Chapter 443
War is Coming
The day after the Candle-holding Ceremony was Queen Sophia’s formal funeral.
At 7:07 AM, the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder in the Red Queen District rang its somber funeral bells once more.
Once the seventy-nine tolls had finished, no more bells would ring in Avalon for the rest of the day. A somber silence enveloped the entire city.
The funeral procession departed from St. Genevieve’s Chapel, destined to circle the White Queen District before returning to the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder. Seventy-seven pure white Gryphons, adorned with black scarves, and seventy-seven knights clad in silver armor, draped in black cloaks, escorted the ebony coffin. Leading the procession was Isabel, riding a Gryphon, followed closely by Lixia and Eivass, each mounted on a slightly smaller Gryphon.
In the past, perhaps people would have questioned the presence of these two, who appeared to be less than thirty years old combined, in such a prominent position. However, as of today, no one would dare to raise any such doubts.
Reporter Dimit, now the chief editor of the Glass Steps Herald, had his personal photograph featured on the second page of the newspaper. The image depicted shattered glass, with the Grand Guardian and his Gryphon severely injured and on the verge of death. Minister Moriarty was praying with his eyes closed, while the new Grand Arbitrator held his scepter. They stood behind the Queen, protecting her without harm, and the knights of the Arbitration Hall, arriving late, knelt before them in sincere penitence.
Under normal circumstances, such a photograph would undoubtedly grace the front page. It was only due to the sheer number of major events occurring today that it was relegated to the second page. The newspaper also detailed Eivass’s actions, informing the public that it was he who had rescued their Queen. Apart from the Grand Guardian, who had narrowly escaped death, Eivass’s reputation had soared almost instantly. No one would question this young Minister of Affairs any longer.
The vast majority of Avalon’s citizens were Ordinary Persons, completely unaware of what “Energy Level” meant, nor did they understand Eivass’s true strength or Emma’s abilities. These were secrets of the Extraordinary realm. In their eyes, Emma, who could transform the noon of the Candle-holding Ceremony into a blood moon night and cause a blood rain to fall upon the entire Glass Island, possessed godlike power. That Eivass could defeat her meant he was even stronger. Such a young and powerful individual was naturally deserving of respect. They had no idea that Eivass was only a Third Tier Extraordinary. And those who did know dared not step forward to explain their disbelief, lest they be mobbed by the enraged populace.
Over a thousand guests had accepted invitations from the Silver and Tin Hall. In addition, the people of Glass Island spontaneously took to the streets. Lined up along the funeral procession, their faces solemn and silent. They mourned not only for the Queen’s funeral but also for the shocking news of yesterday.
Yesterday was the Candle-holding Ceremony, and an assassination attempt on the Queen was too significant to conceal. Furthermore, Eivass and Isabel had no intention of hiding it. Today, all of Avalon’s newspapers featured Queen Isabel on their covers, her face stern and her attire blood-stained. The front pages uniformly reported two key events: the funeral and state funeral of Queen Sophia today, and the attack on Queen Isabel yesterday.
For Star Antimony diplomats to directly assassinate a monarch, and for Isabel to be their only monarch—her father and young brother were not recognized by the people of Avalon. Neither the coward who abandoned his responsibilities to flee, nor the infant who couldn’t even write his own name, could possibly be a qualified ruler. This had enraged most of Avalon’s citizens. The fear and panic caused by the sudden, inauspicious blood moon that disrupted the Candle-holding Ceremony yesterday were also attributed to Countess Emma.
The sacred Candle-holding Ceremony was disrupted, the Queen was attacked, and the perpetrators were the Star Antimony people, widely disliked by the citizens of Avalon. Coincidentally, the next day was Queen Sophia’s funeral. Although most citizens of Avalon did not yet know Isabel well, she was, after all, the successor personally chosen by Sophia. Her Sovereign’s Ring had even been transferred while Queen Sophia was still alive. Queen Sophia held immense prestige in Avalon.
At present, all of Avalon’s citizens had only experienced and known two monarchs: Queen Sophia and the preceding tyrant, the “Hanging King.” Avalon’s “modernization” had largely occurred under Queen Sophia’s reign. Before she took the throne, Avalon lacked railways, bicycles, factories, telephones, electric lights, any electrical facilities, or even newspapers for commoners. Most people were illiterate; only a select few could attend university and become Extraordinary. Over 90% of Avalon’s land was rural, cities were rife with gangs and pickpockets, and the outskirts were overrun with bandits and robbers.
Since Prince Lloyd’s appearance, Avalon had been in decline for generations. Because people no longer sincerely believed in the Knights of the Round Table or their monarch, Avalon’s affinity with the Path of Authority had significantly diminished. Both the number and strength of Extraordinary individuals, as well as the economy and infrastructure, were in continuous decline. During the reign of the Hanging King, Avalon had declined to its absolute limit. At that time, only six universities in the entire country were still operating normally. The silver and gold reserves within Avalon were rapidly flowing overseas, and many Knight families had even taken their assets and left Avalon for Star Antimony and Iris Flower.
At that time, Avalon’s most profitable industry was still shipping, as there was little of value produced domestically. The most prized commodity was actually Gryphons—even though stealing Gryphons was a capital offense, people still smuggled Gryphon eggs to Goblin merchants. Access to Gryphons meant one was at least in a middle management position. There were also poachers with Extraordinary Professions who hunted wild Extraordinary animals and sold their materials, leading to the extinction of many wild Extraordinary animals in Avalon today. Such risky and illegal professions were referred to as “Brave Ones” and “Adventurers” by children and were celebrated among the populace. Many parents even considered it a decent career path. This indicated that Avalon’s economy had completely collapsed at the time.
It was precisely because Avalon had fallen into chaos and sin that Tudor III, not knowing what else to do, became the “Hanging King.” He was not particularly intelligent but was at least brave. He had no intelligent and trustworthy confidantes to offer constructive advice for saving Avalon. Thus, as Avalon gradually crumbled and teetered on the brink of chaos, Tudor III chose the most direct approach: killing. He killed all the poachers, all the corrupt officials, all the fallen knights, all the thieves, all the robbers, all the unscrupulous merchants and smugglers. He killed Extraordinary individuals on illicit paths, killed publishers who promoted “Brave Tales,” killed bards who praised adventurers, killed teachers who fled, and also killed those who didn’t work and those who didn’t pay taxes. He killed all knights and ministers who disobeyed him, killed those who plotted rebellion, killed all foreign races who set foot on Avalon’s land except for Elves, and also killed civilians who intended to escape Avalon. Tudor III’s solution to all problems was execution. If a problem wasn’t solved after executions, it meant either the wrong people were killed or not enough were killed. His brutality even alerted the Church, which sent two people annually to dissuade him.
Throughout Tudor III’s entire reign, all the gallows in Avalon were always occupied. Consequently, in the early period, other forms of capital punishment such as beheading, waterboarding, and burning at the stake were also employed. There was no complex sentencing. Because managing prisons also incurred costs before the invention of the “treadmill,” and to prevent prison riots, Tudor III simply didn’t send people to prison. Precisely because he killed so ruthlessly, judges instead had to find ways to save people.
The reason no rebellions occurred despite such widespread executions was entirely due to his speed. The power of the Path of Authority was fully unleashed—auditing property, searching memories, and discerning lies. The Inspection Bureau systematically scoured village by village, leaving Ordinary Persons unable to keep any secrets. At that time, the “Inspection Bureau” was synonymous with the executioner. They even scrutinized documents and possessions in every home, meticulously verifying their origins.
While almost everyone feared the Hanging King, only the Inspection Bureau and the Inspection Department truly understood the necessity of his actions. They stood firmly by the monarch’s side, placing absolute trust in this tyrant. For they were the ones who had been continuously dealing with sin and chaos all along. By the time of Tudor III, many prosecutors and inspectors had despaired to the point of self-abandonment, as they were utterly incapable of stopping the rampant crime. Those saved in the morning might die in the afternoon; victims from the previous week could become perpetrators the following week. They no longer knew what they were supposed to do, and many had even developed mental health issues. However, when they obeyed Tudor III’s orders, they were surprised to find that the situation actually improved. “Believe it or not, family, killing them all actually worked.” Thus, they became even more convinced that their actions were correct.
Sin and chaos diminished at an extremely clear and immediate pace… although the population also decreased. Some were killed, some starved. Some risked execution to flee overseas with their families. Eivass had reviewed the records—in fact, after the initial wave of executions subsided, the number of death sentences *decreased* significantly. The initial wave had claimed far too many lives, surpassing the casualties of all foreign wars combined since Avalon’s founding. And after that wave ended, Avalon’s severely fractured order was rebuilt. The other forms of capital punishment, necessitated by the overburdened gallows, had essentially been discontinued. The perpetually “full” gallows served as a continuous deterrent. This was why the gallows were always full yet new ones were never built—he desired the effect of “fullness.”
By the later years of Queen Sophia’s reign, the era in which Eivass lived, most people had largely forgotten what the Hanging King had done. However, their fear of the Inspection Bureau seemed to be etched into their genes. The fear, hatred, and distrust sown by Tudor III had indeed caused considerable trouble for Sophia upon her initial accession. But from another perspective, because he had truly eliminated those individuals, he had cleared these obstacles… thus Queen Sophia’s policies were implemented so smoothly. She faced a wasteland, not a fortress still set against her. And precisely because of the contrast with the Hanging King, people recognized how benevolent, diligent, gentle, and kind a wise monarch Queen Sophia was. With the trust and support of the common people, Sophia was able to enact more beneficial policies—these were mutually beneficial achievements. It was Queen Sophia who rescued Avalon from the abyss. She lived only seventy-nine years, yet she reversed Avalon’s two-hundred-year decline. Avalon rose again from the ruins and, under Queen Sophia’s leadership, transformed into a nation that its powerful neighbors had to take seriously within sixty years.
However, it also brought new problems—a rapidly developing economy, prosperity gained too easily, and foreign capital gradually corrupting the knights of the old era. Merchants who grew rapidly amidst the waves of factories, alchemy, and modernization also had to be taken seriously. As Avalon recovered its vitality, it was inevitable that some would become wealthy. Knights represented the old guard’s influence, while merchants represented the new era’s power. In times of peace, knights could barely shake the merchants’ positions—because knights also desired a good life, and most knights didn’t know how to manage their assets or had the energy to earn money. Consequently, the vast majority of knights’ fortunes were steadily shrinking. This led to newly appointed knights compromising with merchant consortiums like the Lloyd Society and ministers being corrupted by the Star Antimony and Iris people. And such days were about to end. Because war was about to begin.
If there was one thing Queen Sophia’s era lacked, it was perhaps too little war. The people of Avalon were not weak, nor were they timid. They were, after all, a knightly nation. Avalon’s original citizens comprised native human slaves who hated Giants, and warriors who voluntarily joined the punitive expedition from the Hrasal Empire. The blood of combat flowed through their veins, which was why they formed formidable armies like the Gryphon Legion, created solely for the purpose of extreme offense. Since its founding, Avalon had never ceased engaging in wars, whether active or passive. During Avalon’s peak, even the Hrasal Empire, before its dissolution, regarded Avalon with caution and awe.
However, during Queen Sophia’s reign, due to the extremely rapid economic development—its rebirth from ruins was naturally quick—this led to Avalon’s people having gone a long time without war. Queen Sophia was indeed a gentle and kind monarch, so she always tried her best to avoid all unnecessary wars. When faced with pressure from Iris Flower and Star Antimony, she would always choose to cede interests or engage in equal competition, resolving political issues only through negotiation. Even when the Royal Family was repeatedly cursed, her instinctive choice was to resurrect Lancelot I through the Shadow of Avalon ritual. This was to use that true top-tier powerhouse to protect Avalon and deter the ambitious Star Antimony people. This was, in essence, still a “defensive” strategy. In reality, this had indeed eroded the Avalonians’ fighting spirit and their desire for conflict.
But when Isabel, wearing her blood-stained coronation dress, appeared in the newspapers, the people of Avalon were truly enraged—Queen Sophia’s mourning period had not yet passed! Their new Queen had not even been crowned yet! The populace immediately shifted the blame for the Royal Family’s successive deaths due to curses onto the Star Antimony people. The Star Antimony Earl’s current act of attacking Isabel could undoubtedly be considered an act of national destruction! When everyone craved war… war was destined to come.
