Chapter 692: Victory

Once the two dukes move, the other noble factions immediately make their choices.

Everyone understands that Arius has emerged victorious from this struggle for the throne.

Over at the Church's position, Senar frowns at the unfolding scene.

The moment Senar reaches for his sword, his elder brother, Harry, catches his wrist. "Senar, it is over!"

"Henwell is not going to die!"

"Now it is time to deal with the aftermath!"

"No one will dare cross him again for a very long time."

"The Western Federation also needs to rebuild its relationship with Henwell, and it owes him an explanation for what happened."

"It is time for me to bear the responsibility."

"You will take me back to the Church in chains and tell them that this was all my idea."

"If the Church decides to hand me over to Peace Haven to repair its relationship with Henwell, you must not act rashly."

"Do not worry. Henwell is an intelligent man. If the Church gives me to him, he will never kill me. In fact, I may live even better in Peace Haven."

"One day, I will return."

"Henwell and Arius saw their opportunity in this age of upheaval, played both sides to their advantage, and climbed to where they are today one step at a time."

"From now on, we brothers can also maneuver between Peace Haven and the Western Federation and seize even greater benefits."

"So you must stay calm. You must endure!"

Senar says, "Brother, your health..."

Harry waves him off. "My life may be worth little, but people as lowly as us cling hardest to life. We survived so many bitter years before. This suffering is nothing."

"Do not worry about me, and do nothing!"

Senar remains silent for a long time before suddenly ordering, "Arrest Harry! We are returning to the Western Federation!"

Harry smiles as he is placed in shackles, watching his younger brother finally grow into his role.

Elsewhere, another elder brother also smiles as he watches his younger brother turn a hopeless situation around.

Jonathan laughs softly. "Heh... Arius, it seems I still lost to you in the end!"

After the two dukes intervene, their forces gradually drive the two warring armies apart.

By evening, representatives from several factions come to pay homage to Arius.

Fabio, the younger son of the Duke of the Western Regions.

Spencer, the eldest son of the Duke of the Eastern Regions.

Crocker, the eldest son of Duke Reyes.

...

These members of the younger generation gather before Arius.

Arius takes out the edict inside the metal tube and prepares to read it aloud.

Then his expression freezes. After a moment, he passes the edict to Henwell.

Henwell sighs inwardly when he sees the few large words written across it.

'Looks like Henwell is still alive!'

Those few words reveal an enormous amount of information.

A bitter smile appears on Henwell's face. The old lion truly is formidable.

So Amir was behind this entire scheme after all!

After a moment, Henwell clears his throat. With a perfectly solemn expression, he brazenly spins a full royal edict from the handful of words on the page.

After Arius is proclaimed the new king of Vorry, the nobles are supposed to step forward and stamp their crests upon the edict.

Instead, Henwell puts the edict away. Arius gestures, and an attendant brings him a blank sheet of parchment.

Arius stamps the lion crest onto it and then passes the parchment to Fabio and the others.

The young heirs each leave their family crest on the blank parchment.

Some find the empty edict strange and wonder why Arius is not using the previous one.

But none of that matters anymore. With several powerful factions behind him, Arius is now Vorry's undisputed ruler. The outcome is settled.

Fabio and Spencer are the first to draw their swords, kneel on one knee, and declare their loyalty to Arius.

The others swear their oaths in turn. Henwell has only taken one step forward when Arius catches his arm. "You can skip this. It would not be appropriate."

Henwell chuckles. "What's inappropriate about it? You can kneel to me later and make us even."

"This is not the time to change the rules. Everything must happen gradually, and it is better if I do not draw too much attention for now."

With that, Henwell joins the others, draws his sword, and declares his loyalty to Arius.

At that moment, a messenger arrives.

Jonathan wishes to meet Arius.

Jonathan now has only one warband left, and it is completely surrounded.

Arius considers the request, then says, "I will meet him tomorrow morning. I hope he gives up this futile resistance, lays down his weapons, and surrenders."

The next day, Arius arrives before Jonathan's camp in full battle dress, accompanied by Henwell and the others.

Jonathan emerges after a short wait.

He is neither listless nor disheveled, contrary to everyone's expectations.

He still looks radiant, and his smile is cheerful, as though he is genuinely happy.

Jonathan glances at the people beside Arius. "What follows is a conversation between kings. Even if I was king for only one day, I will not allow you to stand here and mock me!"

When Arius nods, Fabio and the others turn away and leave them plenty of space.

Jonathan looks at Henwell, who has not moved. "You make no effort to hide your ambition."

Then he asks Arius, "How do you intend to keep him under control?"

Arius replies, "That is no longer your concern."

Jonathan studies them both before finally turning back to Henwell. "You are hard to kill. How are you still alive?"

Henwell shrugs. "What can I say? I am afraid of dying, so I put every level into vitality and defense. My health bar is absurdly thick."

Jonathan pauses, unable to understand what he means.

Arius says, "Order your men to lay down their weapons. You must die, but at least you can die with some dignity."

Jonathan replies indifferently, "Once I am dead, what difference does dignity make?"

"Arius, I wanted to see you one last time to tell you that you will not be a good king."

"Vorry will be destroyed under your rule one day!"

"I lost this time, but not because I lacked ability. Fate simply did not stand with me."

Henwell says, "Stop flattering yourself. You are capable, but you still don't count among the true greats of this age."

"You might be able to govern a territory, but you are nowhere near ready to rule the Vorry Kingdom while powerful enemies circle it."

As he speaks, Henwell takes out the edict.

Jonathan accepts it and studies the words suspiciously.

His face slowly turns pale as anger, sorrow, and a dozen other emotions flicker across it.

His voice trembles as he asks, "Was he... was he really that certain I would do this?"

Henwell shakes his head. "I do not know, but you cannot doubt his intelligence or ability."

"You thought this was your scheme from beginning to end?"

"Wrong. From the moment he was poisoned, he began taking control of your plan."

"Everything was meant to lure me here and have several factions kill me. He did not care which of you brothers survived."

"Either survivor would have been capable of governing the Vorry Kingdom."

Henwell emphasizes the final point. "A Vorry Kingdom without me."