Chapter 489 322: Queen of the Sith Kingdom (2)

After the matter was concluded and Bedoyel had departed, Harland asked out of the blue, "Levi, you've already seen Queen Seres, haven't you?"

The Lord was startled at first, but then he realized he hadn't done anything shady with the Queen. 'I have nothing to hide, so I have nothing to fear,' he thought. He nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. The Queen summoned me to discuss the matter we just spoke of."

"Hmph. She only pays attention when it involves Bedoyel," Harland snorted, then asked, "What do you think of the Queen?"

'With my eyes wide open, of course. After all, you'll never find another queen this generous,' Levi thought to himself. Outwardly, however, he put on a serious expression. "Queen Seres possesses both Wisdom and beauty. Her benevolence is vaster than the Storm Sea."

"Levi, you must be careful. Women are adept at hiding their true selves." Harland's brow furrowed as if he were choosing his words carefully. "Especially the women of the Sea Dragon Family. They are like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, always thinking they're clever as they drag outsiders into a dark vortex. You can't be too cautious."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will be careful." The Lord truly hadn't expected the relationship between the Queen and King to have deteriorated to this extent, that they would even speak of it so openly.

But one called the other a madman, and the other called her a venomous snake. What a pair.

"Don't feel too burdened by this. You shouldn't have been dragged into our family matters in the first place," Harland said, waving his hand dismissively.

After some more awkward conversation, the Lord of High Cliff Castle was led out by the same Attendant, following the path he came in on. Harland was left alone in the room.

He rose and stood before the window, gazing at the distant Holy Tower that pierced the clouds. A hint of pain crossed his face. "Isulna, how am I supposed to go on? No… my love, I will not give up!"

…

Time flew, and soon, the day of the council arrived.

Levi sat with Prince Filo in a council hall large enough to hold over a thousand people, casually crossing his legs and cracking melon seeds.

The center of the hall was empty, enclosed on three sides by large, long tables. This formed three clearly distinct factions: the Holy Sith Kingdom, Talisi, and Debei.

As the only monarch present, His Majesty Harland sat high in the seat of honor, flanked by only two Silver Armored Knights who were completely encased in their armor.

The attendees for Debei were simple: the Dukes of the eastern and western territories and Prince Filo representing the Northern Territory. As for the Southern Territory, Levi was surprised to see that the representative was none other than Monvert, the Wolf Island Count.

He hadn't made it in time for the banquet, only arriving in Gonda just before the council began.

"Monvert, why didn't Liya come?"

Before the conversation turned to him, Levi discreetly nudged Monvert, who was sitting beside him, with his elbow.

The middle-aged Count, who had a stern and upright face, clutched his side and sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. He looked at Levi with a reproachful expression. "My Lord, do you have any idea how strong you are?"

"Well, I heard from a Court Physician that a man who feels pain when poked in the small of his back might be… lacking in a certain area…"

Before the Lord could finish, Monvert sat bolt upright and said with a perfectly calm expression, "Lady Liya actually wanted to come very much, but the Southern Territory has just been through a war. There are a mountain of affairs to handle, and she simply couldn't get away."

"Whether it's placating the commoners or settling matters for the families of the soldiers who died in battle, none of it can be resolved in a short time."

"Oh, and by the way, I was just pretending just now. It didn't hurt at all," he added afterward as an explanation.

"Gentlemen, the first issue we must address is the matter of the Demons at White Bone Fortress in the Southern Territory. Why have these creatures, who should only exist in history, suddenly appeared in our world!"

Harland knocked on the table. The sharp sound silenced the council hall. His voice was so resonant that even an old man with one foot in the grave could hear him perfectly clearly.

But then his tone shifted, and he looked toward the faction from the Holy Sith Kingdom with a mocking expression.

"These damned creatures arrived in Debei territory through a Teleportation Gate. The Holy Sith Kingdom has always been highly accomplished in Alchemy, and it's even rumored that they have been secretly researching Space Teleportation—a Forbidden Technique in the Seven Kingdoms. Therefore, I have reason to suspect that this Demon incident might be a plot by the Holy Sith Kingdom."

"Why? Because the one who benefits the most is the most likely suspect. I'm sure everyone understands this simple principle."

He leaned back in his chair, his burning gaze fixed on Prince Toman of the Sith Kingdom.

"As everyone knows, in recent years, the overall national strength of the Holy Sith Empire has gradually surpassed that of Debei. Based on this strategic advantage, the Sith have continuously created friction and conflict along our borders. Their intentions have escalated from tentative provocations to substantive territorial claims, all in an attempt to start a war and expand their nation's borders."

"In this Demon invasion, Debei's army, subjects, and wealth have suffered incalculable losses. Our kingdom is, without a doubt, the greatest victim. This naturally provides the Sith Kingdom with ample motive to carry out such an act to weaken us."

"Regarding this, shouldn't the Sith Kingdom offer a reasonable explanation?" Harland sneered, his black-bear-like frame exuding immense pressure.

Levi couldn't understand at all why Seres called His Majesty Harland a madman. This single move—fabricating an accusation out of thin air to turn a defensive position into an offensive one—left him in complete admiration.

It didn't matter if the accusation was far-fetched; it was definitely effective.

"His Majesty Harland has a point." The representative for Talisi was the Archbishop, the same one who had sat across from the Lord at the banquet.

The old man was well advanced in years, his hair long since turned gray, but to underestimate him for it would be a costly mistake.

For a Caster, the saying "the older, the more profound their Magic Cultivation" was practically synonymous with him.

The rumor was that he had once been a slave who herded cattle for a nobleman. That he had overcome such beginnings to climb to his current high position was proof enough that this Bishop possessed talent beyond that of an ordinary person.

"His Majesty's words are quite reasonable. The one who benefits most is certainly the primary suspect. After all, Demons can't just appear out of thin air." Prince Filo smiled, stroking his meticulously groomed handlebar mustache. Afterwards, he even shook his head and recited a line of terrible poetry he must have read somewhere.

"

Nothing can happen from nothing,

Winter is brewed in autumn's wind,

Bare branches point to a season yet unborn,

…"

Although Filo was on Fulina's side, now that the King of Debei was launching an attack against an enemy nation, he naturally had to lend his support.

He adopted a tone that could give you goosebumps. "On second thought, the Sith Kingdom really could be the mastermind behind this. Alas, how unexpected."

"This guy is so insufferably snide," the Lord complained to Monvert. "Did he eat eleven pounds of frozen persimmons?"

Unfortunately, it was probably the Count's first time attending a national-level council like this. He seemed a bit nervous and didn't respond to the Lord.

"Slander! This is slander!"

Seeing all eyes turn to him, the young Prince Toman's body trembled with agitation. He didn't understand why the blame had suddenly been shifted to the Sith Kingdom.

He desperately wanted to explain something, but he didn't know how to begin.

Everyone watched him with cold eyes.

"Idiot," the Lord said.

'He couldn't understand why the Sith Kingdom would send such a fool to a meeting of this caliber.'

"A flower raised in a greenhouse—how smart can he be?" Filo said with a laugh, his tone full of deeper meaning. "Then again, perhaps they don't care if this Prince makes a fool of himself."

"Your Highness, perhaps it's best to let Her Majesty the Queen join the council," one of Toman's Attendants finally reminded him.

"Right, right! My aunt must be awake by now." He looked as if he'd just seen his savior, hastily pulling a round, palm-sized disc from his robes.

A gemstone was set in the center of the disc, and strange patterns were engraved on the unknown material surrounding it.

Levi could feel a dense Elemental Power emanating from it. It was, without a doubt, an Alchemy Creation.