“So, what about the money? How can we start without funds?”
Lilith slapped a report down on Klan’s desk.
The number of refugees unable to survive the winter was increasing, and the Church’s charity efforts were reaching their limits, about to exceed the threshold.
Thus, Lilith drafted a plan for labor in exchange for relief, as the winter in the royal capital wasn’t as harsh as the Northern Border, allowing these refugees to repair and build some infrastructure, at least preventing starvation.
This plan had already been approved by the Holy See and had been implemented for a while. Although various unexpected issues arose at the beginning, it had gone smoothly overall, and two new churches were already under construction.
However, the same plan struggled to get off the ground on Klan’s side, as the funds available to him were indeed quite limited.
Although the salt and iron factory had been revived by Lilith’s efforts, it only involved the salt and iron merchants of the royal capital and surrounding areas, and it hadn’t started turning a profit yet.
Klan no longer displayed the strong, domineering attitude he once had; instead, he comforted her with a face of a man under a wife’s control, saying, “It will be approved soon. Duchess Judith is already helping out.”
“Then let’s use food instead. We still have food, right? If absolutely necessary, I can allocate some from the Church. We have to get started.”
Lilith entered work mode and made a note in her notebook.
“No problem, let’s go with your idea. Ahem!”
“Your Majesty, are you alright?”
Lilith helplessly looked at Klan, who had started coughing. Although he had improved a lot compared to the beginning, this sense of powerlessness made Lilith very anxious.
If it were the original female protagonist, not only could she take good care of Klan, but she could even help him recover, right? But Lilith was an imposter, so she could only keep helping Klan reform to solidify her position and give herself some psychological comfort.
“I’m fine; I estimate that the magic association’s elixir will be out soon, and I’ll be completely healed.”
Seeing Lilith frantically attending to him, Klan continued, “Has the Holy See responded? When can we get married?”
Lilith’s face turned red as she replied shyly, “Probably in the spring? The Pope is already selecting a new Saintess, so we should be able to marry when this winter ends.”
“Okay.”
Klan simply replied softly.
When did he fall in love with Lilith? Klan had forgotten; maybe it was at first glance in the academy, or perhaps it was when Lilith first crashed the ball. Although falling in love with Lilith had a significant element of conspiracy, Klan believed in his heart.
Writing that will took a lot of determination because it meant placing almost all the burdens on this not-so-tall girl in front of him, which was an irresponsible act and contradicted Klan’s once male-dominant attitude.
He hoped that will would never have to be used; after all, power was being reclaimed, and Lilith was working hard, so Klan had to put in more effort as well.
Although the bill to modify the queen’s powers had not been officially released, some well-informed nobles had already heard the news, and everyone knew it was paving the way for Lilith. Some individuals were starting to stir.
Teaming up with his rival sounded ridiculous, but as long as the kingdom could survive and reforms could advance, Klan was willing to pay any price.
On the other side, some nobles immediately began contacting demonic factions after hearing the news.
“It seems our majesty is serious.”
“What a pity that none of the dukes from the three territories opposed this. Shouldn’t we have killed Duke Lars back then?”
“We can’t let the majesty act recklessly any longer. To reclaim the territories near the royal capital? What a joke! Is the majesty really going to abandon the nobility’s glory?”
The nobles were discussing this one after another.
Beside them, one demon asked his companion, “Is humanity like this? We came here to discuss assassinating the new king, yet humans don’t dare to bring it up first.”
“Yes, humans are that hypocritical; they’re not as noble as us demons.”
The demon burst out laughing and then clapped his hands, saying, “Gentlemen, since we’re all here, let’s not conceal anything. We’ve already contacted the Black Crow Society for assassins. All it takes is your money, and we can achieve the goals you envision.”
The nobles quieted down and nodded.
Initially, everyone supported the reform, including these old nobles. In some eyes, An Zhu’s rise was already unstoppable, and since reform was underway, it was possible they could sell for a better price in the future.
But they didn’t expect him to actually want to revolutionize their very roots; that was unacceptable. They’d have to change the personnel.
The old king was being targeted by unholy forces, and this was the first time old nobles had to replace a king, which inevitably made them a bit nervous.
“Is that Black Crow Society reliable?”
An old noble voiced the question.
“Shadow Professionals of seventh-level and above.”
The demon confidently stated the assassins’ capabilities.
“But aren’t the seventh-level and above supposed to be regulated by the Tower?”
“Not all professionals of seventh-level and above are affected; those who have just stepped into the seventh level haven’t yet acquired enough power to influence the continent’s situation, so the Tower’s management isn’t very strict.”
The demon paused, realizing he had misspoken.
The nobles quickly caught on.
“Then we can’t ensure a kill. Although Augustine is currently in decline, he won’t be so weak as to have guards that are all misfits.”
“You demons don’t want to take advantage of this opportunity to profit from the middleman, do you?”
They managed to keep their demands even as both sides remained fairly united, ultimately not quarreling over this issue.
In the end, while the assassination was not guaranteed to succeed, everyone felt it was worth a try. After all, the last curse they sowed had no one believing it would work; perhaps this time would be different?
Moreover, Klan’s body would be very weak for a while, and he might not survive an assassination attempt.
The assassination was scheduled to take place at Klan and Queen Lilith’s wedding. The nobles were responsible for providing cover for the assassins and gathering intelligence, while the demons provided the most effective curses, ensuring that even if Klan didn’t die from a single blow, he would lose the ability to act.
Just as everyone finalized the assassination plan, the demon suddenly said, “Wait, there’s another person who needs to be assassinated.”
“That Governor of Graywhite Territory? Why?”
“His rise is too peculiar; we fear Doug might actually lose to him in the end, which would be unfavorable for us.”
The nobles could understand why; after all, Doug was also one of them. However, they found the price for assassinating Lind to be even higher than for Klan.
Because Lind had an annoyingly persistent bard by his side, and it was said that An Zhu’s lord also had one. Attempts to assassinate An Zhu’s lord had never ceased, only to be thwarted by those bards.
To avoid these bards, the costs for magical artifacts required would also fall on the employer.
In the end, the demons were surprisingly generous regarding Lind’s assassination, covering a large portion of the advance payment.
For these nobles, they thought that the assassination wouldn’t be perfect since the Tower’s control over high-level professionals was very strict, and those so-called seventh-level professionals were likely subpar. The true professionals capable of influencing the continent’s situation would not be allowed to act freely by the Tower.
Of course, there were also other factions not subject to the Tower’s control. The actions of these factions were generally tolerated by the Tower. Mainly, these factions had their own codes of conduct, or rather, they shared the same ultimate goals as the Tower in certain aspects, meaning high-level professionals wouldn’t easily act.
Moreover, assassination was a risky business; after all, no one would find out who was responsible in the end. What if it succeeded? After all, the example of Augustus III was right before their eyes. Although they didn’t know which faction had assassinated Augustus III, at the very least, it could be said that the royal family had already declined and lost the ability to track down the assassin.
Of course, it couldn’t exactly be considered a risk-free business; organizing an assassination required a lot of money and effort.
However, as long as they maintained the power in their hands, money was a trivial matter, and trying wouldn’t lead to death.
