Chapter 363
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Chapter 363: The Empire’s Decision
Seeing Duke Benson dead, and the one who did it was the Empire’s princess, everyone was stunned.
They could not understand why a princess would come to take part in the Knight Tournament.
One could only say that the martial spirit of the Pande Empire has indeed declined. Long ago, it was normal for the royal family to participate in such competitions and to earn honor and the trust of the people through strength.
"Duke Benson… is he really dead?"
Many of the people who came were still unsure; they were very afraid that Celica and Benson would fight and that they would get hurt or used as pawns.
Seeing Duke Benson’s head made them feel a little relieved.
"She is indeed the princess of the empire, the youngest daughter of the current Knight King." Celica quietly looked at Aileen, "Aileen… what happened?"
"Is she really a princess?"
"Archbishop Celica has confirmed it, so it should be true."
"How many people have died at the duke’s house?"
"Benson died just like that? That’s too easy for him!"
"When Karoso and I were about to be taken away, Karoso gave Saaya the chance to survive, while the two of us stayed behind." Aileen looked at the crowd, "Later, the magic circle was activated, and Benson’s minions drove the people toward the black mist to their deaths."
"I don’t know why he did this, but by doing so, he not only betrayed the trust of the Emperor but also let down the people in the territory."
"As a princess of the empire, I cannot stand by and do nothing."
"At that moment, I felt a connection with the Sword in the Stone, which had been silent for hundreds of years, breaking through the dark mist and coming into my hands."
"I can use the Knight King’s deck of cards, along with this legendary weapon."
"I will leave seven Murlocs and use the Gigantification Technique to make them larger, so they can block you and prevent you from going to your doom."
"So it was the princess…" said a surprised tailor, "I was wondering why I woke up lying on a Murloc."
"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you…"
"Thank goodness the princess is here, otherwise, I would have been killed by that demon Benson!"
Many people were left in shock.
They were all people who were close to the black mist at that time; if they had gone a little further, they might have been swallowed by the mist and turned into mummies.
"I took the Sword in the Stone to the duke’s house and stopped Benson. He fought back fiercely, so I had to kill him right there, to uphold the law of the empire." Aileen deeply bowed to the common people, "I’m sorry, Benson made such a big mistake; it was the country’s failure to supervise."
"Not being able to stop Benson in time was my neglect."
"Letting so many people die in the black mist, I do not deserve to be a princess of the empire…"
"Not saving more people, I do not deserve to be a knight…"
Towards the end, Aileen’s voice became a bit choked.
She was not pretending; she truly felt sorry for the people.
If it were another royal, someone older, the people would have been angry long ago.
But Aileen was different.
She is still very young and she is a girl.
She is covered in blood, walking against the wind, risking her life to break into the duke’s castle, fighting Benson just to protect the people.
Plus, her true feelings touched everyone’s hearts.
"The spirit of knighthood has to be protected by a girl…"
"The royals are like vampires; only the prince truly cares for us."
"Knight King…"
Thud!
At that moment, someone knelt down and said, "The Knight King still thinks of us…"
"The Knight King is not dead; his spirit is still watching over us!" Some who still remembered the way of the knight were in tears, "Princess, you have inherited the will of the Knight King."
"Did His Highness receive the recognition of the Sword in the Stone?" A knight still found it hard to believe.
There were many professionals present.
Since just now, their eyes had been fixed on the Sword in the Stone.
"Did the Knight King pass on his will to His Highness?"
"That is the Sword in the Stone; whoever possesses the Sword in the Stone shall be king!"
"Your Highness, are you the new Knight King?"
"Knight King… please, return!"
"Bring back the spirit of knighthood!"
"I don’t want to pay protection fees anymore; I don’t want to be bullied by those so-called knights…"
"Your Highness, become a king!"
Emotions spread like vines.
Those who studied the history of that time all miss the Knight King.
He was a great man who truly cared for everyone and wanted to make this country better.
In an instant, countless people cried out loud.
The spirit of chivalry has changed, but the Sword in the Stone has returned. Does that mean the spirit of chivalry will return too?
Thump, thump, thump…
One by one, the elders knelt down, tears streaming down their faces.
"Everyone, please don’t kneel…" Aileen raised her head, "The Knight King wanted everyone to stand up, not to kneel again one day! He wanted to see a peaceful Pande, he wanted to see a strong Pande, he wanted to see a Pande where everyone is happy, where knights serve the people, and everyone admires the knights!"
"And I don’t deserve it. I failed to fulfill my responsibilities, so I don’t deserve everyone’s trust…"
"Your Highness, this was never your duty. You are a princess; you hold no official position…"
"Compared to those who only know how to exploit us, you are the true knight!"
"Princess…" a knight cried out, "The Knight King has chosen you. Please take up the future of Pande!"
"Your Highness, please revive the spirit of the knights!"
"Your Highness, please investigate what Benson has done!"
"Your Highness, please look into the Knight Tournament! I had planned to gain honor at the Knight Tournament, but I was defeated by a wealthy woman who weighs over three hundred pounds… wuwuwu…"
"You’re lucky; I was defeated by a man… damn it!"
Countless pleas entered Aileen’s ears.
All they wanted was fairness, just a chance to live safely.
They wanted a protector, someone who could make decisions for them.
Aileen, holding the Sword in the Stone, was the best choice.
They did not know what Aileen would face, but at that moment, she won the people’s hearts.
She gained the support of the most common people.
"I will investigate everyone’s demands and respond to each one…" Aileen said firmly, "I will take charge of this matter!"
"Whoever breaks the law will not escape the punishment of the Sword in the Stone!"
"In the name of Aileen Isht, I swear this!"
……
A few hours later, Fiercelion City.
Many nobles and royal members were arguing loudly, discussing how to deal with this matter.
"The impact of this event is too great. In short, this can only be the personal actions of Ricardo and Duke Benson; they must be held responsible, and we cannot continue to investigate."
"I used to think that Benson was a good person, but it turns out he is such a jerk."
"I had some business dealings with him before, but I had no idea about the wrong things he did. If we keep investigating, will I end up being arrested?"
"Yes, Duke Benson is involved with too many people. Who doesn’t have some normal connections? Continuing this investigation will only bring trouble."
"This matter must be handled seriously; after all, he is a duke of our country. If not dealt with properly, it may lead to serious consequences internationally."
These nobles can make money, bully commoners, and start wars? Don’t be ridiculous…
The Pande Empire has long been decayed, unlike the Presea Empire, which is thriving.
The five strongest countries, the Pande Empire is among the last…
It has not industrialized at all and still clings to so-called traditions.
If you are weak, you will be attacked.
If this matter is not handled well, the Pande Empire will be seen as an easy target, ready to be consumed.
After all, the Death Knight is a taboo on the continent and also the enemy of all.
If it becomes a continent-wide fight against the Pande Empire, this country will be doomed.
The current Knight King, Emmanuel Eichler, quietly watched the people in front of him.
Some people connected through long-distance communication, while others are the royalty or nobles who already live in Fiercelion City.
Some of them know what Benson is doing because everyone is involved, while others truly know nothing at all, as they are not trustworthy…
Emmanuel let out a soft sigh.
Benson is dead and defeated; our long plans feel like a joke.
No one expected that a demi-god level Modred would end up only consuming the souls of some ordinary people and outsiders, and the church was hurt only by unimportant figures.
Flame War God, the god descends…
Is the era of the gods returning coming? Why is there no sign at all?
"About this matter…" Emmanuel quietly began, and everyone fell silent, "It is indeed Benson’s fault; he betrayed the empire and believed in an evil god. He deserves this!"
"In our country, the nobles can only have one belief, and that is the Knight King and the spirit of the knights!"
"Benson strayed from the knight’s path; that is Benson’s problem."
"Tomorrow at the international conference, I will speak and request each country to station in Siyuan City and Boxi City to supervise the Pande Empire. We will not let this happen again!"
Everyone’s faces changed.
"Are we really going to give up land?" an angry noble said. "How is that possible! These two cities are very wealthy places. They may not be as good as Laria, but one has a magic crystal mine and the other has a gold mine!"
It’s not just two cities; the towns and villages related to these cities are clearly included, which means it’s a large area of land!
Even in a province, how many big cities can there be?
The land we give up is like half a province!
Although they say it’s for supervision, as soon as soldiers from other countries are stationed here, we will lose our sovereignty sooner or later.
In recent years, we could still collect taxes normally, but in a few years, the cities will belong completely to them.
"What else can we do?" Emmanuel looked around at the crowd. "Should we let other countries investigate and then label us as an evil empire to be destroyed together?"
This shows how important righteousness is.
In this time, where the church is the main focus and the country is secondary, no matter how powerful a country is, if it openly sides with a cult, it will be destroyed by the united churches of various nations.
Not to mention the Pande Empire, even Presea wouldn’t be able to withstand it!
Raising a Death Knight is against the iron laws!
"If we hadn’t captured Red Bishop Ricardo, I believe that by now, the nations would already be thinking about sending troops." Emmanuel let out a sigh, "Or do you think they would just push all the blame onto the Church of Dawn Goddess? Do you think the church would agree?"
"We…"
The crowd wanted to say something, but quickly fell silent.
Fight?
At this moment, anyone who dares to be an ally of the Pande Empire would be making an enemy of all humanity.
If someone were to investigate, it would surely not hold up.
"Give two cities to them and let them divide them themselves." Emmanuel continued, "This way, their focus will become on how to gain benefits, rather than looking at us. After all, we also made a mistake with the Church of Dawn Goddess this time."
"I agree…"
An elder of the senate sighed helplessly, trembling as he raised his hand.
Giving up land is something no one wants to accept; it is truly embarrassing…
Luckily, this is a Western-type country, and the land being given up belongs to Benson. Otherwise, if it involved them, they would definitely not let it go easily.
However, even so, many people in the big cities have investments and business connections.
This situation is not a complete disaster, but it is close enough.
The most frightening part is the provinces close to those two cities; how much money will it cost to build defensive works?
The cities no longer belong to us; if they send troops, we can’t just let them march right in, can we?
Slowly, one by one, everyone lifted their hands gently…
Emmanuel suddenly felt a bit sad, wondering if it had all been a mistake back then.
During the time of the Knight King, who could withstand the investigation, and which noble could pass the test?
Now, how many nobles can endure the test?
If it were back then, with everyone being innocent, if you caused trouble, we would fight to the death. Even if our Pande fell, we would still bite a piece of the whole continent.
But, what about now?
Emmanuel didn’t know how many people would still be able to contribute if a fight broke out.
"Princess Aileen picked up the Sword in the Stone and killed Benson; she’s a hero…"
Just at that moment, a noble suddenly said this.
The people present fell silent for a moment.
The spirit of knighthood, they were the least interested in having it return; it was just a symbol, something to look at; who really believes in it?
However, the descendant of the Knight King raised the Sword in the Stone, and that was not a good sign.
If she truly had the spirit of knighthood, it would be a disaster for many people present.
The Sword in the Stone held far too much power in the Pande Empire.
If Aileen were an ambitious person, she could outright rebel.
"Yes… the princess taught by the king is truly brave, going to Benson’s territory and without hesitation killing Benson when he broke the law." Another noble spoke up.
This was not a compliment to Aileen, but a warning to everyone present; if Aileen could kill Benson, she could kill them too!
"With such an excellent heir, the Knight King must be very pleased, right?" Another noble spoke sarcastically.
Everyone’s gaze was on Emmanuel, curious about how he would handle the situation.
It’s not good; Pande’s collapse happens today.
