Chapter 134 - 61: Who Said It Has to Be an Ovis Noble?

Chapter 134: Chapter 61: Who Said It Has to Be an Ovis Noble?

With a soft CLICK, the door to the reception room was pushed open.

Colin Reinhardt, who was sitting on the sofa, didn’t even bother to stand. He only deigned to raise his head when Lucian walked right up to him.

Lucian paid no mind to his rudeness and took the initiative to greet him.

"Your Highness Colin."

"Mr. Williams."

From the forms of address alone, it was clear that this Prince did not view Lucian as an equal brother at all.

Taking a seat across from him, Lucian asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of Your Highness’s sudden visit?"

"It is indeed a bit abrupt. I hope I haven’t disturbed you," Colin smiled. "It’s nothing much, really. I just heard that a group of people attacked the Viscount Mansion yesterday. I was wondering what the situation was and if the matter has been resolved."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. It has been dealt with," Lucian replied, his expression unfazed. "We also caught an assassin, who is currently being interrogated."

Colin’s movements paused for a fraction of a second. "It would naturally be good if you could uncover their origins and motives. However, ever since the Demons appeared, all sorts of shady characters have crawled out of the woodwork. Cultists who constantly spout doomsday theories to extort money are everywhere.

"Everything they do is to plunge Ovis into panic, which is why they resort to any means necessary to assassinate Nobles. This is especially true for you, a Noble who has just returned from the front lines and actually fought the Demons."

In just a few words, Colin had completely defined the nature of those assassinations, shifting all the blame onto the cults that were already suppressed by the Church to the point of irrelevance.

Lucian looked at him for a moment. "Since Your Highness is so well-informed, you should know that this is not the first time I’ve been attacked. The previous two attempts occurred inside the Royal Palace."

"Is that so?" Colin widened his eyes with feigned shock. "Could it be that those Cultists have already infiltrated the Royal Palace?! It seems I must report this matter to Father..."

The corner of Lucian’s mouth curled up. "Did Your Highness already visit His Majesty the King before coming here?"

"Of course." Colin made no attempt to hide it. "Those people are far too arrogant, actually daring to blatantly attack a Viscount. Such a matter naturally needs to be brought to Father’s attention so that the guards in the Royal Palace and the entirety of Adrian can be strengthened."

Lucian fell silent.

Since Colin had already reported the incident to the King, the narrative he used was likely also "Cultists intending to create panic." In that case, no matter what Lucian managed to interrogate out of the captured assassin, it would be dismissed as the machinations of Cultists. The assassin’s testimony had completely lost its meaning.

Lucian leaned back slightly. "Since His Majesty the King is already aware, I presume similar incidents will not occur again in the future?"

"Well... that’s really hard to say," Colin smiled. "Cultists are like rats—impossible to find and impossible to exterminate. Even with tighter security, there is no guarantee that similar incidents won’t happen again.

"However, you can rest assured. Everyone knows that the ones attacking you are Cultists. So, if you encounter this sort of thing again in the future, just go ahead and deal with them as ruthlessly as you please."

Lucian couldn’t help but laugh.

Colin made zero effort to conceal his malice, essentially laying all his cards on the table. He was blatantly declaring that as long as Lucian remained in Adrian, there would be no shortage of similar assassination attempts in the future.

Not only that, but because the King had already accepted the narrative that Cultists were stirring up trouble, Colin and his faction would never admit that the killers were their men, regardless of what Lucian uncovered. It was nothing short of a blanket exoneration, neatly absolving them once and for all.

"Your Highness does things in such an open and aboveboard manner," Lucian remarked.

"As a Prince of the Kingdom, it is only proper," Colin said, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm in Lucian’s tone. "Speaking of which, I’ve heard rumors lately suggesting that the previous Demonic incursions were the work of the Lien Kingdom.

"Although the Williams family has declined, they are still Nobles of the Lien Kingdom. For an event as significant as summoning Demons, could the Williams family truly be completely ignorant of it?"

Colin stared at Lucian, a meaningful smirk playing on his lips. "Including your previous request to go to the Light Kingdom... Were you genuinely thinking of Ovis and wanting to solve the problem of the Demonic rampage, or did you collude with the Lien Kingdom? Are you trying to use this war to gain the recognition of the Nobles and Father? Just like you’re doing now."

Lucian’s eyes darkened.

"Please don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of doubting you." Seeing this, Colin immediately waved his hand. "I naturally believe in your loyalty to Ovis. After all, like me, you are Father’s child. As future heirs, no one hopes more than we do that Ovis will go further and prosper."

"It’s just..." His smile remained, growing even more profound. "You did live in the Lien Kingdom for over a decade. Aside from the people around you, no one knows what you did there. ℴ

"Even if I believe you and Father believes you... as long as there is even a single person who doesn’t, there’s no way Ovis can be entrusted to your hands."

Lucian stayed silent for a moment. "Perhaps. But the opinions of a small minority of Nobles aren’t really that important."

"Of course! Of course they aren’t." Hearing this, Colin burst into laughter. "When you possess enough power, the opinions of a small minority are indeed insignificant; at the very least, they won’t affect crucial decisions. Furthermore, when your strength reaches a certain level, you can even sway the thoughts of the majority."

"It’s just..."

He trailed off, but both men present understood his underlying implication.

It was just that—Lucian had only recently gained a foothold in Ovis. Where would he find enough power to suppress everyone? Let alone the fact that he could use his status as a Prince to rally a faction.

In reality, it would have been better for Lucian to keep a low profile; he might have been able to slowly climb the ranks using his own abilities. But now that his identity was exposed, not only Colin but the other Princes vying for the throne would view him as a thorn in their sides. They would do everything in their power to tear him down.

His choice to proactively reveal his identity was an absolute blunder. However, for Colin and the others, it was actually a blessing.

Having said his piece, Colin had no intention of sticking around for idle chatter. He set down his untouched tea and stood up to take his leave.

Lucian saw him out the door.

"Young Master Lucian," the butler spoke up by Lucian’s side once the guest was gone. "Colin Reinhardt was right about one thing: we do indeed need more support."

To seize the throne, relying solely on personal strength was not enough. The backing of the Nobles was a necessity. But now... just as Colin had pointed out, all the other heirs were targeting Lucian, the sudden, unexpected rival. Under these circumstances, they had almost entirely lost their window to build their forces.

"You’re right." Lucian nodded gently, looking out at the sun-drenched street.

Even though everyone else believed his path to the throne had reached a dead end, he still wore a confident expression.

Chuckling lightly, Lucian said, "We do need the support of the Nobles.

"But...

"Who said they have to be Nobles of Ovis?"