiers.

The following day’s newspaper said the same thing except that it was thirty thousand soldiers. And that went on and on...

All kinds of news of victories were published in the newspaper. The ridiculous thing was that the news claimed that Rody had killed twenty thousand one day and then thirty thousand the next day. If these victories were to be placed together, it would have already exceeded half of the Roland army’s forces.

If the statements in the newspaper were true, then there would be only a few tens of thousands soldiers remaining in the Roland army. If that ‘war' were to continue, in accordance with the same frequency of success, then the enemy would have a negative number of soldiers within the next few days.

Andy sighed and whispered, "Ah… Why is the public so easily fooled?"

Sky eyes turned supercilious and said, "That is because you controlled the newspaper. Everything you do or say is excessive. You tricked them and then you sarcastically call them stupid."

Andy laughed and said, "I had no choice too… With war looming, how else could I have ensured the stability of the Empire? Sigh... That Emperor was really useless. The Empire ended up in a turmoil because of him. To tell you the truth, the Empire is now united against the foreign enemy because of me, acting as the Emperor. If was not me, but Abbas XI, in charge there would be a riot even before the war is over!"

Andy then laughed proudly and sipped his wine. He sighed pleasantly and said, "Wine is a really good thing… It is also good for the body!"

"Hmph!" Sky was still supercilious as he said, "You can still drink even though you do not have a body. Isn't it interesting to see a skeleton drink wine?"

Andy was already accustomed to this bickering with Sky and laughed. He then asked, "Fatty, I wish to ask you a question. I am not sure...How powerful is that boy now? Has he already obtained 'Domain Force'?"

"That." Sky shook his head in disdain. "'Domain Force'? If he really has obtained 'Domain Force', then he would not be injured by that Paladin. If it was me, that Fielding would have been cut into several pieces long ago."

Andy sighed and said, "How much stronger does he need to be? I feel that he has changed a lot after the Dragon’s Transformation."

Sky thought to himself for a while and then he replied, "I am not sure. He is probably just a little bit short. It is just that little bit like a piece of paper. The moment he crosses that last step, he would breakthrough. Right now, he is at the peak of a Sacred Swordsman. Regardless from which aspect, preparations for that breakthrough is ready...That boy is really stupid! All he needs now is to take one more step and he would immediately be levitated heavenwards. Right now, he still needs to strive hard to fight against the Paladin. However, if he could just cross that last step, then he would only need to wave his hand to wipe out that Paladin."

"Oh? He would be that strong?" Andy said, "Didn’t you say that his strength is only just a little bit short of getting 'Domain Force'?"

"Of course!" Sky was now serious. "That little bit is like a dividing line. There would be a world of difference after crossing that line. Right now, it is like cutting down a tree. After cutting it a bit, the tree starts to shake. With a little bit more effort, the tree would fall!" After saying that, Sky started to curse. "Anyway, that boy is too stupid!"

"Stupid?" Andy stared at Sky. "Fatty, since you are so formidable, how long did it take for you to obtain 'Domain Force'? If Rody is stupid for taking so long to obtain 'Domain Force', then what about you?"

"… " Sky’s face immediately turned a little red. However, he was still candid about it. Although he was unhappy, he loudly said, "Say what you wish! I was not a warrior. I was a knight!"

The moment he said that Andy laughed until he almost fell off his throne. He then pointed to Sky with his trembling finger and said, "Knight? You said you used to be a knight?" Andy had a funny face as he looked at Sky's plumpish body and continued to laugh, "What kind of horse could carry such a heavy knight, like you?"

Sky became furious and kicked him as he replied, "I was not fat those days!"

Andy dodged the kick and laughed, "So, Your Excellency, Knight Sky, were you a Paladin, then?"

Sky had a strange look. He whispered, "Can be considered… But do not ask me anything about it. I do not want to talk about it!"

Andy gave him a meaningful glance but he did not pursue that subject anymore. Instead, he asked, "Well then, Your Excellency, Paladin Sky. How long did you take to obtain 'Domain Force' from a Paladin? One month or two months?"

"Shit!" Sky let out a torrent of abusive words and shouted, "What do you think 'Domain Force' is? Do you think it is something for sale? Let me tell you. Those days, I was a true talent. At the age of thirty-two, I became the youngest Paladin in the Roland continent. After that, I spent a full fifteen years cultivating and obtained 'Domain Force' at forty-seven years old. I was then the youngest person with 'Domain Force' in hundreds of years!"

Andy pursed his lips and said, "The youngest person to obtain 'Domain Force'? Forty-seven years old? Í wonder how old Master Autumn was when he died? I seemed like he was not even forty-seven years old."

These words turned Sky's face a shade darker. After thinking for a while, his said, "No matter what, that boy, Rody is such a waste. He has the Mystic Dragon in his body yet he still has not obtained 'Domain Force'. Don't you think that he is useless? If I were the one that had converted the Mystic Dragon, I would have already killed those guys in the sky!"

Andy sneered and said, "If you had converted the Mystic Dragon? If you had done that, you would have been dead! Do you think that just anyone can convert the Mystic Dragon?"

Sky’s eyes flashed as he whispered, "What did you say? What do you mean?"

Andy laughed playfully and said, "You do not want to tell me about yourself so why should I tell you about my secret?"

Andy paced slowly and then finished all the wine in his glass in one gulp. After that, he threw away the glass and lightly said, "Get up. Rody is about to take action... but he has a shocking plan... Didn't expect that our young friend has already learned how to scheme..."

"Oh?"

Andy nodded and said, "Take a guess. When he withdraws, who do you think he is going to assign to cover the rear?"

Sky pursed his lips and said, "That boy, he would most probably be a hero and lead his own Lightning God's Whip at the rear."

Andy shook his head and laughed softly, "No, he is sending the Flame Warrior Regiment to their deaths at the rear."

Sky jumped the moment he heard that and laughed, "Good! Good! The boy has finally started to learn! Let those two religious groups go at each other!" The more he laughed, the louder it became. "Haha… This time, I suppose the Pope would lose his calm. Tens of thousands of Flame Warriors would be sacrificed by Rody. Roland Continent's hundreds of thousands of soldiers could easily defeat the tens of thousands of the Flame Warriors. At that time, they would have no choice but to use the God’s Vanquish spell. Hmph! He obviously knew that the opponent's combination of sorcery is powerful and yet he continued to pretend. I wonder what his intentions are."

Andy shook his head and said, "It is not just the Church. Even the Temple of the Roland Continent did not use their trump card. The current combination of sorcery is cast by some normal high ranked sorcerers. If they were to send their real highest ranked sorcerers, and even without the Saints, their combination of sorcery would already allow them to capture Thunder City. Isn't the Temple holding back too?"

Sky sighed and said, "It does not matter whether it is combination of sorcery or combined technique. Both are powerful but they are not invincible. If they were invincible, why would there be Gods? According to legend, these spells have flaws. Otherwise, the humans who have mastered these two spells during the God and Devil war would not have suffered such heavy losses."

"Yes…" Andy smiled and said, "This is why both religious groups are being patient and would not dare use their trump card so early."

"Alright!" Andy stretched his waist and said, "An Emperor also has the work of an Emperor. Although an Emperor's life is fun, his job is troublesome… Today, there is also some troublesome work that needs to be done. I have always hated acting but it is something that must be done."

…

Marquis Garoline had closed the doors to his house for a very long time. Ever since the incident at the court, the entire Lionheart Family had stayed out of sight. Even when the newspapers socially attacked him, Marquis Garoline was determined to stay at home and refused to see anyone.

He knew the Emperor deliberately shut out his family. Otherwise, nobody would dare to socially attack a big noble family of the Empire, unless they no longer wished to live.

However, Marquis Garoline, cunning and clear minded, knew that it was actually a good thing for the Emperor to spurn his family.

If the Emperor was determined to get rid of the Lionheart family, then why bother to shut him out? It would be easier to just send a group of Imperial Guards to kill them.

Besides that, Milo still had military power in the North. He was fighting the war against the Roland people in the North. If his family was eliminated at this moment, a mutiny might break out.

The Emperor's action showed that the Emperor was angry and was punishing them for that court incident. After punishing them and venting his anger, there would no longer be any problems.

If the Emperor did not bother to deal with them and only left them at the side, it would be even more dangerous. In that case, it would be more likely for the Emperor to destroy the Lionheart Family right after the war ended.

Marquis Garoline had always believed in one thing. In this world, if a person made a huge effort to do something, then that act must have a purpose.

In other words, the Emperor's act of shutting them out was to vent his anger and also to punish and warn them.

He also believed that it meant the Emperor had not given up on the Lionheart Family. There was also a chance for him to regain his influence.

But Marquis Garoline could not understand one thing. How did the Emperor's mind suddenly become so sharp after a serious illness? His schemes have also become formidable! This was something he could not understand no matter how much he thought about it.

Sure enough, that day things started to change.

Under the protection of a large number of Imperial Guards, the Emperor, Abbas XI visited the Lionheart Family’s mansion.

The excuse was to visit the sick Marquis, Garoline.

Being sick was just an excuse. Although Marquis Garoline was old, he was still very tough. He could still eat and drink. Occasionally, at night, he still wanted to have fun with his concubine. Although he was no longer as mighty as when he was young, he could still be considered as old and vigorous. He was not sick. It was just an excuse to hide at home.

Now that the Emperor had visited him, it was a signal that the Emperor was giving him another chance.

So, when the Emperor greeted him, he immediately said, "Although I am sick, I still worry about the country. Despite my illness, I am willing to share Your Majesty's burden. I will strive to the utmost until my dying day."

The Emperor was naturally very pleased and praised Marquis Garoline for his loyalty to the kingdom. Before he left, he did not forget to tell Garoline, "Currently, the military is busy because of the war. I hope the Military Minister would spare no effort in carrying this burden."

The next day, Marquis Garoline had recovered and went back to work at the military office.

Andy had said, "Both the young and old men of the Lionheart Family are not useless. Although they are immoral and not very nice people, their abilities are real. Now there is a war which caused disorder and since I am the Emperor, it would not be appropriate for me to act as the Military Minister. I cannot cope too. There is too much that needs to be done. It is better to make this old man, who is experienced in military affairs, to some work.

As for the Marquis' saying "strive to the utmost until one's dying day", Andy and Sky said, "It is better if this old man is dead. We cannot really kill this large Lionheart Family, here. After all, he was in the Imperial Capital for so many years and is very influential. It would not be good to kill him. However, if he must die, it is better for him to die after the war is over!"