Chapter 1300 - 557: Deliberations on Musillon

Chapter 1300: Chapter 557: Deliberations on Musillon

Build high walls, stockpile grain, and delay claiming kingship.

Laine thought deeply about this, having pondered over the matter carefully after the war.

Neither Francois nor Bohemond intended to leave; Francois took out a bottle of fine wine, a vintage from Winford’s premier winery, Latu: "Would you like a drink, Laine?"

Duke Bohemond also sat down, and the servants of the Red Dragon Duke entered, placing a small round table in front of the bed and brought various foods.

"If you’re injured, don’t drink any alcohol." Laine shook his head, bowing his head in contemplation before continuing, "It seems Richard has dug a pit for me to fall into."

"Dug a pit?" Bohemond didn’t quite understand, stuffing roast beef into his mouth, he mumbled, "Richard is quite decisive about abdicating; he says he could abdicate tomorrow if possible. But why do you say this, Laine?"

Laine smirked, gazing out the window, not answering, only shaking his head.

"It’s because the conditions aren’t met." Francois reached out to arrange his golden hair, speaking lightly, "Bohemond, have you forgotten what the conditions for competing for the throne are?"

"Isn’t Laine already the Duke of Musillon?" Bohemond pondered for a moment and immediately understood, slapping his thigh, "Ah! I see, Laine is still a ’landless duke’!"

"Right, the condition to be king is to reclaim Musillon." Laine nodded, slowly saying, "I indeed defeated Mathew Bade and won the champion duel, but I have yet to reclaim Musillon!"

Francois nodded, his elderly blue eyes brimming with wisdom, sipping the wine from his goblet before speaking, "At this time, Richard suddenly proposes to immediately transfer the throne to Laine. On the benevolent side, he is already weary of being king, and due to his legitimate son Baron Charles’ rebellion, his prestige has lost. He also sought to die in previous battles but failed, so he wants to quickly abdicate and retire to end it all."

"Yet, if viewed from a malevolent angle, Richard deliberately sets a trap for Laine. If Laine hears the news and eagerly agrees, Richard will surely immediately abdicate. But what will the Knights think? What will the Lady think? The condition for competing for the throne is to reclaim Musillon, which hasn’t been truly reclaimed yet. If Laine can’t wait to claim kingship, more people will be disappointed with him, and the hard-fought victory over Viper will be stained."

"That old fox is certainly wicked! His mind is full of schemes!" Bohemond finally grasped the situation, the Red Dragon Duke grumbled discontentedly, "And so I despise the court and politics, utterly filthy!"

"Actually, it’s not that bad." At this moment, Laine spoke in defense of Richard, shaking his head, "From my view, the benevolent aspect prevails. Richard has long been tired, and Baron Charles’ betrayal is a major blow to him. At this moment, Richard wouldn’t think much; now the throne is like a hot potato he’s eager to throw to me."

Sitting beside, the Jialan Witch Veronica felt pity for Laine after hearing his argument. She interrupted Laine, indignantly saying, "Perhaps he intends to manipulate you one last time before abdication? It’s not like he never suppressed you before. Remember how he wanted to send you to lead the Knightly Expeditionary Army, counting stars in the Nikohara Desert?"

Bohemond was displeased, glaring at the Jialan Witch, "What does the Holy Grail Knight’s roundtable conference have to do with a witch? This isn’t a topic a witch should engage in; now must we seek wizards for advice on kingdom internal affairs?"

Veronica’s face turned pale at Bohemond’s words; she stared wide-eyed and clenched her fists tightly, struggling to contain her anger.

Under normal circumstances, the Jialan Witch would have quarreled or even dueled with someone who reprimanded her like that. Veronica is now a Female Elder of the Jialan Council, with her own Wizard Corps and Wizard Tower. She no longer needs to regard people’s faces and has the credibility to challenge most human great nobles.

Regrettably, it’s only most, Bohemond is not among them; he might be the highest-ranking duke in all of Brittania, both a direct descendant of Arthur and a super powerful presence at the Holy Sanctuary Peak. Veronica knows if she offends him, despite Laine’s protection, her situation in this Kingdom would be difficult.

She can only endure.

A hand reached out from beneath the blankets, clasping Veronica’s small hand. Laine first smiled at Veronica, indicating she needn’t worry, and then said to Bohemond, "Veronica is my female courtier; she has the right to offer me advice on this matter. She may not understand the roundtable requirements; I hereby apologize to you."

"Very well, then Witch, do you have any suggestions?" Bohemond’s golden long beard trembled on his chin, the Red Dragon Duke seemingly unwilling to let Veronica off on this issue: "Do you plan to take people to the Throne Hall and drag Richard off the throne? Or suggest we prepare to engage in a decisive battle with those northern noble knights?"

"I didn’t mean that..." Veronica knew this wasn’t something she could respond to. She suddenly realized she couldn’t articulate a clear plan, opened her mouth slightly, feeling wronged and a bit humiliated.