francia palace
In the largest of the three buildings, Lin was walking down a long corridor that had been polished to shine without a trace of dust, and the person leading the way was Climb.
On the third day after the banquet, he received a summons from Her Royal Highness the Princess.
In the wide and clean corridor, stood the elite soldiers of the palace guard who were wearing full body armor and standing at attention. They were the knights of the kingdom.
Unlike the Empire, which recruits professional soldiers as knights from the civilian class, the knights of the Kingdom are a group of people who have received the title of a generation of nobles. They are often held by people such as the third son of the nobles who cannot inherit the family business. However, since the royal family pays them quite high salaries, only those with first-rate swordsmanship can be selected, and even nobles cannot use the back door.
[The King's Guards] is the word that best describes them.
By the way, Gazef doesn’t have a title either.
Because he was born as a commoner, he stepped on the head of many nobles. The nobles who could not save their face opposed granting him a knighthood, so the king created a new position - the kingdom's warrior captain. From then on, the elite soldiers selected by Gazef himself and led by him were collectively called warriors.
Speaking of which, Gazef also invited him, but was severely rejected by his brother, the Marquis.
Climb nodded to the knights. Most of them will return the favor, some are reluctant because of their appearance, but some are sincere. Although they are nobles, they are also people who are loyal to the king and have a warrior spirit.
Unlike Climb, Lin's smile was responded to by everyone without exception. Even the maids who were disgusted with Climb and had a straight face had a flattering smile the moment they saw him.
This is the convenience brought by noble status.
Of course, appearance also plays a small part.
"...This kingdom is finished."
"Master Lin, what did you say?"
"nothing."
Clem, who was brought earlier, did not hear Lin's muttering clearly. Seeing that the other party was unwilling to say more, he would not ask further questions. Later, the two of them arrived at the door of the most corner room in the palace.
Dong dong dong——
"Lord Lana, I'm bringing Lord Lin here."
"Please come in."
"--excuse me."
Climb got permission and turned the doorknob.
Opening the door, a beautiful scene broke into their sight.
This is a room that is luxurious but not too flashy. There is no pale pink or pure gold in the stereotype, but a more simple and low-key decoration. At the intersection of the huge open window and the balcony, there was a rather small white round table. Standing next to the table was naturally the owner of the room, Lana.
The golden girl was wrapped by the sun, and her whole body was dazzling, like the center of the world.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Mr. Lin, please come here."
The girl invited him.
Lin was not polite and walked straight to the round table and sat down.
"Lady Lana, I'm going down first."
"Clem, please sit down too."
"But……"
"Let's sit down and talk. There are no outsiders here."
"Master Lin said so!"
Climb knew that he could no longer refuse and gave up, so he sat down.
"Here, please have some tea."
At the same time, Lana poured black tea into the newly prepared tea cup. The black tea poured from the magic prop thermos was steaming as if it had just been brewed.
This is a magical prop that can keep the temperature and quality of the drinks inside unchanged for an hour. It is one of Lana's favorite props and will only be used when entertaining important guests.
"It tastes good, Lady Lana."
To be honest, Climb couldn't tell whether it tasted good or not, but since it was brewed by Lana, he thought it must taste good.
that's the truth.
"It's fragrant, mellow and moist, and there's a hint of sweetness after swallowing it. I guess a little honey was added to it to neutralize the excess bitterness and astringency, but I also paid great attention not to let the sweetness overwhelm the bitterness and astringency, otherwise There won’t be any satisfaction from the final comparison. Quite ingenious techniques and ideas, Your Highness Lana, your craftsmanship is very superb."
Lin's compliment was just right, and Her Royal Highness smiled sweetly as if she had been scratched.
Climb was a little anxious when he saw it.
"Lady Lana, I, I..."
He wanted to say some words of praise, but he was too clumsy to say such sincere and natural praise as Lin.
"It's okay Climb, don't force it."
"That's right. After all, even if I say a hundred words of praise, it won't be as good as your short words of praise, little brother Clem, so don't be so nervous."
Lin's teasing and the princess's rosy cheeks were obviously reassuring words, but Climb always felt awkward.
"Okay, let's stop chatting here."
With these words, Lana and Lin showed serious expressions, and Climb also straightened his back under the influence of the atmosphere.
"On the question of the freed slaves..."
"A new church needs to be built, right? The initial planned location is to the west of the royal capital, where my experimental field is. The free space is large and can barely build two churches."
"Well, I actually went to inspect it, and it is indeed a suitable place. But there is another problem, that is, once the experimental field fails, it is likely to be the subject of criticism from the nobles. In addition, the guards may use it to disturb the king. If everyone goes to cause trouble, Her Highness Lana may also be implicated."
"I have also thought about this issue, so I plan to ask my father to come forward and issue the royal order. Although it cannot be effectively suppressed all the time, it can be completed before the end of the experimental field, and according to calculations, the experimental field will also produce amazing results by then. Satisfying result."
“So that’s it, is it a situation where both prosper and lose?”
When the two were discussing church matters, Climb suddenly raised his hand.
His action put a pause on the conversation.
"There's no need to be so formal, just say what you have to say directly."
"Master Lana and Master Lin, are you discussing slaves?"
"It's a no-brainer."
"Well... why are there only two churches built? There is a lot of unused land to the west of the royal capital. Wouldn't it be better to build a few more churches..."
"It's not necessary, and it's not possible."
The person who answered him was Her Royal Highness, and then continued to ask: "Clem, do you know how many slaves there are in the royal capital now? Although I don't know the exact number, it is about 400. So why is this number? ?”
"Why……?"
"Because this is the maximum number of people that the nobles of the royal capital can control. Although those guys are having fun, their original intention is to tell the royal family that once there are too many slaves, the royal capital will fall into chaos. At this time, they are jumping out to rectify it. So Once this happens, not only will the royal capital be restored to its original order and purity, but no one will speak for the slaves anymore, do you understand?"
It was Xiao Lin who explained it to him.
"How could this happen!... I'm sorry, Master Lana, Master Lin! I'm rude!"
In disbelief, Climb immediately slapped the table angrily and stood up. He soon realized that he was rude and immediately knelt on the ground.
"It's okay, Climb. In addition, to answer the question of why you only built two churches, it is not only because the two churches are barely enough, but also because the Axis Cult is only a small player and does not pose a threat to the nobles. But once To build more..."
"It will be regarded as a declaration of war. And not only the nobles, but also the royalists may regard us as enemies."
The two of them told him this desperate fact in unison.
Because from the beginning to the end, in the eyes of the factions, the life and death of the slaves did not matter. They were just tools in the power struggle that could suppress their opponents.
“And the timing of dismantling the system is bad.”
"Lord Lin, don't you also want to abolish slavery?"
"Make no mistake, little Clem. I'm not saying I don't want it, but I'm saying the timing is bad for repeal."
The abolition of slavery was an inevitable trend for the future development of the kingdom.
But the timing wasn't right.
Under normal circumstances, the royal family needs to have absolute say in controlling the kingdom so that this system can be implemented smoothly. However, the power of the royal family is gradually declining, and coupled with the lack of money, the royal family will lose their trust if they are not careful, and they will no longer be able to control the kingdom, which is why it has become such an embarrassing situation now.
But when I think about the fact that Her Royal Highness the Princess's purpose is to overthrow the kingdom and then escape to the empire, it suddenly becomes reasonable. After all, this system is extremely suitable for the Blood Emperor who has completely controlled the empire.
"Stop being so sad, little Climb."
Lin helped up the innocent guard who was kneeling on the ground and said: "I am not saying this to deliberately attack, but to elaborate on the difficulties we will face next. Otherwise, if we only know the good side and ignore the bad side, we will be close to destruction." It’s not far away. For the kingdom and for us.”
"me……"
"And I will form an alliance with Her Highness Lana because she implemented the abolition of slavery. I believe that many people who have the same ideas as me will gather together in the future. It is still beneficial, isn't it?"
"Master Lin..."
Sure enough, he was right. As a priest, Lord Lin, like Lord Lana, are both people who consider the common people. Soon Clem had a determined expression on his face.
Seeing him like this, Lin's heart ached slightly. Although it was smooth sailing, Lin and Princess Lana still deceived Climb.
Including Princess Lana, there are three heirs to the throne.
Among them, the eldest prince is a puppet elected by the aristocratic faction, and the second prince is supported by a small number of small aristocrats and the royal faction. If Princess Lana wants to become a powerful heir, she must make herself a representative of the civilian faction to win over the common people and the royal faction. Without the support of soldiers and knights, it would be impossible to compete with them.
Lin and Princess Lana had a tacit understanding and did not speak out about these things. After all, it was very utilitarian and could easily arouse resentment.
At the previous banquet, Lin hinted at the Axis Cult and expressed his intention to summon him, and Princess Lana also responded by accepting the proposal.
The two had a perfect rapport when working together for the first time.
"Brother Clem, do you know the meaning of "neither destruction nor establishment"? It means that new things cannot be developed without destroying old things. The kingdom's system has become rotten, and now is the time for us to re-establish a new system!"
Lin's profound words were very obscure, but Clem knew that since Princess Lana made this choice, he would firmly follow this adult.
"Now let's confirm the final enemy."
"...It's the empire."
"It's the Empire."
Princess Lana's answer was echoed, and the two agreed that the final and most dangerous enemy was the empire controlled by the Blood Emperor.
But that's a long time coming.
"In order to fight against external forces, we must first settle the domestic affairs. It is better to focus on the interior of the kingdom first."
Tapping her finger on the table, Lana also filled his empty cup with black tea again, and Lin said: "First, we must eradicate the spies planted by the empire in the kingdom, but we cannot eradicate them all at once, at least 1 or 2 must be left. "
Climb asked curiously: "Why? Wouldn't it be better to just eradicate them all?"
"No, that will make the empire alert, and only by leaving a few behind can we better send back false news and convince the empire more."
"With the excuse of investigating imperial spies, we can also exclude many people from the noble faction and the king's supporter faction. Mr. Lin, which faction do you think is suitable?"
"The King Supporters Faction."
That's categorical.
Climb's mouth twitched, wanting to ask why, weren't the King Supporters on the side of the royal family, but after a pause, he still closed his mouth and did not interrupt the topic.
However, as if they were taking care of him, the two of them still explained.
"There are also people in the King Support Faction who have been bribed by the Empire. They are just King Supporters on the surface, but in fact they have surrendered to the Empire. Of course, there are also people like this in the Noble Faction. Their purpose is to keep the kingdom divided. , so there is no need to feel bad about getting rid of such people."
"That's it. Getting rid of the people who support the king will get the support of the aristocracy, and the proposal to investigate the imperial spies will be implemented smoothly. On the surface, it reduces the power of the royal family, but in fact it is a smoke bomb for the empire. And there are My brother, Marquis Rebuen, is here, so there is no need to worry about the imbalance of power between the two factions."
This is the reason why the two of them are so confident.
"Does Princess Lana have a suitable candidate?"
"What about Baron Terry? First of all, he is a landless noble, and his title is not high. He is an insignificant role among the royalists. The most important thing is that some people accuse him of being related to the Eight Fingers and secretly abducting women and children. dirty deeds."
"It seems we really have a good understanding."
A few words can decide someone's fate.
Clem was listening on the sidelines, obviously he was so understated and didn't think much about it, but for some reason he just felt that this was the best solution that the two of them came up with after a collision of genius minds in a very short period of time.
"Okay, I'll go back and prepare first."
After drinking the last sip of black tea, Lin stood up and suddenly asked before leaving: "Your Highness Lana, what do you think of the name Axis Theocracy?"
"…great name."
"I think so too. In addition, Your Highness Lana, black tea does not necessarily need to be brewed. If the same ingredients are stewed with milk, the flavor will be stronger than the current one. I call it milk tea. Please give it a try."
"I'll try it if I get the chance."
"Then I look forward to your next summons."
After speaking, Lin left the palace under the leadership of Clem. After the two figures appeared again in the courtyard, Her Royal Highness the Princess, who was sitting on the balcony, shook the bell in her hand. After a while, a maid came in.
"Your Highness Lana, what are your orders?"
"Thalia, can you please bring me some milk?"
"Please wait a moment."
After the maid left, Lana's sapphire eyes were still looking out the window.
Will you not just flatter and agree, but have your own unique insights and ambitions?
……Interesting.
The girl's smile was a little distorted.
(End of chapter)
