Chapter 304 - 302: Charlemagne’s Injuries

Chapter 304: Chapter 302: Charlemagne’s Injuries

After Minister Hela left, the room was quiet for a moment.

After a while, Duane broke the silence.

"I never thought you’d come up with a plan like this."

He glanced at Lloyd. ’No wonder he looked so preoccupied when he returned after Natalia called him away.’

"I just didn’t expect Lloyd to get involved."

But Lloyd laughed. "This isn’t a bad deal for me at all."

He shrugged. "After all, marrying a princess is a dream for many. You’re probably the only one who would refuse."

The right to inherit the Silent Shore belonged to George; Lloyd had no such ambitions.

Kais sending him to serve as a Clerk by the King’s side was his way of helping him find another path.

If he could take the opportunity to win the favor of some noble lady, or even a princess, that would be ideal.

Previously, Lloyd had been resistant to the idea of getting close to a princess. He didn’t want to draw too much attention, knowing it would only bring trouble for him and his family.

He never expected that, after everything, he would still be thrust into the limelight.

The only difference was that now the family had Duane for military might, which put them in a much different position than before.

Lloyd said, "Now it all depends on whether His Majesty will agree."

He was the second son of a Count. Although his family supported him with territory and money, his status was still a world away from that of a princess.

"He’ll most likely agree."

Count Kais, however, was very confident. "When it comes to the Royal Family’s marriage alliances, the First Princess is held in the highest regard, followed by the Second. With the Third Princess and younger, there’s much more flexibility."

"Marrying the Third Princess to you not only maintains his relationship with the Kennedy Clan but also creates a rift between us and Orlando’s faction. His Majesty will consider it."

’Weren’t the King’s recent moves all for this very purpose?’ Now that Count Kais had offered a solution, it would be difficult for the King to refuse.

Duane could see that Count Kais sought stability and balance. As long as no conflict broke out within the Kingdom, the Silent Shore would remain secure.

If war were to break out, many things would become uncontrollable.

Next, the two sides discussed Duane and Natalia’s engagement and wedding.

Duane’s suggestion was to wait until the new lord’s castle on Black Forest Island was built, as there was no other suitable location.

Although two or three years was a bit long, the engagement had already been publicly announced. The Count had also seen Duane’s true character for himself, so a little more time was no issue.

By the time Duane and Lloyd left the study side by side, it was already evening.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the surroundings in red.

"Back then, when I saw you being unjustly targeted by them, I felt your fate was similar to my older brother’s, so I offered you some help. But now, you’ve already taken control of your own destiny."

Lloyd sighed. "I’m really envious. To have such power!"

Duane finally understood that this had been part of Lloyd’s reasoning for helping him back then.

"Do you already have a sweetheart?" he asked.

"Sweetheart? That’s a nice word!"

But Lloyd just smiled and shook his head. "No, I don’t. It’s just a feeling I got after seeing what you’ve accomplished."

「The next day.」

Duane ordered John to go to the shop Owington had found and purchase a hundred pounds of Dragon Spine Grass Spores.

This item was a key component for the first step in breeding Nebula Dogs.

The last time Owington had inquired, the shop didn’t have any in stock and said it would take about two months, so the timing was now perfect.

Meanwhile, Duane himself got into Baron Borso’s carriage and headed to a luxurious inn at the Silent Shore that catered specifically to nobility and wealthy merchants.

This type of inn, with its private courtyard-style villas, was very elegant and tranquil. It was also conveniently located, and Borso’s carriage pulled right up to the entrance of one of the courtyards.

After they stepped out of the carriage, Borso quickly went to speak with a servant before returning, saying with a hint of apology:

"My apologies, Count. The Viscount is not yet conscious. I’m afraid I must trouble you to wait a short while."

"Conscious?"

Duane asked in surprise, "Are his injuries that severe?"

"Yes!"

Borso explained, "Previously, the Holy Radiance Court’s Holy Healing Technique was suppressing the illness, so the Viscount’s condition progressed slowly. However, because of the incident with Manny, the Holy Radiance Court has refused to continue the regular treatments. The long journey from his territory to the Silent Shore has also caused his condition to deteriorate severely."

If Duane’s method didn’t work, their only option would be to travel to the Holy Radiance Church Headquarters in the Royal Capital just to stabilize his condition.

"In that case, just take me directly to the Viscount’s room."

Duane said, "He doesn’t need to be conscious for me to cast my magic."

Hearing this, Borso was overjoyed. "Thank you, truly!"

Led by Borso, Duane went to a room on the second floor.

His sense of smell was very keen, and he could already smell a putrid odor as they went up the stairs.

The closer they got to the room, the stronger the stench became.

Borso said, "My apologies. We’ve kept the windows open for ventilation, but the smell is still very strong."

Duane held his breath. With his power, holding it for ten minutes was no issue.

"Your willingness to stay by the Viscount’s side in such foul conditions truly speaks to your loyalty!"

Borso gave an awkward smile. "You flatter me, my lord!"

The Towns Clan had received a great deal of help from Viscount Charlemagne, which was why he had remained by the Viscount’s side.

The former Knights of the Haydon Clan had either died in battle or sought their fortunes elsewhere.

Now, Baron Borso was more or less Viscount Charlemagne’s only remaining steadfast follower.

As they spoke, they entered the room.

At that moment, Viscount Charlemagne was still unconscious. His face was pale and even slightly bloated, and not only had his hair turned gray, but most of it had also fallen out.

The most horrifying sight was his right arm and the right side of his waist. The flesh there had rotted, and a grayish-black fluid constantly oozed from the area.

Duane’s brows furrowed at the sight. ’No wonder he didn’t attend George and Fiona’s engagement banquet yesterday.’

’If he had shown up looking like this, people who didn’t know better would have thought he was there to crash the party.’

"How old is the Viscount?"

’Logically, since Manny is only in his twenties, Charlemagne shouldn’t be that old.’

But the man on the bed looked to be at least in his fifties or sixties.

"The Viscount is forty-six this year. He was once an Earth Tier Warrior. Unfortunately, long-term exposure to those strange crystal stones led him to contract a severe illness, and he gradually became like this."

Duane nodded slightly.

He had already heard from Manny that the strange crystal stones Borso mentioned were items similar to Magic Crystal Cores, dropped by creatures killed in a Secret Realm. They were called Fel Energy Crystal Stones.

Perhaps their conversation woke Viscount Charlemagne, as he slowly opened his eyes.

He had never met Duane before, but seeing Borso standing beside him, he knew Duane had arrived.

"Count Duane, my apologies for my discourtesy!"

He tried to sit up, but he seemed to lack the strength after just waking up. The movement only squeezed his muscles, causing a trickle of the foul fluid to flow out.

Borso immediately rushed forward to support him.

Duane quickly said, "No need to get up, just stay lying down!"

"Your injuries are more severe than I imagined. I’m not certain if my magic will be effective."

"I must trouble you, then!"

Charlemagne thanked him weakly. "Regardless of the outcome, the Haydon Clan will owe you a favor."

Duane didn’t waste any more words and began to cast his Harmony Magic.

As the light shone on the wound on the Viscount’s arm, a faint green smoke began to rise from it.

The rotting flesh gradually shed its contaminated, inky-green color and began to look like healthy tissue again.

"It’s working!"

Borso was both shocked and excited. "My lord, there’s hope for you to be healed!"

Viscount Charlemagne was also excited—so much so that he started coughing.

He had been plagued by this strange disease for several years. Even the Holy Radiance Court couldn’t cure him. He had come to the Silent Shore just to try his luck, never imagining that Duane could actually bring him real hope.

As the magical light faded, the wound on Charlemagne’s arm showed clear signs of improvement.

"My magic seems to be able to dispel the Fel Energy from the wound, but it can’t heal the injury itself."

"These rotted muscles and open wounds will have to be restored with a Healing Technique or medicine."

"This is more than enough!"

Charlemagne’s pale face was flushed with excitement. "As long as you can dispel it, the physical wounds are manageable!"

His body may have been hollowed out, but his fundamental power remained.

As long as he could be free of the Fel Energy’s corruption, recovery was just a matter of time.

"Good. Let’s continue."