Chapter: 11. Found It!
Prime Minister Philex finished speaking and immediately felt surrounded by a chilling killing intent, making him involuntarily shiver.
But when he hurriedly glanced around, he found no source for this discomforting feeling.
Correcting his previous composure, the Prime Minister had already finished his suggestion, standing straight in his purple robe, waiting for the nobles’ reactions.
Everyone’s response was very genuine.
— The most genuine response was the complete lack of reaction!
It wasn’t that the Prime Minister’s proposal was beneath contempt.
But rather… everyone did not dare to judge it casually.
The nobles weren’t foolish… on such a significant issue, His Majesty the King had publicly summoned his ministers to discuss it.
In reality, who was unaware that this emergency meeting was only to allow the kingdom’s highest authority to discuss a decision? They only needed to be responsible for hearing the result.
Decision-making and being informed had always been two different matters; those who were informed need not decide.
Although Philex didn’t receive any response, he appeared to thoroughly enjoy the feeling of everyone listening to his speech.
He stood even straighter, his face full of arrogance, presenting an attitude of persistent views, unwavering in his stance!
King Celtic gripped the armrests of his throne tightly, his brows knitted tightly together, and a displeased expression gradually became hard to conceal on his face.
“Lord Philex, you say we should take decisive action?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, please allow me to explain the reasons.”
Upon hearing the King speak, Philex immediately turned to face the throne, a strange smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
“This is an unexpected situation; who would have thought before this expedition that we could capture the Demon Princess alive? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Should we leave potential hazards, waiting for her to regain her strength and return to the mountains? No… the very thought of the heinous crimes this witch has committed against our kingdom makes my heart ache! How many of our warriors and citizens have perished under the wings of the demon race!”
Saying this, Philex sincerely pressed his palm against his heart, his expression as if truly in deep sorrow.
He swished his gilded robe, causing a rustling sound, and clenched his fists to assert his resolution.
“Therefore! I don’t believe we have any reason to let her live. Killing her is the only way to deter the Demon Territory. Killing her is the only way to ensure the prosperity of Aulus Kingdom! An opponent we once feared to the utmost is now in our hands; if we hesitate and do not dare to kill her, it only signifies we are fools! Your Majesty, please be wise!”
“……”
The impassioned speech earned only scattered applause.
The meager clapping was merely from the trusted inner circle arranged by the Prime Minister below the stage.
Most people felt no sense of affiliation to Philex’s claims and naturally did not applaud.
Regardless of what he said…
Just speaking of the current Prime Minister’s identity…
This guy, although honored as Prime Minister, was not even a resident of Aulus Kingdom!
In this world, the human-race gathering states are not limited to Aulus Kingdom.
In fact, there are two.
The other human-race gathering state is the神权教会国家— the Corea Church State, which borders Aulus Kingdom and believes wholeheartedly in deities and the Pope.
Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, these two nations were part of a unified human race empire, but due to political views and differences in faith, they engaged in constant civil wars, ultimately splitting completely into these two different states.
And this newly appointed Prime Minister, Philex… was specifically appointed by the Pope of Corea Church State under the pretext of ” wartime communication and friendship” to serve in the kingdom.
Thinking of this, King Celtic couldn’t help but wrinkle his brows again in frustration.
He had negotiated with the Church State more than once, trying to remove this forcibly imposed Prime Minister, but was always rejected by the Pope with various quasi-“threatening” excuses.
Royal authority does not bow to ecclesiastical power, but ever since the war with the demon race began… the kingdom’s resources have been depleted, and to maintain the war, they must rely on the magical crystals, magic crystal cannons, and more essential resources provided by the Church State.
Why not let the Church State fight themselves?
Who made the kingdom the one nearest to the Demon Territory…
It’s a classic case of “the one who is close to the tower will get the first light,” and in reverse, the closer one is to be struck first, in the eyes of the demon race, both countries are human races and indistinguishable; of course, the one closer gets attacked first.
The Church State was clearly also frightened of the demon race and understood the principle of “if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold,” but they still insisted that the kingdom first send troops to the front line, fighting for decades.
They recite sacred verses in the back while we engage in bloodshed and death in front.
Both are human races… yet the treatment is so unfair.
The affairs of the world have never been fair.
And the biggest compromise here… was probably accepting that this foreigner became the Prime Minister of one’s own country.
Knowing full well that the Pope was taking advantage of the situation to impose conditions, placing Philex as an “informer” beside him, King Celtic could not completely sever ties with the Church State while the war had not yet ended.
Who didn’t know that behind this Prime Minister stood the Pope’s scepter, coming here merely as a show of power from a distance?
So when this noble from Corea Church State shouted “for Aulus Kingdom” in the royal palace, how many people could be emotionally affected by that?
None. Everyone wasn’t foolish; they knew full well that some things couldn’t be said.
After listening to Philex’s remarks, the king pondered for a moment, furrowing his brows tightly, scanning the lords below and wearily asked,
“Lords, if anyone has a different opinion, feel free to speak.”
The King made it very clear—he was unsatisfied with the Prime Minister’s judgment, even finding it absurd.
Unfortunately, this meeting had been destined from the very start not to engage in debate; no one was willing to be the first to stick their neck out and provoke the Prime Minister, risking being targeted by the Church State.
But, whenever the kingdom found itself in difficulty, there would always be patriotic voices rising to the right of the throne.
“Your Majesty, I believe the Prime Minister’s words are quite inappropriate, even absurd.”
“Oh! Ecklight, do you have a different perspective?”
Upon hearing this reliable voice, the king’s tone softened, and his brows unclenched.
Standing up alongside the displeased Prime Minister Philex was Ecklight, head of the Light Family, to the right of the throne.
Although he was speaking, accompanying him out of the ranks was the Hero, Xialet.
The weight that this father-daughter duo carried in the kingdom goes without saying.
With this statement, it finally stirred the still waters of the palace into a slightly more engaged discussion.
Ecklight ignored the warning glare from the Prime Minister and also dismissed the noisy crowd behind him.
On the surface, he confronted Philex at a distance.
In reality, Ecklight didn’t even glance at him.
“The path of violence, deciding everything in one go, is indeed the most efficient, but I ask you, Prime Minister, are you not afraid of provoking revenge from the Demon Territory with such a hasty judgment? You should know you’re proposing to kill not just any officer of the Demon King’s Army, but the Demon King’s eldest daughter, Xue Fei Ya Halder.”
“What’s there to fear?! You of the Light Family, the Sword of the Nation, dare to speak of fearing the demons’ revenge in such a cowardly manner?”
Philex acted as if truly anxious for the country, gesturing dramatically towards Ecklight as he rebuffed.
“Is it that the Demon Princess cannot be killed? That’s ignorance! Compared to any commander or royal guard, killing the Demon Princess would more effectively terrify the demon race! Our human army’s momentum has long waned; we desperately need this to invigorate morale! I hope Your Majesty can discern this.”
“Clearly, the Prime Minister from the Church State… pays not the slightest attention to court etiquette… so careless.”
“You…!”
Philex’s accusatory words only got halfway out before he dared not respond further.
The reason was… simply Ecklight’s warning glare directed at him.
Being stared at like this by the kingdom’s strongest… even being in power, one must understand the value of life.
What was even more terrifying was that behind Ecklight stood the silent Hero…
She actually made the motion of gripping the sword hilt!
Beneath her golden hair, her eyes glinted cold like a sharp sword… Philex felt that if he spoke further, he would likely be cut to pieces by the flash of the blade!
Damn… damn it… who really doesn’t understand court etiquette!
You despicable foreigners!
If it weren’t out of necessity, Ecklight wasn’t a person who liked to suppress everything by force.
He pressed his palms down to signal Xiya not to draw her sword and turned to the increasingly agitated Prime Minister.
“Our Prime Minister seems to have a misunderstanding. Perhaps he has been too pampered in Corea Church State? That’s fine; if you don’t understand, let me explain. What I just said wasn’t cowardice but a responsibility as a leading figure of the kingdom towards our citizens.”
“Hah… you speak so grandly, but isn’t it still out of fear of the demons? Lord Light, please do not forget, we are the victors of this war. You saying this now is simply demoralizing!”
“Indeed, we have won this battle. Seeing you so passionate, this victory, could it be attributed to our Prime Minister?”
“You…! I’m stationed in the capital; how could I personally go to the front lines to fight?”
Philex’s anxious explanations triggered laughter among the nobles below, further flushing his face with embarrassment.
“Then you should not have such confidence.”
Ecklight sighed deeply.
Although he was somewhat unwilling, he still graciously acknowledged this point.
“Our war with the demons… has had more losses than victories. This time’s remarkable achievement is heavily attributed to the bravery of our frontline soldiers. Also, it was my daughter, Xiya Let, who captured the enemy commander, leading to this moment of peace; otherwise, do you think we could gather here to discuss?”
“… times are different now.” Philex continued to desperately defend his claims, “I already said, we have never recorded a victory over the Six-Winged Demon before; now that the Hero has achieved it, doesn’t it signify that the situation has changed? Therefore, now is the best opportunity to weaken the demon race’s combat power by killing the Demon Princess!”
“Are you aware that there are still four other Six-Wings of the demon race?”
“Haha…! Does the Lord Light not know? With the constraints of the Dark Dragon Race and High-Level Races, the demon race dares not deploy other Six-Wings to battle!”
“If you believe that even if we kill the Demon King’s daughter… the demon race would not dare to break the treaty, then I advise you to resign from your position as Prime Minister.”
Before Philex could respond, Ecklight had already turned back to face the ministers.
His turn was graceful and sharp, naturally and resilient, entirely unlike Philex’s affected manner.
His deep and magnetic voice suddenly resonated, expressing many of his insights in succession.
“As I said earlier, we cannot kill the Demon Princess. To only be wary of her power while ignoring her authority in the Demon Territory is foolish behavior.”
“If we execute Xue Fei Ya Halder, based on her stature in the Demon Territory, rather than deterrence, we are more likely to encounter the furious retribution of the demon race, not just the other Six-Wings but the wrath of all the demons.”
“At that point, regardless of how much foundation the kingdom has, or how much support the Church State can provide, I fear it would not withstand the demons fighting to the death; let’s not forget, even if the Demon Princess is gone, the Demon King remains, and they possess plenty of combat power.”
“What if we imprison and restrict Xue Fei Ya Halder?”
“The demons would be hesitant, concerned that we might kill her, preventing them from acting rashly.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you, do you desire peace or just the immediate thrill of revenge through killing?”
This time, the silence from below was completely different.
After the silence, a continuous round of applause erupted.
Not only because the king had risen from his throne to lead the applause.
But also because they genuinely admired this hero who had protected the kingdom!
Members of the Light Family felt the same.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the Prime Minister’s eyes shifted, and the corners of his mouth turned up; he immediately changed his stance.
“Yes… yes! After hearing the Lord Light’s opinion, I realize how one-sided and shallow my thoughts were!”
“Philex.” King Celtic was already somewhat impatient. “If there’s nothing else, you may leave; since we’ve decided not to kill her, there need be no further discussion.”
“… Understood, understood.”
Philex concealed his dissatisfaction and disdain very well.
The king had always understood that Philex’s opinions were not his own but represented the stance of the Corea Church State behind him.
The Church State did not wish to see the kingdom at peace; they still wanted the kingdom to engage in an all-out fight with the Demon Territory, profiting from it.
The hearts of the petty… the hearts of the petty…
Since that was the case, King Celtic also had his own stance.
“Philex, please wait.”
“Is Your Majesty changing your mind?!”
“No, I already said this matter need not be further discussed.” The king waved his right hand, signaling a maid to go to the palace’s back room for something while continuing to address Philex. “The delicacies and specialties from various nations you brought from the Pope this morning for me and the Queen—take them back too.”
“But Your Majesty… that’s the Pope’s heartfelt intention, a collection of delicacies from all over the world. How can they be returned…!”
“The Pope is probably worried that our kingdom cannot even afford food, that’s why he sent me and the Queen rations during this time of war. Hah, I’ve understood this ‘kindness’! Enough, from now on, my kingdom shall recuperate, and there is no need for the Pope to worry. These things will soon lose their value; you can take them all back!”
“……”
Xiya Let below stood dazed, suddenly hearing the words “special ingredients.”
Delicacies collected from various countries… dishes?
Xue Fei…! Sister has found you something delicious!!
Realizing this, the Hero had already stepped out from the ranks.
“Your Majesty, please wait a moment; regarding the matter of these special ingredients, I believe there is no need to return them.”
